Nothing On My Own:Part One

 

Nothing on My Own: Part One

 

 

 

As Chris lay in bed, the blackness of the ceiling swallowed him. He was swimming in his own fears as they ate away at him like maggots. On stage he was invincible; he was God. Alone he was nothing. The odd thing was, Chris knew the exact time he had come to this conclusion. It was 2003. They were playing a venue somewhere in the states. He remembered jumping around on stage, letting the music move him in ways unimaginable as the crowd begged for more. And during the bridge of Clocks, the mystical chords seemed to slow everything down and make him dizzy. The lights had illuminated the silhouettes of Jonny, Guy, and Will, staring back at him with innocent eyes. This can't be forever, Chris thought. This wasn't my plan on life. In fact, Chris had planned his life a completely different way.

 

It was college. Freshman year. Christopher Anthony John Martin stumbled into his first course ever, nervous as a little girl, as the rest of the class eyed his dorkiness up and down. Part of it probably was what he was wearing-today it was a denim jacket, a red turtleneck underneath, and some worn out jeans to top it all off. A few students mumbled in the front of the class as two girls giggled and rolled their eyes. Chris was used to it. Elementary school, he'd been the one that got pushed into trash cans and shoved in lockers. He took a seat in the back of the class, next to probably the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen. She had wavy, flowing dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and eyes that gleamed, surrounded by long eyelashes that blinked gracefully when she smiled. Her skin was flawless as was her figure. He also noticed two dimples on the side of face when she grinned at him. Chris bit his lip and blushed, hiding his face, of which he was ashamed.

 

The professor introduced himself and he immediately began posting notes on the board. Chris slipped on his glasses and began vigorously copying them, but still thinking of the mysterious girl next to him. As the student scattered at the end of class, the girl approached him. "Hi, I'm Rae," she said warmly, smiling again. Chris felt his goofy smile growing again. "I-I'm Chris, nice to meet you", he said, feeling the blood rush to his face. They shook hands, and Chris felt like he was taking the wing of an angel instead of a human. She asked him standard questions, like where he was from, and what his major was, but all Chris could think of was her smile, floating around his mind like a butterfly and making his head spin.

 

Nothing on My Own:Part Two

 

Nothing On My Own: Part Two

 

 

He continued to walk with her and tell her about how he'd wound up at the University College of London, and she nodded like she actually cared. She can't actually be interested in my life, can she? "What's that you've got there?" Rae asked, gesturing towards the large black case slung over his hunched back. "Oh, um...that's my guitar," Chris replied quietly. Rae smiled again, and her eyes lit up with interest. "You play guitar?" Chris felt himself blush again. "Well yeah, I guess I play a little but-" She cut him off. "Why don't you play a song for me sometime?" She asked jokingly nudging him. Chris laughed nervously at the thought of singing to a girl like Rae. "Maybe sometime," he said. Chris didn't mean to, but the words slipped from his mouth like racing horses from a gate. "You want to have dinner Friday?" Rae stopped and looked up at Chris. "I'd love to."

 

It was now Friday. He tried to pick out what to wear. Thirty minutes passed and by then his wardrobe was strewn across his bedroom floor. He finally decided on a blue button down shirt and khaki pants-Simple. He combed his hair until he had matted down every stray piece and brushed his teeth until his mouth numbed, and made his way to pick up Rae. She looked beautiful. She wore a medium length blue skirt and a gray blouse, and her hair was let down from the ponytail. "You look gorgeous," Chris said as they began to stroll down the road as cars zoomed by. "Thanks," she beamed. Chris decided to keep it simple and take her to a casual Italian place called Carlo's. Through dinner, it became easier and easier to talk to Rae, and by the time the check came, they were laughing like they'd been friends for years. Chris had never felt so comfortable in his life.

 

After dinner, Chris walked Rae home in the moonlight, as their conversations continued. It was late, the streetlights were dim and only a few wanderers walked the streets. Rae's hand searched for his and he clasped it, feeling the warmth of her delicate palm. The walk seemed to last forever, and Chris was glad. he wondered if Rae felt this sense of comfort around him too. It was strange to think they'd met four days ago, and Chris already felt the attachment. Everything seemed silent as they turned onto Rae's block. Chris sighed at her doorstep and smiled at her. "Hey...I'm a loser Rae, but I think I might love you" Chris breathed into her ear. And then he kissed her, softly and meaningfully. He didn't mean to, either. It just came, like something inside him had triggered him to bring her closer. "I think I might love you too, winner," she whispered as she let go of him and turned around.

 

Nothing on My Own: Part Three

 

Nothing on My Own: Part Three

 

 

They said love could happened slowly, the relationship grew like a flower, and took time and care. Chris felt that with Rae, the time had been put in fast motion, and he'd been thrown into a swirl of love, happiness, and everything he'd longed for. As he sat in his bedroom, he strummed his guitar in the corner next to the chipping radiator. He'd been working on songs for quite sometime now, but never could figure out his own thoughts. He felt like it was a code, and he needed something, someone to figure it all out for him. He had read and re-read his own lyrics countless times, and could never understand what his mind was saying to him. He wouldn't bother reading them again. But as he picked up to the lyrics notebook scribbled with his terrible handwriting, there was a spark. As he read over the lyrics to a song he'd wrote called Searching For The Future he understood. He read the first few verses.

------

What am I looking for?

Something I cannot read, a feeling I cannot feel?

I sit on the dock with my fishing pole,

with my lores, my bait and my reel,

I cannot find you, you won't come,

Where are you, I'm searching in the future.

-------

Chris had been searching for love the whole time. He'd been looking for someone who could decode his mind's worries and Rae had done that. Chris felt like crying, and his insides were on fire, and at the same time they were melting. Now that the brick wall that prevented him to write his happy feelings was broken. Chris grabbed his guitar and immediately re-wrote the lyrics and changed the chords. It was a song for Rae.

----

You are my light in the dark,

my own, you are my own spark,

you've opened my mind, I cannot explain,

the feeling that takes over when you speak my name.

My angel you are, my light in the dark,

keep on shining, my own little spark.

----

Chris couldn't decide if it was too cliche or not, but he liked it. He liked it so much that he stayed awake, all night going through countless soda cans playing it. As he was in the middle of the chorus, there was a light knock on his door. He wondered who it could be...he had no friends around besides Rae. Chris swung open the door to reveal a boy about his age, blonde, thinning hair, and intimidating green eyes. He hand his hands in the pocket of his jeans as he adjusted his hat. He was big, he looked at Chris with a sense of wonder. "Hi," said the boy quietly. Chris loosened a little, a bit more assured that this guy wasn't here to beat him up. "I'm Jon...well actually you can call me Jonny," he said extending his hand for a greeting. "Uh-Uhm, Hello, I'm Chris...come on in." "I heard you playing your guitar...I'm the room over by the way," Jonny mentioned brightly. "Oh I'm really sorry mate I didn't mean to-" Jonny cut him mid-sentence. "No, it was wonderful, I was listening and I really liked the tune you were playing," Jonny said. Chris paused, ashamed, confused, and a little flattered. "Thanks." Jonny twidled his thumbs and opened his mouth to speak. "You know, I play guitar too," he mumbled quietly, avoiding eye-contact. Chris perked up. "Really?" he asked, interested. "Mmhmm, I really don't like anyone to know because, well, Im not good. At all. I'm not in a band or anything and my guitar sucks...badly," Jonny explained. Chris studied Jonny. "Don't put yourself down like that. I'm a bit ashamed too, cause I'm no good either," Chris replied, laughing a little. Jonny laughed as well. "So we can suck at guitar together?" Jonny said, smiling. "Yes, yes we can," Chris said jokingly.

 

 

 

When You Feel So Tired

 

 

 

Chris laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He could not, no matter how hard he tried, get the image of Jonny out of his head. He tossed and turned, but those green eyes would not erase from his vision. Like it wasn't bad enough that he was in love with him, now his sleeping habits- which were already nowhere near normal- were being messed up.

 

 

So, he got out of bed, poured himself a glass of water, and really thought things through. Really thought things through. He didn't just give things a once-over, he sat down in the plastic chair by his kitchen table and mulled over everything.

 

 

Jonny was his best friend, and had been since they first met. All they'd ever been was friends. But he was totally in love with Jonny, and had been for... well, he wasn't really sure how long he'd been in love with Jonny, but he only recently realised it. Like, the day before. Jonny was telling Chris a story, and Chris was listening like he always did. But something felt different to him, and he couldn't help noticing the way Jonny's eyes lit up when he talked, and the way he giggled whenever Chris made a joke. He suddenly had this strange desire reach over and hold Jonny's hand, and kiss that pretty cheek of his.

 

 

Not that it mattered, though; Jonny was probably not interested in him in that way... right? There's always that 'you never know' thing, but it seemed a bit unlikely to Chris. He looked blankly around the room. It was getting light out now. Still no sleep.

 

 

Chris left the chair with the table and went back to his room. The bed looked so cozy and warm, but as he laid down it felt springy and cold. The insomnia was driving him crazy.

 

 

A few sleepless hours later, Chris went to the Beehive. They were all supposed to meet there that day to see how it was shaping up. It looked no less skanky than it had the last time they checked on it, a few days prior. While he was standing and observing the work in progress, a friendly face appeared.

 

 

"Hi, Chris," Jonny said, and Chris had to fight the wave of ardency that washed over him as he watched the man walk up.

 

 

"Hi, Jonny," he beamed. Jonny looked at him with quite a puzzled look on his face, and for a few moments Chris feared that his emotions were seeping through his face.

 

 

"Did you get any sleep? You've got, like, really dark circles under your eyes." Chris felt himself involuntarily touch his eye.

 

 

"Uh... you know. All this excitement," he said, waving at the Beehive, "sometimes it's hard to sleep."

 

 

"It is kinda exciting," Jonny nodded. "When are the other guys supposed to come here?"

 

 

"I'm not sure," Chris shrugged. "To be honest, I don't even know what time it is now."

 

 

"It's, like, nine-ish," Jonny said. He took a deep breath and continued, "Are you doing anything this weekend?"

 

 

"Not that I know of, why?"

 

 

"I have to house-sit- well, cabin-sit for my sister and I was wondering if you wanted to come along. Keep me company."

 

 

"Yeah," Chris immediately said. "Sure." Jonny grinned.

 

 

"All right. This is gonna be fun. It's about an hour drive from here, so it's not too far, really. And we'll only be there for the weekend."

 

 

"Sounds good."

 

 

For the next hour, Chris and Jonny chatted about little things, and commented on the status of their new headquarters ("It's skankier than that girl who's always outside my apartment." "The one with that really ugly leopard-print tank top?" "Yeah, her." "...Is it even possible to be skankier than that?"), until Guy and Will showed up. Once they were all there, they decided to take a brief tour of the inside.

 

 

As expected, there were lots of construction-related objects spread about the place. Saws, hammers, nails, paint cans, paint brushes, bits of wood everywhere, and everything was covered in sawdust, it seemed. After spending only a few short minutes inside, the men were all covered in sawdust, too. But the atmosphere was full of intense excitement, and each and every one of them knew that fantastic things were going to happen there.

 

 

"You guys, this is gonna be so fucking cool," Chris said as he bounced along. "We're going to make the most amazing record ever, and it's all gonna be done right here. This is so fucking awesome!"

 

 

"Yeah, you say that now, Chris," Will said, "but once we get in here you'll hate everything we come up with."

 

 

Normally Chris would have taken slight offense to such a thing and laughed anyway, but this time he didn't give a damn. He really did feel like something great was going to happen. Of course, he did momentarily believe that his inklings were just a product of a lack of sleep, but he still was under the impression that greatness was soon to be upon them.

 

 

There wasn't much to do after their look around, so they all ended up going their separate ways. Chris walked back to his apartment, full of excitement, and thought about trying to take a nap. He was dead tired, and even though he was quite hyper, he figured he might be able to get some sleep now. He was wrong, of course.

 

 

-

 

 

Friday night, Chris waited on the step of his apartment building for Jonny. His suitcase was sitting patiently beside him. He wasn't sure how he was gonna handle an entire weekend alone with Jonny; the mere thought of it was both terrifying and exciting.

 

 

Eventually, a rather fancy-looking, blue Buick drove up the street. Jonny expertly pulled up alongside the sidewalk and stepped out of the car.

 

 

"You ready?" he asked as he stopped in front of Chris.

 

 

"Yeah," Chris answered, standing up and reaching for his suitcase, though Jonny had already grabbed it.

 

 

"I'll take care of this, you can just get in the car." Chris graciously nodded and sat shotgun. The trunk of the car slammed a few minutes later, and Jonny was soon seated next to him. He turned the key in the ignition and looked up in the rear-view mirror. After checking all was clear, he turned around in his seat and backed the car out of the space. Soon they were bustling along down the road, the sound of the radio dully playing in the background.

 

 

"Nice car," Chris said so awkwardly it was almost painful.

 

 

"Thanks. It's actually my sister's. I guess she decided to get a rental and lent me this while I'm watching her place."

 

 

"Why does she need you to watch her cabin, anyway?"

 

 

"I guess there have been some, uh..." Jonny cleared his throat and continued, "robberies in that area recently, and... Well, the thing is, it's a cabin technically, but she lives there all the time. But she's going away this weekend for something or another and wanted to make sure that someone could be there to fend off the burglars."

 

 

"Shouldn't that be something that you tell people before you ask them to cabin-sit with you?"

 

 

"Yeah, but I didn't want to scare you off. I don't think I could handle staying there by myself, it would be so boring. Plus, now there's two of us to fend off the burglars. And we get to spend time together."

 

 

"I do like spending time with you," Chris boldly admitted.

 

 

"Good, because there's something else I've got to tell you."

 

 

"Which is?"

 

 

"There's only one bedroom."

 

 

"Jonny!"

 

 

"Well, there's a couch, too, if it bothers you so much. But we'll have to flip a coin."

 

 

Chris mock-pouted. "I'm being so nice, spending the weekend with you so you won't get bored, and you're not gonna offer me the bedroom?"

 

 

"Guilting me, are you?" Jonny asked, laughing, but at the same time rolling his eyes. "Fine, you can take the room."

 

 

"Aw, you're so kind, Jonny."

 

 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're making dinner."

 

 

Chris crinkled his nose. "Is that a good idea?"

 

 

"...You're ordering pizza for us." Chris laughed, and turned to Jonny. It was dark now, the streetlights were on, and Jonny's face was only half-lit. Yet, it had this astonishing beauteous effect. Chris's stomach flipped, and he knew he was definitely in for a long weekend. He was at least glad that they weren't going to be sharing a room that presumably had only one bed; not that he wouldn't have liked that, it just would have made controlling himself a thousand times harder. "Are you still alive?"

 

 

"Huh? Oh. Um... yeah. How much longer 'til we're there?"

 

 

"Chris, we've only been driving for, like, ten minutes. Bored of me already?"

 

 

"No, of course not."

 

 

"You know, if you want, you can take a nap and I'll wake you up when we get there."

 

 

Uh oh, dangerous territory. Chris shook his head. "It's OK."

 

 

"Uh huh. When's the last time you actually got any sleep?"

