CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

YOU ARE IN LOVE — TAYLOR SWIFT
You can hear it in the silence
You can feel it on the way home
You can see it with the lights out
You are in love, true love

APRIL, 1995.
THREE MONTHS BEFORE.

"THIS NEXT SONG is called End Up Here." Luke gave the crowd a smile as he adjusted his guitar strap. When he knew Olivia was finished with her water, he put his hand out for the half finished bottle and she placed it in his grasp before walking towards her keyboard. He took a sip and placed it on top of an amp at the end of the stage. "We've never played it live before, so you guys will be the very first people to hear it. Hope you like it."

The sound of drums filled the air and was soon followed by a four part harmony.

When Luke first pitched the song to the band, Olivia wasn't present. She was at one of Mikey's soccer games with her mom and couldn't be at the studio for rehearsal. She had no idea that Luke had even written a new song, let alone one about her.

The boys, on the other hand, saw it coming from a mile away. It was a regular occurrence for Luke to approach them with songs about Olivia and demand that they learn them in her absence.

There had to be about fifty songs written about her that she had no idea existed and they were shocked to find that Luke wanted to perform one publicly.

It's not that any of the songs were bad—Luke was incapable of writing a bad song. The reason these songs were hidden from Olivia was because Luke was scared of her reaction. The majority of them contained confessions of love and promises of forever. He didn't want to freak her out by being too forward.

(Truthfully, it was only a matter of time until Olivia found out about what Reggie affectionately named the 'secret session songs'. They were scheduled to record their demo next month, which meant they'd be combing through Luke's notebook. She was bound to find at least one of them.)

End Up Here was different. It was lighthearted and energetic, and Luke thought that performing a song about how much he appreciated her would be a nice thing to do.

The lights of the stage glistened off Luke's skin as he stepped up to his microphone stand. "You walked in, everyone was asking for your name. You just smiled and told them 'trouble'."

He glanced over at his girlfriend with a smirk and sent her a wink. He relished in the way a smile spread over her face. He always loved her smile, but he loved it even more when he was the cause of it.

"How did we end up talking in the first place? You said you liked my Cobain shirt, now we're walking back to your place. You're telling me how you love that song about living on a prayer."

Olivia's mind went back to last year. Memories of her and Luke flashed before her as she remembered the day he was singing about. It was before they had started dating. Luke was walking her home from his house after one of their songwriting sessions and they were debating Bon Jovi's best songs.

"It's My Life is so good!" Luke defended with a look of disbelief.

"I'm not saying it's not!" Olivia laughed, not noticing how Luke placed himself between her and the street. "I'm just saying Living on a Prayer is better."

It was one of the days Olivia looked back on and smiled at.

"I'm pretty sure that we're halfway there, but when I wake up next to you I wonder how— How did we end up here?"

Neither Luke nor Olivia knew how they ended up where they were. How they went from strangers to friends to lovers. They couldn't comprehend how someone so magnificent could ever be interested in someone like them. They didn't understand it at all, but they weren't complaining. They were glad that they got detention that day.

The boys smiled brightly as they looked from Luke to Olivia. Even when they were across the stage from each other, they could still see the chemistry between them.

The song came to an end and Olivia joined Luke, Bobby, and Reggie downstage. They had time for two more songs and neither of them had piano on it.

"Did you guys like that one?" Luke asked the sea of people before him, eager for input.

The crowd cheered back at him and he turned to Olivia in excitement. She chuckled and shook her head before taking her own mic and introducing the next song.

They finished their set with Now or Never, and before Olivia could fathom, she was changing in the bathroom of their green room.

When she was out of her sweaty clothes, she walked out of the dingy bathroom and saw Alex changing alone in the middle of the room. Unfazed by his lack of clothing, she looked around the empty room. "Where are the others?"

"They went to grab their stuff from sound crew," Alex said, jumping to get his jeans on.

Olivia nodded and left the room. The venue was larger than ones they've played before, so it took her a bit of time to navigate the backstage area. After a few minutes and asking someone for directions, she finally found the stage.

Behind the closed curtains, Luke was speaking to two girls who looked to be the same age as the band. They were wearing matching Sunset Curve shirts. Olivia admired their outfits and perfectly styled hair, and made a mental note to praise Reggie for the t-shirt designs again later.

A person from sound crew walked past with a microphone and clipboard in hand. "I can pack that up for you," Olivia said, stopping the man in his tracks. He nodded gratefully and handed her the mic along with its accompanying wires. A light chuckle escaped her lips as the stressed out man scurried off.

