when you get too close

Reine struggled to process what he was saying, trying to understand how she didn't even know who she was, even more so when he said she'd been in an accident. Wouldn't she have remembered something that traumatic? "I don't... I don't understand," she managed, trying to wrap her head around it, but her head was hurting more than the rest of her body was, even if it was still dull. Peering around the hospital room, her gaze went to the machines, then to the IVs in her arm. "Why don't I know any of this? What's going on?" She could feel her eyes watering, her anxiety and panic getting the best of her, because none of this made sense. Her head aching, she pulled her hand free from Luke's to rub at her temples in hopes of easing it, but she was still so very confused. "Why can't I remember anything?"

Michael felt relief when he saw Leigh stirring, hope filling him immediately, though it fell just as fast the moment she'd retracted her hand, before she'd even spoken, because that wasn't something Leigh would normally do. Swallowing hard, he watched her, concerned but not sure how to approach everything or how to explain it all. He tried to keep a brave face, though, despite how blotchy he was from crying so much, and he offered her a weak smile, then tried to force it to be stronger, more genuine, for her. "You're Leigh Owen," he told her gently, not making any sudden movements to avoid scaring her further, only wanting to comfort her, and he had such an urge to take her into his arms to provide her comfort, but he didn't want to risk throwing her into a further panic. "I'm Michael Clifford. I'm your boyfriend." He said the words slowly, staring at her, hoping that she would believe him and not be too afraid. "You're at Hope Hospital... You were... You were in a really bad car accident, Leigh... A drunk driver was speeding and crashed into your car... You've been out for a whole day..."

Luke frowned as he saw Reine’s fear. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” He spoke softly, placing a gentle hand onto her arm. “You knocked your head pretty hard.” He explained. “They said there was no lasting damage. But you have some memory loss. They don’t know if it’s temporary or permanent yet, but all they know is you’re alive and that’s all that matters.” He explained gently, rubbing his thumb along her skin. “If you have any questions, about you, about me, about anything at all, just ask.” He told her gently.

Leigh frowned. “A car accident?” She asked, speaking slowly so she could process the information. Her eyes studied the beautiful stranger in front of her as he told her that he was her boyfriend, and Leigh couldn’t believe — and couldn’t remember how she got so lucky. “Okay...” Seeing he had been crying, Leigh frowned. “You’re upset.” She spoke softly, blinking when she didn’t know how to comfort him. “I... yeah.” She mentally facepalmed, not knowing what to say. She looked down at the IVs in her hand and frowned.

Reine paused when she felt Luke's hand on her arm, and she swore it felt familiar, as if her skin knew him even when she didn't. Watching him, she listened to him talk, surprised that he was even bothering when she didn't know him. If he was her boyfriend, he could easily just move on with his life now without her and, yet, here he was. "What if it's permanent?" she asked weakly, swallowing hard because the thought was frightening. Going forever not knowing who she was just seemed all-around scary. She thought for a few moments before nodding slowly. "Okay, um... I have no idea where to even begin..." Her mind was jumbled and it hurt to think too much.

Michael listened to her quietly, relieved that she seemed to believe him, rather than thinking that he was lying about it all. Of course, he could prove they were together - he still had all of their texts, all of their pictures, many were even framed at their home, - but he didn't want to overwhelm her and he was glad she believed him. He blinked, though, after hearing her observation, and he offered a weak smile. "Yeah, um..." He shook his head slightly. "After we got the calls yesterday, I was terrified of losing you and I just... Couldn't quite control those thoughts and it kept flooding back to me that I could have lost you..." He watched her for a long moment. "And I couldn't bare it. I couldn't bare just the thought of it, so I just... I'm glad you're alive, Leigh."

Luke offered Reine a kind smile as she watched him, wanting her to know that he was there, even through all the difficult times they had yet to face. Hearing her worries, Luke nodded in understanding. "Don't worry about it. We'll work on it, together." He promised, gently running his thumb over some of the familiar freckles on her arm. "Well, how about this?" He asked with a smile. "You're Australian, you were born in Sydney." He explained.

