I Can Keep A Secret

I was slightly embarrassed that Vito had told Leia I talked about her, but at the same time greatful, I saw the look in her eyes. There was a glint of hope behind the flattery and embarrassment. Maybe should would assume that it was conversationally. I looked around as Warped techs started setting up our set. I sat around talking to a few girls and I noticed that Leia was interviewing a thirteen-year-old girl, who's parents had probably bought her the All-Access Pass, Jack was talking about twinkies and ho-hos, I didn't really want to know after the last girl had come up to me asking me to sign her shirt, I obliged and made my way over to her.

"Hey Leia," I said smiling. I smiled confidently at her and the girl she was interviewing started shaking with excitement, she turned to the camera and smiled.

"Apparently Alex Gaskarth from All Time Low has no etiquette for the camera, Danielle how long have you liked All TIme Low?" She asked smiling at the poke at me. I didn't blush I knew she joked around more when she grew comfortable with people, Danielle was now a cherry red and looked like she was resisting tackling me and hugging me with every fiber of her being.

"For like three years," She said smiling brightly at me, I was begining to get a little freaked out, I hope Leia realized what I was going through just to talk to her.

"Nice, alright well have fun the rest of the time at Warped Tour!" Leia summed up, Danielle stretched up and gave her a hug and leaned over to me eagerly. I decided to look like a good guy and give her the hug she was craving. I leaned down to accomidate to her short body. She didn't want to let go and Leia laughed boisterously at my expense. I patted her on the back and then finally slipped out, she let out a ragged, excited breath. I smiled at her and nodded as she ran off to join her thirteen year old friends and they screamed loudly. Cameron followed them and then noted he had stopped filming.

"Its a good thing you came to our set today," I smiled and she raised an eyebrow coiling the cord around her mic.

"Is it now?" She responded walking past me and up towards the stage. I nodded and followed her up, the stage was set up and the crowd was already pumping up. She stopped at an adequate stop, I leaned in to her ear and whispered,

"Just don't lose your breath." She looked really confused and I winked walking on stage. Girls cheered wildly. I used to be uncomfortable by girls cheering and people getting into it, now it fuels me. I smiled and we opened with Damned If I Do Ya, Damned If I Don't, after we played Jack smiled brightly over at me,

"What?" I asked into the microphone.

"Nothing, I just heard a little rumor today?" Jack looked brightly at me and stared at me.

"Yeah, I ran into Chuck Norris and he told me to tell you that your mom was easy," I said hoping he wasn't about to say to a crowd what I thought he was, everyone laughed and some girl screamed out 'I love you!"

"Alex loves everyone, especially this one girl he's stalking," Jack grinned, I pulled off my shoe and threw it at his head. Jack dodged it just in time.

"What can I say, I'm a romantic?" I said, spreading a smile across my face, girls began screaming and Jack laughed.

"A fucker and a lover," Jack continued I smiled.

"Speaking of lover," I interjected, "this is a song I wrote for a girl here today, she knows who she is." I looked over at Leia who was still laughing from Jack's antics. She noticed me looking at her and blushed, some girls who were standing around shot her dirty looks and I
scoffed.

I looked around and we began to play Walls,
"Hey there its good to see you again,
it never felt right calling this just friends,
I'm happy, if you're happy with yourself."

Leia was blushing and turned a bright red, Cameron began filming and moved to capture all of us. He shifted around us awkwardly and I laughed as I transitioned into the part that I really wanted her to hear,
"I used to wear you like a ball and chain
I'd run and hide at the call of my name
it was obvious, you were too much for me
oblivious, I was young and horny
in retrospect I'd do it again,
Stop talking shit to everyone of your friends
I'm not the same boy you knew back then."

Leia's face lit up when our eyes met again, she laughed when I sang 'young and horny' and nodded, she mouthed back at me, 'you were'. I shook my head and returned singing to the crowd, once I had finished to song we changed directly into Jasey Rae and when I looked up again I noticed she was gone along with Cameron. I was curious, did I make her uncomfortable? I thought it might have been too much too soon. If this had been a game of chest I didn't understand this move.

When the set was over we made our way through the crowd of fan girls and a couple of guys. I put on some big sunglasses and made my way into the open field of tents. I had on basketball shorts and a tank top on, I adjusted my slipped on vans. I walked quickly and wove through the masses of people. Finally I made my way to the brightly colored MTV tent, I saw a happy girl laughing to some typical frat boys who were crowding around her. The gleamed green in the sun and she seemed flattered.

I got nearer and tried to listen, she saw me and waved me over. I jogged slightly and waved to the guys who were grouping around her.

