Long Live Us

*Rian pov*

Rian pushed the door open, breathing in the weird smell that clung to this whole building. It was a Sunday afternoon, so he was at work, at the local supermarket. It was quite busy, and queues were already forming at the tills, making the boy thankful it was his turn to be hidden out the back in the storage room. He walked through the store towards the back, smiling politely at everyone seeing as he was in his uniform – absolutely hating the dark green colour. He hated wearing polo shirts at all, the collars were always so uncomfortable, and this one was no exception. Upon reaching the door to the store room, he pumped the code in to the panel and the door sprung open and he walked in. His boss was sorting through the order papers and gave Rian a small nod to acknowledge his entrance. The short haired boy returned the gesture and wove his way through the piles of stuff on the floor before reaching the store room. The room was huge, and quite dark, and had a musky smell to it. Rian put his bag down where other bags had been deposited, and went over to the board with his name on it. He pulled off the check sheet and scanned over what he would be doing.
‘Count soups, new order for vegetables, look over bread and pastries’ for sell by dates.’ He read, content that he wasn’t doing anything that bad. Placing the new order would be a bit of a drag, as it always was, but it wasn’t too bad. Work would be bearable for the boy today. Removing his phone from his pocket and plugging his headphones in, he walked over to aisle where the soup cans were, with his paper in hand. He put a headphone in, so that he could still hear what was going on around him, and set to work counting the tins. The lines seemed endless, all arranged in the right brands and flavour and the organisation made Rian’s head spin, it was just weird for him, even after working here for over a year, he could never get used to the high amount of organisation. It took him a solid forty minutes to count all the tins, reaching a grand total of 293, so he set off to complete task three, saving the new order for last. When he walked down the bread aisle, he bumped into Hannah.
“Hey you!” she grinned in greeting as she sorted out the new order of Mr Kipling cakes that must have just arrived.
“What’s up sister?” he replied, turning to the other side of the aisle and picking up the first loaf of bread, scanning the packet for the sell-by date. The pair descended into chatter as they completed their respective tasks. Rian had nearly filled a bin bag with out of date bread, and was now starting on the pastries and cakes that were stacked up on the next few shelves.
“Hey I’ve been meaning to ask. What’s the deal with your mate Jack? I thought he was straight?” Hannah asked, turning around to look at the short haired boy with a puzzled look on her face. Rian chuckled, not entirely sure how to answer the question considering the only conversation he had had with Jack was the one where he confessed to himself, Zack and Josh about what he was thinking. But the boy had never actually confirmed that he was 100% gay. However, the flustered and embarrassed look that was sketched onto Alex’s and Jack’s faces on Friday made Rian think that something had happened and that they were both definitely gay.
“I’m not totally sure to be honest. I think he likes Alex but doesn’t know if he’s gay or it’s just him.” Rian said with a shrug, looking at Hannah to show he genuinely knew nothing more.
“Hmm. It’s always the hot ones, isn’t it?” she replied with a chuckle and a wink, before turning back to continue the stacking.
“Oh, so because I’m staright you don’t think I’m hot?” Rian retorted, trying to sound offended.
“Shut up Rian.” She replied, shaking her head and not even turning around. Rian chuckled and returned to his own work, wanting to get home and to bed. Or too his drums. The rest of the shift went by relatively quiet, neither of them saying much, both just lost in their own little worlds.

