Sunlight streamed through my window as my alarm clock beeped in that particularly awful pitch that made me cringe every single day. As I rolled over to get out of bed, I caught myself staring awkwardly out the window, thinking about Luke and how he snuck in here last night. That was surprising, but well, really amazing too.
Absentmindedly touching my lips where I was kissed yesterday after the Orpheum show, I floated all the way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for school. As for Carlos and keeping my little secret about the boys, I was so relieved that he agreed to keep it quiet for now. I was still processing it all myself, and explaining the foggy ghost logic to my dad was the last thing I needed to worry about.
Drying off and pulling on some jeans and my favorite color-blocked zip-up, I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning Julie. Eat fast so you're not late." Dad smiled at me, placing some scrambled eggs, toast, and juice on the table in front of me. Carlos wandered downstairs too, but he was thankfully still half-asleep and therefore, too zonked to interrogate me.
From my vantage point while I quickly ate, I could see the guys hanging out around the garage, and hoped that Dad didn't see them yet. Without wanting to chance him noticing them while I was at school, I took a chance.
"Hey Dad? So uh, I meant to tell you - my band is actually in town, they surprised me last night after the Orpheum show."
"Really? That's awesome. So I can finally meet these boys who brought my little girl back to me?" His eyes lit up in that adorable way that dads always did. I wanted to say yes, but didn't want to promise anything until I knew if other people could even see them at all.
"Uh, possibly! Let me see what their schedules are today and I'll let you know. But if you see me hanging out with them, you'll know why. We might be in Mom's studio later on." Or this morning. But once again, need-to-know basis.
"Works for me. Have a great day!" He patted me on the shoulder and then high-tailed it to his home office while answering a call on his cellphone. This time, it was in plain sight on the counter where it belonged.
After finishing my eggs, I checked the time on the wall, and decided ran to the garage to tell the guys what the updated plan was. Couldn't risk them being seen without me there to smooth things over - especially Reggie. He's been around my dad quite a bit lately, even without being visible. So this could be, well, really emotional for him.
Before I could do that though, the front door rang. I opened it to see Nick there, offering me some flowers. He seemed a little off, but maybe it was just nerves. It was still super sweet of him to think of me. It was probably congratulations for the Orpheum gig, since I clearly told him I liked someone else (aka, Luke).
After thanking Nick for the flowers, and finding a vase to put them in, I dropped my plates in the sink and headed to the studio with my heavy backpack on. I was out of breath by the time I got to the door.
"Hey guys! We gotta talk real quick."
"Morning Julie!" Alex waved at me from behind his drums, polishing the cymbals or something. "Willie was thrilled that we're still here, by the way. I'm relieved too, honestly."
"Well duh, of course he's relieved. He's got such a thing for Willie." Luke teased from his spot on the couch, fiddling with the acoustic guitar he kept just behind it. Then his eyes found mine, and he had the most shy little smile spread over his perfect face.
I coughed, trying to dissipate the slightly awkward moment.
"Aw, I see chemistry!" Reggie winked at me, and Luke threw a pillow at him while I pretended to rub some dust out of my eye.
"That reminds me, I have chemistry CLASS in like, twenty minutes, so I gotta run. But guys, people might be able to see you now. I just wanted to say, please keep a low profile. Especially around my dad."
Reggie's face turned white for a second. "Oh right! You promised to introduce me to Ray today! Julie, can we go? Please?" He practically panted and jumped right next to me like a little puppy.
"Reggie, chill - she has school. I'm sure she'll introduce us all later." Alex patted me on the shoulder, a very surreal sensation which by his shy smile, must've affected him as much as it still affected me.
"Jules, we gotta plan our next gig. Band meeting after you get home?"
I nodded, took one look at his shy smile and sparkling eyes, and felt my face heat up again.
This is still a lot to get used to. In more ways than one.
"Yeah, sure thing. Just stay in the studio, okay? And if my dad comes in here, like, hide or something. At least until I get home and can introduce you normally."
"Whatever you say, boss."
I smirked at Luke and ran out the door, because I was seriously going to be late if I didn't. By the time I got to school, Flynn was at my locker waiting for me. A crowd of kids I'd never even talked to were there to congratulate me too.
"Nice job, Julie."
"Your band rocked!"
"Can I get your autograph!?"
I answered them all as best I could, but Flynn pulled me around the corner before I could get to any of them. "Flynn! There's enough of me to go around, you don't gotta be so pushy!"
"As your social media specialist, I really need to talk strategy with you. Let's build off this momentum and keep the crowds engaged! I have a five-step plan that I think will really help you guys take off..."
She rambled on for a good minute or two before the bell rang, and I had to run all the way to class with all my stuff since my locker was blocked by people who suddenly wanted to be my friend. If this was what fame felt like, I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to it.
