A/N: Thank you so much to the lovely LittlePrincessNana, LeosLady4ever and Nichiki. This story would not exist without them. You guys are the best!
The song is Thinking of You by Christian Kane. Enjoy.
The sun beamed down on Lucy's arm as it hung out of the car window. The wind danced through her blonde hair and she couldn't help but smile. Some days, the sun was so warm and the music was beautiful. It made her soul pound against her chest for escape and everything was right. It was so rare that she felt like this anymore. Working for Sorcerer's Weekly meant she was always out on assignment. If she had the time to be home, she was hunched over her computer downing coffee and trying to write the article of a lifetime. Her work was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize in journalism, which would thrill most people. For Lucy unless it was excellent enough to win, she could still improve and she would push those buttons as hard as she was able to. Between online courses to improve her work and a full time journalism gig, she rarely had the time to breathe and enjoy a drive. With no deadline to make for the first time in six months, she raised the volume on the radio waiting for the next song. It was 2:00pm which for her favorite station meant Newbies at Two. It was her favorite segment and she had yet to miss it since moving to the area. It highlighted new artists who were up and coming. Her favorite artists always were featured there. She had always felt that it was important to support artists who were starting out. After all, she knew how difficult that road was when he traveled it years ago and she doubted it improved. She shook her head, refusing to let the past ruin her time. The DJ's voice pulled her out of any lingering thoughts.
"Hey all, welcome back to 104.6 where the magic happens. I'm DJ Ice and this is one of my favorite parts of my job. Newbies at Two, where we connect you with artists on the rise. Today's artist, holy woah man. They blew me away and for someone who listens to music all day, that is saying something. For those of you in the Magnolia area, make sure you check them out when the come to town on Saturday. They're playing at Fairy Tail at 8. Without further ado, I give you Metalicana."
Interesting name, Lucy thought to herself as she stopped her car at the red light in the outskirts of Magnolia. The first cords began to play. She felt her heart stop in her chest.
Well I know they say all good things must come to some kind of ending
We were so damn good I guess we never stood a chance
There was no mistaking that deep voice. It only belonged to one man. She felt the tears beginning to form behind her eyes.
Or you're driving round on a sunny day and out of nowhere comes the pouring rain
Then a memory hits you right out of the blue
That's just me, thinking of you
No matter what she did, she couldn't get enough air back into her lungs. His presence slammed into her with the force of a speeding train. Her eyes closed for a moment. She could still see the way he wore his black hair pulled back into a ponytail and the glint of his piercings in the light. A beep of a horn pulled her from her thoughts. Her eyes shot open as she looked around. How long had she been at this light? She gave a wave to the enraged driver behind her as a way of apology and pulled forward as the final cords of the song floated through the air around her.
No matter what she did, her mind kept returning to him while she parked and walked towards her apartment complex. No, just because he was in town didn't mean she had to see him. She could move beyond this and pretend he hadn't recorded that song out of every one he had ever written. Maybe the record company picked it out for him. After all, it was a good song.
She sighed and opened her door, tossing her keys in the bin beside it. She kicked the door shut behind her and went to make herself some dinner. Every time she would get her thoughts to calm down, her eyes would be pulled to her closet. After spending all of her dinner prep and time eating her chicken salad boring holes into her closet door, she stood and placed her bowl in the sink. It was just a box. What could it do?
Her heart beat was in her ears when she brought a chair over and stretched high enough to reach the very top and very back of her closet shelf. She knew the cardboard the second her fingers touched it, even if it was coated in dust. She pulled it down and slowly shuffled across the floor, as if it was made of glass. She sat against her bed and stared at the box in her lap. She took a deep breath and opened the box, looking down into trinkets of her past. A small smile crossed her face. It had been five years since they went their separate ways but she could never bring herself to part with this stuff. She moved the playbill from high school aside and out fell a picture of a much younger Lucy with a teenage tough guy standing with his arm thrown across her shoulder. That was when she first met him.
He was playing the Phantom in Phantom of the Opera while she reported about it in the school paper. He claimed to be too busy to let her ask him her 'stupid questions' so she did some research and holy moly, he could EAT. She had never seen anyone down so much food as he did and still stay so fit. It was then that she came up with an idea. She marched up to him at school and poked him hard in the chest, demanding to take him out for a meal if he answered her questions. She would never forget the way he quirked his studded eyebrow at her and smirked.
