when you get too close

"Saying that makes it seem like you're planning for the future when I'm still trying to learn about the past," Reine joked, light-hearted about it. It was easier to joke about her memory loss now, rather than to overthink it. As they got to the car, she stared at it for a moment, nervous and anxious, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was aware that a car accident was the cause of this whole mess or if some part of her subconscious remembered the accident. Shaking the thought aside, she nodded. "Thank you." She offered a small smile before climbing in, fumbling with the seatbelt a bit before she buckled up.

Michael grinned, loving hearing the nickname, surprised that she could say it so easily, without pause, and that it sounded just as natural coming from her lips now as it ever had in the past. "You don't have to thank me," he assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, his thumb running over the back of her hand gently. His expression softened, though, as he watched her, worried. "You okay?" He tugged her a bit closer to himself in hopes of providing some form of comfort for her and opened the back door for her. "Ladies first." He offered a smile, leaning to kiss her forehead gently.

Luke grinned. "Well, of course I am." He winked. "Who says we can't do both, Reine?" Luke got into the drivers seat. Seeing Reine's whole demeanor changed, Luke placed his hand on her thigh, gently squeezing. "You'll be okay, baby." He promised, starting the engine.

Leigh got into the back seat, but tensed instantly, hating it instantly. Wrapping her arms around herself again, Leigh only relaxed to put her belt on, looking to Michael for reassurance. She nodded when he asked if she was okay, watching him, wanting his comfort, now more than ever.

"An interesting idea. I guess it depends on the execution," Reine joked lightly, offering a weak smile as she leaned back in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She felt her cheeks warm, though, when she felt his hand on her thigh and she nodded to his words, surprised with the affection term, though she swallowed, trying not to tense at the sound of the engine starting.

Michael frowned deeply as he saw how quickly Leigh had tensed. Wanting to comfort her more than anything, he quickly climbed into the car, buckling up, but he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to himself. "You're okay, you're safe, it's okay," he told her gently, kissing the top of her head as he rubbed her back, doing anything he could think of to comfort her. "I'm right here. Just focus on me, okay? You're not alone."

Luke grinned. "I think the idea is one that many other couples should adopt." He tried to joke, tried to amuse Reine so she wouldn't focus so much on the car. "It's the future." He grinned over at her, knowing he was being a total dork, but not minding, not caring. He began to drive, being careful, mentally thanking every higher power he could pray to that he and Michael didn't live that long from the hospital. Turning into a nice looking neighbourhood, Luke gently brought the car to a stop, not realising how nervous he had been for the whole journey.

Leigh nuzzled into the space between Michael's neck and shoulder, unsure if she was aware of little details from the crash or if she was just nervous but she knew it was a car accident. Feeling the car come to a gentle halt, Leigh looked up, taking a deep breath. "Are we home?"

Reine offered a small, amused smile over at him. "Cheesy," she murmured quietly, but she shifted, resting her hand over his to squeeze his hand gratefully, trying to relax as she leaned back in the seat, chewing on her lip. "I guess we'll have to wait and see, hm?" She looked back to the others, blinking, and offered a smile. "I guess we'll see you two around."

Michael held Leigh close, having begun to sing to her quietly in hopes of helping her, but he rubbed her back, resting his head above hers. When the car came to a stop, he nodded slightly, seeing their house. "Yeah, we're home," he assured her, offering a smile before he looked to the others. "Thanks for the ride, man." He squeezed Luke's shoulder before he climbed out of the car and offered his hand out to help Leigh out, eager to get her out of the car, away from her fear, and inside where she could hopefully relax.

Luke smiled, arching an amused eyebrow at Reine. "I like being cheesy." He told her. Looking through the rear view mirror to Michael, Luke nodded. "No problem, dude. Text me if you need me." He offered his best friend a smile, watching as the couple in the back got out of the car, still holding onto Reine's hand, his thumb running over her knuckles to reassure her. As Michael and Leigh made their way out of the car safely, Luke honked the horn and began to drive again, keen to get Reine home.

Leigh nodded. "See you soon." She waved. "Thanks for the ride." She smiled weakly, standing with Michael on the pavement, always wanting to be close to him. "Alright," she offered him a small smile as she looked up at the house they apparently shared, not expecting it to be so beautiful. "Lead the way."

Reine eased a bit more, smiling as she watched him with amusement, though she was glad for the contact between them. She watched the others get out before leaning back in the seat, waiting to get to the place that was meant to be her home with Luke, eager to see it but also to just get out of the car.

