Songbird (Tradley AU)

Chapter Two - Confused Minds and Blurred Lines

"Mm." I groaned as my alarm began to go off, the alarm I woke up to every morning, so I could go and sit on the bridge and leave my fiancé a rose, so I could go and talk to him. As I slowly became increasingly conscious, I felt a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and I heard the slow breathing of someone, a noise and sensation I hadn't woken up to in months, my heart skipped several beats.

"j-Jamesy?" I whispered quietly, rubbing sleep out of my eyes as I became aware that my back was pressed against someone's firm abdomen "j-jamesy? Is it you?" I murmured, slowly beginning to turn around, mumbling quiet prayers to every God in existence that it was in fact my fiancé. Once I was turned over, I opened my eyes and I saw the sleeping boy and my heart dropped, it wasn't James, but  Curley.

Fuck this boy is going to kill me.

I sighed and stared at the ceiling, not being strong enough mentally to remove brads arms from around my body. Ten minutes passed and I forced my tired body out of bed and got myself dressed and headed out to my usual morning spot.

Today was Saturday, which meant I had a day off, and secretly I was hoping Brad would too, because the evening I spent with him was worth the million other evenings I had spent with other guys. 

Sunrise came and went, I whispered about Brad to the sky, hoping deep down in my heart that James could hear everything I was saying, I don't know how I'd survive without that tiny piece of hope within me.

Once I was back at home I slipped out of my clothes and back into bed with Brad, hesitantly moving his head so that it was resting on my chest, I also repositioned his arms so that they were loosely around my waist, eventually I fell back asleep like this, after trying with all my might to imagine that it was my fiancé, that it was him cuddling me.

"Tris...tris...wakey wakey." Brad whispered softly, gently rocking me back and forth, arousing me from my slumber

"Huh? What do you want?" I murmured, trying to pull him back into the position he was in so I could go back to my dream of my fiancé and I.

"I've gotta go, I've got things to do...I'm having dinner with my friends and everything and I need to go home." He explained, pulling away from my attempted embrace "and as this is a one night thing anyway, I really should've left without waking you, but I didn't think that was fair,"

"Oh...okay.' I murmured, my eyes half closed "my number is on the kitchen counter, call me when you next get lonely and horny and what not."

"Will do.' Brad sighed 'see you around daddy." He smirked with a small laugh

Don't leave me Brad. You're great, let me know you, let me think of him

The next week was pretty un-eventful in terms of Brad messaging me, I had a couple of guys over, but then again, when didn't I. But none of them could make me feel the same way Brad did. None of them made me feel like James used to.

On The Thursday night I got a message from Brad

One message from - Curley
Hey, are you free tonight? I'm lonely and wouldn't mind some company 🙃 xx

I read the message and smiled, because of course I was free, and of course I wanted to spend time with him

One message to - Curley
Sure, come over whenever, I've just finished eating ✌🏻️ xx

Once I had composed and sent the message I stood up from the couch and carried my pot noodle out of the living room and into the kitchen to be disposed of at a later date. As I walked out into the kitchen I accidentally brushed past one of James' old guitars, causing it to slip and fall against the wall, making the slightly out of tune strings play discordant notes when the guitar made contact with the brick.

For a few moments I was paralysed with sadness as I remembered all the nights James would spend serenading me songs he'd written or the nights we spent covering our favourite songs, or the days i wouldn't see him because he was busy writing songs. The days when I was so happy and in love I didn't think anything could go wrong, I didn't think I'd ever have to face the world without him. How wrong was I.

I felt warm tears slip down my cheeks as I started as the now leaning guitar that held so many memories. Once I was finally able to turn my glance away from the single fixated point of the guitar, I carried myself to the kitchen and put the cup down on the side, only to hear a small knock at the door, which was obviously Brad.

I made my way over to the front door and saw the small Brummie boy standing outside awkwardly, looking adorable in the button up shirt and jeans he was wearing

Just like James used to wear when he was younger

"Hey Curley." I smiled, stepping aside to let him in "how are you on this fine Thursday evening?"

"I'm good now I'm not lonely." He smiled "I really need a nickname for you because the one you provided me with is not appropriate for public settings." He giggled, following me into the living room and sitting on the couch with me, Brad was looking around the room and taking in all of the furnishings and decoration, and most of all, studying the photographs.

"Who's the guy in all of the photos?" He asked casually, my breath hitching a little at the thought of having to explain everything to him.

"Someone I used to know." I whispered, feeling extreme guilt in describing James in that way and demoting him from my fiancé to just someone I used to know.

"You must've known him more than just 'someone you used to know' considering your living room seems to be a shrine to yourself and him." Brad argued

I sighed and looked up at the photo of James and I where we were on a beach and our fingers were laced together, the biggest smiles on our faces, the realest smiles on our faces.

I took in another deep breath and let it out slowly "okay...he-he was James." I began to explain, having to use all of my inner strength not to burst into tears "he was my fiancé."

Brad didn't say anything he just looked at me, inspecting all of my facial features closely, presumably to see if I was kidding or not
"Is that it?" Brad asked "he was your fiancé? What happened? Why isn't he anymore?"

'I don't think I want to tell you yet." I whispered, looking down at my hands "because I can't even accept it myself."

Brad put his hand on my shoulder sympathetically and began running his hand up and down my bicep "okay tris, you tell me when you want, I'm not going to force you." He smiled softly "now...I do believe that I had a reason I came here." He raised an eyebrow