2.4

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by lukewhispers

by lukewhispers

0 Days Clean.

As the concert progressed, I learned just how talented the boys really are. Their studio version songs really do them no justice, the boys simply ooze raw talent. Roughly halfway through the concert, the lights lowered slightly and Ashton, Calum and Michael began to walk off stage allowing Luke to perform his acoustic set. As I began to realise this, I fell sick to my stomach. I knew he always preformed Wherever You Are, I just hoped tonight would be different.

"Okay guys," Luke said, walking to the side of the stage and swapping his electric guitar for his battered up acoustic. Dragging a stool onstage, he positioned it in front of his mic and fixed up the wires so his guitar could be heard throughout the arena. Licking his lips gently, he leaned up to the mic to speak again.

"This is a new song I just wrote last night. It really means a lot to me, and I hope you guys like it." He said, his blue orbs connecting gazes with my own moss green ones. Looking away momentarily, he checked the tuning on his guitar before looking back at me and strumming gently, captivating the attention of the whole audience.

"Six weeks since I've been away. And now you're saying everything has changed and I'm afraid that I might be losing you. And every night that we spend alone, because I'm thinking of you on your own and I wish that I was back home next to you. Oh, every day you feel a little bit further away and I don't know what to say."

Six weeks ago, an unlikely pair began talking. Neither knew each other but, both understood each other. In that moment, which the brunette began to text 'Nacho', everything had changed. Nothing would ever be the same for the couple but, they were both too blind to realise it. They each knew that the nights were their time to converse alone, both being too busy during the day to engage in conversation. Little did she know, however, that he often found himself smiling at the thought of being able to speak to her again. The blonde changed in those six weeks. He was producing better lyrics, performing better on stage, all because of her. The brunette who never realised who she was really talking to.

"Are we wasting time, talking on a broken line? Telling you I, haven't seen your face in ages, it feels like we're as close as strangers. Won't give up, even though it hurts so much. Every night I'm losing you in a thousand faces, now it feels we're as close as strangers."

There was one night four weeks ago where the couple spoke on the phone. She was panicking again, shadowed thoughts engulfed her mind and she knew he would help. He was in the tour bus with his mates, but when he saw her name lighting up his phone screen he almost instantly knew what was wrong. The blonde left the crowded back room and walked into the kitchen, leaning up against the counter. "Hello?" he spoke. On the other line he could hear sobbing, only confirming his earlier assumption. His heart ached but something clicked inside him that night as he calmed the brunette down. He felt the need to protect her from every bad that may enter her life. He was growing attached, much quicker than anyone had realised. He promised her that night that they would meet someday but she never took it to heart, much too afraid she would only be another face in the thousands he sees every day. But, look at them now. Standing feet but feeling worlds apart. It could never work, the pair would simply hurt too much. They were strangers.

"Late night calls and another text, is this as good as we're gonna get? Another time zone taking me away from you. Living dreams and fluorescent lights, while you and I are running out of time. But, you know that I'll always wait for you. Oh, every day you feel a little bit further away and I don't know what to say."

It was three weeks into their friendship when he knew. He knew how he felt about her. He craved her attention, he needed to be talking to her. Every waking moment of every hour, he wanted to know if she was okay. He often found himself sending her on small texts consisting of only an emoji, just to let her know he was thinking of her. Each passing day as the tour progressed, he entered another time zone and the couple found it harder to talk. The chances of them being able to succeed diminished every day. The blonde was famous, living his dream around the world on a stage with the spotlight on him, but the brunette was plain and simple like you and me. The blonde didn't care, he wanted her for who she is.

He knew, but he didn't want to admit it to anyone. Every time his phone buzzed with a text from her, he knew. Every time he found his thoughts lingering towards her, he knew. The blonde had never seen her but, he knew. The pair didn't know each other personally, but they knew each other better than anyone else in the world. It's amazing what six weeks can do to a friendship. He wanted nothing more than to see her happy, but every time he consoled her from one of her panic attacks, he felt like he was the one losing her in a thousand faces.

"On the phone I can tell that you want to move on, through the tears I can hear that I shouldn't have gone. Every day it gets harder to stay away from you. So tell me are we wasting time, talking on a broken line? Telling you I, haven't seen your face in ages, I feels like we're as close as strangers... Wasting time, talking on a broken line? Telling you I, haven't seen your face in ages, I feels like we're as close as strangers. Won't give up, even though it hurts so much. Every night I'm losing you in a thousand faces, now it feels we're as close as strangers."

Yesterday as the blonde stood helpless on the other side of the bathroom door, he finally admitted to himself that he would spend the rest of his life protecting the brunette. He could hear her sobs and he internally kicked himself, knowing that he should've told her the truth. He wanted nothing more than to break through the door and hold her close, consoling her aching body but he knew better. He knew she needed space but he needed to stop her. It had been hours since he had last seen her but, she was a different person now. The brunette was a complete stranger. The blonde didn't know who she was anymore.

"Six months since I went away, and I know everything has changed. But, tomorrow I'll be coming back to you."

Six months ago, the blonde embarked on a tour with his mates and since that day last January, so much has changed. He found the brunette. He met the brunette. The brunette relapsed. The blonde wrote this song. The blonde knew, he knew how he felt about her. Tomorrow, the blonde hoped, he would be able to go back to normal with the brunette... As normal as the couple could muster.

"I'm sorry," Luke mouthed to me when he finish the song, his eyes still connected with my own, just like they were throughout the whole song. Tearing my gaze away from his for a moment, I wiped the tears that were streaming down my cheeks and glanced back up at Luke. He was still sitting on the stool but he was taking a drink of water. I kept looking at him until our gazes connected again. Hesitantly, I nodded my head and Luke smiled gently at me, putting the lid back on the bottle.

The three boys returned to the stage and Calum clapped Luke on the back as the crowd roared and cheered for Luke's song. As the boys performed their final song, She Looks So Perfect, nerves began to grow in the pit of my stomach when I realised Luke and I were going to need to talk after the show.

I love this chapter so much, I'm sorry. I love the song and I hope it made sense, I made Shanley interpret the meaning of the lyrics from their obvious meaning so if anyone has questions, don't hesitate to ask! One other thing, everything written in italic's is written from a third person's point of view. It's like a narrator commenting and explaining the lyrics.

Thanks for everything guys, hope you enjoyed! Please vote and comment :)

update: check out my new story on my profile 'Superhero'. it's based on how Michael and Beth meet, I'll also be doing these short stories for Ashton and Calum.