I walk through all the rows of old seats, trying to find a decent spot I can lie down and hide between, but I get in my own head about all the spiders and dust I'll be covered in that I decide to go against it.
When I get back to the ground to go somewhere else, my eyes move to the room at the very back of the chairs, the projector room? I think. "Now that I could hide in." I say to myself out loud, before walking up the stairs to the very back.
The door of the room is closed, so I try to open it slowly, the old wood creaking slightly. "What are you doing?" A voice says in the corner of the small room.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were in here." I say, Dylan's eyes on me.
"I wanted to hide alone." He says, looking away from me and towards the wall in front.
"I know, I didn't know you were in here." I say, closing the door behind me. Despite him not wanting me here, I still need a hiding spot.
"Then go somewhere else." He spits, his arms wrapped around his knees.
"There isn't anywhere else." I swallow before going and sitting in front of him. What is his problem?
"Whatever" He rolls his eyes.
"What's your problem?" I ask, but he doesn't look at me.
"Nothing, forget it."
"Tell me." I demand, folding my arms around my legs.
"Why? What's the fucking point?" He finally looks at me, his eyes dark and intimidating as they stare into mine.
"Because I want to know what I did to make you-" I stop myself. My mind trying to remember when he started being weird with me all of sudden, and I'm reminded of when we were outside, and I said he didn't have a job, "It's about what I said outside, isn't it?" I ask even though I know the answer.
He doesn't say anything, he just looks away and swallows. "I didn't mean it. It was like a word vomit, I just said it without thought." I add, but he just shakes his head, ignoring my words. "Dylan" I try to say as softly as possible. I need him to know that I didn't mean it.
"I know you didn't." He sighs before looking back at me, "That's not what pissed me off." He adds, and I'm surprised. I don't know what else I've done.
"So...what is it then?" I ask, my voice hesitant for the answer.
"Lewis likes you" He looks down, his voice normal, but the question itself making him sound like a sad child.
"I know" I swallow the lump at the back of my throat, my eyes trying to search his but he keeps them on the ground. I don't know why that would piss him off.
"Do you like him?" He asks, finally looking up at me.
"I don't know" I shrug. I don't know where he's going with this? Or what Lewis has to do with anything.
"I seen the way he looked at you when I came through, and the way you looked at him when we were on stage." He admits, picking at his finger nails but I still don't get why that would piss him off.
"What? When I waved? He waved first and I was just being polite"
"Being polite my ass" He almost laughs, "I saw youse both looking at each other when Libby called out our partners too, I could tell you wanted to be with him" He adds, his eyes still on me.
I almost scoff. Why would me and Lewis looking at each other piss him off? What does it even matter to him anyway? "He looked at me and I looked back, okay? Why are you so bothered by that?" I try to keep my voice to a minimum, but he's really starting to piss me off, "Is that why you wanted to be alone? Because you thought I wanted to be with Lewis?" I ask, the dots finally connecting.
"No" He looks away, but I can tell he's lying.
"Dylan. I was just being polite" I say, softening my tone.
"Yeh well he likes you, and you being polite just makes him have more feelings for you" He sighs, like he's fighting himself to believe me.
"What am I meant to do? Be mean to him? What's it got to do with you anyway?" I ask, and just when the words leave my lips, Dylan is right next to me covering my mouth.
"Shh" He whispers when I muffle into his palm, and thats when I finally hear Lewis and Jackson enter the room. He keeps his hand over my mouth, his eyes sinked deep with mine that i think it wouldn't matter if he moved his hand or not, because i'm at a loss for words anyway, like I always am whenever he looks at me like that.
"No ones in here" I hear Jackson groan.
"We haven't found anyone so it wouldn't hurt to just look" Lewis says, his footsteps getting closer to the room me and Dylan are in.
"What was that?" A bang is heard from the other end of the college, Dylan tightening his hand over my mouth.
"Lets go" Lewis says running further and further from us before the door closes, and Dylan finally moves his hand from my mouth.
"That was close" Dylan exhales a breath as I try and steady my breathing.
"Yeah, it was." I breathe, giggling to myself.
"Sorry about just coming on to you like that, you just weren't being quiet" He says, his smile coming to show for the first time since we've been in here.
"I don't like Lewis." I say searching his eyes, "Not the way he likes me anyway" I smile, but he moves away, sitting straight and keeping his eyes on only the darkness in front instead of me.
"D-do you remember...the first time we met?" He stutters, keeping his eyes to the ground as he traces his finger with the dust on the floor. It's the first time I've ever heard him sound uncertain.
It takes me a second to think of an answer. I mean of course I remember the first time we met, I remember almost every detail. But he doesn't. So why is he asking? He doesn't remember the actual night we met, the night I sat with him while he talked about life. So I can't tell if it's a trick question. But I know that the only answer to him is a lie.
"Uh, here...at the college" I say, trying to sound as casual as possible. But in reality, I'm burning inside.
"No" He shakes his head adjusting himself so that his body's tilted towards me, my heart feeling like it's going to burst out of my chest waiting for him to speak, "The first time." He adds, his brown eyes connecting with mine.
My eyes roam his, trying to find the joke, or the point he's getting at, because all I've known since I've met him is that he didn't remember. "But you said that you didnt remember?" I adjust myself too, so that we are face to face now. His arm wrapped around one knee, and the other on the floor.
"I lied" He shrugs, like there's a perfectly good explanation about to leave his lips.
"Why?" I whisper. It doesn't make sense. If he remembered me, he could have said when we were on the roof together, but no. Instead, he made me feel like an idiot for even hoping he could.
"Because" He pauses looking down to try and fine the words. "Because I was embarrassed with everything" He says, his voice sounding just like the night we met. Vulnerable.
"Everything?" I raise a brow. Whats everything?
