"I first heard that song about a year and a half ago maybe, Cris told me to listen to it. I loved it instantly and it's been one of my favourite songs ever since. I had no idea who it was by and when Alex played it tonight I was singing along, I couldn't help but cry I mean this is all so surreal. I'm in LA, sat on the roof of a building with this amazing guy I've just met, yet I feel like I could already know him by the amount my best friend talks about his band. Then I finally find out the artist of the song which I've listened to non stop for almost, I don't know, a year and a half is actually said band. To top it all off, before all of this, when I'm sitting around minding my own business my idol, Cassadee Pope walks into the room. It's all a bit too much, do you know what I'm saying?" She gushed throwing her arms in the air for emphasis
"Amazing guy hey?" I asked nudging her. She pushed me back playfully but she was stronger than she looked and I lost my balance
"Shut up!" she wined looking at the floor in an attempt to hide the light blushing of her cheeks
"You're not denying it though!" I laughed sitting up again
"Maybe I don't want to deny it" she said quietly, suddenly more serious
"Well thanks. You're a pretty amazing girl yourself" I said placing an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side.
Her rigid body relaxed into the shape of mine. She rested her head on my shoulder and let out a sigh. We stayed like that for a while; engulfed in the silence, watching the world carry on far below as we stayed completely still, almost scared to move as not to ruin the moment.
I had to ask, it was eating me up inside. I just needed to know the truth
"Tay, have you really never heard of us before?"
"Of course I've heard of you. You guys are all Cris talks about but not in the way you're implying, no. I've just never gotten round to listening to you, sorry" She replied, her eyes fixed on the horizon
"Why'd you ask?" she sat up to face me, when out eyes met I felt my chest tighten and I had to fight for air to be let in
"No reason"
"Don't lie to me, Barakat!" she said staring me down suspiciously
"Okay. I don't really know what to say. It's just... don't take this the wrong way but... when I saw you singing along, you knew all the words and..and.."
"And you thought I'd lied about not knowing you just to get close to you" she finished the sentence I couldn't find the words for. She looked hurt. Maybe she wasn't lying and now she thinks I don't trust her. Damn. What did I just do?
"I'm sorry. It's just I've been lied to like that before and I just couldn't do it again"
"Look.." she started, taking my hands. The contact of her freezing cold skin made me flinch "there's no way I can really prove that to you but please trust me on this one. I'm not lying"
Tay's POV
"No reason" he said, nervously running a hand through his messy, dark hair
"Don't lie to me, Barakat!" I joked but the look on his face made it clear something was serious
"Okay. I don't really know what to say. It's just... don't take this the wrong way but... when I saw you singing along, you knew all the words and..and.." he stuttered, searching for the words though I think I knew what he was trying to say
"And you thought I'd lied about not knowing you just to get close to you" I finished his sentence thinking about what had just been said and wondering how I could prove I wasn't lying to him
"I'm sorry. It's just I've been lied to like that before and I just couldn't do it again" he said fiddling with his hands
"Look.." I said grabbing them, he jumped at the touch of our skin; probably because of how cold my hands were "there's no way I can really prove that to you but please trust me on this one. I'm not lying" I looked deep into his chocolate eyes I could get so lost in them I almost didn't notice the small smile playing on the corner of his lips
"I do trust you, Tay"
"Thank you" I basically mouthed as I moved back into my previous position at the side of Jack
Jack's POV
"I do trust you, Tay" I said with a smile
"Thank you" I could barely hear the words leaving her mouth. She shuffled on the spot so she was leaning against me once more.
We'd moved to that we were sat across from each other.
"Why did you really come up here?" I had to find out
"Like I said, I needed some air" she said trying to avoid eye contact with me
"Don't lie to me, Davis!" I laughed copying her earlier statement. She laughed to, but only momentarily it soon faded into a smile. A smile which tried so hard to convince me it was all okay, a smile that she had perfected over the years of shutting people out, a smile I saw straight through. It was her eyes which gave her away. Her eyes were so heavy and worn they almost screamed out for help but she stopped it. She stopped people from getting to know her weakness; her guard was permanently up.
