Black Glitter *Completed*

Have I Changed?

Within three weeks, I was enrolled in classes. It'd been a struggle to keep my choice hidden when the paps or fans saw me around the campus, but I either took a cab or walked instead of taking the gleaming Mustang or BMW. I kept my hair down on my way there, sunglasses on even on the rare cloudy days. Once in the building, I usually put my hair up from the heat and inconvenience. I felt like I was 21 again; before I lost my parents for standing up for my friend. Before I was even friends with the man that had changed my life, both for the better and the worse.

The one side effect that came with this youthful, almost giddy sense of freedom, was that it made me jarringly aware of the age difference between me and Adam. Even though it really wasn't that much, and age didn't matter much to me, it nonetheless made me feel like a teenager.

Two months in, and it was rare if Adam and I got more than a few hours together in a day. He'd finished his video, but was scheduled for over 20 various TV and radio appearances over the next month and a half.

Meanwhile, I was knee deep in homework, and by the time I finished up enough to spend some time with Adam (who was coming home around 9 nowadays,) we were both so exhausted that it was lucky if we made it through dinner and maybe an episode of something before going to bed.

Adam had managed to clear up an entire weekend and I was bouncing with excitement come Friday afternoon when my last class let out.

My phone buzzed and I read the text from A.

Hurry up and get outside ;)

I grinned and sped up, hitching my bag up on my shoulder. Outside, I trotted down the steps and hurried through the throng of students towards the curb.

"Hey, Nix!"

I stifled a sigh but turned. Casey, a cute brunette from my (mandatory) business management class was approaching me.

"Hey, Casey. How's it going?"

"Really good, thanks! I was wondering if you wanted to join our study group? We meet on Tuesday's, sometimes here, sometimes downtown or at someone's apartment."

I realized I had nothing to keep me from it, and since I was getting a little overwhelmed with everything..."Sure, I'd love that. I really need to catch up, especially with that test next week..."

Casey grinned. "Awesome! I'll let you know Monday or text you as soon as I know where we'll be meeting."

There was the beep of a car horn and I looked up to see the sleek, black BMW parked on the curb, passenger window rolled down, a sunglassed Adam leaning down to see me.

"Ah, my boyfriend. Okay, I'll see you Monday!"

Casey glanced at Adam, but I don't think she recognized him. "Wow, he's cute," she winked.

"Haha, yes he totally is. I'm so lucky. Bye!"

I continued down to the car, and Adam reached over to open the door for me. I slid in with a long exhale, then leaned over to give him a long, deep kiss.

"Oh my god, I missed you so much." he whispered into my mouth. I touched his face, feeling the rough growth of stubble under my fingertips.

"Missed you too. So, what's the plan?"

"Dinner and a movie?" Adam suggested, angling the car away and joining traffic.

"Oh man, that would be fantastic."

It wasn't often we got to go to the movies, it was almost always stressful and hard to manage, but it was getting dark and maybe, just maybe, we'd get in without a big fuss.

Adam held my hand on the way to the restaurant, which was a quiet, low-key place we'd been a few times before.

I checked my reflection in the mirror, touching up my hair and applying a little more lip gloss.

"Mm, is that new?" Adam asked, sniffing the air.

"Yep. French vanilla. You like?"

"Well let me see," he said, winking. He cupped my chin and gave me a long kiss, darting his tongue out to taste my lips.

"Ooh, I do like it. Very nice."

I giggled at the faint white sheen left on his pink lips from the gloss. "Okay okay, let's go eat before you swallow my tube of gloss you freak."

Adam laughed then came around to open my door. Twilight was falling over the city, bringing with it a light breeze that I welcomed greatly.

We were seated at a table, and I could hardly focus on ordering, my mind wandering over to my boyfriend, eyes taking him in as if I hadn't properly seen him in months.

His hair was even longer now, and he styled it in a swirl that tilted slightly to one side. It was still that light brown mixed with his natural red, streaked with a few blond highlights from the sun. The rough beginnings of a beard darkened his features and only added to his older, mature appearance.

His eyes were bright but held a hint of exhaustion to them. I noticed the marks of a consistent scratching near the back of his neck- something he did when he was getting stressed or anxious. I saw the small dots on either side of his nose where the brief nose ring stint had been. I thought he'd looked mindblowingly sexy with it, but it got infected and he'd had to take it out.

I saw the small, rarely used piercing holes in his ears above his gauges. I'd only seen him without his gauges in once, and it was kinda, well, gross, and I could understand why he always kept them in except when he was sleeping. He even put them back in before coming to see me in the mornings.

Adam was wearing a plain, black V neck t-shirt, with gray jeans that had a spattering of sparkles around the pockets, and heeled black and silver cowboy boots.

"Nix?" he said, dipping his head to catch my eye.

"Hm?" I said, shaking myself.

"You're staring again, babe." He chuckled.

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks but decided to be honest. "Sorry. I just feel like I haven't properly seen you in such a long time."

"And have I changed?"

I shrugged. "A little."

"I was just thinking the same about you," he mused.

"Yeah? And how 'bout me? Have I changed any?"

He reached over and took my hand. "Your hair is darker because you've been spending so much time inside, and you're paler. Your fashion sense has become immaculate, and you've started wearing flats and boots rather than heels. You like to chew on pencils now, and scribble with your left hand while you write with the other. You haven't bought new makeup besides lip gloss in quite some time, but you still take time every morning to put it on. You don't make your bed anymore and drink more coffee, use less hairspray, and wear more green."

My jaw dropped a little bit. How had he known all of this and all I could notice was how he looked? "Damn, Mr. Holmes, how do you know all of this? We're hardly together!"

Adam smiled. "Because I know YOU. Therefor I know when things change. Besides; when you're bent over your books and half asleep at midnight, I watch you. I come and kiss you every morning, whether you know it or not."

My heart swelled almost painfully. My best friend- not just my boyfriend, but my best friend- knew more about me than even I did. Here he was, ignoring the million things he had to do for the new album just to be with me. It almost made me feel guilty, but I knew he wouldn't want me to, so I pushed it aside.

"I love you." I stated quietly.

Adam's lips turned up a little and he squeezed my hand. "I love you more."