Neon
By angellwings
" She's always buzzing just like
Neon, neon
Neon, neon
Who knows how long, how long, how long
She can go before she burns away
I can't be her angel now
You know it's not my place to hold her down
And it's hard for me to take a stand
When I would take her anyway I can."
-John Mayer, "Neon"
Caitlyn had a recording session with Tess today, but not because her boss felt she deserved it. No, the only reason she was working with Tess was because Tess demanded it. Rex Riley only gave in to his best clients, and it just so happened that Caitlyn was friends with three of them: Connect Three, Tess, and Mitchie. Rex didn't really like her. He'd hired her because Caitlyn was determined and persistent and annoying. It was the only way to get her off of his back.
Not only did her boss not really like her, but her co-workers didn't either. They were all about nightclubs and parties and dancing with a few mixed drinks thrown in. That wasn't really Caitlyn's style. She enjoyed a night like that every now and then, but only with certain people and never for very long.
A throat cleared and Caitlyn turned to find Tess observing Caitlyn critically.
"You're blue," Tess told her. "I don't demand that you produce my tracks because I like you, Caitlyn. I like to work with you because you fight me on everything, and this Caitlyn that I'm seeing right now is in no way willing to fight me."
"Not now, Tess," Caitlyn said with a roll of her eyes.
"See? That's not the Caitlyn I like to work with," Tess said as she flipped her hair back over her shoulder and sat down. "So, what's wrong, Gellar? Is Jason going out with someone who isn't you again?"
Caitlyn glared at her. "This is not about Jason."
Tess's eyes widened. "Wow, seriously? Then what's this about?"
"Work," Caitlyn sighed. "I'm going no where fast."
Tess's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about? You're producing for three of the biggest acts in the business. Namely, me, but the others count too I guess."
"I'm not producing for you guys because anyone feels like I deserve it."
"Yeah, well, I don't see how that's such a problem. Connections count for a lot in this business, Caitlyn. You actually have connections. Enjoy it."
"I do enjoy it, but I'm only working with you guys. He never assigns me anyone new," Caitlyn said with a sigh. "If I didn't have 'connections' I'd be doing absolutely nothing. And the worst part is that no one at work even has my back. They barely know I exist."
"Do you talk to them?"
Caitlyn gave Tess a bored look. "Of course I talk to them."
"Outside of work?" Tess asked with a knowing grin.
"I—well, no. But all they do is party!"
Tess rolled her eyes. "Then you need to party too. Go out with them every now and then. Do whatever it is they do. You never know, you might have fun."
"I don't know," Caitlyn said hesitantly.
"Look, how about you and I go to this new club I've been invited to tonight, and I'll give you some of my best partying tips," Tess offered. "You better take me up on this now. I won't make another offer, Gellar."
"Tess won't make another offer to what?" Jason asked from the doorway.
"She's going to help me with a work thing," Caitlyn told him.
Jason quirked a brow at them. "What kind of work thing?"
"Caitlyn needs to learn how to party."
"Does she?" Jason asked with a smirk. "Based on last Friday, I thought she already knew how to do that."
Caitlyn blushed. "That wasn't partying. That was Chinese food and copious amounts of wine."
Jason laughed. "Sure felt like a party to me."
"We're talking about Hollywood partying, Jason," Tess said with a roll of her eyes. "Not whatever sickening things the two of you do behind closed doors."
Caitlyn blushed even deeper. "Tess!"
Jason gave Caitlyn a concerned look. "Wait, you're going to party…the way Tess parties?"
"I mostly plan on observing. It's supposed to help me relate to my co-workers according to Tess," Caitlyn said with a sigh.
"I'm coming with you," Jason told them. "Trust me, the two of you will need me."
"Hey!" Tess protested. "I'm not that bad."
Jason rolled his eyes. "No, you're not…on your own. But you've never seen Caitlyn after a couple of drinks. The two of you together…well, it makes me nervous."
