CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

LUCKY ONES — LANA DEL REY
Every now and then, the stars align
Boy and girl meet by the great design
Could it be that you and me are the lucky ones?

CHRISTA'S GRADUATION PARTY was perhaps the biggest party she's ever thrown. Everyone from the cheer team to the drama club was here, hoping to fulfill their high school fantasies one last time.

The second Sunset Curve stepped through the threshold of the house, they were greeted like hometown heroes and drinks were thrust into their hands. Olivia, who was the designated driver, passed hers to Bobby and he gladly downed it in one gulp.

Two hours later, Luke was still sober, but Bobby and Reggie were cross-faded and Alex was so drunk he started table top dancing again. They were celebrating, Olivia supposed.

She was searching for a non-alcoholic drink when she found herself in the kitchen talking to Christa.

"The fucking Orpheum." Christa let out a laugh of disbelief as she opened the fridge and passed Olivia a can of Arizona Tea. "You've gotta be shitting me."

Olivia shook her head with a grin. "I'm one hundred and ten percent serious. I got the call today."

"Holy crap!" Christa exclaimed, excitement in her voice. "You know what that means right?"

Olivia opened the can and nodded, but Christa continued anyways.

"You guys are going to be famous! Name one band that played at the Orpheum and didn't blow up. Oh wait, you can't. How does it feel to be on the cusp of everything you've ever wanted?"

"I feel like I'm in a dream," Olivia mused, taking a sip of her drink. Suddenly she felt a pinch on her arm. "Ow!"

"Feel that? Definitely not a dream." Christa's expression turned serious and she stepped closer so her words wouldn't get lost in the sound of the party. "I know I shit on your band when you first started out, but you guys are good. You deserve this."

"Thanks, Chris." Olivia gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry Harmony Lane didn't work out."

Her sister waved a dismissive hand. "It's alright. We were bound to end eventually, especially after Jason and Megan started messing around with each other."

"Speaking of Jason, is he here?" She looked around the party nervously, replaying their last encounter in her mind.

Christa shook her head. "No, I paid some of the football guys to make sure he doesn't get in."

"Smart."

"Mhm." Christa poured herself another cup of cheap beer. "So, where's your little boy toy?"

Olivia shrugged and looked out into the living room. In the distance, she could see Alex standing on the coffee table. "Probably with the rest of the band."

"Did you tell him you love him yet?"

"Nope," Olivia replied, popping the 'p' sound.

Christa raised a brow. "Are you going to?"

"I'm too scared to," Olivia confessed with a sigh. "I know he loves me, but everything is going to change after the Orpheum. What if we do too?" She couldn't put her heart on the line only for life to get in the way.

Christa rolled her eyes. "Come on, Livy. You and I both know that's bullshit. That kid has been in love with you since middle school, he'd never let you go."

She shifted her weight between her feet. "I don't know..."

"God, you're so blind." Christa muttered. "Just put yourself out there. He's not going to hurt you and if he does, I'll kick his ass into next week."

Olivia chuckled at her words and took another sip of her drink. "Thanks for the support."

Christa opened her arms and pulled the girl into a quick embrace.

As Olivia pulled away, she asked, "If somebody told you three years ago that we were sisters, would you believe them?"

"Not at all," Christa replied. "I'd call them batshit crazy—though, I can see the resemblance now."

"We have the same eyes," they chorused.

With a small laugh, Christa looked out into the party. "I'm going to go make sure none of the valuables have been stolen." She started walking away, but before she could get too far, she cast a look at Olivia over her shoulder. "Tell your sunset nerds to stop jumping on the coffee table! They're gonna break it!"

LATER THAT NIGHT (or early that morning considering it was 4am), Olivia found herself sitting on her bed with her guitar in her lap and her notebook in front of her.

She and the boys just returned from the party and this was the first time today that she was able to get a quiet moment to herself. As she reflected on her day, there was one fact that she couldn't stop thinking about. It was in Alex's speech, in the air at Sunset Curve, and unspoken in every conversation she had at the party. Everything eventually ends.

Endings were inevitable. Time passes and seasons change. She could only hope that her legacy would live on long after she was gone. That people would look back on her memory and smile at the person she was. Because as she thought about her time in high school, the idea of immortality was no longer living forever, but living on through the lives she had touched.

