[Real Life]

SAME DAY

There's going to be a lot of POV changes in this chapter, just bear with me.

I was playing Grand Theft Auto 5 for what seemed like the fourth time, but I got tired of that and took a short break to eat some food. I was in the middle of defrosting some taco meat when I hear a very faint knock on the door.

Not knowing who it was, I was very cautious going to the door. Once I saw who it was through the peephole, I immediately stepped back and opened the door, letting her in. Camari was here and sobbing.

Not even thinking, I immediately grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, where she wrapped her arms around me tightly and pressed her head against my chest. I used one hand to close the door before putting it around her again.

"Cam, what happened?" I whispered in her ear. She shook her head, signalling that she didn't want to talk about it at that time. I decided to let it go and just hold her close.

A little while later, she pulled away and wiped her face. I still had my hands on her arms, just so I knew that I was close to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to come to. Addilyn started filming a new movie today and I couldn't stand being by myself after I found out. You were the only person I could think of," she told me.

"Babe it's ok, you're welcome here anytime. What's going on?" I asked her as we started moving towards the living room. I turned off the TV before looking back at her.

"You know how I told you that my mom and I were never on good terms after I moved?" She asked and I nodded my head in response. "Well my dad called today and apparently she had lung cancer and passed away this morning."

"Oh my god Cam, I'm so sorry," I told her, pulling her into another hug. I pulled away and she wiped more tears from her eyes.

"Thank you. He wants me to fly back, but I don't know if I can do it alone, and with Addi just starting this movie today, she doesn't have any time off."

"I could go with you," I offer.

"I couldn't ask you to do that Bren. The flight there is 15 hours long, I couldn't ask you to sit through that," she told me, but I wasn't going to take no for an answer. I grabbed my laptop from the coffee table and researched tickets. I bought two first class tickets leaving at 7 tonight. It was roughly noon right now, so we were left with some time.

"I already got the tickets. Give me a few minutes to pack and then I'll drive you to your apartment where we'll wait until we have to leave for the airport," I told her and printed off the tickets. I grabbed them from the printer and started to go upstairs.

"Hey Bren, I really don't want to be alone right now. Can I come with you? I know you're just going upstairs, but-"

"You're fine, you don't need to explain. Come on, let's go upstairs," he said and held out his hand to me. I took it and we started going up the stairs. He led me to his bedroom, which was also spotless, excluding a few shirts laying on the ground. I sat down on his bed near the headboard and grabbed a pillow to hold. I watched him as he frantically grabbed clothes and put them into a suitcase. I looked away when he was packing boxers, even though he said I didn't need to.

Once he closed his suitcase, he went over to the nightstand and unplugged his phone charger and grabbed his passport from one of the drawers. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called somebody who answered fairly fast.

"Hey Zack. So listen, I'm going to Australia with Camari for a little bit, can you take care of stuff here, including the dogs?... Family emergency..... alright, will do. Thanks man!" He said before hanging up and putting his phone in his pocket. Going into the bathroom, he grabbed all that he need to get there.

"Worst comes to worst I forget some stuff here and buy it again down there," he said, throwing that bag into his suitcase and zipping it shut. He picked it up and put it on the ground before throwing another bag around his shoulders before holding out his hand to me. "Ready babe?"

"As ready as I'll be, I guess," I told him and grabbed his hand and he helped me get off his bed. We went back downstairs where he got a few more things before we left and locked the door. He put his stuff in the trunk and gets in the car before we start the drive to my apartment.

"Do you mind if I leave my car at your house and have my friend Josh take us to the airport? I don't really want to pay the airport parking fee," he asked as we turned onto a main road. I just shrugged and his face dropped. He looked back at the road before using the Bluetooth to call his friend Josh.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Josh. Are you busy today?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

"No, not really. Why?"

"Would you be able to take my girlfriend and I to the airport?" He asks. I felt myself blush, even though he'd called my that several times before.

