Making Up.
Walk Into My Life.
'Hello, I was enquiring about booking the studio's' 'you'll need to talk to Pat' 'oh, right' 'give me five minutes, I'll bring him to you' 'thank you' Lucy sat down, she just wanted to know if she could make an EP, 'hello?' 'hey, I'm Lucy, I just was hoping I could book some time in January' 'oh, cool sure' 'can I see what you have?' 'of course, follow me' 'thank you' 'how did you hear about it?' 'oh, through a friend said you were reasonable considering your experience' 'that's cool' Pat smiled, 'have you been recording long?' 'no, this will be my first, but I've been playing my own stuff on this coast for about 3 years, I was a bit of a wimp, then when you've done it once, I suppose you can do it again and again' Pat nodded with a smile, 'do you have a stage name?' 'Mia Bugg, my mum disapproves and so I don't want her to find me' 'haha' talking to the studio, 'why that?' 'it's both my grandmother's names combined' 'nice work' 'thank you, I like it' walking with him.
'This is the church' he chuckled, she smiled, 'it's good, I like it' taking a thorough look, 'are you producing yourself' 'will it cost more to have your help and how much more, I've got some?' 'I don't mind helping at all if you have money' 'how much for a week, I have a lot of this planned out already' 'of course, ermm, is 1000' 'that's it?' 'yeah' 'fine with me, who do I make it payable to?' '8123 Management' 'oh, awesome' writing out a cheque, 'here' 'thanks, be a week before we o do our acoustic tour' 'perfect, thank you for your time' 'what's your sound?' 'I come from Carolina, Ryan Adams is sort of played everywhere there' 'I bet' 'and, Tom Petty, I grew up listening to that guy, lot of British rock my grandmother was English, Stones' 'you are in perfect company' talking music and walking out finding Tim.
'this is Lucy, she's just hired the studio' 'be the first girl to use the place' 'what a honour, thanks for your help Pat' 'no problem' 'do you play live any time soon?' 'I have 3 this week, plus the New Year show at The Marquee' 'have a good week' 'I have flyers' 'leave some here' taking some out, 'thank you, have a good day' 'you too' Tim smiled, 'she's cool' 'oh, she is' 'vintage dress, Scottsdale' 'I think it's her thing, her stage name is inspired by her grandmother' 'Mia Bugg, I like that, though it does like she's saying she's a bugg' 'that's true, I don't think she cares' 'no, she must be good if she's doing the Nye show' 'I know cos we did' laughing a little, 'what's up?' John picking up a leaflet, 'she's good' 'she's just booked our studio's' 'oh, awesome, I saw her at Moody's' 'awesome, maybe you can work with her?' 'love to'.
-x-
'Hey?' Lucy ran her fingers in her hair, really sexily if John thought about it, 'oh, hello?' leaning over the soundboard standing slowly with a smile in a vintage dress, realising he had forgotten how to breath, 'oh-' having a coughing fit, 'are you ok, is it a cold?' backing off, 'no, no I'm fine' this is how he met his kid's mother he was damn sure of it, Lucy rubbing his back, 'I've got some water' passing him a cup, 'thank you' 'no problem' 'I'm John' 'I'm Lucy, but oddly most people know me as Mia' John laughed, 'you're really good, I've seen you play?' 'oh, cool' 'it's why they said maybe I could work with you, cos I know your sound well' 'oh, right, well that's ok' 'awesome, good, yeah' sitting down, John caught his breath, 'are you sure, you're ok?' 'I'm fine' 'right, good' looking at him with a hell of a smile.
'So, what do you wanna do first' 'it's an acoustic EP, I was going to do pro-notes for all the guitar work then lay vocals is that ok?' 'that's, that's fine' 'good, please feel free to add anything' 'will do' John smiled, 'do you like my band?' 'The Maine, yeah, I do' tuning her guitar, John nodded, 'got a favourite?' 'Thinking Of You' Jhn smiled thinking that song is going in the set, 'you ever been on tour?' 'kinda, I feel like I'm on a constant tour, I've done this coast a lot, and during the summer I do the other coast' 'you come from Carolina right?' 'I do indeed, can we get on, I'm sorry but I'm not big on small talk' 'no me neither' she smiled, 'good, reason I write in the desert' 'me too' plugging her acoustic, 'this won't take long, and with that I probably am doomed' 'oh, I know' laughing, 'we had rehearsals on FH were it was perfect then fuck up in the recording' 'that's life, dude, just when you feel you have it nailed, there goes the rug miss Bugg' John laughed, 'experience?' 'I guess so'.