She turned back to Luke and decided to hang back and watch from a distance. She was still within hearing range, but she didn't want to seem like she was eavesdropping. If she were caught, she wasn't doing anything besides innocently packing up her gear.

The girls were obviously trying to flirt with him, but she wasn't listening to their conversation due to jealousy. No, she wasn't jealous at all. She was secure in her relationship and trusted Luke with her whole heart.

Olivia was eavesdropping because the band had an ongoing bet about which one of them would have the most groupies.

The bet started about a month ago after Bobby hooked up with one of their fans backstage in a weak attempt to get over Allie. Olivia and Alex didn't want to participate in the bet at first, finding that it was barbaric, but after heavy persuasion and the others giving them a ten point head start, their competitive natures kicked in and they caved.

They tried to keep the rules as respectful as possible to accommodate Olivia and Luke's relationship and decided that whoever got the most phone numbers by the time they played the Orpheum won. The prize was yet to be decided, but they knew it was going to be good.

So far, Olivia and Luke were tied for first place and it had been that way for the past two weeks. The others had no idea how, considering the couple barely put any effort in. They didn't even have to flirt with anyone to get numbers, people freely gave them out.

Despite her lack of effort and relative disinterest, Olivia refused to lose. She was simply waiting for a chance to sabotage him.

"Awesome show," Olivia heard one of the girls praise. There was a coy smile on her lips. "You were really good."

"As usual," her blonde friend added.

"Thank you." Luke was busy packing his guitar into its case, but still managed to give them enough attention to show that he was appreciative of their support.

"We love your band. This is the fourth show of yours that we've gone to."

"Really?" He questioned, looking at them in disbelief. "Four shows? That's crazy! Thank you so much for coming out. It means a lot."

The first girl smiled and tilted her head to the side. "It must be tiring to play guitar for so long," she said, taking a step closer. "I mean, your shows last an hour, sometimes longer. Don't your arms get sore?"

Olivia raised a brow as the girl put a hand on Luke's bicep. Was she jealous? No. Did she dislike when people touched her boyfriend? Absolutely.

Luke let out a nervous chuckle and brushed her hand off. "No, I guess I'm used to it."

Undeterred by his lack of interest, she nodded and carried on. "I loved your new song, by the way."

Luke's eyes lit up at the chance to talk about his music. "Thanks! I actually wrote it about my girlfriend—our lead singer, Olivia. Most of our songs are written by the two of us. She's crazy talented, you should meet her," he gushed, his eyes searching the room for her. "She's around here somewhere."

Olivia smiled to herself as she witnessed his change in mood, then made her way over to them. "Hey, baby," she said, kissing his cheek.

She stood next to him with her hand on his shoulder and turned to the girls. They stared at her with narrowed eyes and if looks could kill, she'd be six feet under. She couldn't help but smirk.

"Hi, trouble," Luke greeted, looking down at her with a twinkle in his eye. "This is— I'm so sorry, what were your names again?"

The girls scoffed and walked over to where Reggie and Bobby were bickering over their guitar cords.

"They seemed nice," Olivia commented, removing her hand from him.

"A little too nice." Luke huffed, taking the microphone cord from her hands and coiling it.

"Are you okay?" Olivia questioned immediately. "They didn't make you too uncomfortable, did they?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks for asking, angel." Luke gave her a reassuring look before turning to watch the girls with their bandmates. "Can you believe they've been to four shows, though?"

"It's almost as if we're good or something."

"Or good looking," a voice sounded from behind them.

Alex came up beside them and watched as Reggie and Bobby flirted with the two fans. "They're gonna win the bet, aren't they?"

Olivia and Luke shared a look before turning to the blond. "Not a chance."

LATER THAT NIGHT, Olivia laid in her bed trying to sleep. She left the boys in the garage an hour ago when Bobby dozed off and had been staring at the ceiling ever since. She was exhausted from their show, but her mind wasn't ready to rest like her body was.

She tossed and turned, never staying in one position for too long. Her anxiety was skyrocketing and that familiar ache in her chest was making it hard for her to stay still.

She didn't know why she felt this way. It came out of nowhere and she couldn't shake the feeling that time was running out.

Turning on her side for what felt like the hundredth time, she spotted a shadow outside of her window. The sight didn't scare her—she knew it was Luke. Why he never used the door, she had no clue.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Luke approved as he climbed into the room. He ran his hand through his hair and Olivia caught sight of something dangling from his fingers.

