Aleigha's point of view

"Guys, this is Aleigha, Aleigha, you know who they are." He said and I blushed as I nodded.

"Yeah um, I do. Nice to meet you guys." I said and the only one who returned it was Calum. I awkwardly looked at the floor and then cleared my throat. "I better get going-"

"No!" Michael said and I looked at him. "I mean, you don't have to go. They're just not used to me bringing girls home."

"Right." I said but I couldn't help but feel like Luke and Ashton hated me. Maybe it was the way they were looking at me, like they were disgusted, but maybe that's just my anxiety talking.

An awkward silence fell and I nodded as Michael sat down with me again. "So Aleigha... your the girl from the letters?" Ashton asked and I nodded.

"I did send letters yeah..." I said and scratched the back of my neck. "I didn't think they'd get read."

"Why are you here?"

"Can you be any ruder?" Michael asked Luke and Luke threw his arms in the air.

"Well you're crying and she's the only one here, what am I supposed to do? Blame the allergies that you don't have? Blame eyeliner pencils?" Luke asked and I winced.

"Aleigha didn't make me cry if that's what you're thinking. We had a heart to heart." Michael said and rolled his eyes. "I'm a sensitive guy and you guys know that."

"Luke, cut it out." Calum said and nudged him. "I'm so sorry, they're just irritated. They haven't had their daily dose of coffee. Want anything to drink? I'm gonna go take them in the kitchen."

"I'm fine." I said and he nodded, yanking the two away. I looked at Michael and he face palmed. "I think I should go before you guys yell some more..."

"I knew bringing you here was a bad idea. Everything I do is wrong in this damn house. I can't breathe without being yelled at." He grumbled and then looked at me. "Are your parents home?"

"They get back tomorrow." I said and he nodded. "Want to come over?"

"Please? I still gotta talk to you, but if you want me to stay here, it's fine. I get pretty annoying." He said and I shook my head.

"No, you're not annoying." I said and laughed. "My house is a bit messy, and not at all as nice as this place, but if you want to come over, you can." I said and he thanked me as he stood up.

"Guys, we're gonna get going because your all assholes." He said and I looked at him. "I love you guys anyways." He added and I laughed.

"Better." I said and he nodded as we left the house. Michael didn't want to wait for their response. "Keys?"

He tossed me them and I got into the driver's seat, starting the engine. "You trust me so much for just meeting me like a couple of days ago." I pointed out. "What if I was a kidnapper?"

"Are you?"

"Well, no but-"

"No buts." He said and laughed. "Butts are for grabbing when your cuddling." He said and pointed at me, like a parent lecturing a child.

"You learn something new everyday." I said and he nodded as I pulled out of the driveway, our seatbelt already buckled.

-

"I never got to actually look at your house, it's nice in here." He said and I shrugged as I fixed some of the couch pillows and threw some of the video game cases back on its shelf.

"It's... meh, but thank you." I said and he nodded. "Help yourself to whatever I guess." I said and scratched the back of my neck.

He sat on the couch and I felt awkward. This isn't normal for me, to sit down with someone and talk about feelings. My friends never want to do this, but I guess it's because we never really try. They just aren't sensitive people.

"Have you ever been in a crowded room and felt alone?" Michael asked me, breaking the silence as he rubbed his arms. "So many people there, so many different personalities, so many different works of art, but you still feel isolated?"

"Yeah, happens to me a lot." I said and sat down beside him. "Does it to you?"

"Every day." He said and shrugged. "I'm surrounded by people I idolize and people who feel the same to me and yet I still feel so alone, like no one is really there. Physically, but not mentally or emotionally."

"It's hard to think someone's there when you really don't know what's on their mind." I said and shrugged. "As they say though, eyes are the window to the soul."

"I guess." He said and nodded. "I hate looking people in the eyes, it makes me feel like they can see ever single flaw I am, every shitty thing I've said, every mistake I've made. It's toxic."

"Cue Brittany Spears's song." I said and he have a short chuckled, looking at me amused. "No but, sometimes it's best if you just let them see your wrongs so they can also see how much you've changed since then."

"I haven't changed any."

"You have, it's just day by day, changes are so insignificant. Look at yourself from last year to this year and well, you can write a bullet point list on how much someone's changed." I told him and he nodded.

"I don't know. My head's all jumbled up right. It's like when you're so tired and you're staring blankly at a paper because you have nothing on your mind. Only this time, I have everything." He said and I nodded.