Michael smiled slightly and nodded, moving to wrap his arm around her before he led the way up to the door. "I really hope you still end up liking it," he admitted, though his tone was a little joking. As they got to the door, he unlocked it and flipped the lights on inside before tugging her inside gently, watching her intently, eager to see her reaction.

Luke parked into a driveway, leading up to a beautiful home, overlooking the beach. "Welcome home, baby." Luke smiled over at Reine, getting out of the car and going over to open the passenger door for her, offering her his hand to hold onto, knowing that it must be a frightening thing for her to face, but he never wanted Reine to face anything alone, he made that promise when they first got together. Leading Reine up the path, Luke unlocked the door and pushed it open, gently leading Reine over the threshold. "Tada."

Leigh looked around in awe, seeing photos of her and Michael together, framed and hung sweetly from the walls. Everywhere she turned, there was colour, such a huge contrast to the dull grey of the hospital walls. "Oh, wow." She murmured, straying from Michael's side to look around, finding the alcove that Michael told her about almost instantly, seeing a beanbag in the corner of it. "Michael, this place... its amazing." She turned to look at him, seeing a photo of one Halloween, Leigh dressed like Sally and Michael dressed as Jack, making her murmur something under her breath.

Reine stared out the window at the house for a long moment, amazed by the appearance of it. Pulling from her thoughts when she heard her door open, she blinked, looking to Luke, and offered a smile, placing her hand in his as she climbed out of the car. "How do we have a place that looks this amazing?" she asked in shock as she peered at the house on the way up. If it looked this great on the outside, her curiosity grew over what the inside looked like. Seeing Luke open the door, she gave his hand a squeeze, mostly for herself in that moment, and made her way inside, though she was shocked immediately with the sight. It brought an immediate sense of comfort and it just looked so comfortable overall. Peering around, she wandered further into the house, taking in the sight of the pictures on the walls - pictures of her and Luke, of them with Leigh and Michael, of them with those two and two other guys, who she assumed were Calum and Ashton, of them with older adults she didn't recognize. While she couldn't remember any of the pictures being taken or the stories behind them, she could feel her heart swell. "We all look so happy," she murmured, happy to see it. Exploring further into the house, she found herself at the stairs and, curious about the balcony, she didn't hesitate to head up in search of whichever room the balcony was at.

Michael grinned slightly as he watched her, happy to see that she seemed to like it so much already. He'd been hopeful that she'd enjoy it, that it would at least make her happy, and even a small part of him hoped that it would bring back something for her or even feel a little familiar, but seeing that she seemed to take to the house so quickly eased his heart, because at least it meant it mattered to her. Seeing her wandering away, he followed her quietly, letting her take it all in, not wanting to interrupt or distract her from exploring the house and, when she found the alcove so easily, he grinned slightly, unable to help it, because her path had seemed so natural in going there, as if she subconsciously remembered how to find it. In reality, it reminded him of the first time he'd shown her the house, how she'd found the little alcove so easily, as if her path was directed by fate to the area, and a part of him saw that same thing in this instance. "Looks like you found your favorite spot without a problem at all," he teased her lightly, smiling as he watched her, nodding slowly. "I'm glad you're enjoying it so much already. Really." The fact that she was so amazed by it brought so much relief to him, because a lot of what had been done to the house had been decided on by her, in his attempts to make sure it felt like home to both of them. Hearing her murmur something under her breath, he blinked as he made his way closer to hear better. "Did you say something, babe?"

Luke smiled. "My job is that I'm in a band." He explained gently. "Called 5 Seconds of Summer." He smiled, squeezing Reine's hand gently as he let go, albeit reluctantly, wanting her to explore the house in her own time and pace. Silently following Reine around, Luke smiled as she got to the photos. Wrapping an arm around her waist, Luke smiled. "We were. We are. And we will be." He promised, kissing her temple before pulling away. Following Reine upstairs, Luke smiled as she seemed to find her way around the house so naturally, as if that, deep down, she remembered her way around. "Second door to the left." He told her, knowing she was looking for the balcony, which overlooked the beach.

Leigh smiled at Michael, picking up the Halloween photo, handing it to Michael. "We can live like Jack and Sally if we want." She told him, repeating what she had murmured, reciting the Blink 182 lyrics, unsure of how she knew what to say in that moment. Making sure Michael was holding the photo carefully, Leigh made her way to the alcove and sunk into the beanbag, exhaling happily as she crossed one foot over the other, looking at a little stack of books in the corner, seeing that, just outside the alcove, rested their living room - complete with a large sofa and a large TV mounted on the wall, with a window so large, it let in a wonderful amount of light. "I can't believe this is where we live." She told him, relaxing completely.