Of course these were all just assumptions I'd made on studying the girl sat cross legged only a few metres in front of me but something told me it was all exactly true.
"Come on, talk to me. I trust you; just trust me, Tay" I'm sure this could have been seen as some form of blackmail, using her words against her, but I was prepared to try anything to break down her walls. She sighed sounding defeated.
"Fine" she huffed " But before I say anything remember this: It's not easy for me to just open up to people, even my closest friend sometimes. So please just bare with me" for the first time since I'd met her she looked vulnerable. I realised just how small she really was. I wanted to embrace her, hug her, keep her safe but I just nodded; I needed to know more.
"I ran. I always run when I have to face things. I panicked, I just needed to get out. The other night when I ran into you on the street I was running away because I thought I saw someone. It sounds stupid but it was the only thing which made sense to me. i wasn't even sure if it was really him but I didn't want to stay and find out. Then again tonight but this time I'm sure, it's defiantly him. He's here and he know's I'm here and I'm scared. I'm scared, Jack. I'm scared" she kept on repeating herself as she pulled her knees into her chest and started to shake. I jumped up and scrambled over to her as quickly as I could wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into me. I gently kissed the top of her head, something that had always calmed me down I just hoped it worked for Tay.
I think it did because after a few minutes she'd stopped shaking but she was still hugging her knees keeping perfectly still. I'd wondered if she'd fallen asleep but that thought vanished when she sat up then lay on her back looking up to the sky. Her eyes were red and swollen but that smile which seemed to hide it all sat pride of place upon her lips. I felt a pang of guilt rush through me for pushing her into talking which had resulted in her getting upset.
"Are you going to sit there staring at me or are you going to join me down here?" she laughed and rolled her eyes. I hadn't even realised I'd been staring.
I lay down beside her, shoulder to shoulder.
"There are so many stars" she whispered, more to herself than to me. She reached an arm up and grabbed at the air
"It looks like we could touch them" she carried on louder than before
"Yeah, six feet under the stars" I chuckled
"Exactly!" she smiled but I don't think she got the reference
"You want to know who 'he' is don't you?" she said dropping her hand down to her side
"You don't have to"
"No, it's fine. I've started now so I may as well finish" I watched her as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, searching for the courage to go on "He's my step day. Although I'd never call him that he doesn't deserve the title. His name's Harry. When I was younger if I wasn't in care I'd have to live with him and my mum at his house, he hated me no hate isn't strong enough.. he despised me. He resented me for ruining the life he had with my mum before I came along. If I could have chosen I wouldn't have stayed there but I was only eight when it started he told me no one would believe me if I told them what he did to me... whenever my mum was out he'd lock me up in cupboards for hours on end, or outside in the winter, he'd hit me and laugh at me as he did. As I got older it got worse. He.." she scrunched up her face and her whole body tensed up
"You don't have to go on" I said placing a hand on her clenched fist
"I'm sorry, I can't say it" she whispered
"You have nothing to me sorry about!" I said taking in everything she'd just told me. Her grip loosened and her fingers entwined with mine.
"I shouldn't have dumped all of this on you, it's the last thing you need: some crazy girl you hardly know telling you all of her problems"
"I want to get to know everything about you, in the least creepy was as possible.." I saw her smile at the last part "and I want to be there to help you with your problems. You're not alone, we're in this together now. And yes, you are crazy.. but I like crazy"
She turned her head so that our faces were only inches apart. We stayed silent neither of us daring to speak. Her green eyes were so bright I could almost see my reflection in them. Even though it was dark, they seemed to sparkle. She bit the corner of her lip, a habit of her's I'd picked up on, it just made me want her even more. She was perfect; all I wanted to do is kiss her. I edged closer as we both closed our eyes and...
The door to the roof flew open. We shot away from each other as fast as we could. I couldn't help but notice the small smile on Tay's face but this was a different type of smile. I liked this smile.
"There you are! Guys they want to lock up, we need to leave!" Damn it, Alex!