Somewhere, Australia //A.I

Chapter 21: Company Bow

ENJOY LOVELIES (I always enjoy starting off chapters like that!)
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Sydney's POV

People turn around to stare as I let my voice swell and erupt around the chorus. I walk over to Rafi and sing right to him, putting some sass into it as the second verse kicks in.

Baby I have no story to be told

But I've heard one on you and I'm gonna make your head burn

Think of me in the depths of your despair

Make a home down there as mine sure won't be shared

A girl with blood-red hair and a sickly skinny frame comes up starts singing the backup, smiling at me while she joins our group.

The scars of your love remind me of us

They keep me thinking that we almost had it all

The scars of your love they leave me breathless

I can't help feeling.....

I couldn't help feeling that yup, this is where I belong. And I couldn't have done it without Ashton.

Ashton's POV

During the very last chorus Sydney comes over to me and massively smiles, not letting her expressiveness stop the music. At this point, nothing can stop her, she's pulling the focus of even the stars, light years away.

She takes the time before the song ends to interact with everyone in our small group. Starting by sassily walking around Rafi, with an arm daintily set on his shoulder. Moving to Quinn, she shakes out her hair and head bangs a couple of times to an intricate violin solo he was rocking, coming back in exactly on pitch.

Throughout the song, a small group had formed in a half circle, singing all the backup. Built up to four people, they begin a clap that picks up in the audience and continues to the end. Sydney stands in the middle of their group and sings, while doing their stomp clap along with them.

Then finally, she gets to me. I can't say I wasn't waiting for it.

The thought of her in my head when I played was a new one, but welcomed nonetheless. Tonight, with every beat against the Cajon, it was always more then the rhythm, the familiar pleasure of music. It seemed as if every time I hit the thing, I wanted it to bring her one step closer to me, until there were no more. Until she was flush against me, and...what?

I'm scared to make a move. Not because I'm afraid she won't reciprocate it, there's something else. Something that's never happened to me- I'm scared she will.

And then I'll fall for her at the speed of light.

I'll be in a car traveling 90 miles an hour, with the brakes cut out.

I'll run into a brick wall, but instead of letting it stop me, I'll just keep on running, until there's nowhere left to go. Then I'll turn around and run back the way I came.

Snapping back into the music, I realize I've already stopped, the songs over. My body unconsciously did what it knew to do at the end of a song, finish it. Music so effortlessly has been etched into me, no loger something that requires thinking, it comes just as easy as breathing.

Sydney looks down at me with a huge smile plastered on her face and a hand extended. "Ashton? C'mon, we have to take a bow."

I'm suddenly conscious of the clapping and screaming. I gladly take her hand and let her guide me, mimicking her smile at the noises. She leads me to the middle of a straight line created by our group of performers. We all grab hands and raise them above our heads, taking a sort of company bow.
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Sydney's POV
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• I lean against the hood waiting for Ashton to pack up the Cajon before we leave.

"Hey Ashton?" I call, deciding to ask him a question that pops in my head.

"Yes?" I hear him reply, the slam of the trunk quick to follow.

"Have you ever brought the boys here?" I question, as he reclines lazily next to me.

"Nope."

"Good" I simply state.

"Yeah? And why's that?" He turns to stare at me, emerald eyes glinting with playfulness.

"Its nice knowing that you shared this with me, but not them. This place is ours, it makes tonight even more special then it already was." He nods his head at my response.

"Fair enough." Pushing off of the hood, he stands and fully supports himself, walking to unlock the divers side. "Hop in."

The car beeps and blinks its lights as Ashton presses the unlock button on the clicker. I open my door and climb in, buckling up as the engine starts.

"So I guess I'll back dropping you off in the parking lot of Somewhere so you can get your car." I flash a thumbs up.

Pulling the fabric of my long sleeves around my hands, I realize I've had Ashton's jacket on the whole time. When I'm certain he's concentrating on the road, I snuggle into it and deeply breathe it, inhaling the scent of him. The jacket is slightly stale smelling rom sitting in the backseat of a car. Underneath that smell it is perfumed with the fragrance of Ashton. Kind of an earthy smell with just a hint of something flowery, like lilac. May not sound like the best combination, but it's perfect.

"I still haven't heard any 'thank you''s..." He says, breaking me out of my nose induced coma.

I scoff at him. "And what exactly do I owe you any thanks for?"

"Um.....for bringing you out there, for makig ou sing?!" He retorts, as if it was plain and simple.

"Fair enough." I say, taking a pause. "Thank you so very much for bringing me out here, and helping me gain some confidence." I genuinely say, half smiling to myself.

Ashton looks over at me and busts out in a triumphant smile. "You're very welcome Sydney." Putting on his blinker, I turn and see the parking lot just across the stretch of the road. Finding myself sad on the inside, I had hoped for more time with him.

Glancing at the dash the black, blockish letters read 10:00. "Well damn, time flies when your having fun." I say out loud as the front tires glide over the smooth pavement of the parking lot.

"So you had fun?" He shifts in his seat to face me after parking and cutting the engine.

"Loads." I simply say, meeting his beautiful eyes.

"Well I'm glad one of us had fun." Not breaking our eye contact, he sarcastically smirks.

We sit there, turned awkwardly in our seats, smirking with intense eye contact at one another. It continues for a minute, my smirk slowing morphing into a real grin. Suddenly I do something to end the silence.

I don't know what the hell came over me, or posesed me to do it, but I do.

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Hope you liked it! Semi-cliffhanger! Comment if you think you know what she's gonna do!