*JAIME'S POV*
I woke up in our little bunk that Carter and I called home, but there was something missing. My chest wasn't as warm as it usually was and my arms had nothing to hold. I rubbed my eyes and started to get up to go find Carter, but stopped when I heard hushed voices from the front of the bus.

"So, do you know what you're going to do yet?" Ruby's unmistakably high-pitched voice leaked under the door.

"Yeah. Sweetie, you have less than a week, and you still haven't decided," Logan said sympathetically.

"Ugh. I just don't know, guys," Carter's gorgeous voice rang out, she as clearly frustrated. "I mean, I've already booked the tickets and I don't really have the money to change the flight. But, I just..."

Is she doubting moving back with me? No. She couldn't possibly want to go home after this. She can't.

"Look, you don't have to decide right now, you just have to decide soon," Kathy soothed. There was some rustling as the girls left, and I decided it was time to "wake up".

I threw on a shirt, then quietly opened the door to see Carter, fully dressed, staring at her hot cocoa with a dejected look on her face.

"What's wrong, babe?" I asked her with concern. I had heard part of the conversation, but clearly not enough to know what it was about.

She ran a hand through her newly dyed hair and sighed. "My mom called me today and asked when I was coming home, and I didn't know how to tell her I wasn't."

We sat in silence, I calculated what to say next, because I didn't want to upset her any more.

"You know, you don't have to come with me. You can always go back to London. Maybe I could move out there," I asked hopefully.

"Jaime," Carter smiled down at her hands. Whenever she looked down at her hands, I knew she was about to say something heartbreaking. "I can't just ask you to move to London. You have the band. You have an entire life and I can't ask you to give that up for me."

She looked up from her hands and smiled at me with tears in her eyes. My heart was breaking and I could tell hers was, too.

"Jaime," she sighed and looked out the window. "I'm staying on All Time Low's bus for the last few days. I mean, I'll still be singing with Vic, but I won't be here. Anywhere near here, actually. I've been doing a lot of thinking and I can't do this anymore. I don't want to wait for you on the other side of the globe and keep you from continuing on with your life. I can't be that selfish. I love you too much." She rose up from her chair with tears in her eyes, took my hands in hers, and kissed me with more passion than I could've ever imagined she had. She kept a firm hold on my right hand, letting go of my left. Her right hand found its way into my hair and she pulled me close. Like it was the last time we'd ever see each other. I guess it kind of is."

"Goodbye," she whispered, letting go. She walked solemnly off of the bus, clearly trying to get a grip before she busted out crying.

I looked down at the hand she had held so tight, like she wanted to break my wrist. My palm was warm but there was just the slightest tickle of the cool metal that sat in the middle of it. I let the tears fall free since there was no one else on the bus. I desperately searched for anything left of Carter. A jacket, a stuffed animal, I would've settled for a fucking tampon. There was nothing left except a single picture of us kissing that she had taped to the bunk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*CARTER'S POV*

I barely made it to the door of ATL's bus before the tears began pouring out of my eyes uncontrollably. I clutched my heart and sobbed, falling to my knees.

"CARTER!" Alex yelled. "What happened??" He pulled me into his chest, but it didn't feel right. He didn't smell like pomade. He wasn't muscly and tan. I cried even harder.

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, him holding me and me crying until I was too exhausted to cry any longer. Finally, I had calmed down enough to speak without drowning in my own tears.

"I... I h-had t-t-to b-break up with h-him!" I screamed/hiccuped. I had never experienced this much pain. Not when I broke both my legs in second grade when I fell off a horse. Not when I got in a car crash. Never.

"Why?" Alex looked at me with sad brown eyes.

"We couldn't have a life together. I couldn't abandon my parents and I couldn't ask him to leave the band," I sobbed, throwing my head to my knees.

"Why not?" Alex questioned me, trying to figure out why I just broke up with the love of my life.

"Because I-I have a l-life and he h-has a life. I c-couldn't ever a-a-ask him t-to give th-that up," I said slowly, trying to capture enough air to complete the sentence.

"STAGE IN 30 MINUTES GUYS! DO NOT CO-! Oh..." Matt looked down and stepped back off the bus, sensing I needed my space.

"Come on," I said, sobering up and clambering to my feet.

"Wha...?" Alex looked bewildered. I had gone from a crying mess to the old me. He must not realize how good I am at shoving my feelings down.

"It's time for me to go drum and for you to go sing your pretty little ass off. Let's go," I said, wiping the back running down my face before walking off the bus, head held high. This was killing me inside, but broken hearts make you vulnerable. I had learned from the best. His name was Oliver Sykes.

Notes

Song Credit: Never Saw It Coming - Tigers Jaw
DO NOT FREAK OUT. THERE IS ANOTHER CHAPTER ON ITS WAY.
I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S STILL READING! <3