 

 

"Jonny, it's fine." Part of the reason he evaded the question was because he wasn't sure what the answer was. Despite his best efforts at getting some shut-eye, he had only slept maybe once or twice over the course of five days, and each time was only for an hour or so, before he woke up and stayed that way.

 

 

"I'm not blind! You obviously haven't slept in days. Is something wrong?"

 

 

"No, nothing's wrong... just... different, I guess."

 

 

"What is it? You can trust me, you know."

 

 

"I do trust you, I just don't feel like talking about it right now."

 

 

"Fair enough. But when you do feel like talking about it, I'm here for you."

 

 

"Thank you."

 

 

"No problem. Now go to sleep."

 

 

Chris did as he was told, though reluctant, and rested his head against the window. He knew that sleep would not come to him no matter how much he wanted it. He closed his eyes, though, and pretended for Jonny's sake.

 

 

About forty minutes later, Chris felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.

 

 

"Hey, man, wake up. We're here." Quickly remembering that he was supposed to have been asleep, he mumbled groggily for a few seconds before opening his eyes and blinking sleepily.

 

 

"Hm?"

 

 

"We're here. Come on, we'll go inside, you can go back to sleep, and I'll get the stuff out of the trunk in the morning."

 

 

"Mm-kay." Chris continued his faux sleepiness and stumbled out of the car. He began to regret it, though, when he felt Jonny's hand on his back, leading him up the stone walkway. He kept his head down and his eyes closed as the jittery feeling in his stomach intensified. Before he knew it, the stone was replaced with carpet, and the dark starry night was replaced with a 60-watt light bulb. Jonny closed the door behind them as his sister greeted them with a warm smile.

 

 

"You're here! Good. How was the trip?" she asked.

 

 

"It's only an hour-long ride, it's not like anything exciting happened. In fact, Chris slept most of the way," Jonny said, pointing to Chris. "Which reminds me, he's still kinda out of it. He's gonna be taking your room, is that all right?"

 

 

"Yeah, of course. Um," she turned to Chris, "it's right down that hall over there, the second door to the left."

 

 

"Thanks," Chris mumbled, and received a smile from Jonny's sister. He followed her directions, and within no time was walking through the door into the decent-sized room. There was a bed, a few drawers and tables, and a lamp filling the space. It looked rather cozy. He prepared himself to lay in the bed, though he knew that it wasn't worth it. From the other room, he could hear Jonny and his sister chatting, and at one point she was laughing her head off.

 

 

"OK, well, I'm gonna get going now. Thank you so much for doing this," she said.

 

 

"It's not a problem," Jonny replied.

 

 

"Thank Chris for me, too, eh? I'll see you Sunday night, then."

 

 

"Have fun."

 

 

"You, too." Then there was the sound of the door opening and closing, the engine of a car revving, and eventually silence returned. Chris figured Jonny would have stayed out in the other room and gone to sleep, but he found that wasn't the case.

 

 

"Hey, Chris?" Jonny said, standing in the doorway.

 

 

"Yeah?"

 

 

"Um..." Jonny paused for what seemed like ages. "Goodnight."

 

 

"Night, Jonny," Chris replied. He snuggled down under the covers, fluffed the pillow a bit, and stared at the wall. Jonny closed the door as he left, and Chris whispered, "I love you."

 

 

-

 

 

The next morning Jonny tiredly shuffled into the kitchen. Chris was already seated at the table, an empty, used plate in front of him.

 

 

"Morning, Jonny!" Chris beamed. "I made some... well, I was going to make you some breakfast, but I didn't know where anything was, and I can't cook, so I just ordered some pizza."

 

 

"Pizza? What time is it?"

 

 

"A little after noon," Chris replied. "I would have woken you up earlier, but you looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you."

 

 

"Oh. Well, thanks," Jonny said, absentmindedly running a hand over his bedhead. He really was grateful that Chris had let him sleep, since he'd been up half the night... but Chris didn't need to know that. He had problems of his own to deal with, and Jonny never wanted to be a burden. So, he sat down next to Chris, grabbed a slice of the delicious-smelling pizza, and filled his stomach.

 

 

"This is a nice place," Chris said. Jonny nodded and swallowed the last bit of the slice of pizza he was working on.

 

 

"Yeah, my sister's got a nice taste in houses. And have you seen the yard?" Chris shook his head. "You've got to see it. It's so... Come on!"

 

 

Jonny quickly stood up and pulled Chris to the back door. Chris smiled to himself as they stood on the porch, Jonny still grasping Chris's wrist, and looked out over the yard. It was huge, and green as far as the eye could see. Though he relished the idea of letting Jonny hold onto him forever, Chris wriggled his arm free and bolted down the stairs. He didn't stop until he reached what appeared to be the middle of the vast yard.

 

 

He paused, covering his stomach with his hand and trying to catch his breath. He wondered if Jonny had bothered to follow him, and a few moments later he felt the air move as Jonny stopped next to him.

 

 

"That was fun," Chris laughed, his wide eyes full of vitality. It amazed him how he could have so much energy without having slept very much at all for nearly a week. But he attributed his sudden surge of stamina to being around Jonny. He was like a drug, and Chris certainly liked the high he felt.

 

 

"Yeah, for you," Jonny laughed back. Chris admired the way Jonny's chest rose and fell with every breath he took, and the way he showed his teeth when he laughed.

 

 

"I'll race you back."

 

 

"What's the point? We both know you're gonna win."

 

 

"Hmm... fine," Chris said, and he collapsed in the grass. He stretched out, crossed his right leg over his left, and placed his hands behind his head. "Then we'll just stay here."

 

 

Jonny joined him, laying so close that Chris thought he was going to have a heart attack. He enjoyed every minute of it, though, and smiled up at the clouds as his heart continued to pound in his chest. Every now and then he'd glance at Jonny, who always seemed to be staring at the clouds very pensively.

 

 

"You're awfully quiet," Jonny said some time later.

 

 

"So are you," Chris replied.

 

 

"Yeah, but I'm not the one who's always talking." Jonny turned his head to Chris and told him, "That's you." Chris could feel Jonny's breath as he spoke, and it sent shivers down his spine.

 

 

"Good point. But sometimes, things don't need to be said. It's nice to just... enjoy the silence." Chris tried to convey his every thought through his eyes, and by the look on Jonny's face he seemed to be nearly successful, until Jonny looked back up at the sky.

 

 

"Oh my God, it's a giraffe," Jonny said in pure amazement. Chris couldn't help laughing and Jonny's ridiculous statement, though he looked to see the giraffe floating along in the sky.

 

 

"Oh, I see it! And it looks like it's eating that poor turtle."

 

 

"That's not a turtle, that's a frog. And I think it looks more like they're... I don't even know."

 

 

"Clouds are funny things, aren't they?" Chris mused.

 

 

"Yeah, they are," Jonny agreed, and he moved his hands from his stomach to the ground, grazing Chris's thigh as he did so. Chris was sure that it was an accident, but he couldn't handle it either way.

 

 

"I'm tired of staring of clouds, let's go back inside," he said, jumping up and jogging back to the house before Jonny even had time to respond. He rested in the kitchen, hungrily grabbed another slice of the pizza that was laying on the table, and waited for Jonny to return. Judging by Jonny's calmness when he entered the room and the fact that Chris was able to eat the entire slice, he figured that Jonny had probably walked back.

 

 

"Chris, you're too much," he said as he sat down beside Chris. "I don't know how you do it."

 

 

"I don't know either," Chris said, completely honest. "But I'm OK with it."

 

 

"Do you know how hard it is to keep up with you sometimes?"

 

 

"Pretty hard, I guess. If it makes you happy, I won't be hyperactive for the rest of the day." Jonny chuckled and nodded. Chris smiled, and wondered to himself what would happen if he were to tell Jonny everything. Oh, and how lovely it would be for Jonny to return his feelings.

 

 

He didn't tell him, of course, because he was far too frightened. Instead, they spent the rest of the daylight hours just talking about nothing, wandering about the house, and just generally enjoying each other's company.

 

 

Later on in the evening, Chris and Jonny were sitting in the living room, reading excerpts from various books around the room in various foreign accents. It was so entertaining that at one point they were both doubled over, laughing. After a certain amount of time, Jonny found himself needing to use the bathroom, so he excused himself and left Chris alone in the living room. Not surprisingly, Chris was not there when he came back.

 

 

"Chris? I thought you said you wouldn't be hyper for the rest of the day," Jonny said as he walked around the house. He couldn't find Chris, though, even after he'd searched nearly every room. He checked the living room once more, and caught a glimpse of something outside the window. He looked more closely to see that it was a mop of hair.

 

 

"I see you found me," Chris said as Jonny walked out onto the front porch. Chris was sitting at the edge of the stairs, knees scrunched up to his chest, staring up at the sky. Jonny sat down next to him and looked up.

 

 

"Why'd you come out here?" Jonny asked. Chris looked over at him. They were both bathed in moonlight, but Chris's interest was purely in how Jonny looked. The light hit Jonny's eyes and the green shone brightly through the dark.

 

 

"I got tired of being in there," Chris simply said.

 

 

"Well, it is pretty wonderful out here."

 

 

Chris, still mesmerized by Jonny, slowly nodded. "Yeah, it's absolutely beautiful."

 

 

When You Feel So Tired

 

 

 

It was two o'clock in the morning. Unsurprisingly, Chris was still awake, though he'd changed positions more than once throughout the night. Everything was quite, except for one tiny little noise. It worried Chris a bit, since the noise came out of nowhere, and he'd been on edge since Jonny told him about the robberies. And the noise sounded like footsteps.

 

 

Then suddenly a head peeked into the room. It just stayed there, staring. Chris looked over at the doorway, and the head grew a body.

 

 

"You're awake?" Jonny whispered.

 

 

"Yeah," Chris said. Jonny took a few steps into the room.

 

 

"Couldn't sleep, either?"

 

 

"No." For the longest time, the room was filled with complete silence. If it hadn't been for the tiny bit of moonlight shining through the curtain, Chris would have wondered if Jonny was even in the room still.

 

 

"Can we talk?" Jonny finally spoke. Chris sat up and left enough room for Jonny to sit next to him.

 

 

"Yeah, come on," he said, patting the empty space. Jonny walked over and sat down.

 

 

"You didn't sleep in the car." Before Chris could say anything, Jonny continued, "I know you didn't, so you don't have to lie or anything."

 

 

"I didn't sleep, no," Chris said, plucking at the comforter.

 

 

"Is there anything you need to talk about? Anything you want to talk about? I know yesterday you said you didn't feel like talking, but... I'm just worried about you." Jonny placed his hand dangerously close to Chris's. "Because you're my best friend."

 

 

Maybe the result of his tiredness and frustration, Chris let his emotions go and burst into tears. "I can't sleep, I've tried, but my body just wont let me do it. It's been this way since last Sunday, and I've only gotten, like, three hours of sleep." He felt ridiculous sitting there and crying his eyes out, so he hid his face in his hands.

 

 

"Three hours? Chris, how are you still alive?"

 

 

"I don't know! And the worst part is, I know why I can't sleep, but I can't do anything about it."

 

 

"What's the reason?"

 

 

"I've been, like... b-bottling something up, but I can't just let it out. But I also can't sleep because of it." And just then, Jonny realized why he'd had trouble sleeping. He was hiding something, too.

 

 

"Chris..." Chris sniffed and waited for Jonny, whose head was also down, to continue. "I love you."

 

 

Chris lifted his head, but didn't say anything for a long time, mostly out of pure shock. When he finally decided that what he heard was real, he leaned forward and tried to catch Jonny's eyes. "I love you, too," he said, and Jonny looked up. There was a sort of glimmer in Chris's eyes, and Jonny thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He reached over and wiped the tears from Chris's cheeks, then gently kissed him.

 

"I'll be right back," Jonny whispered, and rushed out of the room to do God knows what. Chris sank under the covers and stared into the darkness, thinking about how lucky he was and how great things were going. But he wasn't thinking for long, and by the time Jonny returned, Chris was fast asleep.

 

 

Jonny laid beside Chris as close as he could get, until their bodies were nearly touching. Then he moved his arm and carefully placed his hand on Chris's hip. He thought about staying up all night and just absorbing the intoxicating sight of Chris, but he found himself unable to keep his eyes open. Soon enough, he let his eyelids fall and joined Chris in the deep sleep that they both so desperately needed.

 

Nothing On My Own:Part Four, and 4.5

 

Nothing On My Own: Part Four

 

 

The next morning, Chris walked to the next room over and knocked on Jonny's door. He held his guitar in his hand as he waited, rocking back and forth on his feet anxiously. Jonny answered and his eyes lit up with happiness. "You want to play?" asked Chris. "Sure," said Jonny, gesturing for Chris to come inside. Jonny's dorm seemed almost empty, or so it seemed compared to Chris'. He had an open leather suitcase on the ground and a few toiletries on a dresser. Leaning against the wall in the corner were two guitars. One shiny, black electric connected to an amp, and a beautiful wooden acoustic with details engraved on the body. It seemed that the guitars were the highlight of his room. "Gorgeous guitars," said Chris, walking towards the instruments. "Thanks," Jonny said nonchalantly. Jonny picked up the electric one and adjusted the amp. He started playing and Chris couldn't believe it. He listened intently to Jonny strum away and the music filled the empty space in him and around him.

 

 

Jonny finished the riff and Chris' jaw dropped. "Dude, you're fucking amazing!" Jonny laughed, hard, and set the guitar down. "Not even close, Chris," he replied quietly. His modesty baffled him. Jonny picked up the acoustic and strummed the same riff again. It sounded mellower, beautiful on this one. Chris took out his guitar which was almost identical and mimicked the notes, adding in lyrics and words that came out of his mouth like the continuos flow of the ocean waves. After they finished, the music rung inside him like the power of something he'd never felt. Something he couldn't do alone. Chris grabbed a pen with Jonny's permission and scribbled the notes and lyrics on a scrap of paper. "I like it a lot," Jonny said as he watched Chris scribble across the notepad. They called the song, "Yellow". Chris' head was buzzing with idea, he had a vision. "What are you thinking?" Jonny asked, studying Chris' unreadable expression as he did the day before. "We need, uhm, we need a bassist," Chris said with excitement in his tone. "Write this all down Jon." Jonny listened and copied like an obedient puppy. "And, we need a drummer, yes a drummer," said Chris. "We could totally do this...we could write songs and play around campus and make tons of cash-," Chris continued. "Are you meaning, a band? You want to start a band?" Jonny asked, his tone flat. Jonny stopped writing and his face went blank. Chris paused. "Well, yeah that's exactly what I was think-" Jonny cut him off. "No," Jonny said shortly. Chris cocked his head. "I don't perform, I don't...I don't get up in front of people, I'm not a rock star," Jonny said. Chris listened, confused at Jonny's words. "I play guitar, but I'm not doing it to earn money or be someone, Chris," he added. "But I-", Jonny set the guitar down and glared at Chris. "Sorry but I'm not that guy...Goodbye Chris."

