"Six weeks since I went away and now you're saying everything has changed and I'm afraid that I might be losing you.."
Talking on the phone with Michael, it's been almost two months since you've seen him, he normally calls you when he finds time where he's at. You were listening to him telling you about his new tattoo he got to remind him of you.
"Michael, you shouldn't of done that." You told him a somber tone lacing your voice.
"Why? I love you, why wouldn't I get something to remind me of the person I love, who loves me back." He stated, you sigh loudly on the other side of the phone.
"You still love me, right?" Michael sadly asked.
"Yes! Of course I still love you." You quickly defended yourself. Of course you love Michael, but lately everything has been different for you since he left.
"And every night that we spend alone it kills me thinking of you on your own. And I wish I was back home next to you."
After hanging up and saying goodnight, Michael laid awake in his bunk just thinking of how all he wants is to have you in his arms. It's been difficult not sleeping in the same bed as you. It just feels empty without you.
"Oh and every day you feel a little bit further away and I don't know what to say..."
You were talking to Michael while painting your toes, finding yourself accidentally not listening to what he's saying.
"Hello? Are you even there anymore?" He asked through the speaker.
"Oh sorry Mikey! Got a bit distracted. Start over, what did Calum do to Ashton?" You apologized and listened to him telling his story from the road.
"Are we wasting time talking on a broken line. Telling you I haven't seen your face in ages. I feel like we're as close as strangers."
You just hung up the phone with Michael, your call getting disconnected once again. You quickly found yourself looking through a box of pictures you and Michael had collected over the course of your relationship. You looked down at the one in your hand, it was from one of your earlier dates with Michael. You both looked so happy, smiling so big and genuine. It's not like you weren't happy, you just missed him so much, that you weren't sure if you can handle it for much longer.
"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."
Michael looks out into the crowd while Luke is talking. He has to do a double take when he thinks he sees you in the crowd, only to be disappointed when it wasn't you, because he knew you weren't going to be there. You were at home, too busy with work and school.
"Late nights and another text, is this as good as you're gonna get. Another timezone taking me away from you."
You haven't talked to Michael in a couple days, he was just too busy. You wake up the next morning and sent him a text, forgetting he was on the other side of the world. You received a text shortly from him saying, "Babe it's 3am here. Sorry. Call u later."
You sighed, replying back saying, "Don't worry. It'll probably be late here anyways." You never got a reply back.
"I'm living dreams in fluorescent lights, while you and I are running out of time. But you know that I'll always wait for you."
The guys started to perform Long Way Home, Michael couldn't help but start to think about you, the girl he wrote the song about. He couldn't help but think how lucky he is to be living out his dreams, but it also made him think of how your relationship was starting to slip. He knows that it's not getting any easier on you, and he's not so sure how long his encouraging words are going to be able to keep you to stay.
"Oh and every day you feel a little bit further away and I don't know what to say..."
"Oh my gosh Michael you should've seen Jeremy!" You laughed on the phone telling Michael what happened at your friends party last night.
"Wait who's Jeremy?" he asks confused as to who's this boy you were talking about.
"Oh. He's Kate's cousin from out of town." You explained to him who Jeremy was. Michael was beginning to worry a bit. Here he is traveling the world, and there you are at home, where he isn't.
He's terrified some new boy is going to catch your attention, and that you will leave him for another. Because he knows that it's not easy being his girlfriend, and that it might be easier on you just to be with someone who is in the same place all the time. Michael was dreading his worse nightmare.
"Are we wasting time talking on a broken line. Telling you I haven't seen your face in ages. I feel like we're as close as strangers."
"So how's Michael?" Your friend asked you. You were at your friend's beach house for her annual end of the summer bonfire. Michael was officially gone for five months.
"Oh. Good, I guess. I actually haven't talked to him in a couple weeks. He's been really busy." You explain, giving her a short smile. You looked down at your phone in your hand, kind of wishing Michael would call. Sadly, he hasn't called, facetimed, or texted you in almost three weeks. Truthfully, you weren't missing him at all.
"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."
