It was a little disheartening and Luke was almost offended by how easy it was to convince the boys to let him run off with some girl he barely knew. Like, he’d expected them to be excited for him and all but he thought they might have put up a bit of a fight considering this was supposed to be their night away in Vegas.
Only a small part of him really cared though because the other part couldn’t focus on anything besides Hadley who was still holding on to his hand tightly and laughing at his friends (and to be honest if Luke didn’t know them he’d probably laugh too because he knew that the four of them were complete idiots especially when they were together). With one final nod of approval Luke shrugged his shoulders, shot Hadley a quick smile, and led them out of the club.
Once they were outside Luke suddenly realised that he was totally out of his depth. Not only did he have no idea where they were, he also had no idea where anything else was. He turned once again to Hadley who was already looking up at him, laughing at his bewildered expression.
“Come on birthday boy, I know this place like the back of my hand; let’s go do something exciting.” Luke motioned for her to lead the way and that’s exactly what she did.
Luke didn’t want to admit it but he was a little bit disappointed when she let go of his hand so that she could loop her arm through his. While Hadley weaved her way through people Luke took the chance to get a good look at her.
Even though he knew that she was older than him if he’d met her any other way he wouldn’t have thought that. She had the demeanour of a five year old, everything was amazing to her and he could tell by the way her eyes lit up and the smile that never seemed to leave her face. Her long hair fell in waves down her back and even though it clearly bothered her when it fell into her eyes she refused to tie it up. She was beautiful, but not in that superficial way (although he couldn’t help but marvel at the way the lights around them cast shadows and patterns on her nearly flawless face); it was cheesy but he could tell that she had a beautiful soul and that she was a genuinely incredible person.
Hadley knew that Luke thought she couldn’t tell that he was staring, but she could; she didn’t need to turn and look at him to know that his blue eyes were trained on her. Hadley was nineteen and she’d been living and working in Vegas since she was twelve; needless to say Hadley had come across quite a few people in that time but she didn’t think that she’d ever met someone as good looking as Luke. He looked more like a male model than he did an eighteen year old boy but somehow, despite how incredibly attractive he was, he wasn’t intimidating (she thought it might have had something to do with the Australian accent but she wasn’t sure yet). He seemed like a complete dork but it was endearing, Hadley had always had a soft spot for guys who were a little different.
“Where exactly are you taking me?” Luke asked her after they’d been walking for a little while.
Hadley let out a laugh, noticing that their first stop was not too far ahead of them. “I’m taking you to see a goddess birthday boy.”
“Two in the same night? That seems a little greedy to me.” Luke replied without skipping a beat, a smirk making its way onto his face.
Hadley stopped in her tracks and turned to face him, unable to stop a grin from creeping onto her face and a laugh escaping from her lips.
“I don’t even know how to respond to that.” She told him, beginning to walk again. “But anyway, this goddess specialises in tequila so prepare to get a little tipsy.”
The first step in Hadley’s barely thought through plan was to get Luke drunk, not majorly, but just enough so that he’d loosen up and be able to have a good time. And it was a fairly effective step in the plan; after a few drinks he was still sober enough to act like a normal person but he began to open up and Hadley could tell that he was letting down his guard.
The two of them got to talking; this whole thing had been about getting to know each other after all. Luke explained how he’d come to live in America after being born in Australia, he talked about his family and it made Hadley slightly giddy to hear just how much he cared about them. He kind of skipped over high school and told her how he was doing a degree in composition and music production. By the way his eyes lit up when he spoke about music Hadley could tell that it was something that he loved and she loved that he was so passionate about it.
“Alright, I’ve been talking about me for ages.” Luke told her, taking another pull from his drink and deciding that it would probably be his last (at least for a little while). “Tell me about you.”
“I don’t know what to tell you Luke, I’m completely average.” Luke let out a short snort which was kind of hilarious. “I was born in Arizona, my family moved to Vegas when I was twelve. I finished school and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and now here I am. I work in the club serving drinks and its fun and all, plus it pays well, but I don’t know if I can see myself here forever y’know?”
Luke studied her face for a second before reaching out and placing his hand over hers. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You’ve got your whole life to figure out what you want to do so just enjoy it for now.”
“Wow this got deep. That was not what I intended.” Hadley laughed before standing up from her seat. “Alright, now that you’re sufficiently hydrated let’s go and have some real fun.”
For the next few hours Luke let Hadley take him wherever she wanted. There were numerous bars, a stop at the Hard Rock Café (which Luke hadn’t wanted to leave), a casino or two, and Luke had vehemently refused to go on the roller coaster that sat atop the Stratosphere Hotel (it wasn’t that Luke was scared of heights or anything, he just hated roller coasters…especially ones that went off the side of very tall hotels). They’d even stopped in at an arcade just long enough for Hadley to kick his ass in a few games.