"Where are you guys going?" Josh asks, probably wondering why we're going somewhere far away together so early in our relationship.

"Cam's from Australia and has a family emergency. I didn't want her to go alone, so I bought tickets for us to go."

"Tell her I said I'm sorry. I can take you, just tell me when."

"I will. Thanks dude, I'll text you the address," he said before hanging up. "How are you holding up?"

"I don't know," I whispered, shrugging my shoulders.

"What do you mean by that?"

In response, I just shrugged my shoulders again and looked out the window, tears streaming down my face. He sighed and turned his attention back to the road.

Even though my mom and I didn't have the best relationship, I still felt like she always cared a little bit. She never called, but I at least hoped that she would read the news articles written about me, however fake it was, and feel something. It was always nice to know that maybe someday she would forgive me and we could go back to the way we were. I guess that will never happen now.

Soon enough, we were back at my apartment. There was two parking places for each apartment, and Brendon parked in the second one I had. He grabbed his bags and we went up to my floor.

I hated seeing her like this. She's always so happy and full of energy, but now I can't even seem to get any reaction out of her, whether it be an answer or anything. As much as I understand, her lack of speaking is starting to concern me.

We start walking up to her apartment, and I have my hand in hers. The connection nearly breaks a few times because of her slower walking. I stop and bend down slightly, telling her to get on my back.

"Brendon, I'm going to hurt you if I do," she says and backs away a few steps.

"I promise you Cam, you are not going to hurt me," tell her and wait a few more seconds before I feel her get onto my back. When I know she's on stably, I stand up and continue going, still bringing my suitcase and carry on bag. It isn't too much farther to the elevator, but I know I can manage the rest of the way to her apartment.

"Don't worry love, in only six hours we'll be in the air," I tell her as we get into the elevator. I press the button and let go of my bags to adjust her on my back. When the doors opened, I grabbed my stuff and walked the short distance to her door, where I set her down gently so she could open the door.

Just standing in this spot brought back memories of the two of us. I've only been here twice before, but the first memory stands out, the one where we first kissed. She unlocks the door and we go into her living room.

I put my bags next to her couch and go to sit down, but she grabs my hand first.

"I don't want to be alone, Bren. I- I can't," she says, starting to cry again. I wrap my arms around her in a hug, right as she starts to fall. Swiftly picking her up, I set her down on the couch and sit beside her. She scoots in closer and cries into my chest, so I pull her in closer and squeeze her tighter.

We sit like this for nearly 20 minutes, her crying subsides, and her breathing gets steadier. Pretty soon, I noticed she fell asleep. Not trying to disturb her, I slowly move her and cover her up with a blanket so she can sleep.

I wake up to someone gently shaking me. Groaning and stretching, I roll over to see Brendon.

"Bren? What's going on?" I ask him, rubbing my eyes.

"You need to pack, our flight leaves in nearly three hours, and we need to get to the airport," he tells me, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Oh, ok. I'll go do that," I say and stand up slowly. "Bren, can you just like, sit on my bed or something while I pack? I also have a swinging chair, if you prefer. I just don't want to be alone still."

"Of course, love. I'll do whatever you want me to," he told me and stood up from his kneeling postion. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into my room.

"First, you need to get my suitcase down. I need your tallness," I tell him and point to where it is in my closet. He got it down with ease and set it on my bed before sitting down in the hanging chair. I watched her as she started to put her clothes in the suitcase. She would grab something and look at it before putting it in the suitcase, or even putting it back. She grabbed her phone to look at something, before placing it back down on the charger and continuing what she was doing beforehand. There seemed to be a method to what she was doing, and I didn't dare to mess with it.

When she was nearly finished, she went to open a drawers but stopped short.

"Bren, could you turn around for a minute?" She asked. I didn't turn around, but looked down at my phone which was in my lap. She deemed that good enough, because I heard the drawer open and close again. Just to be safe, I kept scrolling though Instagram until she said it was OK again. "Alright, you're good. Thank you, Bren."

