chapter forty-four: why do we always get sappy in the mornings?
luke's pov
THURSDAY MORNING. I woke up feeling particularly tired and just as I was about to stretch out, I found myself entangled with the girl beside me. My eyes landed on Josie's face as she slept peacefully and I smiled as butterflies swarmed my stomach.
I looked over my shoulder, at the alarm clock next to my bed, to see that it was nearing six-thirty. I hated that I would have to wake her up soon—both because I knew she hated being woken up and because I wished she could stay beside me forever.
I leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead before hugging her into my chest a little tighter.
Recently, it was hard for me to think of anything but Josie. I hadn't even finished packing for tour, because I was too busy worrying that it would take away from the time I had left with her. I also couldn't stop thinking about how unexpected all of this was.
When I saw Josie at that club, I had high hopes that she'd be in my life for more than just a night, but only because I had been horny to have some fun for the remainder of the summer. I had no intentions of catching any sort of feelings—I had actually promised myself that I wouldn't dare do such a thing, but after only one night with her, I knew I fucked up.
Josie wasn't the kind of girl you could simply let go of, at least not in my eyes. Josie was someone you got the pleasure of being with, and I would be ignorant if I didn't at least take the opportunity of possibly being with her for a long time.
As I looked down at the girl in my arms, who I had become so fond of and had fallen so hard for, I wished her to be mine more than anything. She had become my every thought, my every reason why, and my every expectation. I couldn't imagine my life without her—I couldn't imagine going through the process of finding someone else if she were to ever give up on me.
Josie began to move in her sleep, letting out a couple of mumbles, and I smiled as I observed her. She often talked in her sleep, but only incoherent statements ever slipped from her mouth.
I brushed a couple of stray strands of her hair from her face and placed another kiss on her forehead, but this time I watched as she seemed to react to my touch. The corner of her lips curled and I smiled at the sight.
Knowing it would most likely take ten whole minutes to get her up and out of bed, I decided it was time to complete my least favorite daily task.
"Jos," I whispered as I pushed myself up on one elbow, using my other hand to caress her cheek. "Jos, baby—wake up," I said a little louder, while still staying soft, just before placing a kiss on her cheek. She began to mumble as she tried to roll over and I laughed quietly at her actions. "Jos, if you want breakfast, you'll have to get up soon."
"Shh," she breathed out once she had rolled over in my arms. "Not today."
"Not today?" I asked, wondering what she was referring to. I pulled her close to me as I nuzzled my face into her neck, leaving kisses against her skin.
"Not today," she repeated, but I could tell she wasn't fully awake from the slur of her words.
"Josie, come on," I said as I took my arms away from her and started to get off of my bed. She started to whine the second my arms left her, which amused me.
"Get your ass back in this bed, I'm cold," Josie demanded grumpily as she rolled her face into the pillows.
"Jos, you have to leave for work in an hour. I'm not getting back in bed so that you can fall asleep again."
"Luuuuke," she whined, holding out the 'u' for ages, which only caused me to chuckle. "Please." Josie looked up at me, her eyes finally open, and gave me the cutest pair of puppy dog eyes I had ever seen.
"Joseline, no." I walked up to her and started to pull the comforter off of her, which caused her to whine more as her hands flew up to her face. I walked over to my closet and walked inside after turning on the light. I grabbed a hoodie from one of the shelves and brought it back out before throwing it to Josie. It landed across her torso, and she slowly removed her hands from her face as she looked down at it.
I nearly cooed at the excited smile that took over her face before she slipped it on, not wasting another second before she was enveloped in the soft fabric.
"C'mon, let's get you some coffee." I held out my hand to Josie and she sighed quietly before taking my hand in hers, getting off the bed seconds later.
"Thank you," she whispered—referring to the hoodie—as she wrapped her free hand around my bicep to keep me close.
"You're welcome," I told her just before leaning down and placing a kiss on her head.
We walked to the kitchen and I started making Josie a cup of coffee after she took a seat at the island, her head resting itself on her arms that were against the counter.
"Do you get off at five today?" I asked Josie as I turned toward her, letting her coffee brew.
"Yeah," she said after sitting up, just to place her chin in her palms as she rested her elbows on the surface instead. "Possibly sooner if my meetings end early, but definitely no later than five."
"Ooh, you've got meetings today?" I asked, as if that was exciting. I knew Josie didn't like meetings because I knew they bored her and made her fidgety.