 

----

4.5

 

Chris sat alone in his dorm, hoping Rae would call or show up. It'd only been two days since the date, and he knew he'd see her in class tomorrow, but he needed someone. He needed her, especially after Jonny had turned on him. Chris had thought he'd made a friend. All in those few hours he and Jonny had played guitar together, something had been right. When he played, Jonny filled in the holes in his music, it sounded so full and...right. But Chris knew exactly who Jon was. He was the loner kid. The one who had a hell of a lot of talent but wasted it away in the corner of his dorm room. Suddenly Chris was angry. If they could just get two more musicians, they could be something. The Chris Martin that was poked fun at for all these years could be something. And maybe that was why as he softly strummed his guitar, he envyed Jonny. Jonny didn't care what people thought of him, it didn't bother him at all. He was content with who he was, something Chris couldn't be. As Chris tossed and turned in his sleep, worrying, worrying, worrying, Jonny could block everything out and live his life without a care. Chris needed Jonny. Jonny didn't anyone but himself.

 

 

Nothing On My Own: Part Five

 

Nothing on My Own: Part Five

 

 

Chris sped walk to class, his mind concentrating on Rae; seeing Rae, her smile; touching her hand. And then he saw her, sitting calmly and motionless in her desk, right where he'd first seen her. She noticed him and turned, placing her hand on Chris' shoulder, light as a feather. Chris expected just seeing Rae would make him feel better, but he still felt a pit in his stomach from Jonny. Her hand on his shoulder felt like nothing. No spark. "How are you?" she asked, her eyes deep in thought, her smile bright as day. "I'm okay, just-uhm, exhausted," he sighed, slumping into his desk and straightening up again. "Meet me for lunch?" she asked, sensing the unbalance in his tone. "Yeah," Chris said..."Please."

---

Their lunch was a silent atmosphere, like a snowstorm between them. There were questions here and there, but one word answers floated back and forth. "You don't seem well at all, Chris," Rae finally said. Chris picked at his food. "Maybe you should go to the doctor?" she suggested, biting her lower lip. Chris put his fork down and sighed. "I'm just not feeling good. You know when you have a great idea but someone else doesn't agree?" Rae thought for a moment and nodded. "Well I feel like there's something inside...something that works really, really well but the other person doesn't agree in this connection and what could happen." Rae paused. "If this is about us Chris the-" Chris stopped her. "It's not about us, trust me," Chris said quietly, placing his hand on Rae's. "I promise."

---

When Chris returned to his silent bedroom, the sun was setting over London. Looking out onto the big city, he felt that the little room was more like a prison, the walls closing in on him and trapping him in time. He began unpacking the cardboard boxes some more, hanging up photographs on nails around the white cement walls. One he particularly liked more than the others. The one of just him and his siblings, in black and white. They all had a smile on their face, and for once were getting along together. The main reason Chris admired the specific photo was that they weren't posed perfectly like the others. It was just him and his siblings, playing cricket in the backyard, him pitching, his siblings on the bases. Chris liked things that happened spontaneously, like his mother taking that photo. Chris filled the shelves with countless trinkets, toiletries, and framed artwork, but no matter what, his room didn't feel any more comfortable than it did before. Chris sighed and suddenly, he got an idea. He moved quickly to his enormous HP laptop and started it up, his fingers tapping rhythmically in excitement. He typed in bold letters:

----

DRUMMER AND BASSIST NEEDED FOR BAND

COME TO P278 FOR INFORMATION

----

He inserted some clipart and watched as the printer fed him multiple copies of the flyer. Chris then ran down the cement stairs to the dorm's common room and posted the flyers on the many bulletin boards hung around the common room and the lobby. Some students that were lounging around on the couches laughed to themselves at Chris, practically tripping over the carpet as he stapled the papers over other flyers like a maniac.

---

Chris anxiously waited for three days until there was a knock on his door. He hadn't heard knock in so long, it felt almost odd. It rung in his ears as he sprang up to answer it. He didn't want to seem too desperate, so he waited a moment before he opened it. When he opened the door, two guys about his age stood together, slouched looking around aimlessly at their surroundings. One had a mess of brown hair, the other had almost none. The bigger one, which held drumsticks, introduced himself. "Hi, um, I'm Will and this is Guy...we're responding to your flyer?" Chris grinned a little. "Well thanks, I'm Chris, nice to meet you guys," Chris said probably a little too enthusiastically. "Come on in." Guy, the littler one with the messy hair had large brown, innocent eyes, that could've been saying anything. Will, the larger one, had a stubborn look to him. He looked almost like he was intelligent, though Chris bargained he could easily beat him up. He was a bit intimidating. "So, you guys want to play a song this weekend at the bar down the road?" Will and Guy exchanged glances. "Well yeah, we'd love too," said Guy, speaking for the first time. His voice was short and quiet, and had a hint of Scottish in it.

"Awesome," Chris said, nodding to fill the silence. "You've got instruments?" he asked. "Yeah I've got a set downstairs and Guy has his own bass," Will replied flatly. Chris felt like Will and Guy were up to anything, as long as the other agreed. It was cute. "Well then, let's rehearse!" Chris said. "Alright," Guy and Will agreed.

 

 

The Boardom of Piplug

by Brooke and Crests

 

chapter one:

 

Once upon a time there was a man called Piplug and he was MADDDDD UGLY!! Every time he would walk to the store, all the dead horses came back to life just so they could die again from looking at his face. But one day he met a man called... PHIL HARVEY! (duhn duhn duhnnnnnn) who promised to make him look super pretty! :blush:

And Piplug went home that night, and excitedly told his wife what had happened that day. She listened intently as she was made of cardboard.

"And he said he would make me look super pretty!" he exclaimed.

"..." she replied.

"That's a very good question... maybe he's a plastic surgeon?"

"..."

"HEY! He wasn't lying!! He really will make me pretty, just you watch!"

"..."

"OH YEAH? WELL YOU CAN WATCH THE TELLY ALL YOU WANT, I'M SLEEPING ON THE COUCH TONIGHT!"

So Piplug slept on the couch, which wasn't very comfortable.

The couch it turned out, was made of cardboard too, as well as his clothes. The Discount Cardboard Warehouse was a rather heroic place to Piplug.

It was also Phil Harvey's house. Piplug often purchased his cardboard from Phil, but never knew because Phil (being creepy) always disguised himself as Bob the Cardboard Fanatic. He was really Phil, though, and this was how he knew Piplug, and how he formulated his plan to make Piplug pretty... He was gonna need some cardboard to achieve this great feat.

So, Phil (who had been watching the argument between Piplug and his wife from a security monitor, because he's creepy) set out to find his most beautiful cardboard. Not long after, however, he realised he was going to need some help. He picked up the phone and dialed the number of his trusty friend... CHRIS MARTIN! (duhn duhn duhnnnnnn again)

He said "yo c dawg, i need some help with this cardboardizzle," and Chris replied, "aiight, p-hizzle! i'll be right over."

So Chris took his unicorn out of its stable and rode it to Phil's house.

Him and the unicorn were both wearing helmets, safety first they always say. Also, it's very gangster.

They came to his door.

"P-HIZZLE, OPEN UP THIS GATE- I mean, DOOR!" Chris shouted. Phil did so, and let Chris inside. The unicorn had to wait outside, though.

"So what did you need me for, exactly?" Chris asked.

"I need to make Piplug pretty, and I need your help gathering the cardboard."

"Who's Piplug, and why do you need to make him pretty?"

"Piplug is... the love of my life! :wacky:"

"GASP!"

"And I need to make him pretty so that it's more socially acceptable for me to love him."

 

Druids Came Out of the Trees

Part 6

 

Alright, no more beating 'round the bush. Time to get down to business.

 

 

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!"

Poor Jonny demands

As he rattles the chains

That encircle his hands

 

Ten white Druids

Each holding a plant

Slowly marched in a line

Murmuring a chant

 

I'll translate that chant

But reader, be warned

I'm not good at Druidic

My "talent" is scorned :(

 

"Death to Jon Buckland

May a rock break his knees

May we feast on his flesh

Long praise the trees!

 

Tear out the heart

Then burn out the soul

Put what's left over

In a giant bowl!"

 

Jonny struggled and fought

And bit at the chains

But they seemed to tighten

They didn't ease his pains

 

He stared bug-eyed

As the Druid pulled out a knife

So this was it, huh? Jonny thought

He couldn't say goodbye to his wife?

 

And Violet and Guy?

And Chris and Phil?

And--Jonny paused his thoughts--

Maybe not Will

 

Jonny started sobbing

Tears streamed down his nose

It was getting cold now

Could he at least wear his clothes?

 

"WAIT!" A voice shrieked

"Hold all your crying!"

A camera crew popped up

From the place they were spying

 

The scene instantly froze

Jonny nervously squealed

The camera man spoke--

"Hey! We're from NatGeo!

 

We're filming a Druid doc live

And we're on the air

This is a sacrificial ceremony

So show some more fear!"

 

 

I have a feeling that some people are going to ask me why I tricked and put poor Jonny in a reality TV situation, so I'll explain it. NatGeo is filming a real live Druid sacrificial ceremony. Even the Druids were taken by surprise that NatGeo would do such a thing.

It Was All...

 

Part 6

 

 

 

Guy practically went out of his way to find Chris after his talk with Will. The first place he tried was, of course, the hotel, since he was already there, but Chris wasn't in his hotel room, and Guy didn't have the slightest idea where Jonny's room was. Instead, he went for a walk around the immediate area and hoped that Chris was out there somewhere. He even went back to the antique shop, but nothing.

 

He sadly made his way into the hotel lobby, cynically grunting as the door greeter spouted a, "Good evening, sir!" at him. He'd have walked right past Chris if he hadn't looked up for two seconds to find the elevator.

 

Chris was sitting at one of the tables in the corner of the room, reading some sort of book. He looked tired, sad, yet there was this air about him that said I'll be fine. Guy took a chance and walked over to him. Chris didn't look up, didn't even notice that Guy was there, actually, until Guy spoke up.

 

"Chris." Chris lifted his big blue eyes.

 

"So, you're talking to me now?" Guy pulled out a chair and sat opposite Chris. He attempted to start several different sentences, but not one of them sounded right in his head.

 

"Will you forgive me?" Guy quietly asked.

 

Chris took a good look at Guy, and snapped back, "Nice apology."

 

"Nothing I say will come out right, so... But I'm really, really sorry."

 

"Why should I forgive you?"

 

"Because I didn't meant to hurt you," Guy said, connecting his eyes with Chris's to let him see exactly what he was thinking. "I lied... to you, to Jonny, to myself. I think I lied to Will, too."

 

"Did you apologize to any of them?"

 

Guy was a bit taken aback, but after a few moments he shook his head. "No, why would I? I'm not in love with them."

 

As soon as the words left Guy's mouth, Chris's eyes enlarged to the size of tennis balls. "In love?"

 

Guy wasn't sure what to do. There was certainly no taking back what he said, but Chris looked a bit frightened. After careful thought, he finally decided on, "Yes."

 

"You're in love with me," Chris stated in complete disbelief. "You don't hate me."

 

"Of course I don't hate you, Chris, I love you. I love you... more than I thought I could ever love anything. And that's why I lied, because I knew how much I love you, and I didn't want to get hurt. But then you got hurt, and... it just all went wrong."

 

"That's pretty selfish."

 

"I know." Guy continued to stare at Chris, who was glancing down at the book in his hand. "I wish I hadn't been so stupid earlier, but... It is what it is, I suppose. I just want you to forgive me. You don't have to like me or anything."

 

"I do," Chris said, and Guy waited for him to continue. He looked up at Guy once more, with kind eyes. "I forgive you."

 

"Do you like me?"

 

"Yeah. And I'd like to be with you, but I don't know if that's such a good idea right now." The words stung Guy, but he knew he deserved it.

 

"We can just be friends. As long as you forgive me," Guy said, giving Chris a tepid smile. Chris shook his head.

 

"I don't want to be your friend," he said, and laughed, which surprised Guy a bit. "More than that would be nice."

 

"But you just said-"

 

"Since when am I a reliable source of anything?" Chris interrupted. "I said I didn't think it was a good idea, that doesn't mean that I don't want it to happen."

 

"Are you saying you'll take me back?"

"Well, I don't think we were really together to begin with, were we? But we can count this as the start of something."

"All right. The start of something... I like it." Guy reached across the table and grabbed Chris's hand. "So, the other guys know about us, then?"

"Well, Jonny knows. You told Will?"

"Yeah. He was actually pretty cool about it. I always thought that he'd maybe have a problem with this sort of thing."

"Nah, Will is, like, the most tolerant person I know. I thought Jonny might flip, though."

"Oh, yeah, does he still like you?"

"I don't know, but... uh, well, I kissed him earlier."

"What?" Guy exclaimed, almost laughing.

"In my defense, I was upset and confused and Jonny was there." Chris turned away in embarrassment and said, "And I pretended he was you."

"Chris, you are... I don't even know what you are. You're Chris."

Chris looked at him, fake tears welling in his eyes, and held a hand to his heart. "That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Guy smiled the biggest smile ever, and leaned across the table to kiss Chris.

Despite all that had happened over the course of a week, most of it occuring in that single day, neither of the two men could have been happier at that moment. They didn't care that they were practically making out in a rather public place with several people staring in awe, and they certainly didn't care that there was a table in between them, no matter how uncomfortable it was to be pressed up against. It was just them, just Guy and Chris, and nothing else was of any significance at all.

 

 

 

REBIRTH

 

 

Here's a thought to think about,

some knowledge for your head.

What would happen if you woke up

to find that you were dead?

 

Is there an afterlife? you ask.

Or maybe just dark space?

Well, I'll tell you what happened to me,

I came back as Guy Berryman's bass.

 

That's right, that sexy man

held me in his hands.

I opened my eyes to see

a crowd of 15,000 Coldplay fans.

 

They were dancing and singing

and having lots of fun.

But soon it was all over,

the concert was finally done.

 

So, I rode in a truck of sorts

with various other things,

like Jon's guitar and the microphone

into which dear Christopher sings.

 

Welcome to our group! they said.

We hope that you are well.

Then suddenly there was a giant crash

and people started to yell.

 

There was an accident, it seems

a truck smashed into us.

But everything went black right then,

I left without a fuss.

 

Did you die again? you ask.

Is that what happened there?

Yes, and what went down after

was quite extraordinarily rare.

 

When I came back a second time

it was more than I could stand. Oh!

Because, you see, this second time

I became Chris's piano.

 

What were the chances?

Two Coldplay lives in one day.

Chris ran towards me from the side of the stage

and soon began to play.

 

While that crazy man's dance moves

are sometimes cause of laughter,

we all know what happens to that piano

and I was dead again soon after.

 

Then I was my old self,

before I ever died.

It was all a dream, it seems,

so when I woke up, I sighed.

 

It was a wonderful dream, of course,

a lovely way to spend

my hours asleep, but all good things

must eventually come to an end.

 

 

The Boardom Of Piplug

 

Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

"But what about us? Didn't you stop to think about that when you were off dillydallying with that plug of sorts?"

"...No, i did not. Now, shut up and help me gather cardboard! It has to be beautiful for my dear Piplug. "

Phil and Chris sauntered down to the Discount Cardboard Warehouse and started to pick up only the finest cardboard around.

"Not that cardboard idiot! That's.............secondhand cardboard" :sick:

"OH, WELL SORRRRY! You know what, we're gonna need a lot more than just you and me searching. Let's call Jonny!"

"No, the only reason you want to call Jonny is because you're in love with him."

"And the only reason you want to make Piplug beautiful is because you're in love with him." (BURRRRRN)

"I am not in love with him! you're twisting my words!"

