Red Desert // 5 Seconds of Summer

Charlie

When I stomped away from the Micah after the Mia fiasco, I had every intention of walking directly to the lodge and demanding that Tye keep Micah away from me however he needed to make that happen. I got about halfway up the hill when I started second guessing everything. Maybe Tye really doesn't care considering he's scheduled the two of us together from the instant Micah started working here. Maybe I need to get over myself and let Micah off the hook, go back to being friends and try to forget the way my heart cracks when I think about how things have changed between us.

Instead of making yet another rash decision where Micah's concerned, I turned towards the woods and marched right through the trees. Now I'm surrounded by nature and pressing deeper into it. I grew up playing with Micah all over this resort, back before Tye bought it when the place was a run-down abandoned mountain motel. I don't need a pathway to get where I want to go. Not that I know where I want to go other than away from here.

I slow my steps as my feet crunch over the layer of brown needles blanketing the ground. I'm hidden behind a cover of thick trees and low branches. I'm sure critters are surrounding me, the little guys not anything dangerous. I should be concerned about biting flies and ticks, but I'm not really focused on my surroundings. Looking ahead, I continue my trek through the trees, knowing the clearing will be in front of me soon. The clearing where the main festival stage is set up. The same place where so many of my core memories have been made.

A few steps later, the destination in question comes into view. The stage is on the opposite side, crew and staff buzzing around in preparation for the headliners tonight. Strange how the magic of a concert is gone in the daylight, everything feeling ordinary. But when the lights drop, the music is blasting, the crowd roars along with the song, something otherworldly happens. I walk past the edge of the tree line as I picture the scene last night, Citizen One rocking the stage. Ryan singing to me while Micah looked on, knowing that the words were meant for me as a message.

This clearing has been the setting of too many life changing events.

The first time was when I was eight. I'd already been friends with Micah but that summer cemented our relationship and thrust him into the stratosphere as the best friend I'd ever had. A group of us had snuck into the resort, not abandoned by the previous owner at that point. The local kids would get into all kinds of trouble in the clearing. Shooting off fireworks, trying to lure a bear (which thankfully never worked), play pick up baseball or football games. Mostly we'd ride our bikes all over the grass, killing half of it and leaving tread marks everywhere.

That summer an older girl made it her mission to tease me until I cried. She was good at it too. It took everything I had to hold in the tears. Micah could tell I was upset. He started sticking closer to me, pulling me away from the girl when she started in on me. I can't even remember her name, but I will never forget the nasty things she'd say to me. Comments about how little I was, how clueless, what a baby I was being, how bad I was at sports. She was relentless. But once Micah made it his mission to wedge himself between her and I, she backed way off. The day she started talking about how poor my family was seemed to be the final straw for Micah. He got in her face, even thought she was nearly a foot taller, and told her what a nasty personality she had. Then he grabbed me by the hand and dragged me away. I found out the next day from another girl that Micah had gone to all the older boys and told them they either needed to start defending me or he'd go to the owner and not only give him all of our names but tell him all of the damage we'd done to the property with our antics.

Years later, when Tye had rejuvenated the entire resort and opened up the clearing as an event space, we spent every July 4th here watching fireworks. One summer my crush was so strong, so overwhelming, I lost the sense of space between us and wound up with my head on his shoulder. He never said anything, so I left it there. I wondered if he was feeling the same thing I was, but I didn't have the courage to ask. When he never made a move, I figured I was in this by myself. I needed to get ahold of my feelings. I didn't know back then what a futile effort it would be.

The last year we were together, our senior year of high school, Micah and I would hang out in the clearing every Sunday night. No matter what he had going with the team or what my work schedule was, Sunday nights in the meadow were non-negotiable. Sometimes we'd bring food. Sometimes we'd toss a football. But more times than I could count we'd just sit in the grass next to each other in silence, thinking whatever thoughts ran through our heads. Mine were centered on what if's where Micah was concerned, none of which ever came to be.

Nothing prepared me for the night Micah told me he was leaving, off to college on a scholarship. I knew deep down it would happen. How could it not? Micah was good, he deserved the opportunity football opened up to him. I couldn't help that if felt like I was about to lose him. That he'd forget about me back up the hill, working every day and saving every dime. That's when I knew I couldn't stay here. Not without him. Not knowing he was off living his best life and I was just getting by.

I trudge through the grass, cut low enough that I don't actually need to trudge, but my melancholy demands I do. As I get closer to the stage, I observe the crew still working on breaking down last night's equipment, which occurs to me as strange. Don't roadies typically load up right after a concert to book it to the next gig?

"I know you." A voice crackles through the sound system. I look up and around, now paranoid that I'm trespassing before I remember that I'm still in a staff shirt. I'm allowed to be in the venue for once in my life.

"You're the girl I sang for last night."

This time I look to the stage when the voice booms overhead. Sure enough, Ryan Christiansen is walking toward center stage, holding a mic and staring right at me.

"Yeah, I guess so," I say.

Ryan cups his ear. "What's that? Couldn't hear you."

Oh, right. I'm not mic'ed up.

"That's me!" I shout.

Ryan smiles. "Come on up here." He points to the side of the stage where a set of stairs leads from the ground up.

I hesitate for a second.

"Come on," he says again. "I don't bite." He winks, telling me he does in fact bite.

