Lost In You

(I dont own these characters)

Julie didnt remember how the guys had convinced her to play her new song at their next performance. All she remembered was getting ready for the perfomance and now she stood side stage with the boys. 

The venue was smaller than Julie expected. Low ceilings, warm lights. A crowd that buzzed but didn't roar. It felt intimate, like the kind of place where people came to listen, not just to hear. 

Julie stood backstage, fingers curled around the mic in her hands. Her notebook rested on a table behind her, she knew she didnt need it tonight. The lyrics were already in her chest. 

Luke was beside her, tuning his guitar with quiet precision. He looked calm. Focused. But Julie could see the tension in his jaw, the way his thumb tapped against the strings between adjustments. 

"You good?" he asked, looking up at her. 

Julie nodded. "I think so." 

He smiles. "We'll be fine."

She wasn;t sure if he meant the performance or... something else. 

When the boys got on stage, their set started slow - Alex on drums, Reggie on bass, Luke leading with a stripped-down version of Sunset Curve's opener. Julie stayed offstage for the majority of their set, listening from the wings, letting the rhythm settle into her bones. 

Then Luke looked over, gave her the signal. 

Her cue. 

Julie stepped into the light. 

The crod shifted, phones lifted. But the room didn't explode - it leaned into her presence. 

Luke strummed the opening chords of their song, and the sound wrapped around her like a memory. The first verse came easy. Her voice was steady, clear. The chorus landed soft, then sharp. 

Luke sand the second verse, his voice threading through the room and to the walls, as Julie just watched him, tapping her hand to her leg lightly to the rhythm. The lyrucs didn't feel like lyrics any more, none of them did. They felt like truth. 

When the bridge came, Julie closed her eyes. 

She sang it slower than usual. Letting the words stratch. Letting the silence between the lines breathe. 

When she openned her eyes, Luke was watching her. 

And he didn't ook away. 

The final chorus swelled - Alex's drums rising, Reggies bass grounding them. Julies voice lifted, cracked slightly, then found it's footing again. 

They ended on a shared held note, and the room went silent for a beat. 

The applause, loud, echoing. But Julie had barely heard it. 

She was still looking at Luke, and he was still looking at her.

They shifted cloder to one another, breaking the eye contact to look at the rest of the band and the crowd in front of them. 

"You okay?" Luke asked as they made their walk off of stage. 

Julie nodded. "Yeah."

He leaned in slightly as they stood in front of one another, voice low "That was more than a song." 

Julie swallowed. "I know"

They stood there, only being interupted by Alex giving Luke a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead that his waves were sticking to. 

They both slowly turned from one another, walking into their own respected dressing rooms. 

Julie had sat down on the stool in front of the mirror, watching herself as her chest rose and fell in a soft rhythm. She sat there for 5 minutes, watching herself while having her own internal monologue in her head. 

Then through the mirror, a head poked through the door. 

"Hey." Luke said, "Can I come in?" 

Julie nodded at him through the mirror, "Yeah." 

Luke didn't speak right away.

He stepped further into the room, letting the door click shut behind him. The sound was soft, but final—like the end of a track.

Julie watched him through the mirror as he crossed the room, then turned to face him fully.

"You were incredible," he said, voice low.

Julie gave a small smile. "You too."

Luke leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes scanning the dressing room like he needed something to anchor him. "They really listened tonight."

Julie nodded. "I felt it."

He hesitated. "Did it feel... too exposed?"

Julie thought for a moment. "Not exposed. Just... real. Like I couldn't hide behind the melody anymore."

Luke's gaze softened. "You didn't need to."

Julie looked down at her hands, still curled in her lap. "I used to think performing meant pretending. Like you had to become someone else to survive it."

"And now?"

She looked up. "Now I think it's about becoming more of yourself. Even if it's messy."

Luke stepped closer, slow. "Messy's good. Messy means it mattered."

Julie's breath caught, but she didn't look away.

He reached out, gently brushed his thumb across the back of her hand. "You okay?"

Julie nodded. "I think I'm still in it."

Luke smiled. "Me too."

They stood there for a moment, the silence stretching—not heavy, just full. Like the space between verses when you're waiting for the next line to land.

Julie stood slowly, the stool creaking behind her. She stepped toward him, close enough to feel the warmth rising off his skin.

Luke didn't move.

Julie reached up, fingers grazing the edge of his jaw, and he leaned in—just enough.

Then they were both leaning in, and before either of them knew it, their lips met. The kiss was soft. Unrushed. Like a held note finally released.

When they pulled back, neither of them spoke.

They didn't need to.

The silence between them wasn't static anymore.

It was signal.