"Are you asking me out?"
A blush tinted her face. "No! I've been watching you and have seen that you like to eat and I want to write this article!"
"Oh," he said, his smirk turning into a full grin, "so you're stalking me."
"Ugh! Gajeel Redfox, you are infuriating." She threw her hand up in the air. "So will you or won't you?"
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his crimson eyes studying her for a moment and then he nodded. Every moment after that was spent getting to know each other in depth, becoming the best of friends.
Lucy shuffled through the photos and landed on one that made her heart ache. He sat on the bed in her dorm freshman year, looking down at his acoustic guitar while he wrote a song. The way his brow furrowed when he was playing and he bit his lip just a bit always gave her butterflies in the pit of her stomach.
With her best ninja skills, she moved slowly in front of him and snapped his photograph. He released his lip from his teeth and smirked.
"You're as silent as a damn bomb, bunny girl." His eyes flicked up to her, watching her face turn red, before returning to his guitar.
"Hey! That was one Halloween and you needed someone to be on the stage while you were getting sick if I remember correctly." She walked towards him and stood between his legs. He put his guitar beside him and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her stomach.
"Where would I be without you?" He gave her a toothy smirk.
"Probably still lying on the bathroom floor getting sick without a smoking hot girlfriend." She smiled at him and he chuckled.
He placed a kiss on her stomach. "Well, good thing you are such a stubborn journalist." He nudged her stomach lightly with his nose. "I'm glad I have you by my side, Lucy."
It took her a moment to regain her composure. He never used her real name. She placed a kiss on his head to hide the blush that was quickly forming on her cheeks and moved from his grasp. "So what are you working on?"
He sighed. "I don't know. I've got the notes but the words are refusing to cooperate."
"Play it for me." She sat on the floor with her legs crossed and closed her eyes. The notes floated into her ears and she sighed happily. She let him play every note, the last one reverberating through the room. He looked up at her and saw a tear dancing its way down her cheek. He was about to ask if she was alright when her chocolate orbs met his. "It's beautiful and sad. May I?" She tilted her head slightly and he nodded. He knew she had an idea and not even his pride would turn down her brilliance.
"Do with it what you feel is right. It's your song but to me, it sounds like heart break." He looked at her, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "It's bittersweet heart break. When you remember a love lost and everything morphs around you, kind of like when you hear a song that you associate with a bad memory and it pulls you under. Just like that," she snapped her fingers, "the light is sucked out from you and you are clawing to change the past until you realize you can't anymore. So you sit there, in your pain and just remember the beauty that once was."
A warm smile crossed his features before he crawled down to meet her on the floor. He pressed gentle kisses up her neck and slowly pushed himself forward, causing her to lean until her back softly hit the rug beneath them.
Lucy felt tears rolling down her face and was once more pulled back to the box on her lap. She brushed them away, refusing to spend another tear on this. Unfortunately, her body felt otherwise. She pushed the box under her bed and crawled on top of her silver sheets. She poured out the rest of her tears out until she could feel nothing, until his memory only brought her numbness instead of the stinging pain she associated with Gajeel Redfox.
A loud ring caused Lucy to shoot awake. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glared at the clock. 6:00 AM. With severe agitation, she pushed her covers off of her and searched her tiny apartment for the ringing abomination. When she found it, she saw the face of her boss smiling up at her. She sighed and forced more happiness and sunshine into her voice than could be found in Disney World. "Hello?"
"Hey Luce, it's Jason. So cool of you to be up. I have a job for you, if you want it."
"Of course, I'm always up for it." There went her time to relax. "What are the details?" She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the address.
"So this band is in town. Usually you know I wouldn't care for our magazine but they premiered on Newbies at Two and they have hit it huge. More downloads yesterday than most bands get on album release day." She felt her breath catch. Oh god, maybe someone else premiered and was in town. That was possible wasn't it? "So the band is called Metalicana. Leader singer is some George or Giovanni, something like that." Gajeel, her mind said. "He's holding a press conference today at noon. I want you there and want the article in my email by three. Cool?"
She nodded, unable to find her voice until she realized he couldn't see her. "Of course Jason. Thanks so much for the chance!"
She heard him hang up and dropped the phone on the table. She ran her hands through her hair and let a small growl escape her lips before heading to the bathroom and slamming the door shut.
