beside you • c.h

nine

*TIME LAPSE*

Two years had passed since Calum and the guys had left. After him being gone for about 6 months, we drifted apart and stopped talking. Occasionally, Michael would text me and see how I was doing.

'Pretty good. You?' was the usual response.

Until one day, he texted me saying that they were doing their own headlining tour.

Michael🐨: "You have to come! It'll be so good to see you!"

"I would, but I can't. You know why." I replied.

I finished doing my hair as I listened to "Johnny Boy" by Twenty One Pilots from their self-titled album. My phone vibrated against my shin and I sighed.

Michael🐨: "I know. But I miss you. You've always been so good to us. You were the first person that really believed in us."

"I know Mikey. I'll think about it. Okay? No promises since one of you can't keep theirs. 😒" I hit send and locked my phone.

Once I had finished doing my hair, I sighed and turned off the curling iron. I grabbed the hairspray and quickly sprayed my hair with the toxic mix before shuffling to my feet.

* buzz buzz *

Michael🐨:"I hope you decide to come. He asked about you a week ago, I think?"

"That's good to know. What did you tell him?" I replied to the message.

With ''Isle of Flightless Birds" playing, I sighed.

* buzz buzz *

Michael🐨: "He just asked how you were. He used to talk about you all the time after we left. And then he stopped. Every time Luke or Ash or I would bring you up, he'd leave or get angry."

Michael🐨: "And he hates to admit it. He missed you. He hated admitting that he loved you. And then..yeah."

"Yeah I know. It was all over Twitter and Instagram. I eventually unfollowed him. I really liked him Mikey. He wasn't even mine, and he broke my heart." I hit send, now severely annoyed by the fact that He had been brought up.

Michael was one of the only people who knew how how I felt about Calum. He even told me that he told Calum and Calum didn't say anything.

Eventually, I realized that if its not meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. Even though he crossed my mind from time to time, I never texted him after he stopped talking to me.

I slipped my boots on and laced them up as my phone vibrated relentlessly next to me. Michael was calling which meant that he was excited or angry.

"Yes, Michael?" I spoke with an annoyed tone in my voice as I put my phone on speaker.

"I'm sorry that I brought it up. Please think about it and let me know. I can give you a pass so you don't have to stand in the crowd." He replied.

"It's fine. I'll try, okay? I just don't know how I'll handle seeing him after two years." I said as I grabbed my shoulder bag off my chair and walked out of my room down the stairs of my house.

"Shit here he comes. I'll text you later bye!" Michael said quickly before hanging up.

*TIME LAPSE*

It has been six months since Michael asked me to come visit on tour. I finally caved and said yes. Which made him happy.

To be truthful, tomorrow was going to be an eventful day. Seeing all the guys again. Seeing him again after so long. I could feel my stomach turn into one big knot at the thought of being in the same room with him.

Michael🐨: "IM SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU TOMORROW! Get here by noon so we have enough time to catch up!"

"I will Michael. I promise. You better be awake." I replied. I locked my screen and set my phone on the nightstand with an alarm set for 9am.

I fell asleep with my nerves jolting my body every 10 minutes.

This is NOT what I had planned.

____________

*CALUM*

"Michael! I told you that I don't want to talk about her!" I shouted angrily at my band mate.

She had been brought up again.

After we left to tour with One Direction, Taylor and I drifted apart. Six months of missing her and I couldn't handle being apart from her.

I decided to stop texting her. I decided that I would try to fill the whole that was left the day tour started.

I promised her that I wouldn't forget her.

"Mate. You've gotta talk to her. It's bothering you." Luke spoke before taking a bite of his pizza.

"And you love her." Ashton had chimed in at the last second.

Before I snapped on any of them, I abruptly walked out of the room, into the parking lot of the venue.

Needing to clear my head, I pulled out a cigarette and a lighter and smoked. I couldn't get her out of my head.

The thing was, I really didn't want to. As much as it tore me apart, I couldn't. I tried to fill the void that was left in my chest. I couldn't.

No matter how pretty the girl, how good the taste, and no matter the burn of the cigarette smoke, she was always there. In the two years we have been gone, I could never fill it. I've used people. And I hadn't meant to.

Until I had met Cecilia. She was nothing like Taylor. For a time, I thought she was better than Taylor. But she was the opposite. I thought I loved Cecilia. Every time I was with her, I could feel the memory of Taylor leave my mind.

And until she broke my heart, I thought I loved her. I did. And when we split, Taylor was there again, with her long black and purple hair and her bright green eyes. I loved her. And she wasn't mine, which broke my heart.

I walked back inside the venue and sighed when my mates looked at me.

"Sorry lads. I'm okay now. Let's just hope tomorrow's show is as good as tonight's." I said apologetically. They all smiled and we hugged it out before heading onto our bus before we had to travel to Sydney, for our last show of our tour.

*******

A/N;

Hi! SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER. HOPE YOU ENJOY!

xx