Love's Requiem

"I'm just hoping that despite everything you and me can still be friends, you know like how we were?" Bella stuttered out as she sat in front of me.

"Uh yeah sure." I told her giving her a weak smile, she was doing this to get back at me I know it. Isabella Sladovic can be incredibly spiteful at times, and this was one of those times.

"Tight." She smiled as she moved her bangs from her face.

Whoa, what's that? I thought as I noticed a small ring on her left hand.

"Maybe she got it from a friend or her family I mean her birthday was five days ago." Jack told me while we were waiting to walk on stage the next day.

"Or maybe she went to Croatia and found someone else!" I exclaimed as Bella came back from checking things over with the sound guy.

"Alright guys, break a leg." Bella smiled as we all walked on, sadly on reflex I went to kiss her cheek like how I always did before a show she didn't move away but she didn't really do anything she still stood there and gave me a look that I couldn't even make out.

The first week of warped tour was a good start I guess, slowly Bella would talk to me more and vice versa. That ring was still driving me insane, and the fact that she usually was on the phone every night speaking to someone in Croatian in her bunk.

"Why are you so fucking obsessed with it?" Jack asked me one night as we headed to catering after telling him my latest theory about the ring.

"Because I need to know if I still have a shot."

"You dumbass you'll always have a shot she loves you!" He exclaimed as a few people walking by glanced at us.

"If that's the case why hasn't she she even acknowledged what happened? Why isn't she showing anyone pictures from her Trip or even really talking about her trip for that matter?"

"One because this is Bella and you know she holds grudges for a while, and two I'm not sure
if you noticed but she's been busy with this tour and setting everything up for the tonight show and the tour we have after this so when she finally does have free time she's usually asleep."

"Just ask her?"

"You're being impossible!" He groaned, "Fine if it will make you feel better I'll ask her but I'm telling you its probably from her grandmother or something." He added as we got in line for
food.

It was already a week and a half since I talked to Jack about the ring and he still hadn't brought it up to Bella, Bella was now starting to want to hang out with me and joke around with me like we used to so that was a plus. We were on our way to Utah towards the end of the week and we were all eating at the table when I motioned to her hand to Jack while Bella was busy looking at something on her laptop next to him.

"Hey Bella can you pass the mustard?" Jack asked her.

"Anything for you stud muffin." Bella chuckled and passed him the mustard of course using the hand without the ring.

"So Bella when can I see the pictures from Croatia I kind of want to see you in an actual
dress?" Jack went on.

"They're nothing special, take the ones from Christmas and put everyone in summer clothes." She answered still not looking up.

"Oh" Jack paused while I kicked his leg under the table, "But still I'd totally love to see them!"
He added.

"Oh well okay." She sighed and started showing everyone pictures from the wedding and
the trip. "And that's the house I grew up in." She went on pointing to a picture of her and Luka and then at the houses in the background.

"So you finally went back to Zadar?" I asked her later that night when it was just me and her in the back lounge.

"Yeah, my dad's sister wanted to see me I guess." She answered still reading the book in her hands.

"How was it?"

"It was nice," She began and then closed the book and looked at me, "It was weird being there now, Luka told me nothing really changed and I mean he was right it was just my last memory of that place was being shelled." She went on.

"I can understand that, did you have fun there at least?"

"Yeah, Jesse loved the sea organ, and my aunt almost had a heart attack when she saw my tattoos." She laughed shaking her head.

"How is everyone?"

"All doing good, Michi and Ivan moved in together, Monica is now happily married, my Baka
is still as crazy as ever, and Denis is planning on hopefully visiting New York this year when I'm not on tour."

"Nice, and how'd Jesse like it there?"

"Forget it he was hitting on anything that spoke english or didn't. He had Denis teach him how to say like you're beautiful and can I buy you a drink, unfortunately that's all he learned so it didn't get him that far." She laughed as she let out a yawn, "I'll see you in the morning Gaskarth when I help you hunt down the iced coffee lady." She added getting up and kissing my forehead.

"Night Bella." I told her as I watched her slip in to her bunk and close the curtain.

The following night I once again found myself alone with Bella in the back lounge after everyone had went to sleep or were busy in the front.

"Alex have I told you how much I love you?" Bella said running in the back and standing the doorway.