Guilty Feet Have Got No Rhythm

We found our privacy in a sleepy diner where the food was greasy and the tables sticky. We sat across from each other in the booth farthest away from the door, chewing out respected food silently.

“So,” I swallowed, fumbling with a French fry. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I want to apologize,” Avery admitted, snagging a fry of his own. “The things I said were uncalled for. I shouldn’t have said them, let alone thought them, and I hurt you. I apologize sincerely, and I want you to know that I didn’t mean them.”

“But you did.”

“No, Holly, I didn’t—”

“Avery, I am a firm believer on never apologizing for something you said when it means something or when it needed to be said, and those words needed to be said. I’m actually glad you said some of them because it opened my eyes. I needed to be more honest with you and I wasn’t. I needed to know that what I didn’t say or didn’t do could hurt you,” I told him, grabbing his hand from across the table. “I am a selfish person at times, and I don’t think about others the way that you think about others. So I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you.”

“Holly, it was wrong of me to assume that you would just be open with me right off the bat. Trust takes time, and I shouldn’t have pushed you. I was angry, irrational, and foolish. You shouldn't be apologizing, I should be. I was—am—an ass. And I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness—”

“Oh shut up,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. Avery started, furrowing his brows.

“What?”

“I forgive you, Avery. One hundred percent forgiven,” I smiled with a slight shrug of my shoulders. “We’re good.”

“We’re good?”

“We’re good.”

“And that’s it?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Honestly?”

“Look, Avery, I don’t beat around the bush. I would have gotten mad too,” I sighed.

“You can’t forgive me just yet, you haven’t slept on it, I haven’t bought you flowers or chocolate or taken you out to dinner or—”

“There is a flower right there at the end of the table, I’m drinking a chocolate milkshake, and we’re out at a diner. That’s all three things right there,” I pointed out. “I don’t need anything like that; I just wanted your word. And I have it, and I’ve forgiven you.”

“Don’t think you’re getting away with just that,” he finally laughed with a shake of his head. “Expect flowers. And chocolate, and maybe one of those singing cards. But something.”

“I look forward to it.”

[&cut]

We spent the rest of the dinner laughing, sharking a slice of cherry pie and the promise of something. We strolled back to the tour with our fingers entwined and smiles on our faces that stretched from ear to ear, happy just to be together.

“Well, I have to get inside,” I whispered with a smirk as soon as we got to our bus. “Claudia will be…well, I should go inside.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Avery promised.

We did the awkward shuffle for a second, not quite sure what to do. Do we kiss? Do we hug? Slap a high five? Avery solved the problem by raising my hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss on the back, smiling into the sun tanned skin.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered once he released my hand, turning back into the night and disappearing from my sight.

“Sawoooon,” I cooed, pressing said hand to my heart and biting my lip. Giggling like a school girl I skipped up the bus steps on Cloud Nine.

“Oh hey Holly,” John called from the TV, his eyes glued to the screen, a rerun of CSI. “What’s got you acting like a tweeny-bopper?”

“Nothing,” I sang, plopping down next to him. “What’s in the bag? Pot?”

“If it was, would you smoke it?”

“Hell no, brah. Shit made me paranoid.”

“Well, you’re in luck because it’s my mom’s world famous brownies. Here, try one,” he laughed, shoving one towards me.

“I dunno, I just had a slice of pie…oh what the hell, they look divine,” I drool, snatching it up and shoving it in my mouth. As I chewed, I chomped down on something hard. “Ouch! What did your mom put in here?”

“Um, uh, it’s uh…I don’t know, I mean it’s not like I was there,” he stammered, shifting his gaze back to the TV as the back of his neck grew bright red. “Just eat the damn thing, or I’ll tell my mom you hated it.”

“Oh you shut it, you lying dog,” I rolled my eyes and finished the brownie.

“Want a second?”

“I really shou—mmhmp!”

John shoved the brownie into my mouth, smirking. I coughed, covering my mouth with my hand. When I finally swallowed the damn thing, I glared at him, pissed.

“Why the hell would you do that? I could have choked and died you jack ass do you…do you…” I blinked heavily, straining to focus my eyes. Suddenly everything was spinning.

“Are you okay?” John asked, his voice coming from miles away, sounding like someone had stretched it through a computer, too deep and too slow.

“Wha…” I slurred as my head slowly dropped. I was falling sideways, my limbs as heavy as stones. I was filled with lead, my head with cotton. I was slipping into sleep.

“Shhhh,” John whispered, catching me just before I fell. “Go to sleep. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Panic swelled up as my vision went black. The last thing I saw before I fell asleep was John’s smiling face over mine, and then—