Delilah's POV

As we drive to Luke's house, he points out things we pass. He's like a cute tour guide. Everything here is so different than Maine. It looks so much brighter, and it's definitely much warmer.

Luke doesn't let go of my hand the entire drive, not even when we pull into the driveway. It's almost as if he's afraid he'll lose me if he lets go for a second. He looks over at me and smiles widely.

"Here we are!" Luke says quietly. He pulls his hand away from mine, leaving my fingers feeling cold and empty. He leans over and kisses me quickly before getting out of the car to retrieve my bags from the back.

"I'm gonna go home and let you guys enjoy yourselves," Calum says. "I'll probably see you within the next few days." He gives me a hug and gets back in the car. 

"Are you sure?" Luke asks.

Calum nods. "I see you enough. And I'll see Delilah again soon! This is your special reuniting time, I don't know, I feel like I'm awkwardly intruding." 

I laugh. "You're not, but I'll see you later. Thanks for picking me up."

"No problem. Have fun, don't get too crazy!" Calum says as he backs out of the driveway.

Luke rolls his eyes. He grabs my bags and runs in front of me to get the door. 

"I'm so excited I'm shaking!" Luke says.

I laugh as he opens the door. 

"Welcome to my house, which is now your home away from home the next three months!" he says excitedly.

I follow him into the house. I instantly notice balloons and banner. 

"You didn't have to do all this for me!" I tell him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

He kisses my forehead. "I wanted to make it as special as possible. Here, follow me."

Luke walks down the hall. I notice a few pictures of him from when he was younger. 

"You were so cute!" I tell him, pointing at a baby photo.

"Was? I still am," he says, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. 

His dad walks out of one of the rooms.

"Delilah! How are you?" Andrew says happily, giving me a tight hug. It's weird seeing him in a different house. I'm so used to him living down the street from me.

"I'm great! Just kinda tired," I tell him.

Liz quietly walks out soon after. She gives me a hug too, but not as tight. "We're so happy you're here!"

"How are you feeling?" I ask her quietly. She looks much better than I thought she would. If I didn't know everything that has happened, I wouldn't think anything was seriously wrong. 

"Today's a good day. I'm doing well."

"I told you how her surgery is next week, right? We tried to schedule it for before you got here, but that didn't happen," Luke says.

"That's okay! I don't mind," I assure him.

"I know you don't. C'mon, let me show you your room." He pulls me away from his parents and walks quickly down the hall. 

"My room is right here," he says, pointing to the left. "And here is yours," he tells me, opening a door to the right.

He puts all my bags in the corner and smiles widely. "Is this room okay for you?"

"It's perfect!" 

The room is tidy, and the bed is neatly made. There's a framed picture of Luke and I next to the bed, which I'm assuming Luke put there.

Andy pops his head into the bedroom. "The only rules are lights out before midnight, and you two must be in separate rooms."

Luke rolls his eyes.

"Okay, got it," I tell him.

"I'm not worried about you, I'm more worried about your boyfriend," he says, laughing. His comment gets another eye roll from Luke.

Andy leaves, and I sit down on the bed. The jet lag has already hit me after such a long flight. Luke sits beside me and pulls me closer to him.

I don't think Luke has stopped smiling since the second I first saw him. Happiness is surrounding him, which makes me even happier. I can tell that he's nervous and excited too. Whenever he gets excited, he talks a little too fast, which he's been doing. He's also tapping his foot quickly on the floor, which is a sign of his nerves.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask him.

"Tonight we're all gonna go out for a celebratory dinner since you're here. Maybe we can watch a movie if you're not too tired. Then tomorrow we can do whatever. I didn't plan anything for tomorrow because I remember how tired I was the day after I came. The flight and timezone change is exhausting."

"I'm already feeling it," I tell him, yawning. I never realized how bad jet lag can be.

He laughs. "I figured. So we can just hangout here tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," I say. 

It feels like Luke never even left. Everything is exactly how it was months ago. I never should have doubted that things wouldn't be the same. 

I stand up from the bed and open up one of my bags. Lucy wanted me to give Luke something. I pull out an envelope and hand it to Luke. I have no idea what's in it.

"What's this?" Luke asks, tilting his head to the side. 

"It's from Lucy," I tell him, shrugging.

He opens the envelope and pulls out a heart that has been messily cut out. The edges are jagged and it barely even looks like a heart, but it's cute. Inside the heart, Lucy glued some glitter and scribbled "Come home soon. Love, Lucy."

Luke softly smiles. He runs his finger around the rough edges. "I am home," he says quietly. He leans his head on my shoulder and glances up at me. 

"You can have two homes," I tell him.

"Home isn't a place, it's more like a feeling to me now. I feel it when I'm with you."

I smile and laugh quietly. "You're so poetic. I love you."

"I love you," he says, lying down and pulling me with him. "I'm happy you're here," he whispers, "I don't want you to ever leave."

"I just got here," I say, laughing, "I'm here for almost three months, don't worry."