"What?" Reine asked in shock as she peered over at him. "I didn't even think to ask about jobs. I just figured we were, like, normal people or something." She paused, making a face. "Please tell me I'm a normal person, because at least that way, this whole memory thing doesn't have to be in any spotlight." She listened to him, smiling at his promise, but proceeded down the hall, peering around as she took in the decorations before coming to the door Luke had mentioned. Opening it, she stepped inside, finding a bedroom, which she assumed must be hers and Luke's, if they even shared a room. She could see pictures on the nightstands, but she ignored them for now in favor of going to the door that led outside, sliding it open, though the moment she stepped outside, she paused in wonder, staring out at the ocean. Making her way to the balcony railing, she gripped onto it, leaning against it as she took in the sight, the scent of saltwater in the air and she didn't even know how she knew that that was what she smelled, the breeze feeling cool and nice.

Michael blinked several times when she spoke, at first unsure of whether he heard her right or not, but then his expression lifted into a broad grin as he stared at her and he leaned to kiss the side of her head. "God, you're amazing," he murmured quietly. Even if she couldn't remember anything, there were clearly some things that stuck with her, whether it was because of memory or just because they were natural things, and Michael was so glad for her, that she could have those parts for herself, more than for his own relief. Smiling, he looked at the photo, running his thumb over the frame, his eyes taking in Leigh in the picture. "I'm pretty sure this is your favorite picture. You kept it here with you, in your favorite spot." He smiled, placing the picture back down in its spot, not wanting to ruin the little setup Leigh had fixed up in the alcove. He grinned, though, watching her. "Yeah. It was a pretty amazing find and pretty easy to get and decorate, with the money I make in the band. I left most of the actual decorating to you, though, since you were way better at it." He grinned teasingly, taking her in.

"You're a normal person." Luke promised, following her. Pausing at the doorway that led to the balcony, Luke just stopped to take in the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen - Reine rediscovering her favourite thing. "Do you like it?" Luke asked gently, moving to stand beside her, his hands on the railing as he took her in, not caring about the ocean, the horizon in the distance. There was a whole world beyond the ocean, and yet, Luke's whole world was stood beside him, and he smiled at the thought. "We used to sit out here when we couldn't sleep." He told her. "We've had some amazing conversations out here." Looking back to the bedroom, Luke cleared his throat, although he didn't want to disturb Reine, at all. "This our bedroom. But if you're not comfortable sleeping in the same bed, there's a spare room right next door."

Leigh's cheeks warmed up with Michael's comment about her being amazing. "I don't know how I know that, I just - I just do." She bit her lip, feeling emotional for some reason, the words she had spoken having hit a nerve, but in the best possible way. Wiping a few stray tears, Leigh cleared her throat, studying the photo as Michael put it down. "It's a great photo." She smiled, the both of them focused on each other rather than the camera, their foreheads pressed together, both smiling widely, and Leigh's heart ached for a moment, seeing how happy they looked, yearning to get back to that point. Hearing Michael's words, she nodded. "You like it, though, right? Like, we both agreed on the decoration?" She asked, feeling like, with Michael's salary from the band paying for the house, that she was being a burden. "I need to find a job when I get better." She told him.

"I love it," Reine confirmed quietly, almost breathlessly, as she stared out at the ocean, finding something so innately comfortable and familiar about the sight, the air, the scent. Swallowing hard, she offered a weak smile, peering up at him. "What kinds of things would we talk about?" She blinked, though, and peered back to the bedroom, feeling a nervous twist in her stomach. Something about the thought of sleeping in the bedroom with Luke felt like it was intruding; if they shared the room, then it had probably been an intimate place, where they relied heavily on each other. It wasn't like the hospital. "I think... Maybe I should try the spare room..." she said cautiously, but frowned deeply to herself, feeling a slight anger in herself that she even felt cautious about the entire situation. "I hate this. It's not fair. It's not fair that this happened to us or that it happened to Leigh and Michael. I hate feeling this... Lost, on everything."

Michael watched Leigh, his expression softening as he moved over, kneeling down in front of her to take her face in his hands, wiping away a few tears with his fingers. "It's fine that you know it. But it's also okay to be upset with not remembering anything," he told her gently as he watched her, "You lost something very, very important, and it's okay to feel grief over that, Leigh. It's okay for you to cry about it, it's okay for you to feel whatever you feel about it and react however you need to. You don't have to hold anything back, I promise." He stroked her cheeks gently with his thumbs before leaning forward to kiss her forehead gently, though he nodded slightly, offering a smile. "You asked for my opinion on everything, don't worry." He grinned slightly. "And I approved every single thing, because they were all genius ideas and, I mean, look at this place now. You had a vision and you made it real." He smiled to her, but nodded slightly. "If that's what you want to do, then I encourage it. Just don't push yourself, okay?"

