there are galaxies in your bruises

ezra can’t help but be distracted. it’s hard to focus on _anything _but her. he struggles to keep his lingering gaze trained on the screen but somehow manages. the small squeals and giggles that escaped tana were adorable, filling his ears and heart with mirth — a feeling the musician hasn’t experience in a long time. his skilled fingers fiddled with the buttons to dodge the ghosts. he did have a lead before _purposefully _falling behind. since it’s her special day, one gift is a win. ezra can handle a loss for her sake. “well shit,” he expels a breath with the same smirk resting upon his lips. “you have more skill than i thought. i still have time to redeem myself though. what’s next?” 

tana had to admit she was distracted by ezra at first, but once she got focused on the game, there was no pulling her out of it. her eyes were locked forward and her fingers battled with the slightly sticky buttons. the girl gave ezra a little bump with her hip as she let out a small laugh, a lame attempt at trying to throw the boy off his game. but before long tana had the upper hand. ‘WINNER’ flashed across the screen and the girl jumped up in excitement, her arms wrapping around her neck as she slammed against him for a hug. tana was lost in the joy of winning she didn’t realize for a second how close she was to ezra. feeling all her nerves come flooding back tana let go of the boy, avoiding eye contact for a moment. “well i could always kick your ass at skee ball next, or we could always do the photo booth.” tana didn’t really care what game she played next, as long as she was spending her day with ezra she was doing everything she wanted to do.

”pacman? you’re on.” ezra quips with a smile, giving her a playful look before releasing her hand. he feels the absence all too potently, immediately after disconnecting from tana. no matter how subtle it had been, he craved it automatically. whilst he’d never been addicted to anything, never been known to have an addictive personality, there was something forever tempting him back to the girl. whether or not it was a healthy craving, he has yet to uncover. a chuckle escapes him in response. “you say that now but you’re going down.” though, the threat is empty. he’ll let her win this time. he’ll place his fingers on the button then give her a wink.

tana did everything she could to not let her face drop when she felt ezra's hand left her's, but she knew she couldn't hold onto him forever. tana followed ezra's lead and places her fingers on the second players buttons, hand resting on the joystick as she tried her best to focus on the game and not ezra. when tana hear's the boys laugh her eyes immediatly landed on the boy, watching his smile as his laugh filled her ears. the start up music started to play yet tana's eyes still layed on ezra. "oh shit." the girl said when she finally snapped out of her gaze and did her best to catch up with on the few seconds she lost. a ghoast already catching up to her pac man and she tried the best to get away, small squeals coming out of her whenever she was close to dying.

there will consequences for this down the road. however, in the moment, the singer couldn’t care less about the expletives that will fall on deaf ears later, especially when tana doesn’t pull away from his touch. his thumb then absentmindedly rubs the back of her hand; perhaps there is more here. a part of him is hopeful though he’ll never admit it. “he’s gonna be pissed but it’s worth it.” ezra exhales with an airy laugh. walking down the street, his grip remains strong. he doesn’t plan to let go until its necessary. but it doesn’t take long for the duo to reach their destination. once inside, they’re welcomed by loud noises and neon lightning. thankfully, there seems to be no fans or paparazzi around to interrupt them. “so —” he starts to shift his gaze down to the girl. “— which game you wanna lose to first?”

all tana could do is laugh when she thought about the look their tour manager had when they ran off the bus, but it wasn’t exactly unexpected behaviour for the two. they were always getting scolded for running off or not doing what was asked of them. and that’s what made touring with ezra so enjoyable. tana looked down at their interlocking hands when she felt ezra’s thumb rub against her hand, then she felt the heat rush to her checks so when the arcade came into view she was glad she had that to distract her. “well - i could kick your ass in turbo thunder, always love a racing game. or you can admit defeat on the ever classic pac-man.” tana suggested her favourites, because they were the ones she had the most practise with. tana pulled them towards the two machines, she didn’t want to let go of ezra’s had even thought she knew she would have to soon. “maybe we should play pac man so a girl doesn’t beat you at a racing game.” the girl teased him with a playful smile.

”did you forget how things went last time?” ezra raises a brow before a confident grin appears on his features. those are words tana might regret later. his curious gaze then shifts unto their tour manager, not aware of the antics the two are about to pull. “an excuse? c’mon ferguson, live a little,” a laugh is given in response. without thinking, he grabs her hand, interlocking their fingers — something he wanted to do for some time now. nodding his head slowly, he speaks with a barely audible whisper. “i say let’s make a break for it,” his smile is more of a smirk now as he looks down at tana. he wasn’t one to follow rules. his tour manager is well aware of that. without saying a word, he starts pulling the girl behind him.

