"And more than anything else in the world, I admire the way you carry your pain, even the air around you stills, humbled by your bravery and your grace."
- Nikita Gill

**

Three Months Later

Luke's Point of View

New York City in November is bitterly cold and windy but the slow seasonal change from Autumn to Winter is breathtaking to watch. The orange leaves fall and litter the busy streets below. 

I stare out at the city from Sierra's new office on Bradford's sixty-eighth floor. It's the opening of her label today and frankly, she was losing her mind. "She needs to go on now." Sierra's new assistant, Noah, a guy with rainbow dyed hair and a squeaky voice says from the doorway, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

I sigh with a nod and knock on the bathroom door for the fifth time. "Baby, you can't hide in there forever, please, come out."

The door finally clicks open and Sierra walks out, her heels clicking against the marble floor and her face a little pale. "You have absolutely nothing to be worried about, everything is in place." I cup her face, giving her forehead a lingering kiss.

"There are so many people out there, what if they don't like the designs?" She groans and wraps her arms around my torso, laying her head on my chest like she would love to disappear into it.

"You are brilliant my love, there is no doubt of that. I mean, I know zilch about fashion but even I can proudly say it's amazing. They will love it." I rub her back comfortingly and she straightens a little, tucking her hair behind her ears and taking a deep breath.

I adjust the lapels of her burgundy suit coat and she manages a nervous smile. "Thank you for everything."

"I love you and don't thank me, I have done nothing but maybe whine at you sometimes to let me fuck you on those tables in your office while you work—ow!" I complain as she whacks me in the chest, laughing. "Watch your filthy mouth!"

"We're surrounded by the French, you should see the shit they say. Plus, you love this filthy mouth." I point at my own lips.

She groans in that way she does when she knows I'm right. "Stop before I jump you and miss the opening of the biggest moment in my career." Her smile is contagious as she says this.

"There is that smile, go get 'em, tiger." I slap her ass and she rolls her eyes, walking out of the room in a better mood and instantly being swallowed up by photographers and a whole lot of other people I'm annoyed at about getting her anxiety levels up.

I trail behind, the photographers sneaking pictures of me as we get into the elevators to go down to the floor with the stage where the fashion show is being held today. Designers from all around the world have been coming in all morning, Lilian Bradford proudly shouting orders up here at everyone as Sierra hid her face in my leather jacket and managed to keep her anxiety at bay. It hasn't been a frequent visitor for awhile now so when it did come to check up on her, it came at full force.

We make our way backstage, aka mayhem, it's much worse than a bloody concert multiplied by a hundred. There are people everywhere, models prancing around, their limbs flying all over the place. One almost pokes my eye out with her get up as she spins for a camera and I lose sight of Sierra in the frenzy.

With a huff, I make my way to the edge of the curtains while a voice croons over the speakers. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the show is about to begin, please be seated."

I peek through the curtain, seeing rows and rows of people sat on either side of the raised catwalk. Someone taps me on the shoulder and I pull away, spinning on the heel of my boots. Lilian Bradford stands over me, smiling elegantly. "I'm about to go on." She tells me at the same time the lights flash on and the speaker overhead announces, "Please welcome, founder and award winning CEO of Bradfords, Ms Lilian Amélia Bradford!"

"Good luck, your highness." I wink at the woman and she laughs cheerily, walking onto the stage like she is the queen herself.

Sierra appears at my side with her assistant following close behind. I throw an arm over her shoulder and pull her into my side so I can whisper in her ear. "You're going to be perfect."

"Just kiss me." She whispers and I obey, bringing my lips down to hers.

"Sierra McKinnon!" Lilian announces from the stage and Sierra pulls away frantically, all but running away from me. She then stops, takes a deep breath and walks up the steps as the security waves at her saying it's her cue.

"Obviously, dumb fuck." I wanna tell off the bearded man but instead, wipe off Sierra's lipstick from my lips.

Sierra puts on her brightest smile as she waves at the applause, stepping up to the podium when Lilian steps aside.

"Hello everyone," Sierra looks around the room and I step closer to the curtains so she can see me in her peripheral if she decides to have a meltdown.

