( cyrus ) you're awful, i love you.

[AUDREY ANNE FRANCO]

Audrey had known since the beginning that Cyrus was on tour. It was hard not to know; Sepia Tone was a big band and, admittedly, she’d been keeping tabs. Plus, it was sort of her job to know… Everything. She tried to keep out of the gossip (but hell, she liked knowing it, even if she didn’t use it) but she was supposed to write reviews and stories to help promote the tour and she pretty much knew everyone’s names, what band they were from, and what position they held. She’d been to as many gigs as humanly possible and she’d made a point to see Sepia Tone perform, no matter her personal feelings on her ex-boyfriend. She wasn’t sure just how surprised she was that he had no idea she was there. After all, unless she needed to aggressively go after a story, it was almost her job to fade into the background.

But still. She wasn’t in hiding or anything. Whatever.

The encounter they had in the tour chat was… Interesting, to say the least. Audrey wasn’t really shocked by his reaction to her. She knew she’d made a mistake. Of course, as far as he concerned, it was just a bitchy move on her end- and perhaps it was, but her reasoning excused it a little bit. Both of them chose their careers. It was an honorable split that he just didn’t understand because she didn’t tell him. Getting hurt wasn’t exactly something that Audrey often set herself up for. Giving herself to him to begin with had been a risky investment, so to speak- one that she hadn’t replicated since. They could have both tried a long distance relationship, but how often do those work, statistically? She was moving for her career and he was about to break into the business. He was going to be going on tours and did she really want to see what would have happened? It wasn’t like she didn’t trust him. It was that she didn’t trust situations. A month out on the road, no physical contact, and then what would have happened? Cyrus was fucking sexy (but maybe she was biased) and girls were no doubt throwing themselves at him left and right. Audrey didn’t want to risk something happening. And it wasn’t like she was a saint, either. They both could have easily had moments of weakness and… And why bother with the drama?

But she couldn’t very well have told him everything when she ended it. When she told him the ultimatum. Because how would that have worked out? She probably still would’ve pissed him off, thinking back on it. Cyrus was a little hot headed and the truth would’ve been just as much as an ultimatum, wouldn’t it have? She didn’t want a long distance relationship so he was still picking between her and the music. And he’d probably be picking for the wrong reasons. Her career, or his? It was probably beneficial that she didn’t have the opportunity to say ‘no’ to a long distance relationship- it would have made this reuniting all that much more awkward. After all, she was in a long distance relationship now. But it was different.

Her current boyfriend was nothing like Cyrus. What Audrey had with him was more passion than anything. A desire to fight for dominance and a few late night chats. He was witty, which was most of the personality appeal. But Audrey would never love him. Their relationship was open because he wasn’t to be trusted and she didn’t care enough about him to be faithful if a better offer came along, anyways. They stayed together mostly out of principal but both were free to stray if they felt so inclined. There were no jealous feelings. But how could she even begin to explain that to Cyrus?

She wished he’d yell at her. She really did. She was serious when she offered to let him hit her- there was no reason why he shouldn’t. In his eyes, she had been a bitch. She’d done one of the bitchiest things to him and she knew that he thought she deserved to be punished for it. She wasn’t afraid. She was logical enough to know his psychology on the matter. It would probably make him feel better if he let her have it, because he knew full well that he still was the only one with the ability to make her cry.

She still loved him. Through everything, Audrey still loved him. But she found it more funny than anything else, considering she really wasn’t the “loving” type of girl.

He’d expressed how difficult it would be to avoid her, so she decided to take it upon herself to make the attempt to settle things between them, once and for all. She figured he needed some closure, and yelling would achieve that, right? So she’d sent him the text message the previous night, expressing that he should meet her, and she showed up at five ‘til one, unsure if he was going to join her or not. She leaned against the gate that lined the park, running a hand through her hair, waiting.

This would be interesting.

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[CYRUS OLIVER ASTON]

To many, if not most, it would seem a complete and utter attention seeking lie if someone said that their life had gone from near damned perfect one day, to pretty shit overnight. For Cyrus Aston, this was not the case, although, it felt more than anything like it. His past had found and caught up with him, and now, his past, what his past had revolved around, was on Tour with him. The last time Cyrus had seen Audrey Franco, he wished it had been exactly that - He hoped it really had been the Last Time he'd seen her. The way she'd acted - what she'd asked him - He felt angry. Hurt. He'd slept around. Drank.

But he couldn't deny the fact he'd inevitbly seen her, after two or three encounters on the tour chat. As much as he'd love to curl up under the covers, or brush it all under the carpet, how could he? He was a big boy now - that meant responsibility, even if he had acted stupidly towards her. There was one simple reason that he couldn't even admit to himself, let alone anyone else.

He was still in love with her.

Audrey Franco, what a woman. Gorgeous, and the only person that had ever understood him properly, ever, even now, at 22. Years had passed since they'd last met, since they'd last talked, yet in that time, Aston hadn't found a single soul that had understood him nearly a hundreth as well as Audrey could. About his past. Why he desired a family. How and that Sepia Tone meant so much to him.

Well, he'd thought she'd understood the last one. Hoped. Thought he knew she did, but she didn't. Not when the last thing she had asked him was, "Them or me?"

Them or me.

How could he answer that?

Them or me.

The decision was impossible.

Them.

He couldn't decide.

Or.

Why should he?

Me.

No. Them. He chose them; he chose Sepia Tone. Often, he wondered if he'd made the wrong decision. Maybe if he stayed with Audrey they'd still be together. Perhaps he'd even be married. Maybe they'd be trying for a kid in that moment. They could even already have a kid. He'd be fufilling his ultimate ambition. He'd be happy. With her.

With Audrey.

But what was the point in dwelling on the 'what if's' of the situation? Simple, there was none. Perhaps he'd made the wrong decision, but in saying that, maybe he'd made the right one. One thing he was certain of was he'd never know for sure.

When Franco texted him with a deal, he finally understood the term, 'speak of the devil'. He'd been thinking of his last talk with the woman - one where she encouraged him to yell, and hit her. It'd scared him slightly. He wasn't like that. He wasn't. Sure, he was angry. He wouldn't hit her over it.

Alright, Cy. Here's the deal. My guess is that neither
of us were satisfied with how that conversation ended,
so I'll tell you what. I'll meet you tomorrow, one o'clock,
at the dog park that's about three blocks away from here
so you can bring Jolie. If you don't meet me? Fine- I can
easily assure that you'll never have to see me again. If you
do? You can yell your heart out. I encourage you to do so.

And that was how he found himself strolling along with Jolie, inside, a little scared. What if she started the whole "hit me" crap over it again? He didn't want to hit her. He wasn't that sort of guy. He didn't hit girls. He wasn't abusive. No. No way.

The walk didn't leave enough time to himself. All too soon he was at the park gates, Audrey in plain sight. He sighed. Couldn't she have at least went somewhere inside so he could've had the chance to try and find her and fail miserably? Apparently not. Apparently she really wanted to talk. Swallowing the last of his nerves, he stepped forwards, Jolie trotting forwards eagerly, as he leaned against the opposite gate. There was silence between them.

"What if," Cyrus broke the tension, watching Jolie, who waited obediantly at his feet. "What if I didn't want to yell? Are you going to try and get me to do it? Because I won't. And I'll just leave. And we'll be right back to square one."

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