"No Phil, no I'm not. :dozey:"

"well then, what gives you that idea? :angry:"

"You said he was the love of your life!"

"Oh... I forgot about that. In any case, GET SEARCHING, MARTIN, OR I'LL... I'LL... I'll tell Jonny about your love for him."

"Noooo!! He can't know!!"

"Then help me get some beautiful cardboard!"

"... Fine."

And so, Chris and Phil searched for hours and hours for the most beautiful cardboard in all of The Discount Cardboard Warehouse. What they found, however, was something very, very strange.

What they found... was Piplug's cardboard wife!! :surprised:

"Have any of you seen Piplug?" :charming:

"Ummmmmmm...........yes I have seen him before. Pretty ugly feller if I may say so"

"Christopher, shut your giant mouth! Excuse me, Mrs. Piplug, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Piplug. You see, Mr. Harvey, I know all about your little plan, and so I'm going to take Piplug and we're going to move far away, where you'll never find us!"

 

A totally boring, random and pointless fanfic. That said, enjoy your boredom!!:D

 

Cue Dramatic Music

 

 

"Well, well, well."

 

*dramatic music*

 

Will dropped his drumsticks and came to a halt in the middle of a hallway, he assumed. His eyes widened as he turned around.

 

"I've been expecting you."

 

*more dramatic music*

 

Will looked around. It was dark, to be expected at the dead of night. "Where are you?" he asked.

 

When no reply came, Will headed off, though he couldn't see a thing. It was probably only Chris. Will knew that the best way to deal with Chris was to ignore him.

 

"Arrgh!" Will felt a zap go through his veins. He jumped. Red lights flashed repeatedly with unsynchronised timing. "Where the Hell am I?"

 

*dramatic music*

 

A deep laugh followed. The flashing lights stopped, replaced with a dim yellow glow. Will could now see his surroundings clearly.

 

A man with dark brown hair and eyes to match stared at him. He was sittng on a throne-like chair encrusted with diamonds and rubies. "The place where you belong."

 

"What are you talking about?" Will rolled his eyes. He didn't have time for this. He had to catch a flight in an hour.

 

"You belong with us," repeated the man, his voice hoarse, "William Champion."

 

*more dramatic music*

 

"No!" yelled Will. "I don't!" He ran to the exit quicker than Chris on a sugar high. He got zapped again, though it hurt a lot more than last time. He groaned. The lights flashed again, along with an alarm ringing loudly.

 

Will's eyes fixed onto the dark haired man.

 

"Let me introduce myself," said the man. "My name is Guy. This is Jonny and-"

 

*some more dramatic music*

 

"I'm Chris!" interrupted the man who was off in a corner bouncing up and down.

 

*upbeat, eighties sitcom music*

 

Chris, Guy and Jonny? thought Will. Could it be? They do look a bit like my best friends, albeit the dark rings under their eyes.

 

"Today we will be," said Guy, "needing some time with you." He spat on the concrete.

 

"Ugh!" Will exclaimed. "Do you not have any manners at all? Gosh!"

 

The trio looked as if they were in excruciating pain.

 

"Arrgh!" Jonny screamed, clutching his stomach. "He said the codeword!!"

 

Chris clenched his teeth together, let out a yell and disappeared. Jonny and Guy followed.

 

*dramatic music (because it hasn't been used enough already)*

 

"Where are they?" Will mused, before three llamas walked through the door. He gasped, shocked.

 

"You are all...llamas..." Will shook his head and fell to the ground.

 

*just a little more dramatic music*

 

Guy grinned evilly. "Good. He fainted. Now we have some time to transform him before he wakes. Now he can truly be a member of our cult."

 

*no dramatic music*

 

"You missed your cue, Steve," the director called out. "CUT!"

 

 

 

Brownies

 

 

 

 

Will lay on the large patch of grass in the woods, silently. He was reading, again. Everything around him was completely sullen, except for the chirping of birds and sounds of nature.

 

Suddenly he heard a small rumble, and suddenly a large pink portal unfolded before him! He covered his ears to block out the large amount of screaming and fighting coming from it. He opened up one of his eyes and the portal was suddenly gone!

 

"What the hell was that..." he mumbled to himself.

 

He turned around to begin reading his book again, but had bumped into two other men. "Will! Will! Will!"

 

It was Jonny and Chris dressed up in some sort of armor. Will was shocked.

 

"What are you two doing here?"

 

"We come from the future, Will!" Chris shouted.

 

"Oh, I bet so..." Will played along.

 

"Yeah, Will! The world is in a lot of dangerousness!" Jonny added.

 

"The end is near!" Chris cried.

 

"Near!" Jonny said.

 

"Come with us to the future!"

 

"We need your help to finish our brownies!"

 

"Brownies? What are you talking about?!?" Will said, confused.

 

"We have no time to explain," Chris told him. "Quick! Grab onto our tongues!"

 

Chris and Jonny's oddly long tongues yanked him into the portal of the future. "Ew, that is so gross!" Will cried.

 

 

All three of them suddenly appeared into a wooded area that looked exactly the same as the one they were just in.

 

"We're in the future!" Chris and Jonny screamed, cheerfully.

 

"What are you talking about, this place looks exactly the same!" Will shouted at them. And he was right, it did look exactly the same.

 

"Shh..." Chris raised his index finger to his mouth.

 

"You'll wake the Booboo." Jonny whispered. Will didn't ask any questions this time, but rolled his eyes.

 

"We got to get to the river, Will!" Chris said.

 

"And we gotta be sneaky!"

 

"Sneaky!" They said together.

 

There was a moment of silence.

 

"The Booboo has awoken, Will! RUN!!!" Chris shouted as he ran towards the river. Jonny followed him, both of them screaming now.

 

"What? I don't hear anything..." Will said, just walking behind them.

 

"Run, before the Booboo gets to you!"

 

"Watch out for the Yumyums! They are everywhere!"

 

"Will, watch out for the Blehblehbleh!"

 

"Can I go home now?" Will asked, impatiently.

 

 

They all ended up at a river where a boat was ready for them.

 

"Come on Will! Get in the shoe boat!" The boat was shaped like a giant sneaker, it even had shoelaces!

 

"Quick, grab onto our tongues!" And Chris's and Jonny's tongues dragged Will onto the Shoe Boat.

 

"Oh come one, not with the tongues again!" Will wiped Chris's drool off his neck and shoulders.

 

 

As they road along, the Shoe boat started to sink more and more. So slowly, that by the time they were under water, Will hardly noticed it.

 

 

They eventually reached an underwater castle, with completely no air.

 

"How the fuck am I even breathing?" Will shouted at them, still confused. "And what does an underwater Castle have to do with brownies?" Will asked, stepping of the boat.

 

"To get to the brownies, we need to go through...." Chris gave a dramatic pause. "THE DOOR!!!"

 

"THE DOOR!" Jonny echoed.

 

"The Door?" Will asked, watching the door plainly sit in front of them, with no wall surrounding. It just stood there in the middle of the hallway.

 

"YES WILL!" Chris Shouted.

 

"THE DOORRRRRRRRRR!" Jonny yelled.

 

"The door is everything!" Chris said, "All that once was and all that will be!"

 

"The door controls time and space!" Jonny added.

 

"Love and death!"

 

"The door can see into your life!"

 

"The door can see into your soulllll!" Chris shouted, his pupils growing smaller.

 

"Really, the door can do all that?!?" For the first time, Will was amazed.

 

"No."

 

 

Suddenly, Will found himself walking alone. Jonny and Chris had disappeared from his sight!

 

"Where did you guys go?" Will shouted, staring at the Fudge brownies that were before him.

 

"ZOMG, BROWNIES!" Will said cheerfully as he ate one.

 

Will felt light headed and then fainted, dropping the brownie onto the floor...

 

 

Will finally woke up, where he was reading, before Jonny and Will took him to the future. He looked around. He was completely alone. It must have been a dream... he thought.

 

"Quick, Will! Grab onto our tongues!"

 

 

 

 

bored... :P

In My Place

part 14

 

 

 

Don't forget :P ***= flashback

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

***

The next thing I knew, Chris was insisting that he should buy me a drink. At first I was uncertain that I should go, but I gave into myself at the end. This night was already terrific; it could only get better because I was with him. What was the worst that could happen?

 

I let Chris lead the way. He seemed to know the city better than I did, which was no surprise there. I was even less surprised when the bar that he had escorted me to was unknown to me. I thought to myself, “I should really get out more.”

 

The last memory of this night is very unclear to me. I remember laughing and joking for god only knows how many hours. How long had we been at the bar? How many drinks have I had? But the most important one was, how did I end up here?

 

It’s always a great feeling to wake up alone, uncertain of the events that had happened the night before…. Not.

 

***

I clenched my fist trying to hold back the anger I was feeling. “Calm down Rachel, you know the story; he didn’t mean anything by leaving you there.” I whispered the words softly to myself, trying to sound convincing. Honestly, I don’t even know if I could trust my own words.

 

My fist hit the dock anyway and a few tears seemed to follow. I quickly wiped them away thinking that someone could see, but really there was no point. I was alone. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh.

 

***

I woke up with a pounding headache. Shit, I must have had a little more to drink than I should have. I still kept my eyes closed. But then I thought of Chris. No pounding headache could keep me from smiling and thinking about him. Wait, what did happen last night?

 

I opened my eyes to a very bright room that made me squint and shudder a little because of my splitting pain. I looked to my left and I was alone. Good, nothing too extreme had happened. I sighed, and then started thinking of how I was going to get through the day with how terrible I felt, but I guess last night was worth- wait a second…

 

I took a deep breath and smelt something different; something familiar. No, it was all in my head. After I took another breath, I was very confused. It was cologne, his cologne. But how? I leaned over and smelt the pillow next to me. The fragrance was even stronger than in the air. It was almost as if he was in the room not too long ago.

 

I had to go wash my face or something because I was starting to think I was going crazy. When I removed the covers and looked down I quickly put them back. What the fuck, where had my pajamas gone? Then it hit me.

 

I quickly gathered my clothes from the floor, grabbed some new ones, headed for the bathroom, and jumped in the shower. I was scared and had a million questions running through my head at once. Where was Chris? What really did happen last night? And why did he leave me here alone with nothing to say.

 

I collapsed on the shower’s floor and completely broke down. My luck had finally been in my favor and then it quickly ran away. I should have known it wouldn’t stay with me that long. But I thought he had felt what I felt. He had told me he just wanted to be with me. Unless he lied to me! That backstabbing assho- Stop it Rachel, try to get the facts straight before you jump to any conclusions.

 

I turned off the water, got dressed and wiped my face off as fast as I could. When I got out of the bathroom I saw something poking out from under the bed. What in the world? While I was walking towards the bed, the phone rang. Maybe it was him! A huge rush of relief swept over me as I ran for the receiver.

 

“Ray! You will not believe how amazing last night was!” That was definitely not the pretty eyed man’s voice. It was Christina. I sighed and tried not to sound too disappointed.

 

“Aw, really? Tell me all about it.” My answer almost sounded like a question. It was almost as if I was questioning myself on whether or not I wanted to hear the answer. Of course I already knew what she was going to say. She was going to tell me about the Coldplay concert, which meant she would mention Chris Martin and all his beauty. I wasn’t too sure I could handle hearing his name being spoken.

 

I wasn’t really listening to what she was saying because I suddenly remembered that I had to figure out what the mystery object that was under the bed. I quickly walked over and put my hand underneath my bed. I pulled out a plain white shirt and that familiar smell from when I woke up hit me with a vengeance. I dropped the phone.

 

The backing that held the battery dropped out but I could still hear Christina’s voice not too far away. I couldn’t think of how to react. I just sat there on my knees looking at his shirt with my mouth open. All of the memories came flooding over me at once.

 

“Rachel? Are you there? Seriously, are you okay? Rachel? Rachel, Helloo?”

 

***

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

My mind sort of drifted away for a little bit I guess, because when I looked up, the only people in the room were Will and I. I guess the expression on my face was confused because Will spoke softly.

 

“He went to take Guy to his room because he was so plastered.” He chuckled to himself. “He never seems to know when to stop does he? But we love him anyway.” I nodded my head in agreement, but I couldn’t think of anything to say, I just stared off at some random clothing that was on my floor.

 

“Chris what happened tonight.” I looked up suddenly. I was a little shocked to think that he didn’t know, but then I remember that he had been out having his own fun. Ah, would explaining to him make me feel better, or just make me feel guiltier?

 

“It’s about Missy, you know, from that other band.”

I don’t even think I had to explain anymore, because the look that I saw on Will’s face told me he understood. “Man, I am so…so sorry…”

 

 

 

Coldplay in Oz

 

 

 

Coldplay in Oz

 

Prologue

 

Chris's eyes fluttered open. He was spread-eagled in his seat, his feet touching the window, head on the floor. Whaaa.... where are we? What time is it? Chris blinked and checked his surroundings. The plane seemed to be OK, aside from the piles of music equipment that covered the floor.

"Chris? You OK?"

Jonny picked his way around the piles of instruments to Chris's seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Jonny. Where's Will and Guy?"

"Guy's in the cockpit. I think they saw something."

Jonny helped Chris up, and they went into the cockpit. Guy was staring out the window, mouth agape.

"What is it, Guy? We crash into an Aztec temple or something?" Chris laughed. The plane was supposed to land in Mexico City two hours ago.

"Boys…. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," said Guy, pointing out the window. Chris and Jonny stepped toward the window and looked outside. What awaited them was truly queer…

 

Chapter 1

 

Outside the cockpit window, the Emerald City of Oz lay before them like a sparkling crystal. A crowd of truly unique and Ozzy people and animals crowded around the wreck of the plane. Princess Dorothy stood in front of the crowd, Toto in her arms. Beside her stood the Patchwork Girl, The Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion, inspecting the wreckage warily. Princess Ozma, Tik-Tok, and the Wizard were approaching the plane door.

"Who are these people?" asked Jonny, scratching his head.

"I think we're in Oz," said Will, who was just coming out of the lavatory.

The door of the plane swung open, and Ozma, Tik-Tok, and the Wizard walked aboard the plane.

"Christopher Martin. Jonny Buckland. Guy Berryman. Will Champion. We have been expecting you," said Ozma, kissing each boy on the cheek as she spoke.The Wizard shook each man's hand vigorously.

"Gree-tings, Cold-play. I am Tik-Tok, ro-yal ro-bot army of Oz, and new-ly app-oint-ed head of the Oz-ian Tel-epor-tation Com-mitt-ee," said Tik-Tok, his round copper body shiny from a polishing session a few minutes before. He jerkily shook hands with Chris.

"Well, hello, Tik-Tok. I'm Chris, and this is Jonny, Will and Guy. Miss Ozma, if I may be frank, what ARE we doing in Oz, exactly?"

"Well, Ozma is having her birthday next week, and we were wondering if you would perform a concert for her present…" replied the Wizard.

"Can I meet the Scarecrow?" asked Guy.

"Well, yes, if you perform–"

"And can I meet Dorothy and Scraps and the Tin Man and the Frogman and the Cowardly Lion too?" continued Guy excitedly.

"If you agree to perform, we'll hook you up with the most swankified room in the palace for a week. What do you say, boys?" queried the Wizard.