John smiled, ‘time to use those lungs’ ‘indeed’ she smiled, ‘would you like me to mix it for you?’ ‘could you?’ ‘yeah, I’ll do it on tour’ ‘oh, well thank you’ ‘no problem’ wishing he wouldn’t feel so nervous around her, ‘the first one is called Little Things, ok?’ ‘I like this one Live, it’s all good, are you a big baseball fan?’ looking at her Orioles shirt, ‘my dad is from Bmore, it’s kinda a crime in my home to not like baseball?’ ‘same’ ‘I’ve yet to see the Dbacks’ ‘oh, I must change that, I think Spring cleaning tickets in February’ ‘oh, sure, that would be good, I don’t know the team well, I don’t know the league well’ ‘that’s cool, I’ll help’ John grinned, ‘cool, cool, I’d like that’ ‘awesome, I’ll pick some up’ Lucy smiled, thinking what had she agreed to, but she was zoned, right? starting on vocals.
Lucy smiled, ‘I’ll mix it and send it over’ ‘awesome, I can then put it on iTunes in a couple of weeks’ ‘yeah, and baseball’ rubbing his neck, Lucy realising he was tall, ‘I really like Hum Hallelujah, I’ll do my best’ ‘thanks for all your help, you’ve been amazing’ kissing his cheek, he could feel his face warming, kissing her cheek back, ‘no problem’ ‘well, I have to go pay my rent’ she smiled, ‘of course, do you need a ride?’ ‘I’m good’ ‘Lucy’ ‘hmm?’ ‘we do our acoustic shows from tomorrow?’ ‘I know, I’m seeing you in Phoenix, Tim gave me a ticket’ ‘nice’ ‘yes, it was, ermm, you were saying sorry’ ‘I was asking Pat, you know maybe some support, maybe you could support us in Phoenix’ ‘that would be nice if it can happen’ John smiled, ‘then baseball’ ‘indeed, be good to hangout’ Lucy smiled, ‘I’ll see you soon’ heading out.
-x-
'Hello, I'm Mia Bugg and you are a lot of people' John chuckled, 'I recently recorded my first EP at 8123, and I'm going to play it for you' she smiled, 'this is called Ruby' she smiled playing the song for the crowd who seemed to be enjoying it, joining with the chorus, 'thank you, you were incredible, let's see what can I get you to sing? This song is called The Best Thing' she smiled as people shouted the word prick at the stage, 'I feel like we're getting there, this song is one of the first I ever wrote, see if this even works on an acoustic, it's called I predict a riot' John smiled, 'that crowd is getting mad' 'it is' Jared smiled as 100's of people la la la'd with her, 'that is how you support a band' Pat murmured, 'this song is called Everyday I Love You Less And Less, and it's my last song' an audible sigh, 'but thank you' heading into the song, 'I know I feel it in my bones, I'm sick and tired of staying in control' taking a bow, John smiled, 'wow' 'made it up as I went along, talk about Crowd control' Jared laughed, 'I like her' 'me too'.
John smiled, ‘you kicked ass’ ‘thank you, I think I left them in a bit of a mess, I think a mosh begun’ John laughed, ‘did you really just make up your set?’ ‘I was the only one on stage, I can’ ‘you must have a hell of a memory’ ‘musically absolutely’ John smiled, ‘that guy must have sucked’ ‘no, I did, I was a bit of a dick, I always searching for a new life when I already had my own’ John smiled, ‘you think?’ ‘I know’ John smiled, ‘well we have something else in common’ ‘I’m so glad we can chalk that one up’ John smiled at her sarcasm, ‘what happened?’ ‘he just drove me towards a breakdown, I couldn’t fit in the room with the ego, and didn’t even know it, not like you at all’ John smiled, ‘but I didn’t try to do anything cos I was boosting my own ego every night, playing’ John smiled, ‘Ruby?’ ‘she was my ex’ Lucy smiled, ‘you seem happy about it?’ ‘well, she’s not really my ex, friends with benefits’ John looked at her, ‘you shock me’ ‘then you bore me’ ‘ouch’ laughing, ‘can I get you a drink?’ ‘that would be good’.
Lucy swirled her wine, ‘how old are you?’ ‘I’m 22, did a 3 year degree at NAU to please my parents’ ‘in what?’ ‘pharmacology, sometimes we take chances, sometimes we take pills’ John smiled, ‘Hum Hallelujah?’ ‘that’s the one’ ‘is it doing well’ ‘I have a lot of fans, got the rent covered and what I lost in savings from paying you’ ‘awesome’ ‘yeah’ Lucy nodded, ‘I fear you know too much’ ‘sweetheart, I am no better’ giggling, ‘so, what are your plans now?’ Lucy asked softly, ‘Europe’ ‘cool’ John smiled, ‘you should join 8123, come with us’ ‘I’d have to record more’ ‘the studio would be free if you joined’ John smiled, ‘hmm’ John picked at his beer, ‘well, if someone else asks me I’d be happier to, I have a lot of songs’ ‘I know’ laughing a little, ‘or play the one I have and record more before my Warped date’ ‘huh?’ ‘I won the Arizona spot for Warped’ ‘you should have said!’ ‘it felt a long way off’ ‘I want you in Europe’ ‘make a lady blush’ John blushed, laughing together.
