The sun was slowly disappearing in the Baltimore sky, taking the beautiful orange and pink shades with it. Through the deep streaks, a few stars had come out to play, inviting the moon to join them in the on coming darkness. Alex was lying on the grass, with his arms under his head for extra support. Every now and again, he would catch a glimpse of Jack pulling back the curtains to check on him, but Alex had a lot to think about by himself; and as he saw a brunette slowly walking towards him, with her perfect smile plastered on her pink lips, he knew it was now or never.

Alex slowly sat up and patted a patch of grass next to him so that she could join him on the ground. Lisa brushed a strand of hair from her eyes and nodded, willingly sitting beside him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. It'd been a while since they'd spoken, even longer since they'd seen each other, but Lisa didn't mind it all. So long as she had some part of Alex with her, she was content.

"It's a really beautiful night," Lisa commented, curling up a little closer to Alex's warm body. "I love warm nights. They're just so peaceful."

"Yeah, I guess they are."

A comfortable silence had grown over the two as the sun said goodbye and the moon said hello. The darkness had consumed them, and through the distant city lights, they could count the stars. Alex smiled to himself, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say. Admittedly, he didn't want to let Lisa go. Knowing that this young girl accepted him for who he was without any question made his heart skip a beat. She was beyond perfect, but she deserved someone much better than him. This girl deserved to be happy with someone who was willing to devote themself to her and only her.

"Lisa, listen..."

"Shhh, don't say it, Alex," she whispered, wrapping her small fingers around his arm. "I think I know what you're going to say, and don't worry, you don't have to."

"You don't even want me to explain?"

"I don't think there's anything to explain, is there? I love you Alex, and if I didn't, I wouldn't have put up with so much of your crap. You've been pulling away from me for a while, and I knew it was only a matter of time before someone else took my place. I just want you to be happy."

"It's not like someone just took your place, Lis. I know you don't think it's true, but I do love you too. I just love someone else differently... And I am happy. You did that, though. You showed me that I'm not the horrible person I thought I was. In a way, I guess you kinda fixed me."

Lisa laughed against his arm and shook her head. There were tears lingering in her eyes, but she didn't want Alex to know that. Really, she was thankful that he'd come such a long way and he was capable of being with someone else, she just wished that after everything, that someone would be her.

"I couldn't have fixed you. Why, you were never broken Alexander." She took one of her small fingers and wiped the corners of her eyes. "May I ask who it is?"

"I wish I could tell you, I really do, but I'm not ready to take that step yet." Alex sighed, twisting his body so that he could look right into her wide eyes. "Please just know that I don't want to lose our friendship. At the end of the day, I know you're someone special. Please don't hate me."

"I could never hate you, Alex, no matter how hard I try. It's part of loving someone, ya know? I just wish I hadn't let myself fall for you so hard."

Alex nodded, more so to himself, and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. He knew it'd be hard to tell Lisa that they were no more, but in some odd way, he felt a sense of peace. Now he was free to be with Jack, and he knew by the way he didn't feel sad over losing Lisa in a romantic way that he was making the right decision.

"We can still be friends, Al. It's just going to take me a while to come back around. I can't see you with someone else so soon.. I just can't."

"I get it," he nodded, feeling sadness in his heart. "I love you, Lisa. I really do."

"Yeah," Lisa pulled herself away from Alex so that she could get on her knees. She rested both of her hands on his shoulders, letting a few tears fall, and bent over to place a soft kiss on his cheek. "I love you, too, Alexander Gaskarth."

She used his shoulders to push herself the rest of the way up, and before Alex could speak another word, she was dashing from his front yard and down the street. He was going to miss that girl. Their late night conversations, the way she made him laugh, even the look in her eyes any time she saw. Like she could see something that he couldn't, a future, a good person. Now he would have to depend on Jack to make him feel good about himself, and though it seemed that would come without question, he knew Jack would never love him the way Lisa did simply because he knew Alex better than she did. They each saw him in a different light, though he felt constantly like he was in the darkness.

Alex crossed his legs and began pulling random blades of grass. The young man was excited to start his career with his band, expand his future with his best friend, but he was terribly afriad of change, and that was it. The moment had come. Everything had changed.

"Hey Al," Jack spoke softly as he trotted across the grass. It was still very warm, but the breeze had become slightly cooler, making his hands tingle from the cold beers he carried with him. "Thought you could use one of these."

"You know me so well, Jack-O," Alex forced a smile as he took the can from his friend. He popped the tab and took a long sip, welcoming the familiar bitterness. "Lisa's gone."

"I see that. What happened?"

"She knew I was going to break it off before I even got the chance to. She told me it was okay, that she still loved me and just wanted me to be happy."

"Oh. Well she's a good girl. Are you guys still friends?"

"We will be, eventually," Alex smiled weakly and pressed his lips to the can once more. Jack was now sitting beside him in the same position, staring at the street. "I hope this proves something to you, Jack."

"It does," Jack turned to him. "I'm just trying to figure out how to do this."

"Do what?"

"Well, things are kind of perfect right now. Rian is happy, Zack is back around, you and I are doing great.. I just don't want to mess anything up."

"How on Earth could you mess anything up?" Alex snorted, placing his beer between his legs.

"Alex, I want us to be more than friends with benefits. I know you aren't ready to tell anyone, but now that Lisa's gone that means I can step in. I don't want to be like her."

"Be like her?"

"A relationship is like a door, or at least that's what my mom says. When you go through it, you have to close it behind you, you can't leave it cracked because if you do, someone else can put their foot in. I don't want to leave the door open so someone else can swoop you up the way Lisa did. I want to close the door so I know that you're mine, and only mine, even if no one else can know it."

Alex's heart was beating out of his chest. He was under the impression that he and Jack were kind of already in a relationship, but hearing the words come from Jack's mouth made him nervous. Butterflies were beating around his stomach. If he and Jack were to become official, it would be Alex's first relationship, which scared him and made him happy. It was just all happening so fast. Was he ready for this?

"Okay," Jack continued, hoping Alex would say something. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I want you to be my b-boyfriend, Alex."

"Are you sure?" Alex was choked up, but he managed to speak. "There's a reason Lisa never took me seriously. I'm bad news. I hurt people. I'm a teenage drunk with a bad attitude. Are you sure you really want to take all of that on?"

Jack snorted, shaking his head. "Alex, I've been taking it on for years, you just never noticed. No one knows you like I do, and I know you're the best fucking person I've ever met. I love you dude, not like a brother, and more than a friend. Now would you please stop hating yourself, and stop being so damn stubborn? Let me love you, Alex."

"I-I just- Okay."

"Okay what?"

"If you want me to be your boyfriend, I will be."

That's all Jack needed to hear. All his hopes and dreams had come true. He beamed, tossing his beer can to the side so he could fling his body on Alex's. Falling on his back, Alex welcomed the passionate kiss Jack gave to him. For once in his life, Alex felt like he'd done something right. He exhaled softly, staring in Jack's dark eyes. The moment was perfect.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you more, Alex."

Notes

I came prepared with party hats for this chapter.
Who wants to dance?! :D