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That Thursday Rian discovered Jack and Jenna were doing their first performance and the short haired boy quietly hoped it wasn’t a soppy song for Alex in return for the song that was so obviously about Jack that was performed the week before. Rian and Alex were walking to music together, not bothering to talk, but enjoying the silence. Mr Wilkinson had let them out of form early, so they arrived at the music lesson a few minutes for the bell.
“Let’s just go in.” Rian grunted when they got to the classroom, opening the door and leading Alex in. What they walked into was Jenna and Jack having one of their stupid “relationship” arguments that they had all the time. Rian had labelled them this because they were a regular occurrence, but the pair would never not talk to each other or stay annoyed for more than a minute or two. This one seemed to be about the performance, which was happening in less than ten minutes.
‘Trust Jack..’ Rian said to himself, as he grabbed a chair and placed it where they would be setting up the seating area, Alex following his actions and sitting close to him, worry evident in his brown eyes. It was blindingly obvious how much he cared for Jack – every tiny thing that happened to the tall boy and Alex would be worrying.
“Jenna I don’t want to sing I don’t need to!” Jack said loudly, throwing his hands in the air at the blonde girl who just rolled her eyes.
“I don’t care it sounds better with you!” She retorted, crossing her arms and looking up at the boy. “It’s not like anyone hasn’t heard you sing anyway, what’s the big deal?”
“For fuck’s sake.” Jack muttered under his breath, huffing and grabbing his guitar that was lying on the table and hooking the strap over his shoulder. He walked over to the stool that was set up and sat down quickly, huffing again. Before anyone else could say anything, the bell sounded, and the rest of the class started filling in. Rian waited for Cass to come in, making sure he shuffled over enough so there was space for her next to him. It was safe to say he really really REALLY liked the girl, and with that obviously came the desire to walk around and be able to say that she was his girlfriend, but he was worried about putting a label on what they already had, and potentially ruining a perfect friendship. Despite his worries, he knew he would one day, one day soon hopefully, when he had the confidence, and had planned something nice enough so that it would be special.
“Hey sweetie.” Cass greeted, sitting down next to him and shooting him one of her dazzling grins, that made the boy feel weak at the knees.
“Hey beautiful.” He replied casually, before returning his attention back to the front, eager to see what the pair had been making a big deal over. Miss Jackson told them what to do and gave them the countdown, and the camera started rolling.
“Jenna McDougall, 5194.” The girl said brightly, smiling widely at Jack, causing the boy to smile back.
“Jack Barakat, 5022.”
“This song is called Thank You And Goodnight.” The pre-recorded music began playing and Jack started strumming the guitar, looking down at the strings – obviously trying not to look at Jenna, the audience, or the microphone that was positioned by his head. Rian had heard Jenna sing once or twice, but had never truley appreciated how good of a singer she was. But her voice sounded so effortless, filling the room with the beauty it held. She was good, nobody could deny that, and she was faultless.
“I'm feeling stuck here, Break it up, break it up. A little low here, Take it up, take it up. I'm getting bored here, Shake it up with me, now."
Rian chuckled as Jack shot Jenna a glare, before turning his head towards the microphone and singing his own bit.
“You think you're playing a game, Well, it's playing you. I think you all look the same, But who's blaming you? Well I know that you can't help it.”
The rest of the song went on, sometimes singing together, swapping who was doing backing, and by the end Rian could see that Jack loved it. When he strummed the last chord, the class stood up and clapped, Tay and Alex next to him going mad, jumping around and cheering ten times louder than everyone else. The rest of the lesson was spent congratulating them, and talking about all things music, and Rian made sure he stuck to Cassadee’s side the whole lesson, as did Jack with Alex. Which helped him not feel too weird.

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That Saturday was the last weekend that Josh, Dan, Matt, Max and Chris would be spending in America, which was a massive deal, so they were all going out to have one last meal. The gang had christened it “The Last Supper”. Rian had been elected organiser, and had booked a table in a French Restaurant he had loved to go too when he was younger, and he had mixed in tonight with a really cute and cheesy idea to maybe ask Cass out officially. However before he could think about that, he had to help the restaurant set up and get every fine detail into place. He had decided on wearing his dark grey-blue dress shirt with his dark denim jeans and black vans, carrying a coat on his arm in case it was colder later. The restaurant was fairly big, with old fashioned decor, but had the atmosphere of a place aimed at younger people. Because they had booked a table for sixteen, there was a long table, made up of smaller ones pushed together, stretching down the back wall of the restaurant, so they could be loud without disturbing the rest of the restaurant too much.
‘Perfect.' Rian thought when he laid his eyes on the table, and nodded at how the waiter was setting up the napkins and table decor. It looked great; you could tell it was a special occasion.
“Thanks guys, you’ve done a brilliant job.” He said with a smile, admiring their work. Everyone else was due to arrived any minute – but it was pretty much guaranteed that Jack, and therefore Alex, would be late, and Josh and Abi wouldn’t make it bang on time either, so there was no point getting ready to rare up fully just yet. He ordered himself a glass of lemonade and sat down in one of the seats, admiring the place. Rian hadn’t been to the place in years, but it hadn’t changed one bit. The walls reminded him of happy memories he had of his childhood, and he smiled reminiscing in the days where everything was so easy and carefree. He was snapped from his daydream when Dan entered, followed closely by Matt. Both had on their dress shirts with jeans, Dan topping it off with a denim jacket, while Matt went leather.
“Hey boys.” Rian greeted when they reached the table.
“Wow this looks great!” Dan commented as his eyes scanned the table and then the room, and his gaze returned to Rian, his eyes bright and mouth spread in a wide grin. Rian thought Dan always looked really different when he smiled properly, like the grin completely changed the features of his face. Dan and Matt took their coats off and hung them over chairs, before sitting down and ordering drinks when the waiter came over. The three boys talked easily amongst themselves, waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive. Soon after Jenna, Tay and Cass showed up, all dressed up and looking wonderful. As always, Rian’s eyes were drawn to Cassadee, and he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. The girl noticed and blushed, smiling shyly. The usual butterflies erupted in the boy's stomach, and he admitted that this was quickly growing into something much bigger than a crush. It had been for ages, but still. The girls sat down, Jenna and Tay saving seats for Jack and Alex while Cass came and sat down next to where Rian was. Once again chatter descended over the group, until the door burst open and Jack arrived, looking round proudly when he spotted the table.
"I TOLD you I knew where I was going and I TOLD you we wouldn't be late. HA!" He said loudly, sticking his tongue out towards the door before walking over to the table. Alex followed him, looking agitated and grumbling quietly to himself. Rian chuckled, obviously the brown haired boy wasn't quite used to Jack and all of his quirks. When the pair reached the table they said hello to everyone and took their seats between Tay and Jenna, Jack leaning over to kiss Alex's temple when they sat down.
"They're cute." Cass whispered to Rian, and he nodded in agreement. He thought the boys were good for each other and that they fitted together like pieces of a puzzle. It was obvious they brought the best out of one another, and he hoped they would look after each other - whether they were friends or more. Soon after their arrival Lucy and Hayley arrived with Max, Zack and Chris, and then Josh and Abi arrived last - but that was no surprise. Everyone settled down, ordered drinks and just enjoyed being together, as one big group. It was sad to think that a gathering like this wouldn't happen properly for probably years, yet Rian was happy that the five boys were moving onto better, bigger and greater things.
"Right I want to make a toast!" Everyone groaned when Jack spoke loudly across the table, standing up. He pouted in response, glaring at everyone. Rian rolled his eyes, there were no words to describe that boy.
"So obviously we're here today to celebrate five boys moving across the Atlantic next week. And as much as we will miss them, we hope for the best for them, and wait patiently for the day they return to America rich and famous so Josh can buy me a speedboat or something!" He sent a grin in said boys direction, making him laugh, his pointy teeth on full show as his eyes glowed brightly.
"So cheers!" He finishes, raising his glass, making everyone else do the same, and the room was filled with everyone else agreeing with what he said and saying cheers as well, and clunking their glasses together. When Rian turned to cheers Cass, their gazes met and he felt himself blush, and he knew today was the day. He would do it.

