Lost in Stereo (Mia!)

[Liam Bell]

Lost In Stereo - All Time Low (2009)

It was a quiet kind of time around The Quarter Note. There were a few stragglers here and there but it was obvious they were more interested in looking at the shiny things with strings as opposed to actually buying anything. It was these kind of moments that meant he could do what he loved; play.

Liam sat up on the edge of the counter, gripping the neck of an Ibanez acoustic guitar before swinging it into his lap. He steadily reached up and started tuning it; it was always irritating when they weren't perfect.

Finally he was able to strum out a tune, unsure of what the song might be if it was recognisable at all. He was just messing around; piecing together whatever chord progressions sounded like they might keep someone interested. The small beep of the door drew his attention up, and he instantly smiled. "Hey," He raised his hand from the instrument to wave at her, "It's my Mia!" He said, spoken with the usual teasing grin.

[Mia Bell]

Mia has had her world turn upside down in the past couple weeks. It was all to hectic for her and she hated how things seemed to happen all so fast. It was hard for her to gain control of her thoughts and her emotions. She needed time to sort things out in her head and when situations happened back to back she gets stressed out; and recently her getting stressed out is not a good thing; it leads to very bad things. Her mind just couldn’t go through the emotions and thoughts about things like others could, it got jumbled. Though when it comes to school she was great at comprehending information like that and keeping it all organized in her head, all in all she was a complicated girl and her mind was complicated all on it’s own.

Mia walked into her Uncle’s music store with a doughnut in one hand a coffee in another. She loved the music store, mostly because she was able to get a doughnut and easily walk over to the store considering they were both in the mall. However, spending time with the only family member that still loved her, or at least positively showed it was great too. Not to mention the discount she got on CDs and music sheets.

Mia grinned as she walked over to the counter he was sitting on with his guitar. “Hey!” She loved these moments with Liam; it was bonding time for the both of them. She sat on the counter next to him and held the coffee cup out for him to take. She had gotten both the coffee and doughnut at the ‘holey land’ doughnut place. She looked around “It’s quiet..” She always seemed to come when it was quiet, but the rare times she was around when it wasn’t she always helped him manage the place. She was in no hurry to tell him about the past couple of weeks, with the retreat and what happened at the library

[Liam Bell]

Liam greeted his adored niece with an infectious smile. He was glad to see that she was in what seemed like a good mood. He couldn't really describe how happy he was when he found out she was moving to Vermont. It was like he finally got her all to himself, which was a nice change from having to travel to see her face.

"Yeeaah. Shiny things with strings, Mia-moré." He explained, placing the guitar tentatively on his other side before taking the cup offered to him. Liam took a quick sip; Ahh, it was good.

She had memorised his order by now, and he could always count on her. "Heard from your mom lately? How's she doing?" Liam asked, shrugging slightly as he brought both feet up to sit cross legged. He turned his eyes out to watch the few straggling people in the shop again, pointing at whatever was the cheapest guitar in stock. What a waste...

[Mia Bell]

Mia was in a slightly good mood, she was always more happy when she was with him. She found it weird that Cameron had the same effect on her. She shrugged it off, but she made herself seem happier than she was feeling. She was good at disguising how she truly felt.

The girl loved him living in Pilot Ridge; she didn’t feel quite so alone with him around. She knew if he wasn’t around than she would be worse off. Liam was all she had right now and it meant everything to her that he stuck around and didn’t give up on her like everyone else had.

Mia chuckled “What do you expect? Not everyone is a music genius like you. Though I do kind of like shinny things with strings too.” Pianos had string in them, it counted right? She had always adored the nicknames he gave her. She took a bite out of her chocolate glazed doughnut.

Mia swallowed and looked at the ground at his question. “I write her letters often, but she barely replies… She still worries about me. But other than that I’m not really sure, she says she’s doing fine.” She was also pretty sure her grandma still didn’t want to have anything to do with her considering her mother never mentioned the older woman in her reply letters. She still felt guilty for worrying her, and didn’t know how to make the woman feel better. She looked at the people looking at guitars, ‘beginners..’ was the first thing that popped into her mind. She was going to have to bring Cameron in sometime, even though he might give her hell for not mentioning her Uncle owned a music store before…

[Liam Bell]

"Yeah, but I like you. So it's ok." Liam responded, giving her a slight nudge with his shoulder. At least he could tell she had a passion for music. That was something he was really glad she had found, because it gave them something huge in common.