How can I refuse a rock star? I can't. So I head to the stairs and climb up feigning confidence I simply don't have. Head held high I smile and wave as I approach the guy I see on magazine covers and entertainment news reports. My nerves are on alert as I enter his atmosphere.

"I gotta tell you, we get these requests all the time. Usually we jump right in, but our head of security has put a hard no on all fan requests for the time being."

I tilt my head. "And yet you did it anyway."

"No, we didn't. But it sounds like you didn't get the whole story."

"There's a story?"

"Uh, yeah. Pretty big one, actually."

Ryan sits on the edge of the stage, gesturing to the spot next to him. I take the seat and wait expectantly for the story, wondering if once again something life changing will happen in this clearing.

"We got a call a few days ago with a request for an on stage fan interaction. Some guy had totally fucked things up with his girl and wanted to get her attention so he could apologize properly." Ryan gives me a pointed look. I feel that look to the bottom of my feet. Not because I have feelings for Ryan but because what he's saying is hitting me like a truck.

"We all wanted to do it, but the head of our security and our management said no before we even had the chance to voice our opinion."

"Is that why you ended up singing that song?" I rub damp palms up and down my legs.

"That song wasn't even on our set list until five minutes before show time."

"What?"

"Some lovesick guy begged us. He weaseled his way backstage with security, ironic enough, and pled his case. It was the perfect compromise. Security protocol wasn't broken, and the guy got the first part of his plan going."

"The first part?" My eyes pop, wondering what else he has planned, and if my harsh reaction this afternoon ruined it.

Ryan shrugs. "Hey, I am not privy to the rest of the details but the look you had on your face when you walked up to the stage didn't feel like a girl who'd gotten her guy back. I'm assuming not all is well in paradise, yet."

My hands fly up to cover my face while I groan. "The two of us are a hot mess express."

"Hey! I'm a put together celebrity, thank you very much. Hot mess was my former identity in high school. Thank god those days are long gone."

I lean into his shoulder and give him a playful shove. "I was talking about me and Micah, not you."

"Well, in that case..." the two of us start laughing.

But before I can ask him anymore about what Micah said to convince the guys to change their set list and sing to me, we're interrupted by a guttural sound. Our heads pop up to face Micah, standing opposite us with fists clenched and a scowl on his face.

"Micah what are you doing here?" I don't like the anger and accusation I see on his face, so I mirror it with some scorn of my own.

He tries to smooth his frown but fails. "I should ask the same thing." His eyes flip between me and Ryan.

Ryan hops down from the stage and claps Micah on the shoulder. "I'm thinking the two of you need to talk." He looks back at me. "And something's telling me you need to listen."

Called out by a rock star. I feel the heat rise up my neck. Micah drops his head while Ryan exits stage right after jumping back up. "We're singing our collaboration with Brianna Royce tomorrow night. That's why we're still here. Something tells me I'll see the two of you at the show." He waves as he keeps walking.

The silence between Micah and me is thick. So many words unspoken, so many years of history. Can we fix this?

"I'm sorry. I guess I've been so wrapped up in how I feel that I haven't let you say what you need to say."

Micah looks up at me, hope finally shining in his eyes.

"How do you feel?" he asks.

I take a deep breath. "Right now, incredibly tired."

Micah steps closer to me. "And before?"

I laugh. "Pissed off."

"At who? Me or Mia?"

"Both I guess."

It's Micah's turn to take a deep breath.

"I never meant to hurt you, Charlie. You're the last person I want to hurt."

I nod, looking down at my hands. I'm not sure I can say this but it's long past time I told Micah how I feel.

"To be completely honest, I was jealous."

Silence. Micah says nothing. My nerves are shot from the confession, but I brave a look at him to gage his reaction. I'm not expecting to see the smile on his face, yet there it is.

"Is that funny?" Hand on my hip, I challenge him. It's the only way to protect myself now.

Instead of answering me, Micah does the last thing I expect. He steps even closer to me, weaves his fingers into my hair and kisses me with such force I forget what we were talking about.

When he pulls back to look at me, his eyes are now shining with affection.

"Don't you know? You're the only girl for me."

My jaw drops. My lips are cold after that kiss but not for long because this time I'm the one who kisses him.

Who needs talking when kissing gets the point across so well? That's what we stand at the foot of the stage and do; kiss. Until the grounds keeper shoos us away, telling us to get back to work or clock out.

Micah takes me by the hand and pulls me along the path back to the lodge.

"We're getting off the clock then I'm taking you to the cabin and we are fucking talking this out. I'm not spending another year on your shit list."

I laugh. "You're so far off my shit list at this point."

"Good. Cause I'm about to make you my girlfriend."

I never realized what an impatient person I was until Micah uttered that declaration because now I can't wait to hear what he has to say.

FINALLY AN UPDATE. And also finally they communicated... and kissed. This isn't the end but we're definitely getting there. I didn't intend to use the miscommunication trope when I started this but these two seemed to have cotton in their ears. I know I did a terrible job of describing Ryan in this chapter. That's what edits are for 😉 I'll get in there and add some details because I'm thinking he might be a key player in another story someday. 

Red Desert feels epic, and the fact that they are FINALLY getting to their true feelings is also epic.

https://youtu.be/_q95ri8GVyk

The next update will be in a week or two but shouldn't be longer than that. I've got a good vision for it already which helps.