Disconnected

Twenty

To: Animal Girl
From: Band Boy

You didn't come... I was really hoping you would.

Fuck, I miss you so much, Tilly. I'm scared you really don't want to be with me now. It's been a few weeks since you talked to me and I am so afraid those weeks are going to turn into months, and then forever, and I don't want that.

Please, tell me anything, tell me what I need to do. I will do it. I will do anything to get you to talk to me again, AG. Anything.

I'm in Berlin, we play here tomorrow night then off to Hamburg the night after.

I hope to hear from you, and I miss you like crazy.

Calum, the very sad, very heartbroken, very sorry, band boy...

***

"Dude, buck up." Ashton frowns, dropping beside Calum in the dressing room.

"It's been weeks. I messed up so bad because I was caught of guard. I fucking told her to get rid of the last thing he ever gave her. And that was stupid, I shouldn't have picked the fight, especially after she fought with her mom, said goodbye to her jackass of a father, and had to deal with it being the third anniversary of what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life. I fucked up so bad..." Calum sighs, leaning his head back.

"Ya, you did." Calum turns his head at break neck speed, not believing his ears, not believing she is actually standing there, in the doorway, with a bag over her shoulder.

"Holy fuck! You're here?" He grins, jumping off the couch and running to her, taking her hand to make sure she really is there, that this isn't a dream.

"We need to talk, please." She sighs.

"Ya, ya, come on. You can leave your bag here and we will go talk." He nods furiously, taking the duffel off her shoulder and tossing it against one of the walls.

"Stage time is ninety minutes, don't get too carried away, and use protection!" Ashton yells after them with a giggle.

"Holy fuck!" Calum turns to Tilly as he shuts the door to an empty green room. "I cannot believe you are here, AG."

"I would have come in Budapest like you offered but I was already booked on a flight back to New York for the funeral. It was awful, thanks for asking. But I wasn't really able to miss it either, he was my father, and as he was a public figure, and I also am, it felt like the right thing to do so I went." She shrugs, one arm hugged around herself.

"What's this?" Calum asks suddenly. The way she shifted having sparked a light off a new addition to her T necklace.

"Char had it made for me. When we fought on FaceTime I went to their house and cried to her for a long while. Then she helped me find a way to keep the diamond from T's engagement ring without making it so obvious. She had a jeweler friend remove the diamond from the ring and place it in this charm for my necklace. I thought it might be a better way to keep it and keep you happy." She shrugs, clutching the small jewel nervously.

Calum frowns, "You didn't have to do that... I was just being an ass, Tilly, you could have kept the ring how it was. I'm sorry if I made you do that."

"Actually, I'm glad I did. I didn't want it to be something that sat in my closet for the rest of my life, but I also had no idea what to do with it. Fighting with you and talking over what you were saying with Char, she gave me the idea, to take the diamond and put it in a bracelet or necklace of some sort. I'm really happy with it. I got it back from her this week when I went back for the funeral."

"I'm still sorry, I shouldn't have made you feel like that, Tilly. Your past is important and I want to know it, I want to respect it, and I want to be your future if you will still have me." He sighs, stepping closer to her.