-x-
'You don't do just acoustic' 'no, I play a lot of things, but I don't really want a band, unlike you, I can't compromise, well not good at it' John smiled, 'I get that' 'good' 'so, what do you do with the layers' 'just have a synth and play it that way, not much else I can do, and a loop pedal' John nodded, 'so, what's your set for Europe?' 'the EP we did and a couple of brand new ones I wrote for the album that no one has heard ever' John smiled, 'Flaws and Anklebiters' 'indeed' Lucy smiled, 'I like them both, I'm glad you continued the acoustic tour here though, I feel less pressure with all the tech' 'you went to university so you must be ok at compromise?' 'there's so many things I've changed my mind about lately' John nodded.
'Hello, I'm Mia' introducing herself in german, 'Meine deutsch is sehr furchtbar, danke schon' she smiled as people cheered, John laughed, 'you asked her out yet, cos you know-' 'she's practically perfect in every way' admiring her tied up Orioles shirt and turn up crop jeans and converses as she played, she headed out in her old varsity jacket, 'hallo?' meeting people with copies of her EP, 'wie geht's?' 'gut' 'gut, kann ich dir helfen?' she smiled talking with fans, someone asking her how she knows the language, 'deutsch war meine lieblingsfache im schule, meine lehrer war sehr lustig' John smiled as she chatted to both English and German speakers, even translating for him, John smiled as they got back to the bus, 'are you perfect at everything?' 'I didn't think you thought that, no' 'I know I'm not cos I still am too pathetic to just ask you out' Lucy smiled looking at her shoes, 'the moment I saw you, you were just something else, watching you carry my heart on your sleeve' 'I had no idea' she murmured pulling on his hand and kissing him softly, 'better?' 'magnificent' kissing passionately in the Dusseldorf street lights.
'I love your new songs' 'thank you, going to make my album when I get home, then Warped' walking with him, John smiled at her, 'I've never seen you happier Johnny, I'm glad I can do that to you' 'you can' meetings fan in England, 'you're from Baltimore?' 'my dad is from Bmore, he's a big Orioles fans, and Raven's of course' she smiled, 'like All Time Low?' 'I went to their high school when they were playing shows at what is now the old Recher' Lucy smiled, 'I supported them on the last show there, sad to see it go' Lucy smiled, 'what were they like?' 'to be honest they were prolific what you call bunkers?' laughing, 'Rian wouldn't leave the drum kit, it was a pain actually cos I was learning at the time in school, Alex got the girls, Jack not so much and Zack was not hench' laughing, 'but good people' Lucy smiled, 'how long were you in high school with them?' 'about 3 years' talking to fans and signing tickets, 'I have shirts, I'm so proud of myself' laughing.
Lucy smiled as John held her in bed, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ kissing him softly, John grinned, ‘thank you’ ‘no problem, it’s been a pleasure’ ‘mine too’.
-x-
6 months later:-
John called her, ‘hello?’ ‘it’s Johnny’ ‘I know’ they giggled, Lucy smiled, ‘it’s good to hear you laugh again, how’s recording going?’ ‘I miss you so much’ ‘I miss you too, Johnny, but get through sweetheart’ ‘how’s the All Time Low tour going?’ ‘it’s the first time non-acoustic, it’s kinda scary actually’ John smiled, ‘is it good?’ ‘I’ve not heard anything too terrible about the album’ ‘you got some of the best reviews Lucy, trust me no one hates you right now’ ‘well still’ ‘still, you’re awesome’ ‘you should see my other half, he’s kind of incredible’ John blushed crossing his legs on his bed, ‘tell me about this wonderman’ ‘he has incredible teeth’ John laughed, Lucy giggled, ‘and this smile that is kind of amazing’ John smiled falling on the bed, ‘and he has a voice that keeps me up all day, and when he’s with me, keeps me up at night’ John smiled, ‘sounds amazing’ ‘he is’ ‘you should hear about other half’ ‘oh?’ ‘well, she’s kind of incredible’ talking.
Alex smiled, ‘who is your boyfriend cos you two sound kind of amazing’ ‘how do you?’ ‘I overheard you talking, not intentionally’ ‘I think he waited a long time to find someone to love so he makes an effort’ Alex smiled, ‘and, I have a high benchmark set for me’ Alex smiled, ‘so you make an effort cos he does’ ‘well, he’s my best friend too, so I’ve been lucky’ Alex nodded, ‘my girlfriend has known me forever and isn’t not like you’ Lucy chuckled, ‘how I percieve what love is is different to how you do, cos this is all you’ve ever known? For me love is simple and fluid, you either do or don’t, no grey area - it’s just easy, but you’re kinda different’ ‘I guess I am’ ‘how we make our relationships is dictated by what we expect from it, we accept the love we think we deserve’ Lucy smiled, ‘now, I think I have a set to play’ ‘who?’ ‘John O’Callaghan Alex’ ‘serious?’ ‘indeed’ Lucy grinned heading on stage.
