"Guys! We have horrible news!"
Corey looked up from tuning his guitar, arching an eyebrow at the clearly upset twins. What now? He wondered, aimlessly plucking a string. Did the Newmans steal another gig? Did they discontinue all cheese products?
From her seat on the couch, Laney let out a groan. "What? No, wait, don't tell me- you ran out of chocolate and you think the world is going to end again." He stifled a laugh as Kin jumped in front of her, waving his arms wildly.
"No!" He shouted, surprising her. "It's much more worse than that! We have to go to the-"
"Dentist." Kon finished, shuddering. Corey laughed, shaking his head at the twins. "That's it? I was about ready for some crazy gig planning!" All things considered, the dentist wasn't that bad. At least they'd give you little rewards if you behaved.
"What do you mean that's it?" Kin questioned. Shrugging, Corey waved his hand in dismissal. "It's just the dentist, guys."
"But that means we have to miss band practice tomorrow!" Kon whined. That grabbed Corey's attention. He jumped up, crossing over to the twins.
"What do you mean you have to miss band practice?" He cried, eyes wide in panic. "That's a wasted day of precious rehearsal!" Grojband had never missed a day of practice, and he didn't want to start now.
"Not like we ever have lyrics anyway, Core." Laney mumbled. He turned to her. "You're missing the point, Lanes! We can't just have band practice without the entire band! It's like having a grilled cheese sandwich without the cheese!" He wailed. He couldn't decide which was worse- both were pretty horrible on it's own.
"It's only for a day, Corey. Besides you don't have to suffer through the-" Kin shuddered.
"Dentist." The twins said in synch. "Besides, you and Laney will have the entire day to yourselves." Kon added.
Well, that's a wicked bonus, he mused, a smile crossing his face. It disappeared as soon as it came, and he sighed. Might as well make the most of the day, he thought.
Letting out another sigh, he nodded. "Alright. So what are we waiting for? Let's rock!"
"Great work guys!" Corey remarked, setting his guitar aside. Sure, it was just an instrumental practice, but lyric less practice was better than no practice at all. Kin and Kon agreed, packing up their instruments.
"Yeah, sure it was Core." Laney mumbled. He glanced at her, grinning.
He chatted with the twins about the huge practice session he planned to have the day after their appointment. "Sounds like a good idea." Kin said, nodding.
"Of course it is!" He said enthusiastically. "What do you think Lanes?" He asked, turning to her. No reply came from the distracted girl who simply let out a sigh as she continued playing with her bass. Kin and Kon grinned at each other, silently agreeing that it was time to leave.
"Well, we'll see you later, guys." Kin said, waving. Laney glanced up, giving them a quick wave and wishing them good luck. They left, Corey letting out another sigh as he plopped down next to Laney. Rocked too hard, he thought tiredly. Glancing to the side of him, he saw Laney's head snap forward swiftly.
Oh yeah, tomorrow will be just us. Wonder what she wants to do. "So, Lanes, what do you want to do tomorrow?" He asked, breaking the silence.
Her face scrunched up in thought before relaxing. "Oh, I dunno." She said nonchalantly, shrugging. He grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
"Well, Lanes, you have an entire night to think of what you want to do. I know I don't usually listen to your ideas, so I'm completely open to whatever you plan." He said. And he genuinely meant it. He wanted to do what she wanted to do. Her eyes widened in surprise, and he chuckled to himself.
"I guess I can think about it..." She said hesitantly. He saw a frown tug at her lips before she slipped out his embrace, packing up her bass. He smiled as she hesitated and turned to glance at him. Jumping off the couch, he walked to her, planting himself right in front of her. He was close enough to hear her soft breathing, and he felt a weird emotion he couldn't quite place. Shrugging it off, he smiled down at her.
"Remember," He breathed, "Tomorrow we can do everything you want."
She nodded, too surprised to speak. She seemed torn, looking at him and looking away. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she gave him a nervous smile, waving goodbye and doing all but running out the garage door. Surprised, he stared after her. "Did I do something wrong?" He wondered out loud, before shrugging it off and closing the garage door.
Sleep evades him.