"Jason, I'm not a teenager," Caitlyn said with a sigh. "I don't need a chaperone."
"I'm going with you, and that's the end of it, Caity," Jason said sternly.
"Fine," Caitlyn said in an irritated tone. "It's gonna be a waste of your time, though."
Jason sighed as he led Tess away from yet another scruffy tattooed guy. He'd almost made it back to the bar with Tess when he spotted Caitlyn dancing with a very tall and very muscular guy.
He maneuvered Tess onto a bar stool and then pointed a finger at her. "Don't move."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tess said as she waved him away. "Go save Caitlyn."
His brow furrowed. "What?"
"That guy dancing with Caitlyn," Tess said with a lazy smile. "You want to get him as far away from her as possible. I can see it."
"I just don't want her doing anything stupid. I kept you from leaving with that creep back there, didn't I?" Jason asked.
Tess shook her head. "That's different. I was going to leave with him. Caity's just dancing. She's not going anywhere. I don't think she would leave you no matter how drunk off her ass she is."
"What?" Jason asked in confusion.
"Nothing, nevermind. Just go get Caitlyn before she lets that guy jam his tongue down her throat," Tess said with a huff as she turned on the stool to face the bartender.
"Tess, no more drinks," Jason told her before he turned and walked away.
"Party pooper!" Tess yelled after him.
Jason reached Caitlyn and tapped the guy's shoulder. He turned. "What do you want, dude?"
Jason smiled politely. "I'm cutting in."
"You're cutting in? Dude, what time period do you live in? Go find your own dance partner."
"Hey, Jase!" Caitlyn said with a giggle.
"Caity, I think it's time to leave," Jason told her. "Tess has almost left with two guys."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow!"
He blinked at her. "No, no, you're coming with us. No way I'm leaving you here like this."
"But I'm having fun!" Caitlyn exclaimed with a pout. "I don't want to leave!"
"I need to get Tess home and she won't leave unless you leave," Jason lied. "So unless you want her to wake up in some random guy's apartment tomorrow, we need to go."
Caitlyn scowled. "Fine. Let's go."
She shoved Tall-Muscular Guy away and then grabbed Jason's hand and led him toward the bar where Tess was waiting.
"Tess, it's time to go home," Caitlyn snapped. "You ruined my fun."
"What? What did I do?" Tess asked as she stumbled off of the bar stool.
"Just go," Caitlyn said as she looped her arm through Tess's and dragged her away. Caitlyn released Jason's hand and he followed them. He watched them sway and stumble as they walked. Every time they would trip they would turn to look at each other and laugh obnoxiously. It was definitely a good thing that he tagged along tonight.
Jason thought that would be the end of it. He thought it was one night, and that Caitlyn would move on. But she didn't. No, she kept going out. The first time she'd told him it was so she could bond with her coworkers, but after going out every night for a week he was beginning to doubt her reasons. She showed up to work exhausted and the more days that passed the darker the circles under eyes became.
Everyone had started to notice. Even Shane, and he was notoriously dense about anyone who wasn't Mitchie. Caitlyn was irritable and snippy, and unless they were working together they never saw her. And while he was concerned, he wasn't really worried until she walked in that morning. She had sunglasses on her face, her hair looked as if it hadn't been brushed, and there was a permanent pained scowl on her face.
"Caity?" He asked as she entered the studio. "Are you okay? You look sick."
He couldn't see through her dark frames but he had a feeling she was glaring at him. "Gee, thanks, Jase. I'm flattered."
"He's just telling the truth, Gellar. Can't fault him for that," Shane said with a smirk as he approached them. Caitlyn smacked his arm as he passed her.
"You're a jerk, Shane."
"Maybe…" Jason said hesitantly. "Maybe you should stay in tonight, Caitlyn."
