Prologue

I stood at the terminal, anxiously tapping my foot, waiting for my best friend to come wandering off the airplane. It had been six months since I had last seen him; the longest amount of time we had been away from each other in the twelve years that we had been friends. We had grown up together, suffered through high school together, and we even worked together. That is, before he and Tony joined this new band and suddenly started touring the world.

I was happy for him, ecstatic even. He was doing what he loved, the only thing he loved: making music for people. As long as he was happy, then so was I. We had always supported each other in everything that we wanted to do, and this would be no different. But, it wasn't easy to be apart from him, especially for such a long period of time. He was my rock, the only person that I could confide in without worry of rejection or judgment; he had saved me, on many occasions, and not having him here had really hurt.

Groups of people started to file off the plane, and my heart began to race with excitement. I craned my neck as I began searching for him, though I didn't have to search long; he stuck out like a sore thumb. His wild, black hair with the blonde streak in the front stood out among the rest, and his goofy grin was more than enough to catch my attention.

He was looking for me, too. He knew I would be waiting for him; I had promised him I would, and though we had hardly spoke since he left, I never once thought about breaking that promise.

"Hime!" I shouted above the excited chatter of the other passengers gathered around, searching for their loved ones. "Jaime!" He looked my way, our eyes meeting. The smile on his face seemed to grow ten times wider, and he took off in a dead sprint, closing the distance between us relatively quickly.

"Ro!" He shouted back as his arms wrapped around me, enveloping me in a tight hug. He lifted my feet off the ground, spinning me in circles, an excited squeal escaping my mouth as I clung to Jaime for dear life. "I missed you so much, Rowan," he whispered in my ear as he set me down, planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

"I missed you, too, Hime-Time." We hugged each other again, and I was grateful to have him in my arms once more. I had missed my best friend more than I ever could've imagined, and it was nice having him home, but I knew it would be even harder to say goodbye the next time.

The three other members of the band made their way out a little slower than Jaime had, strolling casually towards us. I walked towards Tony, pulling him into a hug. Tony and Jaime had been friends for years, way before they even joined Pierce the Veil, and Tony and I had gotten close over the years as well. I greeted the other two, Mike and Vic Fuentes, with a smile, and we began to walk towards the baggage claim.

Jaime reached over and grabbed my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine, startling me. "I missed you a lot, Ro. It sucked being away from you," he said, giving my hand a squeeze. It wasn't an odd sight for Jaime and I to be showing affection towards each other; that was the type of friendship we've always had.

Tears began to well in my eyes, and I wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe, in a way, I was sad because I knew he would have to leave again soon, and on another level I was upset thinking about all the things he had missed while he was away; all the times he didn't call when he said he would.

"You okay?" He questioned, pulling me to a stop.

I looked at him, choking back the tears, and nodded my head convincingly. "Yeah, Hime. I'm fine." He gave me a look, not quite convinced, but before he was able to say another word I spoke first. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

&&

"Alright, Hime, I think I'm going to head home," I said through a yawn as I pushed myself up from his couch, stretching my arms above my head.

He stood, too, making his way towards me in a few quick steps. "Are you sure you're okay, Rowan?" He asked seriously, his voice missing it's usual silly tone. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms, and I tried my best to hide my pained expression from him. He put his fingers under my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. "Hey, Ro. Talk to me. What's going on?"

He pulled me towards the couch, forcing me to sit next to him, and I took a deep breathe as a single tear slid down my cheek. "It's just - you never called, Jaime. Not like you said you would. I was, I'm just afraid of you forgetting me. And I know you have to go on tour again, and you'll be away for a long time and I'm just-"

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay." He grabbed me, pulling me into a hug, rubbing my back soothingly as he tried to calm me down. "Rowan I could never forget you. Are you kidding me? You're my best friend, and I, I love you."

"I love you, too, Hime," I murmured out through a sob, my words muffled by his shirt. He pushed me away from him, wiping the tears from my face, his own expression suddenly serious.

"No, Ro, I mean I love you. I'm in love with you, Rowan."

I'm in love with you. Did he really just say that?

I sat there stunned, unable to formulate a single thought. "Jaime-" I muttered.

"I, I'm sorry to just spring that on you. I've loved you for a long time, Ro, and, being away from you for so long, it just, it made me realize how much you really mean to me. I didn't want to tell you this way, I wanted it to be special, but I needed you to know."

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes, trying to keep the floodgates behind my lids from opening once again.

"Rowan. Say something. Please?" He begged me, his eyes suddenly holding worry.

"Jaime, I-" I paused, trying to figure out how to break it to him. "I don't - I'm so sorry Hime, but I - I'm sorry." With that I jumped up once more, gathering my things quickly, and racing out the door to my car, the tears pouring down my cheeks.

My best friend was in love with me. My best friend, who meant everything to me.

My best friend who I would probably now lose because I broke his heart into a million tiny pieces.

Notes

Hi everyone! This is the first story I've posted on here!!!

Just an FYI, I also have a Wattpad account where this story can also be found.

Let me know what you think! More chapters to come! :)