"Just follow me." Rian said, grabbing Cassadee's hand and leading her round the back of the restaurant. Only them, Jack, Alex, Zack, Jenna and Tay were still at the restaurant, so Rian was putting his plan into action. He was nervous, but he knew this was all he wanted.
"Where are we going?" The girl asked, confused, as she allowed him to lead her away. He didn't reply, simply walked with her up the stone stairs at the back of the restaurant. They reached the top of stairs and emerged onto the roof of the restaurant. Not many people knew about up here, but it was beautiful. The stars seemed so much closer, and you could see right over town, all the lights glowing brightly under the evening sky. Rian had asked the waiters to put a bench up here for tonight, so the pair went and sat on it. Cass gazed at the sky and ten the skyline, her eyes reflecting the lights as they glowed brightly.
"Wow, this is beautiful." She murmured, letting her gaze dance over the buildings of the town. Rian did the same, loving how care-free you would feel whenever you sat up here and just looked. Admiring what's around you was something people didn't do often enough. People get so caught up in what they're doing that they forget the wonders and beauty that are surrounding them every single day.
Before he got complete lost in daydreaming about the city, he turned to look at the girl sitting next to him. Her curly brown hair shone where the moonlight bounced of it. Her eyes were round and bright. Her freckles were dotted over her nose and made her features stand out that little bit more. Her lips were broken in a smile, teeth just showing from behind the pink glittery smile.
"You're beautiful, you know that, right?" Rian said, voicing his only though as he sat and admired her. She blushed and looked at him, before looking down with a smile playing on her lips. Rian thought it was weird how girls love and hate to be complimented, he never knew for certain whether it was the right thing to do or not. But he would do it anyway.
"So, I've got something to ask you." He started, trying to control the nerves building up inside him.
"I knew something was going on!" She said, snapping her head up to look at Rian once more. He could tell she was trying to work out what could possibly be going on, and he laughed to himself because they could sit here all night and she would never guess - despite how obvious it was.
"Right, what we've got as friends is perfect. I couldn't ever ask for anything more. But I like you. Really really like you. And I know we've said about putting labels on things and stuff but I don't want to spend one more day not being able to point at you and say 'that perfect girl is all mine'." Rian said, blushing slightly himself which made her blush, but she kept her eyes on him, intent and curious. "So, I was hoping we could put that label onto us. Cassadee, will you be my girlfriend?"
When he finished she was smiling like crazy and her eyes were watering slightly, but when she nodded a grin broke across Rian's face and he sighed in relief. Things had worked out, it seemed.
"Yes, I will." Cass said once she had stopped smiling enough so that her mouth was able to form words once more. Rian smiled back again, getting lost in her eyes as they sat together for a moment or too. Neither of them wanted to break the perfect moment, sitting under the stars with just one another. It had gone exactly to plan, which is just what he wanted, and he couldn't have asked for more. And silently he hoped the year as a whole would follow the same path, and if it did, he thought of one conclusion:
'This could be a pretty alright year.'

Notes

there's some Rian (& Cass) for you!
enjoy, sorry there isnt much Jalex in this chapter... xoxox