Quiet Actions

Tony heard someone typing furiously at the keyboard as he woke up. It was dark in his bunk, curtain hiding him from the lights. He moved the curtain aside, seeing Astrid's bunk empty. Fear erupted in his chest, but soon realized she was the one typing away at the laptop. He quickly grabbed his phone and checked the time. 9:37.

What the hell was she doing up so early?

Oh, yeah. She didn't drink. And, she went to bed super early last night. Tony clambered out of his bunk, nearly falling down. The typing stopped. A giggle escaped Astrid's lips. He smiled at the sound and walked towards her. She watched him as he approached.

"How long have you been up?" Tony asked, taking a seat next to his best friend.

Astrid shrugged. "I lost track of time, probably three hours. I've been writing again."

She smiled as she laid her head against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. Astrid smelled like coconuts. She always smelled like coconuts. Tony breathed in her hair and let her go, feeling his body get the best of him. He quickly grabbed a blanket from the bus's floor and covered himself. Astrid looked at him strangely before shrugging it off. Tony loved Astrid. They've been friends since they were kids. He fell in love with her while she was 15 and they both did things that they didn't know how to deal with. They took each other's virginity. Pretty cliché, right?

Best friends fall in love, date, have sex, and break up.

But, those other best friends didn't have what Tony and Astrid had. After they dated, they still remained best friends. The break up was mutual. But, Tony still loved her. He hasn't told anyone. Mainly, because what they had was in the past and he didn't want to touch the past with a ten-foot rod. Ever. So, he let his feelings eat at him every day.

"Tony?" Astrid's voice pulled him back. "Is something wrong?"

A cold hand rested on his forehead. He closed his eyes, letting the cool hand seep onto his skin. The hand moved to his cheek. Tony opened his brown eyes to stare down at light green ones. A smile tugged at his lips. She was so beautiful, even with her hair tied into a messy bun

"No," he shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just so excited for today."

She gave him a bright smile. "I bet! Ah, I hope no one tries to beat me up like that one time."

Tony smiled at the memory. Two years back a fan had gotten past the guards, trying to find the band. Instead, the girl found Astrid on the bus. Astrid nearly sent the girl to the hospital, taking a few hits from the fan, but Mike heard the commotion and stopped it. That was probably his most memorable moment while on tour.

"What've you been writing?" Tony asked, changing subjects.

Astrid picked at her finger nails as she spoke. "Just the usual. Fantasy and sex and stuff."

He laughed. Astrid was one of those girls who despised porn, but she read the sex scenes in her romance novels with so much interest. Whenever the guys got on her back about it, she always told them "it was the only action she got." And, though, Tony didn't really believe it, it was true. She hadn't had sex with anyone else since those few times with Tony. Of course she had dated - only one guy - but she never got anywhere with him. They ended up staying friends.

Astrid yawned, covering her mouth. "I need to learn how to sleep in. This is not healthy."

Tony finally noticed the huge mug of coffee on the table. Astrid had this problem where she didn't know when to stop drinking coffee. It usually made her stay up all night and crash out for a few hours. And, when she didn't drink coffee, she'd still sleep late and only get about 4 hours of sleep.

"Go back to bed," Tony yawned. "I know I will."

Astrid smiled. "Um, no. I want to help out with merch today. Maybe."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. You're going to hang out with me all day and watch us play. Ha! That rhymed."

Astrid rose her thin brows before laughing. Her laugh sounded like chimes. Tony ground his teeth. He shouldn't be thinking like this. He had Stephanie. But, at the thought of his girlfriend, his skin crawled. He felt horrible. He'd rather be with his best friend than be with his girlfriend of three years.

"You can help Henri tomorrow!" Tony said, a little too loudly.

She scratched the top of her head. "I don't know. What'll we do before you play?"

"You will meet new people! Doesn't it feel great to be away from the house! Fresh air, nice view, all the drinks in the world."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Not all the drinks in the world, you alcoholic."

"Can you guys keep it down?" Vic stumbled into the front of the bus. "It's too early to do anything. How the hell do you do it, Astrid?"

"By being awesome."

The trio laughed. Astrid really is awesome. She's probably one of the most understanding people Tony has ever met. But, of course, they were the best o friends, so she had to be understanding. She was also understanding to the rest of the band, tech guys and the tour manager. Any guy would be lucky to have Astrid as a wife. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a friend as well.

Tony looked at Astrid. He wasn't listening to what she was saying to Vic, or vice versa. He didn't really care. He tried to imagine Astrid married. He couldn't. She just wasn't the type of person to do that. She focused her life on her career. That was all that matters. Her job, family and friends. Love always came last to her. There were times when he wished it wasn't that way.



"It was nice meeting you again!" Astrid gave a hug to Kellin.

Kellin nodded. "Back at you! I hope to see more of you around."

Tony pulled Astrid away from the Sleeping With Sirens bus. The band had just played and went to take a break and eat. Astrid had already met nearly everyone. Just a few bands were left. But, it was almost time for his own band to play.

"Everyone's so nice," she said as she hooked her arm in his.

He snorted. "It's 'cause you’re a girl."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "You're just saying that."

Tony looked down at his friend. She was just a head shorter than himself. She was wearing a daisy print sundress that made his throat dry. The dress pushed her chest up and showed off that she was a woman. It was the exact reason why the men were being especially nice to her. Yet, Astrid was completely oblivious to it.

"Tony! Oh, my god, guys. It's Tony Perry."

Tony waved to the fans as he and Astrid shuffled behind the gate. He heard them snap pictures. Astrid laughed and unhooked her arm from his. Tony frowned at the lost contact, but he forced a smile when Casey came by.

"So," he started. "Is Astrid still single?"

Tony punched his arm softly. "Yes, and don't even think about it. You try to flirt with her and she thinks you're just being super friendly. You'd be friend-zoned before you even get a chance to say hi."

"Damn," Casey's eyes were on Astrid's chest. "Ain't that a shame."

Tony reframed himself from beating the shit out of his good friend Casey. He had to remind himself that Astrid could look out for herself. He wasn't her boyfriend… But that didn't mean he couldn't be protective over her. Tony looked over to Astrid. She was talking with Matt - the guitar tech. He must have been done with setting up. Mike, Jaime, and Vic looked ready to play.

It was just up for Tony to pick up his guitar.

"Here," Astrid's voice filled his ears.

She held out his guitar for him to grab. He gave her an appreciative smile as he took it from her grasp. Tony kissed her forehead, but wishing he was kissing her lips. He settled with what he got, though.

"Now, go out there and make those people happy," Astrid whispered.

Tony pulled away from her and smiled. She smiled back and skipped up the stairs to watch them play. Matt found his way to stand next to her. Tony tore his eyes away from the woman. He needed to stop with these stupid thoughts. They could never be together. Not again. Not ever. There was no use in pretending that there could be a chance.

But Tony wanted to believe.

He wanted to believe that maybe one day it could work. That one day this would all be a faded memory and he would be happy with Astrid. That they would be together.

Tony shook his head and went to the stage. He looked out across the crowd. There was so many people. At that moment, he realized this is what he wanted in his future. He didn't want to stop touring with his friends. He looked at Astrid, who's eyes were on him. He also wanted her in his future. No matter the price.