"Can we take a picture with you?" The asked one of them had "I love LEIA ARRRGHH" written on his sculpted abs. They all posed and asked a passing girl to take the picture,

"Oh my God! Alex Gaskarth!" She called lowering the camera before taking the picture, I jumped on the end of the line of guys and smiled trying not to ruin their picture moment. She snapped the picture and smiled at me, before handing it back to him. They thanked Leia and walked over, I saw that the MTV tip jar now had a lot more money and a couple of ripped pieces of paper with numbers scribbled on.

"Hey," I said trying to be quick due to the gathering of girls who tried to be innocuous and get my attention, Leia looked up and smiled.

"Hi," she smiled elated with her eyes creasing in the corner. She bit her lip lightly, something I had forgotten she did. It made me nostalgic for our old days, back when she was mine.

"How about that coffee?" I asked nodding over towards the girls indicating for her to answer quickly.

"Uh, alright," She said looking to Andy who nodded and said he would man the tent. She got up and held her laminate towards her chest to avoid it getting stuck on the table, I lead her from her back and we walked, rather quickly. I heard someone yell out Alex and I grabbed her hand and we started running, we passed the fence that only people bearing laminates could pass.

When we stopped out of breath, Leia was laughing so hard I feared she might pass out if she didn't breathe soon. She pulled her hair up in the heat and then bent over laughing. I looked around and only saw was a small diner on the other side of the street.

"Wanna go there?" I asked, she looked up following my finger and she nodded. I was still holding her hand, I smiled as she didn't take it back. We walked in and the hostess smiled asking if we wanted a booth or a table.

"Booth please," Leia requested and she dropped my hand, and I sat across from her, smirking.

"We are totally idiotic," She chuckled looking at her menu and looking up at me biting her lip, I tried to see if I was making her nervous, her smooth skin was gleaming in the sun and was looking strangely tan.

"What?" I asked, laughing trying to understand if she was joking or not, the smile on her voice answered my question.

"Why do we keep doing this to ourselves?" She said lowering her menu still covering her body. She thanked the waiter who gave us waters and ordered a cup of coffee and a muffin, I hadn't even looked at a menu entranced by her. I ordered the same thing to be inconspicuous.

"Because," I said shrugging she looked up expected more of an explanation, "when you find love, you grasp on to it with every fiber of your being." She seemed taken back by this answer and she laughed.

"That and we're two very attractive people attracted to each other," She joked disarming me, I have never had to work this hard to get a girl fall for mer. Usually girls began sweating when they saw me.

"You told me you loved me," I said trying to disarm her and I had succeeded, she choked on her words before sighing.

"Well, I also love Christmas and bunnies, but you don't see me going on dates with them," She retorted. I laughed shook my head, remembering how she had talked about bunnies when I had helped her stumbling on her bus.

"I love you in the way that I love, starry nights, cliffs above the beach," I said dropping in an allusion to our first night together, I lowered my voice to an intimate whisper, "rainy days on the beach." Leia's cheeks fired up and she laughed.

"That was awkward," She noted biting her lip as her mind took her back to that day, the day I had won her back and she gave herself to me totally.

"I liked it," I said smiling she laughed and hit me playfully. Her mind was turning, her eyes glazed over deep in thought, they looked amazingly bright and they finally turned to me.

"I like you," She said plainly.

"I want to date you," I stated in the same voice.

"No, we're not dating again," She shook her head.

"So, let me get this straight, we're both attracted to each other and we're not going to date?" I asked sarcastically, trying to piece it together she simply leaned over lustfully and grabbed my hand.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" She asked her eyes scanning my face. Maybe I was still a little bit of the person I used to be, but honestly a hook up wasn't the relationship I had imagined with Leia, but it was something and something was just the beginning.

We barely made it back to the All Time Low bus with our clothes on. Leia was ravenous and once we had gotten in the bus she pulled my tank top off and I laughed, lifting her up on my hips and carrying her into the back room, locking it behind us, our lips locked the entire way. She kissed me with the force of four years of repressed emotions. It was intense. I raised her shirt over her head and began kissing her neck, she began breathing heavier and held my face with her hands pulling her away from me.

"We can't tell anyone about this," She said looking me square in the eye, I suppose it was all the rumors about me talking about her, which were completely exaggerated, by the way.

"I can keep a secret," I smirked and she nodded holding herself back, she tucked some of my hair behind my ears, and her finger tips traced my neck. We looked into each other's eyes and I saw the same sad eyes, I saw in that cafe so many years ago. Maybe beneath it all, we were the same people, but we just adapted. She sent shivers down my spine and electricity through my veins with her touch. She kissed me lightly and I knew we were in trouble.