Dark Blue

Garrett

"You were amazing," Val whispered, tangling her arms around my neck as soon as I was offstage. Her cast was rough as it brushed against me, but I barely felt it. I slowly wrapped my arms around her waist, trying my best not to squeeze her too hard and hurt her. I could feel the blood rushing in my ears as I whispered out the only thing I could say. Words were not enough for everything she had done.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," I whispered back, her skin cool against mine as she buried her face into the crook of my neck. I was sure I was sweaty and didn't exactly smell like roses after that performance, but she didn't back off or seem to notice at all.

"For what?" she mumbled instead, her warm breath tickling my skin.

"For being here for me tonight, and really every night since the accident," I could feel my voice growing thick as tears pooled in my eyes. I shut my lids tightly, trying to hold them back and be okay for once. "I really don't know if I could have done any of this without you."

I could feel her own tears running onto my collarbone and she laughed, the sound clouded with bitterness. Even so, it still sounded beautiful to my ears. "Oh Gare. Trust me, you would have made it. You would have survived just fine. I'm the one who should be thanking you."

I ran my hands up her back until they were finally cradling her head. Just the thought of her shattering was hard for me to imagine. Not only was she stronger than I could have ever been, but she was so much more.

"Nah," I mumbled, and she pulled away. Her eyes were glimmering with tears, but her lips coiled into a sad smile.

"Don't go being all humble now, rock star. I mean, I'm so grateful I got to see this show tonight. That was all because of you, and you didn't have to but you did," I looked at her doubtfully with a raised eyebrow, and she shook her head. "Plus, you saved me just as much as you claim I saved you."

"Debatable," I protested, pulling away from her completely.

"Whatever," she brushed off with a roll of her eyes. "So what was this you were saying earlier about ice cream?"

I let out a legitimate chuckle this time, and she watched me expectantly. Of course out of all the things that had gone on that night, she would remember that. I motioned for her to follow me and started back to the dressing rooms. Once I reached the door I wanted, I knocked and waltzed right in with Val at my heels.

"Bro," I said, and a pair of green eyes shot up. John flipped his messy hair out as his gaze darted between me and Val.

"What's up?" he asked, setting down the water bottle he had been drinking out of.

"I'll be back in a bit. Cover for me?" I asked, the feeling of deja vu coming over me. Only this time, so much was different than the millions of other home shows; the aching and fluttering in my heart made that obvious.

"Sure," John nodded, looking at me like he was reading into my soul; I didn't like it. "Have fun."

"I'll see you later. Thank you."

"It was nice meeting you. You guys were awesome," Val said softly, and John smiled before walking over and giving her a loose hug.

"It was great to meet you too. I'm glad you had fun. I hope we didn't scare you off too bad," he said with ease, giving her a lopsided grin.

"Oh, no. I had a blast. Really," Val assured him, her silver eyes warm and sincere.

"Maybe Garrett will bring you around again soon," John said, shooting me a look. Val looked up at me too, a light smile on her face.

"Maybe," she repeated. I shifted my weight on my feet before putting a hand on the small of Val's back and leading her towards the door.

"We better get going. Thanks again John, see you later," I said quickly, my face feeling uncomfortably warm.

"Later bro," he called, and I quickly shut the door behind us. Val giggled, and I looked down at her with raised eyebrows. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

"Uh-huh," I said skeptically, leading her through the maze that was the venue.

"So, ice cream?" she blurted out, and I couldn't stop my chuckle.

"Yeah, c'mon."

~*~

I couldn't tell you what we talked about in the quiet ice cream shoppe, and hell, I couldn't tell you what flavor I got; but I knew I hadn't been that happy in awhile. There was just something about Valentine that took away the pain, or at least kept it at bay as long as she was in my sight. Plus, just seeing an actual smile cross her face, splitting up the pain in her beautiful eyes, made me want to smile again too.

As I parked my car in the driveway to her house, I didn't want to unlock the door and let her go. I was looking forward to the rest of the tour, but being with Val all night had spoiled me. I wanted to see the dimple in her cheek as she laughed and the way she raised her eyebrows in a challenge, not just imagine it over the phone.

My fingers twitched as I resisted the urge to lock the doors and keep her there with me. I could feel her watching me, and finally I looked over, dreading the moment where I would have to say goodbye. Her eyelashes cast shadows across her face as the dash spewed cyan light over us both. Even after the crazy day we had, she still looked amazing.

"I'm really had so much fun today, Gare. Thank you for inviting me," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the crackling radio.

"I'm glad. Thank you for not running in the other direction after meeting my friends," I joked, and just like I had hoped, the gentle curve of her lip twitched up ever so slightly.

"No, they're great. Really, I understand why they're so important to you."

"Yeah, they're something else," I whispered, and a silence lapsed over us. She twisted her hands in her lap for a few moments before finally looking up at me. I recognized the look; years of touring had made me an expert at recognizing when it was time to say goodbye.

"Goodnight, Garrett. I'll talk to you soon."

"Goodnight, Valentine," I breathed out as her arms curled around me. She lingered for a moment, and as she pulled away, something came over me. My lips grazed lightly against hers, and time stopped in my small car.