FicWad

Chapter 6: "If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?" -Snow Patrol

*Pete's P.O.V.*

She looks so painfully beautiful as she stands there, staring into her glass of Captain Morgan’s best. I couldn't wrap my head around the thought that someone had so much of a hold on her heart that they could take that bright, shining, happy girl I met last night and bring her down to an Eeyore-like state of mind. Sure I didn't know her all that well, but I felt a kinship to the hoodie wearing, John Hughes quoting, Cusack worshiping punk princess. My feet move of their own accord and I find myself wrapping my arms around her slumped shoulders, pulling her to my chest and resting my cheek to her temple as she relaxes defeated into the embrace.

"I just want it to stop hurting."

I tilt my face towards hers more, sighing softly into her hair. "You will. You're surrounded by family now. We'll protect you, I promise."


*Andolyn's P.O.V.*

I want to believe him with all my might, but he should know better than anyone 'The best part of believe is the lie'. "That's sweet, really, but don't make promises you can't keep." I start to pull my head back, not realizing how much he'd turned his and end up smacking right into it. "Ow, shit!" I curse, grabbing at my head and then at his with my free hand. "Are you okay?"

But he's already laughing too hard to answer me and his laugh makes me want to laugh. My lips curve upwards and I rub at both the spot on my head and the one on his where the contact was made, starting to giggle myself. "Stop laughing...we could both have concussions." This only seems to make him laugh harder and before I know it his callused fingers are tickling at my sides, brushing over the exposed skin where my shirt and sweatshirt have lifted.

"Noooooooo...I hate...being...tickled!!" I manage to gasp out between gulps of air and the exhale of laughter. I try pinching him, but he's doing a pretty good job of keeping my hands away from him without using his [hands]. So I do the only other thing I can think of and bend my head forward biting the top of his chest. He lets out a yelp and stumbles backwards, but not without taking me down with him. And we go down hard. His head bounces against the side of the couch and mine connects with the carpeted floor. In the midst of all of it, I somehow manage to end up underneath him, one of his elbows digging not so softly into my abdomen.

"Oomph! Geez you have bony elbows." I grunt, wiggling to move out from under him. I just end even more pinned down by his torso, but at least the elbow situation is resolved. He lays there on top of me, rubbing his head and breathing hard, a Cheshire grin occupying his lips. I arch my eyebrow, turning my face away, but keeping my eyes on him none the less. "What's that look for?" But before I know it I get my answer, his fingers are back at my sides, tickling and prodding, and I'm back to giggling hysterically. "Oh my god, you are so dead after this Wentz!" I squirm and wiggle and manage to kick one of his shoes off, but that's about the extent of the damage I can cause. Wait, spoke too soon.

I look over Pete's shoulder when I hear the rustling of curtains, my grin spreading as I see Patrick and a warm, twisty feeling starting in my stomach. "Patrick...hey..." I gasp, out of breath from the tickle attack, helping to push Pete off of me as he starts to roll away anyways while taking the opportunity to greet his friend simultaneously. "What's up man?" But the look on Trick's face is anything but friendly. "Nothing." I feel his eyes on me as I start to sit up; tugging at my shirt when I realize it'd risen half way up my stomach. I smile sheepishly back at him, his next words practically slapping the smile from my face. "We were gonna hang out. But you're obviously busy. I'll talk to you later." My head starts to shake and I scramble to stand, using Pete's head to push myself up. "Oh Patrick, I'm sorry. I didn't realize what time it was. Just give me a minute and then..." His hand comes up between us though, his tone stern, but the hurt behind it shining through. "No really, it's fine. I'm gonna go." And then without so much as a look back he disappears back through the curtain. That pretzel-ey feeling he'd just stirred up in me sinks like lead in the pit of my stomach and I glance over at Pete. "What did I do?" He looks back, pulling himself up and readjusting his sweatshirt as he shrugs. "I'm not sure."

I look back towards the front of the bus, biting at my lower lip. "I need to fix this." I move to leave, but Pete grabs my arm, shaking his head. "Let me talk to him first, k?" I nod, my shoulders slumping sadly. "Okay...please tell him I'm sorry." He offers me a crooked, half smile, leaning in and pecking my cheek softly. "Course kiddo. I'll let you know when the coast is clear. See you in few." And with that he bounds down the same path Patrick had just used to exit and I'm left standing there sad, confused, but most of all, lonely again.

*Pete's P.O.V.*

I scurry down the steps of the bus, my feet hitting the black top with a hard thud as an icy gust of wind greets my return to the world outside of the Cobra bus. I spot Patrick halfway to our bus already and take a deep breath before sprinting in his direction, catching up a minute later. I clasp my hand down on his shoulder, a little out of breath. "Yo...Trick...what the hell was that back there?" He turns to face me, brow furrowed, the look on his face a mix of hurt, anger and annoyance. "I don't know Pete, what was it? Cause it sure looked pretty damn cozy whatever it was." His voice comes out in a sort of growl and he shakes my hand from his shoulder, taking a step back. Now it's my turn to furrow my brow, but in confusion. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the fuck man? You don't think me and Andi are...or were..." He looks away, adjusting his hat and glasses and giving a hard shrug. "I don't know, maybe."

