We Found Each Other in the Dark

I let out a groan and stretch my back as I lay in the guest room. I look over to the side table to see an empty glass of water and I sigh. I sit up and clutch my head, it feels as if someone took a slugger to the side of it. "Fuck." I murmur before standing up and walking down the hall in my boxers and t-shirt.

Ben is sitting at the island with a cup of coffee as he scrolls through his phone, "Holy shit, you're
alive." He teases me and I chuckle.

"I don't feel alive, I'm a bloody zombie."

Ben laughs, "It's all that booze last night, ya' hoser. Want a cup, yeah?" He asks me and I nod, walking over to the coffee pot and fixing myself a cup of java.

"Where's your mum and Ted?" I ask him and he sets his phone down on the island, taking a quick sip of coffee.

"Out at the cottage. Mum wants to stay there for the weekend and asked if we wanted to go but I said no. We can go up tomorrow or something if ya' wanted. I've still got to ask Faith." He tells me and I nod, taking a drink.

I completely forgot about his cousin, Faith. I forgot how she helped me last night and how kind she is. Fuck, this hangover is a lot worse than I thought.

We hear someone walking down the hall and Faith is standing in front of us with her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head. She lets out a yawn and rubs her eyes. She walks over to the coffee pot and makes herself a cup of coffee, standing beside me and I let out a laugh, "You're so tiny."

She looks up at me and sticks out her tongue, "Good morning to you too!"

Ben shakes his head and looks at us, comparing heights, "Aren't you like 5'9 or something like that?" He asks Faith and she nods, "Well George you're like 6'4 or something ridiculous." Ben gets down from the stool he was sitting on and goes to the fridge, grabbing an apple, "You tall fuck." He jokes.

"Oh whatever. You're just sad cause your cus here is creepin' up on ya' in height!" I tell him and he lets out a 'pfft' sound.

"Whatever, ya shit head. So, what are we doing today folks?" He asks us before taking a massive bite out of his apple.

Faith lets out a sigh beside me and looks at Ben, "I have to get all of my stuff from Justin's flat." She tells Ben and I give him a confused look.

Ben nods, "Okay, so George and I will call the guys and we'll all go over and get your things. Eh, if he's there, what do I do?"

She lets out a scoff, "Like I care what you do to him if he's there."

Ben smirks, "So if we hit him, it ain't a big deal?" He clarifies and she narrows her eyes at him. "What!? I'm being serious! He's a cheating asshole!"

Faith shakes her head, "I don't care just don't break any of my stuff and make sure you get all my clothes, please!"

He nods, "Yeah, obviously I'm gonna' get everything." He looks at me, "What are you doing today George of the Jungle?"

I shrug, "I might as well go get some stuff since I'll be staying here for a bit. The house is all clear so we don't have to worry about anything. Oi, why don't Ross and I go to my place, get stuff and then meet you over at Justin's?" I ask and Ben shrugs.

"I don't give a shit as long as you actually show up and help cause this woman has a lot of shit."

Faith claps her hands together, "Well boys, I'd love to stay and chat but I smell like an old sock! So, I'm going to go shower, change and hangout." She tells us before walking upstairs and going into the bathroom to shower.

Ben looks at me, "What?" I ask him and he smirks.

"You think she's a hottie, don't you dare say you don't cause I see right through you." Ben says and I shrug.

"Well, yeah, she's beautiful but we're both fresh outta relationships, nothing is going to happen."

He just chuckles, "Uh-huh, I'm so sure nothing with happen." He says sarcastically, "Just be careful around her if anything does happen because she just broke off a six year relationship."

My eyes go wide, "What? Really? Six years?"

Ben nods, "Yeah, Justin was cheating on her for a year and a bit. We all suspected it but she was too blind to see all the hints that we did. She walked in on him with some blonde girl the other day and that's why she's here."

I shake my head in disbelief, "That's mad. Who would cheat on a girl like her?" I ask and Ben shrugs, "I don't understand some people. He's a real ass for pulling a move like that."

"Well, thank god she broke it off with him. Any longer and I would've ended up killing the guy. I'm all ready to go and get her stuff if you want to get changed and then we can go. It won't take long, an hour at the most."

I nod, "Yeah, let me go throw my pants on and we'll go pick up the guys." I turn to walk to the guest room, "We have to go back to the pub and get my van."

"I know, we'll do that and then we'll pick up the guys and meet at Justin's place." I nod and hurry to the guest room, sliding on my black pants, leaving my cell phone on the bed and walking back out to meet Ben.

