(4) Out of Control: An All Time Low FanFiction Romance

Chapter 5: Gleam

        "Time to get up, sleeping beauty," The crushing weight of Maverick's body woke me up, pressing my chest against my mattress, making it nearly impossible for me to breathe.

        "If you don't get the fuck off of me in two seconds," I threatened, words coming out muffled by the pillow I had my face stuff into. I cracked open one eye, Maverick's face so close to mine it was the only thing I could see. I groaned, shutting my eyes.

        "Are you going to get up?" He asked, his breath blowing across my face. I scrunched up my nose, trying to turn my head away from him.

        "If I don't die from your crushing weight or rank morning breath," I grumbled. I pulled one of the pillows next to me, shoving it into Maverick's face. "Now get the fuck off."

        "Ouch, feisty," he teased, and lifted himself from my back. I took a deep breath, bringing air back into my lungs. "It's a little after ten, Zave went to get food. We have less than an hour, so I'd get my ass up if I were you," he added, throwing the pillow back at me before leaving my room.

        I moaned into my pillow, rolling over onto my back. I would have woken up naturally around this time, but I hated being woken up by people. It threw everything off, leaving my body feeling as if I hadn't gotten enough sleep because I didn't wake up naturally.

        I sat up, pushing my sheets back as I listened to Porter shout from the room next door. he was threatening to kill Maverick, probably for the second time this morning. Zave had obviously used finding food as an escape from the chaos that this morning would bring when we were all up earlier than usual, especially with Maverick, who never seemed to be tired.

        The door to Porter's and Maverick's room slammed shut, and a few seconds later mine opened again. Mav stuck his head in, eyes falling on me sitting on my bed before disappearing again. I sighed, moving slowly off my bed, adjusting my shorts and loose v-neck as I went.

        I left my bedroom at the same time time Porter did. He shuffled slowly out into the space, eyes half open, hair in all directions. I chuckled softly as he moved across the room, and fell, face-down, on to the couch. Maverick watched, amused, from his seat at the kitchen counter.

        "Need coffee," Porter groaned, his face pushed into a pillow.

        "Don't worry, babe, it's on the way," Maverick smirked, causing Porter to raise his head, middle finger in the air, directed at him as he mumbled something that sounded like "fuck off."

         "If you want to make it out of this apartment alive, I would watch it if I were you," I warned Maverick, dropping into the recliner. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes to get comfortable just as the door to the apartment opened. The smell of coffee filled the space slowly, catching the attention of Porter and me.

        I got up, walking towards Xavier as he pulled a coffee from the tray and handed it to me.

        "God, thank you," I grinned, bringing it to my lips fo a sip, not caring if it was hot enough to burn my mouth. Porter made his way over slowly, receiving his own cup.

        "We still can't around, we should be heading out soon," Xavier said, setting a bag of bagels on the counter. I reached in and grabbed one, covering it with a napkin before turning to go back into my own room.

        "Where're you going?" Maverick asked from behind me

        "To get ready idiot," I said without turning around. "You might want to start too. We all know how long it takes you to get ready. You should have been born a girl."

        I waved my bagel in the air above my head as Maverick started to protest, but I shut my door on him, leaving my good on the dresser to turn to my suitcase. I hadn't gotten the opportunity, or I hadn't wanted to, finish unpacking so most of my clothes were all folded in my suitcases. I dug through one, fishing out a pair of ripped and distressed skinny jeans and a loose-gray v-neck t-shirt. I changed, fixing the pony-tail my hair was in before grabbing a pair of shoes and my phone and leaving my room again.

        "Are they getting ready?" I asked Xavier, the only one not in his room because he was ready, changed into skinny jeans and a v-neck as well. He nodded, sipping on his coffee.

        I pulled myself onto a barstool, twisting slowly back and forth until Maverick came out of the bathroom, his basketball shorts and shirt replaced with jeans and a graphic t-shirt, his favorite beanie on his head, covering the tops of his ears. Porter came out of the room a moment later, wearing skinny jeans and t-shit just like Xavier and me.

        "I'm surprised, Mav. I think that was record timing," I teased as he disappeared into his bedroom to dump his clothes and then reappared into my view. He made a face at me instead of a verbal comeback.

        "Alright, you losers ready?" Xavier asked, and because I knew the comment was pointed at Mav and Porter, I ignored it, standing up.

        "Let's do this," I grinned, raising my hand to slap Maverick's as I walked past him.

        I could feel excitement bubbling up inside me, the feeling lasting all the way through the first couple of interviews. After that, it started to wear off, replaced with slight boredom from answering the same questions in each interview. My short attention span was getting the best of me, but the guys, specifically Maverick and Porter, were doing a perfect job acting normally, finding a way to make each interview vary, even with the same questions.

        We were asked for names and birthdays as extra information before the interviewers started asking the actual questions, when and how the band started, inspiration and influences, hopes for the future. They asked, because of me being the only girl, what it was like for me to be in a band of only guys, a question they asked any band with a female lead. I answered honestly, gaining a small chuckle from the interviewer as I said that as much as the guys could be pains in the ass sometimes, suggestively patting Maverick's back, that they were like my family and I wouldn't have wanted to be in a band with anyone else.

        Maverick rolled his eyes after that, commenting on how I was more like one of the guys anyway, less like a girl most of the time. I laughed, hitting him gently as Porter made a comment before the interviewer moved on.

        When he was done with the interview, Lauren called us off for a quick break, motioning for us to walk to her. We made our way over to her and she started talking to us about who we'd be interviewing with next. I tried to pay attention, but my eyes wandered towards the door, searching for some faces we hadn't seen yet.

        "I thought you said All Time Low would be here," I said, interrupting Lauren. She looked up at me from the papers she was holding and checked the time on her phone.

        "Yeah, the guys should be here any minute," she said, glancing at the door, timing perfect as it opened, allowing the loud noise of four guys and a girl to fill the room.

        "You got your thoughts set on someone, Nat?" Porter muttered, leaning his head close. I looked away from the group to give him a soft glare.        

        "Yeah, right," I scoffed. I turned back to Lauren, noticing Maverick still turned around from the corner of my eye.

        "Who are you staring at?" I asked, following his gaze. I looked towards the guys, and then the petite brunette leaning slightly into Alex, her fingers twisted with his. She was smiling flawlessly, laughing along to whatever Jack was saying as they made their way towards us.

        "Mav," Lauren said, drawing his attention. "That would be Alex's fiancé," she said, looking amused as the gleam faded from Maverick's eyes and his expression changed slightly. I rolled my eyes, placing a hand gently on his arm.

        "Don't worry about it, you wouldn't have been able to get her anyway," I said softly, my voice full of fake reassurance. Maverick pushed my arm away, shaking his head as I smirked at him.

        The guys appeared at our sides, all greeting Lauren and then us. My eyes traveled across their faces smoothly, landing on ack's lase. His eyes found mine, his wide grin accompanied by the same gleam in his eyes that I'd seen at the meeting. I still hadn't figured out exactly what he was seeing when he was looking at me...yet.