If You Run (An All Time Low Fan Fiction)

Chapter Eight

"I first heard that song about a year and a half ago maybe, Cris told me to listen to it. I loved it instantly and it's been one of my favourite songs ever since. I had no idea who it was by and when Alex played it tonight I was singing along, I couldn't help but cry I mean this is all so surreal. I'm in LA, sat on the roof of a building with this amazing guy I've just met, yet I feel like I could already know him by the amount my best friend talks about his band. Then I finally find out the artist of the song which I've listened to non stop for almost, I don't know, a year and a half is actually said band. To top it all off, before all of this, when I'm sitting around minding my own business my idol, Cassadee Pope walks into the room. It's all a bit too much, do you know what I'm saying?" She gushed throwing her arms in the air for emphasis
"Amazing guy hey?" I asked nudging her. She pushed me back playfully but she was stronger than she looked and I lost my balance
"Shut up!" she wined looking at the floor in an attempt to hide the light blushing of her cheeks
"You're not denying it though!" I laughed sitting up again
"Maybe I don't want to deny it" she said quietly, suddenly more serious
"Well thanks. You're a pretty amazing girl yourself" I said placing an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side.

Her rigid body relaxed into the shape of mine. She rested her head on my shoulder and let out a sigh. We stayed like that for a while; engulfed in the silence, watching the world carry on far below as we stayed completely still, almost scared to move as not to ruin the moment.

I had to ask, it was eating me up inside. I just needed to know the truth

"Tay, have you really never heard of us before?"
"Of course I've heard of you. You guys are all Cris talks about but not in the way you're implying, no. I've just never gotten round to listening to you, sorry" She replied, her eyes fixed on the horizon
"Why'd you ask?" she sat up to face me, when out eyes met I felt my chest tighten and I had to fight for air to be let in
"No reason"
"Don't lie to me, Barakat!" she said staring me down suspiciously
"Okay. I don't really know what to say. It's just... don't take this the wrong way but... when I saw you singing along, you knew all the words and..and.."
"And you thought I'd lied about not knowing you just to get close to you" she finished the sentence I couldn't find the words for. She looked hurt. Maybe she wasn't lying and now she thinks I don't trust her. Damn. What did I just do?
"I'm sorry. It's just I've been lied to like that before and I just couldn't do it again"
"Look.." she started, taking my hands. The contact of her freezing cold skin made me flinch "there's no way I can really prove that to you but please trust me on this one. I'm not lying"

Tay's POV

"No reason" he said, nervously running a hand through his messy, dark hair
"Don't lie to me, Barakat!" I joked but the look on his face made it clear something was serious
"Okay. I don't really know what to say. It's just... don't take this the wrong way but... when I saw you singing along, you knew all the words and..and.." he stuttered, searching for the words though I think I knew what he was trying to say
"And you thought I'd lied about not knowing you just to get close to you" I finished his sentence thinking about what had just been said and wondering how I could prove I wasn't lying to him
"I'm sorry. It's just I've been lied to like that before and I just couldn't do it again" he said fiddling with his hands
"Look.." I said grabbing them, he jumped at the touch of our skin; probably because of how cold my hands were "there's no way I can really prove that to you but please trust me on this one. I'm not lying" I looked deep into his chocolate eyes I could get so lost in them I almost didn't notice the small smile playing on the corner of his lips
"I do trust you, Tay"
"Thank you" I basically mouthed as I moved back into my previous position at the side of Jack

Jack's POV

"I do trust you, Tay" I said with a smile
"Thank you" I could barely hear the words leaving her mouth. She shuffled on the spot so she was leaning against me once more.