We both walk out of the house and drive to the pub where I get my van. "Alright, so I'll meet you guys at Justin's flat in like half an hour, maybe a bit sooner." Ben and Matt nod. Adam was out with his sister today so he couldn't come help.

"Text me the address and we'll hurry over whenever we're done." Ross says.

"You've got it, mate." Matt says before they drive off to Justin's, leaving Ross and I in my van.

I turn on the van and look around before pulling onto the road and driving to Annie's flat, "So, Ben's cousin is really great, eh?" Ross asks me and I groan.

"What the hell. Why is everyone bringing her up around me? I've known her for like twelve hours for fuck sake!"

Ross laughs, "She's a good girl. I'm glad she's staying with Ben now, that Justin guy wasn't any good for her."

I give him a look then quickly turn my attention back to the road, "Wait, you've met her before?" I ask him and he nods.

"Well, yeah. Matt and I would always hangout at Ben's house and she was always there with Justin or something. Matt's known her for a few years by now."

"How did I just end up meeting her then?" I ask him, kind of upset.

Ross shrugs as we pull into the parking lot beside the apartment building, "Bad luck I guess."
_________________________________________________________
I pick my phone up from the charger and place it in the iPhone dock, turning on some Jimi Hendrix. I towel dry my hair and itch my head quickly before stepping into my pair of leggings and searching the drawers for a shirt I've left here or one of Ben's to wear.

I finally find a shirt and quickly get dressed in one of Ben's old t-shirts. I walk to my purse and pull out the pack of cigareets, keeping it in my hand before slipping one in between my lips and lighting it when I get outside to the backyard.

I take a drag and sit down on the chair, running a hand through my long black hair. I look over at the ashtray and quickly ash, taking one more drag. I hear a car pull into the drive way and then I hear numerous voices. I continue to sit in the backyard having my cigarette and the screen door slides open. Ben, Matt and George stand there with boxes in their hands. "You got it all?" I ask Ben and he nods.

"Yeah, he wasn't there so we took our time."

I nod and take another drag, blowing out the smoke, "Could I bum one off of you maybe?" Matt asks me and I nod eagerly, taking another fag out of the package and hanging it to him, "Thanks love."

"George, help me bring these boxes to Faith's room." Ben orders and George groans, following behind me with two boxes in his arms.

Matt ashes his cigarette just as I push mine into the bottom of the ash tray, "You've got a lot of shit." He chuckles and I roll my eyes with a smile on my face, "Glad you're done with him?" He asks me and I nod.

"Yeah, god knows how long he was actually running around behind my back." I pull my knees up to my chest, "It sucks because it was so much time wasted but I guess it is what it is."

Matt nods, "You know you'll find the right guy soon. He could be right in front of your eyes and you wouldn't even know!"

I let out a laugh, "I guess you're right."

"Are you going to our gig today?" Matt asks me and I shrug.

"I don't know, is Ben going?"

Matt nods, "Yeah, he's coming. You might as well come hangout and have a few drinks, have some fun. You need it!"

I laugh, "Are you pressuring me!?"

He smirks, "Maybe I am!"

I hear the door slide open and I look back to find George standing in the doorway, "What's going on?" He asks as he walks over to us and sits down beside me.

"Just bugging Faith into coming to our show tonight at the Sick Pup." Matt tells him and he nods, lighting a smoke and taking a few hauls.

George looks over at me, "So are ya' going to come?" He asks me and I nod.

"Yeah, if Ben is going then I might as well. Not like I really have any other friends here anyways."

George chuckles, "Well I'm glad we're considered friends."

"Of course you are!" I laugh and then look over at Matt, "What time is the show at?"

He looks at George and George shrugs, "I think it's at like nine or something like that. What are we
doing for the rest of the day?" He asks us and I shake my head, not having any activities to recommend.

"We have band practice don't we?" George asks and Matt nods, "You could always come to that if you wanted."

I shake my head, "No, it's fine. I want it to be a surprise at your show tonight! How long is that going to take?"

Matt shrugs, "Like an hour or two, it depends on how much we get done 'cause we have to figure out our set list and all that shit."

"Okay, I think I'll just hangout and watch some movies or something until we go to the show." Ben walks out onto the deck with a beer in his hand, "Isn't it a bit too early to be drinking beer?" I ask him, questioning him.

He laughs, "It's three in the afternoon, it's my tea time beer." He winks, mocking our great aunt, Belle, who always has tea at three. "Oi, so we'll be at the venue at like 8:30, yeah?"

George nods, "Sounds good!" He sets his cigarette in the ash tray and then looks at me, "So that means you've gotta be ready by eight!"

