This was inspired by the song These Nights by Avicii. It just makes me think about the festivals we have here and I just really want to write something!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or the singers, or the songs. Pretty much anything.
Three days.
Four stages.
Twenty-seven acts.
One long weekend of nothing but sun, booze, music and friends.
And hopefully a couple of streaking girls across the valley thrown in the mix.
"Yo, Toby! Let's get on the road! You'll be seeing her the sooner we leave!" Caleb Rivers shouted from his car. A moment later, Toby Cavanaugh came through the front door of the house, grinning at his friend as he talked into his phone. He hung up a moment later and slid into the passenger side and slammed the door shut. "You ready?"
"I'm ready," Toby shot him a grin and nodded. Caleb turned over the engine of his car and reversed down the driveway. It was just before seven; they wanted to get an early start on the day so that they arrived at the camp site well before the festival was to start. The summer sun was already rising in the sky, and Toby leaned forward to turn the air conditioning on as they sped down the highway. Something soft was playing on the radio before a fimilar, up-beat song came on and Caleb turned up the beat. Freakin' Out bounced from the speakers and filled the car, pumping up both of the boys, who turned to grin at each other.
Toby had been going out with his girlfriend, Spencer Hastings, for six or seven months. They met when he was helping his mum and step-dad move into Rosewood and they had just clicked. The distance between their two towns wasn't too much, maybe an hour and a halves drive, but with work and her intense University schedule, they only saw each other a couple times a month. Caleb had met her a handful of times, and apart from being a little uptight, he liked her well enough. He had never met any of her friends, though, and hoped that they weren't obsessively girly girls, or complete light weights.
Or this weekend could be a bust.
"So when are we meeting up with the girls?" Caleb asked as he pushed his sunglasses further up his nose and squinted up at the sun that was burning down as though it was mid-afternoon and not nine-thirty in the morning.
"Around four or five? Apparently there's some singers they want to see today that they know we won't be keen on," Toby replied.
"Well I'm liking the sound of them already," Caleb smirked.
They arrived at the campsite that backed onto the festival just after ten. The place was already packed and there were countless people who had jump started their drinking. Caleb parted next to their reserved spot and they set up their ten quickly.
"Are the girls camping?" Caleb asked as they dumped their blankets into the tent.
"Nah, they got in early and managed to get one of the cabins," Toby nodded to the back of the campsite where there were several lines of cabins.
"Ooh, think they'll let us use their showers?" Caleb raised an eyebrow hopefully.
"Sorry, man," Toby shrugged. "It's literally just a cabin—they still have to use the communal showers and toliets."
A loud squeal of a speaker drew their attention, a booming voice announcing that the front gates were now open and the first act would be starting in half an hour. A cheer went up from the crowd and everyone began bustling forward. Caleb almost lost Toby in the sea of people, who were flooding through the gates, but found him again just after one of the burly security guards scanned his wrist band. They had already figured the first stage they wanted to go for and bee-lined their way over.
The morning was everything the boys hoped for. They went to three different acts—Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal and an indie rock band Caleb couldn't remember the name of. They joined in the throngs of thousands of people dancing, witnessed the first of people throwing up from drinking too quickly and seen a couple sets of nice looking tits from girls flashing the cameras that were projecting onto the large screens above the crowds. They brought their first beer just after twelve, and then their second when they got lunch at one of the food carts.
They wandered between the stages for an hour or so, their bodies thrumming from the vibrant energy that was bouncing off everyone. There were girls running around in tiny shorts and bikini tops, and guys fist-pumping and cheering each other on as they drank. Somewhere between the second and third stages, Caleb lost Toby. He sent off a text and got a reply a couple minutes later, saying that he was going to meet up with Spencer and he would see him soon. Caleb brushed it off, not minding as he reached the fourth stage where David Guetta was preforming. The speakers were literally shaking to the point where they looked like they were going to explode. People were dancing, screaming out the lyrics, jumping up and down—one couple looked as though they may actually be having sex against of the raised platforms. Caleb laughed as they were broken up by security. He blended into the crowd, letting himself get lost in the beat to the older songs like Memories and Who's That Chick. The final song had just started playing when there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and faced two gorgeous girls.
One was a petite brunette wearing some crazy feather earrings and a short dress, printed with blue and white daises. But it was her slightly taller, blonde friend that really caught his attention.
