Songs of the Heart (Ms_Muffintops and Josu_T

Luke watched as the woman turned away from him and left him alone. He sighed and sat on the grass. After she was gone he turned back to his wife's grave and said a goodbye to her. He blew her a kiss and then got up to return to his car. He had a mix of feelings and thoughts running through his head. He mostly tried to think about what he normally thought about when he visited his wife, but Alice invaded his mind every so often. Mostly about what she had said, but there were a few thoughts that surprised him and forced him to push them away. He tried to completely forget about her and hoped that he wouldn't meet up with her again. However the thoughts did not go away. Through the evening and into the night he could not stop thinking about her or what she had said.

((thanks))

Alice made it to her car and returned home, deciding to forget about trying to befriend the man she had met. As popular as he was, he was the most hostile person she had ever met, even when someone wasn't fanning over him, only giving him compassion.

She walked through the door glumly, still feeling stupid for the stunt she had pulled. "What's wrong with you?" Jade's voice came from the corner of the room. She was sitting on the couch with some pizza, for once, she didn't look like she was going out to party. Alice turned her head towards her and shrugged, "Just a tiring day I guess.." she mumbled. She didn't dare tell Jade who she had been meeting the past few days. It'd most definitely look wrong.

Once she put away her things, she took a quick shower, went out and got some pizza and returned to her room. She turned on the radio, grabbed a book and sat on her bed, ready to read before bed. But she still couldn't help but thing back to what she had done. She had made an idiot of herself. It seemed to work in the movies. One would show compassion for someone and things would fall into place like it were fate, they were meant to meet and help each other. She thought maybe she was going to be the one to help him open up, but instead, she got shot down.

After a while Luke felt bacd about the way he had treated Alice. He decided to try something to make up for it. He went to the radio station and went to talk to the person in charge. He then talked with the dj working at the time. He agreed to let Luke do a short, ten minute set.

Luke entered the booth and had a minute of talk and banter with the other dj before starting the first song. After the song he spoke for a moment, then gave his message. "Well everyone, I am sorry for missing my show earlier today. I had a good reason. However, during that time today I did something I am not completely happy with. So there is someone out there I must appoligise to. She knows who she is, and if she is listening, I am sorry." With that he continued his mini set and when it was done he went home and once again tried to get his head clear.

Alice cocked a brow when she heard Luke on the radio. She instantly dropped her book and started to listen. At first she wondered what was with her fascination with him, but then she heard what he said. "Ah... so he does have a soul" she said to herself jokingly. A small smirk stretched across her face when he was done talking.

She then closed her book and turned off her light and crawled back into bed. She started to wish he would have at least given her a chance, but then again, they didn't know each other. She started to wonder why it even mattered to her. What were the chances of her running into him again? Sure, they ran into each other three days in a row, but it wasn't as if it were some sort of destined meeting.

She tried to shrug it off and went to sleep. The next morning she had class at the art institute. As she drove to school, she listened to the station he DJ'd on. "Okay. I got school today. Can't run into him there. Maybe it'll convince him that I am not stalking him.." she mumbled to herself with a small giggle. When she got to the campus, she unloaded her supplies and carried them into the fine arts building. Today she had a class with human anatomy and living figures. As class went on, she couldn't help but think of the incident yesterday. Why was she so persistent? Why did she pry into his life? Why was she still thinking about it?

Luke's night was not a bad one. He slept fairly well, though he had dreams of what life would be like if his life was still alive. However, in one, for a matter of only a few seconds, the image of his wife was replaced by another woman. It was faded and blurry, so he did not know exactly who it was, but he recognised them. He knew them and knew it was not his wife. It was very strange and he did not understand it.

The rest of his day was normal. He went through his routine up until he made it to the station. Then he went through another day doing what he had to do. He put on a good show. Once again he added in a quick appology, in case Alice had not been listening the previous night and was listening now. It would be the last time he did it, but he wanted to increase the chances she had heard it. That way if they happened to run into eachother, she might not be mad at him. He didn't know why he cared, but he did.

Alice was on her way home from class when she heard Luke apologize on the radio again. Her cheeks turned pink and she smirked lightly. She wished she could tell him she accepted her apology, but would it be crazy to call up the station? She pulled her car to the side of the road and decided to dial up the station.

