Down With Love

Ugh. I’d started counting down the days until warped tour ended- only twelve, anyway. I’d spent today avoiding everyone. I mean, I’d worked my shift on merch and all. But I hadn’t answered my phone at all the four times he’d called today, and I sure as hell didn’t want to face Jimmy after learning that I’d drunkenly groped him, and what he said this morning. Jeez, what the hell was I thinking? We hadn’t much anyway, since our near-kiss, or whatever it was. But still… I couldn’t believe that my first move after that was to drunkenly grope him… Damn. And not to mention, this was the first thing I did after getting back from sleeping with someone who’d cheated on me. ‘Great whores fuck alike.’ He was right. God, I disgust myself sometimes. Twelve more days until home.

“You want any help?” Katelyn’s voice cut into my thoughts. I looked up from the merch table and the t-shirts I was refolding after a day’s work. I shook my head robotically.

“Nah… it’s soothing… folding, thinking…” I replied.

“Awh, hun.” Katelyn rubbed my back. “D’you want to talk about it?” I shook my head again. “Well, if you do, I’ll be on the bus, kay?” I just nodded again, and the simplicity of my action and the fact that I didn’t need her right now caused Katelyn to sigh and walk away. My pocket started vibrating again, and I pulled my phone out. Blocked number. That’d be Alex. I pressed the red button, declining the call, and stuffed the phone in my pocket.

A drop of rain landed on my arm, and I groaned in annoyance. We’d already taken the tent down, and I was sorting out the merch under the open sky. And I still had a lot to do. The rain got heavier quickly, and I was losing my race against the weather. My phone went off again- I ignored it altogether this time. Fuck off, Alex, I thought to myself. I was shoving things into boxes at record speed, barely taking the time to check if all the shirts were folded- it had gotten to dark to really tell anyway, and I was soaked to the bone. Just as I was dumping the last of the Vengeance Academy bandanas into the appropriate box, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. My first instinct was to yelp, but I held it in. “Fuck off, Alex,” I repeated my earlier thought in what I hoped was a cool, distinguished tone, not turning around. The hand stayed on my shoulder.

“No, not Alex.” The person said, and I spun to face the newcomer immediately.

“Jimmy!” I chuckled nervously. I still wasn’t sure what to say after our shouting match this morning. “Damn, man, between the rain and the dark and the fact that it’s the middle of the night, you scared the shit ou-“ I was cut off though. Not by him lecturing me for the thousandth time, he didn’t even give me a classic dirty look. No. I was cut off by the fact that his lips were suddenly pressed against mine, his arms snaking around my waist. I hadn’t even seen it coming- it was like, one second I was talking, the next we were kissing. I couldn’t have evaded it if I wanted to. But, to be honest, I didn’t really want to.

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Holy fuck. Holy fuck. Holy fuck. I was kissing her. After all this time, I was kissing her. And god, it was even more amazing than I’d imagined- her soft tongue rubbing against mine, our bodies pressed tightly together as the warm summer storm fell violently around us. Wait- what would this mean for us? Would we get together? Would she just see this as a fling? If I asked her to date me, would she say yes or laugh? Would things just start being awkwa- SULLIVAN I stopped my train of thought dead in its tracks. You’re kissing your fucking dream girl, stop worrying about technicalities!
I ran my hands up and down her, until one hand settled on the back of her neck, the other on the small of her back, under her soaking shirt. The rain made her skin so smooth, so slippery. It was amazing. As amazing as the fact that her arms were locked tightly around my neck- I didn’t even know she could reach that high! I must be leaning down a bit- SULLIVAN. YOU’RE DOING IT AGAIN!
Finally, we pulled away from each other, but not for long. Just one look into her eyes, the smile on her face that was barely visible in the damp light, and I had to kiss her again. If there was one night in my life that was perfect, this was it. She ran her hands down my arms, and we stood there, holding hands, not saying anything.

“Hey,” Anna finally let out quietly. Even in the darkness, I could see the grin on her face, and I knew mine was just as wide. Finally.

Fin.