I Like Your Face

Daisy had lost her friends at Warped Tour. She was hot, dehydrated, annoyed, and her phone was dead. It was the worst possible situation.

She didn’t even know why she agreed to some along to Warped. Sure, All Time Low and We Are the In Crowd were both playing, but surely they weren’t worth all this heat and frustration. She honestly just wanted to go home.

Daisy navigated her was through hoards of people, her arms across her chest and a sulk on her face. The sun beat down on her in the most uncomfortable way, making everything ten times worse. She was never going to Warped Tour again.

Since she wasn’t looking, Daisy managed to walk straight into somebody walking in the opposite direction as her. She fell flat on her ass from the impact.

“Whoa, I’m sorry,” the person she walked into said. Daisy looked up to him. He was covered in tattoos, had long, dark hair, and was holding out a hand to help her up. Daisy took his hand and he pulled her up. “Are you okay?”

“I’d be better if annoying scene kids didn’t walk straight into me on their way to see their next pussy screamo band,” she snapped without really meaning it.

“Just coming back from playing with one, actually,” the guy answered coolly. “And I think we had equal participation in what just happened.” Daisy signed and let her arms fall away from her chest.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. It’s just been a long, hard day,” she said honestly.

“That’s Warped for you,” the guy chuckled. “But if it would make you feel better, you can talk to me about it.”

“I just lost my friends. They dragged me to this stupid festival in the first place and now I’m annoyed and alone,” Daisy explained.

“You’re not completely alone,” the guy pointed out. “I’m here.”

“I don’t even know your name,” Daisy said

“I don’t know yours, either.”

“I’m Daisy,” she said, smiling.

“Austin,” he said. They continued walking in the direction Austin was before.

“It’s nice to meet you, Austin,” Daisy said. “Where are we going?” She actually didn’t know if she was invited to tag along, but she decided to ask anyway since they were actually partaking in civil conversation.

“I was headed back to my band’s bus to change. You can come, if you want. Then I can help you look for you friends,” Austin suggested. Daisy smiled; Austin was a really nice guy.

“Sure,” she said. They walked without talking for a few moments until Austin broke the tension.

“So what brings you to Warped if you don’t like ‘pussy screamo bands?” he asked. Daisy felt her freckled cheeks grow hot.

“I’m sorry for that, by the way. I didn’t mean it,” she apologized. Austin laughed and she continued. “I got dragged her by my friends. I’m not really into Post-Hardcore, but I’m a big fan of Pop Punk and Pop Rock, like All Time Low and Man Overboard are playing and I like them.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Austin said, understanding. “All Time Low are pretty rad dudes. They play Main Stage with us.”

“Oh, Main Stage? Your band is a big deal then?” Daisy teased.

“No, not really,” Austin chuckled. “Just Of Mice and Men.”

“My friend likes you guys!” Daisy exclaimed. “She likes the ginger one a lot. I don’t know his name.”

“Alan,” Austin provided helpfully. “We’ll drag him along. Your friends with be surprised to see that.”

“Yeah,” Daisy mused. They were upcoming the band parking lot now. Austin has his pass out and ready, but Daisy didn’t have one. She panicked momentarily. “Austin, I don’ have a pass! I can’t go back there.”

“It’s fine, I’ll just say you’re with me,” Austin assured. Sure enough, when they arrived at the guarded gate, Austin told the guy that Daisy was a friend of his. He then took her past the face without a problem.

“So Austin, what do you play in your band?” Daisy asked, looking around to all the busses.

“I scream,” he said causally. Daisy practically stopped walking.

“Oh my God, you actually do that?” she asked.

“Yeah?” Austin asked tentatively.

“How?! Oh my God, I can’t even compute how a person makes those sounds,” she said, astounded.

“It’s not easy,” he laughed, then guided her over to a bus. “C’mon, this is the Of Mice and Men bus.”

Inside the bus was cool, obviously air conditioned. It was slightly messy, a few things lying around, but nothing too absurd seeing and a couple of guys lived in the bus. Austin took Daisy to the back lounge where three more guys were sitting. Two of them were playing video games and the other was on his phone.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Austin told Daisy. Before she had a chance to protest, he walked away, leaving Daisy to fend for herself. The boy on his phone, Alan, looked up.

