Without Warning

The next day after her encounter with John, she couldn't seem to get out of bed. She turned on her side, her eyes meeting the clock that now stated it was officially noon.

She just didn't feel up to facing the day, or being around people. Of course that was too much to ask for when she hung out with the people she did.

"Ev?" She heard and looked to her bedroom door as it opened to reveal Garrett.

"Hey you, why are you still in bed?" He asked, closing the door behind him and making his way over to her.

She shrugged and he sat down beside her, "What happened? Last night seemed to go fine..."

"Until John took me home."

A frown but Garrett's lips, "When did that happen?"

"Well I tried to leave and he told me he'd take me which I turned down but you know John."

Garrett nodded and the girl proceeded to tell him what the rest of the night held.

"Everly, you should have called me."

She grinned, "I was fine."

Everly sighed and Garrett brushed back her hair, "Maybe you should be a bit nicer to him. Clearly he's trying to be."

"But he's been mean to me forever!"

"Right, but you want to be with him. So what's the point in doing it just to spite him?"

"I hate when you make valid points."

He chuckled, "I'm sorry."

A sigh left her lips and he smiled down at her, "Please get out of bed. We all are going to lunch and Pat wants you to come."

"Oh and you don't?"

A chuckle escaped his lips, "Of course I do."

She smiled as she sat up running her hand through her hair, "Let me get ready."

"That's my girl." He responded, pressing his lips to her forehead before moving from the bed.

Everly got ready in a hurry and once done her and Garrett drove to the familiar diner they always went to.

"Is John coming?" She asked as they made there way slowly to the door.

"Yeah."

She nodded and he glanced at her before they walked in, quickly finding the guys thanks to Pat's loud mouth.

"Everly!" He spoke happily, moving from his chair to hug her. The girl giggled, "Hey to you too."

She sat between Pat and Kennedy, trying to ignore John who she could feel staring at her from across the table.

"Didn't think you and Gar were coming." Kennedy stated and Everly spoke, "Well we thought about running away and eloping but thought nah, better not."

Garrett laughed from down the table and a grin hit her lips as she picked up the menu she was certain they has all memorized by now.

"Yeah figured we would wait until after lunch at least."

Everly chuckled, "Right."

John eyed Everly from his seat, he tries to pretend like her being there wasn't uncomfortable for him, but it was. He hated how everyone including him and her pretended like nothing was wrong. It really did kill him a bit each time it happened.

John breathed in, staring back down at the menu as if he cared.

"You ok?" Jared whispered and John diverted his eyes to the boy beside him.

"Yeah..." He grumbled. Him saying he was ok came a lot easier these days. It seemed to be easier to lie lately.

Jared nodded although he wasn't sure if he believed the guy or not.

"When did you leave last night? I kind of freaked out a bit." Kennedy stated to Everly.

"Oh I don't know. Not late..sorry, forgot to tell you."

"Did you walk home?"

Everly glanced at John before looking back at her brother.

"I took her home." John mumbled not bothering to look up from the table and Kennedy's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"We'll that explains why we couldn't find you all night." Pat said as if the mystery had been solved.

"Yeah, did you just go home?" Jared questioned and John nodded, "Yeah, just didn't feel like drinking anymore."

Everly couldn't help the guilt that she felt take over. If he went home afterwards, that meant she hurt his feelings and although she was mad at him she hated that. She cared too much for him.

Jared raised an eyebrow at the boy, "Which leaves you answering a 'yeah' to my question 'are you ok', as very questionable..."

"Yeah well everything I do in my life is questionable." He grumbled out, and Everly couldn't seem to take her eyes away from the boy.

"OK! SO what is going on with you two now?! I swear, I never know what I'm getting into by these outings. One moment you two hate each other, one minute you like each other and the next minute you two act like your dog got ran over! So which one is it today so I can know how to behave?" Pat said loudly causing the whole table to look at him. He wasn't the type to make a scene so it really took everyone off guard.

"Are we just going to make innuendos every 5 minutes or what? Because that gets slightly annoying." Pat added and John blinked, closing his mouth once the shock wore off.

"No one is making innuendos. And we aren't acting any certain way so feel free to behave as normal." John finally said as Everly tried to focus on anything besides the nerves now in her gut.

"It's just now ridiculous. We all get nervous around you all because we don't know what to expect or if we are going to have to break up a fight, I mean, if you two like each other still than just freaking be together! I don't know why this is so dragged out. You two are acting like children, you realize that right? And I don't know if you guys know this or not, but it's been several years since we've been out of school. If you don't want to be together, than say it now and move on because this shit needs to end." Pat said seriously and Garrett rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He definitely wasn't going to speak up this time.

