"Little Things"
Mac walked into the bar and found her normal spot open at the bar. She slide onto the stool like she had so many times before and smiled at the well dressed man on the other side.
"Just the woman I was waiting for." Elliot the bartender smiled back at her, sliding her dirty martini toward her before leaning on the bar to engage her in conversation.
"Hey Elliot." Mac nodded, taking a sip from the glass before scanning the room. "Seems oddly busy tonight."
"Nah, no more than normal." He shrugged.
"I've been coming here for 57 weeks, it's never been this busy." Mac pointed out. It was true, this was the 57th time she had come to this bar, sat on that stool, drank a dirty martini and talked to Elliot. Sure it wasn't every Saturday night that she was there, but once a week, it had become their thing. She would meet him here, once a week, every week for the last 57.
"Really, it's been that long already?" he laughed. "If I didn't know you, I would worry about how you keep track of that number."
"Ah, but you do know me, so fear not." Mac laughed as well before looking around again. She didn't understand why there were so many people, so many females. Yes it was Saturday, but it was also four in the afternoon, this wasn't the party crowd, and she wasn't the party type. "So why all the ladies?"
"Not really sure." He told her, using a hand towel to wipe down the counter, keeping himself busy in front of her.
She didn't think anything of it. This was LA, things here rarely made sense, and she wasn't about to spend her time trying to figure it out. "Have you seen my date?" she wondered, looking down at her drink again.
"And that my dear is my que to point you towards the stage." Elliot gestured behind Mac, towards the small stage on the opposite side of the room from the bar. "He's waiting for you up there."
"And I'll wait for him right here." Mac nodded. This was part of the routine. He liked to dance, socialize, and she liked to find her spot and relax. It was the way they were.
"Suit yourself." He whispered before the lights started to dim, causing both people to turn towards the stage and watch as the young baby faced boys took the empty seats on stage.
Her phone vibrated in her small handbag and she quickly fished it out, feeling her stomach drop as she read the message.
This one's for you, Ghostworld. xo
[Zayn]
Your hand fits in mine
Like it's made just for me
But bear this in mind
It was meant to be
And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks
And it all makes sense to me
The first time he grabbed her hand had been at some concert. What were they thinking going anywhere with Logan and Veronica? The two had a fight in the middle of the crowd and disappeared, leaving Mac and Dick alone. He didn't want to lose her in the crowd, and he was slightly worried about someone trying to grind up on her, that he grabbed her hand, and pulled her close to him as they tried to get through the people.
He had never felt that surge that Logan always talked about when he and Ronnie touched, until that night. Her fingers fit perfect between his, and it had never felt more normal to hold onto something than it did to hold onto her. That's why even when they made it through all the people, he couldn't make himself drop her hand, he couldn't let go of her.
They walked back to where they had parked in silence, hand in hand, looking up at the night sky. They didn't get to see a lot of stars were they lived, so it was something new and nice, to be able to see them, and still hear the noise from the warehouse they had just left.
"You don't think they left us here, do you?" she asked in a soft voice after awhile.
"Nah, Logan was pissed, but Ronnie had the keys, and she wouldn't do that to you, to me without second thought, but not you."
"I suppose you're right." She sighed turning to look at him. "Thank for not finding some bangable chick in there and leaving me. I don't think I would have remembered where we parked."
"What are you talking about? I left with the most bangable chick." He laughed, making her crack a smile and an eye roll.
[Liam]
I know you've never loved
The crinkles by your eyes
When you smile
You've never loved
Your stomach or your thighs,
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine
But I'll love them endlessly
The black sheet made her pale skin look almost white in the morning light. This was the first night that she had actually spent the whole night with him, and he had hardly been able to sleep, watching her all night. Her hair mused around her face, and the sheet barely covering her bottom as his hand traveled up and down her spin slowly, making her smile.
"That tickles." Her eyes were still closed, and her words muffled by the pillow.
"You're beautiful, even in the morning." He laughed, kissing her shoulder, making his way towards her spine with his kisses. He traveled south, kissing his way down until he reached her last vertebrae.