"No way! I can't stay in tonight! My boss is having a birthday party tonight. His wife rented out this nightclub. It's gonna be a blast. Everybody from work is gonna be there. I have to make an appearance," Caitlyn told him as she set her purse down and reluctantly pulled the sunglasses off of her face.
"Woah, Cait," Nate said from inside the booth. "Get some sleep. Your eyes look rough."
"Wow," Caitlyn said with a sigh. "With three friends like you guys who needs enemies? Can we just get to work? Please?"
So they did. At least the partying wasn't affecting Caitlyn's work yet. In fact, she appeared to be more on top of the sound they wanted for these tracks than ever before. Caitlyn left as soon as they were done for the day.
"I gotta go home and get changed," She said as she quickly gathered her things. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Does anyone know what's been going on with her lately?" Nate asked once Caitlyn was out of earshot.
Shane shook his head. "She won't talk to anyone. Not even Mitchie knows what's up."
Jason sighed. "Last I heard she was just trying to fit in with people at work, but this…this is much more than fitting in."
"Well, somebody's gonna have to talk some sense into her," Nate told them. "She can't keep on like this forever."
"I've tried to tell her that," Jason said. "I know she's going to burn out, but every time I ask her to stay in she flat out refuses."
"Maybe you shouldn't ask," Shane said with a shrug. "Maybe you find a way to make her stay in."
Jason rolled his eyes. "Not gonna happen. You can't make Caitlyn do anything."
"Then maybe the one of us that knows her the best should talk to her, and I mean seriously talk to her about this," Nate said as he gave Jason a pointed look.
"What? Me?" Jason asked. "You want me to, basically, confront Caitlyn with the collective opinion that she's lost her mind and is headed for a breakdown? Do you want me to die?"
"If you say it like that then you probably deserve to die," Shane said with a chuckle.
"Just swing by her apartment on your way home and have a little chat," Nate said. "Caitlyn has a soft spot for you, Jase. She's not going to kill you."
"Yeah? Well, if you don't hear from me in like twelve hours send a search party, okay?" Jason said as he grabbed his guitar case and walked out of the studio.
Jason hesitantly knocked on Caitlyn's apartment door. She opened the door as she was putting in a pair of earrings and looked at him expectantly.
"What's up, Jase?" She asked. "I'm running late."
He gulped at the sight of the skin tight dress she was wearing. "You're going to your boss's birthday party dressed like that?"
"Well, there's gonna be a few after parties."
"A—a few after parties?" Jason asked in concern. "Caitlyn, I think we need to talk."
"To talk? That doesn't sound good," She said with a sigh. "Come on in, Jase."
"Caitlyn," Jason said as he shut the door behind him. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" Caitlyn asked as she put in her other earring.
"Why are you partying so hard? This isn't like you at all. I'm worried you're going to exhaust yourself. I mean, how much sleep are you getting every night anyway? An hour or two?"
"That's none of your business," Caitlyn said as she turned to glare at him.
"Caitlyn, you can't keep this up," Jason told her. "You'll make yourself sick."
"Why do you care?" Caitlyn asked in a snippy tone.
"Be—because you're my friend."
"Oh, I'm your friend. I see. Well, friend, I'll be fine. I can handle it. Okay? Now get out so I can finish getting ready."
She seemed even more irritated than she was before. He shook his head. "I'm not leaving."
"Well, you have to because I'm leaving and you're not staying here without me."
Jason sighed laboriously. "Fine. Do what you want. I'm not going to lock you up or anything. I just…"
"You just what?" She snapped as he walked toward her.
He took hold of her hand and squeezed it. "I want you to promise me that if you ever feel overwhelmed or if anything goes wrong while you're out that you'll call me. Please?"
"Why should I?" She asked stubbornly.
"I won't leave you alone until you do."
She bit her bottom lip and her glare softened. "Okay, okay. I promise."
He smiled softly and leaned in to kiss her cheek quickly. "I don't like this, but I can't stop you. Be safe, Caity, okay?"