I laugh, "Why me!? Ben takes longer to get ready than I do!"

Matt lets out a loud laugh, "As if! Remember in eighth grade when we made a bet on this!?" He asks George and then they both start laughing loudly.

"We made a bet that Ben would take longer than any girl in his family to get ready and now it's true! This is too great!"

Matt looks at Ben and smirks, "Do you straighten or curl your hair? Powder or liquid foundation? Your eyebrows are looking superb, Benjamin, did you do them this morning?" He teases my cousin and Ben chuckles.

"Fuck off you shit head." He says before taking a drink of his beer.

A few hours later, the boys all go over to Ross' place for band practice. I decide to stay at home and lounge around until I have to get ready. I flop onto the leather sofa and flick through shows on Netflix, settling on the show Misfits. I lay down on the couch and close my eyes, falling asleep very quickly.
I wake up to George making pasta and banging cupboards. I get up from the couch and slowly walk to the kitchen, feeling like a zombie. "You'd think that somebody with a hangover as bad as yours wouldn't be banging cupboards."

I pick a juice box from the fridge and poke the straw through the hole, taking a sip of the Five Alive. "Well, I'm not like normal, so."

I chuckle, "You didn't have to tell me twice." I tease him, "What time is it and where's Ben?" I ask him as he's pouring pasta into three bowls.

George puts forks in each bowl and hands me one, I take a bite of the pesto pasta and it's delicious. "It's ten to seven and Ben is just upstairs showering. He's getting ready and by the looks of it, you should to." He says after taking a few bites of his dinner.

"Hey! Are you saying I don't look cute enough to go to a show right now?" I ask him. My bed head is probably horrible right now and I know I should probably start getting ready after I eat.

He laughs, "No way! You're gorgeous either way, I'm just lettin' ya' know it's almost seven and that gives you an hour to get ready."

We finish our pasta and I start walking to my room, George following me. "How was band practice?" I ask him before opening the door to the bedroom.

He shrugs, "Same old, same old."

I chuckle, "Well, that's good! Excited to play?" I ask him and he nods eagerly.

"More than you know!" And with that, we both close our doors. I decide to straighten my hair and part it down the middle. I put on makeup and go through all of my clothes, figuring out what to wear.
After a half hour of being stuck, and ten minutes before we're supposed to leave, I finally decide on an outfit. I quickly get dressed, grab my cell-phone and cigarettes and rush out to the front room where Ben and George are waiting. "Ready lady?" Ben asks me and I nod.

We walk out to his vehicle and drive to the venue where George leaves to set up and get ready for their performance. "Want a drink?" Ben asks me.

"Yeah, sure." We both crack open our beer and take a drink, waiting for the 1975 to play.
________________________________________________________

"George, get your head in the game for fuck sake!" Matt says to me, shaking me and I sigh, running a hand through my tangled hair.

I light a cigarette and start moving my drum equipment around, "You fucker, you can't smoke inside!" Adam shouts at me and I roll my eyes, turning around and walking out the back door to enjoy my cigarette.

I lean against the brick wall and focus on the dart between my lips rather than everything else that's bugging me. "What's wrong?" I hear Matt ask me as he opens the door and closes it behind him, "Is it Annie?"

"God no, it has nothing to do with that woman." I tell him after taking another drag, "I just, fuck, I feel like a sissy."

Matt laughs, "Why's that?" He asks as he steals my smoke and takes a drag.

I sigh, "I can't help but constantly wanting to be around Faith. I want to talk to her all the time, I want to be able to text her or talk about meaningful things with her. It's been twenty four fucking hours and look at me, I'm like a lovesick puppy."

He chuckles, "Well, can't say we didn't see this coming!" I glare at him and he shakes his head, raising his hands in defense, "Oi, it's not a bad thing that you've got a thing for Benny's cousin. I mean, hangout with her sometime, ask her to the movies or for lunch. She's a doll, she's isn't some crusty bitchy woman, I promise you that."

"I'd sure hope she isn't crusty." I tell Matty with a laugh and he rolls his eyes.

"Oh god, now that's disgusting you twat."

I throw my smoke to the ground, stepping on it, "I just want to impress her tonight, I want to do good."

Matt smiles at me and pats my back as we walk back inside the venue, "Of course you're gonna do good, you always do."

"Ready guys?" Ross asks us and I nod, walking up on the stage and getting ready to play.
________________________________________________________
"Why aren't they playing yet? It's like nine thirty." I ask Ben and he shrugs, having no idea why they haven't began yet.