He held back the frown that wanted to surface when she talked about how her mother barely replied. Sometimes she had found it difficult to be around Liam due to the resemblance. He couldn't help who his brother was, but he respected it all the same. "I try to keep her at ease. I think it helps that I still live around here." He offered. It was the best he could do, anyway.

Liam watched her as she was looking over the people. Searching through guitars. "What, are you finally interested in guitars or something?" He asked, knowing that she was a piano girl.

[Mia Bell]

Mia did have a passion for music, she was certain she was going to just end up marrying music, it’s what kept her sane not to mention when everyone leaves her it will be all she has. Yes, she was certain eventually everyone would leave her. She giggled “That’s good to know.” Even though she had already known it, she still liked hearing it.

Mia nodded “I don’t know how to help her. I don’t even know how to help myself.” She mumbled the last bit of what she said. She wasn’t like she Uncle, she wasn’t as carefree. She was still trying to pick up all the pieces from what had happened. But she was glad that Liam seemed to have been able to get passed it, it made her think that one day she will be able to too. Not to mention it just helped, being around him, him being positive all the time; it helped her emotionally.

Mia looked at him a little confused and then looked at the guitars; a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. “Huh.. no? Sort of… A friend of mine plays guitar, we have been writing songs together.” Was she supposed to call him a friend? Was he still just a friend? Was there a word for someone you had a non-exclusive relationship with? She was utterly confused by it all.

[Liam Bell]

A thoughtful expression crossed the face of her Uncle. As always, he wished that he had something to say to try and ease the situation. Maybe it was easier for him because he hadn't been around their home when everything happened. But his feelings on the accident weren't something to push onto her. What would happen if he did that?

Then he eyed her curiously as the crimson started to colour her cheeks. "Friend, huh?" Liam asked, reaching over with his free hand and pinching one of her cheeks with an amused grin. "Friends don't make friends blush, Mia."

[Mia Bell]

Mia wasn’t sure what he thought about the whole thing, and a part of her didn’t want to know. She was sure he would tell her she was the stupidest, most selfish girl in the world for trying to take her life without thinking of the others it affected. Even though the outcome seemed to have affected her more than she wanted it to.

Mia blushed even harder as she rubbed her cheek “Yeah they do.. When you’re crushing on them…” Did she just give that away? “Though I guess our friendship is a bit more complicated now.. We’re dating… Though it’s not exclusive.” With that being said maybe he could give her some advice on the situation. She had strong feelings for Cameron, but he didn’t know that, all he knew was that she was interested in him. She could say vise versa, she knew he was interested in her. But just how much? She had no clue. She knew how much of a player he was and she just felt like she was just yet another girl for him to put on a long list of who he’s dated. She didn’t see what was so special about that.

[Liam Bell]

Liam pressed the line of the coffee cup to his lips when she spoke, because it was a great way to stop himself from saying anything. People would probably say that Liam was almost a little jealous of having to share his niece with someone else. But he hadn't had to worry about that being obvious yet.

"Dating. When it's not exclusive, it's just the beginning of things. But at least it means he likes you, right? There's something about you that he's into." He mused after drinking a little of his coffee. He completely trusted that Mia wouldn't get involved in something like dating if she wasn't sure she was ready for it. He was also sure that he must have liked her for who she is.

Mia never faked who she was, not for anyone's approval. "What's he like?" Liam couldn't help but be curious.

[Mia Bell]

No one could ever take Mia away from her Uncle. Liam was her best friend; and the only person who still understood her. Anyone who didn’t like her Uncle wasn’t worth her time and anyone who Liam didn’t like wasn’t the kind of person she wanted to be around. She knew Liam had her best intentions at heart, and if he didn’t like someone she was friends with or was dating said a lot. Because she knew that her Uncle was pretty open minded. Either way she would never stop visiting him, she wasn’t that clingy to people she liked to forget about her friends and the people she deeply cared about.

“I don’t know I just feel really insecure because it’s not exclusive…” She took another bite out of her doughnut. She wanted to be ready for it, and really did want to get past her insecurities but at the same time she had her doubts. It was just that her past relationship had ended so badly, it was the kind of relationship her and Cameron have she just didn’t want it to end that way. It didn’t help when she kept telling herself she wasn’t good enough for him to stick around and want something more with her.