"Thank you for calling (insert radio station name)"
"Hello. Can I talk to Luke please?"
"Sorry Ma'am. No requests are being taken at at moment."
"I'm not making a request, I just want to speak with him, I'm the girl wh--"
"Sorry ma'am."

Alice sighed and hung up her phone. She turned her car back on and continued on her way home. Along the way, she got an idea, but it would be a difficult one. "Hey Jade, what's that Luke guys last name?" Alice asked as she walked through the door. Jade who was sitting on the couch, cocked a brow, "I don't know, what's it to you?"

Alice let out another sigh as she brought her things back to her room, but just as soon as she came in, she walked out. After a quick drive, she found herself walking through along that familiar trail that she had followed Luke through. She tried her best to recall the grave she had found Luke at. She felt bad using his wife's grave for her own selfish needs, but she wanted to learn his last name. She walked up to it and examined it a little, "Ah, okay. Well, that was easy.." she said to herself as she started to walk off. But after a couple steps, she stopped with a bit of guilt weighing her down. She looked over her shoulder back towards the grave as if she were expecting the woman to be standing there judging her. A sigh blew from her lips as she turned around.

Alice gently sat down in front of the grave, the least she could do was visit, she felt the need to. "Uh, um... hi..?" she started quietly, "Um, you don't know me... but... my name is Alice. I'm your husband's friend. Or well.. not his friend, I'm just an acquaintance. So don't worry! I'm not trying to steal him from you.." she let out a nervous laugh. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, "I hope you don't mind me coming here to yoink some info from you. I wanted to bring him something to eat, but I don't know his last name or where he lives... so... yeah... I hope that's okay with you. It better be.. I've been trying to cheer him up or get him to open up. He seems like a very hostile individual who really shouldn't be..." she said softly. She smiled at the grave as if she were really talking to the woman. For all she may have known, the woman's spirit may have been sitting there listening. "It... was nice meeting you I guess. Meet you in the after life?"

She stood up, lightly waved at the grave and walked off. She started to feel a bit hypocritical. Luke criticized her for following him, and here she was... borderline stalking him.

Luke continued with his show and made it through to the end. Once he was finished he signed off and passed it off to the next DJ. He then got in his car and drove home. On the way he picked up some dinner. Then he went home. He ate alone and in silence before turning on the tv and relaxing, distracting himself a little. He didn't want to find himself thinking about anything. He was looking forward to a quiet night with nothing to do an nowhere to go.

After returning home and doing a little research, Alice found herself pulling up to what she hoped was Luke's house. She parked her car up front and turned it off. She didn't get out right away, she just sat there looking at the house, debating on whether she had made the right choice. Next to her on the passenger seat was a large pizza. Alice considered it a peace offering. "Oh well, I'm here. Might as well get it over with.." she said to herself. A sigh escaped her lips as she grabbed the pizza, got out, and slowly approached the front door.

Alice took a deep breath before firmly knocking on the door. She hoped she wasn't interrupting anything.

Luke had a while of relaxation before he heard a knock at his door. He was confused as to who it might be. He slowly got up from his chair and went to the door. The entire time his mind worked quickly, trying to think of who might be there. He paused in front of the door for a moment before finally opening it.

The moment he saw who was standing there he froze. He didn't know what to say or think. Sure, he had appoligised over the radio to her, but he had not expected her to show up at his house. He had no idea what she was doing there or why. Surely she must know how this looks to him. He stared at her, unable to say anything.

Alice felt like her stomach jumped into her chest when she could hear someone heading to the door. The look on his face sent chills down her spine. Sure he wasn't expecting her, but his lack of words concerned her. She stood there for a second with just a nervous smile. But then her hand went to her mouth as she cleared her throat. "Um... hi!" she said cheerfully followed by a nervous laugh. "I uh... heard you on the radio and... I thought I'd bring you.. a peace offering?" she added with another nervous laugh.

She lifted her other hand vertical to her face and balanced on it was a large pizza box. "E-even if you have eaten already, or perhaps you don't like pizza, but I don't know anyone who doesn't, I hope you like it.. and I'll be on my way. Sorry for coming to your house like this, I'm sure you probably feel like your privacy has been invaded but the people at the station wouldn't let me talk to you and..." Alice had intended to keep her words short and sweet, but as soon as she realized she was rambling on, she stopped and put her hand to her mouth. She bit her lip and smiled softly.