Lucy hugged John in Phoenix airport, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ kissing deeply, ‘let’s go home’ ‘I wish you would make it our home’ ‘well, now I’m off work how about you help me move in then?’ John holding her hand, ‘please’ ‘awesome’ heading home, John snuggled into her, ‘I missed you’ ‘I missed you too’ tracing his tattoo, ‘sometimes it’s hard not having you around’ ‘trust me, I know the feeling especially when you are on your own, saying that Halvo did help on this tour’ ‘was he a good assistant’ ‘yes, he helped me blend in’ ‘you both got wasted for six weeks didn’t you?’ ‘and paid for very little of it’ John laughed, ‘I love you’ ‘well, Halvo drunk is fucking hilarious’ ‘granted’ giggling, ‘maybe you should keep him’ ‘it was like having your stupid side with me’ ‘thanks babe’ ‘well, I love the complete package more’ ‘once is never enough baby’ making love all night.
Lucy wrapped presents for Christmas after moving in, John sitting behind her, ‘what are you up to?’ ‘sending gifts to friends’ John nodded, ‘who is this one for?’ ‘these are for All Time Low’ John laughed, ‘suck up’ ‘we’re friends now’ ‘you got Alex a signed copy of Star Trek?’ ‘I did, I was in LA for Benedict Cumberbatch’s film and got it signed, boom’ John laughed, ‘do you stalk actor’s often?’ ‘no just Benedict Cumberbatch’ ‘I’m a little jealous’ ‘don’t be sweetie’ John kissed her neck softly, she hummed, ‘I don’t think he can do that to me’ ‘I know’ kissing her shoulder removing her dress strap, ‘you’re such a horn dog’ ‘I have the most beautiful women in my arms, yeah, I wanna make her happy’ Lucy blushed, ‘fine, it’s reasonable’ giggling, ‘you hated pharmacology and still got a 2.1, you’re not normal’ ‘thank you but I make amazing meth’ John laughed, ‘thanks Walter’ ‘my Breaking Bad problem is your fault’ laughing, ‘do you have family gifts’ ‘yes, I’m doing them after this’ ‘good, can I help?’ ‘no, cos you’ll see your gift fool’ ‘then I’ll leave the room do it now’ ‘fine’.
Lucy smiled getting texts off Alex, ‘I think I love you more than John does, Lucy’ she laughed, ‘that’s not possible :) Glad you like! I stalked that guy forever for you!’ ‘well, thank you, more like deer stalked’ ‘I see what you did there my fellow cumberbitch’ John smiled, ‘can I open my present?’ ‘of course’ hoping he didn’t mind her gift, ‘what’s this?’ ‘my dad’s a lawyer as you know, I asked them to look into some stuff with Warner’ John read, ‘you, you got all our music back to 8123?’ ‘yeah, in about 8 days anyone who buys any of your music the profit will go straight to you’ John looked at her, ‘wow, thats awesome’ she smiled, ‘I thought it would stop you worrying, I know you worry about the future’ ‘don’t you?’ ‘I have pharmacology’ she smirked, John chuckled, ‘and I know we now have long term plans in place like adults do but I really like it when you don’t seem so aged’ John smiled kissing her softly, ‘I love you, thank you’ ‘no problem, there are nice gifts too’ ‘let me at ‘em’ Lucy giggled.
-x-
2 years later:-
John laid next to her in bed, ‘what you said about the Ruby stuff was quite awesome’ she smiled, ‘I’m not ashamed of loving a girl, but I am ashamed of living in a country where loving someone is shameful’ ‘I had no idea it would happen but I suppose you have to suspect anything can come out really when you win a grammy and stuff’ Lucy shrugged, ‘we have our own home and we still have one another right?’ ‘baby, you will always have me’ holding her, ‘good to know’ she murmured, ‘cos I think your baby might be having one’ John smiled, ‘you’re pregnant’ ‘I think I am’ she smiled, ‘you’re ok with it?’ ‘I am damn amazing with it’ ‘good’ she smiled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ holding her, ‘you have tour plans?’ ‘don’t worry about it, I’m going to continue and not say a thing, because I don’t want people to stop me making a new record’ ‘fine with me’ ‘I’ll record it at home’ ‘good’ kissing her head, ‘how far do you think you are?’ ‘3 months’ ‘good’.