Everly's eyes met John's and the pair stared at each other for a few seconds before John cleared his throat and stood from the table.

"How about I just leave? Will that make it better?" He asked throwing the napkin he was holding onto the table.

"No, that will just prove his point." Kennedy spoke calming and Pat sighed, "Dude, don't leave. I'm just saying. Why is this continuing?"

"Pat, with all due respect, it's none of your business. What goes on between her and I is no ones business actually. But, I'll leave to make your life better. I would hate for you to feel uncomfortable, because God knows I don't feel that way what so ever..." He spat out sarcastically before stomping from the restaurant.

"Pat, seriously?" Garrett questioned and Pat shrugged his shoulders, "What? We were all thinking it."

Everly sighed before forcing herself to move from her seat and head into the direction John was going.

"Everly!" Garrett called after her which she ignored as she pushed through the door to go outside.

John was sitting on the bed of his truck, smoking away on a cigarette which she expected.

She breathed in before making her way over to him. His eyes immediately met her and he seemed to sit up a bit more straight than he was. She couldn't tell if it was because she made him nervous or because he didn't want her to know this was bothering him.

"John..."

"Spare me." He grumbled, and she slid beside him, sitting down with enough space between them so he wasn't uncomfortable.

"Don't leave."

"Pat's right you know?" He stated ignoring her words.

"About what?"

"Everything. This is so fucking ridiculous and yet I don't know what else to do about it." He mumbled, looking towards the cars speeding past the diner.

She stared at him not sure what to say back to that and he stifled a laugh clearly at his own thoughts before speaking, "I miss you so much, Everly. I do. I couldn't ever tell Pat that I didn't want to be with you because it's simply not true. I wish it was, but what I feel for you isn't going away anytime soon. I've tried to push it away...I really have."

Nerves immediately filled her stomach from his words and she couldn't even think of what to say back as he pushed himself from his truck once his cigarette was thrown to the ground.

Her eyes met his and he gave her a weak grin before grabbing her hand and helping her down.

"Don't leave." She spoke at a whisper, her hand still attached to his, "Please."

He slid his arm around her waist, pulling her to his chest as his eyes seemed to burn with intensity.

"Why do you hate me so much? Everly, I should hate you. I should, but I can't and I don't understand why you treat me the way you do when all I try to do is be there for you. I know I've not been the greatest person, but last night I was sincerely trying to help you and you just wanted to argue with me. It's like, Pat said, not only to do they not know how to act, but I don't know how to be around you because I never know what to expect." He whispered and she bit her bottom lip.

"Look, I am aware that we've both made mistakes. I get that. I do. I have no problem owning up to them, but I don't want to give you up just yet. I can't. You just, you bring out the best in me, Evie. You do and all the shit I've done between when we broke up to now has been in spite of you, but at the end of the day it just makes me feel like shit. I just, you scare me ok? You scare me a lot actually. I'm a very logical person you know? I don't have it in me to be so optimistic and maybe because I've been let down so much in my life by people that it's just hard, but I can't help that it terrifies me to be with you because what if you leave one day or you realize I'm not what you want or even worse that you hurt me in ways that I'm not prepared for. I just, I worry about everything and when you love some so much you give them the keys to basically hurt you more than you can possibly imagine and it's scares the shit out of me because i have no control over it." He spilled out and she honestly couldn't believe he was being so vulnerable with her.

"You just have to believe that they love you just as much and wouldn't want to hurt you." She whispered out and he shook his head, "It isn't that simple you know? Not with you anyways."

"Why not? Don't you think I love you?"

"I know you do, Evie. I do. I just don't believe it's as much as I love you and it shouldn't be simply because I don't deserve you anyways. I never have and never will. That's why it worries me." He whispered, releasing his grasp on her and taking a step back in order to get his thoughts back together.

"That isn't true."

"Yes it is. Everyone knows it too. I'm not good at being a boyfriend, I'm not good at keeping promises and I'm not good at being there for people. I'm not good at a lot of things you deserve. I really don't even know why you in fact love me in any way. I'm not a good person, Everly." He spoke with a weak grin as he ran his hand through his messy hair.

Her heart was now hurting for him and she didn't even realize she was crying until she felt them slide down her cheek.

"You are all those things to me." She got out and that was true in her mind. He never was any of what he claimed to still be.

"Why are you crying?" He questioned, sadness hitting his eyes just from the sight. It tugged at his heart more than he wanted to admit.

