I'm All Yours Somehow

Slumping back into a chair, I bit down on my tongue as I watched Garrett walk into the jetbridge to board the plane. He didn't look back at me, he never did. He was the last of the guys to disappear into the tunnel and I remained seated until their plane had taken off and stood up with shaky legs.

I walked back through the exit, my bag on my shoulder and my arms wrapped tightly around myself. Blinking rapidly, trying to stop the tears from flowing over, I reminded myself over and over that he'd only be gone for three days.

I finally got to my SUV in the parking garage and I opened my door, stifling a yawn. It was still relatively early, only seven thirty. I had to be to work in an hour and a half. Leaning back into the seat, I started up my engine, yawning again.

On the drive home, I stopped at Starbucks for a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip muffin. After burning my tongue and dropping half of my muffin on the floor, I pulled into my drive way with a sigh. I entered the house and Sammy started barking up a storm.

"Shut up, Jesus Christ," I hissed at her as I walked down the hall towards my room. She whined and went to lay down in her bed in the basement.

Rolling my neck, I looked through my closet, settling on a simple black skirt and a blouse, feeling thankful that I only had to work for three hours that day. I redid my ponytail and touched up my smudged eyeliner before letting Sammy out. I stood on the back porch, leaning against the rail of the deck as I waited for Sammy to finish.

The office was rather busy, which didn't bother me. Patients went through quickly, making the time go faster. When my three hours were up, I pulled out my phone and dialed Sarah's number. It turned out that she was busy, so I called Dree next.

"Come on over," she said, answering the phone.

"How'd you know what I was going to ask?" I questioned with a laugh as I started up the engine of my SUV.

"You only ever call me when you want to do something. I'm making lunch for Stephen and John, and there's plenty of extra," she explained. In the background, I could hear her bustling around the kitchen.

"Uhm, alright?" I said with a laugh. "I just got off of work, so I'll run home and change, and I'll be there in half an hour."

"Got it," my cousin said before hanging up.

Half an hour later, I parked on the street outside of Dree and Stephen's apartment and walked through the yard to the front door. Stephen answered.

"Hey!" I said, stepping into the place. "Congrats on the engagement!" I gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks" he said with a small smile, his cheeks flairing pink. Stephen lead me into the living room where his brother John was sitting on the sofa, his eyes focused on the television. Stephen was quick to join him.

"Hey, John," I said, my eyes flickering to the television quickly, wondering what they were so enthralled by.

"Oh, hey Lu," John responded, turning to smile at me. "How've you been?"

"Pretty good," I answered with a nod. "Yourself?"

"Can't complain really," John said with a shrug.

"Dree's in the kitchen, in case you were wondering. She's finally learned her place," Stephen informed me, jokingly.

"I heard that!" Dree yelled from the next room.

"You're fucked," John told his older brother and I laughed with him.

I waved to the quickly as I walked into the kitchen. Dree was pulling a large pan out of the oven when I entered. She set the pan on the stove top before turning around with a smile.

"Hey," she said as she opened the cabinet to her right, pulling out a stack of plates.

"Hello," I responded with a sigh. I leaned back against the countertop. "What are they watching?"

She rolled her eyes. "Ghost Hunters International," she answered. "It's a marathon or something. John got here at nine and they've been watching it since then. It's a bit ridiculous."

I laughed. "They seem very into it."

"John called at midnight last night and told him about the marathon, so Stephen got up at eight this morning to be ready for it. I hope they realize that they have to turn the TV off when we're eating." She said the last sentence loudly so that they could hear her in the living room.

"Seriously?" Stephen yelled from the other room. Dree just rolled her eyes again.

Twenty minutes later, the four of us were seated around the table, eating veggie lasagna and the guys were still talking about what they'd been watching.

"Are you and Stephen still going to Leah's wedding on Saturday?" I asked Dree, turning to face her.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, Garrett's in New York until Sunday and the wedding is Saturday. Do you mind if I kind of stay with you guys at the wedding? I don't want to be alone the entire time."

"Yeah, that'll be fine. Actually, hang on." She paused and looked over at John. "John, are you busy Saturday?"

"I don't think so, why?" he asked after swallowing his mouthful of food.

"You're now Lu's date to our friend's wedding," Dree told him.

John looked at me nervously. "What about Garrett?"

"He's in New York for a few days, so I do need a date to the wedding," I explained to him, stumbling over my words a bit.