"What's that?" She questioned, watching as he kicked off his shoes.

Luke flopped onto her bed and held them out for her to see. "Car keys."

Her eyebrow raised. She had an inkling as to who they belonged to, but she didn't want to believe that he entered her house to grab them then climbed up to her bedroom instead of taking the stairs like a normal person. "To whose car?"

"Your mom's." He gave her a cheeky grin. "I asked Reggie for his keys earlier but he said no, so I asked your mom."

"My mom is letting you drive her car?" Olivia let out a sound of disbelief. "She doesn't even let me drive her car."

"That's because you don't have your license yet," Luke pointed out. "She trusts me."

"Right," she replied sarcastically, "how could I forget that she loves you more than her own daughter?"

"What can I say?" Luke smirked. "No one can resist my charm, not even you. Now, go get ready."

"For what?"

He looked at her as if his intentions were obvious. "I'm taking you on a date."

Olivia glanced at her clock. "It's three in the morning," she deadpanned.

"So?" Luke sassed, leaning forward so his face was directly in front of hers.

The couple stared at each other, challenging the other to make a move.

"Alright," Olivia submitted, "let me get a hoodie."

Luke rolled off her bed and crossed her room to her closet. One of his sweaters was hanging on the back of the door and tossed it over, laughing when it draped over her head.

Olivia yanked it off her head and blew a stray stand of hair away from her face. She gave him a flat expression before getting out of bed and pulling on her shoes.

Luke climbed out of the window first so he could help her down the trellis and the pair headed down the driveway. They made a quick stop by the studio to check on their sleeping friends and waved goodbye to Solo when he lifted his head in response to the opening door.

The pair got into Sylvia's car and before they knew it, they were cruising down the streets of Los Angeles. They mindlessly chatted about whatever topic came to mind, listening to the radio in the background. Luke went to change the song, but Olivia slapped his hand away and turned it up instead.

"The audacity you have to try and skip this song," Olivia scolded playfully, getting ready to sing. "Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world, took the midnight train going anywhere!"

She held out an imaginary microphone for Luke. "Come on," she urged. "You've gotta sing along. It's an unwritten rule."

He glanced over at her and saw her eyes wide with hope. He couldn't not sing when she was looking at him like that.

"Just a city boy," he sang, laughing as Olivia let out a cheer, "born and raised in South Detroit, he took the midnight train going anywhere!"

Olivia reached over and turned the volume higher. "Now we're talking!"

"A singer in a smokey room," Luke continued shamelessly, rolling the windows down. "The smell of wine and cheap perfume, for a smile they can share the night, it goes on and on, and on, and on!"

Olivia bopped her head to the music. "Strangers."

"Strangers!" Luke echoed, earning a laugh from his girlfriend.

"Waiting!"

"What they waitin' for?"

"Up and down the boulevard!"

"Where, baby?"

"Their shadows searchin' in the night!"

They stopped at a red light and their music was so loud that the people still awake at this time of night looked over at them. They had no shame and continued their impromptu concert, Luke even pointing dramatically at a person waiting to cross the street. "Streetlights," he shouted, undeterred by the person's odd look, "people living just to find emotion."

When the person crossed the car so they were on Olivia's side, she did the same thing and practically hung out the window to serenade them. "Hiding somewhere in the night!"

The song carried on and the couple continued to sing, not taking themselves too seriously. It was moments like these that made them feel like nothing else mattered, because for three minutes, they weren't worried about booking their next gig or writing a hit song. They were just two teenagers driving down Hollywood Boulevard, belting out Don't Stop Believin' at the top of their lungs.

It was one of the little things.

After the high of their performance died down, Olivia let out a yawn. "Where are we going?" She asked as Luke pulled over to park.

"We're getting coffee," he answered, leaning over the centre console to steal a quick kiss.

Olivia knew that she shouldn't be drinking coffee at three in the morning, but she was so tired that she kind of needed it, especially if she and Luke were going on a date.

The small 24-hour diner had nothing on Sonny's, but it would have to do. Luke ordered their drinks, not having to ask Olivia how she took her coffee since he already knew—a medium with two sugars.

When they had their caffeine, they headed back the Sylvia's car and drove for another ten minutes.

"Griffith's Observatory?" Olivia questioned as they pulled into the parking lot. There were only two other cars there besides them. "Are we even allowed here after hours? Don't they have security guards or something?

