Curiosity || Michael Clifford

Chapter 11

I took a photo of him from across the table and posted it on snapchat. I scribbled out his face so no one exactly knew if it was him. I then saved the photo to my phone and posted it to Twitter and Instagram.
@FarFromIndie: Favorite place in the world with someone great. By someone I mean like 30 people.
@YourGirlKate: @FarFromIndie not as great as me. Ps. that's forever our place. Love you Miss Indie. Hope you're having fun.
It was exhilarating to have her support again. She knew exactly what my plans were. We could openly speak to each other about things. She opened about why she felt the way she did. It was never about me having the band and her not. It was that I was hiding things from her. She just wanted me to share everything with her. She didn't want secrets.
"Oh what a trouble maker you are."
"You told me to do it." I reached over and tapped his hand putting full blame on him. My phone blooped with a text. I checked my phone it was Kate texting me. "Do you mind?" I looked I Michael before reading the message. He gave me the go ahead.
Kate: Be careful Indie. He's apparently seeing someone. His fans are blowing up your Twitter after you posted that. You suck at hiding things. They know it's him.
With the text was a photo. A photo of him kissing some girl. I don't want to lie and say it didn't hurt but it kind of did. We didn't even know each other so I don't know why it hurt. We just always had a flirty type relationship. It's what I get for disappearing for a year. I internally composed myself before replying. I sent back a simple thumbs up emoji before setting my phone down.
"So what exactly have you been up to in the last year? Besides like band things?"
"All I ever do is band things."
"Oh I'm sure." I looked at him.
"What about you Indie?"
"Would you like the real story or the short simple one?"
"Whatever you feel."
"I worked. Fixed my friendship with my best friend. Realized my parents and I will never have a good relationship. I became a better me. I got over a big hurdle that was holding me back from a lot of things."
"Something holding you back? I don't believe that."
"You don't know a thing trust me. Right before I wandered up on your concert my world came crashing down. Honestly if my world never came crashing down I would have never let my curiosity take over everything I do. I learned that life is short. Don't hold back. This would never be happening if things didn't happen the way they did in life."
"And what was that?"
"It's something I don't open up about. Especially to people I don't really know." I had become a closed off person to Michael. After reading the text from Kate my brain switched. I realized not everything is what it seems. I never expected anything to even happen between Michael and me. Again the lifestyle isn't my thing. I just knew deep down I felt like a fangirl. The thing I hated most in the world. Michael was the only guy who was willing to listen. We were so much alike and he helped me so much I had become an attached person. Even though we didn't talk for a year. He had my wrapped around his finger and didn't even try.
"I understand. Clearly it's something that's affected you." I nodded my head going quiet. I was always one to voice my opinion. I didn't know who I couldn't with the situation, news, I had just got. It's like something I shouldn't know but now do. It's something I wish I didn't know though. I had to muster up the courage to do it. It was now or never.
"So you're seeing someone now?" I didn't even look at him. I played with the food on my plate. The food that had just been brought out. I no longer wanted to eat. I was uncomfortable. The first time I had ever felt uncomfortable around him.
"I wouldn't classify it as seeing someone."
"Meet her the groupie way?" I glanced at him for a second before looking back at my plate.
"Excuse me?" I didn't reply. "Okay what the hell is going on Indie? I distinctly remember you. You didn't act like this last year. You sound like one of our fans. What the hell has gotten into you?"
"I don't want to have this conversation." I pulled out my wallet and placed money on the table to cover my meal. "I have to go." I got up and started to head for the door.
I heard feet running after me. The tile floor caught all the noise. I stopped at the door as Michael ran up to me. For the first time I didn't want to look at him. It was a bitter feeling.
"You don't leave situations unfinished." He said as he reached me.
"Have you ever had someone make you feel special?" I held the handle of the door in my hand.
"Of course." He replied to me.
"Last summer, you made me feel special when I was going through the hardest moment in my life." I glanced at the wall I had seen countless amounts of times. "You see that photo over there?" I released the door and pointed at the wall. He nodded. "My sister. The most incredible person to ever walk this earth. Gone because of me. You took away the pain of losing her. Not Kate, obviously not my parents, I've got no one else. You fucking accomplished something no one else could. You made me feel fucking special. I didn't care about your stupid band. I didn't care about you as a person. I didn't ask to get attached. But you went and made me forget the pain for the night. You didn't look at me like I had killed someone. You took me as a real person for the first time since my sister was killed. Kate telling me you had girl ripped all of that away from me." I closed my eyes. "Because I was no longer the special girl. Now I'd like to leave please."