She was wearing a plain pair of black jandals, ripping denim mini-shorts and a slightly cropped pink and grey singlet that showed her toned midriff. Her hair was in a high pony-tail with a couple strands escaping and framing her face. There were patches of pink and purple through her hair, which Caleb thought were pretty cute, and she looked as though she was wearing minimal make up, which he also liked.
He blinked as he realized she was talking to him.
"Sorry, what?" He asked, sounding like an idiot. The two girls clearly thought so as well, because they exchanged grins.
"I said, I'm too short to see and this is my favorite song by him. Can I go on your shoulders?" The blonde repeated, shouting to be heard over the music. Caleb raised his eyebrows, a hundred different thoughts running through his head like, one; her friend was even shorter than her and two; the huge screens probably zoomed in further than anything she would see from his shoulders. Thankfully, he didn't voice any of this out loud, and just knelt down to let her get on. Her legs were smooth as she balanced herself and he rose back to his feet slowly, careful not to dislodge her. Her friend stood next to him, grinning and jumping up and down to the music. The blonde on his shoulders was wiggling around and singing along to the music, and Caleb tightened his grip on her thighs to keep her from falling.
Near the end of the song, the camera panned across the crowd, and paused where they were. Caleb watched the screens, laughing and then freezing in shock as the blonde saw that she was being filmed. She hooked her fingers under her shirt and pulling it—along with her bra—up, revealing her perky breasts to the hundreds of people watching the screen.
A cheer went up from the crowd, and the drunken boys in front of them turned around to leer at the stunning blonde.
The screen cut back to the DJ on stage and soon the song ended. Caleb let her down, holding her hand as she attempting to regain her balance while laughing so hard that tears were gathering in the corners of her gorgeous blue eyes.
"Thanks!" She managed to say, before she reached up and kissed him hard on the mouth. Caleb was so surprised he didn't even have time to return the pressure before she was running away, hand in hand with her dark haired friend, both of them giggling.
"Fuck," Caleb muttered as she disappeared into the crowds. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, reading a message from Toby that said to meet him at the water station. He made his way there, easily spotting his friend, who was standing with his girlfriend and another girl.
"Hey, Spence," Caleb greeted her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, Caleb," Spencer grinned at him. "This is my friend, Emily, and we're just waiting on the two others." Caleb and Emily Fields exchanged 'hello's' before the two girls started talking and Toby turned to Caleb.
"You good, man?" Toby squinted at his friend. "Think you might need some water, you look a little red."
"Dude," Caleb began. "There was this girl—"
"She actually did it!" Came a shout from behind them and Spencer and Emily looked up from their conversation. "She actually went and did it."
"Oh my god, you little slut!" Spencer shouted, but she was grinning and clearly didn't mean for the word to be offensive.
"There was this hot guy." Now that voice sounded slightly familiar and a lot closer than the first one. "And after I—oh, shit." Caleb turned around to face who was speaking and his eyes widened as he realized it was the blonde, and her friend.
"Wait," Spencer looked between a shocked Caleb and her blonde friend, and then a hysterical brunette. "Oh, God, seriously, Hanna?!"
"We-ell," Hanna dragged out the word, scrunching up her nose adorably. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you again." Caleb finally managed a laugh and ran his hand awkwardly through his hair.
"Caleb, these are my friends—Aria and Hanna," Spencer said. The brunette, Aria Montgomery, stepped forward, grinning broadly as she stuck out her hand.
"Hey! I'm the one who didn't get their tits out for everyone to see!" She said by way of introduction as she shook his hand.
"And I'm the one who did," Hanna Marin piped up, waving awkwardly from behind her friend.
"Yeah, I know," Caleb replied, an eyebrow quirked.
"Well, since you guys are all acquainted, think we should walk into town for dinner?" Spencer asked from behind Toby.
"Sounds good," Toby agreed, grinning from his friend to Hanna.
She was cute.
And funny.
And she held a heated conversation about the latest Star Wars movie, which was definitely a plus in his books.
After they got dinner at one of the fast food joints in town, they walked back to the campsite. Toby and Spencer were making eyes at each other as though they weren't going to be able to make it through the night without each other. The girls pulled their friend away, shouting their goodbyes over their shoulder as they left. Caleb watched them go—or more specifically, watched Hanna go. As soon as they were out of sight, he turned to Toby.
