[I’m honestly trying to make this as little set up as possible. SO. What happened after where I left off yesterday is not quite of consequence. Corey took Lucy back to the hotel, Lucy cried a snot-ton, and she managed to stop by the time Maddox rolled back around. And really, for the first time since she’d been there, the room seemed dead quiet, even after he’d returned. Before, any time he came back in, he’d be kind of loud about it. (Perhaps not intentionally. But maybe so?) Not this time, though. She heard the door open, and that was about it. She fell back asleep too easily.
This morning was filled with the same as yesterday-- too much sight-seeing accompanied by the lady who was always on her phone. How many business calls could one person get a day, honestly? ‘It’s the last show in NYC,’ Corey said. ‘I have to make sure everything’s set at the next venue.’
Lucy really didn’t care about the nature of the calls, but dang it if it wasn’t completely unfun to look at tourist attractions with no company.
It all seemed to last too long, and she seemed all-too bored by it, but the time to return to the venue had finally arrived, and Lucy wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she got there, but she figured it was going to involve sitting in a room backstage again.
And, as if she could tell the future, yup, that’s where Corey sent her. ‘Sorry, kid’, she was told. ‘~Orders are orders, so don’t leave’ with an eye roll thrown in.
Okay, so, again, Maddox had told Corey to keep Lucy away. If anything, that only served as more proof that he thought things were over. Why wouldn’t he just say it to her? It wasn’t fair to her. (Not that she really thought she deserved any sort of fairness, but ya know.)
Night falls, and sets start, and Lucy can only hear garbledness, but it’s there. And so, Lucy wonders, if things are as over as they appear to be, why is she following rules set by him? Because maybe she hoped things wouldn’t be too easy for him. It’s not like he would notice her in a crowded room anyway, right? Not being blinded by stage lights, and through a swarm of sweaty people. Ew.
So, our child here, with her adventurous self, decides fuck the law, and she’s gonna go out there. She’s gonna stand out there, and she’s gonna listen to some mind-melting music, and she’s gonna let her sorrows drown in the sounds of dumb electric guitars, and drums that are surprisingly not busting from the intensity with which they are being played. Yay and all that stuff.
Maddox’s set is already over by the time Lucy is trekking on out, and she automatically assumes he’s gone backstage anyway, so she doesn’t even begin to search through the sea of people for him. She just starts walking through, looking to see if there’s a good corner she could hide in. The answer was a solid ‘no’, because most of them seemed to be occupied, and that left poor Lucy swaying like an idiot somewhere towards the side of the room.
And she stayed there for a few minutes, letting her brain bleed through the music, and then she’s suddenly being spoken too. She barely noticed because, again, how can anyone hear when this music is being played, you feel me? But, she turns, and it’s some unknown fellow thing that looks like he’s been going far too hard in the pit. AKA, he’s sweaty and gross.]
You look lonely swaying over here by yourself.
[Lucy raises an eyebrow, because did she even ask.] I’m not.
You’re by yourself though. [He says it like he’s had the greatest revelation of all time.]
Want some company, pretty lady~?
What way? A way with standards? [Lucy ain’t haVING THIS, SON.]
You’re being pretty rude, ya know. I came all the way over here to check on you.
I bet that’s what you were doing.
You could at least talk for a little while.
Conversation never hurt anyone.
I get the feeling you don’t have conversation on your mind.
Whatever you’re down for.
I’m down for you fucking off.
You don’t have to be a bitch about it, you know.
You didn’t have to come over here either, and yet, here you are.
Alright, ya know what--...
[Maybe he was starting to step into her space, but before Lucy knows it, there’s someone in between sweaty guy and herself. Guess who that someone is? Nope, it’s not Corey.]
And who the hell are you?
The guy who was on stage ten minutes ago. Fuck off.
You think you can order me around just ‘cause you’re ~with the band?
I think I can order you to do whatever the hell I want to.
White knight over here saving random concert chicks, I see.
She’s not a random concert chick, asshat. She’s my girlfriend. Now back the hell off before I get security to kick you out.
[The guy raises his hands like ‘wHATEV’, and he backs off. Lucy is looking at him, because did he just refer to her as his girlfriend????? whAT? Maddox looks at Lucy like she’s in trouble tbh, and he starts pushing her back towards backstage by the shoulder without a word.
Once back there, Lucy is looking at him like ‘df’, and she’s super confused, even. He’s shut them both in the same room. What? wHAT?]
[Maddox just looks up at her, and he does a bit of a sigh, and, tbh, he ignores that.] I told Corey to keep you back here.
Damn it, Lucy. I had a reason for that.
I know. I get it. You don’t want to see me.
I don’t want you surrounded by a bunch of wasted punk assholes. That’s what I don’t want.
Why do you care what happens to me?
[He gives her this look that says ‘how is that even a question?’.] Nothing’s happening to you on my watch, alright?
[Okay, so she’s gonna mention the gf word again.] -- Why did you tell that guy I’m your girlfriend?
[Another deeper sigh comes from the boy.] Can we-- Can we talk about this at the hotel please?
Are you gonna to actually talk when we get there?
Fu- Yes, I am. That’s why I’m asking.
[And so, out the room they are going now. And are they actually going to ride to the hotel in the same car? Bet. Are they going to be completely silent in said car ride? Bet. Are there going to be no words spoken even walking up to the hotel room and getting in there. Bet. Did they not even tell Corey they were leaving? BET.
In they go, and down on the couch goes our Maddox, but Lucy takes a seat on the bed that’s just slightly across from where Maddox is, yup. They’re sitting on their beds. Mhm.