the moment moved slower in tana’s mind then it did in reality, she watched as his hand went from hers and before tana could react their fingers were laced together; it felt like her whole arm was tingling. a devilish smile matching his found it’s way onto tana’s lips as they encouraged each others bad behaviour; but that’s what made spending time with ezra so fun and exciting. tana tried to smoother the laugh that started to spill from her lips as ezra started to pull her up, and she gladly followed him. she was sure she would follow that boy anywhere. her feet moved quicker as she ran off the tour bus, “hey! really you guys?!” she could faintly hear their tour manager yelling after them as they left. tana continued to hold onto ezra’s hand, she wasn’t going to be the first to let go. “it’s just around the corner i think.” the girl said as she started heading down the sidewalk with the boy. tana realized there was a feeling of happiness she had that she thought she only got on stage, but ezra gave her that same tingle in her stomach she can’t explain.

ezra offers a gentle smile and nods his slowly along to confirm her words. “if that’s truly what you want, then that’s what we’ll do,” he insists, raising his hands to show there’s no objection. he just wants her to have a great birthday. he just wants to spend time with her — that’s obvious. “we definitely should go to arcade.” the earlier, the better considering what he else he has planned. besides, the two will have more than enough time to write music together; he’ll make sure of it. “i’m sorry but i’ll have to kick your ass even on your birthday,” he teases, his gentle smile turning playful. he’s happy to do anything for tana. he might even let her win — key word: might. his features soften slightly, surprising himself with the way she is able to do that to him. ‘what you say?”

tana was delighted when ezra said he was on board for going to the arcade, it was a place that made her feel like a normal teenager again and it was a place she wanted to share with ezra. “you keep telling yourself that, but i’ve been practising just for this moment.” tana said as she rolled her eyes slightly, there was a good chance he might beat her but her stubbornness might just work in her favour. the girl was trying not to let her excitement show, she wanted to bounce up and down like a little girl but she did her best to stay calm. “i’m down,  we just have to make up an excuse for them..” tana nodded her head over to their tour manager that was sitting in the back off the bus, nose in a book and barley paying attention to the two of them. “or we can just make a run for it?” the girl suggested with a small shrug.

ezra listens intently, nodding his head in agreement, before stopping dead in his tracks. “happy birthday?” he repeats with disbelief then gulps his food; they never really talked about birthdays. despite the news being kept from him, he wants to make sure her birthday is a memorable one. a part of him feels awful for not knowing while the other is somewhat bitter about this withheld information. but he’ll make the best out of the situation. “shit, tana. when were you going to tell me?” birthdays were special, especially considering the fact the singer tends to miss them. a look of disappointment transforms into something genuine. something only his sister ( and tana ) are allowed to see. “happy birthday!” ezra’s up on his feet then. he doesn’t waste any time to envelop her in a warm embrace. it’s one that lingers, maybe for a little bit too long. he wonders if she’ll notice. “forget the song. we should celebrate. what you wanna do?” he asks with a raised brow. he refuses to take no for an answer, and he knows tana knows that.

the girl gave a small shrug of her shoulders as ezra gives a surprised ‘happy birthday’ and the girl pretended like she wasn’t looking forward to hearing that from him all morning. tana’s mother always treated her special and gave tana anything she could ask for, but still even since she was little tana didn’t like to make a big deal about her birthdays. she wasn’t one to look for attention so she wasn’t surprised when ezra expressed a hint of disappointment that she didn’t tell him earlier. “i dunno, it’s not that big of a dea-” her words were cut off when she was surprised with an embrace from ezra. laughter erupted from her as she steadied herself and wrapped her arms around ezra, enjoying every second of the close embrace as she could; her eyes slowly closing as she breathed in. “i just want to spend the day with you.“ she answered him, realizing what she said the girl tried to save herself, “get food, make music, maybe go to the arcade or something ya know.” tana looked to the ground as tried to hide the pink in her cheeks.

despite the obvious drawbacks, ezra daxton loved touring the world more than anything but there were many challenges. one of the challenges is finding any excuse to rest in between shows. it’s early when tana’s voice stirs him out of sleep although its welcomed — especially when food and caffeine is involved. “hey,” he murmurs, voice still low from sleep; a weak smile still settles on his features. he sits upright from his position before reaching the table, taking a drink from his coffee. “morning, ferguson.” when he somewhat comes to his senses, that’s when ezra noticed something about tana seemed off. perhaps a little different. he couldn’t quick put his finger on it. “if this is your plan to get back on my good side, it’s working,” he replies with a quiet laugh then scarfs down his breakfast. as for plans, he wants to finish something pretty special. “uh, i wanna work on this new song. it’s not done yet but its getting there. what about you? you got any plans?”

seeing ezra’s tired eyes and messy hair had become a sight she had grown use to, yet still every time she saw how tired yet still effortless he seemed in the morning she couldn’t help but let a small smile settle into her face. “morning, daxton.” she replied as she watched him grab the coffee she had brought. she knew she wanted to bring up her birthday somehow but she didn’t want to make it seem like it was a big deal. she gave a small side smile, her mouth still full of food and a little nod when he insinuated she was trying to get on his good side. tana was always trying to get on his good side, but that wasn’t something she wanted to admit to him. there was a small wave of disappointment that went over her when their was nothing to celebrate her birthday in her plans, but once again avoiding eye contact she did her best to hide that. “uh, nothing planned no.” she said as she gulped down the food in her mouth, “i’m sure my mom’s going to call me later saying happy birthday but other then that i’m free. i can help you with the song if you want.” tana suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. ‘smooth tana, real smooh.’ the girl thought to herself hoping her birthday drop wasn’t too direct.