"Well… Jonny, what do you think?" Chris asked.

"If we can have cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day we're here, it's a yes from me!"

"And can I meet Polychrome and the Hungry Tiger and Trot and Betsy too?" asked Guy.

"Yes, you may, Mr. Berryman, if you agree to our offer," repeated the Wizard.

"I guess I'm in then," muttered Will.

"I'm in too. CAAAAAKE!" shouted Jonny excitedly.

"If this means we can hang with everyone, I'm in!" said Guy.

"Then, welcome to Oz, boys," said Chris.

 

 

to be continued...

In My Place

part 15

 

 

 

***= flashback :)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

***

I was completely numb. I stood up and assembled the phone back and told Christina that I had to go do something important. Of course she understood, and she told me she would continue her story later. I walked back to the phone holder to put the phone back on the charge and noticed that I had three new messages. I pressed play and stood completely still as if I were afraid to disturb the peace.

 

:Beep: “Rachel! I cannot believe you were not at the concert last night! Oh my god! I have so much to tell you, and I got you a present! Call me back as SOON as you get this! Love ya!”

:Beep: “Oh my god! Rachel wake up! How long can a girl sleep? Anyway, I put your present in your mailbox because I have some errands to do! What did you do last night? Anyway, call me back! I still have all of those stories to tell you!”

:Beep: “…… I am so sorry…..”

 

The last of the three really made me confused. It was a quiet message that I had to play back a few times before I actually heard the real one. Could it be him? It sounded like a man’s hurt voice.

 

No, it couldn’t be. It was probably just a wrong number. I hit the delete button and started to walk for the door to check my mail, the numb feeling still had taken over my body. I glanced at the clock on the way out. Three in the afternoon, man I really did sleep late. On my way down the stairs to the mailbox, I thought of how I didn’t really care about sleeping late as much as I would have any other day. Oh well.

 

I wasn’t at all excited to open the mailbox, but I thought it would upset Christina if I didn’t look. I knew it was going to be Chris related; I could just feel it. I closed my eyes tightly. “Do it for Christina.” I said to myself softly as I opened the mailbox door.

 

I could have put money on it. In the mailbox was a poster with a sticky note attached to the top. “Guess which one I will marry one day ;) <3 Christina” I unrolled the poster and saw the coolest picture I have ever seen. It was of the whole band, and they all looked adorable except for one. One blonde hair, blue eyed, person in the front was looking so beautiful that words couldn’t even describe. I quickly rolled up the poster and trudged back up all the steps.

 

When I opened the door, I saw my messy apartment and decided that there was a lot to do to fix it up. I willingly threw the poster on the table next to the door almost hoping it would fall and roll to somewhere unknown. Instead of walking to the bedroom to start cleaning up, I walked to the kitchen, grabbed the biggest spoon I could, opened a carton of chocolate ice cream, and headed for the couch.

 

At first I just stared down at the big ice cream carton. This numb feeling that I had didn’t even make me feel hungry. Oh well, I scooped up as much as I could in one spoon and forced it into my mouth, while turning on the TV. Just my luck; Of course the make out scene of a movie was playing just as I turned it on.

 

All of a sudden, a wave of sadness rushed over me. A terrible feeling was dumped into my stomach. I started to cry very hard, not caring how loud I was. I got up, walked to the bedroom, picked up Chris’s shirt, and replaced the one I had on with his. I threw on the biggest pair of sweats I owned and headed back to the couch.

 

When I sat down, I couldn’t stop eating the ice cream. Even when I was full and totally disgusted with the taste I couldn’t stop. The cold feeling it put in my mouth was sort of a distraction to the empty hole that was in my stomach. When the phone rang I jumped out of my seat very startled at the noise.

 

I got up and answered it. I wasn’t surprised to hear that it was Christina telling me she would be over in a few minutes to see where the poster was and to tell me the rest of her ‘amazing’ story. When I hung up, I made a mental note to get off my lazy but in a minute to put the poster in a better spot than it was. I turned over and continued to mindlessly watch the television.

 

A few moments later an abnormally loud, frantic knock was at my door. Christina never did that, she usually just came in. Oh well, I had to get up eventually. I trudged unwilling to the door and stood there for a second looking at myself in a nearby mirror. Wow, was I was in bad shape. Christina wouldn’t mind if she saw me like this. She would know I was having a bad day; I could explain to her my problems and she would make all the pain and sadness go away like she usually does. I opened the door with a little hope of relief. “Christ-“

 

Standing there in front of me, looking just as bad as I was; was definitely not the Chris I was looking for…

 

***

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. I knew I couldn’t fall asleep feeling like this, but as long as it would distract myself and keep Will from talking about her I was good. Although, I wasn’t sure how long I could pull it off.

 

 

 

SPRING & WINTER

chapter 14

 

Warning: snippet chapter! But don't worry, there will be a longer one soon.

 

 

 

 

Gwyneth moved around the parlor in such a way that she reminded me of a cat; looking for its next mouse. I stood a few feet away at all times; glancing over her shoulder at the things she touched. “Your grandfather had a great many books, didn’t he?” she remarked, tracing a slender finger along the spine of an encyclopedia.

 

“Do you enjoy reading?” I asked nervously. I wasn’t used to having young women around, and I was being extra careful not to make a fool of myself.

 

“Oh yes, I love the classics,” she said, with a hint of pride. “And I do enjoy a good novel or poem every once in a while.”

 

“Excuse me, sir,” said a new voice from the doorway. I turned around, barely suppressing a huge sigh of relief. It was William, carrying a tray laden with tea and tea-related foods.

 

“Champion!” I sighed, prancing over to where he was setting down the tray. “I didn’t know you worked with the kitchen now…”

 

“Oh, I don’t really. I just happened to be down there.” He blushed a little as he spoke, and I grinned helplessly.

 

“Is it the new girl, Marianne?” I teased. Gwyneth, this whole time, had been silent. I think she was a bit surprised at the way I treated servants and workers on the grounds. William was silent, although his face grew redder. “Aha! So that’s it. Well, good luck to you, Champion. Win her over; go on.”

 

I pushed him towards the door as he mumbled, “Of course, sir, thank you sir, don’t hesitate to ask for anything…”

 

“Was that one of your servants?” asked Gwyneth, obviously a little confused. “You treat him like a good friend.”

 

“Well, he is a servant. But he’s also a friend,” I said, matter-of-factly. “Surely, you understand.” I eyed her with a bit of wariness, worried that she might not be able to.

 

She looked a little hesitant, but eventually she nodded. “You are a very different sort of man, Mr. Martin. I’m glad I have the opportunity to get to know you.” She seemed genuine, and I began to think that maybe she wasn’t so high and mighty after all.

 

That evening, after Gwyneth had returned home, the night seemed to swallow everything up and thrust us into silence. My mother was sitting by the main fireplace, warming up. “Hello, mum,” I said, passing behind the couch. The fire threw a warm light onto every piece of furniture and every wall.

 

“Was Miss Paltrow a nice girl?” she asked, toying with the sleeve of her dress.

 

I pondered that for a moment. “Yes, she is.”

 

“In time, do you think you could grow to love her?”

 

I didn’t like where this was going. “Why?”

 

“Would you consider marrying her?”

 

Oh no.

 

 

 

A FANFIC

By Crests of Daylight

 

Chapter one:

 

He looked over his shoulder at the handsome man behind him, staring him in the eye and acting coy. Then he stopped looking in the mirror and continued his dinner with Chris. "Golly geez, you're always looking at that handsome man behind you like you're in love with him, what would your wife think?"

He obviously didn't notice that the handsome man was Jonny, maybe because he wasn't very smart. "Gosh Chris, you act like you're in love with me or something. What is this, some kind of fanfic?"

"No it's not, I'm just umm...watching your back. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That I'm incredibly handsome?"

"y...no, I mean about the fanfic thing. We should make a fanfic about our fans"

"You're a genius! I take back what I said about you not being very smart"

"Thanks! Wait a minute...you never said anything abou....."

"Come on Chris, let's get those creative juices flowing!"

 

And so it began.......

 

A FANFIC

By Crests of Daylight

 

Chapter two:

 

 

 

 

Jonny and Chris went somewhere else in that place they were and got some juice. They then went on to write the word creative on the box.

Their workplace was dry and dusty, the place they wrote songs so many times before. Jonny twiddled his pen between his fingers "Darn it! I need some inspiration!" he lamented.

"Less lamenting and more writing" Chris' paper was just as empty.

"I can't help it! Writing a fanfic is harder than shooting fish in a barrel or sommat"

"You go fish shooting all the time Jonny, get your facts straight! NOW WRITE!"

A fanfic by Chris and Jonny

Once upon a time, there was a band called Coldplay. There were a bunch of member guys like Chris and that extremely handsome fellow Jonny. Everywhere they went everybody said "Jonny is so handsome"

"Jonny....your writing leaves much to be desired.......I'll go now"

And then all the female fans, full of adoration and fangirlyness would turn to Chris and say "My oh my, I take back what I said about Jonny, you are the pinacle of hotness" This happened on a daily basis......In Chris' dreams, because Jonny is far more handsome.

 

Coldplayer appearances soon :awesome:

 

 

 

edit: my chapters always end up so short

A FANFIC

By Crests of Daylight

 

Chapter three:

 

 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "TACOS!?!?! TACOS!?! TACOTACO"

It was clear this girl was crazy, but the door was opened anyways. Standing there was a crazy 12 year old girl, they had seen her before. "Excuse me sir or madame, I am a representative of a new restaraunt, The United Tacos Of America, and as a fangirl.....of tacos...I was wondering if you would like to try some. As a valued will-be customer of our new resteraunt, we are giving out free tacos, and hope...."

The paper she was reading ended there, she had forgotten the second page.

"My you are looking quite handsome today Jonny, what are you up too?"

"The same old same old, writing a fanfic. Would you like to be in it?

"SUR.." The door slammed in her face.

"Atleast she was less crazy today"

"Hey Jonny, I think she likes you"

"I'M MARRIED!!!!! geez"

"CAN WE PLEASE JUST WRITE OUR FANFIC!!?!?!

One day Chris and Jonny went to the park to go birdwatching when suddenly a giant taco appeared. No, a girl in a taco suit.."would you like to buy some SUPERSPECTACOLURS?!? And also, would you sign my taco and Stephan's toaster?

"I'm not sure I remember how to autograph things, where is my instruction guide?"

Jonny pulled out a cellphone, and went to youtube where he would see how to sign autographs good. "Now I remember how to sign autographs!"

Nobody cheered for him, because nobody really cares.

 

 

 

One Day Like This

Chapter 10

 

 

Guy awoke to the pilot over the loudspeaker telling the passengers to fasten their seatbelts and prepare for landing. He jerked his head up.

 

What? Landing? I was asleep? For how long?

 

He glanced at his watch and his eyes widened.

 

Jesus, I've been sleeping all this time? Damn it!

 

He suddenly got the feeling you get when you know you're being watched, and looked over to see Emily looking; laughter in her eyes. Guy felt the blood rushing to his cheeks.

 

I can't believe I fell asleep. I just left her to sit here the whole time. Don't I have any willpower!?

 

"Geez Emily, I'm really sorry. I feel like shit, I shouldn't have left you here to just sit while I catch up on my beauty sleep."

 

He sighed in frustration.

 

I'm such an idiot sometimes.

 

"Guy!" uttered Emily indignantly. "You needed your sleep. I was glad when I saw you were finally getting some rest; I saw you trying to stay awake. I wanted to tell you to stop fighting it and just take a damn nap already, but I was afraid you'd think I just wanted to get a break from you. Why were you trying so hard anyways?"

 

Guy blushed and looked away from her gaze.

 

"I....I wanted....I didn't...."

 

He finally found his confidence and sat up straighter, turning back to face her. His eyes were dark and serious.

 

"I didn't want to be away from you even just to sleep."

 

Why was that so hard to say? he wondered. I say stuff like that to all the girls I've dated. And usually it just feels natural, easy. But.....

 

His thoughts drifted of briefly, as he recalled everything about Emily that he could.

 

I guess it's because after all those girls, and all those cheesy lines, I've never actually meant what I've said. Until now.

 

Emily studied his expression noting the depth of his eyes, the serious shape of his mouth. She could hardly believe he had said that. And by the look on his face, she knew he really meant it. As she continued to look at him, she felt her throat close up. She could never have in a thousand centuries have predicted this would happen to her.

 

I know I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

 

She almost started crying from the joy of it all. And she heard her subconscious screaming kiss him. Despite her better judgment, she leaned in and kissed him lightly, then more passionately. She pulled back abruptly, noticing the shocked look on Guy's face. But once she had leaned away, Guy's expression softened, and gently kissed her back. He longed for the warmth of her touch and the softness of her skin. Without thinking, he pulled her in close, so that her head was pressed against his chest. She sighed and settled comfortably into his arms.

 

His heart was racing, and he wished it would slow, so he wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassment of Emily hearing it freak out last if he were a young boy who had just been kissed for the first time. He noticed something then, a pounding in his chest, but it was not from his own heart. It was Emily's heart, beating as fast as his was. The joy of that realization swamped him.

 

I'm tired of thinking. I just want to feel.

 

And so he did. He allowed the joy to overtake him, and it filled his whole body with warmth. Once an announcement was made, saying that the passengers were allowed to exit the plane, Emily and Guy hurried off as quick as they possibly could, more than glad to escape the claustrophobia of it. It briefly crossed Emily's mind that neither of them had brought any luggage. But they'd deal with that later.

 

Guy is all that matters right now.

 

Upon entering the airport, Guy noticed the huge amount of people, all hurrying off in various directions. He suddenly felt protective of Emily, and instinctively he grasped her hand tightly as he led the way through the airport. As they made their way through the crowds of people, Emily couldn't help but think that Guy was not the kind of person who normally expressed so much concern for one individual.

 

He really must like me.

 

She was inclined to deny it.

 

Despite how hard it is for me to believe, all the signs are there.

 

She finally let herself believe it, and the joy was instantaneous. She practically skipped through the airport. Once they made it out, Guy, still gripping Emily tightly, made his way to the nearest taxi. He quickly got inside, pulling Emily in after him. He gave the driver an address.

 

"Where are we going Guy? Another hotel?"

 

Guy flashed her a brilliant smile and she thought her heart would stop.

 

"No. We're going to my place."

 

He smiled widely again.

 

How can one man be so beautiful? she wondered with amazement.

 

Guy noticed suddenly that he was still holding on to her hand tightly, and he quickly released his grip.

 

"Sorry."

 

"Sorry? For what?"

 

"For, you know, babying you. It's not as if you were going to get lost in the airport. I mean, after all you're....hmmm.....I guess I never asked. How old are you?"

 

"Twenty-two."

 

He thought he nodded in response. He wasn't sure. He was caught up in staring at her again. He thought about kissing her, about holding her.

 

Shit, I need to control myself. This is like an addiction.

 

Emily noticed his eyes on her, and she blushed, looking down at the floor. He turned his head quickly towards the window.

I think that's enough embarrassment for one day.

 

As he did so, he noticed the driver chuckling to himself. He squinted his eyes and glared out the window.

 

What is the big deal!?

 

Truly he was bothered that he had let himself slip enough for others to notice. He didn't like to show people he cared, not even to the person he cared about.

