As the applause ensued, I tried to catch his eye in a sea of meaningless onlookers. I found him at the bar, his lips pursed on a long glass of amber liquid. His expression was hard, fulminatory. After a moment, he noticed my gaze, and met it half heartedly. Motioning to the left, he made his way through the crowd, stepping past security and behind the stage. With a strangled grimace of affection, I addressed the fans before rushing past sheets of curtains to meet him.
I spotted him, quickly dashing across the glossy hardwood. "I'm sorry…" I muttered breathlessly, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "I needed to let it out…" I paused however, taken aback. He rolled his eyes, brushing my hand away.
"Look." I interjected quickly, clasping my hips. "I didn't say we were together. No one knows."
He scoffed, shaking his head from side to side. I noticed for the first time that he had brought his half empty beverage with him, the dregs of which swirled ominously in the depths of the tinted glass. "Like hell no one knows." He murmured quickly, bringing the cup to his mouth once again, inhaling a great swig.
I gaped at him dumbfounded momentarily before tugging at his sleeve, goading him out of the banquet hall. Luckily, this was met with no resistance. We trudged in silence down an elegant staircase lined with shiny confetti, stopping at an isolated glossed cedar door. I slid a plastic card procured from within my bodice into a slot, pushing on the door slightly. "What is your problem?" I asked as we stepped over the threshold. I watched as he peered around the suite, his eyes traveling over the voluminous bed and champagne in the corner. Silence hung limply about the room, and eventually he stepped over haphazardly strewn shoes to sit upon the mattress.
I followed, perching tentatively beside him. He reached for the already opened bottle of bubbly, chugging a bit before examining the label with his dilated, bloodshot eyes. "Talk to me." I begged, laying a hand nonchalantly upon his lower thigh.
"I didn't want anyone to know." He slurred in a low, monotonous voice. "There are things…" He sighed heavily, focusing on his feet. "You don't know."
"I wish you would stop saying that." I stood up, shaking my head vehemently. Spinning around, I began to shout. "Have you ever once considered that there's a chance I'll be able to handle it?"
"Maybe I don't want you to think of me that way!" His voice now equaled mine in volume, but he did not rise. "I'm not proud of who I was." He mumbled in a much softer tone, turning away from me.
A single droplet rolled down my perfectly blushed cheek, coming to rest at the crevice of my lip. I sobbed slightly, causing my entire body to tremor.
"Maybe you need to trust I'll love you anyway."
His eyes moved to mine, a smile playing at his chapped, weather beaten mouth. The expression sent a shiver up my spine. Something about the way he looked at me… everything was going to be alright.