finally tana was at the point in her life where everyone around her considered her an adult, finally she was 18 years old and there was a sense of freedom that came with the new age. but really there was only one person she wanted to see if her new age had any effect on, ezra. tana headed onto the bus with a tray of coffee’s in one hand and a bag of breakfast sandwiches in the other. “morning sleepy head.” the girl said in a tired voice as she entered the dimly light bus. this wasn’t a day tana usually made a big deal about so wasnt even sure if ezra knew what today was. “so whats your plan for today?” she asked the male as she put their breakfast down on the small table. she wasn’t expecting a surprise party or a bus full of balloons, she wasn’t sure exactly what she expected except maybe an added maturity to their relationship. tana pulled one of the breakfast sandwiches out of the bag and stuffed it into her mouth, part of her knowing she was avoiding eye contact.

this wasn’t exactly how toni had imagined spending her next year, working for some wealthy family, one she hasn’t even actually meet, they had “their people” hire her, which was fine enough for toni. if she didn’t ever have to meet them she wouldn’t have to pretend to like working for them. this was simply a pay check for toni, hopefully she would get enough to take her across the country. “gibbson. take these to the ballroom.” her supervisor instructed her, so toni grabbed the try that carried many plates of mini sandwiches and what looked like some sort of fancy french sauce. “got it.” the girl said as she swiped the tray up and started heading down the many long halls that would eventually lead to the ballroom that would hold the gala the family was holding tonight. toni was lost in her own brain and she rounded the corner of the hall, and as she did she came into contact with something that sent her and the tray of food falling to the ground.

ezra doesn’t offer much of a reaction to her irritated words. his walk, his tone, his expression is the definition of nonchalant while settling into his built in bed. “guess not —” there is a roll of his eyes; even a shrug of his shoulders. a loud scoff falls from his lips. “— that’s fine. we don’t have to know each other: now or after this tour.”

ezra’s words sting, a pain in her chest hits her and she’s mad at both ezra and the fact that she cares so much of what he thinks, and what he thinks of her. tana pulls the hood of her sweater up over her head, hoping the view of her eyes, which she was sure were now red and teary, was blocked from him. “so you really do just play mr. all american until it’s no longer for your benefit huh.” tana’s words slipped out before she could stop them. she knew that wasn’t true, she knew it was just something the tabloids and internet said, but now she was afraid maybe ezra didn’t like her like she thought. maybe she imagined the whole friendship in her head. maybe she was stupid for every thinking they could be friends.

the last thing ezra wants is an argument, but that’s exactly what tana offers him. it is pointless to argue, especially after the long day they’ve had. he attempts to keep his tone neutral, not trying to match her irritation ( though it is present). all could be heard from him a deep,exaggerated sigh. “i’m just tired.” it’s a lie — not a very good one at that. he hates dwelling on the fact that her words stung a little deeper than they should have. “i know you are too.”

hearing him say he was tired only caused tana to aggressively roll her eyes, she knew that wasn’t true. he didn’t want to talk to her and it was obvious, but tana wasn’t good at walking away when she knew she should. then she heard his next words? “me? you don’t know what i am. we barley know each other.” tana huffed out as she slumped herself down on the small built in couch, stuffing her hands in her pockets and pouting. “we don’t know each other at all.” the girl said under her breath, more to herself then him. 

within their short interaction, kat can already agree that every stereotype about southern men was incredibly true. his thick accent made it impossible to keep her from smiling, and he was charming as ever even in the short exchange they’ve already had. she’s watching as he dropped down from his horse and secured her to a nearby fence. she’s getting out of her car, a defeated huff of air leaving her as she stands to the side, allowing him to inspect it. in the city, she had become so accustomed to the fear that women are seemingly born with, keeping pepper spray in her bag and each of her keys poised between her knuckles in case she was one of the many unfortunate women who needed to defend herself while heading home. but here, she felt herself relaxing a little easier, able to trust that the male had nothing but pure intentions. “well, i appreciate the heads up. i wasn’t sure if i should reach for my pepper spray now or later.” she teases back. “wyatt, i really appreciate your help. if it’s a bit too far gone, i’d appreciate you pointing out the nearest garage, so i can be out of your hair.” she pauses, shooting a glance over her shoulder and to his horse that had been tied up to the fences post. “i’m sure you’ve got better things to do than look at a stranger’s car all day. i hate to think i’ve interrupted you and… piper’s stroll,” hands fold anxiously together, resting against her stomach as she tries to keep herself calm in this incredibly stressful situation. “uh, how long have you had her?” kat figured small talk would be just the thing to keep her anxieties from completely incapacitating her.