Sky Full of Stars

32

Felicity's routines get a little more risqué (if that's even possible) and Calista has a sneaking suspicion that that has a little something to do with her. Felicity always seems to bring up her relationship with Tyler and how they have yet to become physical and, while she does understand Calista's perspective on the subject, she also knows that her classes were kind of a saving grace when Calista first moved here and started whatever the hell that thing was that she had with Jordie. Self confidence has always been Calista's biggest issue and Felicity had done wonders for that in her classes. Now it seems like with a new guy, she has to start over from the beginning and she is willing to accept that challenge because this is her best friend and she'd pretty much do anything for her.

So yeah, Felicity definitely has that in mind when she's creating new routines. On top of that, she and Tasha team up to convince her to take another one of Tasha's classes, which Calista flat out refuses at first, but eventually comes around to with a whole lot of begging and guilt from her friends. The guys have a few back to back away games at the beginning of the month so the whole time they're gone, Calista spends all her free time at the studio learning these new routines that highly embarrass her when she watches the tape back after class. That's the main difference between her and her friends- they're all confidence rewatching their movements but, while Calista's fine doing it in the moment, watching it back just makes her cringe and cover her face with her hands.

The boys are flying back from Florida after their two games there, supposed to be landing back in Dallas around lunch time, and since Calista finished her project for work a few days early, she decided to take the day off so that she and Tyler can spend the day together. Of course Felicity has her in the studio at 8am and over three hours later, they're still at it. Her plan was to leave the studio with enough time to be able to go home and shower then cook lunch before Tyler arrived home but that plan is pretty much shot all to hell now; she'll be lucky if she has enough time to even take a shower.

"Fifi, I have to goooooooo," she whines, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. "I should have been gone an hour ago."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! Just one more time, I swear! Babe, play it again."

Nick restarts the song from where he's sitting in the corner and the girls go through the routine again but Felicity still isn't happy with it. She lays down on the floor of the studio and throws her arm up over her face, huffing loudly in annoyance. "This isn't fucking working," she grumbles, defeated. "Let's just scrap it and do something else."

"Are you kidding? Babe, you just spent the past two weeks perfecting that. You can't just trash it now," Nick says as he hops up from the floor to come over and stand at his pouting girlfriend's feet, propping his elbow up on Calista's shoulder.

"Yeah, Fifi, it's a great routine," Calista adds. "I'll be back tomorrow and we can go over it as many times as you want. We can get it perfect, I promise."

Felicity groans and rubs her hands over her face. "Calista, get out of here. We can do this shit anytime. You had plans, I'm so sorry. Go home and get ready. Go find your boyfriend."

"Uh, I'm actually right here," a voice says behind them and Felicity pops up into a sitting position as Nick and Calista both spin around to see Tyler standing in the doorway, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

"What are you doing here?" Calista asks, glancing back at the clock on the wall. "You're not even supposed to have landed yet."

"We ended up leaving a little earlier than planned. I just had the Benns drop me off here on the way home."

"How long have you been there?"

He shrugs. "About ten minutes I guess."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Didn't want to interrupt."

"So you've just been standing there watching?"

"Pretty much."

Calista tries to keep her face neutral so that it doesn't betray the embarrassment she feels and simply nods before she turns back to her friends to say goodbye and Tyler follows her out of the studio wordlessly after stopping to grab her hoodie and bag off the hook in the hallway. They get about half a block down the sidewalk before he finally speaks.

"You're mad."

"No I'm not," she immediately refutes, digging into the bag on her shoulder for her car keys.

"Yes you are."

"I'm not mad, Tyler," she insists, but even she can hear it in her voice. She's terrible at hiding emotion and even in the relatively short time that he's known her, he can pick up on it.

"Upset then."

Calista turns to face him where he's stopped walking about five feet behind her and she sighs heavily, dropping her eyes to the concrete between them and shaking her head a little. "It's stupid."

Tyler's shoulders sag and he quietly walks up to where she's standing, gently grabbing her elbow and leading her over to an empty bench nearby. He sits down next to her, leaving a decent amount of space between them since she's admittedly not okay with something he's done, but she won't even look at him, instead keeping her eyes focused on her hands in her lap where she's suddenly very interested in her burgundy nail polish. "It's just-...." she starts, but then cuts herself off to chew on her bottom lip as she deliberates for a moment. "I'm not mad, I'm-....embarrassed."

"Embarrassed," he repeats, confusion creasing his brow. "Why?"

"Because! You're-.....Felicity and Nick, other people in class....they're watching the moves, the technical whatever. But you-....you're watching me. And that's just....a little unnerving."

