Backdated Log: Luke & Lindsay
Who: Luke & Lindsay
When: 25 October 2023, the day of journal silence.
Where: Outside!
What: Lindsay helps Luke practise his lines for Romeo & Juliet.


The pages were empty. Every single one of them was nothing more than a solid, unsoiled sheet of plain parchment. At the moment, Lindsay could think of nothing better than the silence of the journals. Sitting outside in the crisp air, flipping through her journal page by empty page, Lindsay half expected to find one that was marred by someone complaining or swearing or even just writing nonsense. But it was just empty. And it was beautiful.

"So this is what peace and quiet looks like," she said outloud, a smile on her face.

That peace and quiet wasn't to last long, although the interruption wasn't some loud chaos, but instead softly spoken lines. For Luke had taken the opportunity of a journal-less day to get cracking on learning his part for the play. Besides, it wasn't as if he was going to learn much about what had gone on, nor did he feel he really wanted to, what little he knew all seemed like a pointless drama that only served to injury other people and in particular his friends.

Plus, he really needed to learn those lines. Romeo was a mouthy kid and whatever changes Isabelle made, that wasn't going to change. He was also a true romantic and after the frustrating yet intoxicating moment he'd had with Nikki, Luke was really starting to understand the infamous lover.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss...."

He paused, suddenly aware he'd spoken over someone else and lifting his head from the book in his hands, Luke realised he'd interrupted Lindsay Corner.

A light flush coloured his cheeks. Lindsay was one of the (many) crushes Luke had at the school. Girls who attracted him not just for their appearance but also their personality and attitude. Lindsay might be wholly different from say, Hollyoaks, but he admired her cool independence all the same. In the past he'd stammer, blush and in general be rather clumsy around her in person, it was only recently he was less apt to make a fool of himself in front of girls he crushed on, something he attributed to his relationship with Nikki. However, crushes didn't always die just because one had a girlfriend.

"Er... sorry."

"Oh no! Don't stop," Lindsay said, and she meant it. Romeo and Juliet wasn't her favorite Shakespeare play, but it was still, undeniably great literature. The spoken words were melodic. "It beats listening to anything else in the castle. Unless--" She noticed his blush. It was what she admired about him--he was a model--and yet so...modest. "--you mind, of course. I can find another spot."

"No! I don't mind," Luke felt it unfair to chase her away when she'd picked out the spot first. "I should get used to having an audience anyway," he added with a wry, lop-sided smile. "Was it getting a bit much for you too?" he mentally kicked himself for such a daft question. Of course, Lindsay was out here to get away from the madness, hadn't she practically said that?

She glanced in the direction of the castle. "In there? Yeah. It was chaos last night and today is just weird. You know? I'm glad I missed most of it. I can't imagine what it must have been like for Hufflepuff. Tensions high?"

"I missed most of it as well," Luke admitted and flushed again when he thought about why he'd missed the drama. "Which I'm glad about because it seems like a bunch of people got infected with some sort of virus that took off the common sense filter. But yeah, things are tense in Hufflepuff. I had to practically sit on Marty this morning," he wondered if Lindsay had seen the argument between CM and Corrie, of which Luke only had read a little but enough to know it was bad.

"How'd you manage that?" she asked, eyebrow raised. She hadn't, admittedly, read very much of any of the arguments, other than to notice Scorpius behaving badly. That was hard to miss, considering she was with Scorpius and Al for most of it. "And how'd Marty like that, almost being sat on?"

"He took it as well as you can expect, but he knows by now I'm just as stubborn as he is," Luke side-stepped answering Lindsay's first question. Had it been someone like Brooke then he would have said he was with Nikki, but he felt a bit embarrassed telling Lindsay. "I don't blame him for being angry with Corrie, but getting more detentions by striking her isn't the way to deal with it."

Lindsay nodded. "It's not the sentiment that was out of place, but the conduct, the way they chose to express. Everyone, not just Marty. But..." She shrugged then and shot him a weak smile. "But let's talk about more pleasant things. So, Romeo?"

Luke nodded, accepting the change of subject. He didn't really want to dwell on what happened either. "Yes... getting the part was something of a shock," he flicked the pages of the play with his thumb. "I did read the play before the audition, but it's only just sinking in how many lines he has!"

Lindsay laughed and tried to imagine him on the stage. Would he blush? "Yeah, I bet. How do you feel about the romantic scenes?"

"I'm unsure at the moment... mainly because Charlotte Macmillian and I haven't yet rehearsed together so it's hard to say if we're going to click or not," Luke said thoughtfully, flicking the pages open to the balcony scene. "But I must have been convincing during the audition," he grinned then, glancing at Lindsay and before he could check his words with his brain, asked. "You want to test me?"

"Read lines with you? Yeah, sure," she said. "That sounds like fun. I'll do my best Charlotte as Juliet impression."

He laughed, ridiculously glad she hadn't laughed and declined. "You can do Lindsay as Juliet, rather than trying to be someone else being someone else," Luke handed her the book, open at the infamous balcony scene. "Act II, scene II, take it from 'What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'."

She scanned the page until she found the words. This should be fun.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name;
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself," she read, trying to channel Juliet, though her interpretation lacked any dramatic flair. She was still Lindsay, after all.

As Lindsay scanned the page, Luke turned his head to look into the distance, imagining the audience, putting himself in the shoes of a besotted young man around his own age. When she started to speak, he looked at her and wasn't blushing anymore. Instead his gaze was intent as he leaned forward slightly.

"I take thee at thy word:
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;
Henceforth I never will be Romeo." He spoke with a soft, yet carrying voice, as if he really was lurking in the darkness, admiring and yet teasing the girl. As they continued the scene he demonstrated none of the bashfulness he usually displayed around her, until he stumbled.

By love, who first did prompt me to inquire;
He lent me counsel and I lent him eyes.
I am no pilot; yet... yet... bugger!" he snapped out of character immediately, grimacing and then blushing. "I forget the line. Sorry."

Lindsay was impressed at how well he had his lines memorized, considering. "You're doing really well," she said, smiling. "It's 'I am no pilot; yet, wert thou as far as that vast shore washed with the farthest sea."

"Thanks," Luke smiled, but then instead of continuing, he asked. "Am I coming across all right? Memorising lines is one thing, but that won't mean a sickle if I'm not convincing."

Smiling, Lindsay handed him back his book as she thought about it. "Yeah, you are," she said sincerely. "You bring out Romeo's romantic, sensitive nature, and the blushing--er." Why did she say that? "--er, it helps."

Luke was happy with her assessment, until she mentioned him blushing. "I was blushing during the scene?" he pulled a face and then felt his cheeks warm. Lindsay didn't know that he tended to blush because of her, and he didn't feel inclined to let her know. For one thing he had a girlfriend he liked very much and for the other, Lindsay wasn't interested in him. "I'll have to work on that," he muttered. He looked down at the book she'd handed back to him. "But thank you again, it's good to know what you think."

"Not once you really got into it," she said, feeling bad. "Anyway, I told Patrick I'd help him with something. I should probably go..." She shrugged, smiling. "Thanks for letting me read lines with you. It was fun."