A/N: I'm sorry. I really am. Lots going on. Sooooo many projects and auditions, plus I've been trying to cope with some family issues. Anyways, kinda in a hurry right now. Enjoy!
NEWS: CHECK OUT MY JAMES SMUT The Bucket List. It's my first smut heheheh
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.
The room went dead silent for a moment before Carlos began to stammer.
"Wait, why... Why was I- Why did I punch Logan?!"
"Oh, you didn't punch him. You just, y'know, pushed him into the bar." The look that Ryan gave Carlos bridged several emotions from murderous to sarcastic and even amused. Her eyes met James's, and a mutual agreement passed through the gaze. Ryan walked away, and Carlos turned to face his taller friend who was trying not to smile. Kendall, just as confused as the Latino, raised an eyebrow.
"I guess I'm explaining," James stated, grinning smugly as Carlos's eyes widened.
"You knew about this?!" Carlos whisper-shouted. "What the hell?! Why didn't you fucking tell me-" James cut him off.
"Maybe if you'd calm your tits, I could explain." Carlos rolled his eyes, but he obeyed, arms crossed expectantly.
"Well," James began, "you all were trashed pretty early into the night- smooth move, by the way- and Logan thought that it would be a genius idea to grind all over your girlfriend-"
"Not my girlfriend," Carlos interrupted. James, Logan, and Kendall all rolled their eyes, but the taller brunette continued.
"So when you saw them getting friendly, you marched on over, the Latin Fire blazing, and you basically shoved him into the bar." Carlos stared at James for a moment, trying to process what had been said.
"And she saw it..." He said, throwing his head back and rubbing his face. Kendall tried but failed to hold in a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement.
"And you don't even care about Logan?" Carlos groaned, turning to face the blonde, a clear "shut up" written across his features. Kendall threw his hands up in surrender, the smug grin never leaving his face.
"Loges..." The Latino's voice trailed off as he glanced at the slowly forming bruise with a wince. "I'm sorry man. I was drunk off my ass-"
"Just like me, which explains why I was even..." His voice died out, not wanting to mention the apparent details of the previous night. "Yea, anyways, there's a pretty girl over there waiting for an explanation. The smile he gave Carlos was reassuring enough for the shorter of the two to realize he'd been forgiven. He pulled Logan into a man-hug that was cut short by James.
"She isn't gonna wait all day, Romeo. Save your gay-test for later," James said with a teasing smile. "And I don't know if you remember, but we have to leave for the airport at 4 to catch our flight back to LA. We kinda have that huge tour coming up, so you have just a few hours to get your girl."
4:00 rolled around sooner than anyone would've liked, and Ryan found herself driving half of the band to the airport while Alex drove with the others in Carlos's rental. Instead of confronting Ryan and explaining the situation, Carlos had chosen to ignore it and her for the last few hours he had in Weston. He said goodbye to Margaret at the diner, and he met Ryan and Alex at the shop for a last-minute meeting. Alex, having worked there the longest, was dubbed Manager, and Ryan got the role of Assistant Manager. Despite the promotion, neither person showed any form of excitement.
The car was filled with music, but not a single passenger spoke. Kendall sat up front with Ryan, but he glanced back at Logan in the rear-view mirror before pulling out his phone and sending him a text.
We have to fix this. A second later, he heard the vibration of Logan's phone and watched as the brunette rolled his eyes.
No, Carlos does.
He doesn't have the balls.
If he wants Ryan, he's gonna have to grow a pair. She's already ballsier than him.
Ballsier?
Yes. Ballsier.
I doubt that's a word.
I said it, so yes, it's a word. Kendall didn't respond to Logan's last text because they had pulled into the airport parking garage. Ryan was already at the trunk of the SUV, pulling out the boys' two duffel bags before closing the hatchback. The two slung their backpacks over their shoulders before taking their respective luggage from Ryan.
"Are the others here?" Just as she said this, Logan's phone rang for a brief second.
"They returned the car, and they're heading in," he said, waving his phone to show them the text. Nodding, Kendall and Ryan made their way to the exit of the garage and towards the airport entrance, Logan following a few feet behind.
The group stood just a few feet from the Security Check lines, simply staring at Carlos and Ryan who avoided eye contact. Alex, annoyed by the awkward atmosphere, took the first step in hopes that the others would follow.
"Well, gonna miss you, man," he said, giving Carlos a short hug and earning a chuckle from the Latino.
"I'll miss you too, Alex," he said as he laughed. After pulling away, Alex snuck a glance at Ryan who had enveloped Kendall in a hug. As the two broke apart, Logan stood with his arms open, welcoming in a slightly smiling Ryan who graciously accepted the hug. Alex then noticed Carlos intently watching the girl.
She's not mad. Alex texted Carlos. When he saw the message, he raised an eyebrow in Alex's direction.
She's just confused. Carlos gave no response to this. By then, Ryan had moved on to James, giving him a tight and loving hug. He responded with an equal amount of enthusiasm, dropping a soft kiss on the top of her head before finally pulling away.
"Take care, sweetheart." Logan raised a single eyebrow, and Kendall scrunched his in confusion. Carlos stood emotionless, so much so that Alex began to feel afraid. Noticing the tension in the air, Kendall cleared his throat.
"Well, uh, we've gotta catch our flight... So..." He looked to Logan for help.
"Uh, yea... So we should probably get going..." James and Ryan donned looks of utter confusion, but Carlos kept his frighteningly blank poker face. Alex had never seen such a look on Carlos's face, and it did not fit the Latino's teddy bear personality. Barely a second passed before the band left, leaving Alex to deal with Ryan.
"Ry, what in Satan's Hell was that?" She raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsure of the question.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She glanced back at where the guys had left and noticed a small mob forming just a little ways away from the entrance to the Security Check. The four men were lost in the crowd, but James, being the tallest, could be seen fairly easily. While signing a notebook, he caught Ryan's gaze and smiled at her for a moment before returning his attention to his fans. The exchange did not go unnoticed by Alex, and without speaking, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her to the exit.
As Kendall got situated beside Carlos, he noticed his friend biting at the tip of his thumb like he always did while he was thinking. The blonde opened his mouth to speak, but he cut himself short. Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone and texted Logan who was in the section beside him sitting by the window.
We have to do something. He saw the brunette sigh before responding and shutting down his phone for the flight.
I know.
"Ryan." Alex followed her through the store as she made adjustments to the books on the shelves. "Ryan," he tried. "Ry!"
"What?!" she shouted, spinning on her heel to face him. The sudden and unexpected response shocked Alex, but he held his ground as he spoke.
"Ryan, did... Did something happen last night?" As he spoke, his voice got softer, noticing Ryan's expression turn nervous which it almost never did.
"What are you talking about?" Her voice was soft, raspy, and unconvincing.
"James. Did something happen last night?" When she looked away, he asked again in a firmer tone. "Ryan. Did. Something. Happen?" She sighed, finally looking at him, her eyes filled with guilt.
A/N: I is evil. Lemme know what you think. IHAFTAGOIMLATEOKAYBYE!