One Shots. ~ Requests Closed

5. That Girl [Jack Barakat|All Time Low]

“This city is so pretty, under moonlit skies we'll be hanging like a cigarette. So stunning, start runnin'. Tonight's like a knife, would you cut me with your kiss?”

There are rare moments in life when you can say you’ve gotten or will have everything you’ll ever want. Though she’s unsure if this could be one of those moments, at this exact moment, Carli could not be happier, staring out the car window, looking up at the bright half-moon, on her way to what can and probably will be the greatest night of her life.

The car stops and she gets out, thanking her father for the ride. After surveying the parking lot in front of her, she decides she’s either early, or late. Somehow, she’d managed to get invited to “the party of the year.” But it’s not the party she’s excited for; it’s who she hopes to meet. The most popular girl in school, Iris, managed to get All Time Low to play a private concert for her birthday. She makes a note to herself that she should be lab partners with the mildly insufferable girl more often; the pros can obviously vastly outweigh the cons.

A car she hadn’t noticed reveals a tall, lanky, familiar frame with a face to match—Jack Barakat.

“I bleed, red lips you're unbelievable. Can't miss this chance to take you out, here's my invitation. Hello Brooklyn, Hey LA; take the streets all night 'cause we sleep all day. When the world comes crashing down, who's ready to party? Hello Brooklyn, Hey LA; coast to coast, I'll take you down in flames. Let the good times roll, we can let go. Everybody knows there's a party at the end of the world.”

When he sees her, Jack almost can’t believe his eyes. She’s beyond gorgeous.Blonde hair frames her face, and falls slightly into round—almost almond-shaped, perfectly placed, beautiful hazel eyes. She’s almost out of place here, too beautiful to be simply a person on the backdrop of the uncharacteristically bright night; but at the same time, he feels like she’s a splash of perfect on this canvas of a town. There’s a familiarity in the way that she walks, her posture, and the little smile she tried to hide when she saw him; but there’s a uniqueness about her all the same.

He knows nothing about the city he’s in, but suddenly never wants to leave. This city is the home of the girl he has to know; the girl he’d do anything to know, after just one glance. He wants to take her out, watch her re-learn the city with him and make new memories… And maybe kiss her once or twice.

“This city was your city, heels on the sidewalk beggin' for a backbeat. Don't worry, I fight dirty. Tonight's like a right hook, knock you off your feet. I'll be yours truly, unbelievable. Can't miss this chance to take you, out, here's your invitation.”

During the sound check, he scans the crowd, unable to see her. A small group of girls approach her and they chat for a moment. He watches the look of distress cross her face and her eyes flick up to his, almost as if she’s looking for a sense of security. She gives him a weak smile before bounding out of the room.

Where is she going? And why does he have to fight the urge to chase after her?

***

It had been in the works for months, really. The Rockshow At the End of the World tour. And now that it’s finally here, Jack is ecstatic. He’s finally back in Florida, her state. He’s been thinking about her for the past month and a half, that girl—the one he could never forget, even if he didn’t even know her name. He has to see her, has to make her smile. Whatever upset her and made her upset a month ago, he has to fix it. Something about that girl makes him this way; but he couldn’t complain if he tried.

“Kiss it all goodbye tonight you've never been more alive, you’re so alive. You're not afraid to die, and I can see it in your eyes, your eyes.”

 His hopes of finding her are dashed, shattered and abandoned after several crowd scans and weird looks from Zack. Why did he even expect to see her? Did he get the city and state right? They go to so many places, and see so many people over the course of a tour. Who’s to say he wasn’t so hungover, he’d heard the wrong information from Matt? Who’s to say he’d even get the guts to talk to her? Who’s to say he even had a chance with a beautiful girl like her?

“London, Tokyo, Boston, Frisco, DC, Chicago, Baltimore, Toronto, Memphis, Rio, Dublin, Mexico, Paris, here we go. Everybody knows there's a party at the end of the world.”

On his way out of the venue, his heart is secretly buried deep within the pit of his stomach while a clandestine sense of loss gnaws away at its every fiber. How can you lost what you never had; how can you want what you never knew, never had?

And then, he literally bumps into her.

“O-Oh my God,” he stammers, not so discretely.

“Jack..?” she says slowly, “Are you alright? You look petrified.”

“I… I saw you last month, when we were here for some girl’s party. Why did you leave?”

Taken aback, she takes a moment to cultivate her response, “They didn’t exactly want me there. I was, uhh… duped.”

His face falls and his brows furrow in confusion; how could anyone ever “not want her there?”

“You’re beautiful,” he finally says, “and I’ve quite literally been smitten from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I can’t stop thinking about you, and I don’t even know your name.”

“I-It’s Carli,” she replies, her voice suddenly failing her.

“Can I try something?” he asks suddenly, looking up at her from behind the screen of his dark eyelashes.

“Sure..?” she replies, though it sounds more like a question; and rightfully so. What does he mean “try something?”

In one swift motion, his hand is on the back of her neck, tilting her head upwards towards his, his other hand is rested on her hip and he’s bringing his lips to hers. Their lips move in sync, slowly, sweetly. Jack is the first to pull away, the sudden surge of warm feelings in his stomach making him lightheaded.

He lets out a giggle of sorts before speaking, “Well, that’s only happened in my day dreams.”

“I could say the same thing!” she retorts with a soft giggle of her own.