I look back at him with my jaw dropped slightly. "Dude, you know I'm with Ash. I'm not a complete douche. And neither is she man." He turns his face back to me, lower lip sucked inwards slightly as he chews on it. I can tell he's trying to think of how to word what he wants to say. "I know that. I just thought she actually meant it when she said she wanted to hang out. Excuse me for getting my hopes up." I tilt my head, sighing. "Rick...she did. You didn't see the way her face lit up when you walked in? Man you didn't even give her a chance back there." I can see that harsh front he's trying to maintain starting to fade and I take my chance to swoop in, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, knocking my head against his. "Dude, she's just was going through some shit and she needed a friend, and I just happened to be out here. But something tells me she would have rather had your shoulder to cry on." He stays stiff a moment, glancing sideways at me, his face softening when I mention the crying. "She was crying?" I nod slowly. "Yeah, it sucked." He sighs, pulling his hat off and running his fingers through his messy red-blonde hair. "Damn." He replaces the cap, looking back at me again. "Think she'll be okay?" I smile, nodding as my arm hooks around his neck, pulling him closer. "I think with some Patrick lovin' she might be." He scrunches his nose, pushing me away, a small smile forming on his lips though. "Shut the fuck up." I chuckle deeply, pushing him towards our bus. "Come on, we'll do some scheming on how to get you back in her good graces."

* Andolyn's P.O.V.*

...Later that night...

In the safe darkness of stage left I watch the boys end their set with a bang. Confetti rains from overhead as Pete takes that famous leap of his into the audience, a sea of arms threatening to consume him. I close my eyes a moment, remembering when those were my arms. The sweet oblivion of getting lost in the crowd, I couldn't believe how much I missed it. But my reverie is interrupted by a pair of long arms wrapping around me, and a lanky body curving against my back. "Andolyn Rochelle Carter, on tour and can't even say hi to her buddy Trav. Not right little girl."

My lips curve at the sound of that strong, raspy voice trickling into my ear. I lift my hands, squeezing his forearms and pressing back into him a little more, the best version of a hug I could manage given the way we were standing. "Hey Travie." My eyes open again and I tilt my head up to look at him, pecking his cheek lightly. "I wasn't avoiding you, promise. I only got here like last night and I've been running around doing Gabe's bidding since breakfast." He smirks, eyebrow slightly arched as he nods. "Right, right. Well I suppose I'll let it slide this time. But you have to give me a little update of what's goin' on with you first." He emphasizes the 'you' with a tap to the tip of my nose and I laugh softly. "What's to tell? I'm taking an extended leave of absence at my other job, subletting my apartment out to Gen, kicking Jason to the curb, and hanging out with my extremely talented friends for 3 months. Things are peachy keen jelly bean." He laughs outright, ruffling my hair with his spindly fingers as he shakes his head. "Sounds like it, and I'm glad to hear you finally dropped that zero." I nod with a smile, though my eyes fall to my feet. "Yeah...I know." I think he notices the small change in my demeanor, because his arms envelope me again as his chin rests on my shoulder. "So...what hero you got your eye on now?"

I laugh, almost nervously, my gaze instantly finding Patrick as he bounces off stage, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Mmm...Who says I have my eye on anyone?" I mutter nonchalantly, giving him a sideways glance, but it's too late, I'm found out. "Mhmm. Well, not that you're going to listen to me, you never do, but I think the one you're pretending not to have your eye on would be, not only a huge improvement from the last, but he could probably really make you happy." He kisses my temple gently. "And let's face it girl, you deserve a little happiness." I bit at my lip, rocking back and forth with him slowly. "Thanks." He just smiles, and gives me another squeeze. "No problem princess, it's what I'm here for."

A couple hours pass between my reunion with Travis and I find myself leaning against the hard metal siding of the Cobra bus, thumbing through the gazillion playlists on my iPod, trying to find the right voice to keep me company. Four fifths of Cobra had decided to take advantage of the free time before their 3am bus call and join 2 vans full of boys from Academy, Gym Class and even a couple Fall Out boys. Nate had opted to enjoy the rare silence of an empty bus and gone to bed early and I just didn't feel up to immersing myself in the bar scene tonight. Instead I would spend the night with Patrick...well...his voice anyways. I press play on the mp3 player in my hand, shoving it into the front pocket of my jeans as the opening notes to "I don't care" fill my ears.

Say my name and his in the same breath. I dare you to say they taste the same. Let the leaves fall off in the summer. And let December glow in flames. Brace myself and let go, start it over again in Mexico. These friends, they don't love you, they just love the hotel suites now.
I don't care what you think, as long as it's about me. The best of us can find happiness in misery...

