"I'll sing with you."

Everyone was silent. The pure shock on our faces was clearly visible, and I felt Finn flinch beside me. If it were not for the current situation, I would have laughed and smacked him on the head for proving Hunter's assumptions.

But Finn's undying love for me is the least of my concern at that moment for I, Autumn Pierce, was about to go on stage to fucking sing with a fucking stranger. Okay, half stranger.

James cleared his throat, and we all broke from the trance called Cal. Troy and Francis clapped the new guy's back, smiling with relief as they showed their gratitude.

"Thanks, bro!"

"You're a lifesaver!"

The manager rolled his eyes and said, "Well, this is lovely but you've gotta get out there now."

We all nodded and everyone, except for Cal, piled back to the stage while Finn went back to the club. The guys made some adjustments to their instruments when Cal showed up with an acoustic guitar slung on his shoulder.

James and Cal signed to each other with a few hand gestures, and I just watched them, flabbergasted with the whole exchange. James tapped his microphone and the audience turned their heads to look at him. My insides were going to burst any moment because of the anticipation that hung in the air.

"Hi, everyone. Tonight, we are going to be doing something different," he said, and it caused a bit of an uproar.

The crowd whispered to each other, and I felt my hands getting clammy for two reasons. One, I was getting tired and the endless chatter from the people was making my senses overload. Then two, my mind had a habit of pinpointing everything that could go wrong. For example, me ruining the last song and everyone would want my head on a stake.

James looked at Troy and Francis to calm down the audience. The youngest band member stepped up in front, automatically silencing everyone."Okay, so, we have two new members." Cal and I hesitantly waved at the crowd. "And they're gonna do the last act. I need you all dollies to sit still and look pretty while they sing, okay?" he said in a cooing voice that received appreciatively sighs.

When he addressed the audience, it was then I noticed that it was comprised mostly of girls. And the said girls nodded enthusiastically. Not that it was a bad thing. They just reminded me of my obsession of a certain boy band.

Troy offered us a smile, while I took a seat from the chair placed by James. Cal followed suit and sat on my left. The oldest guy brought a beatbox and asked, "Do you guys need it?"

I looked at Cal, completely clueless at everything. He gazed back at me, and to James and he nodded. "If she could play, that will be cool."

I took the beatbox from James and pushed away my chair, and instead sat atop the instrument. I was going to do a few taps when I realized I did not know the song. "Cal, what are we playing?" I asked.

He grinned sweetly before replying, "Everything has changed by Taylor Swift. That good enough for you, girly?" I nudged his shoulder with mine for the sexist comment, and I took a deep breath. Cal chuckled and leaned into the mic.

"Good evening," he said in a husky tone that could make your dreams flood with water, if you know what I mean. I heard dreamy sighs, and I rolled my eyes at the guy. "I'm Cal and my partner here is Autumn. I hope you'll like our last song."

He nodded as a cue and strummed his guitar. I searched the crowd and saw Finn smiling at me and that help put me at ease. I took a deep breath before singing.

"All I knew this morning when I woke is I know something now, know something now I didn't before..."

I tapped the beatbox rhythmically and in tune with Cal's guitar. My eyes did not leave Finn's face for a few verses and I could clearly see the adoration that he always had for me. I felt my heart break a little. I knew I could not hide the feelings I had for him no matter how little I thought they were.

Contrary to popular belief, his charms actually worked on me. I would be a fool not to even have a crush on this talk of the town, but circumstances prevented me from acting on this.

Once upon a time, I was a normal teenager that had the hots for the prettiest boy in school, dreaming about having a relationship with him and all that. However, when I found out that my best friend, okay fine, ex-best friend, was completely and utterly in love with my dream guy, I threw away the possibilities of being with Finn. I knew some people would say that I was stupid, I think I was too, but a long time ago, I was that person who would do anything to keep her friends. Something I kind of almost regret for everything that happened after I turned Finn down.

Rach, the ex-best friend, literally begged me to give her Finn since she claimed and I quote, "The two of you will always have a bond that nobody can break. But for me? Dating him is the only thing that will make me enter his life, so please Autumn. Help your dear friend out."

If I knew she would dump me when Finn broke up with her... yeah, they dated for like three months before Finn and I saw how much of a vindictive girl she was, I would have flipped her the bird for even asking me that.

But the past was the past, and it was all gone now. I just have to man up and face the aftermath of breaking Finn's heart.

I blinked. I wanted to laugh at my pathetic self for even reminiscing my mistakes at a crucial time like this. My mind was forced to focus back to the present when Cal sang the second verse.

"And all my walls stood tall painted blue, but I'll take them down, take them down, and open up the door for you..."

His voice was soft and strong at the same time. Plus eerily familiar. My mind and body recognized his voice and I almost missed my part.

He sang calmly, a hint of velvet with his every word-- something that I would want to listen before going to sleep. However, his most notable asset was that it had emotions. It clearly conveyed what he wanted for people to know. The melodies that escaped his lips transported his emotions to every listener, and at that moment, I felt like he was telling the whole world that he was ready for a new beginning, to start something new.

"Come back and tell me why I'm feeling like I've missed you all this time. And meet me there tonight, and let me know that it's not all in my mind..."

We were in sync, and my heart was unusually calm. I was being filled with a variety of emotions that I knew did not initiate from me, but rather from the dark-haired boy that was staring intently into my eyes. I was all too familiar with the feeling of longing and happiness that his voice was creating inside me and I could not help but smile back at the grinning boy.

But there was one emotion that was so pure, and was lulling my heart with serenity. I was content with sitting there, and I knew I was so close to naming the familiar feeling coursing through my veins.

"'Cause all I know is we said hello and your eyes look like coming home. All I know is a simple name, everything has changed..."

And as the song ended while I was still lost in his brown orbs, I recognized the familiar feeling.

Finally, after some years, I felt like coming home.

♬ ♫ ♪♬ ♫ ♪

Edited by iElzMC