"Welcome to the opening of Bradford's newest label that I, had the honour of designing. I remember during my first meeting regarding the label, Lilian told me I could do whatever I pleased with it, she believed in me a great deal just like a lot of you here tonight have. So thank you, thank for being here today and sharing this with me." Another round of applause goes through the crowd and I can see her nerves ebbing away.

"When I wrote this speech, I wondered about what exactly it is that I wanted to share, and it was about what it meant and not about how many sequins I used, which might I add, was zero." The crowd bursts into laughter and she grins. "What you will be able to see for yourself in the matter of a few minutes, is a journey, the one that got me here and I can assure you it is one that would relate to a lot of you here this afternoon."

There is a hum of agreement in the room and I smile to myself.

"We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss." Sierra quotes, not having to look down at the little card in her hand.

"—I read that, in one of my favourite novels during a time when I only ever dreamed of something like this. But when I read that, I held onto it. I held onto the truth of those words and that," her eyes travel around the room, putting everyone under her spell. "—is what I have created through my designs. Designs that portray who you are, the memories, heartbreak, regrets, hope and your greatest fears. Everything that makes you human. Each piece here has been designed to tell a story, not to impress anyone but to inspire someone. My greatest hope tonight is to not sell it to you, but for everyone here to form a memory around this day that they can look back on and cherish and of course, wear. Thank you." Her speech, like I always knew it would, gets a bloody standing ovation and I'm not even remotely embarrassed as my eyes fill with tears when she walks off stage and right into my arms. "I told you you'll kill it," I whisper into her hair.

"God that felt so good!" She pulls away, bouncing on her heels and kissing me, giving her assistant a high five over my shoulder.

The lights flash back on and we watch as the music turns up and the models walk on stage one by one, her dream finally coming to life.

---

Two Weeks Later

Sierra's Point of View

I stare up at the darkening sky, close to a million people are sat behind me in the newly built grand stadium and the constant buzz of chatter is calming as we wait for the thick black curtains to glide apart and the opening ceremony to begin.

Ashton sits to my right with Addy next to him and Michael and Calum on my left. The entire front row takes up family and friends as we wait excitedly for Luke. I would have given anything to be backstage with him but I know he would rather have me watching from out here. This was being live streamed worldwide and there was no room for error.

When the sun goes down, the lights finally turn on and a spotlight shines down, the host walking onto the stage. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the grand opening of Revival!" The fans go absolutely wild, and I can't help but look behind me, seeing the people all around, left, right and all above on the raised seats. A pang of excitement goes through me and I turn back around in my seat.

"Going to be a bit honest, there is a lot of you here that it's making me a little sweaty, phew." He pulls at his collar and I can't help but laugh, clapping along with the crowd. "First off, we have the founder who will be gracing the stage to talk with the lot of you in just a second," he smiles slyly. "—and then, we have the one, the only, Five Seconds of Summer performing for you tonight! Right on this stage for their first ever benefit concert!" Everyone gets up on their feet screaming and then Luke finally walks on stage, the band cheers from next to me and I beam proudly. He was finally doing something he has always wanted to.

Luke takes the microphone from the host and pats him on the back. "Hi!" Luke says loudly and the sound of the fans has me covering my ears.

"Alright, settle down, settle down." He chuckles and a girl screams from the left, "It's simmer down!"

He spins in the direction of the fan. "You are correct," he points. "—but this is a new era." He always looked so comfortable up there, he was invincible.

Luke's eyes travel through the front row to find me and he grins, nodding his head lightly to tell me that he's okay. "I'm going to tell everyone a story," Luke strolls over to the edge of the large stage, the spotlight following him. "A couple of months ago, I got in touch with a friend of mine here in the great city of New York. I told him "Man, I wanna change the world." And he said, "Dude, what are you on?"

Everyone laughs at this statement and Luke keeps going. "—but then finally, when I proved to him I wasn't in fact, high or delusional, he agreed to help me. Now you see being an artist, your mind always tells you to do something that has never been done before."

