Best Years [Luke Hemmings]

Chapter 2

The lavender-haired woman tapped on the screen for a little while before handing it back, a grin on her face. "Text me a time and place, yeah?"

"Cool," Luke said, walking towards the door. "Thanks for letting me hide here!"

"It's no big deal," Artemis said. "I'll see you soon! Bye!"

"Bye!" Luke replied, walking out the door. And just like that, he was gone.

Artemis tilted her head in confusion. She parted her lips to speak but decided not to. She felt compelled to listen to Luke. Besides, it was clear he had planned out his words beforehand and she didn't want to interrupt Luke and cause him to stumble over his thoughts.

"But darling, the future's better than yesterday." Luke continued.

Artemis glanced down at her phone once again to ensure that she was in the right place at the right time. It was the fifth time she had done this in under ten minutes. Some might say she was nervous or anxious, but Artemis wouldn't admit to that. She was confident, unafraid of the meeting with the pretty boy she had met at work. Artemis just wanted to be certain that she was on time.

She smiled as a bell rang when she opened the door to the coffee shop, seeing Luke already sitting at a small table, tucked in a corner away from the shop's windows. She walked up to him and sat down across from him, smiling as she said, "hello."

Luke looked up from the phone clutched in his hands, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you come in. I would've held your chair out otherwise."

"It's fine, Luke." Artemis laughed, "Besides, I'm an independent woman and all."

The two spoke amongst themselves, laughing and discussing hobbies and their day-to-day lives. Whilst they were discussing things, a waitress walked over and took their orders - an iced coffee for Luke, a hot chocolate for Artemis. Artemis smiled at Luke, "I don't actually like anything caffeinated."

"But we're at a coffee shop?" He laughed. No one needed to know if he was questioning the location he had chosen for his date. It wouldn't fit the confident front he was trying to portray.

The pair continued to talk until Luke looked past Artemis' shoulder.

"I'm really sorry," he said, "but I think those are fans that have just seen me from over there. I can ask them to leave when they come over if you want me to?" He asked, looking at Artemis apologetically.

Artemis shook her head, brushing her lavender hair from her face. "No! I don't mind at all. They're important for your career and I'm sure they're super sweet."

Luke nodded, almost relieved that he wouldn't have to turn down the three teen girls who were making their way towards their small table in the back of the coffee shop. Of course, he wouldn't want to make Artemis uncomfortable so he would decline if it made her happy, but he hated turning fans down. They were the reason he had such a huge platform and he was doing what he loved every day. Even if there were a few toxic ones, the majority were sweet and kind-hearted, supporting them no matter what.

Luke smiled as the three girls reached their table, two of the girls nudging the third girl forward. She giggled nervously and her friend rolled her eyes from and spoke, "this is Mel, she's a big fan of you and your band. She's really shy, though and it took us a while to convince her to come and say hello."

The rockstar laughed "It's really nice to meet you, Mel!" He watched as her eyes lit up with excitement. "You didn't need to be shy about coming to talk to me, I love talking to you guys."