John smiled. "Yeah, I'll go with you," he said with a nod. I nodded back, my cheeks a bit pink.

After sorting through the details for the wedding on Saturday and finishing our meals, I headed home. Sammy was happy to see me and I spent the remained of my evening watching reruns of America's Next Top Model and waiting for Garrett to call. Finally, as I was getting ready for bed, he called.

"Whatever happened to you calling me when you landed?" I asked after the initial greetings.

"I slept for most of the flight, and I was half asleep still in the car on the way to the first interview. The only time that we weren't busy was when we were eating," he explained. I put him on speaker as I tugged off my shirt and pulled on one of his old, stretched out ones in it's place.

"I'm sure," I teased, tying my hair up after unbuttoning my pants and sliding them down my hips. I left my jeans in a crumbled pile in the bathroom as I walked back into the bedroom.

"I miss you," he said, sounding pouty.

"I miss you too, Gare," I told him, laughing once.

"Are you still going to the wedding on Saturday?" Garrett asked.

"Yeah. Dree volunteered Stephen's brother John to be my date," I said, wondering how he'd react.

He laughed. "Are you serious?"

"You bet," I said. "It's competely innocent, he's just someone for me to talk to."

"You and your younger men," he joked. "My woman's a cougar."

"I am not!" I protested with a short laugh.

"Come on! I'm almost two years younger than you, and John's a year younger than. I'm pretty cure that qualifies you as a cougar."

"Fuck you," I snapped jokingly.

"Alright fine, I'll just hang up then."

"No!" I said loudly. He laughed. "What are you guys doing tomorrow?"

"Acoustic set and signing," he said, sighing.

"Oh." I slid between the sheets of the bed, on Garrett's side of the bed.

"You sound tired."

"I had to get up early and take some idiot to the airport, so yeah, I am a bit tired," I teased.

"I'll let you get to sleep then," he said sadly.

"I love you, G," I reminded him with a sigh, settling back against the pillows.

"I love you too, babe. I'll see you in a few days."

"Bye, Gare," I said before hanging up with a sigh.

The first night without him was the hardest, I'd learned that a while ago. I pressed my face into his pillow and before long, Sammy was scratching at the door. I let her in and patted the spot on the bed beside me and she jumped onto the bed.

"You miss him too, girl?" I asked, stroking her head softly. She whined quietly.

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Claymore!"

When Leah and her husband entered the reception hall, they were greeted by a nice round of applause. Dree and I cheered as well, while the guys kept to clapping.

When we took our seats again, Stephen and John went to get Dree and I each a drink, leaving the two of us alone at the table.

"You make John nervous," Dree told me once they were out of earshot.

"I do?" I was surprised, but when I thought about it, she was right. All night, whenever John had brushed his elbow against me or if he'd caught a glimpse down the front of my dress, he'd apologize profusely and blush like mad.

"Well, you don't make him nervous, just the fact that you're dating Garrett is what makes him nervous."

I laughed. "Are you serious?"

Dree shrugged. "That's what Stephen told me, anyway. He likes you, but he doesn't want Garrett to kill him."

"Everybody seems to be so afraid of him." I laughed, rolling my eyes as the guys returned with a glass of champagne for each of us.

"To an open bar," Stephen said, holding his glass over the centerpiece. We all made some sort of remark yet we all clinked our glasses together.

Soon, dinner was served, and after dinner came dancing. Dree dragged Stephen onto the dance floor two songs in, leaving John and I to sit at the table alone. It was awkward, but in a comical way. Now that I knew that I made him nervous, I couldn't help but smile. We went for drinks a few minutes later, and I walked close to him.

"You seem nervous," I said, calling him out on it as we took sips of our drinks back at the table.

"What? No," he responded quickly. I smiled and he cursed under his breath.

"Garrett knows that your with me tonight, and he doesn't care. He's not going to hurt you," I said slowly. John flushed pink, taking another drink. "Do you want to dance?"

Before he could respond, I placed my glass on the table and stood up, grabbing his hand and pulled him to the dance floor with me. Soon, the alcohol in our systems kicked in and John loosened up. I laughed as I stepped on his foot and nearly fell over. John grabbed me around the waist, pulling me up right.

"Maybe you shouldn't have anymore to drink," he warned with a quiet laugh.

"I've barely had anything to drink, and besides, I was never a good dancer," I explained, putting my arms around his neck.