Lucy held her daughter, ‘what are we calling her?’ ‘Melody?’ John smiled, ‘Melody what?’ ‘Melody Jennifer’ ‘fine’ sitting next to her, ‘can I hold her?’ ‘you so wanted a boy’ ‘I don’t care, she’s my daughter’ John grinned, ‘I love her already’ ‘I’m glad’ ‘also, I have two other brothers, the house will be so confusing with two of us with the same name’ ‘you make an excellent point’ she smiled, ‘to be honest, I kinda hope I’m the last’ Lucy nodded, ‘so having a girl is fine with me, kinda prefer to have a little princess’ Lucy smiled, ‘I’m glad’ John smiled taking her from Lucy’s arms, ‘I promise you I mean it’ ‘you don’t need to I believe you’ ‘good’ ‘I love you both’ ‘we love you too’.
they lived happily.
'This is the church' he chuckled, she smiled, 'it's good, I like it' taking a thorough look, 'are you producing yourself' 'will it cost more to have your help and how much more, I've got some?' 'I don't mind helping at all if you have money' 'how much for a week, I have a lot of this planned out already' 'of course, ermm, is 1000' 'that's it?' 'yeah' 'fine with me, who do I make it payable to?' '8123 Management' 'oh, awesome' writing out a cheque, 'here' 'thanks, be a week before we o do our acoustic tour' 'perfect, thank you for your time' 'what's your sound?' 'I come from Carolina, Ryan Adams is sort of played everywhere there' 'I bet' 'and, Tom Petty, I grew up listening to that guy, lot of British rock my grandmother was English, Stones' 'you are in perfect company' talking music and walking out finding Tim.
'this is Lucy, she's just hired the studio' 'be the first girl to use the place' 'what a honour, thanks for your help Pat' 'no problem' 'do you play live any time soon?' 'I have 3 this week, plus the New Year show at The Marquee' 'have a good week' 'I have flyers' 'leave some here' taking some out, 'thank you, have a good day' 'you too' Tim smiled, 'she's cool' 'oh, she is' 'vintage dress, Scottsdale' 'I think it's her thing, her stage name is inspired by her grandmother' 'Mia Bugg, I like that, though it does like she's saying she's a bugg' 'that's true, I don't think she cares' 'no, she must be good if she's doing the Nye show' 'I know cos we did' laughing a little, 'what's up?' John picking up a leaflet, 'she's good' 'she's just booked our studio's' 'oh, awesome, I saw her at Moody's' 'awesome, maybe you can work with her?' 'love to'.
-x-
'Hey?' Lucy ran her fingers in her hair, really sexily if John thought about it, 'oh, hello?' leaning over the soundboard standing slowly with a smile in a vintage dress, realising he had forgotten how to breath, 'oh-' having a coughing fit, 'are you ok, is it a cold?' backing off, 'no, no I'm fine' this is how he met his kid's mother he was damn sure of it, Lucy rubbing his back, 'I've got some water' passing him a cup, 'thank you' 'no problem' 'I'm John' 'I'm Lucy, but oddly most people know me as Mia' John laughed, 'you're really good, I've seen you play?' 'oh, cool' 'it's why they said maybe I could work with you, cos I know your sound well' 'oh, right, well that's ok' 'awesome, good, yeah' sitting down, John caught his breath, 'are you sure, you're ok?' 'I'm fine' 'right, good' looking at him with a hell of a smile.
'So, what do you wanna do first' 'it's an acoustic EP, I was going to do pro-notes for all the guitar work then lay vocals is that ok?' 'that's, that's fine' 'good, please feel free to add anything' 'will do' John smiled, 'do you like my band?' 'The Maine, yeah, I do' tuning her guitar, John nodded, 'got a favourite?' 'Thinking Of You' Jhn smiled thinking that song is going in the set, 'you ever been on tour?' 'kinda, I feel like I'm on a constant tour, I've done this coast a lot, and during the summer I do the other coast' 'you come from Carolina right?' 'I do indeed, can we get on, I'm sorry but I'm not big on small talk' 'no me neither' she smiled, 'good, reason I write in the desert' 'me too' plugging her acoustic, 'this won't take long, and with that I probably am doomed' 'oh, I know' laughing, 'we had rehearsals on FH were it was perfect then fuck up in the recording' 'that's life, dude, just when you feel you have it nailed, there goes the rug miss Bugg' John laughed, 'experience?' 'I guess so'.
John smiled, ‘time to use those lungs’ ‘indeed’ she smiled, ‘would you like me to mix it for you?’ ‘could you?’ ‘yeah, I’ll do it on tour’ ‘oh, well thank you’ ‘no problem’ wishing he wouldn’t feel so nervous around her, ‘the first one is called Little Things, ok?’ ‘I like this one Live, it’s all good, are you a big baseball fan?’ looking at her Orioles shirt, ‘my dad is from Bmore, it’s kinda a crime in my home to not like baseball?’ ‘same’ ‘I’ve yet to see the Dbacks’ ‘oh, I must change that, I think Spring cleaning tickets in February’ ‘oh, sure, that would be good, I don’t know the team well, I don’t know the league well’ ‘that’s cool, I’ll help’ John grinned, ‘cool, cool, I’d like that’ ‘awesome, I’ll pick some up’ Lucy smiled, thinking what had she agreed to, but she was zoned, right? starting on vocals.
