Dance with a Devil

"Guess who?"

She was at the cash register, punching in her table's order when hands covered her eyes and an obvious voice was in her ear.

Violet decided to play around.

"James Franco! Ryan Gosling!" She exclaimed. "No, you don't feel muscular enough to be either of them..."

"Hey!" Garrett took his hands off of her eyes. He was offended.

Violet grinned at him as he gave her a look. "No need to rub it in my face, Vi."

She pulled him into a kiss. "I'm kidding, Gare."

Garrett pulled away and he looked around. The place was jam packed, but it was reasonable for a Saturday afternoon. Ihop was popular even on a work day--weekends are sometimes double that.

"What are you doing here?" Violet asked.

He shrugged. "I got bored at home."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, what can I do to entertain you? I'm working."

"Yeah, but you get off in a like, ten minutes." He looked at his watch.

"It's either creepy that you know what I do everyday, or pathetic that I don't really do much." Violet commented.

Garrett chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll wait outside for you."

Violet took the credit card and receipt back to the table that she last served and gave them all smiles. She liked her job--she felt like she was a people person. But, she was mostly doing it for school. She was studying to be a lawyer at Arizona State University. She would be entering her junior year of college once the summer ended.

"Thank you so much," She said to the family of five, turning around and going into the kitchens where she said goodbye to her friends.

"Leavin' already, Casey?" The head chef, Paul, said. He was a jolly man, and he reminded her of a black Santa Claus--only not as fat or bearded.

"I have a boyfriend to go entertain," Violet rolled her eyes. "See you later, Paul and everyone else!"

She found Garrett outside, leaning against his yellow car and tapping his foot as he waited. He perked up when he saw her and opened the passenger side door for her.

"Thank you!" She grinned, climbing in.

Garrett sped away and turned the radio up, knowing that Violet loved singing along to it. It was playing Stereo Hearts and Violet sang along, earning the occasional line or two from Garrett.

"So, where are we going?" Violet asked, looking around. She couldn't really pinpoint the exact destination.

"It's Saturday--where else would we go?" Garrett rolled his eyes.

She grinned. They were going to the Nickelsen's.

Almost every Saturday for the past two years, Violet had gone to Garrett's parents house for a Nickelsen lunch. It was technically ever since they got serious in their relationship, which officially occurred six months after their first date.

Violet had known the Kirch's for a while because they shared the same housekeeper--Miss Tilda. She became instant friends with Pat because they went to Corona del Sol High School together. They had english together for two years.

That was where she met Garrett, too.

He had a girlfriend back then. Her name was Rachael and she was a sweet girl. Violet didn't know her that well, but the two of them loved each other. When Rachael and Garrett broke up, he was devastated. It was Pat who convinced Violet to console him through the break up.

They eventually fell for each other. Violet didn't mean to and neither did Garrett, but it happened anyway. Rachael was never forgotten, but he found someone to fill in that hole in his heart. Violet was that girl for him.

Their first date actually happened by coincidence. The Maine was on tour and Violet was vacationing in New York with her family. When they arrived in New York, Garrett took her to the Gramercy were Bon Iver was playing. After that, they had a picnic in Central Park and the night was sealed with a kiss.

It was perfect.

"I can practically smell that delicious food," Violet inhaled just as Garrett parked in the driveway.

She hopped out of the car and linked her hand with his. Garrett didn't even ring the doorbell, he knew that the door was open for him and Trey, and he walked in.

"Hey, ma!" He called out.

Mrs. Nickelsen poked her head out of the kitchen. She saw Garrett and then put her hands on her hips.

"Garrett Daniel Nickelsen," She scolded. "I haven't heard a single word from you since last Friday. Who knows what could have happened to you?! The thoughts runnin' through my mind..."

"Mom," Garrett rolled his eyes and groaned. She invited him into a hug anyway, which he gladly took.

Violet laughed and kissed his mother on the cheek.

"Violet, dear," Mrs. Nickelsen said, sweetly. "How was New York? I heard about your grandmother, I'm so sorry."

She smiled. "It's alright. That woman lived an incredibly life and now she can join grandaddy. She always wanted that."

