A/N: Hey y'all! This chapter is a lot of fun. Get ready for a charged performance. Also, please check out the song in the banner. It's really beautiful and the inspiration for this chapter. All Time Low is an incredible band so totally check out the rest of their stuff while you're at it. But anyway, ENJOY!!!

Ryder's pull was a rush altogether different from the adrenaline filling my veins. Everything else faded to white noise as I focused on the fire I felt underneath his fingers. He met my eyes, hesitantly singing, unsure of my next move,

But we can let it take us down

Down this road

Where all our colors run together

Let's take the worst and make it better

Let's take this mess and make a home

My brain was telling me to push him away, to not get caught up in the moment and try and find some clarity. I tried to sober up and remember why I didn't trust him, but his voice was intoxicating, making me more and more breathless. I tried pulling away...

...and he let me go.

And just as our hands slowly separated, our fingers barely touching, Ryder's voice echoed through my ears,

I know it gets hard for you to stay

But do you really want to throw it all away?

Fuck. Seriously?! I thought to myself. 

His words were loaded, with a crippling amount of history and the slight waver let me know that he meant what he was asking. The universe was toying with me, pushing me towards him, and for some reason, I don't know if I was tired of fighting, or if it was the melodic allure of "Cinderblock Gardens," but I let myself turn back around.

A look of surprise filled Ryder's face as I looked up at him. I gave him a shrug, letting him know that I was listening, but it wasn't going to be that it easy. 

At that moment, it seemed as though the audience had gone silent. 

Our silhouette must have been telling a story, bring the lyrics to life. A girl that lost everything, lost in her loss. And a boy, trying to pull her back, wanting to take away her pain, attempting to turn it into something beautiful... The question being, would she walk towards him, or away...

The audience didn't roar or cheer, waiting quietly, hoping for the two silhouettes to meet.

Ryder scrunched his eyebrows down at me, silently asking me for this moment. My heart leaped towards him, I wanted this song more than he could imagine, but it didn't seem that easy. 

My mind was racing as I looked again at Ryder silently asking, Just give me a reason. He responded with the slightest smirk, seemingly saying, Come on, Rosie, for old times sake. He tilted back, pointing his head behind him.

I looked over his shoulder to see Dylan pounding the drums, the snare vibrating the stage as the Hi-Hats clashed against one another. He was deep in concentration while grinning from ear to ear, completely in his element.

Xander, on the other end of the stage, was strumming the electric guitar with equal vigor, the amp practically bursting as he swiftly moved his fingers down the fingerboard. His hair, streaked with sweat, covered his eyes as he epically slid across the stage, his guitar pointed to the sky. The audience erupted into cheers.

I knew what they were doing, delaying my entrance to the song, buying Ryder some time convince me, and they were doing a damn good job at it. Ryder looked again at me silently saying, If not for me, or us, do it for them- the people cheering. Let's just live a little...

And at that moment, I listened to my heart and let go a little bit, and sang the next verse.

That we could make forever after all

Finding the gold in our darkest moments

Watching the roads turning into white roses, 

I ran across the stage, singing into the mic, as the audience encourage me with their applause, happy that the girl chose to step forward. Ryder quickly followed from across the stage. His rich voice somehow filling the air.

And we don't ever have to leave these walls

I'll be the boy with the silver lining

You'll be the girl with the Cinder Block Garden

He looked directly at me as he sang that last line. For a second, I felt his sincerity, almost as if he understood my pain and that he would take it away. That he came back to help me fight my demons, he came back to fix what was broken, he came back for me.

I shook my head, pushing away the daydream and focused on the words of the song, not reading too much into it. I prepared myself for what was coming, gently rotating the silver charms around my wrist.

Ryder winked at me, running his fingers through his hair, waiting for my cue.