She was still unable to believe her luck as she drove to the address. Of everyone in the company she was the one who had to go listen to her ex and write a story about him? She could have told Jason that she was bias and it was unethical to write the story but she wasn't afraid of being able to stay impartial. No, she was afraid of what it would do to her after the article. She sighed once more and parked her car. She walked up to the record company's steps and found herself at the back of a very large pack of hungry and needy reporters. Before she could find a way through, she saw a familiar gleam of orange hair and a wave. She ran over to the side to see her photographer, Loke, setting up.
"Hey Luce, looking beautiful today." He smiled at her.
"Thank you Loke." She gave a small smile but distracted herself elsewhere. She knew his reputation. He wasn't called the lion for nothing. Loke hunted every girl with his flirting and good looks but none of them lasted long. He had another girl on his arm within the week. "Tons of people today huh?"
"Yeah, I guess this guy is a big deal." He shrugged. She was about to respond when the company representative came to the mic. She didn't listen to a word he said, crouching down to make sure she could stay hidden. She didn't acknowledge the looks Loke was giving her. She didn't need to see him to write an article, right? She just had to hear what he said.
"Hey everyone, thanks for coming out." His voice broke her from her thoughts and her eyes shot to the top of the other reporters heads. Thankfully, Lucy had written many pieces she could not care less for and therefore was able to take accurate notes without really being aware. She spent most of the statement reminding herself to breath. That was, until it was time to take questions.
"Sir, sir!"
"Yes?" She had the urge to roll her eyes. He sounded so polite. Maybe he changed in five years, I mean who didn't? The Gajeel she knew hated being interviewed.
"Your new song Thinking of You premiered yesterday and has already had great success. Fans have said they connect to it because of the emotion you bring to the piece. Is there a story behind it?"
He let out a small, low chuckle. "Yes." She stood so she could see him. He hadn't changed a bit in appearance. His hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and piercings covered his body. He wore his usual black tank top and baggy cargo pants. Apparently being famous couldn't change him. She smiled softly until she caught his movement. His arm reached up behind him to rub his neck. He was embarrassed. "A while back, I had someone special in my life, the real deal." He smirked at the thought of the blush she would wear if she heard him say that. Little did he know she was there, her heart aching at the thought of the woman he loved after her. "I had the music to the song written but I couldn't find the right words. When I played it for her, she told me the story she thought it told. Shitty part is I didn't realize what she meant until I felt it when we parted ways." A sadness crossed his face before his usual mask replaced it.
"Does she have a name?" Lucy held her breath.
"Not one I'm giving." His voice was gruff and she knew he was annoyed. "Next question."
He made it back into the studio and saw the guest list of reporters on the couch. He didn't even bother to look at it before he went out there. Who they were never mattered to him. He hated all of that press shit, but now his band mates were late and he had nothing better to do. He skimmed the list of names until he saw it.
Lucy Heartfilia, Sorcerer's Weekly.
He pulled the chain out from under his shirt and rubbed the dragon that hung from it. She had given it to him for their anniversary one year because she knew they reminded him of his dad. He held onto the metal dragon tightly. She had been there? No, maybe she realized it was him and refused to be in the same place as him. He ran a hand through his hair. She was stubborn and dedicated to her work. There was no way she wasn't there, but how hadn't he seen her? Did she hide from him? There's no way. She left him. With a sigh, he picked up his cell phone knowing he was going to regret doing this. He punched in the number of his manager. "Hey Lil, I need you to get me a number of a journalist from today's press conference."
She hit send and leaned back in her computer chair. It was 3:00pm on the dot. The article was sent and she could finally relax. All she had to do was throw the box out and she could continue with her every day life. She sat on the floor and pulled it out from under her bed a little too quickly, causing the contents to spill onto her floor. She pulled each thing back into its spot until she came across a picture that was supposed to remain hidden at the bottom of the pile. Staring up at her with a huge grin on his face was Gajeel in the club, Fairy Tail. It was his first big show and she could not have been prouder. If only things had stayed that way.
She approached him backstage to see another groupie trying to get his attention. As soon as he saw her, he pushed past them and gave her a smirk. "Hey beautiful." He pressed a kiss into her forehead.
"Hey, do you – do you have a minute?" The smirk fell from his face. He had never heard her sound unsure.
"Yeah," he grabbed his leather jacket and led her to the back door. "Laxus, I'll be back." His blonde band mate nodded. Gajeel pulled Lucy into the alleyway behind the club. "What's up?"
