It's been a crazy ride for me... My first ever fanfic and probably the longest story I've ever written. It's finished, now. I hope everyone enjoys!
The band that had been playing when I arrived was leaving the stage, the jukebox singing as they worked. Another band was weaving in and out of them, setting up gear for their set. I watched them get set up, my head leaned back against the wall, listening to the canned music. I dumped more whiskey in my glass and downed it. I just wanted to feel numb. I filled the glass again, got up from my table, and drained the whiskey once more. I walked towards the back door. The dart boards were gone, replaced by more tables in what was now an intimate alcove. I walked past the dim cave towards the back door. I pushed open the door and walked into the cool night air as the band took the stage.
I could hear someone talking, introducing the band, but I couldn't make out the words. I had dragged my bottle of rum with me, and made every attempt to suck oblivion from its depths as I leaned heavily against the wall. Tears started to pour down my face. I could not understand what insanity had me traipsing down this lane of depression. I don't know how long I stood there, holding up the building with my pain and misery. Eventually, the music from inside started to seep into my rum-addled mind.
They were playing Howie Day's "Collide." I could hear the acoustic guitar through the door, through the hallway, through the crowd. I remembered a slow dance, arms pressed around me, holding me close, fluttering kisses on my hair, my temple. I remembered the cottage after, tumbling into the bed, nothing but heat and need. The voice singing those words, I knew it like I knew my own.
The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
You're barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah
I dragged myself off the wall and back inside. I stopped at the end of the hall and watched him on the stage, strong hand playing the strings as well as it had played my body, mouth making love to the microphone as he sang from his soul the song that had blown us apart that night. His hair had gotten longer, face scruffier. He looked rough, dangerous, broken.
But I'm open, you're closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find
You and I collide
His eyes were closed, his face full of emotion as he poured everything into the song. I stood there, transfixed, unable to move. He was here. Maybe this journey wouldn't be fruitless.
I'm quiet you know
You make a first impression
Well, I've found I'm scared to know
I'm always on your mind
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find
You and I collide
Don't stop here
I lost my place
I'm close behind
I opened my eyes, fixing them on her face through the crowd. I knew this was the only way to get her to come back inside, to see, to know what I really felt, what the last five years had done to me. Tear tracks stained her face, a bottle of Jolly Roger dangled from her hands. The look on her face ripped through me. I hated that there was so much pain between us. I hadn't stopped loving her, not once.
Even the best fall down sometimes
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills your mind
You finally find
You and I collide
He didn't move, didn't miss a beat as he stared me down, singing to only me. He knew I had been there the whole time, knew that song would drag me back inside if nothing else would. I couldn't move. I was frozen, mesmerized, overwhelmed with memories of frantic kisses, hands and mouths everywhere. I stumbled against the wall. I could feel the want and the need crawling up from that deep, dark place where I'd buried it. I cursed myself for ever even thinking that I didn't love him when every cell in my body had screamed the lie.
You finally find
You and I collide
You finally find
You and I collide
He sat his guitar on the stand while the band kept playing an extended instrumental at the end. He walked off the stage and through the crowd, his eyes boring into mine. He didn't stop until he had my face in his hands and my body crushed against the wall, lips smashing into mine, teeth and tongues colliding together. My hands released the forgotten bottle of rum as they wrapped around his body, trying to pull him closer.
The kiss slowed, and we could hear raucous applause coming from the bar patrons, wolf-whistles and catcalls piercing through the fog. I pulled back slowly, that self-satisfied smirk back in its rightful place on my face. "God, how I love you, woman, and no amount of time will ever dull its edge," I breathed into her.
Her breathing was heavy, her eyes blown wide with something between amazement and lust. "Killian," she said so softly. "How could I have been so stupid?" I crushed her head into my shoulder, holding her tight as the sobs wracked her body. I pressed my lips to her hair, kissing my way down to her ear.
The band started playing again. I had noticed Emma walking out while we were setting up and told Bobby who she was. He'd known me long enough to know I was probably going to walk off stage at some point that night. I glanced up at him, and saw him give me a thumbs up and a big smile.
"Let's get out of here," I said.
"Killian, wait," she stopped me. "You need to know."
"Know what, love?"
"I love you, too."
I just chuckled back at her, kissing the tip of her nose. "Love, I knew that a long time ago. I also knew you needed some time to figure that out on your own. I didn't think it would take five years, but, I'm a patient man." I kissed her again, gently, and led her out into the night, vowing to never let her go again.
~Fin~
The song "Collide" is written, performed, and owned by Howie Day. I have no rights to it whatsoever. I just love that song. :)