Leigh frowned at Michael's anxiety, lifting her hand to gently cup his face, running her thumb along the apple of his cheek. Of course, he was a stranger to Leigh, but she couldn't let anyone be upset without offering them some kind of comfort, it wasn't who she was as a person. "Well, I'm glad I'm alive too." She smiled weakly. Blinking slowly, Leigh pulled away from Michael, his touch feeling so much like home that it scared her a little.

Reine watched him for a while, wondering how in the world his touch could feel like the most comforting thing in the world - though, admittedly, she had nothing else to compare it to. Swallowing, she nodded slightly as she listened to him, trying to calm down. "Okay, at least that's... A start," she murmured, "I feel like there's no way I'll ever learn everything about myself or you or... Us... Or... Relearn everything, I guess, would be the better word..."

Michael offered a weak smile with the feeling, watching her, amazed with the fact that, despite that she didn't remember him, she was still trying to comfort him, even though she was probably in a lot of distress herself. But, that was always who Leigh had been, thinking about everybody around her before herself. "Yeah," he murmured quietly, watching her before he cleared his throat, "I'm gonna be here for you through your entire recovery, I promise. So, if there's ever anything you want or if you have questions you need answers to, whatever it takes, I'll be there for you." He cringed, though, as he realized something. "Unless your parents kill me first for not telling them that you got into an accident..." He'd been so distraught by everything, so focused on her, that he hadn't been able to bring himself to call them, especially when they didn't like him and would probably blame him for it, which he already did. But, he also worried they'd is this as a chance to turn Leigh from him, especially now that her memories were gone.

Luke smiled gently. "You will, don't worry. Just takes a little time, a little patience." He explained. "Your birthday is April 17, you're twenty years old." He told Reine, wanting to make sure that she knew for certain that he would be by her side throughout all of this. "We've been together for three years. You live with me - we're right by a beach, but your parents live in Perth." Frowning at the thought of Reine's parents, Luke mentally face-palmed at the fact that he hadn't even bothered to call them yet, having been so caught up within his own worry. "Our anniversary is my birthday - July 16." He smiled. "Anything else that you want to know?" He asked gently.

Leigh blinked at Michael. "Uh, I guess something about us, as, you know, a couple, would be a start." She shrugged lightly, wincing as a small pain went through her shoulder. Hearing Michael talk about her parents, she frowned. "Am I close to them?" She asked, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Reine listened to him quietly, taking in his words, blinking several times. "What's today?" she asked with curiosity, her brows furrowing slightly as she wondered how close to any of those dates they were. "How old are you?" She arched a brow. Now that she had somewhere to start, somewhere for her mind to focus on, the questions floated through her mind rather than her having to struggle to think about it all. "Um... How'd we meet? How'd we get together?" She chewed on her lip a bit, shifting a little anxiously with the next thought that came to her mind. "Were we... Good, before this?"

Michael nodded as he thought about it and offered a smile, trying to figure out where to start. "Well, we've been together for nearly four years now. I asked you out on a date on your birthday, December 5th. That night, I knew you were perfect for me, so I pretty much jumped straight to asking you to be my girlfriend." He grinned slightly with the memory of it. "We'd been pretty close before that, too. Our last anniversary, I asked you to move in with me and we've been living together ever since." He shifted, though, with her question about her parents and offered a smile, never one to bad-mouth them even though they had no qualms doing so about him. "Your parents love you and have always wanted to protect you. Things have been a little strained lately, but they'll work out."

Luke smiled sadly. "October 5." He told Reine gently. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair, something that soothed her whenever she was overwhelmed, or stressed out, but he didn't want to frighten her, or move faster than what she was comfortable with. "I'm twenty two." He told her, shifting to offer his hand to her, hoping that if she held his hand, she would feel something, anything. "We met, funnily enough, at a diner. You were with your Mom and Dad and you were distracted by talking to them that you spilled Coke all over me." He laughed at the memory, shaking his head. "We laughed it off, and I asked for your number. Everything fell naturally into place, and a month later, we were together." He explained. "When you told me your parents were moving to Perth, I took the plunge and asked you to move in, and we've been golden ever since." Luke smiled. "Good?" Luke grinned. "We were great. So in love, crazy about each other. We'd annoy our friends with our PDA." He shook his head with a smile.

