Something Beautiful (An Aaron Carpenter Fanfiction)

Chapter 5

**Cali's POV**

"Wake up!" I yelled in Aaron's ear. I was already dressed for today, wearing jean shorts and a crop tie-dye tank. My hair was wavy and I had on light eyeliner with mascara.

"Ugh..." He moaned. "Too tired." I whacked him with a pillow. "Oh that it!" He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down, tickling me. I laughed and tried to get out of his grip. All that did was make him squeeze me tighter. He stopped tickling me, and we just sat there like that for a second. His arms, wrapped around my waist, our heads next to each other.

I thought about last night. So much for back to normal. But I don't think I could go back to 'normal' anyways. I felt differently now, but I wasn't sure what about. I closed my eyes and put my hands over his.

"I like your hands around my waist like that. Makes me feel safe." I said without thinking. He laughed and I sat upright. "Oh god! I'm sorry...I didn't mean to say that..." My face turned bright red. He laughed some more.

"No big deal." He said with a smirk.

Just then, someone burst in the door. It was a guy who looked about 18. He was tan with brown hair, and he was wearing an orange bandanna around his head.

"Hey Aaron!" The guy called. "We're all up, when are you gonna come visit-" He stopped when he saw me. "Oh hi! I forgot that Aaron was bringing someone. But he didn't tell me it was a girl." He said with a wink.

"Taylor, this is my friend Cali. Cali, this is Taylor Caniff." Aaron said, introducing us. We shook hands.

"So..." Taylor said. "If this is your 'friend', how many times have you made out?" He asked. My eyes got wide and so did Aaron's. Taylor started laughing hysterically. "Relax! I'm kidding. Unless you guys want to confess something?" He said, raising an eyebrow.

"Taylor, get out you creep. We're just friends." Aaron said, looking at me for confirmation. I nodded. "Lemme get dressed. We'll be over in a second." Taylor nodded and left the room.

"That was...awkward." I said quietly.

"Don't worry about him. He's a weird dude. I'm gonna get dressed." He told me, and took clothes to the bathroom. A minute later, he came out and started rummaging through his suitcase. I looked up, but he didn't have a shirt on.

"Aaron!" I cried. "Put a shirt on!"

"I'm working on it." He said. He looked for another minute, then finally pulled one out. "Why are you staring at me?" He asked.

"What? Oh...sorry...I didn't know I was staring. I spaced. Uh...sorry." He gave me a little smirk then went back to the bathroom. I mentally banged my head against a wall. Cali, get yourself together! I did not like my best friend. That wasn't an option. I was just being really weird, and I needed to stop.

"Ready to go?" Aaron asked me, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Yeah. Let's go."

**Aaron's POV**

As we walked down the hallway, I was overly conscious of Cali's arms swinging next to mine. I wanted to hold her hand. Things this morning had been different. I keep telling myself that it can't work, and that I don't have feelings for her. I think she's trying to, but we both need to try a bit harder. Therefore, I didn't hold her hand.

She seemed to like the guys pretty well. They all liked her. Occasionally one of them would ask if we were dating, and it'd be quiet for a second before one of us shrugged it off. Later that day it was time for Magcon, so we all went downstairs for it. It was fun, and I introduced Cali to the crowd at one point. They loved her.

"Hey guys, this is my best friend, Cali Laker!" I told them. Cali ran up on stage and laughed and smiled. She looked like she was having a blast. I watched her with a smile. I took some pictures with fans, and met a few really nice ones who told me that they shipped Cali and I. When it was all over that night, I had a brilliant idea. I told the guys, then found Cali.

"Hey Cal, we're going out. C'mon." I told her.

"Where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Uh Aaron, this isn't like a date, is it? Because we're just friends."

"Not a date. We're just gonna have fun. Trust me, you're going to love this." I assured her. We took a cab to the Hollywood sign. "Close your eyes." I told her once we got close. She did, and the cab dropped us off. I led her to the spot where you could see the lights over the city. "Okay, open." I instructed.

She opened her eyes and the look on her face was absolutely priceless.

"Aaron...oh my god. This is so beautiful...words can't even describe how gorgeous this is." She paused, taking it in. "Thank you." She whispered. I hugged her from behind. She put her hands over mine like she did this morning. I could've stayed like that forever. I was content. I was happy.

She spun around and rested her head on my chest. Without even thinking, I tilted her head up and connected our lips. Despite our 'just friend' promises, she kissed back. I pulled away for a second.

"What?" She asked.

"I just realized that every time this happens, I'm the one to start it." I told her. She smiled.

"I can fix that." And she leaned in and kissed me, her first this time.