"It's all love now, upside down

Have to channel how you made me feel

To play every show

It's all love now, upside down

Carry baggage I can't put down

Every show, every night, every town"

✰

"Eyes over here, Luke." Ashton nudges him, narrowing his eyes sternly.

The blonde reluctantly tears his eyes away from the living room window. "I'm looking." Luke grumbles, nudging Ashton right back with a foot to his shin. "I'm just nervous about later tonight, give me a break."

"Oh, you're looking alright." Michael scoffs, amusement sparkling in his green eyes. "Right at Arlo's ass-"

Luke reaches across the table and swats Michael across the head with his thick notebook causing a curse to leave Michael's lips as he rubs the sore area of his forehead. "Don't talk about her that way, dickhead." Luke says sternly.

Michael may have been right, but they certainly didn't need to know that.

Despite the fact that the band had their first huge gig in a matter of hours, they'd spent all day writing. It didn't matter that the day before consisted of being scolded by the label and doing countless interviews in order to do some damage control, they still had work to do. It was a struggle, getting home on the verge of physical and emotional exhaustion and waking up with the sun to spend their free day writing.

Luke was having an especially hard time focusing, especially when Arlo and Calum had split off on their own. They decided to write on the beach that served as the backyard of the large house, which he wished he was doing as well more than anything.

It was pure torture to watch his girl prance out of the door in her little bikini top and high-waisted jean shorts, her hair flowing loose and a pair of sunglasses resting on her head. It was even more difficult to watch Calum follow right behind her, a couple of towels in his hand and sunscreen lathered on his chest and nose.

He could just barely see them out of the large window. Luke wished they were closer, for while the beach was considered to be private, he was still nervous. Especially considering every top story in the media was about the band or about his relationship with Arlo.

The music video for She's Kinda Hot had been released that morning as well and the song was playing constantly on the small radio in the kitchen. The band was quickly taking over the world, their follower counts rising so fast that Luke couldn't even keep up with it, but that didn't seem to matter to him.

He felt so unbelievably guilty for indulging in that little baggy of white powder before the interview. Luke had taken the easy way out of dealing with his emotions- it wasn't something he was proud of in the slightest, but he didn't know how else to cope.

If Luke had been sober, he knew for a fact that he never would have spilled the secret of his and Arlo's relationship. He didn't regret it per se, but he did regret not being sober. He regretted putting stress on Arlo too.

Although she reassured him she was fine and Luke had taken special care to keep her away from her phone, for the most part, he still worried about her. The media could be ruthless, he knew that first hand.

Luke wished he could just take Arlo in his arms and wrap them both in a protective bubble that no one else could touch. He wanted to make sure the shitty people of the world never got close enough for her to hear their words. Although realistically, he knew that wasn't possible.

If that weren't enough stress already, the band had been informed that their first-ever world tour was scheduled to start in two and a half months. The news had been announced to the public as well, and tickets were already selling like crazy. Their management predicted it had a good chance of selling out.

"I have bits and pieces of a few lyrics that I think could be really good with some more work." Michael says, snapping Luke out of his stress-filled thoughts. "It's called Jet Black Heart." Michael continues, flipping his notebook around for the other two boys to read.

Just as Luke opens his mouth to comment on how much he liked some of the lyrics scrawled on the page, the back door flies open. The door slams against the wall so hard that the glass pane shakes and a flood of loud voices fills the room from the outside.

What happens next sends Luke's heart dropping straight to the floor.

Luke can't even register the camera flashes spilling in from the window, so bright they're visible even in the middle of the day. He doesn't register the questions being screamed or the people invading their property, standing on the back porch of the house they were reassured was a safe space for them.

All Luke can focus on is the distressed look on his girl's face as she stumbles into the door with Calum's arm protectively around her, shielding their eyes from the bright flashes that disorient them.

As Calum locks the door and draws the shades closed in mere seconds, all three of the other boys spring up from the table in a panic.

Luke is halfway across the living room when he sees the blood on Arlo's face.

He's halfway across the living room when he sees the way her clothes are disheveled from being tugged on, the fear in her eyes, the panic in Calum's eyes, and the busted skin of his knuckles.

Luke's heart is beating so fast in his chest that he doesn't even know how he manages to move his legs in her direction. In a matter of seconds, she's in his arms, his hands trembling with pure anger and a little bit of fear as they hover over her cheeks, refusing to touch them just in case it would make her injury worse.

"What the fuck is going on?" Luke spits out, his eyes darting over to Calum only for a moment before they're back on Arlo. "Who the fuck did this? What-" He's at a loss for words and Luke is positive he's never been this terrified in his life.

"We got ambushed by fucking paps." Calum scoffs, running his hand through his hair in frustration. The action causes his split knuckles to sting, but there's so much adrenaline in his veins that he barely registers the feeling.

Ashton frantically shoves a towel from the kitchen into Luke's hand, his eyes scanning worriedly over Arlo. There was a single cut above her eyebrow, no more than an inch in length but it was still steadily bleeding. The boy knew face wounds bled worse than they actually were, but that didn't matter. She was still hurt.

