Youth [m.c.]

8// hanging out

Michael and I breathlessly stood in my doorway, doing nothing but staring at each other. He was studying my face, looking back and forth from every feature and every crevice he could find.

"D-do you wanna come in?" I stuttered, stepping back to make room for him to walk past me.

"Yeah," he breathed in awe, slowly stepping by me and into my bare apartment.

After another minute or so of staring and silence, I decided to speak up.

"My real name is Olivia, not Halcyon. It's my cover."

"Why do you need a cover? You'd be amazing if it was just you."

He didn't know who I was. He didn't know who Olivia Tyler was. It wouldn't hurt to keep it that way, at least for a little longer. Michael likes me for me, I want to keep it that way.

"No one wants another Taylor Swift or Selena Gomez. They want mystery and curiosity because it's interesting and they want to know more. If I was Olivia, my songs would only have five views."

"I highly doubt that," he smiled.

"I don't," I lied. If I did put up a video of Olivia singing as just Olivia, it would get views, but the feedback would probably be awful.

"You wanna bet?" He grinned.

"No, no I don't."

"Do you wear the mask because you have stage fright?"

"Something like that," I answered. "But what do you think of my apartment? It's a bit empty right now."

"It's extremely empty, but you do have an Xbox, so that's what matters."

"Oh! Do you wanna see my recording room?" I remembered. "Technically it's the spare bedroom, but I don't really care. That's what couches are for."

He laughed and we wandered across the living room and into the spare room. When we stepped inside his eyes lit up.

"This equipment is amazing," he said, looking around at everything. "Did you just buy all of this?"

"No, well, I've had most of it for a few years now. But I bought the desktop a few months ago, and the keyboard is only a year old."

"Are you rich or something?"

"You know, there's this thing called a savings account. And you can put money into it and then take it out and spend it when you have enough for what you want to buy," I smirked.

"Don't get sassy with me," he chuckled.

"I'm always sassy with you," I giggled.

He didn't say anything, but he laughed and looked right into my eyes with the sea green ones that could put me to sleep and the smile that lit up the world.

"What?" I asked as my cheeks started burning red.

"You're just really pretty," he admitted. "I've never had a friend so pretty."

"Calum's extremely pretty," I joked. "Those eyes, that smile."

"Your eyes, your smile," he grinned.

"Michael you can't keep hitting on me I don't even know your favorite color."

"Green," he replied, stepping closer to me and biting his lip.

"Just like your eyes."

"What about you? What's your favorite color?"

"Navy Blue. Coral. Light Grey."