Paint You Wings.

⊱⊱ Alex Gaskarth ⊰⊰

Jack nudges my side, grinning as I turn to look at him. He'd finally brought the skunk hair back, and it actually looked good this time. Back when he was a teenager it was just so... No.

"How come yours is taking so long?" He laughs as I sigh in annoyance at still having to stay seated in the chair with pieces of aluminium foil in my hair.

I shrug. "I think they've got to bleach it first and then dye it pink. Maybe. I don't know. I'm a fucking musician, not a hairdresser."

"A fucking musician, eh?" Jack wiggles his eyebrows in my direction, making me laugh. Trust Jack to only pick up on the sort of sexual things.

"Well!" He claps his hands together. "Since we're in a hair salon and we're already on a man date... Let's talk about your girl."

"She's not my girl." I immediately say. Jack blinks and I smirk, "yet."

Jack smirks right back at me. "That's my boy. But seriously, though. When are you gonna make a move on her?"

I shrug a shoulder, sighing slightly. "I don't know, man. It's like, I really do like her but she's so... She's a mystery. She's so different and I can't help but like her."

"We're leaving for Warped in two weeks." He pointed out.

"I know." I groaned in annoyance.

"You should make a move soon, you know. She's a beautiful young woman and I don't doubt that another guy can easily sweep her off of her feet." He says in a nonchalant tone.

I know he's not implying that he's interested in her, he's just telling me the truth. He's my best friend in the whole entire world, it's what he's supposed to do. He's supposed to make me realise how stupid of a move it would be if I just let a girl as wonderful as Riley slip away through my fingers before I even got a chance at a relationship with her. He's supposed to make me wake up and realise that Riley might possibly be the best thing that's happened to me, since he never really liked my relationship with Lisa but like the angel he (very, very, very rarely) is, he never said anything against it.

Riley really has been the best thing that's happened to me so far, to be honest. It didn't matter that she didn't talk and I didn't know why, it didn't matter that she sometimes seemed so apprehensive at how I wanted to hold her hand or just give her lingering kisses on her cheek or temple.

I mean, yeah, I kinda only did that because now I knew that a little part of her actually liked me back. If she didn't then why would she have almost kissed me the other day? Although... That was also never heard from again, because I had to drag Jack up into the spare bedroom while she left because she was needed in the café.

But at least she liked me back!

Sort of. Maybe. Hopefully. Shit - this is hurting my brain.



"Honey, I'm home...?" I trail off as I realise that Riley isn't even in the café. I approach Linc, who's playing some game on his phone while behind the counter. "Hey, man." I greet him, making him look up at me with a smile.

"Hey, lover boy! You looking for Ri, I presume?" He smirks, and I can't help but flush slightly. Even her friends have picked up on the vibe that I really, really like her.

I chuckle, nodding, running my fingers through my newly dyed hair. "Yeah. She in here?"

Linc shook his head. "I asked her to go to the store. You're welcome to hang, if you'd like. There's not much people today, anyway."

And he's right. The café, usually filled with lots of people, is rather empty today. There's only an old couple, occasionally sipping at their coffees as they read the materials they have in their hands, though their hands are also entwined from across each other, resting on the table. The sight makes me smile. I want that someday.

Preferably with someone like Riley.

I nod in reply to Linc's offer, sending him a smile as I head over to my usual table, pulling out the notebook I had for my lyrics. Might as well figure out a way to put the different strings of lyrics I had floating around in my head together to form a song.

"Can I get you anything? It'll be on the house 'cause you're making my little Riley so happy." Linc grinned cheekily, placing a hand over his heart as he wiped a non-existent tear away from under his eye.

Biting down on my bottom lip, I ask for a simple black coffee, trying hard to stop myself from fist-pumping. I mean, if what Linc said about me making her happy was true then didn't that mean that she liked me back? God I feel like a teenage girl.

Shaking my head as if that would help to clear my head, I started on stringing some lyrics together, coming up with the guitar tracks in my head and deciding on letting Rian track the drums however he wanted, with me having no say in them. It was more fun that way. Rian's a fantastic drummer, anyway.

The jingle of the bells hanging above the glass door made me look up. My lips curled up into a smile as my eyes landed onto the person I'd originally came in looking for. Then my smile dropped as I really looked at her. She looked nothing like the girl I'd been hanging out with. This girl was broken, distraught, lost, hopeless, sad.

Linc glanced up from behind the counter, smirking as he saw her. "What took you so long?" He asked in a teasing tone.

I watched her open her mouth, as though she wanted to speak, but nothing came out. She opened and closed her mouth over and over again, her breathing getting quick and heavy. Linc's face lost all signs of teasing, sobering up.

"Luke told you?" He asked quietly, but not quiet enough, since I still heard him. Who's Luke?

She nodded and Linc immediately walked around the counter, making a move to approach her but she shook her head; holding out a hand in front of her. Riley looked at him, her grey eyes piercing straight into Linc's brown ones. He approached her some more, speaking quietly. I couldn't hear what they were saying and I would be lying if I said I wasn't dying to find out. I wanted to move closer just to ease my curiosity but I didn't, figuring that she'd tell me if she wanted me to find out.

Then she shook her head, biting on her bottom lip as a single tear escaped her eye and she spun on her heel; towards the back of the café.

Linc approached me not long after, telling me to simply follow her. I didn't know where she'd gone, but he pointed me to a set of stairs - saying that I'd be able to find her if I went through the last door on the right. I followed his instructions, surprised to find that there was even a small kitchen and living room area up there. They lived there, I realised.

I knocked gingerly on the door that was shut; the last door on the right. When I came up with no answer, I pushed down on the handle and walked into the room. The walls were covered in different paintings, drawings and graffiti art, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Riley had done them. The window was open and since she wasn't anywhere in sight, I feared that she'd jumped out and hurt herself.

However, as I turned to head back down to Linc, a piece of paper with writing on it caught my eye.

I'm a broken machine and a match already burned. And I'm quiet, all despite the raging in my head, collapsed inside and out until my strength can return.

Or maybe she just needed a minute to escape.