Luke could tell the girl was nervous. At least she was not acting like a lot of his fans would normally act. However it didn't comfort him at all. She was still standing there at his front door. She explained that the pizza was a peace offering since she had heard his appology. She then started to ramble on.

As she finished talking he sighed and rolled his eyes. He stepped back into his house. He waved a hand, becconing her inside. "Come in. However, I want you to know that you could have tried phoning, or sending an email, or a letter, or something like that. Showing up at someone's house unexpectedly is not the best idea." He started mumbling quietly, not really intending for her to hear him. "You're lucky I don't call the cops." With another sigh he sat on the couch of his living room. He didn't know what to expect from here, or what she might say, but he was sure she probably had something in mind if she had bothered to find his adress and show up.

Alice sighed and followed him, well aware of the fact that she was not welcomed. When they got into the livingroom, she dropped the pizza box on the coffee table with a bit of attitude, crossed her arms and focused her dolly turquoise eyes on the man.

"I heard that" she said sternly with a fiery stare.

She walked closer to him, standing parallel to him from the table. Another sigh came from her lips before she started, "Sorry to be so blunt, but why are you being such an asshole to me? I have done nothing wrong, all I have been doing is trying to be a friend to you! And don't ask me why, even I don't know, but does anyone know why they make friends? No one plans it!", she said in a serious tone. She didn't even know why she cared about making this guy like her, but she felt the need to defend herself.

"I could have called you, I could have emailed you, but I chose to be spontaneous and do something nice for you, is that such a crime? And don't tell me you get it a lot from many other girls because I'm not one of your fans Luke, so stop treating me like I am!"

She could feel her eyes watering over in frustration, but she tried her hardest to fight it. Her attempts at making nice gestures had all been backfired and she refused to believe it was just her. Her hands slid down onto her hips as she shifted her weight onto one leg.

"All you had to do is tell me to go away. I haven't heard you say that once" she concluded. Perhaps there was a reason Luke hadn't told her to leave, and perhaps even he didn't know. She could only hope she had made an impression on him.

Luke looked at the girl who had followed him inside. She didn't look happy at all any more. He simply stared back at her. He had to force himself not to ignore her. After she finished talking he waited for a minute. Then he finally spoke.

"I didn't tell you to go away because I thought you might have something to say that would not be like that. What did you expect from me? I barely know you, and I did not tell you where I lived, and you show up at my house. Think about it for a second. How do you think that looks? I am treating you like a fan because I don't know how else to treat you. You talk about friendship, but I barely know you. You also say you don't plan friendship. If so, then what are you doing here? This looks to me like some way of trying to become my friend." He sighed. Collapsing to the couch he stared at the table for a few moments.

When he finally spoke again it was a lot softer. "I...I....There is another reason I didn't tell you to leave. A reason I have not called the police and why I have or have not done a lot of things over the past few days. The.......The thing is that...you....remind me of....her." Tears formed in his eyes and he avoided looking at Alice. One hand raised and pointed over to a picture he had of his wife. Alice looked quite similar to his wife, and he felt that might be why he was acting the way he had been.

Alice was a bit different from him. She was not one to believe in destiny or fate, but she kept running into the man. Normally she wouldn't pursue anyone, but running into him made her wonder if they were just meant to be friends. She attempted to make a rebuttal, "We kept running into each other, I was kind to you, what more do you---" She shut her mouth as he spoke and pointed at the picture. She turned and in a picture frame was a picture of what she assumed was his wife. They did look similar in many ways, they could pass off as sisters.

She turned around and looked back at Luke, "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know. If I had known, I wouldn't have come here. If you want me to leave, I will. But you know... I know I said you shouldn't try to make friends while I'm sitting here running after you. But all I was trying to do was make things right... I can't vouch for the rest. Maybe it's fate? Maybe I was just trying to be friendly? I don't know.. but you don't have to see me ever again."

She took his statement and the look of the girl as the photo as the end of her road. If she stayed, it'd only hurt him, and if he wanted her to stay, it was most likely for the wrong reasons that would only end up hurting them both.

