Rescue Me

Faren sat on her balcony and watched as the smoke from her cigarette floated upward. She heard a door open and quickly went to put out her cigarette but visibly relaxed when she saw who it was.

“Long time no see mate, yeah,” Faren called over to the boy who lived in the apartment next to hers.

Dan gave her a small smile as he climbed across the fire escape so he could join her.

“Yeah, I’ve been…busy,” He replied as he sat down next to her.

“Is that code for you’ve been bawling your eyes out over Blythe?” Faren asked and then continued when she saw Dan looking at her curiously. “What? Josh’s been telling be about how you’ve been acting like a depressed bloke these past few weeks.”

“I have not been depressed. I haven’t been crying either.”

Faren rolled her eyes as she took another drag on her cigarette. “Whatever you say, Daniel. Personally, I think you’re much better off without her.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Your cousin said the same thing.”

“What can I say? We Franceschis are geniuses.”

Dan snorted at Faren’s remark. “So why didn’t you like Blythe?”

“Is it too early in the break-up process for me to say I thought she was an unintelligent and easy twat?”

Dan nodded.

Faren sighed and then said, “Fine, then she was a fugly slut.”

“Watching Mean Girls again, Ren?” Dan laughed.

“I need to be prepared for American culture when I go over there. What better way than to watch Mean Girls a thousand times?”

“So you still haven’t changed your mind about going to America?”

“No, I’m still leaving at the end of the summer. I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life even though I’ve spent the past four years at University. I hoping that I’ll figure out what I want to do by getting my Master’s in America. Even if it doesn’t work I’ll be getting a 2 year vacation in America.”

“I still can’t believe you’re moving away from England for two years.”

“There’s really nothing to make me stay here. I mean, yeah, Josh and I are close but You Me At Six is really starting to take off so you guys will be touring a lot. I’d rather not be in the apartment by myself without you or Josh to keep me company.”

“America has no idea what it’s in for once you arrive.”

Faren pretended to be offended. “What do you mean by that, Mr. Flint?”

Dan shook his head and laughed as he looked at the girl sitting in front of him. She definitely had the Franceschi looks with her dark hair, blue eyes, and pale skin that she liked to play up by wearing bright, red lipstick. She also had the Franceschi personality.

“Well you look like a nice, proper English girl but then you open your mouth and everyone realizes that you curse like a sailor.”

“I do not curse like a sailor, you fucking arse,” Faren smirked. “Anyway, screw being proper. I’ll leave that shit to Elissa. Josh always thought of me as the brother he never had so I’m sure he’d be disappointed if I decided to start acting ladylike all of a sudden.

“Well speak of the devil,” Dan said as they heard a door slam from Faren and Josh’s apartment.

“Bloody hell!” Faren scrambled to put out her cigarette before throwing it over to Dan’s balcony.

“What was that for?” Dan yelled.

Faren put her hand over Dan’s mouth. “Shhh! Josh hates it when I smoke and he thinks that I’ve quit. If he finds out that I’m still smoking he’ll be pissed. That’s why I threw my cigarette over there. Believe me, it’s not like I wanted to waste it.”

Dan shook his head, “You never cease to amaze me, Ren.”

“Why thank you.”

The door leading to the balcony slid open and Josh stuck his head out. “Hey, Dan. Ren. The rest of the guys and I are getting ready to hit the bars tonight. Wanna come?”

Dan shook his head but Faren quickly interjected. “I don’t feel like going out and getting plastered tonight but Dan will go.”

“Actually I don’t want to go either.”

“No, he’s going.”

Dan glared at Faren. “I said I didn’t want to go.”

Faren sighed. “Dan, you need to get your mind off Blythe. There’s no better way to do that than to go out, get hammered, and shag some pretty girl that you’ll never see again. You need a rebound fuck.”

Josh cut in, “Ren’s right. You need to get laid, badly. We’re leaving in 30 minutes.”

Josh then turned around and walked back into the apartment.

Faren was about to light up another cigarette but Dan pulled it out of her mouth.

“What was that for?!” Faren exclaimed.

“Why did you just tell Josh that I’d go out with him and the guys tonight?”

“Dan, they’re your friends. We all just want to help you get over Blythe. Like I said, a night at the bar will help you forget. I’m just trying to help.”

Dan sighed. “Fine, I’ll go.”