They’d stopped by the Dancing Fountain at the Bellagio but when they got there they realised that they’d missed the last show of the night. Hadley was disappointed that she hadn’t remembered that they stopped at 12am because she had a feeling seeing the fountains would have been something that Luke would have really enjoyed. Instead the two of them just sat on the structure that surrounded the fountains for a while.
Luke, feeling particularly bold, reached out and took Hadley’s hand again. She didn’t pull away which made Luke smile and when he looked down at their joined hands he noticed that when they sat like this their tattoos matched up and sat side by side.
“I’ve got this insane idea.” Hadley said, and when Luke turned to her he noticed that she was also looking down at their tattoos.
“Is it going to get me arrested?” She shook her head. “Well let’s do it then.”
Hadley couldn’t believe that he’d agreed so easily. “Luke, you don’t even know what I was thinking about doing.”
“Yeah, but I trust you and I trust your judgement. So, let’s do it.” He smiled down at her, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.
Hadley was in awe of the boy sitting next her right now, there was no other way to describe it. He hadn’t known her for more than a few hours but in that time he’d never once questioned her. Now he was willing to go along with whatever plan she had, without knowing any details, even after she’d said the idea was insane. Hadley realised in that moment that she really liked Luke.
***
Luke almost had a heart attack when they stopped outside one of the many wedding chapels that Vegas had to offer. Hadley had said the idea was insane but he was thinking that it was going to be something illegal not something like getting married.
“Are you serious?” He asked her, unable to hide the shock in his voice.
Hadley just shrugged, appearing to not be bothered by this at all. “I mean, why not? We’re both old enough, and it’s not like we’re ever going to be allowed to marry someone else. Plus you’re in Vegas Luke, live a little. Do something crazy.”
Luke didn’t know what to say, he was lost for words because she actually had a fairly good point. Once he realised that it was only a matter of seconds before he was nodding his head. This was crazy, Hadley was crazy, but Luke liked that she was crazy and spontaneous and that nothing seemed to faze her.
“Okay. Alright. Let’s get married.” Luke laughed because he’d never been able to imagine himself saying something like that; but here he was, making possibly the worst marriage proposal in history to one of the coolest girls he’d ever met.
When they went inside the first thing they had to do was get their tattoos assessed (because apparently even in Vegas they won’t let you marry someone that isn’t your soul mate). It took about ten minutes of some random guy staring at both of their tattoos before he agreed that they seemed to match and he handed over the paperwork.
Honestly, both Luke and Hadley had expected to walk in and get appointed their own Elvis in a matter of minutes and for the whole thing to be over in ten minutes tops. They were both wrong, but they made the best of it. They had to wait in line after four other couples who were also walk-ins and they had to fill out a bunch of paperwork which had led to an interesting discussion about last names (Hadley refused to take his last name because she thought that ‘Hadley Hemmings’ sounded absolutely ridiculous, and Luke claimed he couldn’t change his name to ‘Luke O’Neil’ because he needed to carry on the family name).
When it was their turn to go in neither of them were nervous which was strange all things considered but they both took it as a sign that maybe this wasn’t as insane as they thought it was. The two of them had to try and stop themselves from laughing throughout the whole ceremony because of the fake Elvis who was the minister. They had to avoid looking at each other because they were so worried they were going to laugh and they’d have to start all over again.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” At those words Luke froze up.
What if he kissed Hadley and she thought it was terrible and she never wanted to see him again? Stop being such a baby, he thought to himself, just kiss your wife.
And so he did. It was awkward at first, neither of them quite knowing how to react to the other but after a few seconds they seemed to settle into it. It was gentle and slow and it had Hadley going weak at the knees because it was just a really good kiss. Hadley pulled away and Luke leant his forehead on hers, not quite ready to move away completely.
“Hey wife.” He whispered, the corners of his mouth pulling up into one of the most breath taking smiles Hadley had ever seen.
“Hey husband.” She replied with a soft laugh.
Luke leant in again and gave her a soft peck on the lips before tangling his fingers with hers and pulling away for good this time. Without a word both of them made their way towards the exit, their hands swinging between them. It wasn’t until they were outside that Hadley spoke up.
“I’ve got one more place I want to show you.” She told Luke, he just nodded his head and once again let her lead the way onto their final destination.
***
“Are you sure we’re allowed to be doing this?” Luke asked.
“Yes Luke.” Hadley rolled her eyes because he’d been asking virtually the same question since she’d told him where they were going.
“But what if we get caught?”
“We won’t.”
“How are we even going to get onto the roof?”
“You know, you ask a lot of questions Luke. If I’d known that I might not have married you.” Luke pretended to be offended and Hadley shot him a wink. “Just kidding. But I have a key, that’s how we’re going to get onto the roof.”
They were currently in the service stairwell of the club where Hadley worked and they were heading up to the roof. Luke was wary of the whole thing because he figured he wasn’t allowed to be there but Hadley was nothing but calm and maybe a little tired of Luke’s freaking out.
“How do you have a key?” Hadley stopped where she was and turned around to send Luke a playful glare. “I promise that’s my last question.”