"What the fuck?" Michael says in disbelief, as he walks over to the window, peeking through the curtains to see the hoard of people with their giant cameras. He pulls out his phone instantly, for there was no way that could be legal.

Arlo hasn't said a word, the girl is so in shock that she doesn't even flinch when Luke gently presses the towel to the cut on her eyebrow in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She knows for a fact that the action stings, but it's almost like her body can't process the pain.

"They did this?" Luke's voice is so low, so bone-chilling, and eerily calm that everyone in the room freezes.

Calum is the first to speak, swallowing thickly. "One second we were walking along the shoreline and talking about a lyric and the next we were surrounded-" He explains desperately, his hands moving animatedly as he talks. "I tried to keep her with me but it just happened so fast and they were shoving their cameras in our faces and I guess one of them got too close and hit her with the lense." He talks so fast that it's almost impossible to understand what he says.

Luke is overwhelmed. There's so much pure anger running through his body that he has to physically push his feet into the floor so he doesn't throw open the back door and do something that would surely end with him in the back of a cop car. On the other side of things, he's so fucking worried that he doesn't think he can leave his girl's side even if he tried.

"I threw a punch at the asshole who got too close so that footage is probably everywhere and-" Calum's chest begins to heave and Ashton acts quickly, placing a comforting hand on the boy's bicep.

If Luke was feeling a bit more sane he would have thanked him.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Cal." The shaggy-haired boy reassures him. "Just come sit down and breathe for a sec." As Ashton and Michael follow Calum into the kitchen, prepared to help him clean up his knuckles, Arlo is still rooted to her spot.

"Arlo, I need you to talk to me." Luke pleads, looking down at his girl. Her expression was blank, almost impossible to read. He didn't know if it was an injury or fear that was rendering her speechless and that drove him fucking crazy.

When she doesn't speak, her brown eyes glossed over with emotion that she refuses to let spill over, Luke takes matters into his own hands. He had no doubt it was terrifying for her, considering how small she was, to be trapped in the midst of that chaos. Hell, it scared him being in a crowd even with security guards at his side.

Luke places his hands on her waist gently, encouraging her to walk. "C'mon, Lo." He says for only her to hear, completely unaware of the concerned glances of his bandmates.

The girl was traumatized and it was easy to see.

Arlo doesn't quite know how she manages to walk up the stairs and make it to her shared bathroom with Luke, but the next thing she knows her bare thighs make contact with the cool bathroom counter.

The girl felt as if she was floating outside her body from the moment she was ambushed like an animal being hunted in the wild. The questions they screamed at her were disgusting and the way they tugged her about all for a picture was dehumanizing.

The cut on her eyebrow didn't even hurt, it wasn't any more serious than a scratch. Her injuries meant nothing to her. She was just so scared.

All Arlo was capable of thinking is how much she didn't want to be there anymore. She didn't want to be in a house paid for by the label, she didn't want to be writing songs, she didn't want her face and name plastered on every social medial site- Arlo just fucking wanted to go home.

I can't do this. She thinks, over and over until the words don't even feel like real words anymore.

She can't stand the look on Luke's face as he gently cleans the cut on her forehead. He looks so concerned that it causes a pang to radiate through her chest and it's clear as day to see that he's blaming himself.

"It's not your fault."

Luke's eyes snap to her own, his lips parting in surprise as she speaks for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "I should have been there." He shakes his head, his free hand gripping the counter so tightly that his knuckles turn white. "I should have kept my fucking mouth shut in that interview."

Arlo swallows down her emotion. She refused to let a tear fall, no matter how scared she was. The girl didn't want Luke to see her cry, not when she knew it would only make him upset. "I'm fine."

"Don't fucking say that." Luke shakes his head in denial, throwing the bloodied towel into the sink behind her. "None of this is okay, Arlo." He's livid, his blue eyes filled with anger.

Just as Arlo opens her mouth to speak again, Luke's eyes travel down to her bare arms where a few red marks can be seen that would no doubt become bruises later. "This-" Luke takes her arm gently, careful not to touch the marks. "This is fucking unacceptable and I'm going to make sure it never happens again, okay? I promise they'll never get close enough to touch you again."

You can't promise that. Is what Arlo really wants to say, but she bites her tongue. "I know you're upset, but-" She pinches her eyes shut, becoming frustrated with herself as tears pool in her eyes. Arlo forces herself to keep them at bay. "I can't deal with any more anger right now. I need you to be normal Luke right now."

Luke furrows his brows as he slots himself between her parted legs, his palm gently cradling her jaw. "I don't know what you mean." He says, trying desperately to understand. "I'll do whatever you need me to, I just don't know what you're asking."

Arlo exhales shakily, the intensity of his blue eyes and the way his hands still shake with anger only overwhelm her even more. "Everything that just happened was too much. I need to feel normal again. I need you to be Lu, not Luke Hemmings, not the lead singer of 5 Seconds of Summer. Hold me, kiss me, read with me- anything. I need to feel like I'm not living in a nightmare."

Arlo hated herself for the thoughts going through her head. She wanted to leave the house and never come back. She wanted to book a flight back to her home and curl up in her room like she'd never even left in the first place. Arlo hates that she wants to pretend that half of the last month had never even happened.