"Yeah, I was crying and I never cry. Ever!" He looks up at me again, "But you, you stayed with me, even though I was so horrible, you sat with me while I cried like a fanny" I laugh at his use of words. I thought he was anything but a fanny. I thought that him crying meant he was actually hurt, and I think anyone who can show that amount of emotion when hurt is brave. "No one, not even my friends have ever seen me like that, and when you sat down after I told you to fuck off, I thought who is this girl?, no one has ever showed that much care to me, I mean you were a complete stranger" He bring his face closer to me. With lighter humour to his voice he adds, "The next morning I actually thought I dreamt you, but when James said your name I told myself there's no way." We lock eyes again, his lighter than what they have been, "Then there you were, sitting in the top row." Im surprised when he puts his hand to my cheek, his ring cold on my skin when his thumb starts to slowly caress that spot.
I look away from him, I dont want him to see me cry. "What's wrong?" He asks, his eyes busy searching my face. I don't know why i'm going to cry, what he said wasn't sad, or hurtful, but surprising. I genuinely thought I was the only one who remembered that night, who was present in the memory, but now, now he just told me he remembers, and lied because he was embarrassed of his emotions.
I move my head back, making our eyes meet before deciding to speak, "I thought you didn't remember me" I almost choke on the words, a tear on the verge of falling.
"I could never not remember you" He says, placing his hand back on my cheek before gently stroking my skin again, "Drunk or not" He adds.
I blink, letting the tear fall when he comes closer to me. Even though it's dark I can still see him, and feel his breath on my face, his lips mere inches from mine.
"Can I kiss you?" Did he actually ask me that? My mind is racing with my heart. And my eyes are so deep into his that I don't have an answer to his question, because no words would be good enough. I don't say anything. It feels like I've forgotten how to form words since he admitted to remembering me. So I nod, slowly before his lips softly press against mine.
I close my eyes as our lips stay locked together and he pulls me closer. His lips are so soft, and his breath tastes like mint.
I close my eyes, letting him do all the work since I have no clue what i'm doing. His hand pulls my face closer to his before he slips his tongue between my lips, and I let him, giving him full access to mine. They both connect, moving at their own rhythm, like they belong together. Ive never done this before, and I've never felt this way before either. This is all so new to me that while he's kissing me, holding me, im scared that when we stop, he'll never want to do it again.
"They're probably up here-" Someone opens the door, letting slight light into the dark room. Dylan pushes himself away, leaving me sat there trying to process what's just happened.
"There you guys are. We found everyone else" Lewis says, Dylan standing up and walking towards him, never looking back at me.
"Cool" He says patting him on the back and exiting the room, while I stay on the floor.
What. The. Fuck.
"You okay Bria?" Lewis asks, nothing but honesty coming from his blue eyes.
"Yeah" I choke, slowly trying to get to my feet.
What the fuck is wrong with him? Why did he just leave me, and act like his tongue wasn't down my throat not even seconds ago?
Everyone is basically where they were before we decided to play hide and seek. Only Sage and Sophie are both seated. Libby and Dylan are standing next to each other, Libby tuning her guitar while Dylan keeps his eyes to his feet, Lewis staying next to me as we walk towards them.
"Bria" Lewis grabs my wrist before I get to Sage and Sophie. Stoping me in front of the stage. In front of Dylan.
"Yeah?" I turn to him. Everyone's eyes on us, as I try to keep my breathing steady.
"Are you free tomorrow night?" His eyes search mine, and his smile so bright.
"Yeah? Why?" I swallow, he's looking at me so intensely, not the way Dylan does, but a different way.
"Would you want to get food with me?" He asks.
"What?" Im surprised, really surprised. My mind wonders. I just kissed Dylan a second ago, and now his friend is asking me out. If he didn't push me away when Lewis came in, and didn't leave me there, then I wouldn't have to think, I would say no, but he did. I look up, hoping that if my eyes catch Dylan's that they'll be something in them telling me not to go, but when I do, Dylan is looking everywhere but at me, his jaw clenched and knuckles white on his guitar, but he isn't looking at me.
"Get food with me?" He asks again, and I tare my eyes away from Dylan to look at him.
"I don't have any money" I say, looking at everyone as they stare at us, embarrassment clear In my voice.
"Ill pay" He says almost instantly.
"You shouldn't have to-"
"I want to" He cuts me off, his smile still so sweet that I can't seem to say no.
I glance back at Dylan, he still isn't looking at me, instead he's staring at Lewis. "Okay, why not" I turn back to him with a smile, and I couldn't think his could get any wider until now.
"Really?" He looks surprised.
"Yes really" I almost laugh.
"Ok, cool" He lets out a breath, his eyes only on mine.
"Cool" I smile.
"I'll text you tomorrow." He says, before climbing onto the stage.
"Okay" I take my seat when Dylan finally looks down at me, but I pretend to not acknowledge it.
"I'm shocked" Libby says laughing.
"I did say when the time was right." Lewis shrugs sitting down at his drum set.
"Aw Lewis, who knew you were a simp" James says, him and Jackson both laughing. I can tell they're already high.
"Shut up" Lewis says, as I take my seat, Sage and Sophie both staring at me.
"I thought you liked Dylan?" Sage leans closer to me and asks whispering.
"Nope. Not anymore" I say, keeping my eyes on the stage.
"I can't believe you just got asked out" Sophie laughs next to Sage, and I join her. I can't believe it either.
"Im going to give you a clap Lewis, that was well done" Jackson says with a joint still between his lips as he stands on his chair and starts clapping, James and Johnny joining in. And before I know it, everyones clapping, and Lewis is taking a bow, "Thank you" He says, clearly amused as everyone keeps clapping.
Everyone apart from Dylan and I.