Tyler's still as confused as ever, frowning deeply as she speaks and then shaking his head when she's finished. "I'm sorry, I'm really trying to understand here, but I think I'm just missing something."

A small smile is playing on her lips when she glances over at him, but it's gone just as quick as it came when his eyes meet hers and she looks away again. "I started taking Felicity's classes when I moved here because I had zero confidence after Logan. He did some pretty serious damage to my already low self esteem and I wasn't-...I didn't even know what it was like to feel sexy." She lets out a sudden surprised laugh and pushes a hand through her still sweaty hair. "Wow. Well, there you go, I found you something even Jamie didn't know about me."

Tyler looks at her kind of sad, because that wasn't the kind of thing he meant when he asked her that question weeks ago. He still feels guilty for his part in the whole Logan debacle of 2011 and while he gets where she's coming from, he still doesn't fully understand. There's no way he could. "Calista-"

She puts her hands up in surrender, cutting him off. "I told you it was stupid. I mean, I've been doing this for two years now. Everyone's seen this-- Jamie, Jordie, even Dillon and Roussel. But you--....I know it shouldn't bother me, but you're you and that's still fucking intimidating as hell."

"Calista, I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not," he starts seriously, but then he leans in really close so that she's forced to look at him and grins right in her face. "We're actually dating."

She can't help cracking a smile at that and she tries not to laugh but fails spectacularly when he himself is laughing at how ridiculous he is. "Thank you for that information," she says sarcastically, but at least she's still smiling as she shakes her head.

"C'mere," he demands, throwing both arms around her shoulders and dragging her in to his side so that he can hold on to her tightly. "Seriously," he mutters, lips pressed against her temple. "Me? Intimidating? Babe, I am stupid crazy about you and I don't think there's anything intimidating about that. Plus-- ya know, for the record-- I think you're incredibly sexy."

Calista huffs a laugh like she doesn't believe a word of that and reaches up to pat his hand where his fingers are laced together at her shoulder. "Okay."

"I could prove it anytime."

That wipes the smile right off her face again and she swallows hard, pulling away from him ever so slightly. "Come on, let's get going," she finally says, completely changing the subject. "I was going to make lunch for you but I ran out of time. I guess we can go out somewhere?"

"Let's order in," he decides, getting up from the bench and holding his hand out to help her up as well. "I just wanna lay on the couch with you for the rest of the day."

She takes the hand he offered and rises, smiling softly at his suggestion for the afternoon's plans as she reaches up to stroke her thumb down his scruffy cheek with her free hand. "Okay."

The walk back to their apartment building is still a little awkward, a little more tentative than normal, but he reaches out for her hand and she lets him take it and they walk the rest of the way like that and it's just nice. She can't help but looking over at him every few minutes, still dressed in his excellently tailored grey suit while she's in gross workout clothes looking every bit the exact opposite of someone who should be walking around Dallas holding his hand. She wonders what everyone they pass is thinking when they see them together, but then he squeezes her fingers with his, and when they stop at a crosswalk he raises their linked hands to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles, and the thought occurs to her that she must be an idiot to care what everyone else thinks when she's lucky enough to have someone as great as he is.

After some showers and wardrobe changes, a massive chinese takeout order, an oddly serious discussion about each other's fortune cookies, and one and a half episodes of One Tree Hill, Tyler is stretched out across the sofa, his head in Calista's lap and his arm thrown over her legs where they're propped up on the coffee table, sleeping soundly. She of course knows how exhausted he must be after his road trip so she can forgive him for falling asleep during her favorite tv show, especially when he looks so peaceful and innocent, his face completely relaxed and his surprisingly long eyelashes fanned out over his cheeks. She can't help smiling to herself as she brushes her fingers through his soft hair.

The phone wedged between her thigh and the couch cushion vibrates loudly and she immediately switches the ringer off, not wanting to disturb the sleeping boy lying halfway on top of her. She sees Felicity's name on the screen but she doesn't even bother reading her friend's text before she fires off one of her own, something that she's been thinking about nonstop since she and Tyler left the studio earlier.

There is seriously something wrong with me

Less than a minute later, her phone lights up with a response, one that is honestly in true Felicity fashion. Well ~I~ could have told you that babe! but what is it in particular this time?

He's so great and I'm an asshole

You're not an asshole, you're just insecure. that boston loser fucked you up and jordie never did right by you. you just have to get used to finally being treated the way you deserve

Calista balks at that, especially after looking down at her lap and the man whose head is resting there. Why do I have to feel so intimidated though, like that's prob just gonna drive him away

Stfu he's not going anywhere. besides, easy fix to your stressing

Oh please, do tell

Fuck him
That'll mellow you right out


She can feel her whole body heat up in embarrassment and she knows she's blushing even though there's zero reason to since she's basically alone and it's not like Felicity even said it out loud to her where she has to immediately say something in return. She feels unbelievably nervous at the mere thought of sleeping with Tyler and she can only imagine what an idiot she's going to make of herself when the situation eventually presents itself.

