Burn

After GPS-ing the address John told me over the phone, I finally arrived forty minutes later at their...house? I pulled into the driveway of a very big townhouse--one of the ones you see that are normally gated and have their own personal golf course--and parked, checking the address once more for confirmation.

"This is definitely the right address. But this doesn't look like a recording studio to me." I muttered, grabbing my purse and getting out. I was halfway up the driveway when I heard the front door open and looked up to see John bounding down the steps toward me. He had a big grin plastered on his face, and I did a quick once-over of his outfit of a long sleeved burgundy shirt and dark skinny jeans with boots. He was slightly stylish--I approved.

"I thought you were at the studio?" I asked and he gestured behind him at the house. "This is! It's the recording studio-slash-living quarters." He laughed. I raised an eyebrow and he motioned for me to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you."

We walked back inside and entered the den where the boy's shoes and jackets were strewn around the front door. "Um, you can take those off if you want to." he pointed to my flats and I quickly kicked them off, padding behind him and praying that my tights didn't snag on the wooden floors.

I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and clean the house was. It was truly decorated like the houses you see in magazines, down to the abstract paintings on the walls and potted plants in the corner of the rooms.

As if reading my mind, John smiled, looking down at me. "It's pretty clean right now because last night was the first night we stayed."

I nodded and suppressed a grin, following him into the living room. Garrett and Kennedy were sitting on the couch with their eyes glued to the big flat screen on the wall in front of them, thumbs moving rapidly over their Playstation controller buttons. I almost groaned at the sight of Madden on the screen.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Jared and Pat went to go get groceries and dinner for tonight. They should be back anytime now." Garrett answered, never taking his eyes off the screen.

"Well, I'm gonna go show Viola the house..." John said. He was met with no reply so he shook his head and motioned for me to follow him. We walked down a hallway and he showed me Pat and Jared's and the downstairs bathroom, then we went upstairs to the second floor. We walked past the rooms that Kennedy and Garrett had called their own and then to the very end of the hallway where John's room was.

I poked my head in, nodding approvingly. His room included a big window seat beside the bed which light was flooding through, making the entire room light up without a drop of electricity. I padded over to it, sitting and looking down at the brown spots forming into the green grass below. "This would be my favorite spot in the house, hands down."

He looked at me and smiled slightly, saying nothing. I guessed from the look on his face that the seat was in fact, his favorite spot, too. He came over to where I was and sat with me--keeping his distance. He mimicked my action of staring out the window, but suddenly I was more interested in looking at him. The sun shone brightly on his face illuminating the different flecks of color in his eyes. He had freckles...how come I hadn't noticed that before?

His gaze slowly shifted to mine, an odd glint in his eye as he stood up and offered his hand to me. "Come on. The last stop on this tour is the studio." I hesitated before placing my hand in his and I immediately wished I hadn't as I heard a pop and felt the shock of static electricity on my palm. I snatched my hand back immediately and a small giggle escaped my mouth before I could stop it. John grinned, shaking his hand and offering it cautiously to me once more. "Let's try that again."

I slowly slid my hand into his, and this time there was a different type of shock as he pulled me off the window seat. His palm was warm and soft and fit nicely with mine even though it was much bigger in comparison. For a split second, I started to get a warm, familiar feeling in my stomach that caught me off guard. John quickly let go as soon as I was to my feet, making me unsure if what I had just felt had even happened. I was thankful he was walking in front of me as I felt my face start to heat up.

We walked past the boys again, still in their fixated state in front of the TV and towards a set of stairs that led down to the most gorgeous room in the house. If musicians had a dream studio, I was almost positive that this one was pretty damn close. The walls were covered in different colored stones on one side and polished wooden panels on the other that matched the ones on the floor. A soundboard sat in front of a glass wall, where I saw a microphone stand and a bunch of other guitars inside.

"Wow." I said, turning around in a circle to take it all in. When he said house-studio this was definitely not what I was expecting.

"This is where all the magic happens." he said, a split second before laughing dryly and adding, "Well, other than in my bedroom, of course."

I rolled my eyes as he nudged me playfully with his elbow, making me laugh. I walked over to the glass doors, peering in at the guitars sitting in their holders, their glossy bodies reflecting from the overhead lights. "Play me something." I said.

John walked past me into the room and picked up an acoustic, strumming it a few times before he asked, "What do you want me to play--something cliche, like one of ours songs?" he teased, raising an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged and he sat on a stool in the corner of the booth. He looked down and strummed, turning the tuning pegs until he found the right pitch for each string. "Well what songs do you like?"

"Of The Maine's?" I questioned and he nodded. "Hmm...I like One Pack of Smokes, Whoever She Is, and Like We Did--but only that cool slowed down version you did of it."

John took so long to respond I thought I'd said something wrong. He'd stopped strumming and his hands were frozen in place over the strings. He looked up at me slowly through his eyelashes, making my breath catch in my throat. "...All the sad, slow songs?"

The way he was looking at me made my voice go very small as I choked out, "Well--uh, maybe I only like the sad songs."