Leigh took in the information, nodding along as Michael spoke. "How old are you?" She asked, frowning. "How old am I?" Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at that. "What were we like before this all happened?" She asked, turning slightly to focus on him completely, pulling the hospital bed blanket further up, feeling cold. "Were we happy?" Hearing Michael's words about her parents, Leigh nodded. "So, that's boyfriend talk for 'they don't like me'." She smiled weakly.

Reine nodded slightly as she listened to him. Seeing his offered hand, she stared at it for a moment, nervous, but she shifted to slip her hand into his, the familiarity there in the same way his hand on her arm had been. Though she wasn't entirely sure why, she entwined their fingers, finding it surprising how well her hand fit in his and how well her fingers fit in the spaces between his fingers. "That sounds really embarrassing," she admitted, making a slight face, though she smiled with slight amusement, amazed that he hadn't been angry when she'd spilled her drink on him. She blinked, though, but nodded, relieved to hear it. "That... Sounds pretty amazing..." And, God, she wished she remembered it all. Dropping her gaze, she thought for a moment before asking, "Who are our friends?"

"You're twenty, I'm twenty two," Michael informed her with a smile, watching her. "Although I'll be twenty three before you know it. My birthday's November 20th." And, if her memory still hadn't returned by then, he'd make sure they had a quiet night to avoid overwhelming her. Whatever it took to make things easier for her, he was completely willing to do, because she just meant everything to him, she always had. He grinned, though. "We were amazing. We were, um, actually going to have a date yesterday, before this... I'd been waiting at the place we were meant to meet at before we got the call." He frowned with the thought but smiled again. "You were always so supportive and kind and understanding. I really got to be myself around you and you always brought out the best in me. The best thing for me was coming home to you, having you close, hearing your voice, joking around with you, just loving you and having your love in return. Nothing could beat it. Nothing could beat us." With the return to her parents, though, he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, uh... They're not my biggest fans... But they have good intentions, they just think you'll get hurt with me..." He frowned, though, dropping his gaze a bit. "I guess, in a way, they were right, just not how they thought it would be... If I'd just gone to get you, none of this would have happened."

Luke squeezed Reine's hand as she entwined their fingers, lifting her hand to press a kiss to her skin. "It was, and is, amazing." He grinned genuinely. Luke chuckled as he saw her face of embarrassment. "Honestly, I hated the t-shirt you spilled the Coke on anyway, but I kept it as a reminder of how we met, and you always used to laugh about it still having a stain that never came out, no matter how much we washed it." He laughed, his head leaning back slightly as he did. He didn't mean to be so happy, but just reliving through the happy memories he'd had with Reine was enough to fill him with joy. And the moment she took his hand, he knew, deep down, that they'd be okay, no matter their struggles. "Our friends?" Luke blinked. "Well, you have your best friend, Leigh. She was in the accident with you. She's with my best friend, Michael." He explained. "Then we have Calum, and then Ashton. We're all pretty close." He shrugged.

"November 20th, hm?" Leigh smiled gently. "Did we have any celebrations planned?" She asked quietly, worrying that everything that had happened would ruin his birthday and any plans that they may have made. Listening to him talk about how in love they were, Leigh couldn't help but feel mixed emotions: sadness for not being able to remember it, but warmth spreading through her chest at the idea of herself having found, from what Michael told her, her soulmate. "You don't get to do that, Michael." Leigh warned gently. "None of this, whatever happened, even if I don't remember it, or you, or us... I know that this isn't your fault." She reassured gently. "You weren't the drunk driver."

"It sounds like a good, amusing memory. You're finding a lot of enjoyment in it," Reine murmured a little teasingly, offering a small smile, though she wished she had the memory, that she could laugh with him about it. He seemed so genuine and kind and just good and she could see why she'd fallen for him in the first place. It seemed impossible that there was anybody out there who couldn't fall for Luke. "Wait, I have a best friend? And she was in the accident, too?" While she didn't recognize any of the names Luke had listed off, she felt concern well up in her for the unknown girl. "Is she okay?"