"If you make a freak comment about my dimples I'm never sleeping here again." Mac said quickly craning her hair to shoot him a glare. The night before he had shared the story of his brief marriage and how it had ended.
"I happen to think dimples are cute thank you." Dick laughed before kissing the spot she was talking about and then returning to her side. If he was braver he would have told her that he loved them, because he loved her. But he couldn't, not yet.
I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if I do
It's you
Oh, it's you they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things
He was the first to say it, and she had simply told him thank you when he did finally let the words slip.
"Thank you?" he asked. "What is this, The OC?"
"The fact that you even drew the conclusion makes me wonder what you do when we're not together." Mac laughed from her bar stool. They had been coming to the same bar every Saturday for the last 14 weeks, it was where they went on their first real date, and where he first kissed her, or where she allowed him to first kiss her. He told her it was their lucky spot, so she wasn't surprised when the words slipped out of his mouth in the middle of their conversation.
"Mackie." Dick looked at her with a goofy smile. "I love you."
"I know, you just said that." Mac smiled back at him. She waited a few more minutes, watching his internal battle not to turn into a five year old before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I guess I love you too."
"Thank god." He laughed before kissing her soundly.
[Louis]
You can't go to bed without a cup of tea
And maybe that's the reason that you talk in your sleep
And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep
Though it makes no sense to me
"You have to put the bread in." her words were clear as day, and the sudden noise in the room made Dick jump. She had been laying next to him, fast asleep for a good hour while he worked on some report. He looked down at her, and saw her eyes still closed.
"If you burn it, you have to start all over."
"Burn it?" he asked mainly to himself.
"Yes, so set the timer." She answered promptly in a stern voice. "You could burn the whole place down."
"Okay, okay, the timers set." Dick laughed shaking his head. He picked up the mug that she had been drinking out of before she fell asleep and smelled nothing but herbal tea, the same she drink every night.
"Now turn up the oven."
"I'll turn it on first." He laughed.
"Don't think about sex when baking bread for your mother." She mumbled before turning her head and ending the conversation.
[Harry]
I know you've never loved
The sound of your voice on tape
You never want
To know how much you weigh
You still have to squeeze into your jeans
But you're perfect to me
"Dick if you play that message one more time I will break your phone." Mac hissed in the middle of the doctor office waiting room.
Dick smiled over at her, closing his phone. "Sorry, but I love the way you sound, telling me all the dirty things you want to do to me."
"Seriously." She snapped turning to look at him, allowing him to see her slat brimmed eyes.
"Oh come on Mac Attack." Dick said cupping her check in his hand and brushing away a fallen tear. "Don't stress about it yet."
"Yet?" her voice cracked in the middle of the small word. "Dick, this is serious."
"I know, and I told you, I'm here, all the way." Dick nodded. "Every appointment, breathing class, and dirty diaper, the Dickster's all in."
"Oh god I'm going to be sick." Mac said leaning forward to place her head between her knees.
"Cindy Mackenzie?" A nurse called, creating the couple to turn and look. Dick was the first one to get up.
"You're coming with me?" Mac asked in a small voice when he reached for her hand.
"Like I said, all in, good or bad, baby or no baby. You're my baby, so I go anywhere you want me to." His words were reassuring.
"Right this way." The nurse led them down the hall to the scale. "If you'd set up here, please."
"Are you kidding me?" Mac's face burned red looking at Dick before sighing in defeat. With her back turned to the numbers, she stepped onto the scale and kept her eyes focused on Dick's.
The rest of the appointment seemed to go by in a blur. And the couple stepped out into the sunny afternoon smiling.
"I know we were just there on Saturday, but can we go to the bar?" Mac asked. "I want to celebrate."
"Babe, we can go anywhere you want, your egg es no preggo." Dick laughed picking up his girlfriend and swinging her around.
I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if it's true
It's you,
It's you they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things
"Her!" Madison laughed, pointing and Mac, making her fold even more into herself.
The night had started out like most, they met at the bar, but this time it was Dick's birthday, and it wasn't just them. It almost felt like a reunion of the 09ers to Mac, or it would have if Wallace and Veronica hadn't come to LA for the weekend to celebrate with them.
