DISCLAIMER: Don't own TDI/A/WT or Belle of the Boulevard by Dashboard Confessional

A/N: Ah...might be a bit choppy. Didn't write it in one sitting, but two, so sowweh if it ish. It's Gwen an Duncan, obviously. After Trent broke up with her. A bit more in teh future.

Down in a local bar
Out on the boulevard
The sound of an old guitar
Is saving you from sinking
It's a long way down
It's a long way

She sighs and sits on the wooden seat of an open bar, adjusting her skirt. The dim lighting helped her imagine that the gentle strums of an acoustic instrument were the ones of her once beloved. She exhaled and inhaled once again, smelling the bitter salt of the stereotypically blue ocean that was just only a couple of yards from her sanctuary that was here. This place brought back memories on where her and him had first met, a place by water, and she smiles at that before running a hand throughout her ebony and cerulean hair. Yet another face sits next to her, and she barely registers it before she's at it again.

Back like you never broke
You tell a dirty joke
He touches your leg and thinks he's getting close
For now you let him just this once
Just for now
And just like that - it's over

She notices a minor detail—unique eyes and dark hair. She ignores that and smiles and laughs with him as she says something sarcastic that she instantly forgets. His hand strays to her bare, soft porcelain leg and she lets him, instead focusing on the instrument playing just outside with a soothing voice complimenting its cords, pretending it's him. She pretends he's just right for her and ohso perfect for her. They leave the bar and walk on the lukewarm cement that was accented with dirty sand from sandals. She adds yet another layer of lipgloss when she hears the guitar and tries to fight the odd aching in her chest. She's not supposed to break.

Don't turn away
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Don't be afraid
Keep it all inside, all inside
When you fall apart
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Life is always hard for the belle of the boulevard

He lays feather kisses on her lips before going back to sleep as she stares at his atramentous hair with a mix of a neon green and admires it, thinking of him. Crystalline droplets fall from her eyes and land on the dark-coloured bedsheets before quickly wiping them away to not mess up her makeup. A smile is put on her face by her conscience before she gets up with a kiss on his cheek, trying to avoid the sharp nose piercing that's so close to her face.

She's getting ready to leave before she sees a quick movement in the corner of her darkly outlined eye. An equally pale hand is put over hers as her hand is on the gleaming doorknob. He locks eyes with her.

In all your silver rings
And all your silken things
That song you softly sing - is keeping you from breaking
It's a long way down
It's a long way
Back here you never loved

The ring that she still keeps on her hand—a remainder of his now non-existent love—is digging into her soft flesh as the silence grows. Her light silk top still hangs off her shoulder with her hair barely covering the exposed skin.

"Let's talk," he says before taking her hand off the tempting doorknob and sitting on the couch casually with a sigh, not knowing he just said the lyrics to the song he always sang to her. The one she still sings to herself when she's alone.

She stares at him like he's insane, and blushes lightly when he pats the spot next to him. Curiosity ran through her as she looked at him; she had no ties here.

You've shaked the shivers off
You take a drink to get your courage up
Can you believe it
Just this once
Just for now
And just like that
It's over

A light feeling entered her stomach, and she ignored it to go sit by him and see what more this man could want than what she had given him. She adjusts her shirt, with a small flask falling out from it. Drinks from both are taken, and she doesn't even shudder as the burning feeling travels down her throat. He lightly smiles at her, and it's impossible that someone actually smiled at her with understanding traveling to her. She turns away shakes off that wonderful feeling to go and leave out the door, slamming it on her way out. Nothing was going to tie her down anymore, even with a sincere smile in it.

Don't turn away
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Don't be afraid
Keep it all inside, all inside
When you fall apart
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Life is always hard for the belle of the boulevard

Her heels clicked against the cold grey cement in the early morning on the ocean, with the sun dying the water a warm colour when she makes her way to the ocean and try to resist the urge to go back to someone who had actually put up a fight to keep her. She sighs and tries to think of something that didn't bring a conscience or a hurting feeling to her chest.

"Wait!" A call in a tired male voice makes her turn and she sees him with a confused look on his alabaster face, that was accented with glittering silver piercings.

Once again, she turns back around to walk even faster, to try an avoid any sympathy and try to hold her emotions in. This asshole just didn't understand the meaning of a one night stand. Suddenly, a warmer hand covers her small eburnean one, and she voices a small noise of irritation that she doesn't let escape from her mouth before looking up into his ultramarine eyes, with her own onyx ones.

He holds up a flask, "You forgot this," he whispers with a smirk and puts it in the palm of the hand that wasn't being held by his hand. "Now, talk." He demands and takes her to sit on the sand that was only a couple of yards.

Memories assaulted her at his sheer demanding and she bites her lip, that barely had any midnight lipstick on it anymore, and tries to stop the tears. She sits down next to him.

Please hold on - it's alright
Please hold on - it's alright
Please hold on

"Ah, come on, Sunshine. No need to cry," he says with a teasing smile that damn terror in his eyes. He reaches for her hand again, and makes her sit next to him, where he holds her to his chest. He was right. She was definitely different.

She straightens her posture and looks at him critically. Wondering why he even bothered running after her. The question was voiced, with her voice cracking from sleep, lack of use, and (even though she won't admit it) crying.

He shrugs and says, "You're different, Sunshine. Now, tell me what you're crying about. I'm curious," he brings up a subject she was hoping to avoid. She wonders why he even bothers, but finds herself (secretly) enjoying it.

Down in a local bar
Out on the boulevard
The sound of an old guitar
Is saving you

When she listened, she could hear a gentle melody of a guitar playing and she smiles a bit at the antics of poor musicians. They didn't know how they save some people's sanity. The rhythm makes her ears beg for more, with her wondering about him. She remembers who's she's with and looks at him with the sun glinting off the water, as if making him radiate with light.

"Let's get to know each other better," she says in a soft voice as she exhaled that almost made the words sound like a sigh. She self consciously brushes a piece of hair from her face and looks him in the eye.

Don't turn away
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Don't be afraid
Keep it all inside, all inside
When you fall apart
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Life is always hard
Let me dry your eyes, dry your eyes

They laugh and smile at each other as the sun started to come up more, and they look at each other with admiration when they realize they have so much in common. She slowly becomes more emotionally opener in the early morning sun, and he seems to become more fond of her when the sounds of birds, the soothing waves, and the slight sound of guitars start to make their way to both of their ears.

"Hey, Sunshine, you never told me what was so sad," he voices his original question again, and notices the tears.

"Do you need to be so persistent?" she asks with an edge to her voice as she wraps her arms around herself and tries to wipe away the tears without ruining the remainder of her makeup.

"Yes," he says without a hint of a smirk as he examines her thin frame holding itself with the salty drops cutting clean pathways throughout the masterpiece that was her face. He wanted to wipe those tears away and take her job by holding her.

Don't turn away
Let me dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Don't be afraid
Keep it all inside, all inside
When you fall apart
Let me dry your eyes, dry your eyes
Life is always hard for the belle of the boulevard

She tells him, with the guitar playing a light sound in the background. He shakily wipes away the tears and holds her when she's halfway through her story.

Touch it...
Feel it...
Satisfy it...
Little more...
Come on...
Little more lower...
Push it...
A bit more harder...
l
l
l
V