Before It's Over

After one more show in Canada, it was time for the Warped tour to return to the States. There was absolutely no time to slack off, because we had to be in Idaho the next day. This was the home stretch of tour and the guys and I were starting to realize how tired we actually were. After non-stop traveling and performing, we were starting to wear down.

When we did have free time, it was spent hanging out on the FTSK bus. Since I was hanging out with Kyle so much, he was nice enough to invite the guys to hang as well. There were also the occasions when we switched it up and gathered on the All Time Low bus. Aiden had been scheduling less and less press for us. Adam had been spending less time out in the venue and more time sleeping. Ross had calmed down a bit, a rarity that was welcomed eagerly. Shane was the only one who hadn't changed, seeing as he slept half of the time anyway.

In the afternoon of the Washington date, the band had an acoustic, radio performance for a local George, Washington station. It was our first, so even though we had to rush to get there after our set, we were stoked.

The interview portion was quick and the performance went without a hitch. Once we were finished, the host said goodbye and introduced the next song. As we exited the station, we were met by a small group of fans who were waiting outside.

"Hey, Avery. Could I get a picture?"

I looked up from the CD I was signing for a girl of about fifteen. Kyle towered over me with a cheeky smile. I handed the CD back to the girl, who had taken an interest in my boyfriend's appearance. She thanked me and asked Kyle shyly if he would take our picture. Once the girl had gotten a picture, as well as a signature and a picture with Kyle, she moved on to meet Ross.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as Kyle led me away from the dissipating crowd.

"Well, you said you had a radio show here, so I wanted to come pick you up and see if you wanted lunch," Kyle answered as we found our way back to my van.

"Will you think I'm fat if I say yes even though I've already eaten?"

"I'm appalled," Kyle gasped dramatically, raising a hand to his chest. "I could never think of you in any negative light!"

I giggled and rolled my eyes. Before we could say anything more, the rest of my band appeared, followed by my brother a few moments later.

"Alright y'all. We're gonna head back to the venue and then you can all scatter," Aiden said, unlocking the van doors.

Shane called shotgun loudly before jumping into the passenger seat. Ross pouted and begrudgingly climbed into the back after Adam. Aiden walked around the front of the van towards the driver's side.

"Actually," Kyle spoke up. "I'll be stealing Avery away from you."

"Alright then," Aiden said with a nod as he climbed into the driver's seat. "Just make sure you're back for van call. We've got an early signing tomorrow."

I nodded and Aiden flashed a short smile. The van roared to life as Aiden turned the key in the ignition, and pulled out into the street quickly. Once the van had turned the corner and was out of sight, Kyle turned to me.

"Taco Bell?" he asked.

"Taco Bell," I agreed.

;;

"Guys! We're back!" Kyle shouted as we walked into the bus hours later.

"You're just in time!"

The front lounge was empty until Marc walked in. Kyle's step-brother was followed by Caleb and CiCi, the band's merch guy.

"What are we just in time for?" I asked, plopping down on the couch closest to the door.

"Movie marathon," CiCi answered, taking the seat across from me.

CiCi fit in well with the boys in the aspect of height. Even when we were sitting down I had to tilt my head up to look him in the eyes. His curly brown locks were a mess, as usual, and a pair of white Ray Bans were perched on top of his head.

"CiCi, do you ever take those off?" I asked, pointing briefly at the sunglasses.

He shook his head, but before he could give me a vocal response, Caleb's hips had obstructed my view. The tall read head didn't even have to reach up to put the DVD in the player up in the ceiling corner.

"Alright, lovebirds," Marc said, sitting down next to CiCi. He had taken to referring to Kyle and me as one unit. "This isn't a movie theater so don't think you can make out the entire time."

To spite his brother, Kyle quickly leaned down and connected his lips to mine. Protest broke out from the guys and Kyle broke the kiss to chuckle. He gave me one more, chaste kiss and then sat down beside me. Caleb pressed play and then took the spot next to Marc.

"Really? Transformers again?"