I can't even take his compliments. How am I supposed to take his dick

Lmao irrelevant since that's not tyler specific. you can't take compliments from anybody

Calista pouts at her phone screen even though that's not entirely untrue. Most of the time, she's uncomfortable hearing compliments directed towards her, especially the ones about her appearance; they just don't feel true. He's too good, she types back. He doesn't deserve my issues.

Omg calista don't do that seriously everybody has fuckin issues!!!! he has issues too, he's not perfect. but you like him ANYWAY don't you???

She just looks at that little grey bubble for a few minutes, which is too long in Felicity's book apparently because the blonde is soon calling her. Calista hits ignore since Tyler is asleep but sighs heavily as she finally types out a response. Sorry, he's sleeping. I know you're right, but they're not the same. Mine are mostly image related and his def are not. He's fucking gorgeous

You are also fuckin gorgeous, Felicity responds, and then about ten seconds later, See? can't take a single damn compliment

Shut up

Bitch
Hey why don't you and tyler come over for dinner? double date


She's not sure that Tyler doesn't just want to do what they're currently doing for the rest of the day and night or if he has other plans, so she only tentatively accepts the invitation and Felicity seems satisfied with that because she sends two thumbs up emojis and then leaves her alone. Calista puts her phone back down next to her thigh and slouches down as much as she can into the couch cushions to try and take a nap herself. She's going to need it if she's going to have to sit with Tyler through a dinner filled with Felicity's suggestive comments. It's probably going to be especially bad now that Felicity knows she's thought about it too. She kinds of hopes Tyler already made plans.

---


He did not have plans.

He's actually excited to go hang out with Calista's best friends (outside of the Benns) and get to know them better. He's totally cool with Violet hanging out too, after Felicity says her mom can't babysit the four year old. He heads back up to his apartment to change out of his sweats so Calista does the same before they meet back up at the elevator on her floor. Tyler drives them across town to Nick and Felicity's place, his fingers tangled with hers in her lap the whole time, and she can't stop glancing over at him and marveling at how someone can be so beautiful so effortlessly. He's smiling and humming along with the cd she put in his car last week but when he feels her gaze on him at a stoplight, he turns his head to look at her, his brows rising over the top of his sunglasses and his little smile turning into a full blown grin.

The apartment building the Parker-Fosters live in is situated between a park and an excellent chinese food restaurant and Felicity's already texted her that she was ordering their dinner from there so Calista is definitely looking forward to it. There's still something weighing heavily on her mind though, a combination of things that occurred earlier in the day and as he's going to knock on the door of apartment 12C, she decides she doesn't want to sit through this entire evening without addressing it.

"Hey," she says quietly, grabbing his arm before he can knock but immediately letting go, and when he looks over at her expectantly, she loses her nerve to look him in the face, instead focusing on one of the little buttons on his denim shirt at the base of his throat. "I'm sorry for the way I act sometimes."

"What?" he chuckles, turning his whole body to face her full on. "What do you mean?"

"I act-....weird about some things, I know I do. It's just this mental block that I have. I'm used to things being a certain way and now they're changing. Well, they're not just changing, more like doing a complete 180...." She pauses to glance up at him when she realizes she's kind of rambling and he's just looking down at her with furrowed brows, confused but with a hint of worry in his eyes. She sighs. "I feel like I spent so much time being Logan's doormat and then Jordie's dirty little secret that I guess I just don't know how be treated well. And you treat me really well."

"Babe," he says sadly and he's frowning when he wraps her up in his arms for a tight hug.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry," she mumbles into his shoulder. "And that I'm trying. You're so good, you don't deserve a basket case like me."

"No," he disagrees, pulling her back from his chest and holding her at arm's length so he can see her face. "Calista, I couldn't deserve you in a hundred lifetimes." He squeezes her shoulders when she shakes her head and forces her eyes up to his with a finger under her chin. "Hey, I mean it. I don't know what I could've possibly done to get so lucky."

She shakes her head but she's smiling a little when she reaches up to pull his hand away from her face, lacing their fingers together before she turns to open the door with her free hand.
♠ ♠ ♠
Calista's outfits one and two.

Okay, guys! So I think we've only got about five to ten chapters of this left before I start my new story. Probably somewhere in the middle of that. I've really enjoyed writing this and I hope you're enjoying reading it just as much!

:)