"That happens to me a lot, both. I don't know what terrifies me more; having absolutely nothing on my mind or having everything all at once." I told him and he agreed.

"One time, we were song writing and everyone kept turning to me for my input but I couldn't think of anything, not even a riff or single line. I felt like a dud." He said and I looked around my house.

"Sometimes you need time to come up with something beautiful." I told him, dropping my gaze to the carpet flooring. "You need to be somewhere peaceful, quiet, and where you have all the time in the world."

"But that's the thing, I don't have all the time in the world. I have somewhere to be every day, back to back, and I have to make sure I say the right things and make it look like everything is fine when really, it's-it's breaking." He said and I could hear his voice crack at the end. "Time is money."

"I'm sorry." I said, unable to respond because I didn't know what it's like to be that busy. I didn't know what it's like to live the life of a celebrity. I couldn't give an input, or advice, for something I don't understand.

"It's not your fault." He said and crossed his arms. "They think that this is the dream life. They think it's all luxury. They assume it's partying every night and playing concerts every day and getting to hang out with your friends." He said and looked at me again.

"It is, but it's also working on two hours of sleep, dealing with people invading your personal life and space, cameras flashing in your face every time you step outside. Nothing is a secret anymore. Nothing is safe. It's hacked phones and leaked private pictures. It's wearing sunglasses to hide the bags under your eyes and thousands of people saying disrespectful things about you." He said and ran a hand through his hair.

"You have to be perfect. I'm not perfect." He finished and I looked down at my hands.

"You don't have to be perfect." I told him and he shook his head. "What you don't understand is that perfection is different for everyone. Everyone has different opinions Michael, you can't please everyone... I learned that the hard way and I want you to know that before you hit rock bottom like I did." I said and he sniffled.

"It's not that easy. I'm constantly under the spotlight and it's hard to not screw up under all that pressure. Everyone out there is so... so amazing and attractive and intelligent, talented, everything I'm not." He said and I sighed.

"I know it's hard to believe it yourself, but the way you see yourself, isn't the way others are going to see you. You're seeing yourself as less of what you really are." I said and he shook his head. "You're not giving yourself the credit you deserve."

"I'd mediocre at everything I do-"

"That's what you think." I said and turned towards him. "Take it from me, alright? I just met you, but I've been a fan for ages. You're writing lyrics to amazing songs, writing and performing solos that are great, maybe aren't as good as say The Scorpions or AC/DC, but they're still amazing. You're so talented and um, you're very attractive. I promise."

"Yeah? Even with my thin hair?" He asked and I nodded. "I don't know. I can't help but compare myself to everyone."

"You can't do that. It's so hard not to, I know, but you can't. You shouldn't. You're not anyone but yourself and that's enough. The world can't be a bunch of copies." I said and he shrugged.

"My self esteem is too low."

"Did your shrink tell you that?"

"Yes she did. To be honest, she's kinda hot." He said and we laughed. I crossed my legs and nodded.

"Just an itty bitty little bit hot?" I asked and he nodded. I leaned back and Michael did the same. "Honestly, I don't know why my brothers can't put away their games. Is it so hard to put a controller or case away?" I accidentally said, looking at the mess of game cases and wires.

"Do you play?" He asked and I shrugged as I looked at him. "Just a little bit?"

"I don't play often cause they're always on it, but I am a sucker for shooting games, or anything with violence." I said and he laughed as he nodded. "Sometimes sports, sometimes. It doesn't catch much of an interest though."

"Do you play Call Of Duty?" He asked and I nodded. "Wanna play?" He asked and I looked at the system.

"Yeah." I said and nodded. "I can't wait to kick your ass." I told him and he said that he's never lost a game.

I stood up and handed him a controller before turning on the flat screen. We weren't rich by any means, but my dad any do red watching sports and playing video games with my brothers on a big screen. He's a child at heart.

I sat beside Michael and he chuckled when I started up the game, seeing the main menu of Blacks Ops 2 since that's shat was in. "Pick something. I bet I'll win." I told him and he looked at me.

"Ready to put your money where your mouth is?"

"Hell yeah." I said and laughed myself as he started up a one on one game. "I hope you don't mind, I usually listen to music when I play."

"No, go ahead." He said and I turned my phone on, pressing shuffle on my playlist. Hotel California by The Eagles played and he nodded. "Your taste of music soothes my soul."

"Trust me, if you want soul soothing music, I've got it." I said and he laughed as he looked at me, a smile on his slightly red lips.

It amazes me how he's so perfect and doesn't believe it.