"—and the reason you are all here tonight is that you will not only be seeing your favourite band in the world," he points at the three of his band members in the front row. "You will be helping us save lives. Lives of people who are not much older or younger than you." My heart pounds with how proud I am of him as the entire stadium hangs onto every word he says.

"Every single dollar collected here today will go into the running of the new project I have built with the help of a lot of generous and kind hearted people. I'm not saying we've built a home, or a home away from home, or a rehabilitation centre, or a place for people with issues or whatever because it's not. It's so much more, it is a happy place, a vacation for people who still haven't discovered the beauty of their souls or the world. For now, It will be exclusively for teenagers and young adults only, a place where they can come at their own will and just talk, or not talk, just be, play, discover their talent, observe their surroundings, learn, make friends, live, love and more importantly, find the strength within themselves to keep going."

I wipe the tears on my cheeks as he looks right at me again. "My girlfriend once asked me, not too long ago actually, she asked "Luke, isn't it beautiful that we have lungs that let us breathe air and legs that let us walk and run and climb mountains. Don't you think it's sad that we don't realise that it's enough?" Michael pulls me close to his side, patting my shoulder as the crowd goes up in another wave of screams.

Luke waits for them to calm and continues. "The first batch of these lovely humans we have reached out to have already signed up at their free will and gotten their personalised identity cards so they can come and go or stay as they please. They are listening right now through the live stream, so for them, and for every single other person here tonight and all around the city, and this country, everyone who still walks around with a picture of their lost ones clutched in the palm of their hands, for the people whose very breath is the ones they have lost, we will do this together from now on,"

"—I walk around with a tattoo on my back, signifying hope lost and hope found. I feel your pain, not all of it, but I know how horrible it feels and I want you to know that you are stronger. Everyone says that you are stronger, but not everyone understands how hard it is, I do. I understand because I have lived it and I have gotten through and I want you to know just one thing, keep this in your heart like your favourite broken vinyl, You Are Strong!"

The crowd goes up in thunderous cheers, the ground beneath us vibrating at the force.

Luke puts his arm up in the air. "Don't let it keep you from living. That is the worst thing you can do to yourself and the people who loved you. They want your happiness and they will continue to want it. So everyone listening, say it with me, We refuse to be broken any longer! We refuse to give up! We refuse to give in! We refuse to romanticise pain! We only need happiness!"

---

Eight Months Later

Luke's in the VIP parking lot of the airport, leaning against his car when I walk out with security trailing behind me. "There's my girl." He grins, pushing off from his lean against the car when I all but run into his arms.

"Baby." I squeeze him in my arms, his cologne taking over my senses and I'm home.

"Did you get me macaroons from Paris? Or I'm leaving you right here." He jokes as I pull away a little and bring his lips down to mine, swallowing his laughs and revelling in the taste of him. I couldn't bear a week away from him, even if it was for fashion week and I barely had time to breathe.

A flash goes off nearby and Luke groans into the corner of my mouth, reaching behind him and opening the car door. "Get in." A group of paparazzi appear around the corner and run towards us. Luke jogs over to the driver's side quickly and gets in. Shutting the door to the sound of the questions being screamed at us. 

He revs the engine, warning the paparazzi to back away and we speed off. I take his hand in mine once we're on the streets, kissing his knuckles. "I missed you. How is everything at Revival?" I chuckle when he pokes my cheek.

There were a little over a thousand kids who joined Revival in the last year or came around and offered to volunteer. Luke's Foundation was given an award for reducing New York City's percentage of teen suicide by three percent in just a year. It turned out to be more powerful than we ever dreamt it would be.

"It's all going smooth, as always. We're building more quarters for the kids without homes. Calum says he wants to take over the one we're setting up in LA." Luke squeezes my hand.

"Well that's great, isn't it? What about the tour, though?" I watch his side profile. He got his right eyebrow pierced a couple of weeks ago and I could barely keep my hands off of him. We were happy, so incredibly happy.

"Guess we won't see much of him when we're not touring or recording." Luke shrugs and on the way home, we talk about the plans for expanding Revival and my week in Paris. Luke rubs the back of his neck and bites down on his lip-ring as we turn into our street, his famous nervous gesture.