She felt Garrett's hand rub her back. Trey came bounding in and he exclaimed, "BABY BROTHER!"

Garrett was engulfed into a hug.

Trey let go and turned to Violet, "VI!"

Violet felt her bones crush in the hug that Trey gave her. He swept her off her feet and practically shook her.

"Okay! Okay!" She exclaimed, begging to come down.

"Sorry," Trey grinned. "I've missed ya, little one," He ruffled her hair.

"Lunch is ready!" Mrs. Nickelsen exclaimed, bringing over giant pot filled with potato soup. If there was one thing that she would win an award for, it would be for her potato soup.

Her kids and Violet sat down and she screamed for her husband to come down. When he entered, Garrett gave his dad a big hug and Violet followed suit. He sat down at the head of the table.

"It's just us today, ma?" Trey asked, sticking a slice of bread into his soup.

She nodded her head. "I asked the O'Callaghan's, but they said they couldn't make it. Have you had any luck with John?" She looked at Garrett.

Garrett glanced at Violet and shrugged.

"We're trying."

Lunch was short and simple. They chatted about things they usually did whilst also taking more and more of Garrett's mother's soup. It seemed to be addictive because the gigantic pot that she made was empty by the time lunch was over.

"I'm gonna explode," Garrett groaned, holding his stomach.

Violet rolled her eyes and slapped his tummy. "That's what you get for being a fatty, Gare."

Trey snorted and high five'd her.

He glared at them but he stood up and groaned again. His mother rolled her eyes but winked at Violet and said,

"I'll give you my recipe so you can use it against him anytime."

Violet laughed and earned another glare from Garrett and she said, "Alright, fatty, let's go home and have a Harry Potter marathon because for some odd reason, I always want to watch or read my dear Harry whenever I come here."

They said their goodbyes to the Nickelsen family and they climbed into their car, driving home. Garrett was humming along to the radio and tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

"If your parents lived here, would you have ever dragged me to their place and have Saturday lunch with them?" Garrett asked suddenly.

Violet shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not as close to my family as you are, though."

It was true. Violet was the most ambitious one in her family. Her parents were both doctors and were rather harsh on their kids. Any grade lower than a B, the punishment was harsh. They were strict people, but loving, too. They just didn't like that Violet wanted to leave New York to go to Arizona, of all places.

Violet was not like her sister.

Angelina Casey was the eldest of the two sisters. She was only two years older than Violet but she was the perfect child. She was studying to be a doctor, like her parents, and she did everything that she was told. In their parents eyes, Violet was the rebellious one even though she didn't really do anything. She was just different.

Violet loved her family though, but upon living in Arizona, she seemed to become more and more distant from them.

They climbed out of the car when they got to their apartment complex, and Violet ran up the stairs and into the apartment so she could put on Harry Potter. Garrett chuckled behind her and plopped down on the couch she he could watch.

Violet cuddled up next to him and the movie started playing.

"Hey," He said. "Are you going to John's tonight?"

She shook her head. "I'm not dedicating my Saturday's to him, sorry. I'll probably go tomorrow. I kinda skipped yesterday..."

Garrett chuckled. "Why did you skip yesterday?"

"Let him blow off some steam?" She shrugged. "I don't know, I don't want him to hate me the entire time I'm there. He got pretty angry at me last time."

"I thought you said it was working."

Violet nodded and sat up. "It is...at an extremely glacial pace. But my sole job is look after him, and that is what I'm doing. I'll do all I can to help him back up again."

Garrett smiled at her but his face turned serious when he said, "I know you get attached to things, Vi. Even though it is John, and knowing the both of you, you'd want to rip each others heads off, but I don't want you to get hurt from this. John will say and maybe do things to hurt you."

Violet smiled kissed him on the lips. She pulled away and said, "I can handle it, Gare. Plus, I'm doing this for The Maine--I love you all too much to let you go. And if that means to bring back the old, crazy John, then so be it."

"We owe you so much, Violet," Garrett pulled her into another kiss. She nodded and said, into the kiss, "You guys owe me big time."

"I love you, Violet Renee Casey."

"I love you, too, Garrett Daniel Nickelsen."