French Vanilla

"Tooommmmmmyyyyy!" I whined in the passenger seat of his car. "Where are we gooooooing?"

He chuckled a bit. "I see the coffeh 'as finalleh settled in all the way. We're juss goin' to a camera store befo' the show tonight. I need teh pick up a custom lens."

"A camera store!" I grinned, looking out the window as he parked.

"Yea, don't go breakin' anyfin."

I walked through the door and gallivanted throughout the store. "Tom! Oh! Look at this! Oh! Look at this too! Tom! Isn't this cool?" He laughed, watching me touch everything that I could possibly lay my hands on.

"Are yeh five?" He mused.

I pouted up at him and mocked his British accent. "Are yeh five?" I mimicked. He rolled his eyes and strolled over to the person at the counter.

"'Ello there Scott. I'm 'ere teh pick up my lens." I skipped over to the both of them and leaned my head on Tom's shoulder.

"'Ello Tommeh. I see yeh brought a bird wiff yeh today. Is she a photography lovah too?"

I nodded, speaking up for myself. "Absolutely. Especially Tom's. He's fantastic." I looked up to him to meet the smile on his face.

"Aw, Tommeh, it seems yeh got a fan! His photography is nuffin wifout meh lenses o' course. I'll go get yeh new one."

Tom nodded as Scott went into the back room. "I've known Scotteh for years. 'E was the one teh put my first camera in my 'ands, and I've been addicted evah since."

I smiled, my eye being caught by a Nikon camera. I padded over to it and touched it as gently as I would touch a newborn. I picked it up and turned it on, placing the lens against my eye. Looking up at Tom, he smiled and I snapped a few shots of him. "You're the one that should be a model, Tom-Tom."

"I model some of Olleh's clothes when 'e needs a guy. The band does it too. I prefer takin' the photos though."

"Nah, you should let the camera see your pretty face more often." I smiled and put the camera down when Scott came back.

"'Ere yeh go, Tommeh. See yeh 'round again sometime. Bye lass." He handed Tom the lens and waved to both of us as we walked out of the store.

Tom opened the door for me and let me slide in. "Why thank you, kind gentlemen."

He smiled and got into the driver's seat. "No problem, m'lady." He turned the car on and pulled it out onto the road.

"I can totally get used to Englishmen. They are quite proper."

"Nah, not always. A lot of us are propa arses actualleh."

"Oh yea? Why's that?"

"'Cause birds are bloody annoyin'!" He grinned and pulled into a back parking lot at a venue.

"Hey! Rude!"

"Not yeh though," he sympathized. "Yeh are quite brill." He looked at me and smiled. Silence filled the car as we stared at each other, much like we did at the beach a few days back. Both our faces grew to a light shade of pink as we studied the other. He coughed and broke his eyes from mine, stepping out of the car. "Come on. Olleh is probableh wonderin' where we are." He grabbed his lens and twisted it onto the camera before dropping the camera string around his neck.

I nodded and stepped out of the car, following him to the back door. He fished into his pocket for a pass and flashed the guard. The guard let us both through and I followed Tom down the dark hallways. Other than Vans Warped Tour with Tom, I haven't ever been backstage, and backstage at Warped Tour is completely different than actual venues.

Tom opened a dressing room door to reveal the band sitting inside. "Oi! 'Bout time yeh got 'ere Tommeh. We go on in five minutes!"

"Sorreh Olleh. I 'ad teh pick up meh new lens." Tom flashed his new lens to the band.

I peaked around Tom's back. "Oi! The American bird is 'ere!" Matty Nicholls laughed, hugging me.

"Do yeh know 'er name yet Tommeh, or are yeh juss tryin' fo' free coffeh?" Jona joked, shoving him playfully.

"Her name is Skylah," Tom spoke, smiling.

"Skylah," Vegan repeated as if deep in thought. Lee waved behind him and I smiled back at the boys.

"Yeh, the bird is stayin' at our 'ouse righ' now. She juss showed up at the door wiff her luggage." Oli joked around. "Alrigh', who's readeh fo' a show?" Oli asked. They all whooped and hollered and heading onto the stage grabbing their various instruments.

Tom and I made our way to the back of the stage. He held his camera firmly, studying the crowd. "Nice crowd tonigh'," he commented. "They band is goin' teh go bloody mental."

The band began with one of their classics, Chelsea Smile. Tom picked up his camera and snapped away at the band. I watched him in awe. He was truly an artist with his camera. A different person almost.

Tom looked up to me after they finished a few songs. "If yeh keep starin', I'm goin' teh take pictahs of yeh instead."

"Your brother took care of that this morning at the photo shoot."

"Alright, yeh smart arse," he grinned and placed his camera back to his eye and snapped a few photos of me.