Luke shrugged and parked the car. "Not sure."

"That's reassuring."

"Relax, trouble," he drawled. "We're not breaking in or anything. We're parking here and taking the trail."

"The trail?" She looked out her window at the dark landscape that surrounded them. "Luke, we're going to get jumped."

He shook his head with a small laugh. "No, we're not." He got out of the car and walked around the front to open Olivia's door.

She took the hand he held out for her and gave him a look. "You don't know that."

"Yes, I do," Luke reassured, shutting the door behind her. "I know everything."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"Oh yeah?" Olivia challenged. "What am I thinking right now?"

Luke led her down the familiar pathway and glanced at her over his shoulder. "You're thinking 'Wow, my boyfriends so cool and hot, and I'm so happy he took me out on a date tonight!'"

"Wow," Olivia mused, a fake smile plastered on her face, "that was pretty spot on."

Luke stopped walking and looked down at her in shock. "Really?"

"No," Olivia bluntly replied. "It was more like 'My boyfriend's impression of me sucks and he's leading us to our deaths, specifically being murdered in the woods.'"

He rolled his eyes at her and pulled her along. "I've been here a thousand times and I'm still alive, so we'll be fine."

"We better be," Olivia grumbled. "If I'm going to die, I want to go out doing something cool like saving someone from a burning building or in a high speed car chase or something."

"As opposed to something lame?"

"Yeah, how lame would it be if you were killed by a falling coconut or, I don't know, food poisoning?"

Luke paused. "Can you die from food poisoning?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "but I don't want to find out."

"Me neither," Luke agreed, "that would be so embarrassing."

The pair walked in comfortable silence until Luke pulled back the branches of a large overgrown bush. "Ta-da!"

On the other side was the peak of a hill that overlooked the city. It looked like the stars on a clear night in the middle of the countryside and they twinkled like sunlight reflecting off the ocean. She had seen Los Angeles at night, but never like this,

"Whoa," Olivia breathed out in awe.

"Makes you feel like you're on top of the world, right?" Luke looked over at her. He could see the light reflect the chain on her neck. It brought him comfort to know a piece of him was so close to her heart.

"How'd you find this place?"

"I used to have a thing for stars when I was little so my dad would bring me to the observatory," Luke explained with a fond but sad smile. "Sometimes we would walk the trail and one day we stumbled upon this place. He doesn't come up here anymore. I think he forgot about it, honestly."

Olivia noticed his downcast expression and nudged his arm. "So do you bring all your dates up here?" Her tone was sly and it stopped him from getting too lost in this thoughts.

"Nah," he shook his head, "this is my spot. I come up here to think. You're the only person who knows about it."

"Not even Alex?" Olivia questioned, moving to sit on the ground.

"You're the only one," he stated before following her actions. He pointed to the smaller hill below them. "In the day, you can see people walking the trail. I like to people watch and make up stories about their lives in my head. Sometimes I write songs about them."

Olivia smiled at the image of Luke with his guitar, humming to himself as he bit the end of his pen in concentration. "And at night?"

"Same thing. Like, see that building over there?" He pointed to a set of condos in the distance. "There's a guy and he's stressing out because his boyfriend is coming over for the first time. Or in that building over there, a woman's water just broke."

"I don't know," he shrugged, his eyes still trained on the city before them. "It's oddly comforting to think everyone has a life as complicated as ours. They have their own hopes and dreams, fears and nightmares. These people aren't just background characters. It's fun to write about."

"Everyone's their own main character," Olivia said breathlessly, fascinated by the way Luke's mind worked.

He turned to her. "Yeah, but you're still the star of the show." She shook her head at his words and he bumped her shoulder with his. "Don't shake your head at me, Olivia Juliette."

"If you don't like me shaking my head at you, stop talking out of your ass."

"I'm serious, Livy." She didn't see herself the way he did and if he had to spend the rest of his life painting the portrait of her beautiful existence for her to finally do so, then so be it. If he had to remind her everyday that she was a force to be reckoned with, so be it. If 'you're really pretty' were the first words that left his mouth every morning, so be it. Because no one should be deprived of art that makes you feel something. "You don't know how amazing you are. You're a star."

She looked over at him and her breath got caught in the back of her throat at the sight of his bright eyes and warm smile.

Some people were just light who glowed in the darkest of times and shined with hope unknown to most. Luke was one of these people. "If I'm a star, then you're the sun."

"The sun sets," he pointed out.