Hadley just shook her head and continued up the stairs. “My uncle owns the club. I come up here a lot and he got sick of me stealing his key to do it so he gave me my own.”
“So do you bring all your dates up here then?” Luke laughed as he reached the top of the stairs.
He stepped out onto the roof and a few moments later he heard the door shut with a soft thud and Hadley was once again by his side. She had chosen to ignore his previous comment because she didn’t want to get into the fact that Luke was the first person she’d ever brought up here.
Without any warning Hadley dropped down to sit on the floor of the roof. She stretched out, lying on her back, and not too long after Luke followed suit. He lay down beside her, close enough that their arms were pressed lightly against each other.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re lying on the roof of your uncle’s club?” He asked taking her hand in his once again. Luke didn’t know why but he just really liked holding Hadley’s hand.
“It’s still a bit early at the moment – ”
“Hads, it’s like 3am. I hardly call that early.” Luke interrupted her, barely even registering the nickname as it passed through his lips.
“Did you seriously just call me ‘Hads’?” She asked with a laugh, turning slightly so she could face Luke who just shrugged his shoulders. “It’s cool. I like it. Anyway, 3am is still considered early in Vegas. But a little bit later things start to quiet down and it’s really nice and peaceful up here, especially if you can hang around until the sun rises.”
So that’s what they did. They stayed up on the roof, talking and telling each other stories until the sun started to come up. When the time was right Hadley pulled him up and they both went and stood by the edge of the roof.
Luke wasn’t sure if he’d ever understood the word serenity until he was standing there looking over the city with Hadley. Despite how hectic and chaotic it had been mere hours before the streets were nearly empty now and the small groups of people still wandering around didn’t do much to disturb the quiet.
Hadley could tell just by the look on his face that she’d been right to bring Luke up here and to share this with him. She’d always worried that no one else would be able to appreciate it like she did but she’d had a gut feeling about Luke that had turned out to be right. She could see the awe etched into his features and she hoped if he left Vegas and forgot everything else, at least maybe he’d remember this.
As much as he didn’t want to, Luke had to break the comfortable silence that had settled around them. He didn’t want to ruin the tranquillity and he didn’t really want to talk about what they were about to talk about either but he knew it needed to happen.
“I’m leaving later today, with the guys.” He breathed out. He really didn’t want to have this conversation.
“I know.” Hadley replied, not taking her eyes off the city that was sprawled out before them, the city that had brought them together. “And I’m staying here.”
Luke turned so he was facing her and after a few moments of resistance Hadley did the same.
“What are we gonna do?” He asked softly, extending a hand to brush a piece of hair back behind her ear.
“What can we do?” She shrugged, a sad smile on her face. “I guess we just wait and see what happens. I’ve got your number; you’ve got mine. Who knows, maybe something will change. Maybe I’ll get sick of Vegas. Maybe your music will bring you back out here.”
“How about we make a deal?” Luke asked, pressing his lips to her knuckles. “Every year, if we’re not together, I’ll come and visit you. We can re-live this night all over again one night each year until we end up together permanently. How does that sound?”
“It sounds good to me.” Hadley smiled again but this time it reached her eyes.
Luke pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her, and placed a light kiss on the top of her head while they both turned back around so they could continue to watch the sun come up over the city.
Later in the day Luke finally returned to the hotel where he was supposed to spend the night. He had to call Calum and ask him the room number because in the excitement of the night he’d genuinely forgotten. Normally Luke would think that was ridiculous and lame but he was too giddy to care.
He joined the boys for breakfast where he explained everything that had happened after he’d left the club with Hadley. They all took it pretty well up until the part where he told them that they got married, he’d had to wait a few minutes for that to fully sink in and then he’d had to repeat himself as well.
As the boys packed the car, getting ready to head home, Luke couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something and he knew that the something was Hadley.
Less than twenty four hours beforehand Luke had been standing in his bathroom thinking about how things in life never changed in the blink of an eye; now as he climbed back into the passenger seat of Ashton’s beat up car he couldn’t believe just how wrong he’d been.
They’d been on the road for less than ten minutes when Luke felt his phone buzz from in his pocket, and when he opened the message he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
FROM: Hadley Hemmings ;-p
TO: Luke O’Neil :-*
i’m so glad that i met you.
Luke may have been wrong when he thought that things couldn’t change in a day, but he had been right when he’d assume that his eighteenth birthday was going to be one to remember.
-
wow guys. well that's it. that's all of soulmates.
i don't have a lot to say right now because i'm saving it for the final authors note, but thank you all so much. i guess that kind of covers it for now.
so when i asked about doing a charcter ask you guys seemed pretty into that, so i'll give you a few days to recover from this and then i'll post all the details about that so don't delete this from your library (if it's in your library) or just keep an eye out for that. i'm going away for the weekend but as far as i know i should be able to post it on sunday night.
so, yeah. thanks guys. let me know what you think about how it ended and all that jazz :)