Michael was on his fifth try on trying to call you, but you didn't answer. He knew it was only four am back home, but he just needed to talk to you about these Instagram pictures he saw of you and a guy laughing. He knew that you would never cheat on him, but he just needed that reassurance.
"Michael, just stop. You know she's not going to answer, it's too early." Calum said sitting across from him on the bus.
"I need to talk to her." Michael said dialing her number for the sixth time.
"Michael." Calum said in a serious tone, causing Michael not to hit the dial button, and to look up at him. "Just stop mate. You know she didn't do anything wrong. She's just having a good time with her friends. Don't you want her to have fun?"
"Yes." Michael sighed putting his phone down next to him feeling defeated. Seconds later his phone began to vibrate, he looked down to see your name on the screen.
"Hey!" he answered jumping out of his seat, walking towards the back of the bus for privacy.
"Michael is everything okay?" You asked through a yawn.
"Yeah everything's fine. I just needed to hear your voice." he said clutching onto the phone tightly.
"Oh. Well it's kind of early here. Could it not have waited until later?" you asked rubbing the sleep from your eyes.
"I just needed to talk to you. I just miss you so much. It's kind of driving me insane." He admitted sadly.
"I miss you too Michael." You said feeling guilty about lying, cause you don't miss him.
"Do you really?" he asked truthfully, scared of what you may say.
"Michael can't we talk about this later please." All you wanted to do was avoid this question, and the pending argument.
"Yeah I guess. I'll call you in a few hours. I love you, and I haven't given up on us." He said hanging up the phone after you said you loved him back.
"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 feel like we're as close as strangers."
"I don't know if I can continue doing this Michael." You sobbed on the computer, skyping him
"Don't! Do NOT say that." His voice cracking, trying his hardest not to break down on the screen with you backstage.
"Michael it's been months!" You cried out through your own tears, falling rapidly down your face taking your mascara with it.
"Please don't do this. I'll be home next week." He cried out, trying his best to plead you not to end your three year relationship through his laptop screen.
"Michael-" You began just before you got cut off by him.
"Please." He stressed out tears falling down his own face. "I know things aren't the same, but I'll be home really soon. Don't end everything we've worked so fucking hard for. I love you so fucking much. Please don't go." He was a complete mess, but he didn't care, not when the one he loved the most was giving up on him.
"Mikey." You softly said to him, just wanting to be in his arms.
"Please." He cried softly to you. You couldn't bring yourself to say no, not when he was crying his heart out to you.
"Okay." You agreed not to end it.
"I love you so fucking much. I promise this week will go by so fast." He said smiling at you, wiping away the last of his tears, so happy that he saved your relationship.
"Are we wasting time talking on a broken line. Telling you I haven't seen your face for ages. I feel like we're as close as strangers."
Michael was coming home tomorrow. After six months he was finally coming home tomorrow, so why weren't you happy.
Here you are zipping the last of your suitcase, only taking what was needed. You just couldn't do it anymore. Within those six months you had fallen out of love with Michael Clifford. You don't know why, but you just did. This tour something just changed. You both weren't those two teenagers who fell in love without a worry in the world anymore. You both were adults living completely separate lives, and his was moving at a pace you just couldn't keep up with anymore.
You didn't want to leave him this way, but you knew if you saw him you were never going to leave. You had to do what was best for you. And this was what was best.
"Are we wasting time talking on a broken line. Telling you I haven't seen your face for ages. I feel 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."
You grabbed the old box of pictures, and left it on the coffee table in the living room for him to see once he got home. You wrote down on a little piece of paper: I'm sorry. I can't do this.
You took one final glance at the place you shared with him for two years, then finally walking out.
As you walked down the steps a taxi pulled up in front of your neighbor's curb.
"Six months since I went away. And to know everything has changed. But tomorrow I'll be coming back to you."
Michael was surprising you by coming home a day earlier. He was so excited to see you. He talked all the way home from the airport to the taxi driver how he couldn't wait to see you.
Michael asked the driver to pull up in front of your neighbor's, so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. He quickly paid the guy, and grabbed all his stuff.
He began walking down the street, walking right past a complete stranger.