Moments were the puzzle pieces that come together to form the big picture of life and she hoped that when all was said and done, the mosaic would show her at her happiest. On stage with her family, doing the one thing she was born to do.

But words were still unsaid and actions were unfulfilled. She still had time before her puzzle of life was finished, so the best she could do until then was to write a song to capture her feelings.

Long Live was the title.

As she wrote, she could recount every little moment with the band. She always believed that soulmates only applied to lovers, but that was until she met them.

How four boys came into her life and managed to make themselves so important to her, she had no idea. But she was thankful. Because without them, she'd still be that shy girl hiding on the sidelines, full of wasted potential.

Olivia owed them her life and she had no idea what she'd do without them.

She wrote and wrote and wrote. When she got to the bridge, she couldn't help but write a bittersweet message to the boys in case she never got the chance to say it to their faces. At least they would have the song.

Can you take a moment
Promise me this:
That you'll stand by me forever
But if God forbid fate should step in
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children someday
When they point to the pictures
Please tell them my name
Tell them how the crowds went wild
Tell them how I hope they shine

Olivia wasn't a fool. She knew that there were some things in life you couldn't control. So if the day should come and they were forced to say goodbye, she could only hope her legacy—their legacy—would live on.

Her window was pushed open and Luke climbed through. He had spent the last half an hour taking care of the other boys and forcing them to go to bed.

"Okay," he sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "The kids are all tucked into bed."

Olivia chuckled and placed her guitar on its stand. "How are they?"

"Bobby's knocked out, Reggie's on another planet, and Alex is definitely going to regret drinking in the morning." He kicked his shoes off and collapsed onto her bed. "What are you working on?" he asked, spotting her open journal.

She pushed it closer to him. "Just a little song."

Luke read the bittersweet symphony and smiled. He knew her better than anyone, which meant he knew exactly how she was feeling. She was happy and sad that high school was finished, and excited and scared for their future.

"Today was a really good day," she said quietly.

He shut the book and placed it on her bedside table. "Yeah, it was."

"Everything's going to change."

Change and people leaving, the two things Olivia feared most. "Everything but the band," he promised.

Olivia shook her head. "You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." He tapped his temple and grinned. "I know everything, remember?"

Olivia let out a quiet chuckle and shoved his arm. "Luke, I'm serious."

"So am I." He repositioned himself so he was sitting on his knees directly in front of her. "Everything's going to change, but the band isn't because no matter what happens, we'll always be friends. We made a promise to each other."

"That's not the only thing I'm scared of changing."

"You mean us?" Luke questioned in slight shock. He leaned forward and held her cheeks, gently forcing her to look him in the eye. "Olivia Juliette, you and I are never going to change. We could be seventy years old and I'll still be giving you headaches and you'll still be causing me trouble. We grow together, not apart. That's how we've always been, that's how we always will be."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I love you."

Olivia knew that he loved her ever since that day in Griffith Park, but hearing him say the words made it ten times more real. "What?"

"I love you," he repeated with a smile. "That's how I know we'll be okay. You don't have to say it back—"

Her bedroom became a blur as she rushed forward to catch his lips with hers. In that moment, the world took a deep breath. The stars twinkled, the city lights glistened, and souls came home. They were in love. And the word exhaled a content sigh.

"I love you," Olivia mumbled against his lips before pulling away. "I'm in love with you."

Luke grinned, his eyes bright with adoration. He leaned forward so he was resting on his elbows above her and kissed her again. "Can you repeat that?"

"I love you."

Another kiss. "Again."

"I'm in love with you."

Another kiss. "One more time."

Olivia laughed and their noses brushed. "I am in love with you, Luke Patterson."

"And I am in love with you, Olivia Juliette."

The air shifted and they shared a deeper kiss. Fingertips on the edge and wandering hands. Clothes tossed on the floor. Skin touching skin and soft kisses down collarbones, shoulders, and the centre of Olivia's chest.

"Are you sure?" Luke questioned breathlessly, lips trailing down the side of her neck and lingering on her stomach as he waited for an answer.

Her fingers found his chin and she pulled him into another kiss. "Of course," she mumbled against his lips, smile against smile as he kissed her again.

Trust and reassurance. Love and perfect harmonies.

Her sun and his star.

RAE SPEAKS !

please don't hate me y'all 😪

also brace yourself for the next chapter because it's THE chapter

any guesses on what olivia's fate is?