Michael smiled and shook his head. "No, we hadn't planned anything yet. We tend to have birthday dinners for sure, though, for both of us," he told her before grinning. "We cooked for each other's birthdays, so it would be your turn." He winked teasingly, though he didn't plan to push her into doing that, not when she would already be dealing with so much. His expression softened, though, as he watched her and he offered a small smile. "Always so quick to tell me when I'm wrong. Another thing I love about you." He was sure the list was never-ending, he always found a new reason to love her more than he already did. "Sorry, um... Would you mind if I hold your hand?" He wanted the contact, but he was worried about reaching for her hand when she'd pulled back so quickly earlier. He didn't want to startle her or throw her off, but he just wanted to hold her in some way, even if it was as simple as holding her hand.

Luke smiled at Reine's teasing. "It's because it's my favourite memory, ever. If I have to, I'd re-enact the day just so you can remember it, too." He smiled, running his thumb along the back of her hand, despite their fingers being entwined together. "You have a best friend." Luke confirmed. "You and Leigh, honestly, troublemakers." He grinned in amusement, teasing Reine back gently. "Always quick to laugh at us boys if we act like idiots." He sounded amused at that too. "Don't worry, when you get better, you can go and see her." He explained. "She's in the room next door." He brought Reine's hand up to his lips, gently pressing a sweet kiss to her hand. "How're you feeling?"

Leigh smiled. "What's your favourite food to eat?" She asked, wanting to rediscover everything about him, wanting to learn, because Michael seemed so incredible, and Leigh already felt that, around him, she could be herself un-apologetically, even if she didn't know what 'herself' was. She smiled as Michael asked to hold her hand. Adjusting herself so she was sat nearer the edge of the bed, Leigh took Michael's hand, entwining their fingers. Leigh felt a rush of love and comfort flow through her veins, and she smiled. "You mentioned coming home to me. What's your job? Do I have a job?"

"And ruin another shirt? Or use the shirt that's already ruined?" Reine asked jokingly, arching a brow as she watched him. She could feel herself easing, her tension fading bit by bit in Luke's presence, and it came as a relief, really. With how frightened she'd been when she'd first woken up, it was nice to get her mind a little more focused. "How often do you guys act like idiots?" She offered an amused smile, despite herself and despite her concern for her apparent friend, but shifted, settling back against the pillow. "My head hurts a little, my body aches, but at least I'm not absolutely terrified anymore."

"Oh, that's a hard one, but I'd never turn down cheeseburgers," Michael told her with a smile, though his heart swelled happily when she took his hand, their fingers entwining so naturally. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, he grinned at her, unable to really articulate just how much the small gesture meant to him. "Though, fair warning, since your birthday isn't long after mine, I really suck at cooking. You put on a good show of pretending it's good, though." He chuckled a bit to his own words, but he smiled. "I play guitar and sing in a band with some of our friends. You were a teaching assistant in a nursery for a long while. It wasn't what you'd wanted, though, it was what your parents wanted you to do so you gave it up."

Luke grinned. "Just for you, we can ruin another shirt." He looked at Reine, feeling his heart swell as she joked along with him, watching as she visibly untensed, relaxing with him. Luke felt the weight on his own shoulders lifting, because he had been so worried that she would wake up and not love him anymore, but she seemed to still feel some sort of emotion towards him, and even though it wasn't love yet, Luke knew they could build it back up. "Too often." He laughed. "Wherever the six of us are together, trouble follows." He winked. "We're always the group that laugh the loudest, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He nodded along with her words as she relaxed against the pillow. "Do you need sleep?" He asked gently, not wanting to to keep her from recovery.

Leigh paused for a moment as she stared at their entwined fingers. It was crazy, it really was, how natural holding Michael's hand felt, like their bodies had been sculpted and made for each other. She focused back on him after a moment, squeezing his hand back, just as gentle. "Hey," she grinned. "It's my 21st this year, so I expect, you know, edible food." She laughed, settling against the pillows, still holding his hand. Placing their hands on her lap, she got comfortable once more. "A band?" She asked, blinking. "Are you a good singer?" She asked. "Our friends?" She asked with a smile. "Who are they?" She blinked though, with the mention of her job. "My parents sound like jerks." She mumbled.