"You aren't in love with her." Madison laughed at the idea. "She has nothing to offer you."
"And what, you have everything?" Dick spat at the fake blond.
"Of course, because I know exactly how you like it, and what you like." Madison purred, stepping towards Dick, her hand reaching for his chest before being pushed away.
"You know the way a lot of guys like it." Veronica Mars said stepping in front of her best friend. She knew, she knew that Mac wouldn't be able to raise her hand against Madison, knowing it would be like hitting herself. But Veronica had always had her own issues with the girl.
"Stay out of this Mars." Madison rolled her eyes, stumbling a little in her heels.
"I got this Ronnie." Dick said looking at the small blond before pulling Mac up next to him. "Cindy Mackenzie is the only woman I want to love, or have ever loved for that matter Madison. She's wicked smart, and hella funny. She can kick my ass, and hold my attention outside of the bedroom. She's a real woman, and I'm lucky that she's my woman. So before you embarrass yourself anymore, I think you should call a cab, and leave."
There was something about having a guy pick you, stick up for you, that was a major turn on. It made Mac weak in the knees and swoon just looking at Dick as he pushed her hair back declaring his love for her in front of a room of friends and strangers.
[Niall]
You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you
You'll never treat yourself right, darling, but I want you to.
If I let you know I'm here for you
Maybe you'll love yourself like I love you, oh.
"I wish you would have punched her." Dick shouted, pacing back and forth in the apartment Dick rented in LA. After the run in with Madison he was able to go back to the party and enjoy it, but the second they were alone he unloaded on her. "You've got to stick up for yourself more, don't let people like that, her treat you like that."
"You used to treat me like that." Mac pointed out.
"And I apologized so many times for being a stupid kid." Dick turned to her suddenly looking worried. "You know how much I love you right?" he knew that she didn't see herself the way he saw her. She saw flaws in herself, things she wanted to change, didn't like, but all he saw when he looked at her was perfection.
Mac laughed for a second at his foolishness before walking towards him. "Do you know how hot it was to hear to declare your love for me like that?"
Dick was taken back by her words. She didn't talk like that often, only when she was drunk really, that's why he had saved the voicemail and played it so many times. He wanted her to know how much of a turn on it was for him.
"Seriously, even if it wasn't your birthday you'd be getting lucky tonight." She laughed, pulling him down to her by his tie before ending all conversation for the night.
[Harry]
And I've just let these little things slip out of my mouth
'Cause it's you,
Oh, it's you,
It's you they add up to
And I'm in love with you
And all these little things
It had only taken him 14 weeks to fall in love with everything about her. He had never been a quick study before, never caring enough to pay that much attention to a girlfriend, but that's what made her so different. In those first 14 weeks to saw so many different little things that he couldn't help but love.
But those weeks quickly turned into a year, and Dick just knew one morning when he woke up to the sounds of her softly snoring away her hang over that she was it for him, that he would never be able to love anyone else as much as he loved her. And because he was Dick, he knew that he had to share those thoughts with everyone and anyone that would listen to him.
[All]
I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if it's true
It's you,
It's you they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all your little things
At some point during the song Mac had abounded her bar stool and made her way towards the stage, weaving through the people who watched the boys singing. When she got close enough she could see him, sitting on the stage, his legs dangling off the edge and a small box in one hand.
"I should kill you for embarrassing me." Mac's voice trembled when he hopped off the stage and stood in front of her, the whole room growing silent.
Dick gave her half a smile before reaching for her waist with his empty hand. "Or you should marry me, since I just had some British band sing you a song about how much I love."
"Was that my proposal?" Mac laughed.
"Marry me Cindy Mackenzie, because I can't think of a better person to spend the rest of my life with, because I don't want to spend it with anyone but you." With his thumb he popped open the box, but Mac didn't even bother to look down at the ring, she knew it would be perfect for her.
Her lips fused to his, stealing away his breath without warning, and she held tight until her own lungs burned for air, and the crowd around them applauded.
"You had me at marry me." She laughed, feeling her whole body sink into his. They might have been two opposites, but they fit each other better than anyone else could imagine.