“Good, now give me my ciggy back before I push you off this balcony.”



“Bollocks,” Faren cursed as she searched through the early morning darkness for her ringing phone.

“Hello?” She snapped.

“Ren? Do you think you could come over?” Dan asked from the other side of the phone.

Faren wanted to say no but there was a hint of desperation in Dan’s voice that she couldn’t say no to.

“Bloody hell, Daniel. Yeah, I’ll be over.”

Faren then hung up her phone and threw on a sweatshirt over her pajamas. She listened for snores coming from Josh’s room to make sure he was asleep and then ventured out into the living room. She was about to go out the front door but figured Josh would hear that so she went out the balcony door and climbed over the fire escape to get to Dan’s balcony. She walked up to his door and began knocking on it since it was locked. Dan didn’t come to the door after a few seconds and Faren was becoming impatient.

“Open this bloody door, Dan, before I change my mind and go back to bed,” Faren called out.

Dan quickly opened the door and let Faren in.

“Why’d you use the balcony?” Dan asked.

Faren just glared at him. “So my cousin wouldn’t see me, you proper idiot. Now what’s so important that you needed me to come over at 4 in the morning?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“You couldn’t sleep?! Are you mental? You called me over because you couldn’t sleep?! Drink some tea or something, yeah. I can’t believe you called me because you couldn’t sleep,” Faren ranted.

Dan slowly sat down on his bed. “It’s more than that, Ren. I just…it’s just…”

Faren sat down by Dan on the bed and wrapped her arms around him. She stayed silent and waited for him to continue.

“I tried to pick up some girl at the bar tonight but I couldn’t. When I got in there I just felt this hatred for everyone. I’ve never felt like that before but I hated them. I hated them for being happy when I’m miserable. Then I came back here and tried to sleep but I couldn’t. Every time I close my eyes I see her face and I feel as if I’m drowning or something; I can’t breathe.”

“How did you guys break up?” Faren softly asked. “Josh told me that you and Blythe broke up but he didn’t say how.”

Dan sighed. “She cheated on me. I’ve been in love with Blythe since high school but she was always dating some other bloke. Well he began cheating on her and she’d always come crying to me about it. Eventually she broke it off with him and we began dating. I thought things were great but she ended up going back to him. She didn’t let me know that of course so I thought we were still together. She cheated on me with the guy who cheated on her.”

“I’m so sorry, Dan. That’s messed up,” Faren said as she looked up at Dan.

Dan and Faren sat there for a few seconds until their faces begin to inch closer together. They didn’t know who made the initial move but neither one of them stopped, and soon their lips met. Things progressed quickly from there until soon both of their close lay on the ground. In the back of both of their minds they knew they shouldn’t be doing this. Going this far would change their friendship. They didn’t stop though.

Afterwards Dan and Faren just laid there under the covers holding each other and talking. Eventually Dan fell asleep but Faren stayed up wondering what she had just done. She and Dan were best friends but deep down Faren had always been in love with Dan. By sleeping with him she had just become his rebound.

Faren blinked back her tears because she refused to cry over this, especially in Dan’s apartment. She glanced at the clock and figured she better make her way back to her apartment before Josh woke up.

Faren got up and began to gather up her clothes.

“Bloody hell,” Faren cried out as she looked around the room desperately for her shirt.

“Ren? What are you doing?” Dan asked as he sat up in bed and Faren silently cursed to herself because she was hoping to leave before Dan noticed.

“I…ummm…I’m looking for my clothes but I can’t seem to find my shirt.”

“I never took you for a girl that leaves without even saying goodbye,”

Faren sighed. “You should be thanking me because I am totally saving your arse right now. If Josh found out what went on last night he’d chop off your testicles. I would say he’d kill you but the band’s too important to him so he wouldn’t want to kill the drummer.”

“Yeah…umm…can we talk about last night before you go?” Dan asked as he got out of bed.

“Could you put some clothes on first?”

“Why? It’s not like you haven’t seen this before. In fact, you saw it just a couple hours ago,” Dan smirked.

“It’s just a little distracting having a conversation with someone who’s naked, regardless of whether I’ve slept with them or not.”

Dan put on some pants before walking over to Faren and cupping her cheek. “Listen Ren, I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did. I mean you’re…well quite frankly you’re great in bed but I shouldn’t have slept with you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Faren thought about how she didn’t want herself to get hurt either but she mustered a smile. “I’m a big girl Dan. I’ll be fine.”

