Stealer of Hearts

"So, shall we go?" Billy stood up and offered his hand to me. I took it and we both started walking towards the door until he stopped. "Oh here, let's cover that mess up." He started to take his jacket off and placed it around me but I moved back a little.

"No-no, it's okay." I tangled both of my hands together and gave him a shy smile. "Why don't you wear it?"

He shook his head and laughed. "Just take the jacket - I'm not gonna give up. You're a lady and you've got icky brown messes on your shirt, we should at least cover that up." He shrugged. "And besides, it's a cold morning."

"What about you?" I asked. "Won't you get cold?"

"Nah, I can take it."

"Are you sure --"

"Yes; just take it already. I won't give up." He placed the jacket around my shoulder and I had no choice but to accept it.

Strangely enough, I felt my face grow hot as I properly slipped it on. It was kind of like the jacket of a suite, only more with a material used for daily wear. It was quite warm and comfortable.

We walked out the door and down the street towards where the parking lot was - supposedly, we were going to his car to get to the mall. Now that I think about it, it's kind of crazy. I'm going to go 'hang out' with a man that I don't even know, get into a car with him, and go to the mall - if that's even where we're going. And I'm out wearing another man's jacket - if you can figure out what that may do.

Just then, my cell phone rang as Billy opened the door for me. He got in on the driver's side as I answered the phone. "Yesh Ayden?"

"Where are you?" he asked and I looked at the time. It was exactly nine in the morning - around the time that he would usually get up. Billy still haven't started the car; he was staring at me and signaled that he'll wait until I'm done with the phone.

"Uhm, I'm out," I answered.

"By yourself?."

"No; I'm with a friend."

"Alright, well, come back soon. Zacky's dying to see you," he exaggerated.

I rolled my eyes. "That's hard to believe," I muttered to myself and Billy shot me a weird look. "Alright, I'll try." I hung up on him and rolled my eyes - I don't really know why I feel so irritated at the moment.

"Who was that?" Billy asked and I shook it off.

"My friend, Ayden." He nodded and started to car, driving towards the direction that the mall was in. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. He turned on the stereo and played a cd. "What band is this?" I asked him.

I looked at him and he seemed to smile to himself. "Good Charlotte."

I nodded. "Wow, they sound really great."

"You've never heard of them?"

"Not really - well, I haven't heard of their stuff but I have heard of their name a few times from Jackie and the guys," I explained and I saw him nod, a sort-of-surprised look on his face. A few minutes passed in silence as we both listened to this Good Charlotte band, until a song came up and I broke the silence abruptly, causing him to jump a bit.

"That's Matt!" I pointed at the stereo system with a huge open grin. I felt completely excited.

He chuckled. "You don't know of Good Charlotte but yet you know the real name of one of the guests."

"Yeah . . .sure." I looked around shiftily. "I never knew he went in to record something knew."

"What do you mean you didn't know?"

"Uhm, funny thing." I forced out a laugh. "I may know the guy." I smiled and said innocently, "And be on tour with them."

"Wait, wait, wait; what?" he asked. "Do you work as a merch girl, or what?"

"No," I answered and stayed quiet, expecting him to already know the other reason why I'm on tour with them.

"Then what?"

"If I'm not a merch girl, then I must be in a band."

♥ - ♥ - ♥

Billy and I walked around the mall, laughing. "So, you're in a band and you're on tour with Avenged Sevenfold?" he asked and I nodded. "What's your band's name and what do you play?"

"Our name is Tuesday Morning and I sing and play bass."

"Oh cool; I'm in a band too," he said and I gasped.

"Really?"

He chuckled. "Yeah."

"What's the band name?"

"Good Charlotte." I gasped again and pointed at him.

"How do I know if you're lying to me, hm?"

"Go ahead - go look for a poster and you'll see me with them."

"Oh." I looked down. "You seemed to have played it off cool in the car."

He laughed. "Yeah; I'm sorry about that."

"Where can I get that cd?" I asked.

He laughed. "That's just a demo of the new record; it's yet to be dated to be in stores."

"Aw," I said, a little disappointed. "Well, what do you play?"

"Guitar."

"Cool." I looked into the windows of the stores that we passed by. "So tell me more about yourself."

"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked, and turned into the store.

I followed him and shrugged. "I don't know - maybe where you're from?" I felt like a little lost puppy; following hot behind his trail like I was desperate not to lose him - always trying to keep up a conversation.

"I'm from Maryland," he answered, picking up some cologne and taking a whiff as I stood there, kind of off to the side and oblivious to my surroundings. "Where are you from?" He made eye contact with me.

