Sidelines and Suns (L.H.)
Note: Hi everyone. it’s been quite a while since i last wrote something and i’ve been meaning to get back into it. So please enjoy the latest thing written by yours truly.
Warnings: light angst, definitely a doozy, i mean the end is cute?
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You knew that you had grown complacent when you caught yourself feeling like you were looking at the world from the outside.
You stood against the wall, buzzing in your ears and you felt like the world was passing you by. You could see the strangers around you laughing and tossing back drinks gleefully. The world was fast forward while you felt like your movements were slowed by molasses.
Tired of not understanding others, you pulled your long sleeves down over your fists, walking to the front door, your red solo cup on the console table where you no longer stood.
The host of the party had long disappeared, leaving your side despite the many promises made to not. He had promised to bring back drinks and simply- well, never came back. You understood. But you missed him.
Coming back from tour, you thought that you both would have plenty of time to once again fall into the companionship that you both lived for. The late night coffee runs, the odd movie recommendations and the back and forth games of Yahtzee. Yet, as you walked out the door, you could see him laugh wholeheartedly, his arm wrapped around someone you didn’t recognize. You were tired of being forgotten. You had grown so accustomed to the feeling that you realized that you were slowly forgetting who you were to yourself.
So, you decided to stop watching your life from the sidelines. You started to go on a journey of rediscovery. Each day, you did something that you had once thought about doing. You went to a stylist to cut your long locks. You bought a large houseplant that you watered and talked to every morning. You started listening to a different podcast everyday until you could find one that satisfied your inquisitiveness. With each passing day, you realized that the one thing that you had longed for was spontaneity and adventure.
In the passing days, there had been phone calls, each more distant than the next. Your friends worried, but you let them know that you were okay. You even decided to ask Ash to come over to teach you a few yoga tricks. Maybe if you liked it, you’d take up the hobby. Painting and pottery had very clearly been off the table after the mishap at your art class resulting in a classmate having hard lumps of clay in her hair.
“You know, he asks about you everyday”.
You hummed in acknowledgement, but didn’t respond as you continued to stretch alongside Ashton.
“ Why are you really doing this, Y/N? Is it rediscovery or is there something else?”
You stopped mid-stretch to meet Ashton’s eyes. Ashton was always the one to worry about you. You appreciated the fact that Ashton was always there to lend a listening ear and even to give advice if that was what was needed.
Sitting and crossing your legs on the yoga mat, you looked down at your hands while contemplating your answer. Was it self-discovery or realizing that you no longer want to be on the sidelines?
“ Ash, I just- I don’t remember who I am without him. I feel like we both are in such a state of limbo in our friendship. We both need things from each other emotionally that neither one of us is willing to give because of how much we love our friendship. But I want more. I know that makes me selfish but it also makes me human. I’m tired of not knowing when I have him and when I don’t even when he is physically present in the room. How do I long for someone that much when I don’t feel like I exist without him?”
“Y/N, you are who you’ve always been. You’re Y/N. You are a whole person. You are your own person. You can feel these things but don’t devalue your existence”.
“I don’t want to watch the world from the sidelines. I don’t want it to pass me by and to change without me. I don’t want to be a stranger looking in anymore. How do I change that?”
Your back stiffened as you heard the new voice in your backyard. How’d he get- dammit. He had the key you gave him in case of emergencies.
You stood up and turned to face the man who had become your world.
“I-uh, came because I knew that Ash was coming over”, Luke said, while Ashton muttered a quiet “ dammit, Michael”.
“What- uh is everything okay”, you tentatively asked.
“Oh, uh yeah. Everything- actually screw that. No, everything is not okay. I came over to ask my best friend why you’ve been ignoring me and distancing yourself from me. How do our friends know that you’re okay and what you’ve been up to and have to rely on the small things they tell me to know that you’re even alive?” By the end, Luke was fisting his hair and fuming.
You shot Ashton a look that had him giving you a quick squeeze along with a “call me later if you need to talk” before rushing to his car.
“Luke. Luke, look at me”, you said quietly. “Let’s go inside. We- we need to talk”.
You nodded your head to the small stools on the island, and Luke took a seat, never letting you out of his eyesight.
“You want a coffee or anything else? I have water, orange jui-”.
“Coffee. Please. It’s been months.” You could hear the shake in his voice as his knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.
You stayed in silence as you prepared two cups of coffee. Preparing his the way that he liked it, you set it in front of him. You then leaned back against your counter and took a sip of your coffee, your eyes naturally landing on him.
“ I pulled away because I needed space. I felt like I was on the sidelines and my world was passing me by.”
“Space? What? I-I’m not understanding, Y/N”.
“ Luke, we’ve been friends for how long? Hmm? Five- Six years?”
When he nodded, you continued.
“In the span of those years, you somehow became my world. I hadn’t realized it before but I did at that party you had some time ago. However, I wasn’t even in your orbit. I felt like I was looking through a looking glass and everyone was getting on with their lives, changing happening everywhere I looked. Yet, I was still stuck in the same place. I wasn’t living, just breathing. I had to figure out who I was without you.”
You looked up from your cup of coffee, and could see the pained look on Luke’s face. You let your words sink in before taking another sip of your coffee and continuing.
“ I had to figure out who I was without you so I could assess if I could be what you needed me to be and you could be what I needed you to be. I love our friendship, I do. I can’t imagine any other relationship coming remotely close to what you and I have but let’s be real. There are emotional things that we needed from each other that we just wouldn’t give into. Not if we wanted to keep our friendship intact but i’m tired of that, Luke. I have wanted more while watching you live your life without me.”
“Y/N-”, Luke started but you stopped him.
“Luke, I love you. You became my world. I’m not scared of much but I am scared of losing you. However, I know that this risk is one worth taking.”
Luke abruptly stood up, his tall frame walking towards you. In a few strides, Luke pulled you into his arms and hugged you.
Pulling away, he reached down to cradle your face. “I never meant to make you feel like that. You are not a stranger looking in and I am not passing you by. You compared me to the world but this is where you’re wrong; If I’m the world, then you’re the sun. You weren’t in my orbit because I was in yours. You make me want to go outside everyday because everytime I feel the sun on my skin, I’m reminded that you are the biggest part of my life”, he whispered, pressing his lips to mine.
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A/N: Cheesy? maybe but i couldn’t help myself. Please ❤️ or Reblog if you liked it! Again, i’m trying to become more frequent with writing because this is what i love and i miss it. I may not be amazing at it, but it makes me happy!
For any previous works, here is my Masterlist!