Dear Melancholy || All Time Low ||

Take Me, Show Me - Chapter One

-- A little note; I started writing this fan fiction in early 2014 and it was one of the first fan fictions I wrote. So I apologize if it's cringy and the past tense and present tense isn't great. I will be editing the whole book after I finish "Haunted Hearts" and "That Girl", which won't be for awhile, but it will get done, I promise xD --

Chapter Title Credit:
"Shameless" - All Time Low

Another little note; this fan fiction will have more sexual references than I usually have in my books.

LEAH

Yet another day of waking up to my lame alarm on my bedside table. It was getting kind of old honestly but I needed it to wake up on time for work.

It was 7:20 in the morning and I was due to Barnes & Noble at 8:30. I stretch and stand up from the comfort of my bed.

I sit down at my vanity and do my daily routine. Simple black eyeliner, mascara, and red lipstick. I brush all of my messy brown hair, except my bangs, into a loose ponytail then get dressed into my darkish green shirt with my name tag on it and black skinny jeans with black Vans.

Looking at the sides of my vanity where I hang family and friend photos, my eyes automatically go to the photo of 5 year old me with my best friend, Alex. He was 6 in this picture. I sigh as I thought about the year after this picture was taken.

[FLASHBACK]

"Hey Leah?" Alex taps on my shoulder.

We're at a local park with our parents right now and usually he's really happy but today he's different, like something's bothering him.

"Yeah?" I turn around to face him.

"I don't know how to tell you this but.. my mum told me that we're moving to the U.S." He kicks a rock and watched it roll away.

"What?" I feel tears welling up in my eyes. "What!?"

[FLASHBACK END]

I couldn't bring myself to think about the rest. It was too hard. His mum and my mum were friends before we were even born. I've known him all of my life at the time and he was just ripped away from me that easily. I've never seen or heard from him again.

The only thing I have left from him is this ring he gave me for my 6th birthday a couple months before he left. It's silver and has a heart on it. I still remember what he said to me when I opened it.

"This is for you to know that wherever I end up in the U.S, that you'll always have a piece of me with you."

I wore it everyday since then. From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep it was on my finger and that will never change. A few of the relationships I had ended because of it. They always said how "it came from another man I was cheating with." I explained to them but they didn't listen. Oh well, it's for a reason right?

I grab my black drawstring backpack and leave my apartment building.

-----------------

"Lee's in the house!" My friend Cherry shouts, her accent carrying through the whole store. Her nickname for me is Lee. Cherry has long Ariel red hair that always rests over her shoulder and her everyday makeup was black winged eyeliner.

"Yes she is." I play along.

"And she's 5 minutes late." My boss, who is also my friend, Cassandra emerges from her office. She never minds me being a couple minutes late, she just likes stating it.

"Don't worry Cass. I'll get to work right away." I salute and start to head over to my register on the customer service desk.

"We're having a new shipment of CD's come in today so you can make it up to me by stocking them. Yeah?" She says before disappearing back into her office.

"Lucky. I have to walk around asking people if they want me to take their books or have cranky old people asking me where the history section is." Cherry whines. "Don't worry Cherry, you'll get through it. Just like you do everyday." I giggle.

"I guess." She shrugs then walks over to the doors to open the store.

A couple minutes later people start coming in. I'm then called to stock the CD's.

I head over to the empty section, box in hand, then start stocking. It took me longer because I like reading the backs of them for some reason.

I pulled one out that reads "Put Up Or Shut Up" by All Time Low. I turn it around and start reading. Once I hit the bottom I freeze.

Lead vocalist: Alex Gaskarth

It was him. My long lost best friend.

I quickly stock the rest up and go back to customer service. I start scribbling on the notepad placed on my desk.

Hours later, two young men came walking into the store. One of them was lanky and has black hair with skinny jeans and a t-shirt. The other has a beanie with light brown hair and is dressed similar except he has a leather jacket and scarf covering the t-shirt.

They were both really handsome but I'm not the type to say something like that so fast and without reason.

"Welcome to Barnes & Noble. How may I help you?" I say with the best smile I can put on.

"Do you have any All Time Low CD's here?" Lanky asks. I'll just call them Beanie and Lanky since I don't know their names. "Yes. We just got some in today. Follow me." I lead them to the CD section.

"Do you know if they're any good?" Beanie asks.

"Nope. I haven't heard of them until today." I answer honestly. Now that I actually made eye contact with him, he looks familiar.

"Leah..." Lanky starts talking. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

I chuckle at his cheesy pick-up line.

"Jack here fancies you." Beanie jokes. "Shut up. I do not." Lanky replies.

"Well, Jack. Thank you. You're not to bad yourself." I say before thinking. "Er, well. Replace beautiful with handsome and girl with man."

Beanie's smile seems to fade away.

"Aw. Little Alex is jealous." Jack says.

"Am not."

"Am too."

They argue back and forth.

"You're both equally handsome." I giggle. Then it hit me. Alex?

"Your name is Alex right?"

"Yup." He nods.

"Would you mind saying your last name?" I don't care if it was creepy or not. I need to know.

"Gaskarth." He says.

I stop breathing for a minute. There was no way.

"Would your middle name happen to be William?" I question further.

He nods slowly.

This is it. My best friend was right in front of me. I just want to hug him and never let go but I hold myself back.

"You don't remember me do you?"

He looks around in thought for a moment then shakes his head.

"Do you now?" I say and hold up my hand to show the ring he gave me years back.

"Leah? Leah Noel Lake?" He says happily and I nod. Next thing I know I'm being pulled into a bear hug by him and I hug him back. All those years of wondering if I'd ever see him again. Here he is.

It felt right being reunited with him. I just hope we won't be separated again.