You're Not Alone.

"All the days that you were stressed out,
feeling like pulling your hair out; they
were all missing, but I was here listening.
You've gotta believe in me. Even if you
can't see me there, I'll catch you when
you fall."

Beads of sweat dripped down Kendall's neck as the high, hot lights beat down on his skin. The white walls seemed to be closing in around him as his Van's-clad feet began to feel like lead under him. His breath hitched when he searched the crowd of diverse people, scattered all over the large, spacious room, and tripped over a forgotten suitcase. Forgotten. Kendall forced his long body to come to a stop for a mere few seconds, using one hand to wipe the moisture from his forehead, the other to push his messy, blonde hair back out of his face.

Still searching, his green eyes shone with worry as he began running again. He couldn't let her think she had been forgotten, that she was alone.

When he frantically stopped a security guard, he didn't mean to bring his hand down so hard on the man's shoulder as he breathlessly said, "Flight… 121…" As soon as the baffled guard pointed a reluctant, chubby finger, Kendall saw her, and memories came rushing back.

"Excuse me, miss?" Kendall's concerned green eyes fell upon this trembling, average-sized girl that was all alone. When she looked up at him, he saw the tears streaming down her face and immediately stooped to his knees. "Shhh…it's okay." He wrapped his long arms around this stranger and held her tight. Kendall had always had a big heart. He couldn't stand to see anyone cry, ever.

He let her sob into his chest for longer than he can remember until she finally pulled back to look at his face. Without even thinking about it, he began to wipe her tears as if he'd known her his whole life, noticing her ocean blue eyes for the first time. And this pitiful girl was gazing at him, and Kendall figured she finally realized a complete stranger was comforting her, but it wasn't a look of worry that sat upon her face. Maybe confusion? Kendall wasn't sure.

He was sitting on the floor now, completely level with her, and he was sure they were getting stared at. Not many people sat on the floor at an airport with so many available chairs around. Let alone many people who didn't even know each other. But as mentioned, Kendall had a big heart.

Her sobbing had subsided and her tears slowed. Kendall would never know it was because she was looking at his kind face. He absentmindedly kept his fingertips lightly pressed to her cheekbone as he said, "This is probably horrible of me to ask, but, are you okay?"

His bright, caring eyes bore into hers and she chuckled nervously. He awkwardly tore his fingers away from her face. Right, he thought, too comfortable. People always tried to tell him he was too comfortable with strangers, but perhaps that's why his calling was to be a musician. But the girl in front of him slightly smiled. "Thank you." She murmured. "I um, really appreciate this." When she looked down at her trembling hands, Kendall took notice of the casually messy way her light brown hair fell over her shoulders, and mentally sighed. This girl was beautiful.

"It's not a problem at all," he smiled warmly. "It makes me happy to be the one to put a beautiful smile like that on someone's face." Oops. That line kind of slipped out.

Color flooded her cheeks and a real smile appeared on her face. "I'm Paisley, and my boyfriend of two years dumped me by not showing up to pick me up from the airport after a one month trip overseas." She seemed surprised at herself at how easily those words came out, and Kendall retained the anger he felt towards this "boyfriend" of hers for pulling such a douche move.

He kept a cool, easy-going tone to follow hers. "Well I'm Kendall, and I hate assholes who pull crap like that." He paused. "And I have to say, I am pleased to meet you Paisley." The name rolled off his tongue like it was meant to be there; like he had been saying it his whole life.

When she laughed, it was like a song to his ears and he couldn't help but let a goofy grin stretch across his face. He propped his arm casually up onto the seat of the chair next to him, and rested his head there. "So tell me about yourself Paisley," the hint of a grin was still present on his face. He figured keeping her mind off of her heartbreak like he had been doing would be best.

And once the conversation started, it never seemed to end. Kendall brought Paisley home that night and easily gave her his number, telling her that if she still wanted to talk when he left, that he was all ears.

And she did. She called him once she was settled in her home, and they talked through the early hours of the morning.

Kendall's hands violently trembled as he slowly approached her from behind. He hadn't seen her in a year, and he knew she thought she was long forgotten by him. But she wasn't by a long shot. Kendall thought about her every hour of every day, waiting for the moment he'd lay his eyes on her again. Tour got crazy and he couldn't call her like he used to, something he regretted more than anything. Then he got home from tour and found that she had gone, on another crazy trip overseas and no one knew when she would be back. She didn't answer his calls anymore. He had never wished he could go back in time more than he did then. He should've manned up and made her his when he had the chance.

"I just don't know what to do anymore, Kendall." Paisley shook her head furiously, pacing back and forth across her bedroom. Kendall was sitting on her bed, his worried eyes following her every move. She sure knew how to pick them, Kendall thought. Everyone in Paisley's life treated her like complete shit, everyone but Kendall.

