Will You Let Darkness Fall?

[Pomona, California - November 11, 2008]

"If there's one thing I haven't missed about touring, it's these bunks." Curtis grumbled.
"Oh, shut it, mate." Lee called out. "At least you don't have to worry about hitting your head every time you sit up."
"Complaining isn't going to fix anything." I reminded them, from my place on the floor.
"Oli's right, guys." Matt nodded.
"Of course he'd agree with Oli." Lee whispered. "The two are probably bum-fucking in the back room."
"Fuck off." I muttered, turning away.
It was the start of the tour, and we were already ready to rip each other's throats out.
The first show wasn't until tomorrow night, but they had already endured countless hours on a transatlantic plane ride.
After dealing with customs, they had another flight to California.
Jona was practically kissing the ground when they landed at the LAX, and cursed me out when I mentioned the tour bus ride to Pomona the next morning.
It was amusing.
Even though I had been on a plane longer than them (flying back home after working out the details of tour), I knew it was better to keep quiet than try to one-up them.
"Are you even listening?"
Matt Kean's voice broke me from my thoughts, as he sat in front of me with my phone in his hands.
"What?" I asked, slightly dazed.
"Vic's calling you." Matt answered, handing me the phone.
"Oh."
There was a smile forming on my lips, as I thought about talking to someone who wasn’t my band.
"Alright, maybe he’s not fucking Matt, but Vic." Lee whispered.
Flipping him off, I answered.
"Hey, Vic!"
"Oli!" Vic’s voice came through. "Listen, it’s the first night of tour and we’re throwing a party. Since you and You Me don’t really know each other - or Tonight Alive, for that matter, we’re doing this as a...getting-to-know-you gathering. It’s going to be on You Me At Six’s bus though, because ours is a rental, and we can’t afford a bunch of drunks damaging it. Are you guys down?"
"Tell him yes!" Matt yelled into my ear, who had been listening to the conversation quietly.
After finding out the time and offering to help, we hung up.
"I’m going to take a shower."
"Oh, god." Lee called out, sarcastically. "Oli’s about to take a shower! Someone better tweet this!"
Standing up, I kicked Lee out of the way and grabbed a few things from my bunk before locking myself in the bathroom.

--

“Are you ready to go?” Matt asked, appearing in the doorway of the bathroom.
Dressed in dark colored skinny jeans and a loose long-sleeved Drop Dead shirt, I had been standing over the mirror.
Just staring.
Thinking.
Scrutinizing.
“What?” I asked, shaking my head. “Yeah, let’s go.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, a worried crease appearing between his eyes as he blocked the path in front of me.
“Of course.” I nodded, lightly pushing him out of the way.
“Alright.”
He didn’t seem convinced, but shrugged.
Jumping off the bus, the ground seemed to spin and I stumbled over the last step, nearly crashing against the bus.
“Whoa, are you sure you’re alright?” Matt asked, his hands holding onto my waist as he helped me up.
“Yeah.” I answered, the moment over.
We headed towards You Me At Six’s bus, his hand still resting on my shoulder blade in a protective manner.
“It’s about time you got here!” Vic answered the door, letting us in. “The rest of your band’s already here.”
“Yeah, sorry, we had a little problem.” Matt shrugged, guiding me onto the couch and handing me a water bottle.
“What’s wrong?” Vic frowned, kneeling in front of me and placing a hand on top of my thigh. “Are you okay, Oli?”
“Yeah.” I blushed, hating the attention.
Vic looked at Matt for assurance, who just shook his head and whispered. “He almost passed out, getting off the bus.”
“I’m perfectly fine.” I sighed, getting frustrated. “I just stood up too fast, or something. There’s nothing wrong.”
“Alright.” Vic agreed, messing up my hair.
Matt left me, heading towards Jaime and Tony, who were playing some drinking game already.
“Let me introduce you to everyone, yeah?” Vic asked, sitting next to me. “You know, pointing everyone out. I won’t force you to talk to anyone just yet, alright?”
“Thanks.” I nodded gratefully.
Meeting new people really wasn’t my strong-point.
“Anyway, that’s Jenna McDougall, of Tonight Alive.” Vic pointed to a pretty peroxide blonde with a nose piercing.
She was leaning into Mike’s side, whispering and laughing about something.
“That’s Max, Daniel, and Chris. They’re the guitarist, drummer, and lead guitarist of You Me At Six.”
He pointed to another guy with growing facial hair. “That’s Matt, their bassist.”
Finally, he pointed out the front man.
He was tall, with bright eyes and a perfect smile. He was laughing over something Jona and Lee were whispering.
His dark brown hair fell carelessly over his face, hiding his features as he leaned back in laughter.
“That’s Josh Franceschi.” Vic finished, watching me.
He was beautiful.
There was an aura of confidence surrounding him.
“Hey, Mike’s calling me over.” Vic interrupted my thoughts. “Make sure you try and talk to someone new, alright?”
Nodding my head, I watched him join his brother.
Curling my legs towards my chest, I watched the people around me and tried to become comfortable.
The greasy scent of pizza filling the air was making me sick.
How the fuck could someone willingly shove that crap into their mouths and still want more?
America.
What’s weird is none of the bands here was American.
You Me and Bring Me were British, Pierce was Mexican, and Tonight Alive was apparently Australian.
“Hey.”
I was cut out of my thoughts by a voice.
That voice.
He was standing over me, a huge smile plastered on his face. He sat down besides me, holding a paper plate piled with stir-fried rice and bread sticks.
“Starches.” Josh nodded. “The perfectly balanced diet, you know?” he laughed, a mesmerizing sound.
“Y-yeah.” I stuttered, turning so I was slightly facing him.
From across the bus, Vic sent me a look and an encouraging smile.
“I’m Josh.” he introduced himself. “I’m the frontman for You Me At Six. You’re Bring Me The Horizon’s lead singer, right?”
“...Oli.” I mumbled.
“Cool. Are you going to eat anything?” he asked offering me a piece of his plate. I shook my head and he shrugged.
He started talking, but I wasn’t really paying attention.
He was perfect.
Why the fuck was he talking to me.
“Oli?” Josh asked, sending me a questioning smile.
“Oh, sorry.” I blushed, scolding myself for not listening to him. “What did you say? I’m sorry, I was spacing.”
“How did you come up with the name for your band?”
“It was a line off of Pirates of the Caribbean, honestly.” I mumbled, trying to choke back gasps.
My palms were sweating and my hands were starting to shake.
I was at the edge of a panic attack.
“Your turn.” I forced, tightening my hands into fists and trying to keep the room from mindlessly spinning again.
There were suddenly to many people on this bus.
“You Me At Six...it was my old boyfriend’s idea, actually.” he paused, taking in my reaction. He continued when I raised an eyebrow.
He had a boyfriend?
“Anyway, he always used little pick-up lines like that, so -”
He was mid-sentence when I stood up, running off the bus and into the parking lot, feeling my lungs tightening.
There wasn’t any air to breathe.
Any space to move.
I could hear Vic heave himself off the couch and follow me, but even worse, I heard Josh’s annoyed voice muttering under his breath.
“Fucking wanker.”