She bit her lip nervously. "Gaj, I need commitment." She didn't mean to blurt it out like that but this was ridiculous. They had been together since they were sixteen years old and he refused to move in with her. He said they didn't have any issues but she didn't understand why they couldn't take that step. What was he hiding from her?
"Bunny girl." She held up a hand. "Okay," he sighed, his voice getting slightly annoyed. He could not believe she was bringing this up again. "Lucy, I told you I'm not ready for that."
"I don't have a problem with you not wanting to live with me Gajeel."
"It's not -"
"No, let me finish. The problem is you won't tell me why. This isn't the first time. I know you had issues with your dad, but you won't open up to me about them or about anything!" She threw her arm out. "You've spent so much time listening to me and protecting me that I don't know a damn thing about you!" She took a deep breath. "It would be different if we had just met or even a year in, but it's been years. Gajeel," she looked into his crimson eyes, her voice softening, "can you open up with me?"
His eyes fell to the ground and he shifted from one foot to another. He gave a slight shake of his head and without looking up, he could feel her heart shatter. Tears welled up in her eyes. She let out a shaky , "I understand. I wish you the best." She let out a sob. Before he could say another word, she ran out of the alley. It was the last time they ever spoke to one another.
She threw the picture into the box and brought it over to the trash can. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to let herself drop the box inside. She placed it on the counter and walked over to her phone. She always shut it off when she wrote or she would never get any work done. When she turned it back on, she saw that she had a voice mail from an unknown number. She figured it was a bogus call or wrong number but clicked listen.
"Hey Bunny Girl. I mean Lucy, shit sorry. I doubt you're even listening past this point." Her hands began to shake. She put the phone on speaker and placed it on her table. His voice floated through her apartment. "Hell, of course you are. You're too curious and stubborn to hang up." He chuckled and her throat became dry as she listened to him stumble over his words. "I'm in town for a show, which you know because you were at the press conference. Jesus, I am just repeating the obvious here. Anyways, I wanted to explain about the song. You have credit in the cd booklet and they'll gladly pay you for your work." She felt rage building up in her stomach. After all they had been through, this is what he had to say? "Not that it is why I'm calling. I wanted to talk to you and I thought you could come by Fairy Tail tonight for the show. If you don't want to speak to me, that's fine. You can find my manager Lily and he'll have a check for you for your work. If you do, you can find me. I guess that's it. I hope you'll be there." Click.
Her ears were ringing. Did he just invite her to his show? What in the hell was she supposed to do with that? She paced across her rug, miraculously not burning a hole in it. Should she go? What could he possibly have to say? She looked at the box on her counter and then went to her closet. Fine, she would go and if she changed her mind, she would leave but what the hell was she supposed to wear?
She walked into the dimly lit club, and searched to see if she knew anyone. She nervously held the cuffs of her white long sleeved shirt in her palms, picking at the seams. Her black jeans had rips over them and clung in all of the right ways to her body. After hours of ripping apart her closet, she had decided to go simple for her clothing. Her blonde hair hung beyond her shoulders, the ends curled and bouncy. She was so busy wondering if she looked like she was trying too hard that she didn't see a large man in front of her and bumped into him. Before she could fall, he had his hands on her waist.
"Blondie?" Her eyes shot up immediately, not having heard that nickname in years.
"Laxus Dreyar!" She pulled him into a big hug and smiled up at him. "Look at you, knocking innocent women over." She couldn't count the amount of time she spent with the drummer of the band since they met in college.
He picked her up slightly and gave her a little spin. "It's great to see you little lady."
She pouted. "I am not little! Put me down." She pounded on his back and she felt him give a hearty laugh from underneath her. "You don't want to draw attention to yourself or the groupies will never stop."
He shrugged. "I'm the drummer. Half of these people don't know who I am. They're all here to see your -" He cut himself off before finishing the sentence. Even though it had been years, he had to remind himself that she was not dating his best friend anymore. Nothing could have prepared him for the night Gajeel came back in from that alleyway. Shattered did nothing to describe the utter destruction the man was in for the following years. "Does he know you're here?"
She shook her head. "Technically, he invited me but I haven't decided what I'm doing yet. Don't tell him alright?"
He ruffled her hair slightly. "I won't, but keep in touch alright? He wasn't the only one you left behind." Her heart plummeted into her chest when he spoke. She never thought the band would care where she went. After all, he was their band mate.
