Different People

Of Mice & Men played a brilliant show that night. Rooney stood side stage with Courtney while they played. She was stunned at Austin's stage presence. How he was on stage was completely different from how he was off. It was incredible.

When they rushed off stage after playing their encore, Austin couldn't help himself when he saw Rooney standing by a tech smiling at him. He quickly wiped his face with a small towel, then planted a kiss straight on her lips. Neither one cared who saw. After their conversation in the hotel, they both decided to say, fuck it, when it came to people finding out about their feelings for each other. There was no point in hiding. It was all going to come out eventually. Why waste time and effort hiding what could clearly be seen?

Everyone went back to the hotel after leaving the House of Blues. They all got showered and changed, then headed downstairs around midnight. Pure was one of the best nightclubs in Las Vegas. With Rooney there, there was no wait. The entire group got in. No questions asked. It didn't even matter that there were more men than women in the group. It never mattered with Rooney there. That was one of the bonuses from being who she was.

Some stayed inside to dance and drink, while others, including Rooney and Austin, went out to the rooftop patio where things were slightly calm. The view from the patio was breathtaking. Especially in the section that was closed off for their group. You could see the entire strip bright with lights.

"Wanna head back to the hotel?" Austin whispered in Rooney's ear as the clock just passed two in the morning.

"Yeah, just let me go tell Courtney." She was easily found in the crowd with her bright red hair. You could see her a mile away. "I'm going back to the room with Austin. Make sure the bartender charges everyone drinks and tabs to my room before you leave, okay?"

"Ooooh, going back to the room with Austin, alone?"

"Not like that. Just do as I asked, please."

"Okay, girl. See ya in the morning!" She hugged her quickly before running off to get more drinks. Rooney went back over to Austin who was patiently waiting for her. He smiled and took her hand, as they headed out and back to the suite. Pictures of them were taken on their journey but they couldn't stop that from happening.

The next night in Vegas was a repeat of the night before. Everyone went to a bunch of different clubs and got crazy. With the exception of Rooney and Austin. Now that the press were aware she was there, going out was a hassle. Especially since you typically walk everywhere in Vegas. They opted to a quiet night in, ordered some room service, and bought some movies on-demand. It was a night both of them preferred together instead of some loud club with obnoxious drunks.

Night passed and morning came too soon. Both Courtney and Rooney were headed back to Los Angeles, while Of Mice & Men finished off the last week of their tour in Arizona, New Mexico, and two dates in Texas. Austin almost convinced Rooney to just come along but she was reminded of all the work that was waiting for her back home in L.A. There was no way she could come with.

A sad goodbye was given at the airport, not just from Austin's end. The entire band had come to be attached to Rooney in that small period of time. Just like Austin. She just had that very likeable personality. There was no bad trait in it. Caring, loving, and giving were the perfect words to use to describe Rooney. It almost made Austin think about what his mom would think of her.

Back in Los Angeles, not had changed. Rooney went straight back to work once the jet landed. She headed over to her office just outside of Beverly Hills, in Santa Monica. It was very helpful to have that place because it kept business from being taken place her at home. Which had began to be a problem, so she bought out that office space.

Her small staff was in full work mode at she arrived. Secretly, she was planning on starting a clothing line and there were in the early stages of pulling it together. None of this had been released to the press yet. It was high end fashion at a reasonable price. Rooney wasn't doing it for the money. She was doing it for the women out there who were stuck with shitty, poorly made clothes because they couldn't afford the more expensive things. All proceeds that didn't go towards manufacturing the items, went to the local women's shelters in L.A and the surrounding areas. It was a big help due to the increasingly decline of the economy in the city of Los Angeles.

The next Friday, Austin was back. He flew from Dallas, Texas into LAX that night. Instead of going back to his place and settling in, he went straight to Rooney. She would have been there at the airport to pick him up but Courtney insisted she didn't, wanting to avoid the craziness it would cause. Unfortunately Courtney was right. After pictures surfaced of the two holding hands, things got a little out of control.

"I missed you so much." She spoke in his ear after throwing her arms around his shoulders when she opened the door.

"I missed you too." Tossing his bags aside, he lifted her in his arms, brought them both indoors and shut the door with his foot. He then placed his lips firmly on her own. It was the kiss he had waited an entire week to give her. A week didn't seem very long, but with their new found romance, it felt like a year. "Is anyone else here?"

"Nope. They all just left." A few of her friends had been over earlier to simply catch up and eat, but she made sure to get rid of them all before Austin was home.

"Good. You're all mine." He growled, setting her back down on the floor and snatching at her siding, tickling her. She squirmed out of his grasp and giggled lightly. Although she had to be tickled, it felt fine when Austin did it. Normally she would beat the crap out of anyone who attempted. He grabbed at her again, pulling her body tightly against his, squeezing at her sides. She tried but failed at breaking free. He was just too strong for her. Laughter echoed throughout the large, open foyer. Almost nothing sounded better than her laughter. It had quickly become one of Austin's favorite noises. Once she was out of breath, he stopped but kept her close to his body.