Luke smiled. "Our future, was a hot topic." He explained to Reine gently. "Marriage, kids, touring, the band." He explained, placing his hand on top of hers reassuringly when she looked back to the bedroom. "We talked about whatever came to mind." He shrugged. "How the moon looked, how many stars we thought were in space." He paused. "How we promised each other we'd always be together." Hearing Reine's slight outburst, Luke ran his thumb over the skin of her hand. "I know," he promised. "I know it's not fair." He looked to her. "But if you want to try the spare room, that's okay. You need your space and I'm not going to pressure you, Reine. This house is yours as much as it is mine." He explained. "I know it's not fair, baby, but we can build this up to something stronger than what it was before." Luke paused, turning to face Reine completely. "Do you feel like you can trust me?"

Leigh sniffled as Michael cupped her face, more tears beginning to escape with his reassuring words. "I'm sorry, Michael." She sniffled, her lower lip trembling. "I just - I feel so overwhelmed. I love it here already, I feel so at peace, but seeing all these photos and not remembering the stories behind them or the people beside us, it." She took a breath. "It hurts. And these walls, they must have seen so many things between us, and I can't remember a single damn thing." She let out a shuddered breath. "And then - then I think that it sucks for me, I have no memories. But it must be so much worst for you, because you have these memories, and it's so one sided." She cried, wrapping her arms around Michael's neck as she shifted forward in the bean bag. "It's not fair."

Reine listened to him quietly, wondering if they'd ever have the chance to talk about anything even remotely similar to those topics, about a future together or what came with the possibility of one, of people she didn't even remember, of whatever promises they'd made. And, she hated it, she hated not remembering any of the conversations or that she couldn't even remember how she felt during any of those conversations, because she just felt hopeless and angry with her memory loss. She listened to him talk, not interrupting, not sure what to say, and it was only when he spoke his question that she could really bring herself to talk. "I do," she said quietly, locking her gaze on his as she nodded slightly, "I don't know why or how, but I just... Know that I can trust you, Luke."

Michael shook his head slightly. "You don't have to apologize, Leigh. You've done nothing wrong," he told her gently, his expression softening at seeing her so upset. He hated seeing her so overwhelmed and upset, but he wanted her to work through her emotions, and he'd be there every step of the way to help her through whatever came her way. "Hey, hey, no." He shifted, then, and wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her to his chest as he rubbed her back. "Yeah, it sucks for me, it does, I can't lie about that, I wouldn't lie about it. But at least I have the memories and I love those memories and cherish them. You, all you've got is the pictures and my words to go by. You don't know whether things were really good between us or whether we were happy or not. You don't have any actual proof, because you can't remember, and I think that makes this harder for you, because at least I have all those memories and I'm getting to create new ones with you now. All you have are the memories that we've created since you woke up from the accident." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "And it's not fair, it's not, but we'll get through this, together. We'll get to continue creating new memories and maybe this entire thing will make us stronger than ever, stronger together with a stronger love and a stronger future. We can do this, Leigh. I believe in us and I believe in you. We'll be okay, I promise."

uke smiled at Reine gently. "Then trust me when I say we're going to get through this together, and we're gonna come out at the other side and be happier than we ever have been." He told her softly. He looked to the ocean, before focusing back on Reine. "I understand this is scary for you, but if anyone has the strength to get through this, Reine, it's you." He told her. "You've always inspired me with how strong you are, and I have no doubt in my mind that you - that we - are going to be just fine." He took her hand within his own, pressing her hand to his lips, squeezing her hand gently to offer silent support, wishing he could take her place, take all of that hurt away from her.

Leigh sniffled as she nuzzled into Michael's chest, on her knees in front of him. Pulling away to wipe her eyes, Leigh looked up at Michael, blinking her tears out of her eyes. "But I know you wouldn't lie, you wouldn't lull me into the false sense of happiness for your own gain. Michael, it's like I can see your soul, it's..." She exhaled. "You're golden." She spoke softly. "And I wish I had those memories, because I just..." She looked to the Halloween photo. "I feel like I'm making us take a huge step back instead of forwards." She admitted. Tucking a stray strand of hair from her face, Leigh sniffled, tired after her outburst, the feelings of being overwhelmed making her feel exhausted. "I trust you, Michael." She promised. "I believe in you, too. Always." She bit her lip. "Can I go and nap? Or lay down? I have a headache."