 

A pathetic way to live.

 

But he couldn't help it. Expressing his deeper feelings just mad him feel uncomfortable. He sighed.

 

I've got to get over this.

 

Lost in his thoughts, Guy didn't notice they had reached their destination until Emily said "Hey, Guy, I think we're here. Right?"

 

"Oh, OH. yeah, we are."

 

He quickly paid the driver and got out of the car.

 

"Sorry about that. I sorta lost track of time."

 

He could swear he heard the driver laughing again.

 

"Idiot" he mumbled with a detectable degree of irritation as the driver drove off.

 

"You OK?" said Emily, laughing.

 

Guy resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at her. Instead he just laughed along with her.

 

"Yes, I'm alright. So, are you ready to see my place?" he questioned, gesturing towards the fancy glass entry doors of the building.

 

"Absolutely" she relied, smiling widely. Guy led the way to the elevators, where they climbed to floor 6 and then to a door at the end of the hall, which was marked with an 8. Emily entered the place to find that it was basically a giant loft, except that it had 2 floors. The far wall, the first thing you saw when you entered, was made entirely out of glass, which had doors built into it leading out to a large balcony.

 

"Wow" she breathed. "It's beautiful."

 

She immediately walked up to the window wall.

 

"And this view is absolutely stunning. I can see for miles."

 

"I'm glad you like it" he replied, grinning widely once again.

 

"So Em, what do you want to do? You can do whatever you'd like. So where to first? I'm going to be your tour guide for the day. Shopping, eating, sightseeing, I know all the best places. Or if you want, we could just stay here."

 

"Ah, I see what you're implying" she laughed, raising her eyebrows in mock seduction.

 

"You must be a mind reader" he responded with the same seductive expression. "But only if you really want to" he added on a serious note.

 

"I do Guy. New York City can wait."

 

 

I swear, the next chapter is going to be interesting. The climax is not far away.....

 

 

 

Trouble

 

 

 

 

For the first time in his life, Chris was dressed in a decent outfit, one that didn't make him look like he was homeless. A navy blue button-up shirt, perhaps the only one he'd ever owned, was clinging to his torso while his favorite pinstriped pants ran the length of his strong legs. He'd left his trainers and cap at home, exchanging them for black dress shoes and a black dress hat, which he had tilted slightly to the left, to match. The sleeves of the button-up were rolled halfway up his forearms, and he kept nervously messing with the skin they left exposed. He sat patiently- as patiently as he could, at least- outside of the three-story apartment building and under the poor illumination of the streetlights. A shadowed figure walked down the sidewalk. Just the figure Chris needed to see.

 

 

He remained seated, though, wondering if Jonny would even notice he was there. It was a test of sorts, because if Jonny didn't see him, then it probably spoke wonders of their relationship. The shadow moved closer until the poor illumination splashed over it and Jonny came out of the dark.

 

 

"Chris," Jonny said, before Chris even had a chance to greet him. Chris looked up with his nervous eyes and was relieved for one tiny second, before the anxiety flooded back. "We need to talk."

 

 

"Yeah, I actually have something to tell you," Chris began, before Jonny grabbed his wrist and pulled him up.

 

 

"It might sound a bit selfish, but I think what I need to say is more important right now." Chris looked into Jonny's eyes and could see the seriousness behind the pale green. It worried him a little. "Come on, we can't talk here."

 

 

Jonny raced off in the direction opposite of where he had entered, and Chris followed as quickly as he could before the darkness swallowed them both. Chris could barely make out the outline of the other man, but managed to stay with him for several blocks. Once they were a safe distance away from the poorly illuminated sidewalk, Jonny stopped and spoke to Chris in a hushed voice.

 

 

"When I was out earlier... I ran into someone," he said, glancing around the darkness in a bit of a panic. Chris watch him sharply, pained to see Jonny in such a state, knowing that at that particular moment he couldn't help. Not until he knew what was going on, at least. "Someone I don't know, right, but he was a scary-looking guy right off the bat."

 

 

"What happened?" Chris asked, intent on using his reliability as the only form of help he could offer.

 

 

"He... I don't really know how to put it..." While Jonny searched for the words, a sickened feeling rose in Chris's stomach. There were a million ways for Jonny to end that sentence, and judging by the quiet voice and hurried tone, none of them were good. "He offered me a job."

 

 

"A job?" Chris dumbly repeated.

 

 

"I didn't take it, don't worry. Mostly because of what the job was." Jonny raised his hand to his mouth and bit down on his fingernail.

 

 

"What job was it?"

 

 

"An, uh..." Jonny chewed his nail a bit longer, then looked at Chris with fleeting eyes. "An assassin."

 

 

The words hit Chris, but they left almost no impression. "Assassin?" he asked, quite confused. Why would anyone hire Jonny as an assassin?

 

 

"That's what I thought, too," Jonny said. Then he hesitated, sighed deeply and continued, "It gets worse."

 

 

"How?" Chris asked, though he didn't really want to know the answer.

 

 

"I was asked to kill you." This time the words left a deeper impression. Almost too deep.

 

 

"What?" was all that his jumbled brain could come up with as a response. This was nowhere near the way he expected the night to go. His eyes widened as he searched through the dark for Jonny's face. It had to be a joke, seriously. There was no way someone would even think to hire such a sweet and kind man as Jonny to be an assassin. And to kill him? It had to be a joke.

 

 

Jonny moved closer to Chris so that each could see the other's face. There was no hint of drollness in Jonny's expression, which led Chris to believe that he wasn't lying. Jonny painfully looked over Chris's face, and twisted his mouth in agony.

 

 

"I wish I wasn't telling you the truth. I wish that none of it had happened, but it did," he said apologetically. "Someone's out to get you, Chris."

 

 

"How do you know that guy was serious?" Chris asked. He was in so much denial. Sure, he could be a huge pain in the ass at times, but not enough to be wanted dead. And there didn't seem to be any other fitting explanation. He never hurt anyone. He never even tried to hurt anyone.

 

 

Jonny uncomfortably scratched the back of his neck, and said, "When someone asks you to kill someone else, and waves a hundred grand in your face, they're probably serious." Chris stared at the ground, frantically trying to comprehend this new information, and Jonny felt bad. "Come on, let's go back to my place. I'll make you some tea."

 

 

Chris wasn't going to move voluntarily anytime soon, so Jonny grabbed his arm and dragged him down the street, and Chris nearly forgot how much he liked when Jonny touched him. Then he remembered that he needed to speak with Jonny, but the words would not come out of his mouth, so they walked back to Jonny's apartment in silence.

 

 

Once inside, Jonny dropped Chris onto the couch and went to prepare a kettle. Chris could just barely grasp what had happened, but slowly he stopped caring, as he'd gone back to fussing over what he wanted to tell Jonny. When Jonny returned carrying two steaming cups of tea, Chris swallowed hard and his nervousness caused his hand to start shaking. He tried to hide it, though, and took the cup from Jonny with his other hand. The hot liquid slid down his throat and hit his stomach, but it didn't do much good.

 

 

"Why are you dressed up?" Jonny suddenly asked from his position in a chair five feet away from the couch. Chris's brain failed him once more, and he just stared blankly at Jonny. "I mean, you look good, it's just a little... out-of-character."

 

 

Chris felt his heart skip a beat at 'you look good,' and he soon had no control over his shaking hand. He took another sip of his tea, trying to coat his dry mouth so he'd be able to speak at least a few words.

 

 

"I... wanted to look nice," he finally said. "I thought this was the way to do it."

 

 

"Oh. Job well done, then." Jonny took a sip of his own drink, so he didn't notice Chris gasping amorously. He swished the tea around in his mouth, gulped, then said, "You wanted to talk to me."

 

 

"Yeah," Chris hopelessly said. "I came over here to tell you something."

 

 

"What was it?"

 

 

"It's not important," Chris dismissed, bowing his head down. He desperately wished for his hand to stop trembling, and for everything in life to be much simpler.

 

 

"Obviously it is, seeing as you waited outside for me." Chris knew he should look up, knew he should tell Jonny what he wanted- what he needed to say, but he had lost any sliver of courage he had before.

 

 

"It's not important anymore," he lied. He was still facing down, but he could feel Jonny's gaze piercing through his skin. Jonny was a good man, though, and didn't press on for answers.

 

 

"I'm sorry I ruined your night," Jonny said, and his sincerity cause Chris to look up.

 

 

"Jonny, you could never ruin anything for me," Chris said, and he knew that was as close as he would get to telling Jonny. For now, anyway.

 

 

"Oh." Jonny started laughing, which caught Chris by surprise at first. "Then I take back my apology."

 

 

Chris laughed along, which calmed him a little. Once the laughter was gone, though, a silence hung over the room. Chris fidgeted with his cup, and Jonny watched him, thinking and formulating.

 

 

"Maybe you should stay here tonight... if you don't mind," he added, and moved his seat closer to Chris. "Like, I know you're probably safe, but if something did happen-"

 

 

"I don't mind," Chris instantly replied, happy that the night was now going his way, even if Jonny meant it only platonically.

 

 

"OK," Jonny said, and Chris thought he saw a flicker of a smile, which sent his heart racing. "The guest room isn't really all that clean right now, but the bed is fine."

 

 

"Works for me." Chris stared into his now empty cup, blinked a few times, then looked back up at Jonny. "Um, I'm actually pretty tired now, so..."

 

 

"Right, I'll just get things set up and you can go sleep," Jonny said.

 

 

"Thank you, Jonny." Jonny nodded, then went off to fix up the room, leaving Chris alone with his thoughts. There were so many perfect moments for him to get everything off his chest, but it was just too hard to be brave. It also didn't help that whenever Jonny would smile or laugh or look at him with those stunning eyes, Chris would forget about everything else.

 

 

Eventually, Jonny came back, and he led Chris down the tiny hallway to the bedroom at the end. It was indeed a messy room, with piles of paper stacked up to about Chris's waist spread throughout, and bunches of boxes to go along with them. The bed looked inviting, though, and Chris gladly collapsed on top of it's oh so slightly wrinkled sheets, throwing his hat carelessly off the side of the bed and kicking his shoes to the floor, as Jonny shut off the light and closed the door.

 

 

-

 

 

Chris slept through most of the night, but when he woke up and stared around the dark room, all the events of that night rushed back into his mind. He had come to spill his feelings to Jonny, and instead was told that his life was at risk. It was certainly not what he wanted.

 

 

He tossed in the bed a few times, the blankets stubbornly clinging to his body and twisting with every movement he made. He tried to get back to sleep, but for some reason he couldn't, possibly because he had this song stuck in his head that would not go away, or possibly because he couldn't stop thinking about Jonny, sleeping soundly in the other room, and how he longed to let him know how he felt. Even if the feeling wasn't mutual, he still would like to admit it.

 

 

When morning came, Chris realized that he had at some point managed to fall asleep again, and he also noticed the huge amount of bright sunlight that white curtains let into the room. It was almost blinding. Chris stumbled out of bed and into the other room, not bothering to pick up his hat or shoes.

 

 

Jonny's door was closed, and Chris figured he was still asleep. He walked into the living room, however, and found that not only was Jonny already awake, he'd prepared some sort of breakfast and seemed to have finished his share.

 

 

"Help yourself," Jonny said, skipping the greetings altogether. "I made plenty."

 

 

"Uh, thanks." Chris tiredly rubbed his hand across his eyes and took a seat. The food smelled delicious; chocolate-chip pancakes soaked in maple syrup and buttered toast. Chris dug in, and Jonny wearily watched him.

 

 

"Should I call the police?" Jonny asked. "I didn't even think about that last night."

 

 

"I don't know, maybe," Chris shrugged, stuffing his face full of pancake. "Did you make these from scratch or something?"

 

 

"Yeah," Jonny shyly said. "But, I just thought that the police might want to know."

 

 

"They might," Chris agreed, though quite blasé. "You seriously made these yourself?"

 

 

"Why, are they bad?" Chris shook his head, and Jonny sighed in relief. "Oh, good. Anyway, maybe there's something they could do to help keep you protected or something. So no one... kills you."

 

 

Chris stopped eating, placed his plate on the table in front of him, and looked up at Jonny. "Tell them," he quietly said.

 

 

Jonny nodded, and said, "I'll be right back," before disappearing into the other room. Chris sat back in his seat and waited. He could hear the faint sound of Jonny speaking on the phone. It was odd to think that such a thing could happen to him. The idea that someone would want to kill him made him realize that he wasn't going to live forever. One day, he would die, whether or not it was murder. And maybe he'd die without ever telling Jonny how he felt, or maybe his feelings would have dissipated by then.

 

 

Several minutes later, Jonny returned, but rather than sitting back down, he walked towards the door and grabbed his keys and jacket.

 

 

"They want to talk to me down at the station," he said, turning around. "You can come with, or you're welcome to stay here, if you like."

 

 

"It would be better for me to go, right?" Chris asked. "Since I'm the one they're after."

 

 

"Probably." Chris stood up, started to walk away, then momentarily stopped, held up a finger to tell Jonny to wait, and went back to walking away. He came back out wearing his hat and shoes, and was out the door quicker than Jonny could open it.

 

 

-

 

 

"They're doing what?" Guy asked, bewildered. He and Will were sat down on Jonny's couch, though the two men were accompanied by Jonny and Chris, who were seated in chairs beside the coffee table.

 

 

"Bringing in a psychic," Jonny said, with little confidence. "It sounded a little odd to me, too, but apparently that's the way they've decided to handle this."

 

 

"Do they think it's a joke?" Guy spat. "Our friend's life is in danger, and they want a psychic to stop it? How does that even work?"

 

 

Jonny shrugged, feeling a little helpless since he was not so learned in the subject, and Guy seemed really intent on getting answers. "I really don't know, but I think they do. I hope they do," he added.

 

 

"I have to wear a vest, too," Chris said, with an emotionless tone. "Bullet-proof." Guy's expression changed from outraged to interested.

 

 

"Are you wearing it now?" Chris silently nodded. "That's pretty cool."

 

 

"It's kinda uncomfortable," Chris replied, and the conversation ended there. After a few moments of awkward silence, Jonny clapped his hands together.

 

 

"Right, we're supposed to meet with her today," he said, "Actually, I think she might be here in a few min-"

 

 

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Each man looked over, and Jonny stood up to answer it, while Guy said, "Hey, maybe you're the psychic."

 

 

When Jonny opened the door, he was quite surprised by what he saw. The word 'psychic' had him imagining some old lady, covered in earthy-colored shawls and beads hanging off her neck. The lady before him, however, was not old at all; she couldn't have been a day over thirty. She certainly wasn't wearing shawls, either. She just had on a plain white blouse, a pair of faded light-blue jeans, and some sneakers. She did wear a necklace, but it was only a simple gold chain.

 

 

"Hello... Mr. Buckland, I assume? I'm Melinda," she smiled, holding out her hand.

 

 

"Yes, I'm Jonny. Nice to meet you," Jonny said, nervously shook her hand, and allowed her inside the apartment. She stood near the door for a while, just observing the room. When her eyes landed on Chris, they widened.

 

 

"You are Chris," she said matter-of-factly, then swooped over by his side. She leaned in a little too close for Chris's comfort, and scanned him over. She didn't say anything, though, and soon moved to look at the other men. "My, my. What a handsome group of men. Perfect for some side-plot romance, hmm?"