I didn't care about how stupid I sounded. I didn't even know him but I couldn't help the way his presence made me feel. My feelings are out of my control. It's weird to say this but being around him made me feel like my sister was still around. I think that's what my issue was with him. It wasn't Michael and I that were alike. It was Michael and Blakely that were personality and behavior twins.
"If you want to leave I'm not stopping you. I'd like you to stay though."
"After embarrassing myself I'd like to leave." He laughed at me.
"Embarrassed for having emotions? Up until now you've been a cold shouldered sweetheart." I had flash backs to Michael's mom calling him a sweetheart and laughed a little.
"Notorious for being cold shouldered." I raised my hand slightly. "I can't help it."
"Me being or not being with a girl doesn't make you any less special. How many girls can say they hung out with my mom? With our families? Brought us out for late night dinner? Stood in a crowd of people they hated for people she didn't know and get to hang out with those people?" I sighed. I mean he was right. She didn't make me any less special.
"I guess."
"Also not seeing anyone." He looked at me waiting for my response.
I hit his arm. "You asshole." He laughed.
"Made you talk didn't it?"
"But there are photos of you kissing a girl."
"Because I've kissed girls." He said in a sassy tone "I told you it was something we did a lot. We hooked up with people. Shit got leaked. Which is why we changed our rules. They're very old photos. Our fans like to rile people up obviously. You brag they'll shove shit at you to make you regret posting it."
"I forget some of your fans are assholes. Insert infamous cell phone incident."
"The sassiest I've ever seen you in the, what, like 15 hours we've spent together?"
"Shit we've spent that many hours together? Fuck me man."
"Don't mind if I do." He pulled me close jokingly and I pushed him away.
"Our foods getting cold." I pointed to the table.
"Only you would offer and turn down."
"It's what I'm notorious for. Haven't you learned that?"
"Oh trust me. That is one thing I've picked up on."
We spent over an hour talking and hanging out. The whole situation wasn't awkward. It was like the incident didn't even happen. He didn't look at me differently. We learned so much about each other in that hour. The silence that we were good at wasn't something that happened during dinner. We found nonstop things to talk about. We got to know each other instead of just joking around. If we wanted a friendship out of what we were doing we needed to know what we were getting ourselves into.
The night came to a close as we arrived back at the stadium. Everyone had left. No fans were in sight. It was time for me to go home. In the dark of the night Michael walked me to my car.
"The Callingsworth car." He said as we walked up to my car.
"Indeed it is." I smiled. "I had a good time tonight."
"Holy shit. Everyone!" He yelled. "Indie actually admitted to not hating something."
"By something you mean being stuck with you?"
"I was wrong! False alarm." He yelled again causing me to laugh.
"Always picking on me. I don't know if I can ever be friends with you."
"Sorry you're already my friend. Once you're there you don't get to leave. You are branded Michael's friend."
"I've been branded by many as your girlfriend."
"I mean I can't deny how much ass kicking we'd do."
"I can't handle this conversation. I need to go Michael." I laughed.
"Thanks for coming Indie." I walked closer to him and wrapped my arms around him resting my head on his chest.
"Wasting all my hard earned money on seats I wasn't even able to sit in." I shook my head. "As always though you're welcome."
"See you tomorrow right?"
"Yes. You will have to deal with me all over again."
"Damn it. Will I ever be able to get rid of you?"
"Never. I'm a leach." I clung him. "You'll never be able to get rid of me."
"I might end up losing my mind if I have to spend another night stuck with you."
"I feel the same way. Guess we will have to lose our minds together." He smiled at me. "Goodbye Michael." I said getting in my car starting it up.
"Goodbye Indie." I waved as I drove off. I watched him walk out of the parking lot as I drove away. I made my way home to find Kate in my bedroom waiting for me.
"So how was that?"
"I had a good time. Honestly there was a bump but it was good Kate." I said plopping on my bed next to her.
"You going to talk about it?"
I explained the whole night to her. She still felt a way about the band. She would never trust them. Not with their past. She dug to find all information she could. She wanted to make sure her best friend wasn't making a mistake. She had my best interest at heart. She was hesitant about how happy I felt with them because she didn't want my world to come crashing down.
We spent a little time talking before I fell asleep. I had a long week ahead of me. The more sleep I could get the better. Kate wouldn't be able to see me for a week so she was getting in all the Indie time she could. I was about to leave and drive my car around to follow the idiots.