He was right she was never the one to fake herself, she did have a darker more depressed side but what people saw was truly what she was overall like. She didn’t do things or act in a way to get people’s approval if they didn’t like her than that’s their problem not hers. She was ninety nine percent real. “Oh.. He’s cute, he’s funny, he’s sweet and smart. Though he can be dense… and he can be an ass sometimes… And I think he’s somewhat of a player?” Considering he had told her that he wanted to date her since they had first met but at the same time he loved another girl and still loved her.

[Liam Bell]

Liam himself was a master of dating. Because dating kept people at arms length, and that was close enough for him. In his later years he'd resided to the fact that relationships probably weren't for him. At least, he hadn't met anyone worth trying that out with yet. "Unfortunately, it's something you have to go through." He sighed. There was no way around that.

"Hmm..." Liam made the sound to give himself a little more time as he thought. "He sounds like a teenage boy. More often than not, it's all something you're going to have to just deal with." Again, it was unfortunate but having been through it himself, he felt like he sort of understood the kind of guy this guy was. "Well, don't let him play you. You're too good to have to put up with that. Maybe he doesn't know what he wants yet, but if he's dating you then a part of him wants you. Is he dating anyone else that you know of?"

[Mia Bell]

Mia was not, she felt really awkward dating. Her first relationship was easy because it was her best friend, but when he moved she had lost her best friend and the guy she fell in love with so it was pretty traumatic for her. Her last boyfriend ended up breaking up with her being of her suicide attempt, which is what scared her the most now. She felt like no one could love her because of her scars and cuts and the words she now had on her thighs that would be there forever. “It’s hard…” Especially when she feared that Cameron would find out about her bad habit and dump her; she wondered why things just couldn’t go like she always dreamed they would.

Mia looked at him as she took another bite out of her doughnut. She waited for him to say something about the guy, just to sigh heavily at his response. “I know. But how? I mean I feel totally awkward around him now..” She didn’t know how to act, what was acceptable and what wasn’t. Math, and science she could pass without a sweat, without even trying. Dating and relationships were a whole other story, she was trying to figure out. “I won’t let him.” She would give him crap if he did try to play with her. “I guess… I actually don’t know. He never talks about it… I know before me he had loved someone, he says he still does too but they’re over…” He hadn’t even told her that he had gone on a date with his roommate when they were just friends. And yes the thing about him still loving Ravyn made her feel even more insecure… She was starting to quickly wonder if all of this was worth just dating Cameron. But she also figured there was only one way to find out.

[Liam Bell]

"Why do you feel awkward?" Liam asked. Surely it was a good thing her friendship with this guy had gone to the next level. She obviously like him.

He raised his eyebrows when she mentioned that this guy had been in love before. Definitely something to keep in mind when if she was looking for something more from him. "Now, I'm just guessing, but I do know that it's hard to get over your first love. People say you always have a soft spot for them for the rest of your life. I don't know if I believe that, though." But he shrugged, drinking a little more from his coffee.

"Do you know whoever he was in love with?" It was a school, after all. Rumour mills at those places were always insane. "Or have you heard anything? Would she still be into him?" Because that would be a clear block.

[Mia Bell]

“I don’t know… Like I’m not good at this just dating thing.. I’ve only ever dated two people before… Like what should I not do? Is there a line I’m not supposed to cross?” Really she was no good at this. “then it’s like… What happens if he doesn’t want it to go father? We were friends, we are close friends; at least I feel like we’re close..” She really didn’t know how Cameron felt about their friendship.

“yeah I know it is..” She just didn’t want to be just another person he’s using to get over her. He already knew that she wouldn’t stand for being used, he had learned that the hard way. “I really don’t know about the soft spot thing.. I haven’t talked to my first love since he moved and never kept in contact with me..”


“I actually do.. We’re friends…” She knew she sounded terrible for dating her friends ex boyfriend. “All I know is that she broke up with him… and the last we ever talked about it she said she still loved him but knew it was an unhealthy kind of love..” Yeah this whole thing with Cameron was pretty screwed up, but she couldn’t help her feelings.

[Liam Bell]

"Don't ask him about the other people he's dating unless you really want to know. It might hurt you more than it helps." Liam offered. That was a fast way to get into some kind of argument. "And if he doesn't want it to keep going, he'll probably tell you. So take it as best you can." Of course, that was only an if.

So she was friends with this guy's ex? That definitely complicated things, he was sure. It made things messy. "So have you talked about how you guys feel?" Liam asked. Obviously if they were dating they would have gotten to that point already. "He must have said he likes you. So... He probably does. It didn't feel or sound fake, did it?"