Dan sighed in relief. “Good, because honestly talking to you really did help me. It’s nice having someone listen and I’d really like if you’d come over at night more often to help. I promise I won’t sleep with you again.”

“Yeah mate, I’ll come over again tonight and for however many nights you need. Now I have to go before Josh finds me missing,” Faren said as she leaned up to kiss Dan on the cheek before leaving.

Faren made it back over to her bedroom without waking Josh up. She crawled in bed since she’d barely gotten any sleep the night before. Sleep eventually overtook her but not before she could wonder what she had gotten herself into.

Dan’s promise was broken the very next night. Faren once again snuck over to Dan’s apartment after Josh was asleep. At first they did just sit and talk but they soon found themselves how they were the night before; naked and in bed together.

Dan and Faren’s arrangement continued for many weeks. They knew at least one of them was bound to get hurt but they didn’t stop. They wanted to prolong the hurt as long as possible.

Faren wanted to be more to Dan than just a friend with benefits. She wanted to be his girlfriend. He was still hung up on Blythe though and Faren was too scared to approach the subject of taking their relationship to the next level.

Dan wanted Faren to stay in England instead of going to America. He had feelings for her but didn’t want to hold her back. He knew going to America was the best for her education and career wise. Dan wanted to be the reason Faren stayed in England but was too scared to ask.

It was a Tuesday night a week before Faren was leaving when Dan and Faren’s arrangement ended. They both knew it would have to end eventually but they never imagined it would end how it did.

Faren and Dan were wrapped in his covers on the verge of sleep.

Dan snuggled closer to Faren and whispered, “I love you, Blythe.”

Faren stiffened and then hopped out of bed as she began to gather up her clothes.

Dan instantly knew he had messed up. “Shit Ren, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“You wish I was her,” Faren whispered as she tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall.

“No, I don’t. I swear I don’t. It was a Freudian slip or something.”

“You were obviously thinking about Blythe in the back of your mind for a Freudian slip to happen.”

Dan walked over to Faren and tried to hug her but she pulled away. “Renny, I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, I’m the one who hasn’t been thinking. I’ve been in love with you for years but I was content to just be friends with you. Then this opportunity just sort of happened and I thought maybe you could love me too. I forgot that the rebound girl is never the girl who the guy falls in love with. Once a rebound, always a rebound.”

“Ren, please…”

Faren interrupted Dan. “I’ve been trying to help you, Dan, I really have. I thought maybe I could rescue you. I’ve realized though that the only person who can save you is you. I can’t save you from yourself.”

“Renny, please don’t leave like this,” Dan pleaded.

“What’s done is done. We can’t go back and change it,” Faren said before slipping out the balcony door as she had done many nights before. This time though, they both knew she wouldn’t be back the next night.

If Faren had her way she wouldn’t have seen Dan again before she left for England. That didn’t happen though. Josh threw a going away party for Faren and Dan was of course invited. Dan tried his best that night to get Faren alone so he could talk to her and hopefully work things out but Faren avoided him.

The day after the party Faren looked around her now empty room. Everything she’d need for the next two years was packed in just a couple suitcases. She walked out of her bedroom and saw Josh waiting for her.

“Ready to go, Ren?” Josh asked.

Faren looked around her apartment one last time. “Yeah.”

The first few minutes of the car ride were quiet until Josh finally broke the silence. “You don’t have to go to America just to run away from your problems.”

“I’m not running away from any problems. I’m going to America to go to school.”

Josh sighed. “I know you are, at least that was a plan at the beginning of the summer. Now though I think you’re going to America to get away from Dan.”

Faren gave her cousin a surprised look and he just laughed. “Did you really think you could hide that fact that you were sleeping with one of my best mates? You’re not very good at being sneaky, Ren.”

“It doesn’t matter. We never really were anything and whatever we were is done now.”

Josh sighed. “Dan really does love you. He’s just scared after what happened with Blythe and the fact that you guys are such good friends. He doesn’t want to ruin that. Just give him time, Renny.”

Josh and Faren were at the airport by this point. Faren nodded and leaned over to kiss Josh on the cheek. “Well I guess this is goodbye. Call me if you guys tour in America and I’ll come, yeah.”