"Like, I thought he had changed!" she choked on a built up sob, pausing for only a moment to regain her composure. "And then, and then… my friend? How could-… either one of them-…" Her fingers were tangled in her hair at his point, close to ripping it out, and that was when Kendall knew to intervene.

He jumped up and grabbed her hands almost forcefully, but gently at the same time. Something many knew only Kendall could pull off. "Listen to me." She tried pulling her hands from his grasp but he only pulled her whole body closer, clasping their hands desperately and holding them to his chest. "Listen!" She whimpered, but stared into his determined emerald eyes and calmed down enough to do what he said. "Stop going back to Evan. Stop." He spoke firmly, hoping he could break through her mindset that this guy was going to change. "He's always gonna treat you and other girls like shit, because that's the kind of guy he is." He sighed and his tone softened. "I can't sit around and watch him hurt you like this anymore. So please," he pleaded. "Please, as my best friend, promise me this. Promise me you won't go back to him."

She released a shaky breath, and nodded ever so slightly, whispering, "I promise." And then sobs completely overtook her and she collapsed into his arms. He wrapped himself tightly around her, leading her to her bed and just holding her. "Please don't leave me, Kendall," she pleaded.

"Shhh." He kissed the top of her hair, holding her tighter. "I'll stay till it's over, sweetheart. As long as you need me."

But she did go back to Evan. When he was too busy playing shows to call her, he heard from a friend back home that she had fallen for that asshole again, because of course, he had changed. But that was why he was here now. Because Evan hadn't changed, just like Kendall knew he never would.

Kendall had only been back in town from a second tour for a couple of days, when he ventured out to his favorite coffee shop stop in LA, a small, sort of underground business where he liked to go to think. But instead of finding peace, he found Evan.

Evan taunted him as soon as he set his sights on him, recognizing him as Paisley's "little friend" immediately. Kendall demanded to know what Evan was doing there. After all, this was Kendall's place of refuge. He couldn't have someone like this douchebag tainting the air he breathed. And that's when Evan dropped the bomb that had Kendall running for the airport in seconds. Evan was supposed to be picking Paisley up from there as she was finally back from her three month long trip overseas, but he wasn't going to. He was going to leave her there. Again.

Kendall watched as Paisley's figure slumped, her body racking with sobs that rolled through her like waves. Just look over your shoulder, he thought. I'm here. But his pace slowed still, and for once in his life he couldn't find his voice to call her name, he couldn't move his limbs to reach out and hold her. He could only watch as her trembling hands dropped her bags to the floor next to her, and she frustratingly ran them through her beautiful brown hair, ducking her head and very obviously trying not to sob louder than a mere whimper.

He opened his mouth but his throat was still dry of words. He was only a few feet behind her now. His eyes glistened with fresh tears threatening to fall, and he just wished she would turn around.

And then her knees buckled, and he somehow made it in front of her before she fell to the ground. He caught her. "Kendall…" she breathed as he held her up with one arm wrapped her around her back, holding her body close to his.

His free hand caressed her face and his fingers tangled into her hair, as he shook his head, barely able to breathe. He still couldn't find his voice, but now he knew it was because he was about to cry. So instead, he planted a sweet, soft kiss to her lips. Something he had dreamed about doing since he met her.

She gasped against his lips and he pulled back to examine her face. Her lightly tanned skin, her supple lips, her dimples that were identical to his, the dark freckle on her cheek, her long eyelashes, and then he found himself lost in those ocean blue eyes that were unlike any he had ever seen, and he dipped his head to connect their lips again without hesitation. How had he gone the last year without seeing her face? And how had he survived the two and a half years of their knowing each other without the feeling of her lips moving against his? He didn't know if he could ever turn back from this feeling, and desperately hoped that her kissing him back meant she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Paisley suddenly retracted, gasping for air. "Kendall!" her voice was almost a whisper.

"I'm so sorry, Pais. I could never tell you how sorry I am that I stopped calling. I was out of line. And- and I love you, Paisley. Take that whichever way you want but I just can't keep it from you anymore. I've been dying this past year without you, and… and…" His voice seemed to be failing him again.

But she simply cupped his cheek with her hand, and he let his face fall into it, squeezing his eyes shut right before she whispered, "I love you, too, Kendall," and planted a gentle kiss to his trembling lips.

"You don't have to wonder anymore," he rested his forehead against her own. "You're not alone, baby girl." He kissed her one more time. "Not anymore."

"I'll be here for you no matter
what comes around the corner.
As long as I am breathing you
won't have to worry no more."