"Pat and Emma were out of the office yesterday, so we didn't have our weekly meeting. We definitely could have had it, but Pat makes a fuss when he misses it." I watched as Josie's eyes rolled and a small smile found its way to my lips. Even when she was grumpy, she was still cute.
"When's the video coming out? Yours and Emma's, I mean." A wide smile found its way to Josie's face as I seemed to ask a good question, and my grin grew in response.
"Next Tuesday," she told me, grinning proudly. "We'll be recording a couple of episodes next week, which will probably be good for me. They'll keep me busy... and without you—"
"You'll need a distraction," I finished for her, my smile now faded as I stared across the room at her. I couldn't believe I had to leave her. If things were different—if she didn't have a good job or if she wasn't still in school—I swear, I'd be on my knees begging for her to come along. For at least some of the tour, that is. "I'm glad you'll have that to focus on. When do your classes start?"
"The second week of August," she replied with a sigh. "I almost wish classes were starting sooner... it would give me even more stuff to focus on. I don't know if I'll ever be very happy not having anything to do. When Madalyn moves out, it'll be so hard to do anything but mope and think about you. I'll either be alone at my place thinking about you, or alone here thinking about you." I bit my lip as she spoke and she did the same as her eyes met mine. "Sorry—I know I'm the one who made the rule about not getting like... this. But I'm grumpy and I don't want you going anywhere."
I walked around the island to where she was sitting and I sat beside her, watching as she turned toward me.
"You're going to be able to call me, you know? You can call, we can FaceTime... we can text every second that I'm free." I caressed Josie's face and stroked my thumb against her cheek as I stared into her eyes. "I know I won't be here, but that doesn't mean we won't be talking."
"I know—you're right," she said with a nod. "I'm just going to hate the process of getting used to it, is all. But I shouldn't be so negative about it—I'm happy for you," she told me the last part with a wide smile, which caused my heart to flutter. "I can't wait to hear about how your shows go and how great the crowds make you feel... I'll be so happy seeing you having such an amazing time. It'll be worth it."
"And I can't wait to be rewarded once a week with a new video from you and Emma, or an article that you've written. I like that I'll have the ability to be proud of you, even if I'm far away." Josie leaned forward and connected our lips—my lips curled against hers as I kissed her back, and I felt a pang in my chest as I realized I wouldn't be able to kiss her freely soon.
"Why do we always get sappy in the mornings? That's no way to start the day," Josie whispered against my lips as we pulled away slowly and I chuckled quietly at her words—we really had gotten into the habit of getting sad in the mornings.
I got up and fetched Josie her coffee—after making it the way she likes—knowing it would probably cure her of sad thoughts. Then I started a cup of my own—knowing I needed just as much help.
"What if I cooked you dinner tonight?" I asked Josie as I kept my back to her.
"I like that idea," Josie said which caused me to smirk. "Did you have something in mind?"
"It's a surprise," I told her as I looked over my shoulder to lock eye contact. She rolled her eyes playfully as she hid behind her coffee mug and I smiled before turning back around.
"I suppose I trust you," she told me. "You wanna plan to meet me at my place around five, then?"
"Yes, ma'am."
What Josie didn't know, however, was that my surprise was a little more intricate than just dinner.
. . .
It was nearing four o'clock and I was rushing around my apartment as I packed up a couple of things to go over to Josie's place. I had texted Madalyn, making sure she wouldn't be home, before telling her my plan for the evening.
I didn't give her all the details, of course.
I headed out of my apartment ten minutes before four and I was hoping that I had given myself enough time to get the majority of the cooking done.
Traffic seemed to be on my side—for once—so the drive took barely fifteen minutes. I parked my car in a spot that I hoped Josie wouldn't see and grabbed the bag I had packed from the passenger seat before getting out.
I rushed up the steps of the apartment complex and made my way to Josie's apartment, fishing my fist into my pocket as I searched for the spare key she had given me.
Once I retrieved it, I unlocked the door and made my way inside, smiling at the familiar environment. I really had come to like Josie's place—it was homier than mine, which I envied.
I locked the door behind me and made a beeline for the kitchen, knowing I needed to get dinner started. I was making pasta with chicken, so I had my work cut out for me.
While the chicken was simmering, I set up the dining table to be a little more presentable. I also connected my phone to the Bluetooth speaker that Madalyn and Josie had in their living room and started to play music.