"It's quite alright Cam," I replied and put my phone back into my pocket. She went into the connected bathroom to grab things from there, and I took that time to look around her room. I had been in here another time before, but she was hurting and I was more focused on her.

Her room wasn't messy, but lived in. She had some clothes laying on the floor and her bed was unmade, but I didn't care about that. There was a glass of half-drank water on her nightstand.

Hmm.... perfect. She sleeps on the left side. I thought to myself, before shaking the thought from my mind.

It took her a few minutes to collect her stuff from the bathroom, but once she was done, she put that bag carefully into her suitcase. She carefully closed and zipped it shut, before lifting it off her bed and setting it down on the ground. I immediately stood up and got it, bringing it out into the living room with mine.

"Bren, could I possibly just put a few things in your carry on?" She called to me from her bedroom, I started to nod before realizing she couldn't see me.

"Yeah, I still have room!"

"Thank you!" She responded and I brought the bag to her. She put some stuff into it like a book, her phone charger, a blanket, and her laptop. While she was doing that, I grabbed my phone and called Josh.

"Hey Brendon, I'm assuming you guys are ready?"

"Yes sir. I texted you the address earlier, did you get it?"

"Yup. I'll be there in about 20 minutes," he told me.

"See you then," I replied before hanging up and putting my phone back into my pocket. I turned back to Camari, who was on her phone. "Do you want something to eat before we go? I mean, Josh will be here in about 20 minutes, but I can make you a sandwich."

"No thank you Brendon. The Diazepam makes me feel nauseous if I eat before I take it. I'll get something at the airport to eat after I take it," she tells me, it looking up from her phone.

"What do you need the Diazepam for?"

"I have a bad fear of flying. Unless I take that an hour before I take off, I'll freak out. It knocks me out for a majority of the flight, so have fun with that. I also sleep talk," she tells me, laughing.

"Oh great, I'm in for an interesting 15 hours then!"

"Most definitely. Should we get downstairs for when Josh gets here?"

"Probably a smart idea," I respond and grab my bags while she grabs hers. I swing my backpack over my shoulder and grab hold of my suitcase, extending my hand out to her, and she takes it.

We reach the lobby just as Josh pulls up, so we put our stuff into the trunk and both get into the front seat.

"Sorry one of you couldn't have the front seat, Tyler insisted on coming with me," Josh says before driving away from the curb.

"It's fine, I was going to sit back here with Cam anyways."

"You guys are from Twenty Øne Piløts, That's where I recognized you from! I play Harley-Quinn in Suicide Squad!" She said excitedly. It's the happiness I've seen her all day, and it brings a smile to my face.

"That would make sense. I'm Tyler by the way. I loved watching you do the trapeze stuff on set," Tyler chimed in. "Wait- I hope that didn't sound creepy."

"Not at all actually. I get what you mean," she said, laughing.

"Ok, good. I didn't want to sound stalkerish."

"How did you guys meet, if you don't mind me asking?" Josh asked, changing the subject.

"We started talking over Instagram. It was mainly me leaving weird comments on her posts after someone tagged me in them, but that seemed to get her attention," I explained.

"We also share a birthday, and my friend Addilyn told me that. But we actually met on set, during one of the worst scenes for him to be there," she added.

"Why was it bad?" Tyler asked.

"During the movie, there was one scene where I had to change my shirt, so I was just left in a bra and basically underwear until I could do that. Then add five inch stilettos and fishnets to that. Let's just say it was very awkward for me," she explains. I never saw it as awkward because I know it's just a costume, but I can see how she felt that.

"That would be very awkward!"

"Well just so you know, I didn't take it that way, since I know it was just a costume," I tell her and she smiles at me. I went to grab her hand, but Josh started saying something.

"Hey! Not in my car, you two!"

"Holding hands isn't allowed?" Cam asked, raising her eyebrows at his stupidity.