"Are you up to something?" I eye him and he looks at me, raising his pierced eyebrow. "No, why?" His Adam's apple bobs.

"Luke, I am the love of your life am I not?" I demand humorously and he nods, a sly smile lifting the corners of his mouth. 

"You are indeed."

"Indeed, so I know when you're up to something." I scoff and get out of the car when he parks in our driveway.

We leave the suitcases for later and walk in hand in hand. The house is quiet and I turn on the lights as I go. I missed the warmth of our home so much, even if it always feels too big just for the two of us compared to my old apartment. 

"Come with me." Luke pulls me away in the direction of our backyard as I go to turn on the living room lights.

I instantly see the white fairy lights hanging from the trees of our backyard and the dark rose petals floating in the water of the pool. "You finally put up the lights!" I squeal and skip towards the largest tree, staring up at the fairy lights strung through its branches.

When we first moved in, Luke and I would climb up this tree and watch the city whilst we ate dinner but then one night, he drifted off to sleep and fell right into the pool. I chuckle at the memory. "This is lovely. Thank you for—" My sentence comes to an immediate stop when I turn around to see Luke kneeling on one knee just inches away from me.

"No—" My eyes widen as realisation quickly sets in. "You always said you didn't want me to go all out when I asked you to marry me, you said you just wanted me to kiss you senseless and sing Beyoncé's Put A Ring On It, I plan to do that right after, but first, I need to say something."

My hand is pressed so tightly against my mouth in shock that I forget to breathe and my lungs start to protest.

"Do you remember the first time we ever met?" He asks, reaching for my hands to pull me closer.

"Of course." I rush, a lump forming at the back of my throat with the suppressed tears.

"It was today, exactly two years ago and if I knew I would love you more than anything else in the world like I do right at this moment, damn, I would have conquered everything." His grip on my hands tightens a little with reassurance as they start to shake.

"I want to love you this way for as long as I can. I don't ever want to possess you or break your heart, I just want to love you and take care of you. I think we both know we can't have eternity no matter how much we pray for it when we wake up every morning next to each other. But even if it's just thirty years I got on me, Sierra, I want to love you for every single second of it, I want our kids to climb this damn tree and bruise their knees, I want to tell my group of kids at Revival how you showed me that I'm worthy of love. I want every love song I ever write from here on to be about you, please, marry me." My legs give up on me and I drop to my knees in front of him, choking on my own tears as his blue eyes holding so much hope and love comes in level with mine.

"I—" he pulls out a box from his jacket pocket and opens it, "You spend every single day showing me how much you love me, you take care of me in a way that I know I'll never be alone again, you don't need to say anything except your answer to this one question right now. Will you marry me?" Tears stream down our faces as the moon shines down on us like a blessing and the fairy lights blink with the stars.

I push down the lump in my throat. "Yes, yes! Why the hell would I ever say no?" I scream my answer and his face lights up like the sun. "Yes!" He shouts as well and I pull him into me by the collar of his jacket, telling him without really saying that yes, I want to spend every second of my stupid life span with him.

Luke manages to slip the ring on my finger between us with our lips still attached. I wrap my limbs around him and he gets to his feet, spinning me in his arms. "It's beautiful." I sob, as the diamond catches the light, and to my even greater joy, it reflects back purple hues.

"You are unbelievable, I love you so much." I laugh through the tears and he kisses my forehead, turning us back towards the house with me still wrapped around him like a koala. "She said yes!" He screams and the entire house suddenly lights up, fireworks shooting up into the sky a second later.

"You didn't!" I shriek with joy and Luke sets me on my feet as our friends and family walk out of the house, cheering and popping bottles of champagne towards the sky.

"I love you," Luke whispers in my ear as family and friends surround us, the fireworks still shooting up into the sky from the rooftop.

I turn to him while everyone stares up at the fireworks lighting up the night as bright as our hearts. "You're my everything, and I'll make sure our love builds a ship strong enough to travel through this life and into whatever is next. I'm never leaving you."

The End