"But... It's not just me going through it," Reine murmured quietly, "I'd be okay if I was dealing with this on my own, if it didn't affect anybody else, because then it's just my problem... But, God, Luke, you have to deal with it, too, and that's unfair to you, and then everybody we care about has to deal with it if they come around... And I can't remember any of you, I can't remember my apparently amazing-beyond-words boyfriend or my best friend or even my parents or our friends, and it's not fair to any of us... And Leigh and Michael are dealing with the same thing and it just all-around sucks and I just don't understand why this had to happen to us, to any of us." She shifted slightly, dropping her gaze a bit as she breathed out. "But I do trust you, Luke, so I'll just... Hope you're right, that we'll get through this, because I really do want us to get through this. I just don't even know where to start." She frowned slightly but peered back to the room for a moment. "You said the spare room's next door, right?" Chewing on her lip a bit, she peered up at him. "Would it be alright if I go get some sleep? Maybe I can just sleep this feeling off or something..."

Michael watched her, shifting a bit to press his forehead to hers gently. "We're not taking a step back," he assured her quietly, offering a smile. "It's just a little hump in the road. We'll get over it. We get through everything together and we'll continue to do so because we are so, so strong together, and I know we can overcome anything." He pressed his lips to her forehead again, hoping to do whatever it took to comfort her. Knowing that she felt this way, he made a mental note to do whatever it took to ease her concerns. He wanted to make things right for her, he wanted to help her through all of this and support her, but he hated that she had to go through all of these feelings and everything that happened to her at all. She was such an amazing person, she truly didn't deserve this, and he wanted to do whatever it took to make it right, but he wasn't sure how to do that when the problem was her memory and it wasn't something he could fix. "Of course." He nodded slightly, watching her for a moment. "Should I take you to our room or... Would you feel more comfortable in the guest room?"

Luke looked to Reine. "Hey," he murmured, moving his hand to cup her cheek, gently running his thumb over the apple of her cheek. "Don't you dare worry about me. No. I can't lie and say that this hasn't made me feel devastated, but Reine, it's you that's lost all recollection of what we were. What we were." He spoke gently. "At least I still have those memories, and I'm going to hold them near to my heart, more so now, for the both of us." He lifted her head by her chin gently, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Of course." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Get some rest, alright?" He kissed her forehead again. "I'm right here if you need me, and I always will be."

Leigh furrowed her eyebrows as she considered Michael's question. "Maybe the guest room would be better for a little while." She shrugged, but she frowned at the thought of being alone. As much as the house felt like home, she didn't want to be by herself, Michael was the only thing that brought her comfort. "But -" She took a deep breath. "This is going to sound so stupid, but can you just, sit by me or something?" She ducked her head. "I don't wanna be by myself, and you just..." She shrugged. "Yeah. You don't have to, I - I mean, you could just..." She stammered nervously. "Do what you want, it's your house."

Reine watched him for a long while, wondering how in the world she got so lucky, and then finding herself wondering if she'd ever thought that way before, when she'd had her memories. "Okay," she murmured quietly, nodding slowly as she watched him before she chewed on her lip a little nervously, "Is there any chance you'd be okay with singing me to sleep? I haven't heard you sing yet..." And, really, she wasn't all that eager to completely part from his presence yet.

Michael blinked but smiled slightly and stood up, offering his hand out to her. "It doesn't sound stupid at all," he assured her quietly as he watched her. "I'll stay by you as long as you want, I promise." He watched her still, his expression softening a bit. "It's our house, Leigh. And you're my girlfriend, the girl I love with everything in me, and I promise I'll do whatever you need me to do to make you more comfortable, no matter how small or big the request is."

Luke smiled. "I'm more than okay with singing you to sleep." He promised, gently taking her hand and leading her back into the bedroom. Shutting the sliding doors so Reine didn't catch a chill, he led her to the next bedroom over - it was minimally decorated, but it was still comfortable. Pulling the blanket back for Reine to climb in and get comfortable, Luke decided on a song to sing and sat on the edge of the bed, watching her carefully, leaning forward to tuck her in.

Leigh took Michael's hand, following his lead. She nodded along with his words; appreciating Michael so much for keeping her hope and her spirits alive, knowing that without him, she would be in a much worst state of mind. Following Michael, Leigh stepped into the spare room, looking around at how cosy it was. Climbing onto the bed fully clothed, not wanting the blanket quite yet, Leigh got comfortable on her side, still watching Michael as she felt her eyes get heavier.