Into Your Arms

“You knew he’d be here didn’t you?” I nearly screamed at the tall brunette singer in front of me as I placed my hands on my hips and glared up at him as he raised his hands like he was surrendering.
“No, Lexie! I swear I didn’t know he’d be here or I wouldn’t have told you to come!” Alex said quickly and I let out a sigh as my glare softened and I looked around sadly.
“I can’t stay here, Alex,” I whispered defeated after a few minutes of an awkward silence.
“Please don’t leave Lexie,” Alex begged me and I sighed.
“I can’t be around him, Lex, I just can’t,” I replied and Alex pulled me into a hug.
“You don’t have to, Lexie, just please don’t leave,” Alex whispered into my hair and I hugged him tighter as my head rested against his shoulder.
“Fine, I’ll stay, but only because I have a job here,” I said, referring to the fact I, along with my best friend Lauren, am helping Vinny sell merch for All Time Low on this tour.
“Thank you, Lexie,” Alex told me and I pulled away with a small smile on my face.
“Lexa?” I heard the nickname I hadn’t been called in a year from behind me and I turned around with wide eyes before a huge smile broke out on my face as I practically ran over to my old best friend.
“Gare!” I exclaimed as I wrapped my arms around him tightly and he hugged me back, nearly lifting me off the ground as a laugh escaped from me. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you so much!”
“I’ve missed you too, Lexa,” Garrett said while letting go of me with smiles on both of our faces as we looked over at each other. “What’re you doing here?” he asked a second later and I chuckled as I looked behind me to see a confused look on Alex’s face.
‘I’ll explain later,’ I mouthed to him before turning back to Garrett. “I’m touring with All Time Low as one of the merch girls,” I explained to him and he nodded while still smiling.
“Do you wanna go hang out?” Garrett asked and I nodded.
“Yeah just let me go tell Alex where I’m going and let me get my pass,” I explained before happily walking back to where Alex was standing and talking to Jack.
“Hey, Lexie. How’d you know Garrett?” Jack asked me as soon as I got into hearing distance.
“He’s my old best friend. I forgot he was in John’s band,” I explained to the both of them.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine hanging out with him since he’s still friends with John?” Alex asked concerned and I rolled my eyes at Alex’s protectiveness.
“I’ll be fine, Lex. Garrett knows what happened, and he was my first best friend from Arizona,” I told him before remembering that he wanted to hang out. “Oh yeah, I’m gonna hang out with him for awhile; can I go ahead and have my pass so I can get backstage later?” Alex handed me my pass and I smiled while thanking him.
“I’ll be back in a couple hours,” I called back to the both of them while making my way back over to Garrett.
“Ready?” he asked and I nodded while grabbing his hand and interlocking them like we used to do all the time when I still lived in Tempe.
“Why haven’t you texted or called me, bitch?” Garrett joked after we were walking for a few minutes in silence and I chuckled at him.
“Sorry, Gare. Jack accidently broke my phone a couple weeks after I got there and I lost all my contacts when I got a new phone,” I explained and Garrett chuckled before reaching into my back pocket where I had my iPhone before pulling it out and quickly putting his number in it before handing it back to me and I put it back in my pocket a few seconds later. “Thanks.”
“So how’s the band been?” I asked a couple minutes later as I bumped my hip into his, causing him to laugh.
“Great; we were on Warped earlier this summer and that was amazing, and we released a new album earlier this year,” Garrett replied happily and I couldn’t help but smile as I thought of how the guys were starting to get bigger; they definitely deserve it.
“I’m gonna have to listen to it. I haven’t really listened to you guys since I left last year,” I admitted and he looked over at me with surprise.
“Seriously?” he asked and I nodded slightly.
“Yeah, I couldn’t really listen to John’s voice without getting upset or anything,” I replied quietly and Garrett nodded but didn’t say anything as we continued to walk in silence.
“He misses you, you know? He realized he fucked up badly and just wishes you’d come back home so he can apologize,” Garrett said after a few more minutes of silence and I looked over at him with shock as I stopped walking suddenly.
“Garrett, no,” I said quietly as I blinked back the tears that were starting to surface.
“I’m sorry, Lexa,” Garrett said while pulling me into a hug and I rested my head in the crook of his neck as tears started to fall from my eyes but for a different reason that’s seemed to bug me more ever since I found out the guys were here a couple hours ago.
“I miss my baby, Gare,” I whispered, admitting to him what I hadn’t told anyone else yet.
“What do you mean?” Garrett said into my hair, confused, and I let out a sigh before explaining.
“I had to put the baby up for adoption; I couldn’t raise a her all by myself; hell, I was only seventeen, I got scared and put the baby up for adoption as soon as she was born, and I haven’t seen or heard anything about her for over three months now; she was the only part of John that I had left, and now she’s gone,” I stuttered and Garrett held me tighter as I continued to cry.
“I’m so sorry, Lexa; I’ll be here whenever you need me ok? Just know I’m a phone call or text away,” Garrett said quietly and I nodded before pulling away from Garrett to see him looking at me sadly.
“Thank you, Gare,” I whispered.
“Anything for you sweetheart. Do you want to go back to the venue now?” he asked and I nodded before pulling my phone out and checking the time.
“Yeah, I should probably help Lauren and Vinny set up merch for tonight’s show,” I said as Garrett pulled me into his side before we started our walk back to tonight’s venue.
“I’ll see you later, Gare. Good luck tonight,” I told Garrett once we were back at the venue and I pulled him into a hug before making my way inside where Lauren and Vinny were just starting to set up all of All Time Low’s merch.
“Hey Lexie,” Lauren greeted me once she saw me and I smiled at the both of them before helping them.
“Hey Laur,” I told her while refolding a shirt, ignoring my phone that was vibrating from my back pocket.
“I’ll be right back,” Vinny told the two of us and we both nodded before he made his way back to the tour bus.
“Guess who I saw today?” I said, trying to start a conversation as we continued unpacking the merchandise.
“Who?” she replied and I smiled.
“My old best friend Garrett,” I said and she turned around to look at me while raising an eyebrow.
“Garrett? As in the bassist of The Maine? You’re ex’s friend?” she asked confused and I sighed but still nodded.
“Yeah, turns out they’re on this tour as one of the supporting acts, but Alex didn’t realize that when he invited me on the tour,” I explained and she chuckled.
“Of course Alex wouldn’t,” she joked and I laughed at her as we finished setting up in silence before sitting down in two chairs behind the merch booth. I pulled my phone out then to see a new text from an unknown number and I raised an eyebrow while opening it.
From: unknown
lexie!! i stole garrett’s phone and found your number. oh by the way, its pat:)
I laughed and rolled my eyes before quickly putting Pat’s number in my phone then texting him back.
To: Pattycakes(:
Pat!! You stole his phone? Haha. Anyways, come over to All Time Low’s merch table so we can hang. (:
While waiting for him to reply, I pulled my knees up to my chest and started talking to Lauren. I looked back down when I felt my phone vibrate from my lap.
From: Pattycakes(:
holy shit, youre on the tour?!
I laughed loudly at the text and Lauren chuckled since she was sitting beside me and could read the text.
To: Pattycakes(:
Fuck yea I’m on tour. Now get your skinny ass over here, and bring Gare, Kenny, and Jared if you want;)
At least I’d be able to fix some relationships that were ruined over the past year.