 

 

She knocked her head back and laughed, though no one else seemed to appreciate her humor. Guy just stared at her with what looked like a hint of fear in his eyes, Will was busy maintaining his nails, and Chris was fidgeting in his seat. Jonny was the only one who really paid any attention to her, but her attention had turned back to Chris.

 

 

"Ah, but I see someone's heart is already taken." Chris looked up at her and promptly turned a shade of bright red.

 

 

"What? Chris!" Guy butted in. "Who??"

 

 

"Don't bother him. He'll tell you when the time is ready."

 

 

"Aw, what if he dies before he tells us?" Melinda looked at him and made notice of how he was quick to joke with his friend's life. Chris noticed, too, and sickly put his head down.

 

 

"Then you were not meant to know," she simply replied.

 

 

"So, you're, like, a legit psychic, then?" Jonny spoke up.

 

 

"It depends on what you mean," she answered. "I can't predict the future or anything. No one can. But I can see what is there, even though others may not be able to do so."

 

 

"You're going to help us."

 

 

"Aw, you're really worried about him, aren't you? How sweet." Chris looked up at Jonny, a tiny glint of hope shining in his eyes. "Of course, you are a very sweet man."

 

 

"He is," Chris agreed, and he felt that with every day he was getting closer to telling Jonny.

 

 

Melinda looked at him with knowing eyes and said, "I'm afraid I must be going now. It was nice to meet you all... Chris, Jonny..." She narrowed her eyes at Guy and Will for a few moments. "Your names are very simple... words, even..."

 

 

"He's Guy and I'm Will." Will hadn't even bothered to look up from his nails.

 

 

"Hmm, fitting. Well, goodbye, then," she said, and was quickly gone. Jonny watched the door as her figure disappeared, and Chris watched Jonny as his uneasiness grew. Surely, it wasn't obvious that he liked Jonny. Melinda was a psychic, after all, and she said she could see things that others didn't. There was no way anyone else knew. But he was still worried.

 

 

"What did she mean, 'fitting'?" Guy asked. "Is it because I'm male? Was she making fun of my name?"

 

 

"I don't think she was making fun of your name, I think she was making fun of you," Will said.

 

 

"Well, she was making fun of you, too," Guy grumped. The rest of their time in Jonny's apartment was spent hearing Guy go on and on about Melinda, in a way that made it seemed like he both didn't like her and liked her too much. None of the other men could tell which was true, though none of them really cared.

 

 

Once Guy, Chris, and Will had left for their respective homes a few hours later, Jonny remained alone in his living room. He threw himself onto the sofa, grabbed the book that was sitting on his coffee table, and began to read. He loved to read, especially science fiction books. He felt it was a nice escape from reality, which was exactly what he needed right now. His worry over Chris was stressful enough, but he had the added weight of not knowing what would happen to him, since he turned the job down and ratted them out- whoever 'they' were.

 

 

But his science fiction stories let him get away from all that. They were so far-fetched that nothing in them was remotely close to his life.

 

 

 

Trouble

 

 

 

 

There were several attempts made on Chris's life over the next few weeks. Whoever had been hired to kill him must have known about the vest, because they seemed to aim for his head, though every shot missed by an eerily off amount. Melinda watched over everything closely, taking in all of the details of every event- where it happened, what time it happened, who else was around. There were small hints at each one of the scenes, all of which pointed to the initials A.Q.F.

 

 

"A.Q.F.?" Guy laughed when Melinda told them her suspicions. "What the fuck does that even mean?"

 

 

"They're initials, I assume of the assassin who is out to get dear Christopher," she coldly replied. Guy had certainly not made a good first impression on her, and his attitude over the following weeks had not changed her mind whatsoever.

 

 

"Dear Christopher?" he scoffed. "You've known him for, what, three weeks? A month? Do you really know that much about him?"

 

 

"I think I know more than you do. I also know that while you act as though you think I'm some phony, you're really scared that I'm not. You're afraid that I'll see into you, reveal some deep secret that you've been hiding." Guy nervously swallowed, and said nothing. "Don't worry, I haven't found it... yet."

 

 

"You haven't?" Guy apprehensively asked.

 

 

"No. There's this sort of... fog around you, it seems. You're very, very mysterious. Must be why all the girls swoon over you." Guy blushed a little, and Melinda just rolled her eyes. "Plus, I'm not in the business of revealing secrets. Otherwise you'd know about Chris."

 

 

"Mel," Chris mumbled. "You said you wouldn't talk about that anymore."

 

 

"Sorry. There's nothing for you to worry about anyway, Chris. Even if your feelings aren't returned, everything will turn out fine."

 

 

"They're not returned?" Chris asked, a rather obvious hint of sadness in his tone.

 

 

"I don't know about that," Melinda said, shaking her head. "It's hard to tell. This... person... seems a bit confused to me. And rather oblivious."

 

 

"Oh." Melinda sighed and sat down beside Chris.

 

 

"Tell him, he's not going to get it on his own," she whispered. "If he likes you back, good. If he doesn't, his loss."

 

 

"Easier said than done," Chris whispered back.

 

 

"Yeah, spout cliches at me. That'll help." Chris twisted his mouth in frustration, and Melinda said, "Listen, you might not have a lot of time left here. I'm trying to help you as quickly as I can, but I can't guarantee you'll make it. If you die..."

 

 

"He'll never know," Chris finished in a hoarse whisper, his mouth consistently increasing in dryness. "I want to tell him, I really do."

 

 

"Then tell him." With that, Melinda walked back over to where Guy was seated. "I will find out, you know that right?" she told him. "I always find out."

 

 

Guy didn't respond, instead he just stared at her, shooting hatred with his eyes. She glanced around at Chris, Will, and Jonny, then left without saying anything else.

 

 

"Guy, why do you have to be such a prick?" Will spat. "Melinda knows what she's doing."

 

 

Guy looked at the other men with apologetic eyes, but still remained silent. He stood up, walked over to Chris, said, "I'm sorry, man," then patted his shoulder and exited the room.

 

 

"Seriously, what is his problem?" Will asked. Jonny looked to him, and shook his head.

 

 

"Leave him alone. This situation is tough, we all have to deal with it in our own way," he told Will.

 

 

"Yeah, well, he should learn to deal with it in a way that's a little less insensitive." Then, as he looked over at Chris, he noticed something not-so-peachy about him. His eyes were wide, and his face was extremely gaunt. "Chris, are you OK?"

 

 

When Chris didn't answer, the other two men rushed over to his side. Will placed a hand on Chris's arm, and felt that it was dead cold. He uselessly snapped his fingers in Chris's face, until Jonny smacked his hand away.

 

 

"Stop, that's not gonna help," he said. Then he leaned close to Chris, anxiously examining him. He reached out and touched Chris's neck to find a pulse. "His heart seems to be fine."

 

 

Just then, a huge gust of air was inhaled by Chris, and some of the color began to return to his face. He blinked several times before staring questioningly at Jonny and Will.

 

 

"What are you guys doing?" he asked.

 

 

"Chris, you just had some sort of, like... I don't know, what would you call it?" Jonny asked, turning to Will.

 

 

"You were out of it, man," Will said. "It was scary."

 

 

"I don't feel any different," Chris noted. "Are you guys sure you're not just imagining things? Or lying to me?"

 

 

"Chris, why would we lie?" Will asked. But he looked at Chris, and could see the fear leaking through his eyes. "I can't imagine how frightening this is for you."

 

 

"I don't want to die," Chris muttered.

 

 

"And we don't want you to die," Jonny said. Then, for everyone's sake, he added, "You wont die. Everything will work out. You'll be safe, just watch."

 

 

Chris looked up at Jonny and soaked in the image. He hoped Jonny was right, but he had a feeling that he wasn't. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not be optimistic. He knew the others felt the same, too. Not one of them actually believed that it would work out, they just hoped in fear.

 

 

-

 

 

Melinda worked for hours and hours, barely getting any sleep, trying to put everything together. She was sure that A.Q.F. meant something, not just random letters initialing someone's name. Her senses told her that whoever was after Chris was someone who was close to him, though not necessarily his friend. Just someone who knew more about him than any stranger would. She toyed with the idea that perhaps the assassin was some deranged stalker, but deep down she knew it wasn't right.

 

 

She scribbled down all sorts of numbers and letters on what seemed like hundreds of sheets of paper. Nothing seemed to fit, though. And she couldn't stop thinking about Guy. Those big, dark brown eyes of his that hid a thousand secrets from the world. He was certainly the most handsome man she'd ever seen. She thought he might be gentle underneath his rough exterior.

 

 

She found herself absentmindedly doodling on the papers that were supposed to contain her work. Guy Berryman. Melinda Berryman. It sounded nice. There was something that told her not to feel that way, though. Not because her client was his friend, but because there were some sort of complications. She and Guy wouldn't actually work together. But he was so beautiful.

 

 

Suddenly, it hit her. Out of nowhere, the identity of the unknown killer was thrust into the front of her mind. She looked down at her paper, filled with drawings and writings, and was saddened by what she saw.

 

 

-

 

 

A few days after the incident with Chris, the band were sitting in the Bakery once more, waiting for Melinda. She said she had some big news that she needed to tell them. They were all sitting in various seats around the room when Melinda arrived. Chris and Jonny were chatting in one corner of the room, Will was fixing his shoelaces, which had somehow come undone, and Guy was fidgeting in his chair.

 

 

"Gather 'round, everyone," Melinda said, and the men did as they were told. "I've got some very important news."

 

 

"Yeah, you said that on the phone," Guy bitterly remarked. "Can we get on with this?"

 

 

Melinda shot him a look of disgust, and said, "I know who A.Q.F. is."

 

 

"Who?" Chris immediately asked. Melinda didn't reply, but kept her gaze on Guy, whose fidgeting had gotten worse. "Melinda?"

 

 

"Some friend you are," she said to Guy.

 

 

"I don't know what you mean," he replied in a squeaky voice.

 

 

"Yes, you do."

 

 

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Will asked. Melinda turned to face the other three.

 

 

"A.Q.F. Switch the first and last letters. F.Q.A. Go forward a letter each. G.R.B."

 

 

"That doesn't mean anything," Guy shouted. "You can't prove..." He looked around at Chris, Will, and Jonny, who were all staring at him in disbelief. "Chris..."

 

 

"She's right, isn't she?" Chris' voice cracked. "Guy, how could you?"

 

 

"Chris, I..." Guy stood up, as did the other three. He walked over to Chris and looked up at him. "I didn't want to, but..." He and Chris stared at each other for several moments, Guy very apologetic and Chris very confused, until Chris finally decided to speak.

 

"I thought you were my fr-"

 

"NOW!" Guy bellowed, and suddenly black smoke filled the room. There were confused shouts and dusty coughs from every direction. After a short while, the dark fog began to settle, and it appeared that Guy had vanished. But there was still a giant stream of smoke emanated from Chris's open mouth, and his eyes were rolled back into his head.

 

"What the fuck?!" Will shouted. Jonny and Melinda just stood, horrified at the sight of Chris. Not one of them had the slightest clue what was going on. He was just standing there, hands limp at his side, torso slanted forward, and knees slightly buckled. The smoke was gushing from him like some sort of beast trying to escape its human prison. Soon, the smoke stopped completely, and Chris let out an exasperated breath before falling to the ground and seizing.

 

"What should we do?" Jonny asked, kneeling beside Chris's thrashing body. He stared, frozen in uncertainty. "Oh my God."

 

"He's having a seizure, we need, like, a pillow or something to put under his head," Melinda spewed.

 

"Right. I'll go find something. Jonny, just stay with him. Melinda, call an ambulance." Melinda nodded, stared at Chris and Jonny for a moment, then ran to her purse and grabbed her cellphone.

 

-

 

 

"We're afraid we don't know what's wrong with him," the doctor told Will and Jonny. They were in the small hallway just outside of Chris's hospital room. The doctors had run their routine tests at first, then after they didn't find anything they ran some non-routine tests.

 

 

"You don't..." Jonny dumbly repeated. The doctor shook his head.

 

 

"And there's more. It seems that whatever is wrong with your friend is... um... How should I put this? S... supernatural."

 

 

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

 

 

"Quite sure. So, um, there's nothing really that we can do for him. We'll keep him here for one more day, then discharge him."

 

 

"Thank you," Jonny muttered. "Is it all right if we go in there?"

 

 

"He seems a bit tired, but you can certainly talk to him for a bit." The doctor looked at them with apologetic eyes, said, "I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help," then left. Jonny and Will walked into the room and over by Chris's bed.

 

 

"Hi, guys," Chris said as Jonny pulled a chair up next to him. "Do they know what's wrong with me?"

 

 

Jonny shook his head. "They said it was something supernatural."

 

 

"What?" Chris asked in disbelief, then started laughing. "Seriously?"

 

 

"Seriously. They're letting you out of here tomorrow."

 

 

Chris stopped laughing, and looked down at his lap. "Guy's gone, isn't he?" he quietly asked.

 

 

"Yeah," Jonny replied, reaching over and grabbing Chris's hand. "Listen, everything's gonna be fine, OK? We'll figure everything out."

 

 

Chris lay in silence, relishing the feeling of Jonny's hand, and tried to believe him, all the while mentally beating himself. This was another perfect moment to let Jonny know how he felt, but he couldn't do it. Instead, he just held his secret tight in his chest, and held Jonny's hand tight in his own.

 

 

After a few minutes, Jonny started to pull back. "Get some rest, Chris. You need it." Chris sleepily nodded, then shut his eyes and nuzzled the pillow beneath him. He could hear Jonny and Will stirring, some footsteps, and just before the door closed, Jonny said, "We'll be back tomorrow."

 

 

"I'll be here," Chris said through closed eyes.

 

 

"Will, you're coming with me," Jonny said once they were back in the hallway.

 

 

"Where are we going?" he asked.

 

 

"My apartment," Jonny replied, and the two began to walk to the exit. "We've got some cleaning to do."

 

 

-

 

 

The next morning Jonny picked Chris up from the hospital. They rode mostly in silence back to Jonny's apartment.

 

 

"I have a surprise for you," Jonny said as they walked inside. "Come on." He led Chris down the hallway to the guest room. Through the open door, Chris could see that the stacks of papers and boxes had disappeared, and had been replaced with some of his things.

 

 

"Those are my clothes," Chris plainly stated. "And that's my guitar."

 

 

"Yeah, and this is your room," Jonny added. "You're staying here for now."

 

 

Chris turned to Jonny with a softened look. "You did all this for me?"

 

 

"Well, Will helped," Jonny said, shyly bowing his head. Chris threw his arms around him.

 

 

"Thank you."

 

 

"Yeah, yeah," Jonny dismissed, and place a hand on Chris's back. "You better keep it clean."

 

 

"Don't worry mum, I will," Chris laughed, until he realized how weird it was for him to call Jonny his mom. Then he just awkwardly pulled away and walked into the room. He continuously spun around, looking at everything. "It's missing something."

 

 

"What?" Jonny asked as he followed Chris in.

 

 

"I'm not sure, but it just feels like it's- OH MY GOD." Chris stopped dead in his tracks, his hands held out towards the wall behind the bed. "Big Mouth Billy Bass."

 

 

"Excuse me?"