Lucy smiled, ‘I’ll mix it and send it over’ ‘awesome, I can then put it on iTunes in a couple of weeks’ ‘yeah, and baseball’ rubbing his neck, Lucy realising he was tall, ‘I really like Hum Hallelujah, I’ll do my best’ ‘thanks for all your help, you’ve been amazing’ kissing his cheek, he could feel his face warming, kissing her cheek back, ‘no problem’ ‘well, I have to go pay my rent’ she smiled, ‘of course, do you need a ride?’ ‘I’m good’ ‘Lucy’ ‘hmm?’ ‘we do our acoustic shows from tomorrow?’ ‘I know, I’m seeing you in Phoenix, Tim gave me a ticket’ ‘nice’ ‘yes, it was, ermm, you were saying sorry’ ‘I was asking Pat, you know maybe some support, maybe you could support us in Phoenix’ ‘that would be nice if it can happen’ John smiled, ‘then baseball’ ‘indeed, be good to hangout’ Lucy smiled, ‘I’ll see you soon’ heading out.
-x-
'Hello, I'm Mia Bugg and you are a lot of people' John chuckled, 'I recently recorded my first EP at 8123, and I'm going to play it for you' she smiled, 'this is called Ruby' she smiled playing the song for the crowd who seemed to be enjoying it, joining with the chorus, 'thank you, you were incredible, let's see what can I get you to sing? This song is called The Best Thing' she smiled as people shouted the word prick at the stage, 'I feel like we're getting there, this song is one of the first I ever wrote, see if this even works on an acoustic, it's called I predict a riot' John smiled, 'that crowd is getting mad' 'it is' Jared smiled as 100's of people la la la'd with her, 'that is how you support a band' Pat murmured, 'this song is called Everyday I Love You Less And Less, and it's my last song' an audible sigh, 'but thank you' heading into the song, 'I know I feel it in my bones, I'm sick and tired of staying in control' taking a bow, John smiled, 'wow' 'made it up as I went along, talk about Crowd control' Jared laughed, 'I like her' 'me too'.
John smiled, ‘you kicked ass’ ‘thank you, I think I left them in a bit of a mess, I think a mosh begun’ John laughed, ‘did you really just make up your set?’ ‘I was the only one on stage, I can’ ‘you must have a hell of a memory’ ‘musically absolutely’ John smiled, ‘that guy must have sucked’ ‘no, I did, I was a bit of a dick, I always searching for a new life when I already had my own’ John smiled, ‘you think?’ ‘I know’ John smiled, ‘well we have something else in common’ ‘I’m so glad we can chalk that one up’ John smiled at her sarcasm, ‘what happened?’ ‘he just drove me towards a breakdown, I couldn’t fit in the room with the ego, and didn’t even know it, not like you at all’ John smiled, ‘but I didn’t try to do anything cos I was boosting my own ego every night, playing’ John smiled, ‘Ruby?’ ‘she was my ex’ Lucy smiled, ‘you seem happy about it?’ ‘well, she’s not really my ex, friends with benefits’ John looked at her, ‘you shock me’ ‘then you bore me’ ‘ouch’ laughing, ‘can I get you a drink?’ ‘that would be good’.
Lucy swirled her wine, ‘how old are you?’ ‘I’m 22, did a 3 year degree at NAU to please my parents’ ‘in what?’ ‘pharmacology, sometimes we take chances, sometimes we take pills’ John smiled, ‘Hum Hallelujah?’ ‘that’s the one’ ‘is it doing well’ ‘I have a lot of fans, got the rent covered and what I lost in savings from paying you’ ‘awesome’ ‘yeah’ Lucy nodded, ‘I fear you know too much’ ‘sweetheart, I am no better’ giggling, ‘so, what are your plans now?’ Lucy asked softly, ‘Europe’ ‘cool’ John smiled, ‘you should join 8123, come with us’ ‘I’d have to record more’ ‘the studio would be free if you joined’ John smiled, ‘hmm’ John picked at his beer, ‘well, if someone else asks me I’d be happier to, I have a lot of songs’ ‘I know’ laughing a little, ‘or play the one I have and record more before my Warped date’ ‘huh?’ ‘I won the Arizona spot for Warped’ ‘you should have said!’ ‘it felt a long way off’ ‘I want you in Europe’ ‘make a lady blush’ John blushed, laughing together.
-x-
'You don't do just acoustic' 'no, I play a lot of things, but I don't really want a band, unlike you, I can't compromise, well not good at it' John smiled, 'I get that' 'good' 'so, what do you do with the layers' 'just have a synth and play it that way, not much else I can do, and a loop pedal' John nodded, 'so, what's your set for Europe?' 'the EP we did and a couple of brand new ones I wrote for the album that no one has heard ever' John smiled, 'Flaws and Anklebiters' 'indeed' Lucy smiled, 'I like them both, I'm glad you continued the acoustic tour here though, I feel less pressure with all the tech' 'you went to university so you must be ok at compromise?' 'there's so many things I've changed my mind about lately' John nodded.