"I'm from here," I answered, leaning against the counter as he looked through some more things.

"Now, a quick question - since it's my turn anyways." He placed down the bottle that he was holding and leaned against the counter too, holding the conversation with me more personally. "Taken or single?" he asked as simply as you can.

"I'm taken," I answered. I felt disappointment grow in me though; disappointed that he brought up the subject and brought me back to the thought that I did, in fact, have a boyfriend. "What about you?"

"Single." He led us out and into Pacific Sunwear - a store that sold shirts identical to the one that I had on. "Now, if I'm not mistaken-" He walked over to the lady's section and let me roam, following me behind. "If you have a boyfriend, then why does it seem like you're flirting with me?" He smirked and I felt my face grow red hot in embarrassment.

I pretended to turn around and look through a rack of shirts, shrugging. "Am I? You tell me; I wouldn't know the difference from flirting and getting to know a friend," I lied and continued to look through more shirts as I heard him chuckle.

I can just feel him standing there, smirking and here I am, being taken over by guilt. I felt guilty for being a flirt without really thinking about it; I felt guilty for finding that I have a slight infatuation with some guy that I don't even know for a full two hours, when I have a boyfriend back at the buses; and I felt guilty for even forgetting about him.

What kind of a person am I?

"Don't worry, this will only be between us." He chuckled and I laughed along nervously. "So, who's the lucky guy?"

I pulled out a random shirt off of its hanger and held it up against my body, turning back around to Billy. "How's this shirt?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He shook his head. "I'm sure there's something better than that." He searched through the rack and pulled another shirt out. "Like this." He handed it to me and I observed it. "You never answered my question; who's the lucky man?" he asked as we walked towards the cash register.

"His name is Zachary," I answered him nonchalantly and he nodded. We got to the front of the line and he immediately pulled out his wallet and paid for my things in seconds. "Billy, you don't have to do that," I said and took the bag from him. While picking things out, I had completely forgotten that he was going to pay for them. If I knew, I wouldn't have gotten so many.

"No, I told you, I want to --" He was cut off by a beeping that came from the inside of my bag. A vibration came soon afterward and I pulled my cell phone out to find that I had a new text message.

From : Zacky Baker
Subject : Where are you? Come back; I have something for you :)

I looked up at Billy to see him smiling down at me. "Boyfriend?" he asked and I nodded.

"I have to get back."

"I'll give you a ride. Where are you guys located?"

"Oh, just drop me off back at Starbucks," I said and he nodded.

The drive there was once again, filled with talking and listening to more of the demo of Good Charlotte's new record. He made a stop in front of Starbucks and I got out.

"Thanks for the ride and the things Billy." I thanked him but he waved it off.

"It was my pleasure. I'll see you around sometime soon?" I nodded. "Hey, maybe our bands will go on tour together." He laughed and I laughed along.

"Sounds brilliant. See you around." I got out, closed the door, and walked back to the bus area that wasn't far away. After walking for about fifteen minutes or so, the parking lot came into view and the back part of it was empty and filled with two large buses. Matt and Brian sat outside of their bus on lounge chairs, each of them had a can of beer in their hands.

"You're back!" Brian shouted with an arm extended in the air.

"Whatcha got?" Matt asked, stretching out his arm for the bag.

I chucked it at him. "Just return it back on my bus. Where's Zacky?" I asked, looking around.

"He's in the back room," Brian answered, watching Matt dig through my bag but then looking back at me with a huge grin on his face. "You'll love his gift."

"Oh really?" I questioned and he nodded his head, going back to staring at Matt as he pulled out my belongings. Avenged Sevenfold's bus door was open and I walked on. It was empty so I checked the back part of the bus like where Brian said he would be and sure enough, there Zacky was, typing away on his laptop.

Zacky looked up when he heard my footsteps and I saw the small smile on the corner of his lips expand into a grin. He laid his laptop aside and got up, meeting me halfway across the room. "Where were you?" he asked, laying his soft lips upon mines.

"I went to the mall with a new friend."

"What'd you get?"

"Some clothes - Matt has them outside." I rolled my eyes and he wrapped his arm around my waist, guiding me over to the sofa.

"Well, anyways-" He sat down and took my hand in his. "I went out the past few days and got you something; to show you how much I love you and how much you mean to me." He looked down shyly and reached to the small bag that sat besides his laptop. I gave him a small smile as he looked back at me one last time before fully grabbing the bag.

I felt my heart flutter in nervousness the closer his hand got to that small, box-like plastic bag.