Star In The Shadow // CTH [Editing process]

XIV

We pull out of the school's parking lot and head to the rehearsal studio. I'm kinda nervous, I'll be spending time with my favorite band, my crush, my new friends. I don't even know if I can call them friends. We hung out yesterday after the game and we had a lot of fun. I got to see them be normal people and not just famous band members. I mean, in the end they all need their privacy and this just shows you how famous people are just common human beings who are doing what they love, but they get recognition for it. Lots of recognition.

"So..." He says breaking me off of my cloud of thoughts.

"Yeah..." Oh no, this is getting awkward.

"Luke told me Ari's going..." He says looking at me and then back to the road.

"Wait... As in for rehearsal?" I asked confused, and he nods. "Why?"

"Ashton invited her..." He says with a smile plastered on his face.

"Wait, wait, wait..." I say putting my hands in front of me, trying to sink in the information. "Since when do Ari and Ashton talk?"

"Since yesterday... I don't know, I think they clicked..." He says and then laughs. "Sorry, that sounded so cliché."

"Don't worry... I like cliché..." I put my hands on my mouth after saying that. "But really, why wouldn't Ari tell me?"

"Maybe she didn't get the time to tell you..." He says as he takes a right turn.

"Yeah..." I say as I look for my phone to text my mom.

When I turn it on, I notice a notification. I think I forgot about it during practice. It was no other than Ari.

From Ari: Ashton asked me to go with him for rehearsal. 😀☺️🤗 I'll tell you what happened later.

With that, a smile appears on my face. Then I continue to text my mom.

To Mom: I'll be out with my friends... Love you!! 😘

Yes, I sent 'I love you'. We've been trying to have a better relationship lately. She's even working from home now, so that she can be with me. Lets just say things are going really good between us. My phone buzzes, giving me the signal that she answered.

From Mom: Okay sweety... Love you too!! 😍🐼 Have a good time and be careful.

She has a thing for that panda emoji.

To Mom: 😄

I put my phone on my purse as we enter another parking lot and get in our own place. Calum stops me from opening the door and leaves the car, going all the way to the other side to open mine. I smile at his gesture. Trying to be such a gentlemen.

We head inside the building and I down a hall  to a lobby. There, he greats a woman and she smiles at me, which I return. He then stops and points at two doors. The bathrooms.

"If you want to go, there's the bathrooms. I need to go and change, so I'll be right back..." He says and he jogs to the men's bathroom.

I get inside the women's one and change into my extra close in my backpack. This consist of ripped skinny jeans and a grey tank top that's ripped at the end, combined with my black chucks. This is one of my dark edgy outfits which I've grown to love. Lets just say I've found the rock girl inside of me. As I get out from the bathroom, so does Calum. He's wearing his normal skinny jeans with tank top. I can't help but think that we are wearing almost the same things.

"You look great!" He says as he looks my entire body, making me blush a little.

"You're not so bad yourself..." I say smiling and winking at him, wishing hi didn't notice my red cheeks.

"Thank u. Now, shall we go this way?" He says as he offers his hand which I gladly take.

We walk until we reach a door with the sign announcing me that it's the 'recording studio c'. He opens the door and lets me in. Then he offers me to seat in one of the black leather couches, which I do. He then takes his bass guitar and seats beside me. He starts playing some tunes and I can't help but get lost in the sound and in him.

After a while the door opens revealing a grey headed boy, a blond one, one with a bandanna and a girl with light brown hair.

"Hi guys, what you doing?" Asks Michael as he sits in one of the couches.

"Just playing some tunes..." Says Calum as he places the bass on the stand.

"Noice!" Says Ashton as he seats next to Micheal and Luke next to him.

Ari seats on a chair besides their couch looking a little uncomfortable, but I don't know why. After a while of practicing some songs, they start talking.

"Rox..." Says Ari making me understand that she wants to talk to me.

We go outside the room and she speaks.

"After you left yesterday, the guys said there would be a rehearsal and, well, they were talking about it, and Ashton asked if I wanted to go... And well I couldn't say no..." She finishes looking at the floor. I think she thought I would be mad. I take her hands and then speak.
Or squeal?

"I'm so happy he invited you!" I involve her in a hug and I giggle as she chuckles.

"We should probably get back inside." She says and I nod.

We go back inside and the guys stop playing their guitars, putting them on the stands.

"Ari I'm hungry lets get something..." Says Ashton taking her hand and leaving without saying anything else.

"Shall we Luke?" Says Michael as he stands up and puts his hand for Luke to take.

"Butt hole!" Says Luke as he gets up from the couch and walks to the door. "We'll get something to eat." Then they leave.

"Okay......." I say and he chuckles.

"Do you want me to teach you a little about how to play the bass?" He says looking at me from where he is seating.

"Now?" I ask, surprised by the offer.

"Now..." He says as he smiles a little and taps his lap for me to seat. I shouldn't do this, so instead I seat beside him, but almost on his lap.

"Ok so you see this here?" He asks as he points at some chords and I nod. "If you put it this way you get G major. "

He teaches me some other chords and then puts them in a sequence, making it sound beautiful.

"Your turn..." He says as he grabs my left hands and puts my fingers on the right places to make it sound perfect. "See, you can do it..."

After he says that I look his way. I can feel my heart running faster. My head feels dizzy and I feel chills go down my spin. My body tenses and I feel my lips numb. My lips are numb, numb because of how they're feeling.

His left hand intertwines on mine as his right one goes to my neck. I put my right hand on the back of his neck and play with the tips of his hair. He smiles and I feel myself melting. We've been kissing for what feels like an eternity. Two times, it almost happened two times. But I guess what they say is true, the one that counts is the third. We pull apart and try to catch our breath, him caressing my cheek and me with my hand still at the back of his neck. I open my eyes realizing that they've been closed this whole time. His chocolate brown eyes are already open, looking straight into my green ones. I feel like I'm sinking to the ground.

"I've been wanting to do this for a while now..." He says smiling a little.

"Well, that makes two of us..." I say as I smile shyly, but I keep my stare on his eyes.

We just look at each other. And after a while we hear some voices from the hall, so we make sure we look ok and prepare for our friends to come in.

When they come in, Michael gives us a donut for each of us and Ashton a hot chocolate. We just talk. For now everything is just perfect. But I wonder, how much time will it stay like this.

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Song: Kiss Me Kiss Me - 5sos