"Do you know if she's seeing anyone?" Toby laughed and shook his head.
"A pretty face shows you a little attention and you turn into a girl about it?"
"Dude," Caleb raised his eyebrows, an expression of wonderment on his face. "She showed me a lot more than a little attention."
The second day of the festival was even better than the first. The girls were easy going and Caleb got on well with them. Hanna was wearing a tie-dyed pink and blue dress today, her wavy hair bouncing around her shoulders and framing her face, with a pair of jandals and a couple of string anklets. She looked cute and casual, unlike a lot of the girls there who were trying far to hard to dress things up. They had hot chips for lunch, Hanna stealing from everyone elses portion as well as eating all of her own.
"Imagine Dragons are playing now," Emily announced. "Does anyone have anywhere else they want to go?"
"Ooh, I love them!" Hanna clapped her hands excitedly. At least they had good taste in music, Caleb conceded as they followed the girls. He and Caleb snagged a couple of beers on the way there, and then acted as human buffers to get the girls close to the stage. Caleb only knew a few of the songs, but he liked them well enough, and knew the words to a couple of the choruses. The girls were jumping up and down and singing, and Caleb couldn't help his eyes straying to the blonde who was dancing with her arms above her head. She caught his eye at one point and shot him a small smile. They stayed until the end of the days acts, so it was dark by the time they were walking back to the campsite, close to nine o'clock.
"We'll walk you girls back to your cabin," Toby said, wrapping his arm around Spencer's waist. The couple walked out in front, Aria and Emily close behind them. Hanna was a few steps behind the two, and Caleb was just to the side. She stepped around a tent pin, not noticing the string that was attached. She would have face planted the ground if Caleb hadn't jumped forward and grabbed her.
"Shit," Hanna muttered, regaining her footing and looking up at him. Her makeup was a little smudged after a day in the sun and she looked a little tired but her blue eyes were glowing brightly up at him. "Thanks."
"No problem," Caleb smiled widely down at her. She didn't move for a moment, before clearing her throat and continuing to walk with him behind their friends.
But she didn't let go of her hand.
"Okay, so the final act is pretty much the most important part of this whole festival," Spencer said, her expression serious. Caleb tilted his head to the side, raising his eyebrows at the way Spencer was addressing them. It was lunch, and they had managed to find a spot on the grass to sit and eat, shaded slightly by a tree from the burning sun. Spencer was standing up, with the paper line up sheet of the festival's acts in her hand. "I vote that we go to Avicii."
"Ooh, yes!" Hanna stuck her hand up and waved it around like a little kid. "I second that."
"Who else is on?" Caleb asked, sticking a nacho in his mouth.
"Florence and the Machine," Spencer scrunched up her nose. "Who I would want to go and see but I reckon that Avicii would put on an awesome final show."
"I think Avicii," Aria added. Everyone nodded and Spencer grinned and folded the piece of paper up, putting it into her back pocket.
"So before then, I want to see Ella Henderson, and Bastille—"
"Whoa, whoa," Toby reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling her down so that she was sitting in the grass next to him. "You need to take a breath and just enjoy the day."
"But—"
"No," Toby laughed and leaned in to kiss her, cutting her off. "Eat your nacho's, and relax." Aria grinned and threw a daisy that she had picked up from the ground at her organized friend.
"You should know that the word 'relax' doesn't really exist in the Hastings dictionary," she told Toby.
"Hey!" Spencer protested. "Is too!"
"You were lining us up and ordering us around back when we had afternoon naps and juice boxes," Hanna pointed out.
"You still take afternoon naps," Spencer shot back.
"And juice boxes," Emily grinned.
"You guys suck," Hanna muttered, but she was grinning as she finished off her nachos.
"Everyone ready to get back out there?" Toby asked, hearing another band strike up, everyone coming together again after their lunch break.
"Sounds good!" Hanna piped up, standing and wiping down the grass that was sticking to her thighs and knees. She stretched, the crocheted white top she was wearing lifting up and baring her toned stomach, and Caleb couldn't help but glance up at her. He thought he was being subtle about it, but Toby nudged him in the side and shot him a grin. "Well?" It took him a moment, but he realized that Hanna was talking to him, holding out a hand to help him stand. He took it and got up, going the extra step to throw an arm around her shoulders. It was loosely, allowing her the room to move away if she wanted to, but she just stared down at her friends expectantly. "We going or what?"