I stuck my tongue out to Tom just as Visions began playing. "What're we doing tomorrow?"

"What?" He yelled over the loud music.

I took a few steps closer to him. "What're we doing tomorrow?"

"What? I can't 'ear yeh!" He yelled back.

I leaned into him and reached up onto my tiptoes. "What are the plans for tomorrow?" I stumbled a bit on my tiptoes.

Tom's arms wrapped around my waist, holding me closer to him. His lips graced my ears gently as he half whispered and half yelled into them. "Yeh wanna go out?" I nodded, my mind fully focusing on his hands around my waist. He intoxicated me, and it probably wasn't good. "Like a d-date?"

I never knew the effect a word can do to the body. As the last word left his lips, my body shivered, my mind went blank, my heart fluttered...

"Nevahmind," he muttered, his hand slipping on my waist, letting me stagger back a bit.

"No!" I grabbed his hand and pressed it to my waist. "I want to go with you," I spoke, leaning into his ear again.

His faced morphed from taken back to happy. He leaned down, his lips gracing my ears again."I'd like tha' a lot."

We stood like that, our bodies close together with our mouths at the other's ear, waiting for words to be spoken. My fingers laced around the lanyard on his neck holding the camera and I started pulling it over his head.

"Wha' are yeh doin'?" He asked into my ear, clutching the rope tightly.

"Lemme see! Please Tom-Tom!"

He audibly sighed and let me take the string from his neck and place it over my head. "Alrigh', but if yeh break it, yeh sleepin' out on the streets tonigh'!"

I rolled my eyes and snuck over behind Matty, clicking away at the camera. He grinned when he saw me and I took a few more, then moved on to Vegan. I clicked away as he stuck his tongue out at me, playing his bass. Next I moved around to the other side of the stage where I clicked my camera away at Oli who was screaming his heart out. Jona was quickly finished next. Last but not least, I moved into a position where I could see Lee. He was always a different person when he played, but when he saw me clicking at him, he smiled with a light blush caressing his cheek. Instead of playing all out and dancing around, he stood there looking quite embarrassed about me being present.

The set finished and I scurried my way back to Tom who looked more than happy to have the camera around his neck again. "Yeh went crazy wiff meh camera," he laughed.

I grinned childishly, "well I couldn't help it!"

Oli came off stage first and I ran into his arms. "I love you guys! You has an amazing set!" He thanked me and I jumped off attacking Matty, Vegan and Jona into a group hug.

"Yeh so silleh!" Matty cooed.

"Nuh uh!"

Lee came off last and I ran into his arms. He hesitantly wrapped around my waist. "You were so great Lee!"

"Fanks," he mumbled, smiling.

Oli yawned, stretching his lengthy arms into the air. "I'm bloodeh tired as 'ell. Time teh 'ead 'ome, yeh?"

We went back into the dressing room so the band could collect their belongings. We all ushered into the parking lot and waved goodbye to most of the band.

"God I'm so hyper!" I screamed into the parking lot.

Oli chuckled as he leaned against the side of his car. I smirked and ran, jumping onto the hood, then onto the roof of his car. "I'm on top of the world!" I screamed again, spinning in circles.

"Tommeh, yeh bird 'ere is flippin' mental."

"Yeh flippin' mental!" I yelled back in a fake euro accent causing both him and Tom to laugh. I bent my knees and jumped onto Oli's back, causing him to stumble forward a bit.

"What the 'ell yeh crazy bat!"

"That's batman to you! NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA!"

Oli gave Tom an incredulous look and Tom just shrugged. "I dealt wiff her nonsense all day! Yeh can deal wiff 'er!"

"Deal with me!" I whined, slumping. "Poo on you Tom! Now I'm upset!" I wriggled down from Oli's back and pouted.

"Don't be upset, Skylah." Tom ushered.

I shook my head. "No! You're a meany face! Oli, can I sleep in your room tonight?"

Oli looked up questionably to Tom. Tom met his eyes and somehow they had an entire conversation with one glance. I guess that's something that brothers do. "Sorreh love. Yeh stuck wiff Tommeh."

Tom came over and grabbed my hand. "I'm sorreh love. Mean it. I like dealin' wiff yeh. Actualleh. I don't deal wiff yeh. I like bein' wiff yeh, silleh antics and all. Yeh so perfect and silleh and I love everyfing about it."

I smiled and gripped his hand tighter. "Alrighty, Tom-Tom. I forgive you."

"Fank god," he grinned. We waved goodbye to Oli and slipped into Tom's car. "Good fing yeh did, 'cause I got some corny shi' planned fo' our day tomorrah."

Our date. I almost forgot. My cheeks flushed slightly at the thought of being with Tom in any other way than a friendship. "Can't wait," I replied, smiling out the window and watching the gravel travel by.