Forgiven // l.h. // Book 2 in Bully Series

24. Surprise!

"Luke?" I called, my eyes darting everywhere in an attempt to locate my tall friend. Finally, I caught a glimpse of blond hair behind some large guy in a bright blue shirt. Luke sidestepped the guy, and I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Where did you go?" I questioned as soon as he was close enough to hear me. Luke shrugged noncommittally, waving his hand.

"Sorry, there was a cool batman shirt back there, and I wanted to see if they had my size. They didn't." He sounded slightly disappointed. I couldn't help but smirk.

"They didn't carry size 'giant', hm?" I quipped. Luke lifted an eyebrow before stepping up next to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, I looked for your size, too, but they didn't have size 'mouse' either." I let out a fake gasp of shock, lightly hitting him in the chest with the back of my hand.

"You did not just compare me to a mouse!"

We made it to the main stage in time to secure some pretty decent spots. And by decent, I mean Luke and I were only a few 'rows' from the stage. I didn't know where the rest of the group was, but I knew they were around somewhere. Luke said he'd texted Ashton, and that Ash confirmed that they were in a great spot as well. I felt kind of bad for abandoning the rest of the group, but it had taken Luke and I a while to get back to the performances, what with being stopped by his fans and muscling our way through the crowds.

--

The performances seemed to fly by. Sleeping With Sirens played their songs first, and though I didn't know all the lyrics to them, I jumped around and jammed just as hard as everyone else in the crowd around me. What I was the most excited for, however, was the band that was currently setting up on stage. Well, their crew was setting up for them, but still. Fall Out Boy. They were the first band I had listened to once Ashton began pushing me to listen to more band music. And, to this day, they were still my favorite.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to see them live!" I practically yelled in Luke's direction. "What songs do you think they'll play? What if they look at me? Oh my gosh, I'll die if they look at me." I rambled on. Luke gave me a rather unamused look.

"They're just a band, like 5SOS is, you know." He countered. I waved him off.

"Yeah, but you're you. And they're, well, they're them. It's different." I retorted. Luke scoffed and rolled his eyes, but I knew he wasn't actually upset. He was the one I went on dates with, and he was the one who currently had an arm wrapped around my waist. Not Fall Out Boy. I tilted my head and bumped his arm with it. "You're excited to see them too. Admit it." I prodded. Luke let his lips tilt up in a smile, and though he didn't actually say anything to confirm it, I knew he was.

--

"That was so good!" I exclaimed, probably a bit too loudly considering the confined space in Luke's car. There was a benefit to have driven here with just the two of us; we didn't have to cram eight people into one car like the rest of our group did. That had been a very amusing sight to behold. Especially since Michael and Taryn were a tad less than sober. It made for a very loud process with more than a few shouted expletives.

"Yeah, I agree. I had a lot of fun." Luke agreed with me as we pulled into the parking lot near my apartment building. "I'll walk you up." He added as he put the car in park and pulled the keys out of the ignition. I smiled, nodding.

The trip to my front door was silent, but very comfortable. Luke had slipped his hand into mine almost as soon as we got into the elevator. I'd had to turn away briefly to regain control of my facial muscles, which seemed to be hellbent on having a huge, goofy grin as my expression. I was just about to slip my key into the lock on my door when Luke stopped me.

"Hold on a second, I have something for you." He said, his words tumbling out of his mouth quickly as if he was afraid he'd chicken out on saying them. I lifted my eyebrows, looking up at him. He pulled his hand from mine and reached around behind him moments later, a small white bag came into my view. Luke didn't make eye contact with me as he fumbled to get the thing open. When he pulled out the necklace, I couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"Oh my gosh, Luke!" I breathed, tilting my head forward slightly so he could put it on me. I watched the dark chain rest against my shirt before reaching up and taking the pendant into my hand. "I can't believe you found one." I said, looking back up at him only to find that he had his own in his hand. I let go of my necklace and reached out to touch his.

"You know, I barely ever take this thing off." He said. I laughed, looking at the worn lego man on the chain of his necklace. "I saw that one hanging up at the festival and I knew I had to get it for you." He gestured to the almost identical necklace I was now wearing. 

"So I take it there was no batman shirt?" I quipped, giving him a cheeky grin. Luke chuckled.

"No, there was. But I saw the necklace first. They actually didn't have my size." He admitted. I nodded.

"Hard to find those size 'giant' shirts, right?" I brought up the joke I'd made earlier, tilting my head to the side as I looked up at him. 

"Yeah. 'Mouse' is a hard one, too." He shot back lightly. I looked down at the lego man on my necklace.

"Thank you, Luke. I love it." I said. When I looked back up, I noticed the expression on his face had changed ever so slightly. I couldn't quite place it. When he took a step forward, however, I knew.

"You're welcome, Dae." He murmured. I peered up at him, feeling my heartbeat pick up its pace when his gaze darted to my lips briefly. It seemed as if everything was going in slow motion as soon as he began to close the gap between us. It started with another step towards me. Then he reached out and gently put his hands on my waist. I was frozen to the spot, every nerve on high alert as his head dipped down towards mine.

So many thoughts were racing through my head. I really liked Luke. Despite the crazy bumps and potholes in the path that was our relationship, he still managed to give me butterflies whenever I saw him. He was gentle and understanding, and so, so thoughtful. Not only towards, me,either. He loved his fans, and took every opportunity he could to appease them and make them feel appreciated.

Before I could even begin another thought, Luke lips pressed against mine.

////////

OH. MY. GOSH.

I have a few things to freak out about here!

So, let's start off with the glaringly obvious; they KISSED! AH! I know you guys have been waiting for so long for this to happen, and trust me, I have been too. I actually had to pause a few times when writing that part because I was freaking out. Oh my gosh! Yes! I don't even know what to say here except YES! So, I'm going to leave it at that and ask you what you think. Are you excited! Dying? Both? Because I know I am!

Secondly, Forgive Me is #51 in fanfictions. WHAT?! 51. FIFTY ONE. CINQUENTA Y UNO! How? You all have no idea how much that means to me! When I saw that, my jaw literally dropped and I couldn't stop smiling. You've made my night! I love you all so much! I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for you, so thank you so much!

Also, school is starting up again soon for a lot of you, so I wish you the best! Make this year a great one! Try out for a sport or join a club or something. Make friends that like the same things you do and don't put others down! 

I love you all to bits, and I will see you next time!!!!