Numbers || Andy Biersack

chapter twenty two

I was alternating surprised, anxious, and a bit excited. Admittedly, it was nice to see Andy and know he was doing well. However, sitting here with Rhys at my side and all the unspoken events of our past, the air felt a bit heavy.

"You look so different, but sort of the same," Andy said as we sat backstage at the venue. "You look happy."

"Thanks, you do too," I stated.

"Eighteen?" he repeated, still stunned by age. "Shit, that's crazy."

But he was smiling and just different. He wasn't dark and brooding and lying. This new Andy seemed open and genuine, a light in his eyes I'd rarely seen before.

"Wait, so I still don't get how you guys know each other," Rhys said, looking back and forth between the two of us.

"Oh, you haven't told him about me?" Andy asked, his lips quirking into an amused smirk.

"I've told him, just not exactly who you are," I explained. "Rhys, this is the guy I dated before you--the older guy."

"The older guy? That's my identifier?" Andy laughed.

"Seriously?" Rhys questioned, his voice raising and Andy's amusement fading. "This is the fucker that lied to you and cheated on his girlfriend?"

"It's fine," I said, calming his Rhys' temper.  "It doesn't matter anymore. It's in the past."

"But, love, he-"

"Doesn't matter." I silenced him with a quick kiss.

Rhys rolled his eyes, giving Andy a final glare before dropping the protective boyfriend act. I knew Rhys was too nice to keep it up for long. Andy watched us curiously.

"Anyway, are you and Juliet still together?" I asked.

"Nope, we broke up a few months before Zander was born," Andy explained. "I've got some pictures of him on my phone, if you want to see."

"Oh, yeah," I said, leaning in to see the screen of his iPhone.

"He's about a year and a half now," Andy stated. "Zander's just like me, you know, a total troublemaker but he's sweet. I love him."

The picture was of Zander dressed as a lion for Halloween. He had a tuft of golden brown hair on his head and blue-green eyes. The infant shared Andy's bone structure and pale skin, along with an adorable smile. 

"He's cute." I smiled.

"Yeah," Andy said, a wistful expression in his eyes before he locks the screen. "So, how long have you been dating?" He pulls a cigarette from a pack on the table and lights it quickly, taking a long inhale. Smoke swirls from his parted lips, filling the room with the familiar scent of nicotine. For some reason, I'm happy that Andy smoking like a chimney is still one thing I know about him; it's one thing that hasn't changed.

"Almost two years," Rhys stated, intertwining our fingers. "We just moved in together a few months ago."

Andy coughs on the smoke in his lungs, sitting up a bit straighter. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's been really great,"  I replied, smiling at Rhys.

It feels so weird to catch up with Andy like there wasn't a time when he was my entire world and that he didn't shatter my heart. There's so many memories here, but at the same time, he feels like a stranger. A moment of silence settles over us, making the tension even more obvious. I know Rhys wants to leave, but I can't bring myself to come up with some excuse to get out of here.

"How's Riot?" Andy asked.

"Good," I replied. "She's so big now."

"We're thinking of getting another dog to keep her company," Rhys announced. "Not now, but when Kourt finishes university and we move back to Cheshire. That's where I'm from--wanna be closer to my family, you know?"