"But it always come back."

Their eyes met and it was like the world turned on its axis. The stars twinkled like the city lights below them and the moonlight fell onto the earth, but Olivia didn't notice because the only thing worth noticing was the way Luke's lips curled into a small smile and the awe present in his stare.

That familiar feeling in her chest returned, but it wasn't anxiety or an achy unknown pain. It was peaceful like the sun peaking through storm clouds after it rained, or coming home after a long day and smelling freshly baked cookies. She had no idea what the feeling was called but she was on the precipice of realization, standing on the edge of great.

Luke leaned backwards to lie on the grass and pointed at the sky. "Look up," he said softly.

Their shoulders brushed as Olivia laid next to him. He started rambling about constellations and far off galaxies, but everything he said entered through one ear and exited out of the other. She was too distracted by the passion in his voice and the look in his eye. It was the same passion as when he spoke about music, and the look in his eye was one she had seen before. It took her a moment to realize that he looked at the stars the same way he looked at her.

In that moment, all the little things added up.

The teasing nicknames and writing songs on a rickety old play structure; perfect harmonies and last minute pep talks in empty bathrooms; taking care of her when she was drunk and making sure she never faced her fears alone; sunsets and messy handwriting, gifted journals and coffee dates at three in the morning.

She didn't need grand romantic gestures or heartfelt confessions. She didn't need confirmation or concrete proof to know for certain. The little things added up and the sum pointed to one indisputable fact.

Luke Patterson was in love with her.

A wave of clarity washed over her and she turned her head to look at the cluster of stars he was talking about.

She could remember the first time she bared her heart to him. It was after the very first time the band hung out together. The pair sat side by side on the little roof outside of her bedroom window staring at the stars and she could remember wondering if she was destined to feel insignificant forever.

Staring at the same stars now, she had her answer.

She was never insignificant to begin with.

She may not see herself the same way Luke does, but she saw enough to know that she was more than the people who left her. She was a sister, a daughter, and a friend. Though she struggled with the idea at times, she was worth it. She was loved. And nothing worth loving was insignificant.

She thanked the heavens that by some twist of fate, she was allowed to walk this earth at the same time as the boy beside her. The chance of existing was slim, which meant that the chance of existing at the same time as Luke must have been next to impossible. She thanked God that she was given the privilege of knowing him, of being his best friend, of being loved by him. Because when Luke loved, he loved with every fibre of his being.

That feeling in her chest amplified and—

Oh.

It was love, she realized. The feeling in her chest was love.

She was in love with Luke Patterson.

Out of all the emotions Olivia had ever felt, she had never felt anything as intense as this. She came to realize that her words, her thoughts, and her beliefs were not her own, but lyrics of a song he had given her soul to sing. She could see their lives flashing through her mind in black and white photographs and she knew that whatever happened between them, she would love him until the end of time. It was written in the stars and imprinted in their hearts.

Everything she had ever done and everything she had ever experienced led her straight to him.

He read her thoughts. He witnessed her worst. He knew her intimately and accepted her unwaveringly. And despite knowing all the dark crevices of her mind, he stayed.

And she loved him, she loved him, she loved him.

Olivia was in love. She understood why people lost their minds and fought the wars, and why she's spent her whole life writing songs in hopes of putting it in words. Because when the heart loves, it's the most powerful thing in the world.

Clouded by her realization, she leaned over and kissed him, interrupting his sentence. This kiss was different than the rest. It was like the world around them slowed down, giving their souls time to make a home in each other.

"What was that for?" Luke breathlessly whispered.

Olivia smiled softly, her eyes full of adoration. "I'm just really glad I met you."

She could hear it as they peacefully watched the sun rise over Griffith Park and paint the sky in a glorious pink and orange glow. She could feel it on the drive home with Luke's hand on her thigh and the other gripping the steering wheel. She could see it in the darkness of her bedroom before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Olivia was in love.

Truly, madly, deeply in love.

And what a wonderful thing to be young and in love.

RAE SPEAKS !

alexa, play black and white by niall horan!

i love this chapter so much. just olivia finally realizing she's in love with luke and that it's not waiting for him to change for her or relying on grand gestures for reassurance like it was with jason, but rather the little things adding up and loving each other through their actions and just how they feel around each other.

ugh, i'm in love with luv's love.

anyways, the songs mentioned/used in this chapter were End Up Here by 5SOS and Don't Stop Believin' by Journey if anyone wanted to know :)