"Wanna go upstairs?" She asked. He nodded in agreement. They both grabbed Austin's things and carried them upstairs. "I'm gonna change. This dress sucks." Rooney complained, lifting it over her head and throwing it to the corner of her room. It was the first time Austin had ever seen so much of her body bare. Not including what he saw in pictures and on screen. Her frame was unlike anything else, and now her could perfectly she all her tattoos.

She went into the closet and searched for something comfortable to sleep in. It didn't take long for Austin to closely follow and wrap his arms around her from behind, softly kissing the arrangement of colorful flowers that graced her upper right shoulder. Rooney turned around in his arms to face him and smiled. No other guy had ever done what he just did. It was silly to be happy about something so simple and pointless, but it meant something to her. Austin appreciated her body the way it was. He didn't complain about her tattoos or think that it wasn't right for woman to have them. Rooney couldn't even remember every single time she had heard something like that from a man. It was too many to want to think about. Whether it be a boyfriend, designer, director or photographer. Everyone always had a problem with them. Austin wasn't like that at all.

"How is it possible that you are so incredible?"

The corners of his mouth began to rise. His only way to respond was to plant dozens of kisses around her face, playfully. "Let's get your sweet self to bed." Releasing her, he went over to his bags and pulled out some night time clothes for himself. Rooney went down the small hallway in her walk-in that lead to another door to the bathroom. She removed all her make-up and quickly washed her face. Then she remembered Austin saying he wanted to shower when they were on the phone after he landed. Planes were so gross these days. She went into the linen closet and pulled out some fresh cotton towels for him, setting them on the large granite counter top.

When she went back into the room, Austin was standing near her bed talking on the phone. She didn't want to interrupt his conversation, so she quietly crawled into bed and turned on her MacBook.

He hung up and sighed. "Everything okay?" Rooney questioned.

"I don't know how but I completely forgot we are leaving in a couple weeks for Warped Tour."

"That's amazing. I've heard about Warped Tour from Courtney. I have never gone, but she has, many times. My summers are usually packed so I don't really do much but work. You should be excited."

"I mean, I am, it's just...I don't wanna go now."

"Why not?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How could he not want to go but be excited?

"I kinda just don't wanna leave you for so long." He confessed, looking away from her gaze.

It was hard not to smile at what he had just said, but she tried to fight it due to the fact he was upset. She closed her laptop then crawled over the edge of the bed where he stood and sat up on her knees. "It's not THAT long. It's like two and half months, right?"

"Yeah, about."

"Well, during that time I can always come out and visit you." She smiled, trying to make the situation better.

"You just said you work all summer. I don't want to take you away from that." She leaned forward and pressed her body against his, resting her arms on top of his shoulders.

"I say a lot of things. I make my own schedule. For as long as I can remember, I have never had a summer off to enjoy my youth and have fun. That could always be this summer."

"You would want to do that?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't."

"But you'll die out there."

"Because of your fans, the heat, or being stuck on a bus?"

Austin laughed, "All three."

"Hmm, well, you're worth it. Kinda, sorta." She shrugged, playing it off.

"Really? Just kinda, sorta."

"Maybe." She shrugged again.

"Okay then, Rooney Alexander, would you do me the honor of joining me and my band out on the very hot, and seemingly long, Warped Tour?"

"I'll call my assistant tomorrow and have her take care of everything. My schedule will be cleared and I will be all yours for two and a half months."

"Mine for only two and half months?"

"Hey, let's not push it." She joked. "I am highly demanded. Many men are counting on me to make movies where I am half naked to feel better about their shitty sex life. I have a very important job, Austin." Delightfully, he laughed at her response. To Austin it seemed like every time he was around Rooney, he was joking and laughing. She definitely was something else. "Now go shower. I already have it all set up for you."

"Thank you, my Queen." He softly kissed her plump lips, then headed to the bathroom, shutting the doors behind him. Rooney settled back into bed, and laid her legs out while she sat up. She opened up her computer again, and placed it on her lap. One of her cats, Shadow, jumped up on the bed during that time and curled up at her feet, feeding off the warmth.

After approximately ten minutes, Austin came back out of the bathroom. He only had on a pair of pajama pants and he towel drying his hair. "Jesus, Austin!" She shouted at him. "Can you not walk out here like that? You make me look like a total ass because your body is a million times better looking than mine."

He clicked his teeth and rolled his eyes, "shut up." She giggled softly. Walking right back in the bathroom, he threw the towel in the laundry basket then joined Rooney in the bed. "What are you looking at?" He asked as he sat right beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and leaning into her gently as the back board held them up.

"Nothing in particular. Just random crap. I read an article about how you were spotted at the airport earlier and I wasn't there to pick you up or see you. So, it basically means we're over."

"This is just awkward then. Sucks finding out this way."

"Sorry, babe." She patted his leg, then closed the Mac. "Wanna watch a movie? I got The Avengers."

"Didn't that just come out in theaters last week?"

"Yes, but I have connections by the name of Robert Downey Jr. He got me a copy."

Austin was quite impressed, and obviously agreed to watch the movie. All Rooney had to do was turn of the television with the remote on her bed side table. The disc was already in the player since she had watched it four times since she received it last Saturday. It was too good not to repeat. Plus Rooney was a huge Stan Lee and Marvel fan. "You never cease to amaze me, Rooney."