MELODY

MELODY 18

┏ 𝚒'𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝙹𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 ┐

Adam had been worried when he had left abruptly last night. Texts of, 'Are you okay?' and 'I'm sorry, Bry.' were left untouched, unanswered. But Bryan couldn't find it in himself to be guilty about his decision. Not when he needed the time away. The image of Jackson kissing the woman who had looked so familiar kept playing in his head the entire night, robbing him from sleep. 

There was something about her that had him frowning. It was only when the clock stroke 5 in the morning that he put the puzzle pieces together. 

She was the one Jackson had been hung up on. The one who had his bracelet. 

The one that Jackson no doubt liked and had been drunk off his ass the other day for. 

By the time he had gone to his class, he was barely registering a single word tossed at him. His new feelings and the conflict he felt over it, and the hurt still burning in him at what he had witnessed, all he wanted to do was to drop onto the next softest surface and sleep. 

A yawn escaped his lips as he walked into his campus library. A little relieved that it was one of those times where the library was at its emptiest, he walked past aisles of books before finding the couches. While he was sure the campus hadn't intended this place to be used as a sleeping spot, he couldn't find it in himself to care. 

He was numb and he was exhausted. 

If they wanted to kick him out, they could drag him for all he cared.

Choosing one of the sofas located at one of the corner, furthest away from future crowds, he sat on it and sighed, sinking into it. Hooking the hood of his jacket and tossing it over his head, he settled into the cushion to catch some sleep. He dozed off only to be woken up when a weight settled next to him. Snapping his eyes, he blinked a few times before he looked at who had decided to disturb him.

For a moment, he thought his eyes were fooling him. But when those familiar dark eyes landed on him, a mask over his face, he knew who it was. Sitting up, he pushed the hoodie over his head, noting that it was crowded. His heart skipped a beat, his throat drying before the familiar panic washed over him. 

He had been so good at avoiding Jackson for a while and he had been adamant he would be fine. But all of that unravelled the second the guitarist was near his vicinity.

Fuck. 

He glanced around the room. How long had he been out? Rubbing his eyes with his fingers, he searched for his phone to check the time.

"It's almost four in the evening," Jackson said, voice muffled behind his black mask, bringing out the darkness of his eyes.

Bryan grimaced at the mention of the time, a sigh escaping his lips. "Thanks," he said, minding to keep his voice low.

"You didn't even flinch when I sat next to you," Jackson said, eyebrows raising and disappearing behind his hair currently not brushed aside, covering his forehead. "You were out for a few hours."

Blinking at that, he frowned. "What do you mean?"

Jackson leaned forward, causing Bryan's heart to skyrocket in his chest. Mirroring his movements only in the opposite way, he leaned backwards until the back of his head hit the soft board of the wall. Staring at his face, he wondered what the fuck he was doing. Jackson moved away before he pulled his mask until it rested under his chin.

"I was here since two," he said, his voice soft.

Bryan searched his face, noting that the stoic mask was still firm on the taller man's face. The realisation that Jackson had been next to him while he had slept was... nerve wrecking. Why would he do that? 

What was happening?

He sat up properly, brushing his fingers through his hair, clearing his throat. Eyeing the crowd, he noticed a few eyes on them, especially from the girls.

A little bit of uneasiness bubbled within him before he nodded, grabbing his bag.

"Sorry," Bryan said. "You must've wanted the place for yourself. I'll leave now."

When he was about to stand up, Jackson grabbed his wrist, halting. The warmth that seeped onto his skin even through his hoodie shocked him, causing him to immediately snatch his hand back. With his heart beating so loud that he could hear it, he took in shallow breaths, staring at the equally stunned man before him. The guitarist recovered first, rolling his eyes before he grabbed his bag, standing up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, question clearly aimed at Bryan.

Unsure of why he was being asked said question, he shrugged. "I don't know."

Jackson scanned his face before he took a step closer to him. The height difference was apparent being this close to him and Bryan's skin crawled when he could smell a pleasant scent coming from the man. It was sweet, a bit flowery. And calming. With his face painting with heat and aware that the gazes had sharpened on them, he took a large step, distancing themselves.

If Jackson noticed it, he didn't say anything. Instead, he said, "I want to ask you something. Come with me to the campus backyard."

Bryan's heart stuttered to a stop for a brief moment.

With a dry throat, he whispered, "Why the backyard? What are you going to ask me?"

Jackson simply brought his mask to cover his mouth. "Come with me."

Without waiting for Bryan's answer or refusal, he grabbed his guitar case that had been lying against the wall and began walking away, exiting the library. His heart continued to beat fast, his chest rising and dropping in an erratic manner. As if his heart wanted to follow Jackson out, it continued to beat loudly, each thump reminding him that what had happened had been— weird.

When he glanced at his surroundings, he was aware of the soft whispers and the eyes on him. Dragging the hoodie over his head, he quickly exited the room, noting that Jackson was a few feet from him.

And when the man had reached to the doors, he turned to look at Bryan with his eyes so dark that the shorter man almost fell for him again.

And because he was an idiot, he followed Jackson to wherever he wanted to go.

His previous plans to avoid him, even with his heart dully aching, forgotten. 

┏ 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝙴𝙻𝙾𝙳𝚈 𝟷𝟾 ┐