John's head snapped up so quick it startled me and I took a step back from him. The air seemed to stand still as he processed what I said -- his eyebrows furrowed, eyes searching mine for some unknown explanation I didn't know how to give. I was more confused than ever as he stood up, putting the guitar back in its place on the stand.

The thundering sound of footsteps from upstairs interrupted the quiet and John looked down at me -- suddenly five steps closer than he was a few moments before. "Pat and Jared at home. We should probably go eat." he said, taking off up the stairs, not looking back this time to see if I was following him anymore.



We all sat down at the kitchen table and began devouring the pizzas that Pat and Jared had bought home. I couldn't help but notice that John would catch my eye every now and then, only to look quickly away as though he hadn't been looking in the first place. I was so confused by his behavior downstairs but I didn't know how to ask him about it. I knew that I had said something that upset him, I just couldn't figure out what.

Everyone sat quietly for a while, munching on their dinner without making much small talk. As they got full, they slowed down and began the conversation.

"It's a good thing Viola will be around for a while." Kennedy said, smiling. "Maybe she can cook us some real food and we won't have to order out every night."

I laughed, putting my slice back on my plate and wiping my mouth with my napkin. "I could try. But I'm no chef."

"Anything would be better than having pizza and frozen dinners all the time." Pat commented, leaning forward to pick another piece out of the box.

"Did John ever show you where to put your bags?" Garrett asked. I furrowed my brow. "Bags? What do you mean?"

Pat raised an eyebrow at me. "You know, with all your clothes and girl stuff in them...?" I looked at John for clarification, who held my gaze for the first time since we'd sat down. "We figured you'd stay with us for the recording process, that way you can catch literally everything that we do from the moment we go to bed. That's normally kind of how this works..."

I almost choked on my pizza. I began hacking and couching and Pat patted me on the back a few times, handing me his glass of water since mine was empty. After I was sure I could talk again, I cleared me throat, trying now to focus on the five amused face staring at me. "S-stay? Here? For three months?"

"Yeah." Jared nodded. "I mean, Dirk normally does that, so we figured you would, too."

I went to stutter out a reply but John cut me off. "Of course, you don't have to." he commented, looking down at his plate with a grim expression on his face. I was afraid that I'd offended him so I tried to back-track.

"No-no! It's not that I wouldn't want to stay here. It's just that--my apartment still has to be kept up--and all my things--I-I.." I went quiet, staring down at the grease spots left on my plate by the pizza. Stay with them for three months? Me and five boys in a house--SIX if you counted Tim and seven if you counted their producer who would help them in the recording process! Were they sure that's how this stuff normally went?

The boys went into a discussion about where I could sleep as there were only five bedrooms in the house. While I tried to object and say that if I ever did stay the couch would be fine, but they wouldn't take no for an answer. I got up from the table as I heard my phone vibrating on the counter, grabbing my plate and putting it in the sink. Caleb's name flashed across my screen and my stomach dropped.

"Hello?" I said, hoping that he didn't hear their voices as I practically ran into the living room.

"Where are you?" he demanded and I could tell he was really upset.

"I-I'm sorry." I stuttered, my voice shaking. "I lost track of time at work and I--"

"We're getting ready to eat as I speak. I thought you were coming over, Viola?"

I was extremely nervous for some reason, almost as if I was in trouble for something. I prayed that the boys would be quiet long enough for me to finish the phone call without Caleb hearing them.

"I'm about to be on my way. I'll be there within the next hour?"

"Where are you?" he asked again. "Did Mr. Clancy make you stay over at work or something?"

"Um, I'll just have to explain when I get there--" and as if my luck couldn't get any worse at that moment, Pat yelled out, "Hey Viola, you can stay in John's room!" I winced and my heartbeat quickened so fast I thought it was going to beat out of my chest.

The line was deadly quiet for a few seconds and I was afraid to speak. I knew that if he was upset before, he was outright angry now.

"Caleb, let me explain. Mr. Clancy asked me to---" I said quickly, hoping that he wouldn't cut me off but he did anyways. His voice was full of hurt, even thought I could tell he was trying to hide it.

"Are you--you know what, don't worry about it. I guess I'll see you when you get here." and he hung up. I stared at my phone in my hand for a while, before returning to the kitchen where the boys were still sitting. Garrett turned around in his chair as he heard me approaching. I guess my face gave away exactly how I was feeling because his brow furrowed. "...Is everything okay?"

"Um, I really have to go guys. I'm so sorry. I promised my friends I would hang out with them tonight."

"No biggie." he replied. "Guess we'll see you tomorrow?"

I saluted him. "Bright and early." I waved goodbye to everyone and John surprised me by standing up from his place at the table and slipping his boots back on. "I'll walk you out."

"Okay." I replied softly, willing my face not to heat up. I cursed myself on the walk down the driveway for not being able to think of anything to say to him. I opened my car door and turned around, startled by how close he was to me. He took a step back, a sly grin plastered on his face. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

He shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. He looked at me shyly from under his lashes, making my stomach squirm. "So do you think you really want to do this?"

