I Know in My Heart It's Not You

After what happened at the surprise show, it was expected that fans from both Paramore and Bring Me the Horizon had a lot to take in. It wasn’t an every day occurrence for them to witness the two lead vocalists of two very different bands making out, which meant that there were different reactions to this event. Some fans—mostly of the female gender—responded with high-pitched squeals while others had more of a “holy shit” reaction. Few had even claimed they saw this coming. Whatever their reactions were, it revolved around Hayley and Oli’s big concert kiss.

This brought up plenty of questions from people when they managed to approach the bands afterward. Of course, since it all happened at Paramore’s show, Hayley had to deal with more questions than Oli did, mainly from a group of three girls who couldn’t stop saying how cute they were together. This actually amused her and she was surprisingly handling things well about her newfound relationship. For one, she wasn’t trying to hide this from anyone like she had done before and she was able to draw all the attention away from herself to give the rest of the band the credit they deserved.

From the group of girls, the one with blonde hair was the first to speak. “Your show was amazing! And seriously, you singing for that guy and kissing him at the end was so cute!”

Her friend, a brunette, cut into the conversation. “So, is this guy your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend?” Hayley repeated, the word suddenly sounding foreign to her. It had been so long since she let that word come out her mouth and it was strange to be saying it after what seemed like forever. At that moment, she looked past the girls to see Oli waving at her and standing a good distance away so the girls wouldn’t notice him. She grinned at him and her heart started beating fast again as he flashed her a smile. It took just a simple question and mention of the “B” word for it to hit her that yes, Oli had become this word. The word that she wasn’t afraid of saying anymore. “Yeah, I guess he is my boyfriend now.”

“Awww,” they all gushed and sighed in admiration.

“But he’s not just my boyfriend,” Hayley pointed out. “His name’s Oli and he’s in a band called Bring Me the Horizon. They’re an incredible band and you guys should check them out. But I’ll talk all about this later. Right now, you all should definitely chat with Josh, Zac, Jeremy, and Taylor. Our show wouldn’t have been amazing if it weren’t for them.”

The three girls then left to find the other bandmates and that finally gave Oli the chance to walk up to her.

She reached out and held his hand. “Hey, you.”

“Hey to you, too,” he smirked as their fingers intertwined. “Boyfriend, huh?”

Hayley smirked back at him. “How much did you hear?”

“All of it,” he chuckled.

“Well, you should thank me,” she laughed and rolled her eyes. “I just gave your band three new fans.”

“Depending on how they are, they might be new fans,” Oli joked. “Our music seems to scare girls away.”

“You didn’t scare me away,” she told him.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I didn’t.”

“And I’m glad you didn’t.”

“I am, too.”

She kissed his cheek and they began walking toward the buses, her hand still in his. Oli looked down at their hands, realizing that it had been a while since he had ever held hands with anyone and he never thought he’d end up holding hands with Hayley. Just last year they had met because he happened to be in her town and he found her sitting alone on the sidewalk. Back then, he saw her as a girl from a band who needed help and whatever she needed help with, Oli walked up to her in hopes of giving it to her. All because of that, she became more than just a girl who needed help. She ended up being one of his closest friends. She was someone who was always there to help him. Then a surprise show brought them together again and that was when everything changed. They weren’t just friends. Not anymore.

“But really," Oli said. “You told those girls I was your boyfriend.”

“I did, didn’t I?" Hayley mused. “I meant it, too. You’re my boyfriend.”

“And you’re my girlfriend,” he dragged out the last word. “This is really happening. We’re really calling each other these, aren’t we?”

She giggled. “We are. I’m trying to get used to it.”

“Might take us a while,” he grinned. “But I like the thought of Hayley Williams as my girlfriend.”

“And who would’ve thought I’d end up having Oli Sykes as my boyfriend?” Hayley teased. “Hmm, I think I’m getting used to these titles already.”

He stopped walking. “I’ve been meaning to ask you...what made you change your mind anyway? What made you go from not wanting to be with me to kissing me on stage?”

Hayley beamed and looked up at him. “Let’s just say someone helped me realize that being with you is more important than worrying about stupid tabloids and paparazzi. I never should’ve pushed you away, Oli. You mean a lot to me and I’m not going to let anything ruin our chances of being happy together.”

Oli’s smile grew even wider, revealing his teeth. Her words made his cheeks flush a reddish hue and he had never felt this happy before. He lifted a hand to brush her hair out of her face and pressed his lips to hers, which Hayley responded to by deepening the kiss. Like he said, this was really happening and nothing meant more to him than being with her. Every time their lips touched, his heart was pounding in his chest and he always found it hard to pull away. His hazel eyes met her green ones when they parted and his thumb ran along the curve of her cheekbone, which made her nestle into his hand. She enjoyed his warmth and they stood there for a while, refusing to let each other go.

He was hers. She was his. They didn’t want it any other way.


Warped Tour was wrapping up for the day. The sun was starting to set and people were leaving the venue, raving about all the great bands that played. Almost everyone who had went that day went on and on about how that was possibly the greatest day out of the whole tour. People couldn’t quite confirm that it was since there were still many dates to come, but they could agree that it was one of the most memorable dates so far.

Merch booths and equipment were being packed away, which meant that the bands had to be heading out as well. It was time to say goodbye to Cleveland because everyone was going to be moving on to Mississauga. Though, not everyone was going to be there.

