Forever

V

Olivia was staring blankly at her laptop screen, trying to figure out how to continue what she had been writing. Her mind was suddenly blank, like all the ideas she had been contemplating awhile ago were vanished into thin air. Letting out a groan, she ran a hand through her hair in an exasperated manner.

Get your shit together, Olivia, she muttered to herself, remembering the deadline she had to meet for herself. She is used to that, setting her own deadline on things she wants to accomplish, not purely depending on her professors' own timeline. Averting her gaze from the screen, she noticed that the surroundings started to darken, and the library was once again empty. She can see from nearby the librarian fixing the books on the shelves, almost making final touches, ensuring everything is in place before she ended her duty that day.

Olivia took out her phone to check on the time and it read 7:13 in the evening. She had been once again oblivious to the world that she had forgotten about the time. Sighing, she closed her laptop and started to fix her things when the door burst opened, Austin storming in while panting. The librarian looked at him curiously, same as Olivia.

"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked, standing up from her seat as Austin walked towards her. She noticed that his whitish blond hair with black roots was dishevelled in a way that is pleasing to look at, and his blue eyes were accented with the outline of eyeliner in a meticulous way. "Well, you look like you groomed yourself," she commented.

Austin let out a chuckle, placing his hands on the either pockets of his black leather jacket. "Yes, it is a must, which reminds me..." He trailed off, approaching her only to grab her hand and tug her with him. Olivia stumbled a bit, hanging the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "You have to come with me."

"For what?" She asked curiously, holding his hand properly. Austin led the way downstairs and they continued to walk to the university grounds. Olivia noticed the place was swarming with people, lights dancing around the stage as she could hear loud banging of drums echoing in the surrounding. "What is this Austin?" She asked, or more like shouted because of the noise. The whitish blond lad just tightened his grip on her hand as they tried to make their way in the sea of people.

Olivia continuously whispered excuse me to the people they were trying to passed by, until they finally reached the tent just beside the stage. Austin faced him, and Olivia just eyed him curiously.

"Stay here, okay? I'll just go there," he said, chucking his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the stage. Olivia looked to where he pointed to, furrowing her brows as she tried to comprehend what he had said. Austin squeezed her hand in a comforting manner when a sudden realization hit her head.

"You're performing?!" She exclaimed, making Austin laugh.

Nodding, he responded, "Stay here, okay? Wait for me," he said to which Olivia returned with an enthusiastic nod. Letting go of her hand, he ran towards the stage, climbing on the small stairs and placed himself in front of the mic stand on the centre stage. The huge crowd cheered on his appearance.

*

The lights seemingly blinded the sight of Austin, in a good kind of way. He was panting a bit, distancing himself from the mic as he smiled to the crowd. Marcus finished the song with the last chord, sliding his fingers against the guitar strings as Martin made a drum roll. The crowd roared in appreciation, clapping their hands and cheering for the band that just finished a song from their set list. Austin took a deep breath after which he recovered, talking through the microphone again.

"How did you guys like that one?" He asked the crowd and he was answered by continuous cheers. "Thank you to all of you who have come down to see us. Hope everyone's having a good time," he continued, and everyone in the mob applauded him and his band. "This next song," he said, removing the mic from its stand, "is from a band called Blue October, who is also our hometown's pride," he added, holding the mic stand and placing it on the far side end of the stage. "This is called Calling You."

Upon his cue, Marcus strummed a chord on his guitar, and Austin started singing.

There's something that I can't quite explain

I fell in love with you,

Never take that away.

The blue-eyed boy once again started talking to the crowd, this time through the lyrics of the song. If there is a certain thing that is the edge of their band among others, it is the ability of their vocalist to convey the lyrics properly to anyone who is listening. Austin owns this gift of telling a story as he sings, and that made him even more a crowd-pleaser.

And if I said a hundred times before,

Expect a thousand more.

Never take that away.

Martin and his percussion joined them as Austin played around the stage.

Well expect me to be calling you to see

If you're okay when I'm not around

Asking if you love me

I love the way you make it sound

Something stirred inside Austin as he sang those lines, making him walk to the left side of the stage, searching for the brown-eyed girl in the crowd.

Calling you to see

Do I try so hard to make you smile?

To make us smile

He laid sight on Olivia as he sang those parts, spotting her to where he left her, flashing a dashing boyish smile that accompanies the lyrics. The girl noticed that he was looking at her, and she smiled widely, flashing thumbs up. The crowd went wild seeing his smile, especially the girls in the front row, but they never know that it was only meant for her.

I will keep calling you to see

If you're sleeping, are you dreaming?

If you're dreaming, are you dreaming of me?

I can't believe you've actually picked me.

He walked around the stage, owning the platform as if it is his comfort zone. He continued persuading the audience with his singing, the crowd jumping on their feet, jamming to the music of the band. There came a point when Austin walked nearer at the edge of the stage, reaching out to the crowd as the girls in front mobbed wildly just to reach for his hand. He is so free on stage, having the time of his life.

*

The band gathered in the centre of the stage, passed an arm around each other as they took a bow, earning a loud cheer from the enthusiastic crowd. The lights dimmed upon cue, signalling the end of their gig. There were exchange of high fives and congratulations among them, thanking each other for the hard work. Austin excused himself for a minute to look for Olivia.

Shrugging off his leather jacket as he made his way to the tent where he left her an hour ago, three girls approached him, squealing. He was taken aback by their sudden appearance.

"Hi Austin! We're such a fan of your band!" They exclaimed almost in unison in a high-pitched and very flirty way. The girls were wearing spaghetti-strapped jumpers, shorts, and their faces were caked with make-up. "Can you give us an autograph here?" They continued, gesturing to their displayed cleavage. Austin's eyes widened a bit.

"A-are you sure?" He asked, a bit hesitant. The girls nodded almost immediately.

"Yes, pretty please," one of them said, fluttering her eyelashes extension, handing him the marker. Austin got no choice but do it, signing each autograph, thinking that they are fans who support them and it's the least he could do.

After that, the girls simultaneously chirped thank you to him, and he excused himself to find Olivia, only to see her standing not too far away from them, staring blankly at him, her expression is unreadable.