My hood falls away from my face as I spin in graceful chaos in the middle of the parking lot, my own vocals entwining with Patrick's as I sing along. I get through the entire song before I get that feeling; you know the one where you can tell you're being watched. I turn slowly, pulling the headphones down and letting them rest around the curve of my neck, chewing nervously on my bottom lip when I see him standing there, streetlamp reflecting off the lenses of his dark rimmed glasses, hood pulled up over his trademark hat, a soft smile playing on his beautifully shaped mouth. "Hey, um, I didn't know anyone else was out here." He chuckles lightly, taking a few steps towards me, hands tucked away in the pockets of his sweatshirt. "I could tell." I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks and I spread my fingers out across my face, laughing. "Oy, you must think I'm a complete spaz." He shrugs a small smirk on his lips. "Nah, not completely."

My hand falls away and I can't help but smile, nodding. "Gee, thanks." He smiles back, shrugging. "My pleasure." I find myself chewing at the inside of my lip again, breathing in deeply through my nose. "Um...about earlier...look I'm really sorry." He's shaking his head though, his gaze apologetic as it finds mine. "Don't be. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I was being a jerk and I shouldn't have left like that." I can feel my insides twisting again, but in that nice, warm pretzel-ey kind of way from before. "Oh. Well then, apology accepted." I laugh breathlessly, closing the gap between us with a nudge of my elbow to the side of his arm. His lips curve again and I get to see him smile, boy was I a sucker for that smile. "So, you didn't go out with everyone." He shakes his head, glancing away from me for a moment before settling back on me with a crooked smirk. "Neither did you."

I nod, fighting the smile that wants to engulf my whole face at the moment. "Nope. I figured I'd just spend the night with you." I pause, eyes widening slightly after I think about how that just sounded. "I mean listening to you of course." I point to the headphones still resting around my neck. He just laughs and adjusts his hat, wetting his lips before speaking again. "Would you mind humoring me for a little while? There's something I want to show you." I have no idea what he's got in mind, but that doesn't stop me from nodding my head up and down like an idiot and falling into stride with him as he heads in the direction of his bus. "This isn't some elusive way of getting around asking me to see your bunk is it?" I joke softly, nudging his hip with mine as we walk. He lets out a manly sort of giggle, shaking his head. "Not exactly."

We do make a stop at his and Pete's bus though and I watch him disappear inside, emerging a few seconds later with a body pillow and two folded up blankets. "Mind holding this for me?" He asks, offering out the pillow. I'm curious as hell now as to what he's up to, but instead of questioning him I simply take the pillow, tucking it under my arm, before curling my free arm around the one bent at his side. "You're a regular Austin Powers now aren't you?" He grins, leading us across the lot to an opening in the gate and then down a short path. "Why, do I make you horny baby? Randy? Do I?" My laughter fills the night as he does a spot on impression of Mike Myers and I turn to bury my face against his arm, muffling the sound. I feel his nose nuzzle the top of my head and sigh inwardly, turning my face forward again, but letting my cheek rest against his arm still.

We walk for a few more minutes, the path curving up into a small grassy hill, and as we come to the top of it my breath catches. The view of the city from here was incredible. The lights twinkle like fallen stars and the deep purple of the sky surrounds us like a soft, velvety blanket. "Wow, this is...beautiful." I look back to him and he's already looking at me, smiling as he lets go of my arm, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "I think so too." My pulse quickens as his fingers brush across my temple and I shiver, not entirely able to discern whether he was talking about the view or not. It takes him another moment but he steps back, lips perking up again as hands me one of the blankets before spreading the other out across the grass. Then he grabs the pillow, laying it down as well and taking a seat.

He looks back up, reaching his hand out to me, holding it gently as I settle myself down beside him. I smile shyly, staring back out across the city as he takes the last blanket and lays it across both our laps. A comforting silence falls between us and I lean into his body, resting my head upon his shoulder again. "Thank you..." I whisper, breathing in the intoxicating mixture of the dewy grass, the night, but most of all him. He doesn't respond with words but I feel his hand sliding across my open palm and my fingers spread softly to allow his between them. We sit there for a while, practically as still as the night that was laid out before us before in a shared thought and movement we both lean back, sinking into the pillow behind us. I let out a hushed giggle and he breathes out a bit of a chuckle, his thumb slowly starting to run back and forth along my finger. And its then I actually believe things will be okay; if I can just hold onto this moment for a little while longer.

"Patrick...?" I breathe out, shifting closer to him, every nerve ending in my body focusing on the smooth glide of his thumb across my skin. "Hmm?" He mumbles, his own body scooting even more towards mine, the sides of our hips pressing into one another’s. "You're pretty awesome, you know?" I can almost hear his smile as he brings our joined hands to his mouth, kissing my knuckles softly. "Andi...I think you're pretty awesome too."