i want to write you a song, brandon arreaga

fifteen

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december 17, 2019.

"oh," was the response brandon had received from his friends after informing them of his trip to new york.

"you're dumb as shit, but anyways." zion hums, scrolling through his instagram feed.

"you sure you're doing the right thing?" edwin asks, frowning. "i mean, do whatever you want. but i just want you to think about it."

"i have," brandon defends. "and i'm not going there to get back with her. we're just gonna catch up. that's normal, isn't it?"

"whatever helps you sleep at night," zion mumbles once more, and brandon narrows his eyes at him.

"okay.." edwin trails. "wish you would've told us earlier, honestly. but enjoy your trip, man."

brandon sends them an empty stare, before standing from the couch. "thanks.. see you guys, then."

the murmured responses barely sufficed, but brandon didn't budge. he was beginning to be late for his flight, anyway.

landing a few minutes after one o'clock in the afternoon, adele felt a bit drowsy stepping out onto the streets of los angeles. however, she'd already established that the few hours of shut-eye she received on the plane was the best she'll have.

her assistant, though a bit exhausted herself, continued to meet adele's every need. "i have a few face masks for you, we'll slap those things on when we get to the room."

speaking of, the ritz carlton hotel in beverly hills was not only a beautiful sight, but a relieving one when the car pulled in to the driveway.

adele's assistant lays herself down on one of the two queen beds, letting out a breath. "are you leaving?"

adele turns to glance at her, before sliding a hydrating wipe over her face. "yeah, mel. just gonna see a friend."

"seriously? aren't you exhausted?"

"more than you can guess." adele smiles at her concern, "i'll just get an uber. you take a well-needed nap."

"you've got a car waiting downstairs for you, love."

adele could not possibly explain her current emotions in words. she was nervous, excited, and curious to see the boy she'd grew fond of over just this short period of time. on top of it all, he hadn't even known she was outside of his front door.

she had edwin to thank for providing their address, which she had received anyway when shipping brandon's birthday present.

a few delicate knocks to the door, she stands back with both hands clasped together behind her back, sweat beading down the back of her neck.

the door opens a few seconds later, revealing the boy she wasn't hoping for but also wasn't surprised to see, considering he'd also lived there.

nick mara held a bowl of cereal in one hand, using the other to grip the door handle. he blinks, pursing his lips before opening them wide, his eyebrows raising significantly. "ah, shit."

his confusion had set hers up, "um, hey, i'm adele. i'm friends with—"

"yeah, i know." he murmurs, his eyes diverting to the floor in almost an instant as he set into a quiet state of panic.

"dude, you're letting all the damn bugs in—" the door opens wider, revealing another one of his bandmates who had seen just as surprised to see her. "holy shit."

at this point, she hadn't known what to do. "um, zion, right?"

"what's up?" he attempts to greet casually, though it didn't exactly last when he locked nervous eyes with nick once again.

"should i go? are you guys good?"

"huh?" nick says, before shaking his head. "no, no, come in. sorry."

she hesitates before stepping in, immediately spotting austin who'd held a sketch book in his hand, "woah, hey."

adele hadn't exactly thought through meeting the entire household, which she now regrets. not only did she feel awkward, but out of place by the same exact expression on all of their faces.

and lastly, edwin had begun skipping down the stairs in a daze, before his eyes caught adele's, "oh, wow. is that you, adele?"

"yeah." her forced smile relaxes a bit when she sees him, considering she'd talked to him a bit more than the others.

properly greeting her with a hug, he invites her to the living room with the rest. "what uh, brings you here?"

"i'm in town for a few press interviews." she explains, "i figured i'd stop by.. i don't know."

after a few seconds, she'd been able to register a few factors. "oh.. he's not here, is he?"

"in new york to see his ex." zion blurts, and they all dart their eyes at him. he raises his hands in defense, "just being honest!"

"oh." was all she'd been able to say for a few seconds. her heart feel down, deep. but she attempted to cover the disappointment with a shrug. "well, then."

edwin frowns, "sorry."

"i feel a little dumb, honestly." she sighs, "sorry to show up like this; unannounced. i thought surprising him would work. that backfired terribly."

feeling an ache in his conscious, nick speaks immediately after. "hey, don't apologize. and, stay! we're fun too, you know."

"i'll order postmastes!" austin exclaims before she could give her answer. but that practically pushed her decision, anyways.

all she could do, was smile gratefully at them. "thank you."

adele hadn't remembered the last time she spent time with this many people at once. after pulling herself out of a toxic relationship that consumed ninety percent of her time, her social interaction had been limited. it was something she'd wished to change, but never got to.

after a few hours, she knew she'd bonded well with the four boys seated around her. though truly, she still wished to see brandon.

"where's your bathroom?" she asks, and they all look over at her.

"by the front door—"

"nah, don't go there." austin advises, "zion done clog that shit. there's one upstairs."

adele smiles politely at him before standing from the couch and making her way upstairs. "man, you didn't have to put me on blast like that." she heard zion scoff from downstairs.

her eyes lingered in each of the rooms for the split second she saw them, though her feet had stopped in front of one particular room.

she felt weird peering into his room, so she glanced from outside. adele hadn't seen much, but the neatly wrapped box seated at the edge of his desk was all it took for her to look away.

she stares at herself in the mirror, her mind venturing to too many things. all she could think about was brandon, and it hurt to know he'd been spending his time with his ex girlfriend.

obviously he didn't feel the same as her, if he traveled six hours to see the girl he claimed he'd been over.

adele didn't know what to think anymore. anger silently brewed in her mind, though she tried to tell herself that he didn't know the girl had been planning on casually dropping by.

she wondered if he still would've been downstairs with the other boys if she had told him about her trip to los angeles.

or would he had still chose to go to new york?