"Gotta go Flynn, we'll chat later, I promise!" I wondered how much of my life now would be hasty cover-ups and promises I couldn't guarantee.
Just when I was about to round the corner to Chemistry class for a good dose of normalcy in day one of my new reality, someone pulled me into a closet and shut the door.
"Okay look, whoever you are, that's really creepy and weird, and I have class to go to. So bye!" I was about to reach for the doorknob, until a familiar voice shocked my system.
"Jules, I missed you."
Finding the pull-string of the lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, I yanked it hard and suddenly, Luke's face was illuminated in front of me.
"What the heck are you doing here? I thought I told you to keep a low-profile. Skulking around my school and dragging me into a closet is not 'keeping a low profile'."
He shrugged. "I missed you. And lucky for me, I still look like a highschool student, so no one gave me a second look. Blended right in." His smirk and confidently-raised eyebrows were a force to be reckoned with.
Clutching my jacket and lunch bag to my chest, I rolled my eyes. "I bet, but it's risky. If anyone asks what your name is, or where you're from, it could get complicated. You know this. That's why I wanted to wait until I got home to handle all this stuff with you guys."
The tardy bell rang in the distance, but I suddenly didn't care. Some things were more important. And Luke was being too stupid to leave unattended. At least for now.
"Yeah, but see..." He paused momentarily, letting that smile crawl across his chin. "I can't do this at home in front of the guys."
In slow-motion, he reached his hands around my waist and tilted his mouth to mine. So naturally, I totally let the stuff I was carrying clatter to the floor. His lips felt softer than ever. Now that I knew what to expect, it was less scary and more exhilarating. He was still cold, but the warmth he brought out of me was more than enough.
"I'm uh, still not used to that." I smirked, unable to look him in the eye as I extricated myself from his embrace. "It still feels so... personal."
"Well yeah, I guess it kinda is." He scratched an invisible itch on the back of his head. "Sorry, I thought we agreed that was okay now." He looped his thumbs through his empty belt loops, as his cheeks grew pink.
"Of course, just uh, maybe not at school, right? Like I said, I'm late for class." I reached to grab my things from the floor, but a gentle hand on my arm stopped me.
"Well, you're already here, and you're already late anyway, so uh, maybe just... a minute?" He breathed near my ear, and the breath sent shivers down my spine. Still didn't understand how he could breathe but had no heartbeat. I must've been out sick when they covered ghosts in ninth-grade biology.
I saw the light pouring through the space in between the closet door and the brightly-lit hallway outside it. Suddenly, a comforting feeling descended around me, like I could be around Luke without anyone seeing us. It was thrilling, and kind of amazing, all at the same time.
"Okay, another minute won't hurt, I guess."
That kilowatt smile gleamed in the low-light of the bulb, and I hesitantly leaned into his arms. Even hugging him still felt pretty surreal, and the sparks he left on my face and waist were unreal.
"Look, I don't want you to blush too much in class, so I won't kiss you too much here. But, one more please?"
I nodded, and he leant down to me hungrily, with his arms around me tight. His lips wandered a bit to my earlobe and neck, and I sighed loudly while he hummed low in an odd harmony with the furnace just inches away from us. His hands reached for my curls, while I melted into him as he moved back to my lips.
Just before I could peel myself away from him, the space flooded with fluorescent light.
"Julie?"
I squealed, as Nick stood in the hallway with a shocked look on his face.
"I - I... just got lost. I gotta get to class. Sorry." Scrambling to pick up my things, I tried not to think about the fact that his blank eyes wandered to Luke standing behind me, with a flushed face that matched mine.
"Who is that boy you are with in the utility closet?"
Tilting my head to get a sense of Nick's odd tone, Luke shrugged.
"This is Luke."
"And he is your boyfriend?"
I exchanged a look with Luke, who shrugged. Clearly, he didn't worry too much about this kind of thing, but I did. And I especially didn't want Nick spreading things about me that I wasn't sure I could prove. What if people wanted to meet Luke and then they noticed he wasn't totally alive?
"Uhm, it's complicated." My eyes flickered over to Luke, and I could've sworn I saw a layer of hurt in his face, but it passed quickly enough.
"Uh, see you at band practice, Jules. I've kept you from class long enough."
Or not.
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Thank you so much for reading this next part! I tried to incorporate suggestions from you - my lovely readers.
Please keep the ideas coming, this is really fun! Writing these scenes is giving me a much-needed break from my work ;) These two move chronologically, but I can't guarantee they all will. OR, tell me what you like. Do you prefer imagines to be like, one-shot cute stories? Or to move kind of in synch with each other?
And as always, feel free to follow my author pages on Instagram and Facebook @angelinasingerauthor for more writing content like my music review articles, novel updates, and just fun lifestyle stuff.
- Angelina <3