Ready When You Are

I had never been so happy to wake up.

Feeling a soft kiss on my head I snuggled closer into Garrett, our two bodies filling out the trunk of his car. I kissed his neck as an “hmm” escaped his mouth and I tangled my legs in his. Nothing felt better than this.

“Good morning.” He whispered. God I loved his morning voice

I hummed a little, making circles on his shoulder. Slowly my eyes darted down to his ribcage, where a crisp, clean, plain tattoo was sitting on his skin. I touched it softly, running my finger around it until I had completely traced it.

“I need you so much closer.” I whispered. “Transatlantacism?”

Garrett’s head popped up and he nodded. “Yep.”

“I like it.”

“Me too.”

My finger was still tracing around it. “Why’d you get it?”

I felt him shrug. “I like that song, I like that lyric. Why the fuck not, ya know?”

I laughed and nodded as he sat up slowly and brought me up so I was still huddled in his arms on his lap. He ran his fingers through my hair as I touched his arm.

“What about this one?” I touched a spot where it said “Mark Your Line.”

He kissed my head softly. “It just reminds me that when I’m gone, I want to leave something behind.”

I nodded. “What about these hearts?”

Garrett paused for a second, holding me a little closer to his body as he let out a little sigh and moved the wrist the hearts were on.

“I got those for Sara.” He said.

I nodded. “Oh, well I’m sure-”

“I’ve been meaning to get something over them. I just don’t know what yet.”

“I have a tattoo.”

Garrett’s eyes popped open as he looked down at me as I shrugged.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” He said. “Where is it?”

I laughed, moving my hand down to my bare leg and touching my hip softly, revealing a little feather lying there. Garrett brushed his hand over it.

“I never really think about it,” I laughed, “My brother got it for me on my eighteenth birthday, but I had to get it on my hip so my parents wouldn’t see.”

“Ah.” Garrett nodded. “I like it Lee.”

I laughed, looking up at him and kissing him on the neck before I wrapped his hands in mine. “I do too.”

Garrett kissed me again, bringing me to his lips as I let out a breath. I would never understand what it was about him that made me feel so at ease with myself. Not only with who I was, but what was going on outside of us. When I was with him, it was just him and me. And it was perfect.

“What time is it?” He whispered, flipping out his phone. “It’s noon. Uh, what day is it again Lee?”

I laughed. “It’s Thursday.”

Garrett nodded, bringing me closer to his lips as I kissed them gently. “Hey Lee?”

“Yeah Gare?”

“I love you.” He whispered.

I giggled a little and kissed him. “I love you too.”

“So here’s the thing-”

“Uh oh.” I interrupted, a little bit of worry stirring up in my heart.

“We leave for tour on Saturday.”

I nodded as my heart sank. I looked at the floor and leaned into his chest, nodding to myself and running my fingers over the lines of his hand and his arm. I didn’t know what I was going to do with Garrett. He was going to be around the world while I was stuck here without him.

“That’s like the worst timing ever.” I chuckled as his hands ran down my back.

“I know.” He laughed. “But I’ll be back. And I’ll call you like every fucking day and we can skype and we’ll talk and we’ll find someway-”

I kissed him softly, bringing my hand to his neck and sighing. My forehead fell on his and I bit my lip, nodding.

“I just need you.”

He nodded. “So much closer?”

I laughed as my head hit his chest. It was moments like this that would keep me going for him, that would keep me waiting for him to come home.

***

“You look like a dork.”

“Nice.” Garrett took the round glasses off his face and held them in his hand. “I’m getting em’.”

I laughed as I took his hand, leading him down the aisle of the store. “Of course you are.”

“OH! These ones. Get these!” Garrett held out a pair of bright purple heart shaped glasses and I laughed, taking them in my hand and twirling them in my finger before flicking them on my face.

“How do I look?”

“Like uh, something sexy.”

I kissed him and laughed. “Perfect.”

Garrett took my hand and led me to the cash register of the dollar store we had found on our way back to Tempe. Sunglasses were only fifty cents, so we decided to check it out. Plus, it meant more time away which both of us wanted.

After we paid we went back to Garrett’s car and slid on our new shades, driving with the windows rolled down and singing at the top of our lungs to his music.

“ And love don't play any games with me
Anymore like she did before
The world won't wait, so I better shake
That thing right out there through the door
Hell, I still love you, New York!”

As soon as we pulled past the sign indicating we were now in Tempe, and familiarity began to spring back up, I gripped onto Garrett’s hand tighter and tighter. My phone was back on, and everything was back to normal. He was going to drop me off at the record store to pick up Em’s shift from yesterday. Plus that would give me more time away from Brendan.

“You ok?” Garrett said, looking over at me.

“I just didn’t want to leave.” I sighed.

Garrett nodded. “Love you, Lee.”

Before I could respond, I felt my phone vibrate in my hand. Noticing the caller ID, I gave it a puzzled expression before sighing and flipping it open.

“Em?”

“Kenley.” She said in a sharp, whispering tone. “Where the hell are you?”

“I’m pulling into the parking lot of the store now, Gare and I kind of-”

“Turn around.”

I paused for a second. “Wait, what?”

“Kenley Brendan is here and he’s…” her voice trailed off as my heart sank. Garrett pulled into a parking spot before I could say anything. “He’s not happy. And if he sees you with Garrett it’s not gonna be pretty.”

But it was too late.

My very angry looking boyfriend was storming out the door of the record store towards the car.

I gripped Garrett’s wrist tightly, knowing this was about to get messy in a few different ways.