She gulped and nodded. "Okay."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Jason said as he turned away from her and left the apartment.
Caitlyn kept a hand on her cheek where Jason's lips had touched it and she glanced sadly at the door. Why was she doing this?
Jason groaned as a high pitched ringing sound hit his ears. He rolled over and blinked several times to wake himself up. He yawned as his eyes landed on the clock on his nightstand. It was four in the morning.
Who was calling him at four in the morning? He reached over and pulled his phone off the charger.
"Hello?"
"Is this Caitlyn's friend Jason?" a high pitched nasally voice slurred.
Jason immediately perked up. "Yes."
"You might want to come and get her."
"What? What happened?"
The girl on the other end of the phone giggled. "She passed out. She's in the back room with security."
"Security?" Jason asked in alarm. "The club's security? What did she do?"
"No, silly! Tess Tyler's security!"
Jason's brow furrowed and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tess is there?"
The girl laughed again. "Kind of, she's completely trashed, but she's here. She's the one who got Caitlyn off the dance floor after she passed out. And then she woke up and told me she'd left her purse and her phone at the table."
"And she told you to call me?" Jason asked.
"No, she said she wanted her phone so she could call you. I just decided to do it for her."
Jason sighed in frustration. "How nice of you. Where exactly are you?"
"Um…Ex…Extreme? Expert? Experience?"
Jason rolled his eyes. He knew the place. That was the club Tess took them to the other night. "Expo?"
"Yes! That's it! We're there."
"Tell Caity I'm on my way."
"Um, Sure. Who's Caity?"
Jason ran a hand through his curls and huffed. "Caitlyn! Tell Caitlyn I'm on my way, alright?"
"Right! Okay! Bye, Caitlyn's friend!"
Jason rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. He got dressed as quickly as he could and headed for the door. Once he was in his car he took off. He'd never driven so fast in his life. He made it to the club and went to the back door. He banged on the metal door and wasn't surprised when one of Tess's guards answered the door.
"We talked to the drunk red head. She said she called you. Tess said you'd be here fast, but that's gotta be a record or something," The guard said with a smirk.
"Where is she?" Jason asked as he stepped inside. The guard motioned for Jason to follow him and led him to the reserved VIP room in the basement of the club. "What happened? The girl on the phone said she passed out. Did she have too much to drink or—"
"No, surprisingly, she hasn't had a single drink," The guard told him. "We think she's just…tired."
Jason rolled his eyes and smiled knowingly. "I had a feeling that was going to happen."
The guard opened the door and Jason quickly spotted Caitlyn lying on a couch against the far wall. She saw him approaching her and sat up slowly.
"Caity, are you okay?"
"I'm sorry for dragging you out of bed," She said quietly.
"I told you to call me, didn't I? It's no problem. I mean it," Jason told her. "How about I take you home? I'll tell the guys you can't come in today. They'll understand. You seriously need to rest."
She nodded weakly and he helped her stand. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she wrapped her arms around his chest. "I—I should've listened to you, Jason."
"Caity, we'll talk about this when we get you home, okay?" Jason told her as he hugged her to him. "Don't worry about that right now."
"But I want to talk about it now," Caitlyn said with a huff.
"Then, at least, wait until we're in the privacy of my car, please?"
She nodded. "Okay, I can do that."
They made their way out of the club and Jason helped her in the passenger side of his car, and he went around and got in the driver's side. He took a deep breath and turned to Caitlyn. "Now we can talk. What happened?"
"I was dancing and I got lightheaded and dizzy and then the next thing I knew I was laying on a couch and Tess was yelling at me about taking better care of myself. And then Rachel came in and I asked her to get my purse so I could call you, and…well you know the rest."
Jason reached over and took her hand. "How do you feel now?"
"Better, I guess. I really just want to go to bed for about a week," Caitlyn said with a sigh. "I should have listened to you. You tried to warn me."