"Well, um, still, maybe you shouldn't have anymore, I mean, you're already falling all over the place," he said, stuttering slightly. I smiled at his concern for me and also at the fact that he was stuttering.

We danced for a few more songs before heading back to the table where Dree and Stephen were already seated.

"Looking good out there, bro," Stephen said, raising his glass to John as we sat down. John laughed once, his cheeks going pink again.

The rest of the night was filled with champagne, cake, and more dancing. At nearly one o'clock, Dree and Stephen decided to head out, so John and I decided to do the same. The hardest thing was finding the car in the pitch black parking lot. After spending ten minutes looking for my SUV, John took my keys and pressed the panic button, setting off the car alarm.

"Found it," he said, pointing towards my car where the lights were flashing and the horn blaring. I glared at him, but my my expression soon turned to that of laughter.

John's house wasn't far from the reception hall and I park in the driveway and looked over at him. "Thanks for coming with me tonight," I said, looking down at my lap awkwardly.

"Yeah, no problem. I had a good time. Free booze and a good time, it was well worth it," John said, laughing with a smile. I nodded. We leaned over the console, hugging awkwardly. As we pulled away, I kissed his cheek and he flushed pink again.

"You need to stop blushing so much," I teased as he opened the car door.

"I'll try to work on that. Night, Lu," he said with a wink as he shut the door.

I pulled out of the driveway and searched through my clutch for my phone. I dialed Garrett's number from memory and held the phone to my ear. It went straight to voicemail and I frowned. I sighed, dropping the phone back into my clutch before returning my focus back to the road.

Due to the late hour, there was minimal traffic so I made it home in record time. By two thirty, I was in a pair of Garrett's boxers and one of his ancient t-shirts that was full of holes.

I was half asleep when I remembered that my phone was still in my clutch, which I'd left on the counter in the kitchen. I walked to the kitchen slowly, plucking my phone out of the clutch and getting a glass of water. I slid onto one of the stools at the island and dialed Garrett again.

Once again, the call went straight to voicemail. I pressed my lips together. I didn't want to hear the automated message, I wanted to hear Garrett's voice. The tone sounded for me to leave a message and I did.

"Hey, G, it's me," I said into the phone with a sigh. I rubbed my fingers over my forehead, trying to stay awake. "I tried calling earlier, but your phone was off then too. I know it's like, five in the morning over there, but I thought it might be worth giving you a call.

"I got back from the wedding awhile ago, and no, nothing happened with John. For the first few hours, he was too nervous to even touch me.

"It's almost three by now, so I'm about to head to bed. Please don't call me when you get this, at least wait until a decent hour." I paused to laugh. "I love you, Gare. I'll see you tomorrow, I know, but I just wanted to hear your voice right now. Bye," I said, hanging up with another sigh.

I slid off the stool after staring at the screen of my phone absentmindedly for a few minutes. Dragging my feet, I walked down the hall and collapsed on Garrett's side of the bed. I buried my head under his pillow and was quick to fall asleep.

A few hours passed and I felt a weight on the bed beside me. Grumbling, I swatted my hand at the weight, thinking it was Sammy. When I didn't hear her bark at me, I lifted the pillow from my head and as soon as I did, a pair of lips pressed against mine.

When they pulled away, I smiled with my eyes still closed. "I thought your plane didn't leave until ten o'clock this morning," I said quietly, stifling a yawn as I opened my eyes to see Garrett's smiling face.

"I booked an earlier flight the day I left," he said, pressing his lips into the fabric of my shirt. "You're on my side of the bed."

"I always sleep over here when you're gone," I informed him, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him to me. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of him.

"Oh, you do?" he said quietly, putting his arms around my waist tightly. "I missed you." He kissed my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips.

I smiled softly. "I missed you too. Did you listen to my voicemail?"

"I did. I was half afraid you were calling to tell me that you've run off and married John and that I needed to come and collect my things from the house," he joked with a quiet laugh.

"Never. Don't even joke that," I told him seriously, pressing my lips against his neck softly. "You're my one and only, don't forget that."

"How could I?" he asked rhetorically with a shrug.

"It's time to sleep now," I whispered, nuzzling against him. I'd never be able to get over the intimacy of the first night he was home after tour, or even after a short trip.

"Sounds good to me," he said with a quiet sigh, rolling even closer to me.