The Boy Next Door

Chapter 39

Lyric's pov

"Alright Mikey," I say, skipping over to the blonde boy, "you helped me and Ash get together, so I'm going to help you and your crush get together." Michael looks up from his phone and gives me a small smile.

"Thanks Lyric, but no thanks," he declines, sitting down on the grass.

"What? Why not?" I question, sitting down beside him.

"Because it wouldn't matter. She won't like me as more than a friend," Michael replies, sounding a little remorseful.

"How do you know that? Come on, Mikey. What's her name? Who is it?" I plead, determined to help him. He shakes his head no, his mouth closed.

"Fine. How do you know that she won't like you as more than a friend?" I ask.

Michael takes a deep breath, then turns and looks me in the eye, "Because she is already dating someone and I could never come in between that. Besides, I'm just a best friend to her." I felt my face heat up. He smirks a little as he sees realization wash over my features.

"Me?" I squeak out, flabbergasted. Michael nods in response, watching my expression.

"But Michael," I blurt out, "you said you didn't like me when you texted me."

"And I lied. Just like how you lied when you told Ashton that you had feelings for me. Don't worry though, Lyric, I'll be fine. I'm happy for you and Ashton," Michael assures me, the pained smile still present on his lips.

"Hey Lyric, Michael, what's up?" Ashton calls, jogging up to us. He eyes both of our expressions suspiciously.

"Nothing much. Just talking," Michael answers, leaning back on the grass.

"About what?" My boyfriend inquires, sitting down at my side. Michael glances over at me with his eyebrows raised, waiting to hear my answer.

"Just tour," I lie, the guilty feeling already eating me inside. I hate telling lies for no reason. Or if it's not necessary. But Ashton is very overprotective of me and will probably yell at Michael if he knew that one of his best friends has a crush on his girlfriend.

"Really? What about tour?"Ash asks, scooting closer to me.

"Nothing much. I was just saying how awesome you guys are live. And how much more fun it is to actually go sit in the crowd with your fans than to just wait backstage. It's just not the same energy, you know?" I ask, speaking the truth. Sort of. We hadn't been talking about this, but every word was completely true.

"Thanks Lyric. It would be kind of awkward if you didn't like out music, but were touring with us, dating me, and best friends with the others though," Ashton laughs.

"Well you already know that I  love your music. I made that clear a while back," I joke, making fun of myself. Michael and Ashton laugh.

"I think he meant live," Michael says, watching me with a smile.

"Yep," Ashton agrees, nodding. He seemed oblivious to Michael's crush on me, which made me feel even more guilty.