"Because, you are so stupid." She stated and he reached for her only to have her push him away, "Everly." he spoke with a serious voice as he grabbed her arms, giving her no choice but to look at him.

"Why do you love me?" He asked, as she stopped struggling in his grasp.

"I need to hear it, Everly." He added and she breathed in, "Because you're you. You're funny and you listen and your smile makes my heart stop and because you are the most caring person in the world although you try so hard to not show it and because you love me, John. You love me like I love you and say what you want, I know you would do anything for the people you care about, including me."

"You're right, I would do anything for you." He whispered, bringing one of his hands to her cheek.

"Then stop saying all that crap, stop making excuses, I don't understand why I can see all this amazing stuff in you but you can't."

A frown hit his lips, "What if you only see all of that because you want to?"

Everly shook her head, "That isn't the case and you know it."

His thumb rubbed over her cheek repeatedly, his green eyes showing the internal struggle he was facing.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too, baby." He finally responded and she placed her hand on his, "Are you still mad at me?"

He shook his head no, as he inched his face closer to hers.

"I never really was I believe. I think I was more mad at myself...do you forgive me?" He asked softly.

"Of course. Do you forgive me?"

"I forgave you a long time ago."

She nodded in relief and he stroked her cheek, "Evie, will you tell me what happened between you and Joel now? I just, I don't want anyone to compare our relationship to you and his and I feel like Kennedy does a little and I dunno, I just want to know..."

A grin hit her lips, "The only thing you two have in common is that you both can be charming. I think that's why Kennedy was so nervous about it. He had a way with words and girls seemed to flock to him. Of course you know that, you've been around him. But the thing is, I always gave him the benefit of the doubt, always believed him when I knew I shouldn't. When I think about it now I realize how stupid I was and how even more stupid I was to believe that he loved me when he treated me horribly. But I had enough you know? One day he came over and as he was showering I went through his phone and found all this text from girls I didn't know and that was the moment I knew. I knew that what we had wasn't real and I left before he was even done. I've swore ever since that I wouldn't put myself through that again, pretend everything was fine when it wasn't. And maybe that's why I was so angry with you because you acted like everything was fine and I was scared to be heading down that same path."

"Maybe to you I did seem like everything was fine, but inside I was a wreck. I truly hope you don't think I would do that to you. He's an asshole, Everly. I never thought he deserved you in the first place." He stated seriously and she shook her head, "I don't think you are anything like him. You saying all this proves that. He would have just given up and moved on without a care in the world."

He nodded as he sorted through his overwhelming thoughts. He couldn't help the part of him that decided if he ever saw Joel he would knock the hell out of him. The thought of her hurting like that seemed to make anger rise in him. His thoughts were cut short though by her voice hitting his ears.

"So does this mean you'll shut up and just be with me?" She asked, grasping onto the front of his shirt.

A chuckle escaped his lips, "Do you want to be with me?"

"I've always wanted to be with you."

"You really don't know how happy that makes me feel, love." He whispered, "I'm going to try for you, Evie. I hope you know that. I won't screw this up."

"I believe you." She whispered, brushing her fingers through his hair. Before she could even comprehend what was happening his lips crashed to hers. He hadn't realized how much he craved her until then. How many nights he had wished he could do just this in order to forget the world around him.

"I love you." He breathed against her lips, "I'll never leave you again."

"Better not, next time I'll kick your ass." She grumbled, and he laughed as he pulled her in, "And I grant you the privilege to do so."

She grinned before relaxing her head against his chest. She couldn't help but feel better, even so, more whole than she thought possible. She needed him in her life and he needed her, there was no point in arguing or fighting about it anymore.

"What do you say we get out of here?" He spoke softly, and she didn't bother to move.

"And go where?"

"Wherever we decide...my bed comes to mind." He teased and she giggled, shoving him back lightly causing him to laugh and grab her hand.

"Come on pretty girl, get in the car." He stated before opening the door for her.

"Shouldn't we tell them we are leaving?"

"And miss the opportunity to show up at the next party hand and hand and give everyone something to talk about? Not a chance."

She giggled as she climbed in and he kissed her cheek before walking to the other side of the car. He had made a lot of stupid decisions throughout this ordeal, and he was more than aware of that, but right now, here in this moment, he didn't regret one single thing. He glanced over at her, a smile hitting his lips, this feeling was overwhelming and yet he welcomed it. He would never allow himself to go down that road again, but then again, he had her and he wasn't going to let that change anytime soon.