Tonight

Take all the ghosts and all those skeletons

You hide

And bury them deep beneath the ground

Let them rest

'Cause you weren't meant to bear that burden

Look at the roses in your garden

You can breathe now and forget

We sang together. We sang to each other. We sang for each other. As our voices harmonized and as Dylan's drums and Xander's guitar created a beautiful cacophony, I felt chills that even my adrenaline was unable to subside. 

I wasn't looking at him, afraid of the speed of my racing heart. But even without his green eyes watching me, our voices melding together was enough. The same fire I felt when his hand touched mine began to burn at my skin as the melodies of "Cinderblock Girl" rang.

Ryder, lowered his voice to a whisper, saying

Forget it gets hard for you to stay

But we don't really have to throw it all away...

Why am I running away? Why don't I stay? I began to ask myself. We were on opposite ends of the stage. A distance of a hundred feet separated us, but it felt like so much more.

But he slowly bridged it, taking slow, idle steps towards me. And without my permission, my feet steadily brought me closer to him, all while we sang our song.

Just hold out for tomorrow

Our dreams will follow

Follow us back to when

When nothing was broken

The future was open

Let's go back again...

And I did just that. I went back to the past.

*****

Ryder was climbing out my window onto the roof. "Ryder, what the hell are you doing?!" I yelled, looking out the open glass. "You're gonna break something!"

"Chill out Rosie, you're gonna wake everyone up," he said continuing to climb. "I'll be fine."

"If you break something...." I whispered threateningly, though I was 100% terrified.

He squirmed a little, sitting down on the stone. Brushing off some dust, he hollered, "See, I'm fine. Perfectly safe."

"Now look who's shouting," I immaturely teased, sticking my tongue out.

"Shut up will you." He bent down giving me his hand. "Come on, get up here."

I immediately dismissed his hand, saying "Yeah...NO. I'd like to keep all my limbs."

"Stop being dramatic Rosie." He continued, smirking. "Besides, if you fall, I'll catch you."

"Now you shut up," I shouted.

He looked at me sincerely, "I promise you'll be safe." He extended his arm again asking, "Don't you trust me?"

I didn't have to think to answer. He was my best friend and had never let me down. "Of course I do Ry," I immediately said. "But, I swear, if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he laughed, easily pulling me up next to him. I rested my head against the cool stone and looked up at the stars as Ryder laid down next to me, our foreheads touching.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked. The dark night glowed with the stars sprinkled about. It was incredible, but the endlessness seemed lonely.

"There are so many stars up there," I pointed out, "Don't you ever think it gets a bit lonely?"

"What gets lonely?" he questioned turning his head towards me.

"Being just one in a trillion," I whispered.

"Stars aren't exactly living," he teased chuckling, "so I don't think they feel much."

"You know I'm not talking about stars Ry," I laughed shoving him. "I'm serious, don't you ever get a little lonely and lost. Just look at how big the world is," I said pointing up at the sky.

"You're never alone Rosie." He turned his head towards me, gently taking my hand. "I'll always be here."

I smiled up at him, squeezing his hand, "I'll always be here for you too Ry."

We just laid there for a minute together, until Ryder joked, "Besides, there aren't even that many stars up there." He started counting, mumbling to himself, before claiming, "I count 142, give or take a trillion."

And as we continued to try and count the stars that night, our laughs ringing, the sky looked a little bit smaller.

*****

I'll be the boy with the silver lining

He sang, bringing me back to reality. And I whispered,

I'll be the girl with the Cinder Block Garden

We were standing right in front of one another, our feet barely inches apart, breathing heavily as the music resonated. I could barely catch my breath as we both leaned forward, pressing our foreheads together, as the audience cheered for our reunited silhouettes.

I pressed my palm to Ryder's chest, balancing myself as he gently grabbed my waist. I felt his racing heart in sync with mine, and for one moment longer, we were just the boy and the girl from our song...

A/N: I really hope you could feel the chemistry in this chapter. I took a while to write this performance because it was hard to capture all the emotion in a few pages, but I had a lot of fun with it and can't wait to hear what y'all think! Thanks for reading!!! Please check out the song in the banner! <3