“I’ll call you at least once a week Ren. I’m going to miss you. Don’t forget about us.”

Faren smiled and shook her head. “I could never forget about you.”

“Don’t fall in love with America and refuse to move back to England.”

“That’s not going to happen. In two short years I’ll be back in England and being a pain in your arse again,” Faren laughed.

The cousins hugged one last time before Faren walked towards the gate where her plane was departing. Josh hoped she found whatever she was looking for in America. Faren hoped America helped her get over a certain boy.





Faren sat on her balcony and thought about how much she’d missed England. America was great but she’d missed England terribly. She’d also missed her English boys, especially a certain one even though she’d never admit it.

“I didn’t realize you were back yet,” a voice said from the balcony next to Faren’s.

She looked over and saw Dan climbing over the fire escape just like old times.

“I’ve been…busy,” Faren replied.

Dan sat down by Faren and smirked. “Is that code for you’ve been chain smoking and avoiding me?”

“I quit smoking,” Faren said and then continued when she saw Dan giving her a surprised look. “Americans are obsessed with getting people to quit smoking. There’s some sort of anti-smoking commercial every five minutes. How in the bloody hell am I supposed to smoke while being bombarded with that shit?”

Dan laughed, glad that America hadn’t changed Faren’s sense of humor. That was one of the things he loved most about her; the fact that she wasn’t afraid to say what was on her mind and to make a joke out of it.

“You know, with you awkwardly staring at me like that I kind of want to start smoking again,” Faren suddenly said.

“Sorry, you just…it’s just…you seem different somehow.”

Faren rolled her eyes. “Don’t start that ‘America changed you’ shit with me, Dan. Anyway you’re the one that has gone completely mental and bleached his hair.”

Dan chuckled and shook his head. “No, no, you haven’t changed really…you’re just different somehow. You seem more sure of yourself or something.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you finally figure out what you want to do with your life.”

“Yeah, Josh told me that you decided you want to be a psychiatrist.”

Faren nodded. “Yep. Looks like something good actually came out of what happened between us. By trying to help you I found what I want to do with my life.”

“Well that’s good,” Dan muttered. The pain of what happened between him and Faren two years ago still hurt him. He regretted it every day and hated how distant she was acting towards him now, but he couldn’t blame her.

A silence fell over them until Faren finally spoke up. “You Me at Six has gotten really good. I’m proud of you guys. I loved when you guys came to America. I was finally able to see you blokes perform.”

“I wish you would have stayed around to talk after you came to our one show.”

“I did stay around and talk.”

“Yeah, you talked to Josh, Max, Matt and Chris but acted as if I didn’t exist. You talked to everyone else except for me.”

Faren shrugged, obviously not sorry about ignoring Dan at the show she had come to in America. He wanted to be mad at her but knew she must be hurting still.

Dan’s anger did get the best of him though as he said, “Why are you acting like this towards me?”

Faren scoffed. “Josh told me you got back together with Blythe soon after I left.”

Dan finally understood what was truly bothering Faren and he hated himself for ever making the mistake of getting back together with his ex. “We didn’t stay together long.”

“Why? Did the twat cheat on you again?”

Dan shook his head. “No, I realized I was using her as a rebound.

Faren snorted before sarcastically saying, “I wasn’t enough of a rebound for you so you decided to use Blythe as a rebound from Blythe? Yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense.”

“I wasn’t using her as a rebound from herself. I was using her as a rebound from someone else. You see, I never truly loved Blythe. She was all wrong for me. I didn’t realize this though until another girl came into my life. This girl is amazing. She was one of my best friends yet my lover at the same time. She looks like a lady but acts like a dude,” Dan saw a hint of a smile on Faren’s face and decided that meant it was safe to continue. “This girl is absolutely gorgeous but of course I had to be an arse and mess it up. After she left it was like all the right things became the wrong thing. I was lost without her.”

“You were a pretty big arse,” Faren agreed.

Dan sighed. “You know when you said you couldn’t save me from myself? At first I didn’t understand but then suddenly it dawned on me. I had to fix myself and I’ve been working on that since you left. I’m almost fixed but I think I’ll need a little help finishing saving myself. Do you think you’d be willing to help rescue me?”

Faren nodded her head and smiled as she looked at Dan. “I think I’d be willing to rescue you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, on one condition…You have to be the one to tell Josh we’re dating.”