I walked back over to the stove to check on the chicken and to start on the pasta sauce—I held off on the pasta because I wanted it to be as fresh as possible. The last thing I wanted was to put effort into a bad dinner.
My one hope for the night was to make Josie happy and to make her excited for our time together in the future. Just thinking about coming home to Josie a few months from now brought a smile to my face, but thinking about special nights together sent me reeling. I had planned to do whatever Josie wanted tonight—it was her night, even though she didn't know it yet. I was almost glad that she was going to be in meetings all day because I had a feeling this would be a perfect way to brighten her day.
I danced around the kitchen as I continued preparing dinner and glanced at the clock a fair amount of times, finding myself nervous for Josie to come home.
Just as I began to boil water for the pasta, my phone dinged from across the room. I smiled at the noise, hoping it would be a text from Josie. I sauntered over to the island, where my phone was laying, and picked up the device before unlocking it. Sure enough, a text from Josie awaited me.
It was a picture of herself, with a glimpse of Emma, that she had seemed to sneak—her eyes were looking up, in an unamused fashion, and Emma was sat beside her with a frown on her face. At first I didn't see the text that accompanied it, but as I read it, I pouted.
/ jos /
They're keeping us for up to another
hour .......... :( please come save me?
I bit my lip as I texted back a response—after sending two messages, I shoved my phone into my pocket and walked back to the chicken.
tell them all that they're fired and
walk out
you know i wish i could come
save you :( </3
Looking on the bright side, this gave me more time to finish cooking. I wasn't so sure that it would take me another hour, but I'd think of something to do in the meantime. I moved the pot of water off the hot stovetop before it could boil and decided to further delay the pasta.
I sent Josie another text, asking her to keep me updated when she was out of her meeting, before putting my phone away again.
It only took me about fifteen more minutes to finish cooking the chicken—so that's when I had to get creative. I knew I didn't have a dessert planned, so I started to look around—collecting ingredients as I went. Although I knew my cookies would be nothing compared to Josie's, I thought I should at least try.
Knowing I couldn't possibly compete with Josie's snickerdoodles, I opted to bake chocolate chip cookies instead. I was the one who had bought ingredients to make them, so I knew that I would be able to.
Another fifteen minutes passed while I waited for the cookies to bake, and I busied myself by looking through my photos. I was glad that my gallery was sprinkled with memories of Josie, because each photo or video of her reminded me of how lucky I was to know her.
Just as the timer had gone off, I came across the first video that Josie had taken of me, of us in my kitchen. She had sent it to me a couple days after taking it, and I saved it in a heartbeat because I had appreciated it so much. I glanced over at the oven, figuring the cookies would be fine for a couple more minutes as I watched.
My face broke out into a smile as I watched the clip—when it got to the part where we were dancing, I bit my lip to suppress the stupid grin on my face. Watching as I dipped her, and seeing the clear desperation in our faces as we looked into each other's eyes, I tried to remember whether or not we knew then. Or if it was before we had admitted our feelings.
I had a feeling that I was watching two completely oblivious idiots that wouldn't know what they wanted, even if it bit them in the ass.
I started to watch it again, becoming absorbed in it, but suddenly remembered the cookies.
"Oh, shit—" I rushed to open the oven door and prepared for the worst, but actually smiled at the perfect-looking cookies that I revealed. I pulled them out and set them to cool, hoping they'd be good because they smelled delicious.
It was nearly five-thirty now, and I hoped Josie would text me soon saying that she was on her way. I missed her and had gone long enough without seeing her.
Sure, it had been less than twelve hours since I saw her, but I couldn't help that I was hooked and constantly wanting more time with her.
I made my way out of the kitchen and walked back to Josie's room, deciding to place the bag that I had brought in there. On my way out, something laying on the desk in her room caught my eye. Although there was no one around to catch me snooping, I took a look around before picking up the notepad. I recognized it as something that usually lived on the outside of the fridge, so I was surprised to see it laying face down on her desk.
I turned it over and a smile crept onto my cheeks as I read what was written on it.
what's jo got to do?