Luke looked up slowly though his tears as Alice looked at the picture. He listened to her appoligising. It made him feel a little better. As she finished he felt something telling him to disagree with her. He cleared his throat and wiped away his tears. "That is not nessecary. There is something about you that....I don't know.... and it is nothing to do with her, I know that much. Anyway, I hope I do see you again some time. However, for the sake of my sanity I hope it is after at least a week." He laughed a little at his own comment and a small smile formed on his face.

Alice smiled warmly at him and nodded. At least his tone didn't sound angry anymore, but she had a feeling she wouldn't see him ever again after this. She let out a sigh and looked out the window, "I guess I should get going then" she said quietly. She stood up and made her way for the door. Before walking out, she turned and looked at Luke, "If you ever need someone to talk to or come to, I think you have my number. If not, oh well. Enjoy the pizza" she said before opening the door and walking out.

This was by far the craziest thing she had ever done. She thought the things Jade had done to get his attention were bad. Alice's were much worse. But were their intentions the same? It didn't seem like it. Alice didn't intend on sleeping with Luke, but she did find herself infatuated with him.

She did as he said. She did not attempt to contact him after that. She went about her daily routines and so far, she had not heard from or seen Luke. It was almost confirmed in her mind, he did not intend on contacting her back. Alice found herself feeling a large amount of guilt and embarrassment that she could not shake.

Luke watched as she went to the door and waved with a soft smile as she left. After that he put the pizza in the fridge. He went to bed right after and found Alice had invaded his dreams. It was strange and confusing. In the morning he got back into his daily routine and tried to forget about the girl he'd had strange encounters with. However she was there in his dreams each night, mixed in with the dreams he had of his wife.

After a couple of weeks he finally decided he needed to talk to her. He spent the day before just thinking about it. Then the next day he called when he was sure she would not answer and left a message saying that he would like to talk. He told her a time and the address of a local coffee shop. He felt it would be best to meet there, and at least this time their meeting would not be a surprise.

Alice had gone about her usual business, although she could no longer listen to Luke's radio station. It wasn't too hard of a task, she only listened to it after she spoke to him for the first time. But being with Jade in the car, or while they cleaned, it was hard on her, it only made her feel like he was judging her and criticizing her with each word he spoke, even if it had nothing to do with her. She'd go down in history as the craziest fan he ever encountered, she should be surprised if he threw out some jokes about it. Although he didn't seem like the type to do it, she could shake the feeling.

One afternoon, Alice came home from a long day of classes. She was feeling rather exhausted, her eyes were heavy and her hands ached from holding tools and utensils all day. But she came home to a rather unexpected surprise.

"Alice! I can't believe you!" Jade shouted as she entered the door. She had a noticeably displeased look on her face ans she looked as if she had been waiting for Alice to get home. Alice was unsure of how to react, she didn't even know what she did wrong. She just blunk her eyes a few times and cocked a brow, "Um... what did I do?" she asked her friend.

Jade, who was strategically placed next to the answering machine, pressed play and let the message run. Alice's eyes widened, at first with excitement, but then it hit her why Jade was so upset. She looked at her friend and laughed nervously, "I--it's not what it looks like.." she said softly. Jade sucked her teeth and crossed her arms, "I know that I like him! And you had the gall to criticize me for trying to hook up with some radio DJ? Then you go behind my back and steal him from me?" the taller darker girl scolded her petite friend.

Alice shook her head and walked through the living room to her bedroom, "I'm not putting up with you right now.. I did not do anything wrong, we just talked a few times, I haven't even seen or heard from him in weeks..." she said as she shut the door and locked it. She cursed herself, she should have given him cellphone number. But she didn't exactly have confidence in contacting her again. Why now of all the time they spent apart? She was sure he was done with her, she had been spending so much time trying to get him out of her mind. Why'd he have to come jumping back in?

She wrote down the address and name by memory and made plans to head there the day he wanted her there. She was overcome by a wave of nervousness, she was not sure why, but she still wanted to know why he wanted to see her.

Luke was a little relieved after he had left the message. The rest of the day he was more relaxed. On the day he had told Alice, he got his things together and went to work as normal. He survived another show and then went to the coffee shop, arriving a little early. He ordered a drink and then went to sit by a table near the front of the shop where he could be easily seen and see Alice easily when she entered. He then waited patiently for her to arrive, hoping she would show up.