"I still don't understand why," Jason asked as he laced his fingers through hers. "What were you accomplishing?"
"I just wanted to get away," Caitlyn admitted. "To detach from everything."
"Everything?" Jason asked. "Caity, what's so bad that you need to run away from it?"
Caitlyn bit her bottom lip before she answered. "I was getting no where at work! And then my mom keeps putting pressure on me to find a boyfriend, but I don't see how that's going to happen when the one guy that I really want is—" Caitlyn hesitated before she continued. "Well, he's completely oblivious and uninterested. And when I was out dancing and drinking…none of those things existed. I could just push them away, and pretend my life was perfect."
"You were escaping," Jason said with a nod. "Caity, that kind of thing is dangerous. Are you really that unhappy?"
She sighed. "Not unhappy…just frustrated."
Jason started his car. "Sleep, Caity. We'll get you home and then things will be better after you rest. You'll see. I promise."
"How can you promise me that, Jason? You don't know that."
"Have a little faith in me," Jason told her as he finally released her hand so he could drive. "Don't make me sing the song."
Caitlyn smiled and laughed lightly. "You're ridiculous, Jason."
"This is true," Jason smirked. "But you're equally ridiculous."
Jason brought her home and Caitlyn changed clothes and then Jason made sure she went to bed. He stood in the doorway and watched as she crawled underneath her covers. He smiled softly at her and then approached and pulled the comforter up a bit higher around her.
"Thank you, Jason," Caitlyn said softly. "For everything."
He nodded and kissed her forehead. "You're welcome. G'night, Caity."
"Technically its morning," She told him.
He chuckled and nodded. "Fine. Good morning, Caity. Now go to sleep."
He left her room and shut her bedroom door behind him. He grabbed the quilt that was stretched across the back of the couch and then laid across Caitlyn's couch. He pulled out his phone and set the alarm. He could sleep a few more hours and then he would get up to call Nate and fill him in on what was going on with Caitlyn. He drifted off to sleep, and then,what felt to him like seconds later his alarm was going off. He yawned and turned it off before immediately calling Nate.
"Jase? What's going on, man?" Nate asked. "We're not supposed to be at the studio for another hour. I can't be late. Unless Ella did that thing where she moves all the clocks backwards again…"
Jason's brow furrowed. "What?"
Nate cleared his throat. "Sometimes when she's mad at me she'll set the clocks backward cause she knows it drives me crazy to be late."
Jason snorted. "Nice, tell Ella that I'm impressed."
"No, I'm not gonna tell her that," Nate said plainly. "I don't want anyone encouraging her. So, if I'm not late then what's up?"
"Caitlyn won't be coming in today," Jason told him.
"What happened? Is she okay?" Nate asked worriedly.
"She's fine. She just needs to rest for about a week. She danced herself into exhaustion last night. I got a call to come and pick her up at around four in the morning. I'm gonna hang around here with her for today, and see if she needs anything."
"Alright, man," Nate said. "Tell her to take her time. The recording can wait. No worries. I'll call you later to check in."
"Later, bro," Jason said as he hung up the phone.
He leaned back on the couch and finally took time to think about all the things Caitlyn said the night before. Work was bothering her. There wasn't much he could do about that. And then there was this guy she had a thing for. What kind of guy couldn't see how great Caitlyn was? This guy had to be an idiot. Jason knew how great she was. Jason understood just how truly amazing Caitlyn was. If Caitlyn wanted him…well, there's no way Jason wouldn't return that want. But, apparently, she didn't want him. She wanted this other guy. It didn't matter that Jason was the one that was always there for her.
Then again…it's not like Jason hadn't had the opportunity to make a move. He should've made a move before they became friends. Once he and Caitlyn were friends he didn't want to risk losing her by admitting how he really felt. He didn't want to scare her away or make anything awkward between them.
"Jase?" Caitlyn said in a sleepy tone as she entered the living room.