Reine offered a quiet laugh in response. "I'll keep that in mind," she decided, offering a small smile to him, touched, really, that he was willing to do something that silly to help her. Despite that she had no memories of him, she felt completely at ease and natural around him now that she was calmer. "It sounds like we're all pretty lucky, then, to have each other," she murmured, her heart aching with the fact that she didn't remember any of this, that she couldn't think of any of the trouble they all got in. Blinking, she nodded slightly, shifting to settle down, lying on the bed as she tugged the blanket over herself, but rested the hand that was holding Luke's over the blanket. "Yeah, probably. Sorry, it's still... Overwhelming and a little exhausting..." She offered a weak smile to him. "But, um, when I wake up, can you tell me more about you and our friends? If you're still here?"

Michael smiled as he took Leigh in, happy and relieved that she didn't seem too troubled by the gesture. His thumb ran over the back of her hand and he lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles gently before he breathed out, letting himself relax with the fact that she was safe and okay. She may have suffered memory loss but she was still Leigh and there was no way he'd let the memory loss change how he felt about her, because nothing was capable of that. "I'll try my best," he assured with a grin, eyeing her for a long moment. Seeing her settling down, he kept running his thumb over the back of her hand, wanting to do anything and everything he could to soothe and comfort her. "Yeah. 5 Seconds of Summer. You're amazingly supportive of us and we're pretty big." He grinned. "And you love my singing." He winked teasingly and nodded. "There's Ashton, Calum, Luke, who's my best friend, and his girlfriend, Reine, who happens to be your best friend. We were actually having a double date when this happened. You two, um... You were in the accident together. And your cherished Beetle was demolished, I'm sorry..." He frowned with the thought, but he decided, then, that he'd make sure to get her a new one, plus a new phone since that had been broken, too. "Yeah, your parents can be a bit... Much." He was still careful with his wording but he smiled, squeezing her hand gently. "Are you tired? You can get some rest... I can even sing to you while you try to sleep, you usually loved it, requested it more times than I can count, almost every night."

Luke smiled. "We are lucky." He confirmed, standing to tuck her in to the blankets, making sure she was comfortable, wrapped up, and warm. "Reine, you don't need to apologise for anything." He promised, pressing a sweet kiss to her forehead before sitting down again, unsure if he was over stepping boundaries by doing so. Getting comfortable in his chair, still holding onto Reine's hand for dear life, Luke smiled. "Of course I'll still be here, and I'll talk to you all night if it made you feel better." He promised, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "Get some rest." Luke watched Reine as she closed her eyes. Memory loss or not, she was still so incredible, and Luke promised himself in that moment that he would relive all the memories they shared together if it helped her along her path to gettin better and feeling even more at ease with him. "I love you." He spoke, clear as day, not wanting to hold it back or be quiet about the fact that his heart belonged to her entirely. Making sure Reine was asleep, Luke fished his phone of his pocket with his free hand, scrolling down to Reine's parents' house number, debating if now was a good time to break the news. Pressing 'call', Luke put the phone to his ear.

Leigh smiled as Michael kissed her knuckles, relaxing completely under the gesture, like Michael had put some sort of spell on her. Settling down further into the pillows and blanket, Leigh watched him carefully, committing his mannerisms to memory, just thinking that he was so incredible to stick around, even when she didn't remember him or the times they shared. She nodded along with the information of 5 Seconds of Summer. "That's amazing." She murmured. Although hearing the news about Reine, Leigh frowned. "Is - is Reine okay?" She asked, not remembering her at all, but still feeling the worry flood through her. "I had a Beetle?" She asked. "Like, a Volkswagen? Did I like it?" She asked. With Michael's next sentence though, Leigh laughed. "Mikey," she spoke, using his nickname without realising, or even knowing the meaning. "I can tell just by your face that you don't like them. You don't have to worry about offending me." She promised. Blinking at his words, she nodded. "I am pretty sleepy." She admitted. "But... I'd love it if you sang to me." She confessed, feeling as though his voice alone could lull her into security.

Reine stared at Luke for a long while, surprised that the feeling of him kissing her forehead didn't even bother her, not in the least. It made her heart swell instead and something deep inside her assured her that she was safe with him, that he really did care so much about her. "Yeah," she murmured quietly, "I'd really like that." Offering a tired smile, she shifted, resting her head fully against the pillow, breathing out quietly. She'd heard what Luke had said, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she let herself drift off.