The day ending also meant that Paramore’s day off was coming to a close and instead of following everyone to Canada, they were supposed to be rejoining No Doubt on their summer tour in Indiana. Sadly, this made them realize that they were once again separating from their friends for God only knows how long. It could be a few months or another year, but nobody knew for sure exactly how long it would be.

This was what ran through Hayley and Oli’s minds as they stood by their buses. Paramore’s things were loaded onto the bus and the bus driver had started the vehicle, meaning Hayley was going to be leaving soon. Oli knew that this was going to happen and he wished the day hadn’t gone by so fast. He would’ve given anything to have just one more day with her. They had finally realized how much they cared for each other and yet they had to say goodbye again. Yes, this was already expected and they both were aware that there were going to be times when they wouldn’t be able to see each other for weeks, but it still sucked.

It didn’t just suck for them. All of Paramore and Bring Me the Horizon, as happy as they were that Hayley and Oli had gotten together, were also bummed that they didn’t get to hang out as much compared to those three months of spending time together in 2008. Which is why all of them were exchanging hugs and heartfelt goodbyes before Paramore took off. Though Hayley didn’t really want to admit it, some of the things they said almost made her tear up. She always got so emotional during these things.

Nicholls was the first one to come up to her. “Never easy saying bye, huh?”

“I never like saying bye,” Hayley agreed with a chuckle. “Especially to you guys. Have fun for the rest of Warped.”

“Eh, I’ll try,” Nicholls sighed. “It’s not the same without you all. You had a great show today, by the way. Not to mention, we’re all glad Oli finally found the right girl and we’re very glad she turned out to be you. Take care, Hayley.”

She smiled and gave him a hug. “I’ll see you around, Matt.”

“And don’t worry. We’ll make sure he’s in one piece for the next time he sees you.”

Laughing, she shook her head. “Nice to know.”

Meanwhile, Oli was talking to Josh. There were a just few things that Josh had to say to him before they left, even though he knew he didn’t really have to say them. Josh had hung out with Oli enough to know that he was a good guy, but he still cared for Hayley’s happiness.

“Take care of her, alright?” Josh said. “I know you’ll make her very happy.”

“Of course I’ll take care of her," Oli looked over to where she was. “You know I will.”

“Yeah, I do,” Josh put an arm around him. “Now go to her. Looks like she’s ready to say goodbye to you.”

Hayley had just finished saying bye to Lee and was standing alone, twiddling her thumbs. Oli took a deep breath and made his way to her, holding her hands once he reached her. She tried her best to keep a cheerful demeanor, but it was clear in her eyes that she was just as sad as she was happy.

“So…” she breathed. “This is it.”

“You’re going one way and I’m going the other,” Oli lifted her chin and their eyes locked. “Can’t you just come with me so we can be on tour together again?”

Hearing that made her laugh and she had even wanted to cry at the same time, but she didn’t want him to see her like that. “I really wish I could. If I didn’t have to go to Indiana, I’d let you carry me onto that bus and we’d be on our way.”

It took every ounce of him not to do that. Every single ounce. Instead, he laughed along with her and lightly squeezed her hand and kissed it.

“When will I see you again?” he finally asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” she answered. “But it won’t be a year this time. We’ll see each other soon.”

“We will see each other soon and I’m making it happen,” Oli assured her. “Once we’re both off tour, I’m coming for you. I promise.”

They were going to work. They lived thousands of miles apart, but that wasn’t going to be a problem. Whatever it took, he was going to do everything he could to see her and no matter what the distance was, it wasn’t going to stop them from caring for each other. They were strong enough to deal with a long distance relationship and they were going to have a future together. She believed what he said and that just made her hold him tightly, savoring the moment with him before she stepped onto that bus.

The rest of her bandmates had already gotten into the huge vehicle. Taylor pulled down the window and yelled out to get her attention. “Hayley, come on! We gotta go!”

“I’m coming!” she yelled back and then faced Oli again. “I have to go.”

He pulled her closer. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” she leaned in. “For now.”

“I’m coming for you. Remember that.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

She crashed her lips into his and they shared one last kiss. Time had stood still and he felt like the day was never going to end as long as his lips were against hers, but he eventually made himself pull away so she could finally get on the bus. He let her hand slowly let go of his and she went inside, the door closing behind her. Hayley appeared in the window and waved at him as the bus began to move. He waved back at her with a grin on his face and kept his eyes on the bus until it was no longer in his line of sight.

“Goodbye,” he whispered.

Lee came up to him to pat his shoulder and then insisted that the band go back to putting away their own equipment, but gave Oli a few minutes to be alone.

Oli stared at the empty space where the bus was once parked. The lot where all the bands were was nearly empty and it was only a matter of time until he would be leaving, too. Minutes passed and the sun was going down even more, but he didn’t leave that spot. Strangely, he was okay. He would’ve expected himself not to take her departure as well, but he did and he was actually feeling the exact opposite of sad.

He didn’t move until he heard Lee’s voice again. “Everything’s set. You ready to go?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

He took a few steps back and walked toward the bus with his friend. With that, they got on and were out of there, following the rest of the buses. He sat on the couch and looked out the window at the buildings that they passed by, smiling to himself once the image of Hayley entered his mind.

She was gone, but it wasn’t the end. For the next few weeks, he would continue to perform on Warped Tour, she would be back to being an opening act for No Doubt, and they would return to contacting each other via late night phone calls. But once both of the tours were over and once Oli was back home, the first thing he was going to do was buy a one way ticket to Nashville. He would get on that flight and make his way back to Hayley just like he promised.

He always kept his promises.