Rush Of The Past

I woke up just a couple of hours after I had settled into bed thanks to a loud pounding on the front door. I didn't have a clue who it could've been, the sun wasn't even up yet. This city really didn't ever sleep. I dragged myself out of bed and put my pants on, just then realizing that Alex was still at my place and had crawled into my bed without an invitation. He didn't even shuffle at the sound of the banging on the door.

"What?" I softly yelled towards whoever was on the other side of the door.

"It's us, Eleanor. Open the door." It was the stern voice of the one and only Rian Dawson. I unlocked the multiple locks on the door and slowly opened it, peeking out of the small crack before fully letting them in.

"Why are you guys here?" I asked as I lifted myself up onto the counter. I was still half asleep as five guys were staring at me, looking ready to tear my apartment to shreds in order to find Alex. Jack was the first to offer a hug, then Danny, followed by Zack, Rian, and Flyzik.

"We knew the second he left that he'd wander over here." Jack was completely right about that, which left me feeling sick. "We were at a bar and he was talking about you." His eyes were utterly sympathetic, knowing that I didn't want Alex to show up out of nowhere.

"He didn't harm you in anyway, did he?" Zack asked me in a way that sounded like Alex was going to get violent over a problem that he caused long ago. I shook my head since both of us were actually talking, not yelling about the past and making accusations. "Good. We tried hard to keep him away." Zack inched closer and put his arm around me and placed a kiss on the top of my head. After spending quite some time with the guys, Zack had become my older brother; he always felt the need to protect me, even when I didn't need protection of any sorts. It was just an instinct for him around me, so I knew I was always safe when I was with him.

"So where is he? Danny asked with pure concern. I bit the inside of my cheek, knowing what I was about to tell them would give the off the wrong impression, without me even getting a chance to explain. I had to choose my words carefully and put them in perfect order for them to not go insane.

"He, uh, climbed into bed with me without my knowing. I told him he could crash on the couch if he wanted to, but when I answered the door, he was curled up next to me. Nothing happened." I sighed, knowing that it sounded bad either way.

"Well," Jack scoffed, "do we take him or leave him?" He looked at all the guys, waiting for their group answer. "Or do some of us stay here until morning?" He was inviting himself and other snit my home without asking me first, how damn cute. I rolled my eyes and awaited the collective answer.

"You three stay here; Danny and I will head back to the hotel." They all agreed with Flyzik, and left me alone with the four boys that made All Time Low under my roof. All of which was highly unexpected, making this an eventful night. And all I thought I was going to do tonight was watch a Ryan Gosling movie and sleep, but how ridiculous is that thought.

I walked away from the three of them and went to grab blankets from the hall closet and plopped them down in the middle of the living room floor. "Help yourselves. I'm going back to bed." And with that, I turned to head back to my room where the sleeping Alex was at.

"Elly?" Jack's voice whispered. I looked at him, but he didn't seem to know how to continue. "I'm happy to see you, even under the circumstances." His words almost brought tears to my eyes. Yes, he was Alex's best friend, but he was mine for quite some time also. We were close and we still are, but it's all been a big secret, hidden away from Alex so he didn't get upset. I missed seeing them more than they could imagine. I hugged Jack tightly, almost not wanting to let go. "Love you," he told me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you, too, Bug." I smiled up at him. Jack was always my ray of sunshine on a rainy, stormy day. Always knew how to cheer me up and always knew the words to say. "Goodnight, boys." They all said goodnight back, making me feel good. I felt like I was at home again having them here, even if it was unexpected and unwanted in the first place.

As I crawled back into bed, I tried to be careful as possible with maneuvering myself so I didn't wake Alex up. The plan failed and his tired, groggy eyes looked over at me. "What's going on?" He asked in a concerned voice, followed by a small yawn. I wouldn't admit it to him - since I could barely admit to myself - but I missed seeing him laying next tot me in bed. It was always a silent comfort.

"Nothing," I whispered, "go back to sleep." I smiled at him in the darkness, almost forgetting the hell he put us through. He was still my knight in shining armor and the only man I wanted to wake up to day after day.

He lifted up his arm and placed it across my torso, pulling me near him. Somehow, I was okay with that and didn't put up a fuss. I actually loved it. I smirked in the darkness, hoping that he couldn't see it. But I did reach across the very small gap between us and brushed the hair off of his face. His lips inched upwards, forming that perfect Gaskarth smile that he's always had. It looked genuine and divine.

He nestled his head close to mine, his chin against the side of my face. He kissed my temple in the slightest way and then he whispered. "Goodnight, El." Hearing those words from his mouth made my heart ache, but it didn't matter. He was here, in the flesh, and all I could do right now was take every moment in and try to make it last.

"Goodnight, Al."