He turned and smiled softly at her. "Hey, Caity."
"You're still here," She said with a warm smile.
"I didn't want to leave in case you needed me," Jason told her honestly.
She ran a hand across his shoulders as she passed the couch and headed toward the kitchen. "You're a sweetheart, Jason. You really are."
He stood from the couch and joined her in the kitchen. "Caity?"
"Yeah?" She asked.
"You should know that this guy, whoever he is, is an idiot," He told her hesitantly.
Her brow furrowed. "What guy?"
"This guy who's all oblivious and uninterested. I don't need to know who he is. I just want you to know he's an idiot," Jason told her.
She smirked and quirked a brow at him. "I won't disagree with that."
He cleared his throat. "Do I know him?"
Caitlyn chuckled and Jason didn't quite know what to make of that. She smiled at him. "Yes."
"Who is it?" he asked.
"I thought you said you didn't need to know who it is?" Caitlyn asked.
Jason huffed. "I lied."
"Jase…"
"C'mon, Caity, it's me. You can tell me," He said with a half hearted smile.
Caitlyn sighed and smiled weakly at him. "I'll give you a hint. But that's all you get. There are context clues all over my apartment. Take a look around, Jason, and you'll probably figure out who it is."
"What do you mean?" Jason asked.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Look at the pictures sitting around my apartment and tell me who's in a majority of them."
He could answer that one without looking. He'd noticed that last night. "Me and you."
"And have you noticed all the bird items that decorate my apartment? Tell me, Jase. Who adores birds?" Caitlyn asked him with a pointed glance.
"Me," He answered with a gulp.
"And who would I keep an extra guitar for in my guest bedroom? Especially one that has hummingbirds carved on the front of it."
"Caity…is this guy…is he me?" Jason asked cautiously.
"Please, don't get all weird on me," Caitlyn said as she bit her lip and glanced at him hesitantly.
He smiled slowly. "I'm the guy you thought was oblivious and uninterested?"
"Well, aren't you?" Caitlyn asked him nervously.
"The oblivious part I can't really deny, but uninterested? Are you kidding me, Caity? I'm definitely interested. I couldn't be more interested," Jason said happily as he stepped closer to her.
She blinked at him. "A—are you serious?"
"I wouldn't joke about something like this," Jason told her. "Of course, I'm serious."
"But you can't! You're not supposed to return my feelings!" Caitlyn told him.
He smirked in confusion and amusement. "Why not?"
"Because! This is me we're talking about! I'm not that lucky! I've never been that lucky!"
"Well, I think your luck might be changing," Jason said as his arms snaked around her waist.
"Jason, I don't—"
Jason lips suddenly covered hers and Caitlyn let out a surprised whimper. Jason pulled her closer and pressed her body against his. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers dug into his hair. Jason deepened the kiss and backed Caitlyn up against her kitchen counter. Her back hit the counter and she pulled back with a giggle.
"Alright," She said with a bright smile. "You're right, my luck is changing."
"Caity," Jason said hesitantly. "I love you."
She smiled and took a deep breath and then kissed him quickly. "I love you too."
"Good, so now that that's out in the open…can you promise me something?" Jason asked softly.
"Anything," She answered.
"Stop partying all the time? Please? I really don't want to get a phone call like the one I got last night ever again," Jason told her honestly. "You scared me, you know."
Caitlyn hugged him, and then answered softly. "I promise, no more partying every night, and I'm sorry I scared you. I scared myself too." She pulled back from the embrace and placed a soft kiss just below Jason's bottom lip. She nipped at his bottom lip gently and the corners of his mouth turned upward in a mischievous smile.
"Caity," He said sternly. "Don't you need to rest?"
She ignored him and placed a slow teasing kiss on his mouth. Jason's arms tightened around her and he urgently deepened the kiss. Her back was pressed against the counter again and Caitlyn smiled against Jason's lips. She definitely didn't want to escape from this.