She looks at him, and she waits for him to say something first, but tbh, he’s just staring at his lap. Come on, my boy, you’ve had all car ride to stare at your lap. Say something.]
I’m still here, you know...
I know, okay?? Just--... [A huff, and a look up to her.] I’m having trouble thinking about what to say.
You could start with what I asked you before...
I called you my girlfriend because... despite-- everything... I-- I’d find it hard to call you anything but.
[A sniff even.] We-We need to talk about this. Because there are a few things that I want to know.
For starters... this guy’s name, age, birthday, address and social so I can look him up and beat the shit out of him.
[Breathy, humorless laugh #753.] I don’t think I know all of that.
I hope you know his name, at least.
[Does his lip curl? Yup. How is it that that name sounds so close to ‘JORDAN’?] Where’d you meet him?
The mall. He-- took my phone and put his number in it. [An eye roll.]
[A jaw clench.] Did he know about me? [A nod from Lucy.] Fucking--...
I wasn’t gonna do anything with the number. Really. I was gonna forget all about it, but... everybody got so... busy. And I needed someone to talk to. It was a stupid thing to do. I know.
If you’d just told me that you felt that way, rather than pretending like you were fine, I would’ve done something about it, you know. I would’ve told everyone to fuck off, and said screw it to the damn meetings. You kept insisting you were fine. Why did you do that??
I didn’t want you to feel bad.
Yeah, well, I’ve felt pretty fucking terrible the past couple of days, so lot of good that did.
... Do you hate me? I already told you I’d understand if you did.
Lucy... You’re infuriating. You’re compulsive, and you don’t think shit through, and you have a tendency to be selfish as hell. You seem like you’ve picked up all of my worst damn traits, and you’ve learned the other half of the shit you do from one of the shittiest people in the world. But, fuck, I could search my whole damn life, and I’d never be able to find anyone who makes me feel the way you make me feel. And none of that goes back to hate.
And what does that mean???
It means that... I love you. Come what fucking may, right?
But, damn it all, Lucy, I have to know that I can trust you. I have to know that this shit isn’t gonna happen again just because you’re lonely. Because this tour isn’t gonna be the last one, and if I have to think that this is gonna happen every time I’m away--...
I don’t want to be worried that you’re kissing people, or who knows what else, just because you’re lonely. Because... I never thought that shit was possible-- being, ya know, faithful. But being faithful to you is the easiest thing I’ve ever had to do. I need you to tell me... promise me, even, that it’s not too hard for you.
It’s not. I swear. It was one stupid mistake, and it’s never gonna happen again. I’ve never hated myself more than these past few days. I just want us to be able to start over-- I want to forget it ever happened. I-I can do that, if you can do that.
[Sigh #762. He stands from the couch, and he grabs her hand and pulls her to stand in front of him.] I definitely want to. Believe me.
If I have to prove every day that you don’t have to worry about me-- that you can trust me, I’ll do that, Maddox. I will. Just don’t make me have to lose this. Please.
I promise, Maddox. You’re the only person I’ve ever loved, and I will never put what we have in jeopardy ever again. I mean that.
[There’s another pang in his chest. Another lil twinge. And maybe the whole time since he’s grabbed her hand, he’s been looking at that lil ring right there, and contemplating it, and contemplating the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, and ~how wonderfulll life is~~~, and just how ~miiiiiserable life had been thinking that he might end up losing her... It wasn’t something he wanted to be reality for him. He didn’t want life to be like it was before her. He didn’t want to be who he was before he loved her. Because she gave him a reason to be a better fucking person, and that was just one thing in a list of many things why he loved Lucy Warner.
So, he takes one more step forward, and he rests his forehead on her forehead, and tbh, he’s probably finally had one tear escape his eyeballs that had been misty all throughout the weekend. And, God, you just couldn’t stop Lucy, as it had been throughout the weekend.
And so, the forehead-resting very quickly becomes a big hug, and they’re probably squeezing the dang life out of each other, because it’d been far too long since they’d been able to hold each other like this, and perhaps they were re-storing the feeling to memory.]
I know-- I know. I’m-- I forgive you.
Lucy Warner, I love you too.
[For the first real time since forever ago-- here we go. God bless.]
[And it’s stupid full of the love, bro. Because, lbr, that kiss on her first day didn’t count, because she could hardly kiss him back for all the guilt eating her alive. But here, now, it was real. Too real, even, and it’s TOO BEAUTIFUL, AND I’M CRYING.
They stay that way, RE-STORING MORE MEMORIES, until the boy pulls back, and he’s breathless, ya know, because they had probably been in that emBRACE for a long time, and, well, no breathing.
But, there’s a heavily-lidded look to Lucy, and there’s a couple of breaths in even before he speaks, but here he does now.]
You’re not tired, are you?
[Lucy raises an eyebrow in confusion.] No?
[A nod.] Good, because we’ve wasted a shit-ton of time already.
[And then he’s back on her, and THIS HAPPENS EVEN.]
[Which SHOCKS Lucy, because WHEN HAS HE EVER? She’s too into it, however. Way too into it. She’s gotta say something about it. Off she goes.]
Since when are you able to do this??
Carrying sound equipment for a month does a body good.
Mm, yeah. I have a feeling it’s gonna do my body good too.
You know how you said you’re willing to forget any of that shit ever happened?
I’m gonna make sure of that. It’ll be like that little shit never existed. What was his name?
[OKAY, LET’S GIVE THEM THEIR PRIVACY NOW. TAKE A LOOK AT THE POST TITLE. OKAY, YUP. THE END.]