;;

After the third movie, I could feel my eyes starting droop. I leaned into Kyle who put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me even closer. The rest of the band ad crew had joined us after Transformers. Robi had retired to his bunk promptly at ten-thirty, and Austin had retreated to the back lounge to talk to his girlfriend, Ashley, hours ago.

"Kyle?" I asked with a yawn.

"Hmm?"

"Remind me to call the guys before this movie's over. I have to tell them I'll be a little late for van call."

"Hmm."

I was too tired to notice that Kyle was too tired to understand what I was saying. Our afternoon out had been a bit more tiring than we wanted it to be. Sitting in the comfort of each other's company was obviously making our fatigue worse.

As the fifth movie played, everyone had started to trickle to bed and I started to drift off to sleep. When I woke up, the sky had noticeably darkened and I was lying on the couch next to Kyle. I glanced nervously at the digital clock next to the door to the bunks. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning. Kyle stirred next to me as I attempted to escape from his iron grip. Aiden was going to kill me. I hadn't talked to any of my boys since the radio show.

Kyle mumbled sleepily as I slipped clumsily out of his grasp. I turned slowly towards the exit, trying to escape as quickly as possible.

"Avery?"

I let out a breath I had been holding in and turned back to face Kyle guiltily. His tired eyes were as blue as ever. They looked at me longingly as Kyle's hand reached out to grasp my wrist lightly.

"Stay," Kyle whispered, pleading with his eyes.

Reluctantly, I nodded. Kyle smiled sleepily and stood from the couch, still holding my wrist. He led me into the bunk area where Caleb, Jonathan, Kent, Marc, Robi, and CiCi were already sleeping. Kyle slept in one of the bottom bunks, so it was a bit awkward as I climbed into it. Kyle's sheets were blue and rumpled. I giggled quietly as I noticed the small Transformers poster that hung on the wall.

Kyle climbed in a bit more gracefully than I had, and immediately snuggled up to me. We lay on our sides, facing each other. Kyle wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into his chest. He tangled his legs with mine and kissed my head lightly. My arms were pressed between our chests.

A blissful silence was shared between us for a few moments. Kyle was inches from sleep. His breathing was shallow and his heartbeat was slow and steady against my hand. I was completely relaxed and completely happy. However, Kyle's next words shattered all of my contentment.

"I love you, Ave."

I didn't speak for a moment. I needed time to process, to think about what I was feeling.

Did I care about Kyle? Of course I did. I cared about him a lot, but did I love him? I had only known him for a few months. Everything between us had happened so fast and now he was springing the 'l' word. So, did I love him? No. Could I love him? Yes, in time.

I had only been in love with one person, and he ended up being a lot different than I thought he was. I had brought down my walls for Kyle, but the last one would have to take some time to crumble. I had been hurt, like every other girl on the planet, and it had affected me more than I would have liked. Loving someone again was a big step, one that I wasn't quite ready to take.

After analyzing all of this in my head, I still had no idea how to handle Kyle's statement.

"What?" I managed to spit out.

Kyle had apparently started to fall asleep again and at my words, his eyes open quickly.

"Not the response I was expecting," he said, breaking our embrace to lean his shoulders against the back of the bunk. "Although, I wasn't planning on saying that out loud."

"Kyle, I-" but no words were forming.

"Can I explain something to you without you interrupting me?" Kyle asked, turning his head to look at me.

"I think I'm in too much shock to say anything anyway."

Kyle cracked a smile and dove into his explanation. "I didn't mean to say that out loud, but I did mean that I love you. Please don't freak out. I couldn't take that. I know that you don't love me yet, you're too sensible for that, and I'm fine with that. I want you to know that there is no pressure on you to say it back. If you want, we can forget this conversation ever happened. Just please don't leave because of what I said."

I'm too sensible for that. Kyle's statement made me realize that while I was him, I was a bit less sensible. I had a moment of self clarity and came to a choice. I could handle this the way I normally would, sensibly, or I could bolt. In my heart I knew that I didn't want to leave Kyle, so I handled it sensibly.

"Alright, Kyle. Let's just slow down from now on, okay?"

Kyle nodded, his eyes on his twiddling fingers. I made myself comfortable again and fell asleep as Kyle sat up, thinking.