Breaking Hearts Still Looks Pretty Cool

Part 16

  The atmosphere on the bus was saturated with the sort of feeling that hangs in the air when everyone in a small space is waiting for something. That something, it seemed, was the return of Annabelle and I.

Everyone's head shot up, but I didn't even notice the expressions on their faces; Gerard was on the phone, and he glanced at me with a look on his face that resembled a cross between guilt, concern, and craving.

"Bye," he said quietly into the tiny black handset, and slid it back into his tight jeans with what he must have imagined was stealth. I didn't miss a single move though; my eyes were becoming increasingly glued to him as each day wore on and I fell back in love with him more devastatingly than I had before. Or maybe I never fell out of love with him, and it was just intensifying.

I attached a severe sense of danger to that phone, and I had a very shrewd idea of who he had been furtively talking to. The very thought of it made me want to kick something.

"What's going on in here?" asked Annabelle interestedly, "why are you here?" she seemed to be directing this question towards some other people, who I hadn't even noticed in my fixation on Gerard.

"Oh!" I said, feeling a jolt of momentary shock that always went off when I saw Green Day in close proximity, "hey!"

Billie Joe exchanged smirks with Mike and Tre, "Hey, you looked distracted just then," he said astutely, with a twinkle in his eye that seemed to say 'I can read you very well – I know exactly what you're thinking.'

I swallowed hard and tried to brush his comment aside, "Why are you in our bus?" I asked, trying to appear nonchalant,

"You make it sound like you don't want us here!" said Tré, making an effort to sound affronted, but his grin gave him away.

I made a supreme effort to smile, before allowing myself to collapse completely into a heap on one of the couch style seats.

"We actually have a surprise for you guys," said Bob by way of explanation, wearing a grin on his pierced lips- he seemed to be addressing Annabelle more than me though, and automatically my gaze flipped towards Mikey, who seemed totally unconcerned. Annabelle's previous comment about him 'having someone else in mind' flashed into my head and I made a mental note to ask her about it later.

"What is it?" asked Annabelle quickly. Her red hair seemed to crackle like flames to match the interest burning in her hazel eyes,

"Well," Mikey took over the explanation, looking at me intently, "we may have neglected to mention the plans for the next few weeks of the tour,"

My curiosity overtook any other thoughts clogging up my mind.

"What haven't you told us?" I asked cautiously. The last thing we needed was for a giant break in which Gerard could go dashing back to Jersey to see Jessica.

"We're going..." Mikey started to say, but Billie Joe quickly cut across him,

"Why'd you get to tell them!" he exclaimed, but in a joking way, "we're going to play a series of dates in AUSTRALIA for two weeks!"
It took a good few seconds for the news to sink in, and for a few minutes Annabelle and I just looked at each other in a slightly dazed fashion.

"Australia?" I asked excitedly, thoughts of sunshine, sea and sand rushed into my head.

"Oh my goodness oh my goodness!" Annabelle squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly,

"Are you being serious?" I demanded. I looked up to see Gerard standing over me, smiling indulgently at me as if I was doing something terribly endearing.

"Yeah, we're totally serious," said Mikey from next to me.

"And we definitely get to come?" I asked, checking that it would be ok for Annabelle and I to tag along all the way to Australia.

"No, we're going to leave you here," said Gerard sarcastically, sitting down on my other side.

"Gerard!" exclaimed Mikey. I grinned at how cute Mikey was, because I was completely aware that Gerard was only joking.

"She knows I'm joking, dumbass," chuckled Gerard, and I felt my heart start to thud uncomfortably. His cheeky little laugh always had that effect on me, without fail.

"Oh," Mikey sighed, "anyway, we're leaving tomorrow, are you excited C?"

I turned to grin at him, "yes, Mikey," I answered happily, "I am very excited! Lucky I packed my summer clothes!" Mikey smiled appreciatively,

"Well I hope you remembered to pack your bikini," said Gerard silkily on my other side, "because our hotel has a pool!"

I started to blush and I felt the blood spread across my cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bob and Ray exchange a look, and Billie Joe was eyeing Mikey, Gerard and I with a strange sort of smirk on his face.

"Really?" I asked interestedly, trying to sound as normal as possible despite my rapidly palpitating heart.

"Yeah," Gerard reclined in his seat and smiled.

"Well, we're all going to be on the same floor!" Mikey informed me, "with adjoining rooms and everything!"
"Why's that a good thing Mikey?" Gerard asked before I had a chance to respond, "and remind me to make sure that my room isn't connected to yours,"

I suppressed a chuckle.

"Whatever," Mikey feigned upset, "who said I wanted my room connected with yours? Connie will be next to me, won't you?"

"Um, I'd rather not be Mikey-Annabelle sex adjacent, thanks," the sarcastic comment slipped out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about its implications.

Billie, Mike, and Tré, freakishly intuitive as ever, exchanged looks of mild surprise and apprehension.

Frank and Ray laughed raucously without any idea of the error I had just made, and Gerard joined them with his peal of a laugh that weakened my knees. Annabelle pointedly pretended that she urgently needed to chip some nail polish off of her nail, and Bob clenched his jaw at the thought of Annabelle and Mikey together in that capacity.

I quickly glanced at Mikey to see what he made of the situation, and he merely looked surprised,
"Oh yeah..." he said softly, "it'd be me...and Annabelle,"

It seemed as though he had forgotten his girlfriend for a minute.

"No shit Sherlock," grinned Gerard, breaking out in laughter again.

I didn't find it very funny, knowing the love triangle that was going on.

Later on that evening, Annabelle and I were left to our own devices in the corner of the dressing room whilst the boys tried to sort themselves out for the show.

"Sorry about earlier," I said in a low voice,

"It's ok," Annabelle replied melancholically, "but see what I mean about Mikey? He doesn't care! He was so concerned about being in a room next to you he didn't even remember that he was originally going to be in a room with me!"

"What are you trying to say?" I asked confusedly, furrowing my brow,

"Are you blind?" she asked exasperatedly,

"Not the last time I checked," I replied with a mock-annoyed pout.

She opened her mouth to say something, but paused to check that none of the guys were listening.

"Hey," I said, taking advantage of the break, "when are you going to break up with Mikey? I don't think it's right that you haven't yet...you and Bob earlier were really obvious, and sooner or later he'll find out!"

Annabelle rolled her eyes, "he won't care," she told me, "and I can't break up with him now, because then I'll actually have to go home and leave the tour early, because otherwise it'd be awkward...unless..."

"Unless what?" I asked,

"Unless he managed to get-" she stopped abruptly,

"What?" I demanded, but the shadow that fell over us told me why she stopped talking so quickly.

"Connie," said Gerard's intoxicating voice, "no one is as good at eye make up as you, can you do mine?"

Anytime.

"Sure," I replied quickly, finding it sickening that my voice had just raised several notches in pitch.

I followed him to the mirror, which he sat in front of. I tried not to shake as I leant over him, brandishing the kohl pencil.

He closed his beautiful eyes and I traced a firm outline around them, savouring every touch on his pale skin. There was a discernable pause; he kept his eyes closed and I kept my hands placed on his temples, and I was forcefully reminded of the day when he first kissed me. I wanted nothing more at that moment than for him to kiss me again.

"Connie, when you've done Gerard's eyes will you do mine?" Mikey asked.

Gerard bolted, snapping his eyes open so fast that I didn't even have time to withdraw my hands completely.

"Thanks," he said quickly, "didn't Mikey want you to do him now?"

"Yeah," I muttered sadly.

I somehow had the ominous feeling that it wasn't going to happen.