 

 

"That's what's missing," he replied, jumping up on the bed and placing his hands on the wall. "Right here."

 

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

 

"Big Mouth Billy Bass," Chris repeated. Jonny just blankly stared at him, so he shouted, "The singing fish!!"

 

 

"You want one of those in here, really?" Jonny laughed. Chris looked at him with wide eyes.

 

 

"Jonny, it would be perfect."

 

 

"Yeah, OK," Jonny said before leaving the room. Chris narrowed his eyes at the echo of Jonny's presence in the door. He flopped down on the bed and thought about how perfect it really would be. He remembered when he had one a few years back. Then he remembered how he actually had gotten so sick of it after a while that he threw it out the window and nearly hit an old lady.

 

 

"Aw, Jonny's always right," he said, then hopped off the bed and ran into the other room.

 

 

Later that night, when Chris was trying to sleep, he heard a noise at his door. He tossed in the bed to find that Jonny was standing there, watching him. "Jonny?"

 

 

"Hi," Jonny said.

 

 

"Did you want something?"

 

 

"Uh, I was just wondering... " Jonny ruffled the back of his hair and walked closer to the bed. "Would it be all right if I slept in here with you?"

 

 

"Um..."

 

 

"It's just that I was worried about you, and I couldn't sleep, but it's OK, I can go back to my room an-" Jonny blurted before being interrupted by Chris.

 

 

"No, it's fine. You can sleep in here," Chris said, smiling, though his smile wasn't visible in the dark. He moved to make room, and a few moments later he felt the bed move as Jonny laid down. They were facing each other, though the room was so dark that it was almost impossible to see anything. "Jonny, everything really will be OK."

 

 

"It keeps getting harder to believe," Jonny said, and Chris imagined the pained look on his face. What he wouldn't give to be able to reach out to Jonny, to pull him close and hold him in his arms.

 

 

"I know, but you're the one who keeps saying it, and you're always right."

 

 

"I don't know about that," Jonny chuckled, and Chris shook his head.

 

 

"No, you are," Chris told him. "Like, earlier, the thing with the fish."

 

 

"The big... Bob... fish thing? What was that called?"

 

 

"Big Mouth Billy Bass," Chris rattled with impressive speed. "It would probably drive me crazy after a while... Jonny?"

 

 

"What?"

 

 

"Will I drive you crazy after a while, do you think?" Chris sincerely asked, but Jonny just laughed at him.

 

 

"I don't think so."

 

 

"Good," Chris said, and smiled again. "Now, I think it's time for bed. Goodnight, Jonny."

 

 

"Goodnight, Chris," Jonny replied, closing his eyes. Chris really did mean to go to sleep, too, but he ended up keeping his eyes open for a few more hours.

 

 

 

 

 

Trouble

 

 

 

 

When Chris lifted his eyelids the next morning, he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Nothing around him looked familiar, and it wasn't that he just needed to get used to waking up in Jonny's guest bedroom; he wasn't in Jonny's apartment at all.

 

 

Yet, he was still laying in the bed, and Jonny was still beside him, sleeping peacefully. Chris had to put an end that.

 

 

"Jonny, wake up," Chris said, tapping Jonny lightly on the arm. "Jonny, please wake up."

 

 

"What is it?" Jonny asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Then he looked around. "Where are we?"

 

 

"I don't know," Chris replied. The closer he looked at his surroundings, the more he realized that there wasn't anything in the room besides the bed. Everything else was just painted on the walls. Chris got out of the bed and walked up to the nearest wall. He touched it, and found that the paint- or whatever it was- was still wet, and as he dragged his hand down, a trail of running colors followed. Then he looked over at the door. It was painted, too, and there was no real exit.

 

 

"We're trapped in here," Jonny said, having simultaneously made the same realization as Chris. He was also standing beside one of the walls, the same colorful liquid dripping from his hand.

 

 

"Wherever 'here' is," Chris said in hysteria. Suddenly, there was a massive boom of laughter from someone with a very deep voice, which caused both Chris and Jonny to look up. While the two were staring at the ceiling, a petite, dark-haired figure appeared in the corner of the room.

 

 

"Goodbye, Chris," Guy said, and everything seemed to slow down. Chris and Jonny looked at him, and he pulled out a sort of ray gun. Jonny threw himself in front of Chris, shouting, "NO!" as Guy skillfully aimed the gun. He didn't shoot, though; he wasn't after Jonny.

 

 

"How could I have not seen this?" said a voice, presumably the same one the laughter belonged to. Then another figure appeared, but it was not a man, or anything that Chris recognized, for that matter. It was a green-skinned thing, with gnarly teeth and ice blue hair. It was wearing what looked like a toga, and it's five feet were enclosed in black moccasins. He had appeared alongside Guy, but he immediately walked towards Chris and Jonny. "You two are in love. It's so obvious."

 

 

"What?" Jonny said, and Chris grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

 

 

"You're in love with me?" he asked, a certain sparkle in his eyes. It almost immediately disappeared when Jonny shook his head.

 

 

"I don't think so," he honestly replied.

 

 

Chris looked down at the floor, and in a raspy voice he said, "So, when you held my hand in the hospital, you didn't feel anything? When we slept in the same bed together, you didn't feel anything?"

 

 

"You did?" Jonny asked, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. Chris looked up at him, completely shattered. He'd never experienced such a feeling of rejection before. The massive laughter returned again.

 

 

"Oh, this is priceless!" the unidentified thing cackled. Jonny turned to face it, but Chris kept his teary eyes on Jonny. "So, he likes you, but you don't like him. Wonderful!"

 

 

"I don't see what's so wonderful about it," Chris muttered.

 

 

"Berryman, get over here," the unidentified thing ordered, and Guy slid up beside him.

 

 

"Yes, sir?"

 

 

"Take our friend, here," it said, pointing to Jonny, "to the spot. Wait for me."

 

 

"Yes, sir," Guy replied, bolting for Jonny. Jonny tried to move, but Guy was too fast for him, and as soon as Guy grabbed his arm they were gone. Chris stood in shock and watched the place where Jonny had been only moments before.

 

 

"Chris, Chris, Chris," the unidentified thing said. "Just the man I've been meaning to talk to."

 

 

"You want me dead," Chris bluntly said. "You hired Guy."

 

 

"I sure did. Well, I had one of my people talk to him. You know, can't be seen out in public like this," it laughed, gesturing to its body. "People would freak!"

 

 

Chris looked at the thing. "Why?"

 

 

"Why do I want to kill you?" it asked, and took Chris's non-reply as an affirmative answer. "You're the only thing that stands in my way."

 

 

"In your way to what?"

 

 

"Conquering this lovely planet you call Earth," it replied. "You see, I've spent my entire life- 622 years, mind you- planning and researching. All of my studies concluded that there would be only one man in the entire existence of humankind that could potentially stop me. And that's you."

 

 

"Why me?" Chris shrieked. "How would I-?"

 

 

"Dunno, really. For some reason, you posses something that's fatal to my plan. So, you have to die."

 

 

"What if I just let you conquer the world? Would you let me live then?" The thing shook its head.

 

 

"That wouldn't happen. Whatever it is about you would force you to stop me." The thing walked closer to Chris, stopping only a mere six inches away from him. "And we can't have that."

 

 

"You aren't going to hurt Jonny, are you?" Chris asked with sad eyes. Even though he'd been horribly rejected, he still felt deeply for Jonny. He even thought that he'd be OK with his own death, as long as Jonny was unharmed.

 

 

"I'd like to spare your friend. It's not in my nature to harm innocent beings. However, it could be necessary," the thing shrugged. "After all, it would kill you to see him hurt, wouldn't it?"

 

 

"He doesn't deserve it," Chris said. "Don't hurt him, please. Shoot me, stab me, rip my heart out, whatever you need to do. Just don't hurt him."

 

 

The unidentified thing just stared at Chris, observing every little detail of his expression. Then he started to laugh once more. "Oh, it's a good thing he doesn't feel the same about you, otherwise we'd have a problem, eh?" Chris said nothing, just stared back. "Well, it's time we leave this place, then, I suppose."

 

 

It reached out its hand, which Chris discovered was slimy and gross, and grabbed his arm. And just like that, they were gone.

 

 

-

 

 

Guy and Jonny were facing each other, seated in chairs placed inside a small, green room. They'd been there for nearly an hour, but neither had spoken. Guy was messing with his ray gun, and Jonny was staring at the floor.

 

 

"I know what you're thinking," Guy suddenly said, causing Jonny to look up. "How could I do this? ... I didn't want to- I never wanted to. I still don't want to."

 

 

"Then why are you?" Jonny bitterly said.

 

 

"I don't have a choice," Guy said, a hint of frustration in his voice.

 

 

"You don't have a choice?! You-"

 

 

"No, listen to me," Guy interrupted, his temper flaring. He saw that he had Jonny's attention, so he softened his tone a bit. "They did something to me, Jonny. I don't know what they did, but I can't think for myself most of the time. It's like I'm me, then suddenly I'm someone else, someone they've created, and I can't control my actions. I don't want to kill Chris, but I'm afraid that I might... and I wont even realize it." He leaned forward in his seat, and continued, "I already... those two times... I don't know, they must have had me plant something in him... "

 

 

"With the smoke?" Jonny asked.

 

 

"Yeah. I'm not sure how I did it, or what I did, but it was all me." Guy stared off at the wall behind Jonny, his eyes full of remorse.

 

 

 

"Why don't you get away from here, then?" Jonny suggested. "Leave these people."

 

 

"Jonny, that wont work. Whatever they did, they can control me from anywhere, and... and if I left, they'd probably find me. I don't know what they'd do then."

 

 

"Who are these people, anyway?" he asked.

 

 

Guy shook his head, "They're not people, they're aliens. I don't know what species they said they were; it's just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me. But they want to take over the planet, and from what I've gathered, Chris has some role in that."

 

 

"If they want to kill him, it can't be a good role, then. At least, not for them."

 

 

Guy nodded his head, then both men were silent for some time. Finally, he spoke again. "Listen, Jonny, I can't get out of here... but you can. If I tell you how, will you promise me you'll do it, and go somewhere safe?"

 

 

"Where's somewhere safe?" Jonny asked.

 

 

"I don't know, just find somewhere. Or, go see Will at least. Tell him what's going on. Will you do it?" Jonny nodded. "OK," Guy said, and he leaned forward and whispered the directions to Jonny.

 

 

-

 

 

"You're sure that's on tight enough?" the unidentified thing asked the female unidentified thing that was strapping Chris to a table.

 

 

"I'm not gonna escape," Chris said. "You don't have to worry."

 

 

"Eh, better safe than sorry," the thing replied. "Maureen, bring in our dear friend, Berryman, will you? I think he'd like to see this." The female thing nodded, and swiveled off to fetch Guy.

 

 

"Will it hurt?" Chris asked as the thing examined the ropes that bound him to the table.

 

 

"Probably," the thing honestly stated. "I wouldn't actually know."

 

 

"Oh." They sat in silence until Maureen returned, with a tired-looking Guy on her arm. He looked at Chris with a pain in his eyes, knowing very well that as soon as they wanted him to, he'd stop caring about his soon-to-be-dead friend. Chris saw the pain, saw his old friend being dragged unwillingly into the room to watch his death, but he couldn't bring himself to forgive Guy. Of course, he didn't know that it wasn't Guy's fault.

 

 

"Guy, you'd like to see your friend, yeah?" the thing laughed, and Maureen snobbishly joined in.

 

 

"Can we get this over with?" Chris whined. The thing stopped laughing, and shot a look at him.

 

 

"Ooh, impatient, are we?" he said. "Fine. Maureen, kill him."

 

 

Maureen released her hold on Guy, and walked over to the side of the table, where a control desk filled with hundreds of buttons was resting. She hit several buttons, but before her job was done, several bodies burst into the room.

 

 

"Is this a safe place?" Jonny asked Guy as he, Will, and Melinda ran in. All other heads in the room turned to them.

 

 

"No, not really!" Guy freaked.

 

 

"How did you all get here?" the thing asked, completely thrown off by the sudden appearance of this odd group.

 

 

"Guy told me how to get out, I just used the reverse to get back in," Jonny said.

 

 

"Berryman!" it shouted, and Guy cowered a little. Its nostrils flared, breath heavy, but it soon calmed down. "You'll be dealt with later. Maureen, finish up!"

 

 

"No!" Melinda yelled, running over to the table. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and composed herself. Then, in a strange, foreign accent, she chirped a mouthful of words that none of the humans in the room could understand. The unidentified things stood frozen as she spewed the words out. When she was finished, she collapsed her chest, trying to catch her breath.

 

 

Suddenly, Maureen changed from her green color to a sickly orange, her arms and legs swelling until she looked like an overblown balloon. Then she exploded, though strangely leaving absolutely no trace of her existence behind. Everyone turned their attention to the place where Maureen was once standing, completely shocked. The unidentified thing looked on in panic, knowing that a few moments later, the same fate would befall him. Sure enough, no more than twenty seconds after Maureen, the thing blew up and disappeared completely.

 

 

"What the hell did you just do?" Chris shrieked. Melinda ignored his question, but loosened the ropes and freed him from the table. She looked at him for a moment, then embraced him in a bone-crushing hug.

 

 

"I just saved your life, asshole, be grateful for once," she said, though with a hint of jest. Chris laughed and accepted her embrace.

 

 

"Thank you," he whispered.

 

 

"Sorry to hear about Jonny," she replied. "His loss, remember?"

 

 

"Yeah, his loss," Chris unconvincingly replied. She let go of him, then walked over by the other three men. Chris followed her, and gave a hug to both Guy and Will, but stopped in front of Jonny. "We should go home now."

 

 

"Listen, man, I'm really sorry," Jonny began, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

 

 

"Don't be, it's not your fault," Chris said in a hoarse voice. "Can we go now?"

 

 

Jonny looked at him helplessly, and replied, "Yeah, let's go."

 

 

-

 

 

 

Things went back to normal in an oddly short amount of time. Chris had hastily moved his things back into his own apartment, but after only a few days the tension between he and Jonny dissipated. And, much to Chris's delight, Jonny didn't change the way he acted around him. They were still the best of friends, despite the unrequited love.

 

 

Of course, the press had a field day with the claims of supernatural attacks on Chris and a halted alien invasion, even suggesting that the singer had gone completely off his rocker. Eventually, it was all just passed off as a hoax, though the police records remained truthful.

 

 

One day, the five of them were all gathered in the Bakery, just hanging out. Melinda was a dear friend of theirs now, and since she had edged her way into their group, she began trying to edge her way into Guy's heart.

 

 

"Oh, I knew you weren't an evil man," she said, resting her hand on Guy's arm and pushing her body as close as she could into his. "You have such kind eyes."

 

 

Guy lapped up the attention, even though he honestly was not interested in her. Will, who was sitting right next to them, rolled his eyes in both disgust and jealousy. Not that he was really interested in her, either, he just wanted the female attention that Guy always received. Jonny was the only one who had any interest in her, but even then he only thought she was pretty.

 

 

And of course, Chris was sitting off in one corner, watching Jonny. He'd long given up trying to dress fancy, and had returned to wearing his Barack to the Future shirt, though he'd left the pinstriped pants on.

 

 

Yeah, everything was back to normal.