'Hello, I'm Mia' introducing herself in german, 'Meine deutsch is sehr furchtbar, danke schon' she smiled as people cheered, John laughed, 'you asked her out yet, cos you know-' 'she's practically perfect in every way' admiring her tied up Orioles shirt and turn up crop jeans and converses as she played, she headed out in her old varsity jacket, 'hallo?' meeting people with copies of her EP, 'wie geht's?' 'gut' 'gut, kann ich dir helfen?' she smiled talking with fans, someone asking her how she knows the language, 'deutsch war meine lieblingsfache im schule, meine lehrer war sehr lustig' John smiled as she chatted to both English and German speakers, even translating for him, John smiled as they got back to the bus, 'are you perfect at everything?' 'I didn't think you thought that, no' 'I know I'm not cos I still am too pathetic to just ask you out' Lucy smiled looking at her shoes, 'the moment I saw you, you were just something else, watching you carry my heart on your sleeve' 'I had no idea' she murmured pulling on his hand and kissing him softly, 'better?' 'magnificent' kissing passionately in the Dusseldorf street lights.
'I love your new songs' 'thank you, going to make my album when I get home, then Warped' walking with him, John smiled at her, 'I've never seen you happier Johnny, I'm glad I can do that to you' 'you can' meetings fan in England, 'you're from Baltimore?' 'my dad is from Bmore, he's a big Orioles fans, and Raven's of course' she smiled, 'like All Time Low?' 'I went to their high school when they were playing shows at what is now the old Recher' Lucy smiled, 'I supported them on the last show there, sad to see it go' Lucy smiled, 'what were they like?' 'to be honest they were prolific what you call bunkers?' laughing, 'Rian wouldn't leave the drum kit, it was a pain actually cos I was learning at the time in school, Alex got the girls, Jack not so much and Zack was not hench' laughing, 'but good people' Lucy smiled, 'how long were you in high school with them?' 'about 3 years' talking to fans and signing tickets, 'I have shirts, I'm so proud of myself' laughing.
Lucy smiled as John held her in bed, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ kissing him softly, John grinned, ‘thank you’ ‘no problem, it’s been a pleasure’ ‘mine too’.
-x-
6 months later:-
John called her, ‘hello?’ ‘it’s Johnny’ ‘I know’ they giggled, Lucy smiled, ‘it’s good to hear you laugh again, how’s recording going?’ ‘I miss you so much’ ‘I miss you too, Johnny, but get through sweetheart’ ‘how’s the All Time Low tour going?’ ‘it’s the first time non-acoustic, it’s kinda scary actually’ John smiled, ‘is it good?’ ‘I’ve not heard anything too terrible about the album’ ‘you got some of the best reviews Lucy, trust me no one hates you right now’ ‘well still’ ‘still, you’re awesome’ ‘you should see my other half, he’s kind of incredible’ John blushed crossing his legs on his bed, ‘tell me about this wonderman’ ‘he has incredible teeth’ John laughed, Lucy giggled, ‘and this smile that is kind of amazing’ John smiled falling on the bed, ‘and he has a voice that keeps me up all day, and when he’s with me, keeps me up at night’ John smiled, ‘sounds amazing’ ‘he is’ ‘you should hear about other half’ ‘oh?’ ‘well, she’s kind of incredible’ talking.
Alex smiled, ‘who is your boyfriend cos you two sound kind of amazing’ ‘how do you?’ ‘I overheard you talking, not intentionally’ ‘I think he waited a long time to find someone to love so he makes an effort’ Alex smiled, ‘and, I have a high benchmark set for me’ Alex smiled, ‘so you make an effort cos he does’ ‘well, he’s my best friend too, so I’ve been lucky’ Alex nodded, ‘my girlfriend has known me forever and isn’t not like you’ Lucy chuckled, ‘how I percieve what love is is different to how you do, cos this is all you’ve ever known? For me love is simple and fluid, you either do or don’t, no grey area - it’s just easy, but you’re kinda different’ ‘I guess I am’ ‘how we make our relationships is dictated by what we expect from it, we accept the love we think we deserve’ Lucy smiled, ‘now, I think I have a set to play’ ‘who?’ ‘John O’Callaghan Alex’ ‘serious?’ ‘indeed’ Lucy grinned heading on stage.