All of the sudden, we hear Matt's voice through the speakers and we look over to the stage where the guys are standing with their instruments, George sitting behind his drum kit. We push through the crowd of drunk girls and boys and get to the front where we decide to stay and watch the guys.

"I'm Matt, we're the 1975 and this one is called whatever the fuck it's called." He begins playing his guitar and George starts playing his drums, Adam and Ross doing the same with their instruments. "And this is how it starts; take your shoes off in the back of my van. Yeah my shirt looks so good, when it's just hanging off your back." Matt sings and a girl behind us starts screaming, waving her hands in the air and singing along with all of her friends.

"And she said, "Use your hands and my spare time— we've got one thing in common, it's this tongue of mine." She said she's got a boyfriend anyway. There's only minutes before I drop you off. All we seem to do is talk about sex, she's got a boyfriend anyway, she's got a boyfriend anyway!"

I look over at Ben who is nodding his head to the beat and singing along with Matt. Matt looks down at me and winks, smiling as he sings to the crowd. "Sing with me you fuckers! I loved your friend when I saw his film. He's got a funny face but I like that 'cause he still looks cool. She's got a boyfriend anyway, she's got a boyfriend anyway."

I look behind Matt to see George doing back up vocals as he plays his drums. I watch him in awe and can't help but smile at the passionate drummer. "Now we're on the bed in my room and I'm about to fill his shoes, but you say no, you say no. Does he take care of you or could I easily fill his shoes? But you say no, you say no." And after a few more minutes, the first song is over and then the first five are over.

Matt takes a chug of water and runs his hands through his curly hair, he looks back at George and says something that nobody can hear. George's eyes go wide and then he shakes his head and looks over at Ben and I. I give George a smile and he smiles back, letting what Matt just said to him brush off his shoulders.

"Well, this one is a special one for ya's." Matt says as he holds the microphone in his hand and sits on the amp, "It's a bit of a slower one but who cares. This song is dedicated to my lovely friend," He turns his head and looks at George with a smirk, "It's about falling for someone and stuff."

George lets out a sigh and starts playing the introduction of the song, I look over at Ben, "Who's George falling for!?" I ask, extremely curious to who his new interest may be.

"I don't know." Ben lies to me, "Probably some friend of Annie's or something." He continues to fib to me and I can tell by his monotone voice and how he doesn't look at me when he talks.

"What time you coming down? We started losing light. I'll never make it right if you don't want me around, I'm so excited for the night, all we need's my bike and your enormous house. You said some day we might when I'm closer to your height 'til then we'll knock around, endlessly. You're all I need." Matty sings into the microphone, now standing up and closing his eyes as he sings.

I like how relaxing this song is, "Don't you see me now? I think I'm falling, I'm falling for you, don't you need me? I, I think I'm falling, I'm falling for you, and on this night and in this light, I think I'm falling, I'm falling for you. Maybe you'll change your mind, I think I'm falling, I think I'm falling." He continues to sing and then the song is over.

Everyone starts clearing out of the venue as the show is over and the other bands pack up, ready to go and get drunk or to go home and sleep. Ben walks to the back and I follow behind him like a lost puppy.

"What the fuck was that for!?" George shouts at Matt who's standing a few feet in front of him.

Matt scoffs, "You're unbelievable! Grow some balls you fucking wanker!"

George shakes his head and points a finger at Matt, "This isn't any of your business, Matt, stay out of i-"

"Hey guys." Ben pipes up and the two guys turn around and look at us, both scared that we heard too much. "Good show."

"Thanks." George mumbles before pulling out a cigarette and walking to the back.
Matt rolls his eyes, "Sorry, he's being a bummer. Thanks a ton though. You enjoyed it yeah?" He asks me and I nod.

"Yeah, you guys are really great! But excuse me, I'll be right back." I tell them before taking out a smoke too and opening the back door to find George at the bottom of the stairs. He's looking out to the street and the passing cars. I walk down the stairs and light my smoke before asking, "Are you okay?"

George turns around and gives me a sad smile, "Yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry 'bout it."
I sigh and stand beside him at the bottom of the stairs, "Well, I'm kind of worrying about it. What's wrong?"

"Just sometimes Matt can be kind of an asshole and pull some dick moves." He tells me and I nod, knowing that he's referring to Matt's introduction to the one song.

"Well why does it bother you so much? I'm not trying to degrade your feelings, I'm just curious. Was she at the show?"

George chuckles, "You're pretty oblivious, eh?"

I give him a confused look, "What are you talking about?" I ask him as I take another haul.

"It's you."