I'm here for most of the summer. My summer, anyways. Here it's winter, but it's not nearly as cold as Maine. 

Luke starts telling me all the things we'll be doing. He'll teach me to surf, he'll bring me to the zoo, we'll walk the Sydney Harbour Bridge... He's so excited and quickly mentioning so many things. It seems like way too many things to squeeze into the next few months. After a few minutes, he stops talking and just keeps playing with my hair.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep because I'm woken up by Luke gently tapping my shoulder. 

"Hey," he says quietly, "We're going to dinner soon." He smiles gently and kisses my forehead.

"How long was I asleep?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"Only about an hour. I fell asleep for a little too," he tells me, laughing.

I slowly get out of the bed and open up my suitcase. I'm currently still in sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt. I'd like to look somewhat presentable when we go out.

"Where are we going for dinner?" I ask.

"It's a surprise."

I roll my eyes. "Well, what should I wear?"

"Clothes preferably."

I toss one of my shirts at him.

"Okay, okay. Umm... I'm not sure. I'm a guy, I'm not the person to ask about this stuff. Do you have that white off-the-shoulder shirt? I like that."

I search through my suitcase and find the shirt Luke's talking about.

"No peeking," I tell Luke.

He puts his hands over his eyes and laughs. I know he'll peek.

I quickly put on jeans and the top. 

"All set," I tell him, quickly fixing my hair.

"I know. I peeked."

"I figured." I gently hit his arm.

"Alright, let's go!" he says, reaching for my hand and walking out of the room.

Luke, his parents, and I all go to a restaurant that is by the Sydney Harbour. It seems very fancy and I suddenly regret my outfit choice. Luke is wearing a flannel, so at least we're both dressed casually.

We get a table by the window, which allows us to see everything. Andy and Liz point out different things and tell Luke and I about it. It's all so beautiful.

A lot of the things on the menu are foods I've never heard of. Liz gives me a recommendation for one of the pastas, which is what I end up getting.

While we're eating, it's nice to catch up with everyone. Luke's parents instantly make me feel comfortable and like I belong. I was debating even coming because of what Liz is going through, but they insisted that I come. According to Liz, she's doing very well, which is great.

"Let's step out for a second," Luke says quietly to me once we're done eating. He turns to his parents and says, "I'm just gonna show Delilah around."

He holds my hand gently and weaves through the crowded restaurant until we're outside.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Somewhere."

He stops when we get to an area that's somewhat close to the water. There isn't anyone around.

"What are we-" Before I can finish, he leans in and kisses me passionately.

When he pulls away, he runs his hands through his hair. "I've wanted to do that since you got here," he says, smiling. "I couldn't wait any longer." The sunset is casting shadows of pink and orange on his already blushing cheeks. I wish I could freeze right now and stay here forever.

I reach for both of his hands and kiss him gently. This could not be anymore perfect.

After watching some of the sunset, we head back to the restaurant where his parents are eating dessert. We missed out on it, I guess, but the kiss was worth it.

Once we get back to Luke's house, I'm exhausted. I change into my pajamas and slowly walk into Luke's room.

"Can we post pone the movie for another night?" I ask him, yawning.

He smiles. "Of course." He kisses my forehead. "Goodnight, Delilah. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you too," I whisper as I head back to my room. I say goodnight to Luke's parents as well, they're both watching television.

Today could not have gone any better. The plane ride wasn't as terrible as I thought. Luke is the happiest I've seen him. Liz is doing well. And everyone is genuinely happy to have me here. I was afraid I'd be a burden, but right now, I'm anything but that. I couldn't be any happier. 

I keep replaying tonight over and over in my head. This kiss was like our first kiss. I felt everything all over again. I can't stop smiling.

I lie in bed for over an hour, unable to fall asleep. Nothing is comfortable, and my brain won't shut off. I'm hearing every slight noise, which is making it harder to fall asleep in this unfamiliar house. The house is silent and dark, so I'm pretty sure everyone else is asleep.

I text Luke.

are you awake?

He instantly replies.

yeah. everything ok?

Before I can send a response, Luke is standing in the doorway. I turn on the light that's beside the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asks quietly, shutting the door and sitting on the end of the bed.

"I can't sleep," I tell him, sitting up.

"Want me to stay?"

We both know we could get in trouble, but I nod. 

He lies down next to me and reaches across from me to shut off the light. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer. I can feel his chest slowly rising and falling. Neither of us say a word. 

"Goodnight," he whispers, breaking the silence. 

"Goodnight," I reply quietly. I turn around so I'm facing Luke. "Thank you for all this."

He reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently. "No need to thank me."

I turn back around, and we get back into the previous position. My exhaustion slowly takes over, and I fall asleep to the steady beating of Luke's heart.

cuties

hey if you didn't know, i wrote a song and it's on iTunes and spotify. you can look up my name or bobby sacramone if you can't find it from my name. hope you like it!!

i also met ashton last week and he tweeted me so that's exciting

love you!

ashley