It's a lot of endless tossing and turning, and he wonders if he's eaten anything bad. He's always slept like a baby, and he didn't understand why he couldn't now. And his stomach hurt, too. Not like a I've-eaten-something-spoiled kind of hurt, but a hurt that felt like his stomach was being squashed under pressure. Although he hardly ever felt it before, he recognized it as anxiety.
Probably just nervous about not having band practice tomorrow. He thought, tugging at his beanie. Without his band, he didn't know what he'd do. It wasn't just not having friends to jam out with, but he couldn't stand the thought of losing his friends as well. Kin and Kon were great when it came to goofing off and one of his crazy plans, as well as being just great friends in general. And Laney was a different story.
Although he was sad after losing them when they cake gig, and didn't want to make that mistake again, it was the thought of losing Laney that made him feel sick to his stomach. They'd been through so much, and the band would be nothing without her. She was the glue that kept the band from completely falling apart. And the only one that kept him on the right track.
Good ol' Laney, he thought, curling into his pillow, sighing as he felt sleep start to come over him at last.
Laney...
His alarm went off at seven. He groaned, hitting the snooze button before getting up and stretching. "Well," He mumbled, yawning, "At least I got some sleep." He went through the normal routine of getting ready, messily stuffing his regular beanie on his head and brushing his teeth. By seven-thirty, he was prepared to officially start the day.
After a quick breakfast the author didn't feel like getting into, he headed down to the garage and began to play solo, losing himself in both his thoughts and his music.
It wasn't until after ten when he heard the garage door open and a "Hey, Core." that quickly got his attention. He glanced up,a wide grin spreading over his face when he saw Laney.
"Hey, Lanes!" He said cheerfully. "Figured out what you wanted to do?"
She nodded, holding out the picnic basket. "How does a picnic on the park hill sound?" She asked, seemingly hopeful.. He grinned. "At our hill?" She nodded, giving him a small smile. Forgetting about the lack of two bandmates, his excitement soared. Spending time with Laney was always the best, and if it was at a special place like their hill, it got even better.
His grin widened. "Of course! Let's go!" He said excitedly, grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door excitedly. He couldn't help but smiling down at her as they spent the walk cracking jokes, wondering how Kin and Kon were handling the dentist. "Kin probably invented a machine to turn the dentist into another stunt duck." Laney suggested, making Corey double over in laughter.
She's the best. He thought fondly, watching her face light up in amusement.
It was a thought that wouldn't leave his mind, even as they reached the park. After they climbed the hill, they set up the blanket, settling down on it and making small talk as they devoured the sandwiches. More like, Laney watched as he devoured the sandwiches. She let out a laugh as Corey fell on his back, clearly satisfied. "Thanks Lanes, that was the best!" He exclaimed happily. She knows exactly what I like.
"Welcome, Core." She said, letting out a small laugh. They sat there in content silence, Corey humming while Laney watched him with a smile on her face. He didn't want to leave. He felt like they could stay there forever and he wouldn't mind.
He turned to say something to Laney before noticing her absence,looking behind him in time for Laney to pounce. Grabbing on to her, they laughed as they rolled down the hill before stopping. Still laughing, Corey looked down at Laney. He froze, realizing the intimate position they were in. She glanced up at him, hopeful yet slightly worried. She quit breathing as he started to push himself up. He paused, glancing down at her once again.
Thousands of thoughts ran through his mind, flashbacks of the past coming back to him. Their duet, Laney always being there for him, every time they've had a special moment.
Their first kiss.
Her lips quivered, and he felt the strange feeling come over him once again, the same feeling he'd felt so long ago after they first kissed, and a thousand times after that. "C-core?" She questioned anxiously. Corey took a deep breath, slowly leaning his head down and capturing her lips in a soft kiss. He felt her relax, felt her arms wrap around his neck and he was able to be relax as well.
Behind them, he heard two familiar voices arguing. "Crossies! Doesn't count." He heard a strangely familiar voice say.
He ignored it, choosing to focus on the girl he was with. He never wanted to let her go, and, he could tell she felt exactly the same way.
*content sighing* Welp, that's yet another wrap! Originally, this was going to be just a one shot. But, due to the encouragement of several people, and the help of CoreyxLaneyforever, I finished the second chapter in Corey's perspective. Hope you enjoyed! uwu.
Reviews are always appreciated.