"You going to meet... him.." Jade asked Alice coldly as Alice stood in the bathroom, looking as if she were dressed up to go somewhere. Alice glared at her in the mirror and sighed, "Maybe" she said softly as she walked out of the bathroom. She went into her room and grabbed her purse and proceeded to leave the house. As she left the house, she could hear Jade saying "You know you're totally breaking a girl code here!" But she didn't care.

She got into her car and made her way to the coffee shop. She took a deep breath before stepping out of her car and making it inside. As she stepped in, she was overwhelmed by the smell of coffee and other aromas. She looked around, but it didn't take long to spot Luke. She laughed nervously and waves as him trying to remain cool, but it felt like her insides were knotted up. She then walked over to the table he was at and sat across from him. "H-hello... long tme.. no see?" she said nervously as she looked him in the eyes.

Luke checked his watch and Alice arrived just on time. He smiled as she approached and sat across from him. He sould hear the nervousness in her voice as she greeted him. He was more relaxed. He was fairly sure she was only nervous because he had not said what he wanted to talk about. He decided to tell her sooner rather than make her wait.

He cleared his throat and then smiled again. "Hey, I'm glad you came. I'm just going to get my reason for calling out there right now. I thought about it a lot and you were stuck in my mind. I think it is a sign that we should at least try being friends. Or get to know each other a little better. I think that this time though, it would be nicer to try a more normal approach. So I called and invited you here today. With that being said, would you like a coffee or something?"

Alice wanted to sigh in relief, but a simple nervous giggle came out of her lips instead. She looked him in the eyes and nodded, "I'd love to" she said sweetly. She then scooted her chair in and relaxed a bit. She was relieved that he wanted to see her again. She hoped this time she could make a better impression.

Soon a waitress came up and asked Alice if she'd like a drink. She then ordered a Chai tea. Her attention went back to Luke with a smile. Just looking at him made her nervous. But she tried her hardest to shake it, he did want to see her. "So.. I was in your dreams?" she asked him teasingly. "Wow, I must be an amazing stalker.. stalking you in your dreams" She giggled softly, trying to joke about herself following him. But it still amazed her that he had dreams with her in it.

Her cheeks turned red as she confessed, "I must say you haven't exactly been off my mind. I don't know why, but I found myself really wanting to be your friend, but then I was afraid I chased you off, and it just made me feel so awful.." she said shyly, glaring down at the table.

Luke relaxed and waited as Alice ordered a drink. She seemed a little nervous still, but better than before. Then she surprised him by talking about being in his dreams. She admitted that she had thought of him, which made him feel a little better. He gave her a slightly confused look. "I didn't say anything about you being in my dreams...but...you were in a few." He cleared his throat a little nervously. "Anyway, I do hope we can be friends. So, I know that you know about me. Now I think I should learn a little about you. Tell me about yourself." He smiled and took a sip of his drink.

(oops, confused by text. Sorry ^^;; )

Alice blushed and laughed nervously, "Sorry, I guess since you said I was on your mind... eh, nevermind, forget I said it" she said softly. She then smiled at him cheerfully and looked at him with her turquoise orbs and took a sip of her tea before she cleared her voice. "Well..", she began. "My name is Alice... obviously. I'm 20 years old. I'm an art student, currently studying and practicing for an internship. I... uh, don't really have a family, just Jade." she said quietly as she looked up at him, unsure if he'd want to hear the story of her and her father.

She sighed and smiled, "So tell me about you. All I know is that you're a DJ who's... lost his love.." she started out sounding perky but then got quiet.

Luke just smiled at her nervousness. He didn't want to make her more uncomfortable. Then he listened to her as she told him about herself and the basics of who she was. He took mental notes. Her comment that she didn't have family surprised him. That was something they seemed to have in common.

After she asked about him he shrugged a little. "There is not much more to me. My life is basicly all about my work as a DJ. I have some friends I spend time with, but they were friends of my wife and I, so it is a bit tough sometimes to be with them. I also don't have any family. My parents passed away. My mother died when giving birth to me and my father got cancer a few years ago. What happened to your family? Why don't you have any family other than Jade?"