It didn't take long for Reine's mother, Tanya, to answer the phone. "Hello? Luke?" she questioned, recognizing the number, but confused as to why Luke was calling when Reine would normally call from her own phone or on Skype.

"You're amazing," Michael told her gently, smiling as he watched her, aware that just hours ago, he'd been crying his eyes out and just this short time with her made him feel so much better. With or without her memories, she was still so very Leigh, amazing and kind and gentle, and he didn't know how he had such luck to have her in his life. "I'm sure she is. If she wasn't, Luke probably would have said something by now. I'm sure that, once you're feeling better, the doctor will let you both see each other." He grinned, though. "Yeah. You loved that thing, probably more than me." He chuckled, joking, but he knew how much the car had meant to her. Hearing her call him by his nickname, though, had him shocked and he felt a warmth fill through him, flooding him so quick that he was sure he'd cry again if he wasn't so focused on talking to her. "I just don't want to bad-mouth them in front of you, they're still your parents." Smiling, he nodded and stood up, moving over to tuck her in with his free hand, not releasing his hold on her hand, and he brushed her hair out of her face, watching her, and shifted to kiss her forehead gently, because he couldn't help it. It was hard holding back or controlling himself and he'd done well so far, but he also figured she needed some affection. "Alright, hm..." He sat back down, giving her hand another squeeze before he thought and began singing the band's song "Beside You" to her quietly. When he finished the song, he kissed her hand softly again, murmuring softly, "I love you." He took a deep breath, then, readying himself before he pulled out his phone with his free hand to call Leigh's dad.

Luke squeezed Reine's hand gently as her mother picked up. "Tanya, hey." He murmured, toying with his lower lip anxiously. "Uh, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. "Reine was in a car accident. They were in Leigh's car, a truck came straight on, driver was drunk." He voice sounded so bitter, knowing that the truck driver had come out of the collision with barely a scratch, and yet here Reine was, the love of his life, without a memory. "She's fine, she's alive, but, she uh, she has no memory." He explained. "Not of me, not of anyone." He said sadly.

Leigh tightened her hold on Michael's hand as she fell asleep to his singing, thinking to herself how Michael's voice was the best thing she'd ever, ever heard. Hearing him murmur a soft 'I love you', Leigh smiled slightly and settled down to sleep, holding Michael's hand still, not wanting to let go.

Leigh's father, Arthur, answered. "What?" He asked, recognising Michael's number. To say he disliked Michael was an understatement, he felt his daughter could do so much better than someone who would just end up hurting her.

Tanya froze as she listened to Luke, pausing in what she was doing. Shock flooded through her, then panic and concern for her daughter. Her hand rested over her mouth as she tried to process the information. "She has no memories at all?" she asked, her heart breaking for her daughter, so certain that Reine must be terrified. "Should we come there? Is there any way we can help? Does she have any other injuries?"

Michael frowned slightly at the greeting but focused on Leigh's hand in his to keep himself calm. "Hi, Arthur," he greeted carefully, keeping his voice low before he cleared his throat, "I, uh... I was calling to let you know that Leigh got into a car accident. She and Reine were in her car and a drunk driver hit them while speeding when they were on the way to a restaurant we were meeting at... She's okay, alive and safe, but, um... She's lost all of her memories. I just wanted to let you know, since you are her parents and you deserve to know." He made sure to be as polite as possible, though it was always hard.

"At all." Luke sighed, blinking away fresh tears, although, despite his lame attempts, they still rolled down his cheeks. "There's no need, but I'll keep you updated as much as I can." Luke promised. "Other than having no memories, she's in pretty good spirits. She said her head hurt and she was aching, but apart from that, she got lucky." Luke explained, getting along well with Reine's parents. "I'll take good care of her, Tanya, I promise."

"An accident?" Arthur snapped at Michael. "Are you serious? Why didn't you drive her? Why didn't you look out for her, Michael?" He asked, his voice harsh. He'd never liked the boy, he'd never thought he was good for his daughter. "I want her home. I don't care what you say, I want Leigh-Anne home, where I know she's safe and she's not going to get killed." He frowned. "Which hospital are you in?"