Despite Spencer's slightly neurotic way of going about it, she had been right.
The final act of the festival was going to be the most exciting. The last day went until midnight, rather than nine o'clock, and there was also a firework show.
It was almost ten before they started making their way to the second staging area for the last event. It was already packed full with people, all looking a little tired about three days of non stop dancing and drinking and singing, but still excited for one final show. There were a couple of people walking through the crowds, selling glow sticks and beer. Toby hailed one over and brought a round of beer for everyone. Hanna pulled her wallet out of the back pocket of her shorts as she scanned over the glow sticks. She picked out a couple of pink and blue ones, along with a few little plastic snaps that would a pair together.
"I got it," Caleb told her, handing over a couple of notes to cover the cost.
"You didn't have to," Hanna said, glancing up at him.
"It's all good," he replied. He turned away, to face the stage, but looked back when he felt movement. Hanna had moved up so she was directly behind him, her face down as she snapped the glow sticks and shook them. She circled a few of them and clipped on the plastic snaps, putting some around her neck and two around her wrists.
"This ones for you," she grinned, holding up a pink glow stick. He put out his wrist as she clipped it and then nodded. "Not bad."
"Thanks," Caleb smirked. "It takes a guy who's very comfortable with his manliness to pull off pink."
"Hey," Hanna tilted her head to the side, giving him the cute little half smile he had seen several times and fallen in love with over the weekend. "I said 'not bad'. Don't take too much from that." Caleb grinned back but didn't reply. The act began, and the crowd was going wild—even Spencer was getting into it. There was so much energy in the crowd that the place was vibrating, although Caleb had a feeling that the buzzing that was running across his skin had something to do with the blonde next to him. Everyone was crushed together, which meant she was pushed into his side, but that didn't make an excuse for the fact she was holding his hand.
It was the last song, and fireworks were already starting to go off.
People were going crazy. There were girls on guys shoulders, and people spilling their drinks from red solo cups as they danced.
One day my father—he told me
"Son, don't let it slip away."
He took me in his arms, I heard him say
Everyone was singing, even Toby, who made a point not to.
Spencer had her arm around her boyfriend, and the other around Emily. Emily and Aria were holding hands, and Aria's other arm was liked with Hanna's. Hanna looked up at him, a grin on her face, and Caleb knew that he was never going to forget the expression on her face.
Her hair was a mess—a gorgeous, wavy mess—and it was bouncing around her face. There were colors splashed against her skin—pink and blue from the glow sticks at her neck, greens and gold from the fireworks that were bursting overhead, silver and purple from the strobe lights. She was smiling widely, a smile that crossed her whole face and made her blue eyes dance; clearly not a care in the world.
He said, "One day you'll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember."
My father told me when I was just a child
These are the nights that never die
Caleb didn't need to think twice as he reached down, slipping a hand around her neck and drawing her in close to him. His lips came down on hers as another firework burst overhead, his warm mouth molding over hers. There was a slight squeak of surprise, but then she turned so that her body was facing his and her hands wrapped around his waist. Caleb's hands moved from her neck to tangle in her hair, his tongue slid past her lips, tracing her teeth and her warm mouth. Every nerve in his body was on fire as he got caught up in the kiss, the atmosphere surrounding them, making the whole experience with his gorgeous festival girl even more surreal.
When they finally pulled apart, they realized that their friends were no longer watching the stage, but them, and they were grinning and cheering.
He didn't say anything, wrapping his arm around Hanna so that she was hugged close to his side and threw his fist in the air, singing along, his voice mingling with the thousands of other people who were all part of creating this moment with him that was going to replay in his mind for years to come.
These are the nights that never die
My father told me
Now, two things that have made me get the feels over the past week. Went to the beach for a long weekend with a couple of my girls, which was awesome. Admittedly, we only actually went down to the beach once and spent the rest of it drinking wine and eating pizza and watching Geordie Shore and Ex On The Beach marathons, but it was perfect. The second thing is the song Haunt by Bastille. Oh my GOD. That song just makes me ache every time I hear it! It's so perfect, I just get the shivers.