Arin parked and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt. As soon as he did, Tina attacked his mouth and kissed him passionately as if he was the only man left on earth.

“Mhhm..you’re really a great kisser, Arin.”

He smirked and ran his hand through her hair while her mouth was still hard on his. He’d been targeting this fan ever since he was on stage. He felt like this girl could satisfy his needs tonight. Remembering that, he chuckled. He really was turning into a rock star now.

“Let go inside.” He breathed, and the girl giggled a seducing laugh. Arin got out of the car, smiling and feeling hot all over. He was ready to run to the other side when suddenly his eyes caught a glimpse of a person in front of his door. That poured a bucket of cold water all over him.

“Ev..Evan?”

Evan emerged slowly from the dark. His eyes darted angry, while his fingers clenched into fists.
“What are you doing here? It’s..late.” Arin said, glancing at his watch. Tina already got out of the car and she looked puzzled.

“What’s going on, Arin? Who’s that?” she approached while Evan stared angrily at the both of them.

“I can’t believe you’re really doing this, man. You’ve changed.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Who is this bitch? What about my sister?!”

“Your sister and I, have broken up. So I suggest that you grow the fuck up and leave me alone.” Arin spat, only to make Evan taken aback at his harsh words.

“For real, Arin?”

He didn’t answer. He refused to.

“I thought we were friends.”

Still, he stunned at one place and never made a move nor said a word.

“Right. I get it. If this is who you are after just a little bit of fame, I get it. I won’t bother you anymore.” Evan moved away towards his car, or his sister’s car but then Arin called from behind him.

“It’s because of my fame that she came back for right?”

Evan stopped walking. He didn’t respond for quite a while, raising an awkward situation between the three of them.

“Same goes to you. You’ve only stayed friends with me because I’m the fucking drummer of Avenged Sevenfold, right?! Well, newsflash bro! You and your sister can kiss my fucking ass!”

Arin yelled and that made the seventeen year old Evan to sprint towards him and swung a fist across his skinny face.

“FUCK!” Arin laid splat on the ground, holding his own dislocated jaw.

“Don’t talk about my sister like that! I thought you’re different, Arin! But turns out you’re just no different than them! Guys that tried to date my sister. All of them are assholes just like you! I hope you’re happy with your fucking fame.”

Evan stormed away to his car and drove in an utmost speed. Arin rubbed his jaw and lips, detecting a little blood coming out from it and he hissed in pain.

“Are you okay, Arin?”

Arin looked up. He’d almost forget that there was a witness there. “Go home Tina. Sorry I can’t be with you tonight.”

“That’s okay. I understand. But let me carry you to your house.”

“No, just..go home. Please.”

Tina gave up and let him go reluctantly. She ought to find her way back by herself and after a few minutes of watching Arin only sat on the ground, not moving, she finally made her way out of there.

---

Tears flooded down her cheeks hours ago. Now they were all dried up and she couldn’t cry anymore. She tore off the polaroids from her wall one by one, putting them in a box and when she was done, calmly she went downstairs and into the backyard.

Kimberly lit up a fire in her trash bin. Her eyes bore an empty gaze as she watched the flame gushed up high and cracked a few fireworks. She burned all the pictures, taking her time while at it.

But then she stopped at one.



It was her favorite among others. It was when they went on a vacation trip together and he hadn’t yet confessed his love for her. When they asked one of the locals there to take a picture for them, he gently whispered to her ear;

“I’m in love with you, Kimberly.”

Kimberly couldn’t believe her ears, she quickly turned to look at him. Her smile grew wider and then after a few moments of staring into his eyes, she answered;

“I’ve fallen in love with you too, Arin.”

That was the first time they used the L word on each other. They were both being vulnerable and insecure about it and to say those words really took courage.

Without knowing, her eyes flooded again. She cried so hard over one photograph. Her hope to relive those moments now went down the drain and she realized that Arin would never be the same way again. He won’t be the Arin Ilejay that she used to know.

---

“Baby, what happened to you? Why’s your lip bleeding?”

