Fifth Destiny // Ever After High as Fifth Harmony Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Three: Eleventh-Hour Confession

{Chapter 23 POV: Cerise Hood}

Daring answered on the third ring.

"Are you busy?"

Daring laughed. "That depends. Where is Fifth Destiny today?"

I rolled my eyes, not that he could see through the phone. "Says the guy whose family owns multiple private jets."

"They aren't private jets, just personal planes," he insisted.

"You just keep telling yourself that," I teased him. With a glance behind me at the bus window, I confirmed that none of my bandmates or Kitty were watching me. I had stepped out of the tour bus for some "fresh air" so I could get a moment alone to call Daring before our therapy session, and I wasn't in the mood to tell the girls that I would be giving one more person possession of my most concealed secret..

So thats's why I was calling. Daring didn't know my secret. I'd assumed that he was invited to the therapy session, but upon hearing he didn't know where Fifth Destiny was, that didn't seem to be the case. "I really need to talk to you, but it has to be in person," I said into the phone.

I was terrified to say the least.

There was a pause in which only the simple white noise of the phone line could be heard. A deep breath, then "is everything okay?"

"Yes... Sort of," I said, wondering what he meant by 'okay' in this sense. "Can you get here?"

"Yeah, I can," he said, his tone much more serious than it had been at the start of the call. I shuddered, unused to this. Daring, on a regular basis, is so filled with laughter and jokes that normally I found comforting. I had had very little experience composing myself in its absence. It was different, but not a bad different.

It occurred to me I hadn't told him where he would need to come. "Do you know where I am?"

There was a pause, and I knew from memorizing Daring's mannerisms and by the cheer that returned to his voice that he'd taken that moment to crack a smile.

"Of course I do. I'd be a horrible boyfriend if I didn't keep tabs on your tour schedule," Daring said. Though I never would've expected, or required, Daring to keep an eye on our tour schedule, I appreciated that he did. I also wondered what it was he could be doing at home. Likely having a great time. The Charming family home is a beautiful, shimmering gold and silver palace on a huge stretch of land featuring anything a young prince might ever want- an oversized pool, a tennis court, a private track... My favorite part of it all was the vast, thick woods behind the property that continued for miles. It was such a contrast from the Charming estate, which reminded me of the contrast between Daring and I. The palace and property all luxurious and expertly designed, the forest wild and crafted and controlled by no one but Mother Nature and whatever greater power is watching from the sky.

I smiled, thinking about Daring and I and all that we were and weren't. "See you soon," I said, hanging up.

***

Daring kicked the bare ground with the toe of his spotless white sneaker. It didn't leave a smudge.  "Why are we in the woods?" He asked.

"Simple," I said, "it's comfortable. I'm in my element." I still whipped my head around, ears trained on detecting the smallest indication that we'd been followed. I heard nothing but me and Daring and the wind rustling the leaves softly.

"You mean, nobody will hear us and your bandmates will be too worried about getting their high heels dirty to follow?" Daring suggested, voice thick with sarcasm.