Lucy hugged John in Phoenix airport, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ kissing deeply, ‘let’s go home’ ‘I wish you would make it our home’ ‘well, now I’m off work how about you help me move in then?’ John holding her hand, ‘please’ ‘awesome’ heading home, John snuggled into her, ‘I missed you’ ‘I missed you too’ tracing his tattoo, ‘sometimes it’s hard not having you around’ ‘trust me, I know the feeling especially when you are on your own, saying that Halvo did help on this tour’ ‘was he a good assistant’ ‘yes, he helped me blend in’ ‘you both got wasted for six weeks didn’t you?’ ‘and paid for very little of it’ John laughed, ‘I love you’ ‘well, Halvo drunk is fucking hilarious’ ‘granted’ giggling, ‘maybe you should keep him’ ‘it was like having your stupid side with me’ ‘thanks babe’ ‘well, I love the complete package more’ ‘once is never enough baby’ making love all night.
Lucy wrapped presents for Christmas after moving in, John sitting behind her, ‘what are you up to?’ ‘sending gifts to friends’ John nodded, ‘who is this one for?’ ‘these are for All Time Low’ John laughed, ‘suck up’ ‘we’re friends now’ ‘you got Alex a signed copy of Star Trek?’ ‘I did, I was in LA for Benedict Cumberbatch’s film and got it signed, boom’ John laughed, ‘do you stalk actor’s often?’ ‘no just Benedict Cumberbatch’ ‘I’m a little jealous’ ‘don’t be sweetie’ John kissed her neck softly, she hummed, ‘I don’t think he can do that to me’ ‘I know’ kissing her shoulder removing her dress strap, ‘you’re such a horn dog’ ‘I have the most beautiful women in my arms, yeah, I wanna make her happy’ Lucy blushed, ‘fine, it’s reasonable’ giggling, ‘you hated pharmacology and still got a 2.1, you’re not normal’ ‘thank you but I make amazing meth’ John laughed, ‘thanks Walter’ ‘my Breaking Bad problem is your fault’ laughing, ‘do you have family gifts’ ‘yes, I’m doing them after this’ ‘good, can I help?’ ‘no, cos you’ll see your gift fool’ ‘then I’ll leave the room do it now’ ‘fine’.
Lucy smiled getting texts off Alex, ‘I think I love you more than John does, Lucy’ she laughed, ‘that’s not possible :) Glad you like! I stalked that guy forever for you!’ ‘well, thank you, more like deer stalked’ ‘I see what you did there my fellow cumberbitch’ John smiled, ‘can I open my present?’ ‘of course’ hoping he didn’t mind her gift, ‘what’s this?’ ‘my dad’s a lawyer as you know, I asked them to look into some stuff with Warner’ John read, ‘you, you got all our music back to 8123?’ ‘yeah, in about 8 days anyone who buys any of your music the profit will go straight to you’ John looked at her, ‘wow, thats awesome’ she smiled, ‘I thought it would stop you worrying, I know you worry about the future’ ‘don’t you?’ ‘I have pharmacology’ she smirked, John chuckled, ‘and I know we now have long term plans in place like adults do but I really like it when you don’t seem so aged’ John smiled kissing her softly, ‘I love you, thank you’ ‘no problem, there are nice gifts too’ ‘let me at ‘em’ Lucy giggled.
-x-
2 years later:-
John laid next to her in bed, ‘what you said about the Ruby stuff was quite awesome’ she smiled, ‘I’m not ashamed of loving a girl, but I am ashamed of living in a country where loving someone is shameful’ ‘I had no idea it would happen but I suppose you have to suspect anything can come out really when you win a grammy and stuff’ Lucy shrugged, ‘we have our own home and we still have one another right?’ ‘baby, you will always have me’ holding her, ‘good to know’ she murmured, ‘cos I think your baby might be having one’ John smiled, ‘you’re pregnant’ ‘I think I am’ she smiled, ‘you’re ok with it?’ ‘I am damn amazing with it’ ‘good’ she smiled, ‘I love you’ ‘I love you too’ holding her, ‘you have tour plans?’ ‘don’t worry about it, I’m going to continue and not say a thing, because I don’t want people to stop me making a new record’ ‘fine with me’ ‘I’ll record it at home’ ‘good’ kissing her head, ‘how far do you think you are?’ ‘3 months’ ‘good’.
Lucy held her daughter, ‘what are we calling her?’ ‘Melody?’ John smiled, ‘Melody what?’ ‘Melody Jennifer’ ‘fine’ sitting next to her, ‘can I hold her?’ ‘you so wanted a boy’ ‘I don’t care, she’s my daughter’ John grinned, ‘I love her already’ ‘I’m glad’ ‘also, I have two other brothers, the house will be so confusing with two of us with the same name’ ‘you make an excellent point’ she smiled, ‘to be honest, I kinda hope I’m the last’ Lucy nodded, ‘so having a girl is fine with me, kinda prefer to have a little princess’ Lucy smiled, ‘I’m glad’ John smiled taking her from Lucy’s arms, ‘I promise you I mean it’ ‘you don’t need to I believe you’ ‘good’ ‘I love you both’ ‘we love you too’.
they lived happily.