Sing It for the World

For a few days after Frank had asked Aurelia to marry him, she was in a state of complete bliss. Things still hadn’t quite sunk in to her. She was with the man that she loved, and within a few days, they were going to start making their way towards Los Angeles, California. Frank had already agreed with her that Biscuit could come with them, and they had already started packing their bags to leave.

The plan was for Ray, Gerard, and Mikey to leave the day before Frank and Aurelia would. The label who had signed Ray wanted to get some demos made right away and get him out to the public, and the other two wanted to go with so that he wouldn’t be alone. Then, Frank and Aurelia would leave the next morning after paying the final month’s rent on the apartment, and they’d make their way to the west coast. They would take four days to drive, and when they arrived, the plan was for the five of them to be staying in two different apartments, supplied by the label that Ray had signed too.

Aurelia couldn’t deny that she was ecstatic that she was getting the chance to spend a four day drive with Frank completely alone, just the two of them and a dog that they’d found. She knew that he was excited about it as well, especially since the two of them had agreed to someday get married in the future. Neither of them knew when it was going to happen, but they both knew they wanted it someday.

There was, however, that small nagging thought in the back of her mind that her parents would find them before they could get lost in the large crowds in Los Angeles. She didn’t want to lose Frank; it was always a fear, and she was hoping to God that she was just being paranoid about everything. Her entire life had been centered around the prim and proper aspects of life, and for once, she just wanted to do something that completely went against the grain. Being with Frank and traveling to a city she’d never been to would do exactly that, and she wasn’t going to stop now.

She knew she could do a lot of things in California. It wouldn’t be easy to get the world to hear her out there. In Los Angeles, there were thousands of other people that wanted the world to know who they were, too. She would have to try hard, and it would take a lot of patience and confidence, but she knew that with Frank beside her, and with his friends there, she’d be able to get it done.

“Baby?” Frank murmured into her neck, pulling her tighter against his body before letting his lips travel down her neck softly. She shivered at his touch, and then turned to face him, a small smile on her face.

“Yeah?” She asked him, reaching up between their bodies to push his hair out of his eyes. He closed his eyes at the feel of her touch, and then reached up to hold her hand against his skin for just a few extra moments, wanting to feel that contact with her.

“Do you ever regret leaving New Jersey with me?” He asked her, opening his eyes to look at her. Aurelia was caught off guard by his words. They didn’t often talk about New Jersey, but when they did, it was a big deal for both of them.

“No,” she shook her head, looking up into Frank’s eyes. “I don’t regret a minute of it, Frank. I don’t regret leaving my parents, or that life that they wanted me to live. I don’t regret loving you.”

Frank smiled at his girlfriend’s words, and then nodded. He had never doubted her love for a minute, because if he had, he never would have brought her on this journey with himself and his friends. He knew that Aurelia loved him, but he was worried that someday, she might wonder what life would have been like if she’d chosen someone who was truly worth it. He knew that love happened in the strangest of situations, and that for some reason, he and the young girl had found love with one another.

“I can’t believe this is finally happening,” he breathed against her skin, kissing her softly before looking down into her eyes. “We’ll finally be able to be together without being scared that someone is going to tear us apart.”

She felt her heart skip a beat when she came to that very same realization, and she scooted closer to him before grabbing on to his shoulders tightly. “I know,” she whispered. She felt his hot breath against her ear, and the last thought that floated through her mind before she fell asleep was how glad she was that Frank had fallen in love with her. She couldn’t have asked for someone better to help her find her voice, she realized, and she knew that this was the forever kind of love that Hollywood made movies about.

-x-

When she woke up in the morning, Aurelia noticed that Frank wasn’t in the bed anymore, and she frowned when she saw that Biscuit was gone too. She got out of the mattress and pulled a robe on before making her way out into the living room, where she saw the front door wide open and Mikey taping up boxes.

“What’s going on?” She asked him softly, pushing her hand back through her hair. Mikey jumped slightly, caught off guard by hearing her voice, and then turned to give her a small smile as he finished taping the box.

“We’re heading out early because the man who signed Ray wants him there a little early. You and Frank will be heading out this afternoon as well so that you can get out of Nashville. There was something on the news this morning about your parents and the New Jersey State Police broadening their search to other states, and he doesn’t want to risk either of you being seen or recognized.”

Aurelia nodded and walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and a granola bar to eat for breakfast before returning to the bedroom she shared with Frank, wanting to get dressed so she could help them pack up. The sooner they got out of here, the sooner she and Frank could be on their way to Los Angeles. Neither of them had time to waste right now, she realized.

If her parents caught him, she knew that he’d be arrested for a lot more than just presumed statutory rape. Her parents would file kidnapping charges, and since he’d crossed state lines and managed to evade police for several weeks now, the charges would only be worse. Along with that, his friends would be arrested for aiding and abetting, and she didn’t want that to happen to Gerard, Mikey, or Ray. Especially not Ray, since it would ruin his chances at getting his name out there.

By the time she finished getting dressed, she found Frank waiting for her in the living room, a leash attached to the new collar they’d gotten for Biscuit, and a grin on his face. All of the boxes of things that they would be taking had been taken out to the Trans Am, and everyone was waiting for the two of them.

“Are you ready to leave the Music City?” He asked her softly, closing the space between them as he pressed his lips to her forehead. Aurelia blushed and nodded before giving him a small hug. She was more than ready. Once she had let him know that, Frank told her that they’d be dropping their friends off at the airport and then they’d start driving today. He wanted to get as far as he could, and the deposit had already been paid on the apartment. Everything was free and clear, and they needed to get a move on.

Aurelia just hoped that when they started to leave, nothing would get in their way. They had had enough obstacles over their relationship, and she just wanted to make sure that everything was good between them for now.