"W-what?" I stammered, wishing there was a breeze somewhere to cool off my face. "I mean, um, yeah! I think this will be cool. Although I have to admit, I do feel like I'm interrupting quality dude time with my presence."

He laughed, throwing his head back. "I highly doubt that. We like having you around."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." he said, chuckling slightly. His eyes danced with playfulness, and it made me smile like an idiot.

"And about the whole staying thing..." he took one hand out of his pocket to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. "You really don't have to. The only reason they suggest my room is because it's the biggest--" he glanced down to look at mt reaction before returning his gaze above my head. "--and you wouldn't be sharing a bed or anything. We'd get you an air mattress or something."

I shook my head quickly. "That's totally okay. The couch would be fine, I promise."

"I'm not gonna take that answer, Viola. It's already bad enough that we even have to consider that, since we don't have enough space in the house." his tone was grim, and his brilliant smile had fallen into a slight frown.

"It's okay. Really, John." I said, trying to use the most convincing tone that I could. It seemed to work as his face brightened back up and he stood a little straighter. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow." I agreed, climbing into my car. John shut the door behind me, waving as I began to back out of the driveway. He watched me all the way down the road, only turning around and going back into the house when he was a little speck in my rear-view mirror.



Speeding for most of the drive, I made it back to Caleb's apartment in exactly twenty-seven minutes. No familiar cars were outside, which made my stomach clench up in anticipation. If he'd send everyone home early, that was not a good sign.

I walked cautiously to the door, letting myself in and quietly shutting it behind me. The sun was just setting now, so the entire apartment was quiet and dark with the only source of light coming from Caleb's bedroom TV. It was casting bluish glows and flickering light out into the hallway, and my nerves bundles up even more. After shedding my shoes and coat, I tiptoed to his bedroom to see him lounging in bed, watching The Vampire Diaries.

He glanced up at me as I entered his bedroom then centered his attention back on the TV screen.

"Hey." I said shyly.

"Hey."

I walked over to the bed and sat beside him, pulling my legs under me. I felt so awkward and so guilty that I wanted to cry. I knew that I should have told him immediately what happened at work so that he would know, but I was so caught up in the moment I forgot. The truth was, until Caleb had called me, I hadn't really thought about him all day.

The realization of that made my gut clench up, and I felt tears well behind my eyes stupidly. Caleb lowered the volume and looked at me finally, his expression somber.

"Caleb, I'm really sorry. I should have told you about what happened at work today after it happened. But I got--"

"Were you with them tonight? The guys from The Maine?" he asked, pressing his lips together in a thin line.

"Yes." I started and he frowned. "But only because Mr. Clancy told me to. You see--they asked me to help document their recording process for a while--"

"What?" he asked, sitting straight up in bed. "They did what?"

I lowered my eyes, looking down at the blue comforter on his bed. I began picking at a thread sticking out as I talked. "They asked me would I help them with some behind-the-scenes stuff they want to record for their YouTube channel. Mr. Clancy is allowing me to, as long as I bring back enough information to write a five-page spread."

"Viola do you know how long the process of recording an album is? This project could span over a few months."

"I had to take the job, Caleb. This is a once in a lifetime chance." I mumbled, mimicking Jessica's word choice from earlier. He looked at me blankly before recognition sparked in his eyes. He began shaking his head slowly, and I reached out to touch him but he snatched away.

"That's what they were talking about, isn't it? Isn't it?" he said angrily. I was taken aback by his sudden behavior and my eyes widened. "What?"

"What I heard in the background, Viola! 'You can stay in John's room!'" he spit the words at me and I flinched.

"Caleb, I-I--" I started but he cut me off, once again. "No! No more bullshit Viola. So now you're gonna go off and stay with five guys you just met in some house?"

"This is my job, Caleb! Are you forgetting that? This is what I broke my back to do all those years of schooling and interviewing for jobs and being turned down over and over again. This is my dream."

He threw the remote down on the bed angrily. "That doesn't make this okay! What if I wanted to go stay with five girls I barely know? Would you be okay with that?"

"I don't know!"

"Of course you don't. You only ever think about how you feel, Viola." he said, and his amber eyes flashed violently. I could feel my temper rising even though I was trying so hard to stay calm in front of him.

"And you're not going that right now, Caleb? Instead of congratulating me on getting to this stage after all my hard work, all you can think about it how much of a whore you think I'll be!" I exclaimed. I could feel how red my face was and my eyes were stinging horribly with that prickly feeling you get when you're holding back tears.

Caleb's face fell, and he brushed his hair back in frustration. "I don't think--god, Viola how could you say that."

"Because it's true! It's not like you're worried about my safety or the fact that I won't be in my own apartment much. You're worried about me being around guys. Admit it--that's the only reason you're even mad right now." I said, crossing my arms childishly.

He rested his head in his hands defeatedly. "Viola, I really don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm sorry that I made you think that, but I really have to get used to all this, okay? It was so sudden--I just don't even know how I feel right now."

And he cut the volume up on Vampire Diaries to a 'no talking allowed' level and refused to say another word.