We'll Fall in Love After Midnight

I watched Austin's chest rise and fall as he slept. His bottom lip and jaw slightly bruised and swollen from the night before. I leaned over and kissed his jaw then his lips lightly, his eyes fluttering open as I did so. He smiled and kissed me back.

"Good morning," he said with the smile still visible.

"Good morning," I smiled back.

"Last night was just...wow," he chuckled. "I missed you, Mace. I missed you a lot."

"I missed you, too. I didn't expect any of that to happen last night." I rested my head on his chest.

Austin kissed the top of my head, "I honestly believe everything happens for a reason. I think we were meant to fuck each other over and get hurt, break up, and everything in between. We've both grown up a lot since we broke up the first time. We were meant to see each other last night for a reason."

I stared at the wall as he spoke before lifting my head to look at him, "I think you're right." I leaned in and kissed him again. "I thought about you almost everyday; I still loved you that whole time we were apart."

End Maci's POV

-

Mike's POV

Vic's vocals came into my ears while he recorded in the booth. I tapped the beat to the song on my thin legs, trying to keep my mind off of things. It had been four days since everything happened. Neither of us tried to contact each other, and it hurt.

"Mike...Mike!" Jaime yelled at me.

"Huh? What?" I asked confused, snapping from my thoughts.

"You alright? You look upset."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and rubbing my palms into my eyes, "I don't know, man. I'm just thinking about everything."

He sighed, "I think you overreacted, and said and did some things you shouldn't have."

I looked at him, "yeah, ya think? I slapped the only girl I've ever loved and called her a whore. I didn't even let myself believe her."

"Mike, you know I'm friends with everybody in this situation, and honestly they're different people now. She loves you too much to cheat on you and he's mature enough at this point to not do that to you," Jaime said.

"Fuck," I shook my head, my face returning to my palms, "I don't know anymore, Jaime. I love the girl to death, and I know she would take a bullet for me, but at the end of the day I feel like someone like Him could make her even more happy. Seeing her laughing like that was something I hadn't seen in so long. She's different around him. She has a million different shades of happiness, but that was one I hadn't seen in months."

Before Jaime could give me his input, I got up and walked outside to have a cigarette. The nicotine calmed my nerves. For the first time in so long, I started crying. Not just crying, full on breaking down on my knees. I leaned onto the pavement, slamming my fist into the blacktop. My body shook with emotion.

"Mike? Holy shit, are you okay?!" I heard my brother yell, running up to me.

"I lost her, Vic. I fucking lost her," I choked out.

"What?" Vic looked at me frightened.

"I know she's never coming back to me. I fucked up and didn't believe her for the last time."

"Why don't you go talk to her? I know you haven't," he said.

I sat up and coughed, rubbing my eyes, "maybe I will. Her apartments not that far from here, so I'll just walk. It'll give me time to clear my head."

-

Forty minutes later I was standing outside of her apartment door. I was scared to knock; scared that he might be there. My fist lightly tapped the door and waited. She came to the door quickly.

"Did you forget some-" She stopped when she saw me standing at the door. "Oh, what are you doing here?"

"Um, I was wondering if we could talk," I said, looking down at my feet.

"Yeah, I guess." She opened the door more for me to come in.

I walked in and noticed someone's Austin's clothes already scattered around the living room. Realizing he was here moments before me and seeing his stuff already in here verified that our time was over.

"So what'd you wanna talk about?" She looked at me as we sat on the couch.

I laughed to myself, "nothing. It's stupid really."

"Mike," she whispered.

I placed my hand on my shaky leg and looked at her upset, "have you ever broken down to the point where you were on the pavement crying because you realized everything was over?" She stared at me wide eyed. "Because I have. I've thought about so much shit in the last four days, and its broken my heart." I began crying again, which made me feel stupid.

She wrapped her arms around me, "Mike, I'm sorry. Please don't cry, please don't."

I wrapped my arms around her and cried into her chest. I felt like a big baby, but at the same time it made me feel better. I pulled away from her finally and took a deep breath. "Sorry about that," I said, wiping my eyes.

"It's fine," she said calmly.

"I'm guessing you two are back together already, which hurts a lot. I guess it's fine though," I said and looked away from her. "I've been in love with you for what seems like forever, the only girl I've ever thought about spending forever with. We've made it difficult from the get go, and I'm so sorry, Maci. I can tell you haven't been happy with me lately and I think that's why for the last few months I've just been so hurtful towards you. Then seeing you with him the other night, it hit me." She looked at me to go on. "Sure I've hated his guts for different reasons, but I know you two have always been there and most likely always will. As much as it breaks me apart to see you with someone else, at least I know you're happy and safe. I know he'd never hurt you again, and if he does," I chuckled, "I'm sure he knows I'll be coming for him."

She stared at me with big, water filled eyes and hugged me tightly, "I feel like you took the words from my mouth just in a different context. I love you Mike, and I always will." The tears began coming out hard, drowning her words, "it kills me to let you go, too. I know you'll find a better girl, and she won't have some other band guy baggage...but she'll never love you as much as I do."

I put my forehead to hers and we both laughed, "I love you so much, Maci Westfall. You're always going to be one of my best friends, even if it kills me."

Maci pressed her lips to mine, one last time. We stayed like that for a few moments as she kept her hands on my cheeks. It was comforting holding her one last time, and somehow.. I accepted our fate.