Arin looked up. She was in front of him, looking concerned as ever. Her fingers trembled on his face as she pulled him closer to her body. Arin couldn’t fight anymore. He grabbed both of her hands and stared deeply into her eyes.

“I missed you Kim. I missed you like crazy.”

She was inches away from his face, but their lips hung desperately in front of each other.
“I missed you too. Every day and every minute of my life.”

Slowly and gently he raised his fingers to caress her soft rosy cheek, snaking his palm behind her ear afterwards and pulling her closer for a kiss. He pressed his lips onto hers with agonizingly slow movement, only to taste the warmth of her lips and tears. He parted, searching for her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. Can I come home?”

“You are home, baby.”

He drew a smile and dived in for another kiss, with parted mouth this time. He forgot about his wound and his broken heart because right now he wanted to savor this moment.

“My sweet Kimberly, don’t ever leave me again.” He murmured on her lips.
“I’m sorry Arin. I have to.”
“What?”
“Goodbye Arin.”
“What the hell? No! Don’t leave me!”

“KIM!”

He woke up with a jolt. Sweating like he’d been running for hours. Very exhausting, this feeling, he thought. The feeling of missing someone but yet tried not to and just let his anger and ego wins. He rubbed his face multiple times, trying so hard to erase the memory of the dream just now.

Arin glanced at the clock on his night stand. It was close to 5 am and the sun was already peeking behind the horizon and shot its ray straight through his bedroom window. He gathered his might and peeled himself out of the blanket and let his shirtless body bathed by the dawn light that shone through the vast sea before his balcony.

Deciding that it was still early for him to be out and about, Arin paced his feet downstairs and reached for his basement where a seemingly cozy studio greeted him once he turned on the light.

A set of Drum Workshop kits stood majestically before his eyes and he didn’t wait for any invitation. He grabbed his Pro Mark sticks and smashed away, one of his ways to cope with anger and frustration all this while.

Yeah what the hell is he so angry about? Is it because Kimberly left him for two years without any news? He should be long forgotten about that.

---

A trip to Ventura he endured with a heart beating like his drum notes. He felt like crying but that was so two years ago and he didn’t want to cry anymore. Actually, deep within his heart, Arin never blamed Kimberly for not being there for him when it happened because she didn’t know.

But what mattered was, she left him nonetheless. Leaving him so vulnerable and broken, having to undergo this situation alone.

He stopped by the cemetery.

Pulling a bouquet of flowers from the backseat of his Ferarri, he got out of the car and walked towards a tombstone. Another bouquet of flowers already waiting there only it wilted and started to turn into bronze in color.

“Hi ma.” He greeted.

A smile drawn on his face but he can barely contained his tears along with it. The grave was two years old, exactly right after three weeks of Kimberly’s departure to England. Arin couldn’t bear telling her that he had lost his mother from cancer, he didn’t want her to pity him. And not even now, he didn’t want her to see him breaking down like this.

“Wow, I haven’t been here in a while.” He chuckled, clearing up his mother’s tombstone from unwanted dry leaves and wilt flowers.

“She came back, ma. Kim. She’s back.”

The stone stared at him, didn’t say a word.

“What should I do? Tell me what should I do, ma?”

Arin could have guessed his mother would root for him to forgive Kimberly because she loved that girl. Eventhough they only met once but she found Kimberly very warm and even convinced that he will be happy with her.

“I can’t stay angry, it’s exhausting. But I can’t give in either. She came back after I made it. Now that the world paid attention to me, she came back. What does she want now?”

He paused listening to the rustling wind around him.

“Probably my fame and money. She’s just like all the others. I thought she would be different but turns out she isn’t.”

Arin chuckled darkly to himself and sighed heavy. He finally took his time to stand up and leave the grave but when he turned around, his dad stood there behind him, with a bouquet of lily in his hands.

“Pa..” he croaked. It’s been long since they last saw each other.

Notes

A/N: okay this story is kind of baaackk!! sorry for the huge delay :P

thanks for staying guys! i love youuu <3