• p̶i̶c̶k̶ u̶p̶ t̶h̶a̶t̶ w̶i̶n̶e̶ i̶ c̶a̶n̶ n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ r̶e̶m̶e̶m̶b̶e̶r̶ t̶h̶e̶ n̶a̶m̶e̶ o̶f̶
• e̶d̶i̶t̶ k̶e̶n̶d̶a̶l̶l̶'s̶ a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶l̶e̶
• e̶d̶i̶t̶ j̶u̶s̶t̶j̶n̶'s̶ a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶l̶e̶
• e̶d̶i̶t̶ t̶a̶m̶a̶r̶a̶'s̶ a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶l̶e̶
• ** book tickets for luke's LA show **
• give luke a couple extra kisses for being so damn fine
• s̶l̶a̶p̶ m̶a̶d̶a̶l̶y̶n̶ f̶o̶r̶ h̶i̶j̶a̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ m̶y̶ n̶o̶t̶e̶p̶a̶d̶
I hadn't even thought about Josie wanting to come to a show—but I couldn't possibly get her to spend money on it. I could easily get her tickets... but also, maybe she had wanted to surprise me. We played in L.A. just before the start of our first break, so maybe she had wanted to keep it a secret. I placed the notepad back where I had found it and started to think of ways to bring up the tickets, without giving it away that I had snooped. Maybe I'd just say that I'd like for her to come if she was interested? And that I could get tickets for Madalyn and Howie as well?
As I was walking out of her bedroom, with my thoughts racing, my phone dinged from my pocket with a text from Josie saying she would be leaving the office in a couple of minutes. I smiled at the text, sending her something sweet before rushing to the kitchen to get the water boiling.
I was stirring the pasta when I heard the front door open, a smile erupting on my face as I waited for her to walk into the kitchen.
"Mads? Is that you? I told you to get lost before Luke got here! I did not text you in great detail about our time last night for you to—holy fuck." I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing as Josie stepped into the kitchen, her cheeks instantly becoming pink as she stared back at me. "Okay—when I said great detail, I want you to know I was exaggerating! I simply told her that we had sex, in not so great detail... for the most part." I let out a hearty laugh as Josie began to explain herself, but she seemed to want to melt into the floor from embarrassment. "I cannot believe I just fucking told you that."
"C'mere," I told her before I started to walk up to her with my arms extended. She pitifully walked up to me, her head hanging down for dramatic effect, and I squeezed her tight as she found her place in my arms. "I cannot believe you told Madalyn about our sex in great detail."
"Luke, please don't make me cry out of embarrassment—because I will." I began to laugh again as Josie groaned, but I only continued to hold her. "Okay, I'm done being embarrassed," she told me as she started to break free from my hold. "I can't believe you went to all the trouble of surprising me! Even though I sorta put an awkward damper on things... but that will not be discussed any further! Luke, this is really sweet."
Josie looked over at the stove and smiled widely.
"You made cookies? And did you make the chicken parmesan pasta?"
"Yes," I told her, smiling widely as I walked back over to check on the pasta. I stirred it a couple more times before picking up the pot and taking it to the sink, draining the noodles.
"Can I have a kiss?" My heart pounded at the question and I looked over my shoulder to see Josie leaned against the island, waiting for me.
"Of course, babes." I walked over to Josie and placed my hand on her cheek before leaning down and placing my lips on her. She kissed me back and placed her hand against my chest. The kiss became a little more involved than I had expected, but it was my own fault for not expecting the obvious.
I lifted Josie up and placed her on the island's surface, standing in between her legs as I continued to kiss her.
"Long day?" I asked in between kisses.
"It was the worst," she replied, also in between kisses. "You doing this really was so sweet."
"You know I'd do anything for you."
"I'm starting to believe that." We finally pulled away from each other completely, both of us near the point of gasping for air. I placed my forehead against hers and I smiled at the sight of her curled lips.
"Are you hungry?"
"For you or for food?"
"We've got all night, Jos—let's take it slow."
a/n:
hehe ok so this is where u guys come in
comment here if you'd like a smut chapter for the next update 🥵
comment here if you'd like to just get on w/ it and read the chapter for thursday 🥺
may the best option win !!!!!
i really hate to leave u guys on a cliffhanger like this but also.... no i don't ❤️
i love you all !!! thank u for reading !!!! thanks for 25 votes on my last update !!!! i can see u all enjoyed which makes me happy but ALSO ......... fanfic readers really only want one thing and it's gross 😔
just kidding 🤪
also just wanna say that i'm never writing in luke's pov ever again bc this was shit ........ I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE CUTE BUT I THINK MY WRITING WAS KINDA SUCKY so i apologize !!!! u deserved better, truly !!
okokok i can't wait to see which option wins. if u guys don't comment and choose, i will never update again
ok bye
<3
jill