Pretty Little Thing
Seeing Sounds
A week later.
August takes a deep drag of the cigarette before moving to lean against the wall behind her, ignoring the way the rough brick scratches. She sighs deeply and stares straight ahead as she hears the door open, knowing it was one of the guys coming to tell her she had no right to storm out of the recording studio when they were paying by the hour to rent the space.
“August, come on,” Caleb’s voice floats out to her as he turns the corner of the building, confirming her suspicion.
Caleb was the mediator of the group. After growing up with five sisters, the six foot four giant had the patience of a saint and a protective streak that could rival a mama bear’s.
“You know Cooper is just stressed out,” August whips her head around to face him, opening her mouth to tell him just where Cooper could shove his stress when the door opens again, the heat from inside seeping out to momentarily protect them from the January chill.
Cooper stalks towards her, face twisted in anger in that way that made her shiver, and not from the cold.
He stops a foot away from her, eyes ablaze. He doesn’t take those damn baby blues off of her as he says to Caleb, “I’ve got it from here Cal.”
Caleb looks between the two, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Are you sure? Because I’m gonna be ticked if I have to find a new bassist and lead singer just because you two kill each other.”
August tears her eyes away from the hot mess of a man in front of her and nods to Caleb, confirming that he should go. He shakes his head before heading inside. As soon as the door clicks close, the two are at each other’s throat.
“Why the fuck would you say that to me? To talk about me like that in front of the guys? You’re just being a bitch!” Cooper yells, the wind making his blond hair fall in his eyes.
She shakes her head, cheeks matching the red tinge of her hair as the anger makes the blood rush to her face. “I don’t know, why the fuck did you think that it would be okay for you to keep dropping all those hints about us to the guys? You know we need to keep this just between us and yet here you are, flaunting what we are to them!”
He rolls his eyes, getting ever closer to her. “What even are we?” She takes a step back, knowing being close to him would make this conversation turn to a quickie in the bathroom.
“We’re fuck buddies,” she hisses, “nothing more. That’s all we’ve ever been, that’s all we’ll ever be.” The vein in his forehead bulges as he gets more worked up. “What if I want us to be more? Have you ever fucking thought about that?” Her eyes widen in surprise. For once in her life, August Matthys didn’t know what to say.
“I-” He shakes his head, cutting her off. “No, of course you haven’t. You know what? Fuck it. I can’t do this anymore.”
“You can’t do what anymore?” She asks, already predicting what he was gonna say. They’ve had this fight many different times, many different ways. It always ended the same way; with the two of them in bed together.
“This. Us. Whatever we are, aren’t, I just can't fucking do it anymore.” He says exasperated, turning to go back inside. She grabs his arm before telling him the same words she always has.
“I need you.”
And her words have the same effect they always do.
They crash together, all hands and mouths and heat.
“I fucking hate you,” she mutters into his neck, smirking.
“You’d be a lot cuter if you weren’t such a selfish bitch,” he replies, grinning ear to ear.
She draws back, staring into his eyes as she runs her hands through his hair.
“We are so fucked up,” she laughs, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her hips as they stand in the middle of an alleyway.
“You love it,” he replies, leaning in for another kiss.
They freeze as they hear the door open, jumping back from each other as Caleb reappears.
“Y’all work everything out?” He asks, looking between the pair.
August bites her lip and nods as Cooper answers, “Yeah, man. There's nothing The Coop can't fix.” Aug huffs out a laugh before pushing past Cooper to head inside.
Truth be told, Cooper had a tendency to break things more than fix them. With the bad boy looks and tragic back story to match, he is every girl’s wet dream and every parent's’ worst nightmare. August thought should be counting herself lucky that he even gave her the time of day, much less the fact that they were fucking behind their best friends’ backs - a fact that would be getting much harder to keep hidden once their tours started in February.
She could only hope that this all wouldn't blow up in her face.
August takes a deep drag of the cigarette before moving to lean against the wall behind her, ignoring the way the rough brick scratches. She sighs deeply and stares straight ahead as she hears the door open, knowing it was one of the guys coming to tell her she had no right to storm out of the recording studio when they were paying by the hour to rent the space.
“August, come on,” Caleb’s voice floats out to her as he turns the corner of the building, confirming her suspicion.
Caleb was the mediator of the group. After growing up with five sisters, the six foot four giant had the patience of a saint and a protective streak that could rival a mama bear’s.
“You know Cooper is just stressed out,” August whips her head around to face him, opening her mouth to tell him just where Cooper could shove his stress when the door opens again, the heat from inside seeping out to momentarily protect them from the January chill.
Cooper stalks towards her, face twisted in anger in that way that made her shiver, and not from the cold.
He stops a foot away from her, eyes ablaze. He doesn’t take those damn baby blues off of her as he says to Caleb, “I’ve got it from here Cal.”
Caleb looks between the two, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Are you sure? Because I’m gonna be ticked if I have to find a new bassist and lead singer just because you two kill each other.”
August tears her eyes away from the hot mess of a man in front of her and nods to Caleb, confirming that he should go. He shakes his head before heading inside. As soon as the door clicks close, the two are at each other’s throat.
“Why the fuck would you say that to me? To talk about me like that in front of the guys? You’re just being a bitch!” Cooper yells, the wind making his blond hair fall in his eyes.
She shakes her head, cheeks matching the red tinge of her hair as the anger makes the blood rush to her face. “I don’t know, why the fuck did you think that it would be okay for you to keep dropping all those hints about us to the guys? You know we need to keep this just between us and yet here you are, flaunting what we are to them!”
He rolls his eyes, getting ever closer to her. “What even are we?” She takes a step back, knowing being close to him would make this conversation turn to a quickie in the bathroom.
“We’re fuck buddies,” she hisses, “nothing more. That’s all we’ve ever been, that’s all we’ll ever be.” The vein in his forehead bulges as he gets more worked up. “What if I want us to be more? Have you ever fucking thought about that?” Her eyes widen in surprise. For once in her life, August Matthys didn’t know what to say.
“I-” He shakes his head, cutting her off. “No, of course you haven’t. You know what? Fuck it. I can’t do this anymore.”
“You can’t do what anymore?” She asks, already predicting what he was gonna say. They’ve had this fight many different times, many different ways. It always ended the same way; with the two of them in bed together.
“This. Us. Whatever we are, aren’t, I just can't fucking do it anymore.” He says exasperated, turning to go back inside. She grabs his arm before telling him the same words she always has.
“I need you.”
And her words have the same effect they always do.
They crash together, all hands and mouths and heat.
“I fucking hate you,” she mutters into his neck, smirking.
“You’d be a lot cuter if you weren’t such a selfish bitch,” he replies, grinning ear to ear.
She draws back, staring into his eyes as she runs her hands through his hair.
“We are so fucked up,” she laughs, enjoying the feeling of his hands on her hips as they stand in the middle of an alleyway.
“You love it,” he replies, leaning in for another kiss.
They freeze as they hear the door open, jumping back from each other as Caleb reappears.
“Y’all work everything out?” He asks, looking between the pair.
August bites her lip and nods as Cooper answers, “Yeah, man. There's nothing The Coop can't fix.” Aug huffs out a laugh before pushing past Cooper to head inside.
Truth be told, Cooper had a tendency to break things more than fix them. With the bad boy looks and tragic back story to match, he is every girl’s wet dream and every parent's’ worst nightmare. August thought should be counting herself lucky that he even gave her the time of day, much less the fact that they were fucking behind their best friends’ backs - a fact that would be getting much harder to keep hidden once their tours started in February.
She could only hope that this all wouldn't blow up in her face.