Beneath Your Beautiful // Michael Clifford

12

Michael

I arrive at banquet hall where we were meeting for rehearsal. It was also the same place where the reception after the service would take place.

"Good you're here!" Ashton cheers. Luke and Calum were here as well, probably here to help put the song together. I made myself look decent, or in other words replacing my sweatpants with black skinny jeans and not smelling like shit.

"Ali is in the bathroom and probably will be back in a couple seconds. Meanwhile, can you go to your microphone and see if it's on?" Ashton informs me, and did he know what he was doing.

The song we are doing is going to be a love song and I don't know how I'll be able to face Ali and sing our song together.

"You alright?" Calum asks knowing why I was nervous.

"Yeah, I'll be good." I nod taking a swig of my water.

Ali walks in getting on stage next to me.

"So the song you guys are doing is called Beneath Your Beautiful." Luke tells us handing us each lyrics, they will also be on the screen up there if that's easier to read."

"Michael, you are going to start. And I'm going to begin the music in a moment." Ashton tells me as he messes around with the computer.

The music starts as I look down at the music sheet in front of me. "You tell all the boys "No". Makes you feel good, yeah. I know you're out of my league, but that won't scare me away, oh, no." I start holding onto my microphone.

I sing the next part of the verse before she joins me for the chorus. "Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?
Would you let me see beneath your perfect? Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl I wanna see inside. Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?"

I smile, it was my first time hearing her voice and she was amazing. But when we sang together it felt magical. But she kept giving me weird looks.

"Take five!" Ali yells grabbing onto me as she drags me out into the hallway.

"What the fuck?" I mumble annoyed by her.

"I could ask you the same thing." She says but she seemed sad.

"I don't want to talk to you." I say a little saddened.

"I need to talk to you, it's important." Ali tries to convince me.

"Fine, just a few minutes." I finally give in and her arms were instantly around me.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She repeats over and over.

"Don't be, I understand." I lie.

"Stop lying. I saw what I did to you and I feel terrible. You don't deserve me at all." She rambles choking up a little bit.

"What do you mean?"

She grabs onto my arm pushing up my shirtsleeve revealing scars and fresh cuts.

"Michael please stop this. It hurts me to see you like this and I am not something you should dwell over. But more importantly don't do this to yourself."

"It's not like I want to, I just do." I tell her not knowing exactly how to explain it.

"I'll do anything, just please don't do this to yourself." She was crying now and I felt terrible.

"You know you are all I've been thinking about." I try to change the subject.

"And you've been all I think about. But don't think of me okay, you'd be better off without me in your life." She confesses looking up at me.

"You actually make my life better. Just ask Calum or Luke, I've been happier because of you."

"You're lying."

"No, you are. You are lying to yourself, denying that you don't like me and you don't matter in my life."

"Maybe I am." She crosses her arms shrugging a little.

"Then, Alina, shut up and kiss me." I chuckle at her stubbornness.

She doesn't hesitate as her arms are around my neck and our lips are together. It was a familiar feeling that I love and missed so much.

"Guys?" Luke walks into the hallway as we separate. "Gross, save it for later, but I would get back in there."

"Got it." Ali nods smiling up at me bore we head back to practice.