"Perhaps I'll come back for you. When the soldiers in my heart are stronger and the hurricane in your mind is calmer, I'll stay with you. When my patience is thicker, while your thoughts change quicker, I'll wait for you. When your imagination finally runs free, I'll paint the sky with your wildest dreams. Perhaps after we've been apart long enough, time will piece us back together. But darling, right now, I'm in no condition to love after the way you've hurt me."
- Connotativewords | jl | Perhaps You Weren't Made For Me
~

Then

Montana

The rooftop of my best friends apartment building is quiet as I lay on a ledge waiting for the sun to rise. The party she had to celebrate her new job was actually pretty lit as the kids like to say these days. "Ha." I giggle into the air at my own thoughts, a little tipsy...just a little. All right, maybe a lot.

Meeting the music industries biggest swoon-fest of a band and seeing Calum Hood up close was pretty sick too. He's like this majestic beach god with his dark hair, brown skin that reminds me of sweet caramel, and those annoyingly deep set eyes of his. He would totally be the one to not hire any hot lifeguards for his beach so that you would drown in your own sand castle.

"Crap, I'm so drunk." I murmur to myself as the wind whips my hair around, a strand poking me in the eye. I really hope that no one in this city can read minds or by the time I climb down from this ledge, I'll have a one-way ticket to a place I probably don't want a one-way ticket to.

The metal door creaks open and I sit up abruptly, blinking rapidly to see through the haze when a figure steps through. "Oh, hi." says the beach God himself and from the looks of it, he was not expecting anyone to be up here. My primal instinct is to tell him how much I appreciate his bass guitar skills but I hold back.

"Ha." I sputter out yet another giggle at my own luck. If you speak of the devil, the devil will show.

He must find my state rather amusing because he grins wide, so wide that his eyes squint and the corners crinkle so endearingly into his head that I want to melt into the cement block I'm sat on or maybe fall off this very tall building. "Someone is drunk," he states the obvious, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his extremely tight skinny jeans to my dismay.

"I meant hi," I mutter with a shake of my hand, a futile attempt at a wave. Calum shrugs his broad shoulders like he's shaking off an unseen force. I pretend like I don't notice.

"You're not planning on jumping off or anything, are you? Cause I can totally give you some privacy." Calum jokes, pointing back at the way he came from and I roll my eyes at how ridiculously handsome he is to me even when he's implying that I'm suicidal.

"Hmm, aren't you a cocky bastard. Just the company I was looking for." I snicker as he sits next to me, lighting a cigarette. I'm relieved when he doesn't offer me one.

"Nothing I haven't heard before. Oh and, nice singing in there, you guys can sure sing a tune." He compliments, pulling his legs up to his chest and leaning his chin on top of his knees.

"You think so? Maybe Sierra and I can sabotage your band instead of being at work in," I look down at the time on my phone screen. "—two hours." 

He doesn't reply or maybe he does. I can't tell because he stares at me quietly, examining my face. "What, no snarky remark?" I ask, getting a little annoyed at the smoke puffing out of his puckered lips now.

"Your eyes are really expressive, even more than your mouth. It's beautiful." He tilts his head to one side.

A short bewildered moment later, my automatic response to awkward situations kicks in and I burst out with laughter. "Okay, okay, calm down tiger, you can have the award for worst pickup line ever." I put my hands up in front of me.

He smiles that crinkly-eyed smile again and my laughter ceases, "Why are you up here?" He asks.

"I'm waiting for the sunrise." I point at the horizon. New York City at dawn was my favourite. It's foggy and quiet. The constant buzz of the city a dull noise up here, making me miss home a little less.

"Why are you up here? You planning to jump off too?" I peep down over the ledge and feel the bile rise up my throat.

Calum looks at me incredulously. "Who said anything about jumping?" My brain gets confused again so I shrug, pouting my lips and blowing air out of them. I pray he sucks at math so he can't keep count of how many weird things I've said in the past five minutes.

"I feel restless." He simply states after awhile of us watching the orange hues of the sunrise outline the skyscrapers together.

"You don't look like you feel much of anything." I murmur, watching the white stick with the burning end in between his lips, running out with every puff of smoke just like the capacity of his lungs to do their job.

"What are you, Doctor Phil?" He chortles, stubbing the cigarette and lighting another one straight after.

"Nah, just the chick who can see through your bullshit even after an entire bottle of vodka."

__________

IMPORTANT: This book is a spin-off of my first story, Never Enough. This can be read as a stand alone even if you haven't read Never Enough but I highly recommend you guys do go and read it first so you will know the backstories of the other characters. Here is the link - http://w.tt/1QObja9

PLEASE NOTE: At the start of every chapter it says "Then" and "Now" which means that chapter will be about their past or it'll be in present timing, so make sure you don't miss it in order to avoid confusion!

WARNING: Mature content. I know you guys will read anyway, but I warned you. Not responsible for lost innocence haha. 

Enjoy x
- RhythmWithLove