Arlo wanted Luke, but she didn't know if she was prepared to deal with what his new career consisted of. She wished she was stronger and that only causes more tears to prick her eyes.

Luke's face falls, the effect of what had happened to her becoming clear to her. Arlo wasn't just scared about what had happened, something major had shifted. But, he doesn't allow himself to dwell on it.

He clears his throat. "Okay, baby." Luke gives her a small smile, stroking her cheek with his thumb affectionately. "Do you want to wash this off and then we can lay down? I'll read your book to you and we can cancel the gig- I'll go call right now."

"No," Arlo shakes her head immediately. "Don't cancel the gig I want to go." While that was true, she didn't want to hold him back more than anything. The rest of the boys and especially Calum had wanted this for so long, it was their dream.

"I'm not fucking playing after this." Luke says sternly, shaking his head.

"Please?" Arlo pouts her lips, which she knows is a low blow, but she had to do what she had to do. "It'll be like an escape- something fun to get my mind off of everything. You know I love hearing you sing."

Luke takes his lip ring between his teeth, swallowing down his own fears in order to comfort her from her own. "Okay." He nods, his blonde hair disheveled from the way his hands had run through it in stress. "Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?"

Luke wasn't sure about a lot of things regarding feelings. He knows that the sight of dried blood on Arlo's face and neck made him so angry that red clouded his vision. He knows that as he helps her off of the counter and starts the shower, his heart is beating unnaturally fast due to how innocently intimate the situation was about to become.

Arlo is nervous beyond belief as Luke checks the temperature of the shower and makes sure the bathroom door is locked. Her heart beats so fast that she fears it may run out of her chest as his fingertips toy with the straps of her bathing suit top, his eyes asking for permission.

"You're okay." His voice is barely a whisper as he pulls on the ties and allows the bathing suit top to fall to the floor. Luke's fingertips draw gentle circles on her skin as his hands trail downwards until they reach the button of her shorts.

Arlo sucks in a breath as he slides the shorts down her legs and his hands find the tie of her bikini bottoms. "You still sure about this?" Luke asks, blue eyes flicking up to meet her own.

"Yes. I just want to be with you." She reassures him, her voice wavering. Arlo had never been so exposed in front of someone before but it wasn't uncomfortable. Luke just made her feel things so intensely that it made her head spin.

Luke feels practically the same as her small hands reach for his t-shirt, sliding it over his head before her hands find the waistband of his joggers. Steam fills the room, making him lightheaded. The pure intimacy of the moment is enough to make his knees weak.

Luke Hemmings had never been bare in the presence of a woman without intentions of fucking them, and he was in awe of how different Arlo could make him feel. Although her bare body was exposed to his eyes fully for the first time, all he can focus on his making sure that she's okay.

He leads her into the shower, allowing the water to soak them. Luke takes his time, washing the dried blood from her face and neck, his heart practically cracking in half when she winces as the water hits the fresh wound.

"I'm so fucking sorry, baby." Luke bites onto his bottom lip harshly. "All I ever wanted was to keep you safe."

Arlo's head rests against his chest and her eyes watch as water droplets roll down the smooth contours of his skin. The feeling of his arms around her is indescribable, healing the panic and pain she felt only moments before.

She doesn't quite have the heart to tell him that it hurts to think about what had happened, so she leans up to kiss him and silence his apologies instead. Luke kisses her back hesitantly in a way she's never felt before, as if he's scared she might break.

And he is.

Luke hadn't seen more than a fleeting flash of emotion come across her features and he was sure she was still in shock, making him fearful of what would happen when her mind finally caught up. Would she decide he isn't worth the trouble and leave? He didn't think he could survive that.

As Arlo kisses him with her chest pressed against his own, the water from the showerhead falls onto them and soaks their skin in a way eerily similar to the way the rain had the night he first tasted her lips. With his eyes closed, Luke can almost convince himself that they're standing in a rainstorm in front of his bookstore again.

Luke continues to kiss her with everything he has, the fear that had run through his veins only moments before fueling his passion. He was so fucking scared in that moment- he'd never felt anything like it. It terrified him how much he cared about her, but he didn't want to stop either.

Arlo pulls away, drops of water clinging to her eyelashes, her skin flushed from the steam and the intensity of their kiss. She rests her head on his chest once more, listening to the beat of his heart and it takes everything in Luke not to open his mouth and tell her how much she means to him.

With her body clinging to his own, Luke Hemmings had come to the conclusion that he was helplessly in love with Arlo Abbott.

He loved her.

He fucking loved her.

Arlo was his entire life, she was all he thought about- all he fucking cared about. Luke knew it from the moment he saw that she was hurt and didn't think twice about throwing his career away to make sure it never happened again. It was only confirmed by the way she made his stomach drop just from kissing him.

Luke's heart beats so fast that he's sure she can hear it for herself. His tongue burns with the three words he so desperately wants to say, but doesn't have the courage to. He loves Arlo, but he doesn't want to scare her away.

Luke holds her closer, his eyes fluttering shut as the beating of her heart syncs with the rhythm of his own.

I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.