"Nope!" He responded. I grabbed her hand anyways, and when he saw, he glared at me through the mirror. "Come on guys! You have a 15 hour flight ahead of you! Can't you wait and do that then?!"

"No, as I'm going to be asleep all drugged up so I don't start freaking out during take off!"

"Then go ahead, hold hands all you want, but nothing more!"

A few minutes later, we arrived at the departure section of LAX.

"Thanks for the ride. It was great to meet you two," Cam said, letting go of my hand and looking at the two in the front seats.

"It was no problem. It was nice to meet you as well," Josh said. Tyler told her about the same thing, and she got out of the car.

"Thanks man, I guess I'll see you when we get back," I tell him, as he'll probably have to come get us.

"Of course. Bye Brendon."

I got out of the car as well and went to the trunk to get out suitcases. Cam already has hers, and I grab mine and my carry on before closing the trunk. I help her get her suitcase onto the sidewalk, and wave goodbye to Tyler and Josh.

She seemed to be happier with them around, and it makes me sad that I couldn't be the one to make her happy again. It could just be that she was putting on a happier attitude with them around, but I wasn't sure. After all, she is a professional at acting.

We get our bags checked in and find our gate. There is still nearly 45 minutes before we start boarding, but we decided to come here before, just so we know where it is.

"Do you want to get some snacks for on the plane, just in case you wake up?" I ask her. Her demeanor has changed again, back to the way she was before. It seems like she's trying to hold back tears.

"Yeah, let's go," she responds, standing up.

"Can I hold your hand, or is now not a good time," I whisper into her ear. I am answered by her fingers intertwining with mine.

"I don't care about the press right now. Worst comes to worse, we say we're friends," she whispers back. I hold back a smile as we walk into a small shop.

The two of us continue to hold hands while looking around, occasionally grabbing something. By the time we're finished, we have a wide variety of snacks. The cashier gives us a weird look as I step up to pay.

"Bren you don't have to pay for mine," Cam says, putting her hand on my arm. I shake my head and give the cashier the money anyways. He takes it and gives me the change back, and I grab the bag of food before we go back to the gate.

"Just so you know, I know you are fully capable of buying your own snacks, but I want to. What kind of friend would I be if I made you buy them yourself?"

"Fair enough. On the way back I'll pay though. It's only fair."

"Deal. You have to show me some Australian food as well," I tell her as we sit back down.

"With all the times you've been there for tour, you've never had our food?" She asks, clearly appalled.

"I'm sorry. When I go on tour, I'm on a strict diet so I don't accidentally fuck up my voice or get sick. I've always meant to go there on my own, but I haven't gotten a chance to."

"Alright, I can forgive you this time. But you have to try Vegimite on toast!"

"Deal. After all, how bad can it be?"

"Uhm... you'll see. Now where did I put my medication?" She asks, digging through our shared carry on.

"I didn't see you put any in there."

"Shit. Did you see any in the shop?"

"Not that I can remember. The most I saw was some Nyquil," I told her.

"Dammit! What am I supposed to do?"

"We'll think of something. I promise I'll do whatever it takes," I tell her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it before letting go again.

"Thanks Bren. I better go get some more snacks and something to do on the plane. Do you want to come with or stay here?" She asks me. I take a second to decide before standing up with her.

"I'll go with you. Maybe I'll find something to keep me entertained as well."

Probably sooner than what Cam hoped, our plane was boarding. Since we were first class, we boarded first. As soon as we got onto the plane, I realized that this flight was one with beds, not seats for first class passengers. I looked to Cam who just shrugged and continued walking to find where we were supposed to be.

Turns out, I got one of the ones that was for two people, so at least we wouldn't be separated. I could tell that she would need me to remain calm through takeoff, and I promised to do whatever she needed me to. When she found our seat, she turned to me, grabbed her blanket, and laid down on her side, which was the left. She wrapped her blanket around her tightly and was already trying to fall asleep before anybody else got onto the plane.