He turned to leave when he felt a small hand on his wrist. He turned to see her eyes glistening before she launched herself at his waist. "I'm so sorry Laxus. I didn't think you would want to see me again."
He pressed a friendly kiss on the top of her head. "You're family Blondie. I don't ever want to lose ya." He held her for a moment before smiling into her hair. "Alright, I have to go get ready. Now you know, so don't disappear on me again got it?"
She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at him with a smile. "I won't. Go kick some ass." She gave him a slight shove.
He chuckled. "I always do."
She spent all of the time before they got on stage pacing around the club. She knew she should go talk to him but every time she made up her mind to do so, she couldn't bring herself to do it. By the time they made it to the stage, she had sat at the bar. The lights would make it impossible for them to see her out here and she could decide what she wanted to do. She watched Gajeel pour his heart out into his songs and his eyes shone with pure happiness. When they were together, there was nothing she loved more than watching him perform. She clapped when they finished one of their songs and watched the band disappear off of the stage. Was it already over?
Gajeel reappeared with his acoustic guitar. He sat on the stool in the middle of the stage and adjusted the mic. "Are you guys having fun?" An ocean of screams met his ears and he smiled, with his eyes closed, looking like he was in pure bliss. "Alright, this is the second to last song of the night. It's about a relationship I fucked up hardcore. I was so afraid to be open that I lost the most amazing thing I have ever had. It's my way of reminding that person that no matter what, I'll always love her." He let out a breath from his nose and opened his eyes once more. "Anyways, I hope you guys like it."
The cords began and she found her heart dropping once more.
Well I know they say all good things must come to some kind of ending
We were so damn good I guess we never stood a chance
Go on & find what you been missing and when the highway's tired of listening
You'll see I'm not that easy to forget
And when a new moon shines through your window
Or you hear a sad song on the radio
And you don't know why but you just start to cry
Or you're driving round on a sunny day and out of nowhere comes the pouring rain
Then a memory hits you right out of the blue
That's just me, thinking of you
I'm not goin' to try to stop you
Doesn't mean that I don't want to
If I know you you've already made up your mind
So go on & go if you're really leaving
Put a million miles between us
But you'll still feel me like I'm right there at your side
And when a new moon shines through your window
Or you hear a sad song on the radio
And you don't know why but you just start to cry
Or you're driving round on a sunny day
And out of nowhere comes the pouring rain
Then a memory hits you right out of the blue
That's just me, thinking of you
And I'm thinkin' about the roads your on
I'm thinkin' about you comin' home
I'm a wonderin' if you've got your radio on
And when you find your way to another town
And someone tries to lay you down
And a feeling hits you right out of the blue
Well it's me, thinking of you
It's just me, thinking of you
The crowd exploded into noise but she couldn't hear anything. She sat at the bar dumbfounded until the middle of the next song. Once she focused on her surroundings, she found herself getting up and her feet taking her backstage. When she went to go behind the stage, a large man stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm here to see Gajeel Redfox."
He let out a chuckle and pointed to a line of women. "You ain't the only one. Get in line."
"No, you don't understand."
"Save it sweet cakes. Get in line or get out."
"But-"
"Alright, that's it." The man grabbed onto her arms, about to pull her out when she heard it.
"Don't fucking touch her." The security guard whipped his head around to see an infuriated Gajeel storming towards them. Was he growling? "Put her down." The guard did so and spent the next few minutes apologizing profusely, which Lucy simply nodded at and accepted. He was only trying to do his job after all.
"Sorry about that." Gajeel spoke, leading her through the backstage halls until they came to a door that had his name on it. He opened the door for her and she went in, quickly turning back to stare at him when he spoke. "It's good to see you." He rubbed the back of his neck and pointed to the table. "You can have whatever snacks or drinks you'd like. Help yourself." She knew his nervous rambling was continuing, but she had blocked it out.
"Did you mean it?" Her voice was quiet, but she knew he had heard him.
He raised a studded eyebrow at her. "Which thing are we talking about?"
"Do you still love me?" She felt her breath catch. She couldn't take this pain again. She needed an answer and she needed it now.
He took strides across the room until he was right in front of her. "Hey," he said quietly. He grasped her hands lightly in his and bent down to meet her eyes which were currently studying the floor. "I have never stopped loving you."
She couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him tightly. She took a breath in to steady herself but instead, found herself breathing in his scent. The familiar smell of iron and the mountains filled her lungs as the butterflies from years ago danced in her stomach.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. "God I've missed you." His voice pulled her out of her thoughts so quickly she felt like someone dumped cold water on her. Sadness filled her eyes.
"What's wrong?" His eyes searched hers for some sort of answer. She shook her head before dropping her arms to her side and taking a step back. "Bunny girl?"
An ache shot through her chest at the nickname. "You loving me never was the problem Gaj." She took a deep breath and tried to push passed him.
Before she could, he caught her forearm lightly. "Which is why I've spent the last five years working on myself." She looked at him, searching his eyes for lies. He ran his hand through his hair. "You were right, but I knew I couldn't be selfish and keep you while I fixed myself. Hell, what if I never did? It wasn't right to make you wait for me." He took a piece of her hair and wrapped it lightly around his finger before letting it drop and returned his gaze to her eyes. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I've got to ask. If you say no, I'll understand and I won't bother you again but I have to know. Will you still have me?" For the first time since she had met him, Gajeel's eyes shone with tears. She tried to figure out what to say but her brain could not put the words together. Instead, she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and the heat from his body instantly made her smile. She couldn't help the silent tears that fell from her eyes.
Laxus was walking down the hall looking for their lead singer. He had disappeared after their set and he needed to help break down the equipment. It was then that he heard giggling from Gajeel's room. If that fucker was screwing some bimbo while Blondie was here, Laxus was going to lose it. Without knocking he opened the door.
"My father's name was Metalicana and -" Gajeel stopped his sentence when he saw his enraged band mate at the door. "You alright?"
Laxus was about to start yelling when he looked beside Gajeel to see Blondie leaning into his side, their clasped hands on her lap. He stood their shocked for a minute before he realized someone was standing in front of him. He looked down in time to see Lucy poke him in the nose. "Earth to Laxus. Hellooooo."
He looked between them. She had tears staining her face, but her eyes looked happy. He sent a glare towards Gajeel and once again looked at the woman standing in front of him. "Is this," he glanced at Gajeel, "happening?"
She looked at Gajeel, blushed ever so slightly and nodded. "I think so."
His face remained serious. "Are you sure?" He heard his friend give a low growl. "Oh shut it knucklehead. She doesn't need your damn growling." He studied her big brown eyes. He knew they both cared for each other but he needed to know she wasn't making this decision off of old feelings being brought up. He couldn't handle watching them go through this again. Lucy looked into his eyes and gave another silent nod. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a small squeeze. Her voice was barely audible. "Thank you."
He squeezed her small hand in return and gave her a nod before turning to meet his best friend's crimson eyes. "If you fuck this up again, I'm ripping out your damn vocal cords. Got it?"
Gajeel had to hold back a chuckle at his friend's intensity. He knew Laxus was equally as concerned for him as he was for Lucy. "I'm not that much of a dumb ass, meat head."
Laxus rolled his eyes. "You were the first time."
"Tch." Gajeel's eyes fell to the ground.
He shook his head and sighed before turning around and heading towards the door. He muttered under his breath, "these fucking kids" and shut the door on his way out.
Lucy gave a worried glance to Gajeel who just smirked. "He's fine. Come here." He held his arms open and Lucy sat on the couch, cuddling up to a man, as of two days ago, she never thought she'd see again. She was lost in her thoughts when she felt him nudge her before placing a kiss on the side of her head. "You alright Bunny?"
She nodded. "Was just thinking."
With a shark like grin, he said, "of me?"
She grabbed a pillow and lightly smacked him with it. "Corny bastard."
"Alright, I need to go help take our stuff down before the meat head comes back in here and throws a tantrum."
"Go, go." She motioned him away with her hand. Once he left, she leaned back into the couch and smiled to herself. She knew they had work to do, but tonight she saw something in his eyes she had never seen before: hope.
He felt the cool handle against his fingers, but couldn't bring himself to open it. What if she changed her mind? What if she realized he was never worth it in the first place and went home? Hell, what if all of this was a sick joke? He shook his head. Even if it was, he would face it head on. He couldn't let fear hold his heart in a vice anymore. He took a deep breath in and opened the door.
He couldn't help the smile on his face when he saw her curled up into a ball. He pulled the blanket off of the back of the couch and wrapped her up in it. He let out a small laugh when she snuggled tightly into the blanket. He brushed her hair away from her face and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks for staying, Bunny."