// chapter twelve //

talia's pov

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anton cuts the engine, and i find myself staring out at a beautiful lake, city lights twinkling in its reflection. its calm waters showed absolute tranquility, and i envied it; i'd kill to have a life as peaceful as the body of water.

we hop out of the car, and i wrap my coat tighter around myself. 'i really can't get an adequate amount of warmth, can i?' i say, attempting to joke. he sends me a sad smile, while plopping down on a thick log right infront of the lake. i sit next to him, and he nudges me with his elbow.

'do you want to tell me what happened?' he asks kindly. i feel my eyes beginning to water, and i tell him the entire story. not only from tonight, but also from the start, when i was invited into the band.

when i told him the last tidbit, i kick off my wedges and dip my feet into the freezing water, feeling a shot of relief. 'it's not fair, anton. we've only been together for two days. two freaking days, and he runs off with another girl already,' i say from where i was thrashing at the waves. 'and i'm not even sure if i want to break things off with him yet.' i turn my head to look to him. 'what do you suggest i do?' i ask.

anton jams his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, his darkened eyes deep in thought. 'what he did was really sh*tty, yeah. but what was his facial expression when he saw you standing there?'

i look to the dark skyscrapers in the distance, as if their steel bars and glass windows would give me an answer. 'guilty. drunk. ashamed,' i reply.

'then there you go,' anton says. when i send him a puzzled look, he continues. 'expressions can tell you a lot. by examining a person's body language, or facial features, you can tell a story. if your boyfriend, michael, appeared the way you described him to appear, you can infer that he had too much to drink at the bar, and wasn't thinking with clarity. he probably saw a girl, and decided to try things with her. and he snapped out of his daze when you caught him, and realized what he had done. whether you want to give him a chance or not, that's up to you.'

i frown, considering his lengthy words. 'i don't know,' i say, my voice trailing slightly. 'i really, really like him, but what he did just told me that he wasn't as good of a person as i thought he was.' i sigh deeply, and shake my head. 'well there are other fish in the sea, i guess. i'm too young for flings, anyway.'

anton sends me a funny look. 'how old are you?'

i gulp nervously and reply, 'fifteen.'

his eyebrows shoot up. 'really?' i nod. 'i swore you were at least eighteen.'

i smile, shaking my head. 'how old are you?'

'twenty five.'

'ah,' i say. i swing my leg in the water, causing my jeans to dampen from the clear liquid. 'the way you speak is so mature.'

he chuckles. 'i guess you could say that.' he scratches the skin beneath his thin layer of facial hair. 'it's a beautiful night.'

'yeah,' i reply, gazing up at the stars. a gust of chilly wind hits me, making goosebumps form on my exposed skin. i shiver wildly, yet my feet remain in the freezing lake.

'we should go,' anton says.

i frown, and turn to look at him. 'but we just got here.'

'i know,' he says. 'but you look cold. i don't want you to get sick.'

i smile and roll my eyes playfully, saying, 'okay then, dad.' he chuckles, and holds out a hand to help me from the lake. i thankfully take it, and slip my wet toes into my platformed shoes. even if i just met anton, i feel as if i've known him for ages. i was comfortable when speaking to him, and i never found myself worrying that i'd say something stupid.

we quickly walk to his warm car, the heat moisturizing my damp feet. he starts onto the main highway, and hands me his phone. 'i'll need your address,' he says, his hazel eyes focused on the road before him. i nod, and activate his gps. when my address is entered, i balance the phone on to the dashboard.

the majority of the car ride is spent in comfortable silence, the digital voice of the gps system softly speaking in the background. i stare out the window. i will never grow tired of sydney's glorious city lights for as long as i live. each twinkling orb holds a different emotion. i could gaze, and gaze, and admire their beauty for twentyfour consecutive hours if i chose to.

i wonder if michael is looking at the lights, too.

i mentally scold my subconscience. he cheated on me, and i still held this sappy, lovesick mindset towards him. i needed to get myself together.

before i knew it, anton pulls up infront of my home. the living room lights are on, and i could see moving shadows through the window.

'thanks for everything,' i say to him politely.

he smiles, and makes a flapping motion with his hand. 'nah, don't mention it.' i nod, grab my purse, and step out of the vehicle.

'oh, talia,' anton calls after me when i reach the front porch. 'good luck with everything. text or call me if you ever need anything, okay?'

i grin, and nod. 'sure,' i reply. i make exaggerated waving motions, and he smiles, returning them. he drives off, and i watch until his car becomes a tiny, black speck in the night. i enter the house.

calum and luke are seated on the living room floor, playing an intense game of grand theft auto. ashton sits on the couch behind them, tapping away at his phone. calum glances at me, and pauses the game, causing luke to goan.

'where've you been, talia?' he asks skeptically.

'meh,' i say. 'out.'

'with who?'

i shrug. calum sighs, knowing i wouldn't give in that easily, and hits the play button on his controller.

just as i'm about to drop onto the space next to ashton, an all-too familiar voice calls from the kitchen. 'hey, cal? i didn't know if you wanted-' michael steps out, still wearing the clothes that the blonde slut from the concert probably ran her hands all over, emerges from the kitchen. when our eyes lock, his expression changes drastically.

suddenly, all of the words anton told me in his pep-talk fade from my brain. all i could think was: he cheated.

'you f*cking asshole!' i shout marching to him. he wears a frightened expression as i slam my palms into his chest, yelling profanities all the while.

'talia!' calum shouts over my overpowering voice. he was holding my wrists back, but i didn't notice. i was preoccupied with staring at michael like he was a piece of scum. 'what the hell is wrong with you?' he asks harshly.

'he cheated, calum!' i scream, sobs escaping my lips. michael stares at me, too shocked to even speak. behind me, luke and ashton were fully attentive to the situation.

calum is silent for a moment. 'what?' he asks quietly. 'how-'

'we only dated for two days and i saw him kissing another girl,' i cry out hideously. suddenly, calum's grasp was no longer on my arms. he balled his hands up into fists, and punched michael square in the nose, and then the jaw.

michael yells, pinching his nostrils to stop the waterfall of crimson spurting out from his nose. he starts in a nasally voice, 'talia, i-'

'get the f*ck out of here, michael,' calum says, standing in front of me like a shield. 'get out!'

michael, who had tears forming in his eyes, releases his nose, and runs to the door, grabbing his coat before he leaves.

the four of us stare between each other. all this time, i'm left with a drop of my ex's blood, a tear-stained face, and a broken heart.

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well that escalated quickly.

don't forget to check out my new calum fanfic, 'last hope.' i'm sure you'll like it.

vote-comment-add to reading lists. teehee xx