“Who are you?” he asked curiously. One of the boys looked up from the video games.

“I didn’t think Austin was seeing anyone,” he said casually, pausing the game.

“Oh no, we,” Daisy sputtered awkwardly. “We just met. I’m Daisy.”

“In that case, hi, I’m Tino,” the guy got up and walked over to shake Daisy’s hand.

“I’m Phil,” the other guy who was playing video games introduced himself.

“I’m Alan,” the red haired boy said from the couch. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Daisy smiled.

“Why did Austin bring you back to the bus, Daisy?” Tino asked. “You don’t look over eighteen.”

Daisy blushed furiously. “N-no, it’s not that,” she laughed awkwardly. “I ran into him. I lost my friends; he’s going to help me look for them. And I’m twenty-two, but thank you. I think.”

“You guys aren’t making Daisy feel too awkward, I hope?” Austin said, emerging from the back of the bus.

“Not really,” Phil said. “Just thought you were a little more than friends.” Austin laughed, making Daisy blush again.

“Well, we have to go find her friends, so c’mon, Alan,” Austin said, turning away you talk off the bus. Alan followed him without question, but he had a confused look on his face.

“Bye Tino, Phil,” Daisy said before she left.

“Bye,” they called after her, fully engrossed in their video game again. Daisy caught up with Alan and Austin.

“Why do I have to come along?” Alan asked as they walked back though the parking lot.

“Daisy’s friend has a crush on you,” Austin said nonchalantly.

“Really?” Alan asked, looking at Daisy.

“Yeah, Noel talks about you the most out of Of Mice and Men,” Daisy said. Alan grinned happily.

“Does she like cats?” he asked. Daisy looked at him oddly.

“Yeah, she’s had them all her life. I’m more of a dog person, but he current cat is cute. His name is Rory,” Daisy explained regardless. The trio walked past the same security guard and walked back to where there were hoards of people. They continued talked only stopping when fans came up to greet Austin and Alan.

“Daisy!” someone yelled mid-fan encounter. The ginger haired girl looked up to see her friends, Noel in Quinn, coming toward her. Daisy greeted them happily, albeit a little annoyed.

“Where were you? We’ve been looked everywhere!” Quinn said, hugged her friend. Daisy hugged the dark haired girl back.

“You guys lost me!” Daisy defended. “But I found some guys to help me find you so it’s all right.”

“Oh really?” Noel asked suggestively. “And where are these guys?” Daisy looked over to where only and few fans of Of Mice and Men stood with Austin and Alan.

“Uh, there’s a little busy right now, but just wait,” Daisy smiled. Noel and Quinn looked confused, but they didn’t question it.

“You’ll never guess who’s number I got,” Quinn said excitedly. Daisy smiled.

“No, I never will. Tell me,” she said, going along with Noel’s excitement.

“Mike Fuentes’s!” she exclaimed. “We were talking after his set and he gave me his number and told me to test him later!” Daisy vaguely remembered the Pierce the Veil set. She clearly remembered Quinn talking about the tattooed, Mexican drummer. She was happy for her friend, but wrinkled her nose. Tattoos were not her thing.

“Sorry that took so long,” Austin said, walking back over to Daisy and her newfound friends with Alan. He looked at Noel and Quinn and smiled. “Are these your friends?”

“Daisy is that Alan and Austin from Of Mice and Men ot am I just imagining things?” Noel stage whispered to her friend.

“That’s actually them,” Daisy laughed. “Austin, Alan, this is Noel and Quinn.”

“I’ve heard great things,” Alan said to Noel, smiling at her. Noel shot a horrified look at Daisy, but the ginger haired girl only smiled back.

“Whatever she told you is a complete and utter lie,” Noel said quickly.

“Oh so you don’t like me more than Austin and you don’t have a cat names Rory? Because I really hoping you did,” Alan said, imitating a pout. Noel blushed a deep red.

