Falling Head Over Heels || Keaton Stromberg FanFiction

Chapter 32- Unbalanced Love

[Alex's POV]

For a few seconds we just looked at each other. He took two steps and gave me the biggest, yet gentle hug I have ever had. If he hadn't released first, we would have stood there at the front of the coffee shop and hugged for the rest of our lives. We both walked over to a booth away from most of the other customers. The silence between us wasn't a bad silence at all. I would have expected it to be awkward but it was a good silence. It was almost as if we both were communicating but not saying anything? He just smiled and smiled before he finally broke the silence. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"You weren't the only one. I haven't stopped-" My sentence was covered by my ringtone going off and playing 'To the Moon and Back' by the person who is sitting right in front of me! I closed my eyes and felt myself turning red from embarrassment. This would be the time where I would want to become invisible and run away. I heard Keaton's laugh which made me even more embarrassed.

"That is an amazing song! I know the artist pretty well..." Keaton said and laughed again. That gave me the heads up that he didn't think it was weird.

"Really? Do you think I could introduce me? I have been a fan for a while and have a little crush on him too." I added and we both laughed.

Our conversation continued as normal as ever. He told me about some new music he's been working on and how life back in California is. He asked me about New York and I told him all about it and all about Alex and Natalie. I looked at the clock on the coffee shop wall and realized we have been talking for an hour.

"I guess Natalie was right," he said.

"About what?"

"Us both thinking about the other all the time."

"That is very true, it's hard to not think about a guy like you."

"I know, I know, I have that effect on girls," He said and I laughed "But really, I want you to know that ever since you left I have been missing you. I realized the other day when I was writing in the studio that I wasn't just missing you, I have thought about us together since the day you stole my fries when you saved us-"

I cut him of and began speaking but I was a little choked up, "Keaton, between talking to Wes and Drew and talking about Sammy and talking to you now, I feel guilty. I just up and left all of you. I would have expected you to never want to talk to me after what I did."

He shook his head very fast. "Alex, love doesn't go away just because of distance or mistakes."

I heard him and replayed the word love in my mind. "I-I don't think of this as a a mistake though." I finally spit out. I noticed him stiffen up and saw a nod.

He cleared his throat, "Right, I understand."

"That doesn't mean I don't love you-" I began but he cut me off.

"You just don't love me the same." He said and looked at the table instead of me.

"I don't see how a long distance relationship would work. You are so busy with music and I have work and school, it's just...hard."

"So come home." Keaton spat out in an irritated tone.

"I don't want this to ruin our day today, let's just not..."

"No. No, even at home you always seem to avoid most of the more personal questions. You know me, you know my life, I have told you everything. Why can't you do the same?" He spat out in a tone that broke my heart.

"Please, stop calling it home. It is not home. I left because I was scared. I saw what my mom went through, what happened to my dad, what my brother did, I don't want that future. Yes, I am running away from my fears, but its good. I have a good life now."

"You can have a good life at hom- in California too." He pleaded.

"I love you, but no. I can't do that. I can't."

He shook his head. "It's not that you can't, Alex, it's that you won't. You won't for me, Drew, Wes, or Sammy."

My heart broke more with every word that came out of his mouth. "I'm sorry. Honestly, you are better without me. I won't come back to California. I am just bringing you down."

"You are, but it is not your fault that you are bringing me down. I let you. I spent 15 plus hours a day in the studio every day since you left. Friends and family had to come in and drag me out of the studio or away from music because I wouldn't do it myself. I was just 'writing songs' as I told everyone but every last person knew that all I was trying to do was get over you. I will put myself through anything if I knew it would be a good thing for you."

I hadn't realized that there were tears coming down from my eyes until he finished. Keaton got up from the booth and came to my side and sat next to me to wipe the tears off my face. There was something that I wanted to tell him since I bought the tickets. Something no one knew about. Not even Alex or Natalie.

"Keaton, I have something to tell you. It's sort of complicated. I graduate in a few months and I got accepted to two universities. The only two I applied to." A huge smile came across his face.

"Alex that's amazing! I am so happy for you!" He said and gave me another hug. I was the first to release.

"I got accepted to two universities. USC and NYU."

Keaton took a deep breath "Alex, you have made it clear that you don't want to go back to California. I don't want to be the reason why you leave your life behind...again. You have to decide, no one else, you." He gave me another hug and kissed me on the cheek. "I will see you tonight, I have to get back for sound check. Do you want to walk out with me?" He asked me.

I shook me head and gave a fake smile. "No, I will stay in here just for a little while. I have to call Natalie so she can come and pick me up." He nodded and made his way to the front of the coffee shop and exited.

[Keaton's POV]

I left Alex in the coffee shop barely being able to contain my emotions. I felt like screaming so loud and crying myself to sleep and just lying down with no emotion whatsoever and just stare at the ceiling. I walked back to the venue and let myself in through the back. Drew and Wes were walking back to the dressing room when they saw me and sprinted over. "How'd it go?" Drew said excitedly.

I faked a smile and said "Really well, I'm glad I got to see her." I tried to slide past them and walk peacefully back to the dressing room. My plan worked, but only half of it worked. I slid past them and successfully made it 15 steps before I felt myself being lifted off the ground by Wes and Drew. I didn't even try to yell at them or get out of their grasp. They got me to the dressing room, locked the door, and spoke.

"Something's wrong." Drew said

"Nothing's wrong!" I said with a fake happy tone and stood up to walk away. I stood up and Drew pushed me back into the couch.

"Bro, are we going to have to tie you to the couch and threaten to harm your laptop to get you to tell us what happened?" Wes asked me.

"Okay first of all, don't touch my laptop. Second of all, nothing went wrong. It was fun, we had fun and talked and laughed. Can I go now?"

"If everything went good you wouldn't be covering it up. You would be all excited and truly happy and laughing and telling us stories. What. Happened?" Drew demanded.

I rolled my eyes and told them every detail from the moment I walked into the coffee shop to the moment I walked out. I looked at both of their expressions and all I saw was shock.

"She didn't want to come back? You basically offered her the rest of her life with you by saying that and she said no." Said Drew and I just nodded.

"What do you think she's going to do?Will she come back for college?" Wes asked me.

I just shrugged "I have no idea. All I want right now is for the world to shut up so I can take a nap. I am not in the mood for the rest of the day." I told them and asked them to let me sleep peacefully for 20 minutes.

"Of course, we will get you when final sound check is called." Drew said and him and Wes left the room.

I looked at the ceiling and reviewed the days events and my emotions.

"That was the hardest thing I have ever done." I said to myself before I fell fast asleep.