“Well, those things are true, but if she told you anything embarrassing then those things are definitely not true,” Noel covered quickly. Alan chuckled softly, finding the girl cute.
--
Hours later when the sun was setting over Chicago, Daisy, Noel, and Quinn were still with Austin and Alan. They were hanging out back by the busses, laughing and talking. Noel was texting Mike since Pierce the Veil had already left for the next city.

“We should probably get going,” Noel suddenly said. She was right; it was past nine o’clock and Of Mice and Men had to get going if they wanted to make it to the next city at a reasonable time.

“Yeah, we should,” said Daisy, suddenly very sad. She would probably never see Austin again. Noel stood up and hugged Alan, as they had been talking since they met. Daisy got up and turned to Austin, who followed her and stood up.

“I’m going to miss you. It was nice talking to you,” Daisy said, hugging the taller man. Austin hugged her back and laughed.

“We can still talk, Daisy,” he said. They pulled away. “Give me your number.” Daisy felt her cheeks go faintly red. Austin held out his phone and she took it.

“There’s my number,” she said, handing him back his phone.”I fully expect a text in the near future.”

“Don’t worry about that, you’ll get one. Let me just take a picture of you for my phonebook,” Austin said, tapping his iPhone until he got to the camera. “Say cheese!” Daisy smiled awkwardly for the picture, giving two thumbs up. Austin laughed and set that as his newest contact’s photo.

“Bye, Austin,” Daisy said, hugging him again. She said her farewells to Alan, hugging him too. She when left with Noel and Quinn.

Later than night, Daisy was checking Twitter, hoping to find Austin Carlile’s (she might have looked up Of Mice and Men on Wikipedia to find his last name). When she finally found his account in the depths of people Noel followed, she let out a small ‘Ah ha!’ and clicked his name.

“Found a new cutest ginger…. sorry @AlanAshby” was his latest tweet. Attached was the picture he took of her earlier. Tweeted 9 minutes ago.

Daisy giggled, giddy at the thought of Austin thinking she was cute. She clicked ‘follow’ and began to tweet an @reply to the photo.

“@austincarlile Guess I’ll have really have to see you again to get a picture of you, huh?”
--
“Do you remember when we first met? What was it, three years ago?” Daisy asked her boyfriend of two and a half years. They were laying in bed in there San Diego apartment.

“Yeah, and you called my band a ‘pussy screamo band’ indirectly?” Austin asked, chuckling. Daisy laughed and put her head on his shoulder. Austin had just got back from a long tour with Of Mice and Men.

“Oh God, I said I was sorry,” she said. “Your band isn’t that bad.”

“Three years and you still don’t like it?” Austin asked.

“Not my thing,” Daisy said unperturbedly. “Boys with long hair and tattoos who scream into microphones for a living are definitely not my thing.” Daisy was only teasing her boyfriend, of course.

“Oh totally. I could never picture you with a guy with tattoos,” Austin teased her.

“Yeah, I hate them,” she said, stringing it along. The couple looked at each other and burst of laughing. “You know I love your tattoos now.”

“Now?” Austin asked skeptically. “You didn’t like tattoos before?”

“Not before I met you, no,” Daisy mused. “I hated them. I thought they were tacky and ugly. Trashy, if you will. But I mean I’m with you now. You somehow even talked me into getting a few.”

“Yeah, I did,” Austin said, his chin on her head. “The looks on Noel and Quinn’s faces were priceless when they saw your first one.”

“They were so surprised!” Daisy giggled. “I had never even dyed my hair and suddenly I had gotten tattoo because my rockstar boyfriend convinced me it was a good idea!”

“They have rockstar boyfriends too, babe,” Austin said. Daisy absentmindedly hit him lightly in the chest.

“Yeah, but Alan and Mike don’t convince them to do insane, completely uncharacteristic things,” Daisy said. The couple then settled into a comfortable silence, just pondering their relationships in their own ways.

“I love you,” Austin suddenly said. Daisy smiled and looked up at him.

“I love you, too,” she said happily, attaching their lips in a kiss.