Status: I'll update as long as I get comments!
Photograph, Give Me Something to Remember
When I Think That I Can't Love You Any More Than I Do, I Do.
Raegan's soft smile graced her face the moment she saw John walk into the tiny diner she had been working at for the past two and a half years to work off college loans she had to pay to continue pursuing her culinary and business degrees. The moment his eyes met hers, he smiled his crooked smile Raegan quickly fell in love with over the past three months. "Hey John, I'll be over in a sec," she called out to the man as she carried out a customer's plate. "Can I get you anything else, Grace?" She asked one of the regulars she has served ever since she started working here in the fall of 2007.
"I'm fine, Raegan. Just go over to that lovely boy of yours," the older lady told Raegan with a laugh, causing Raegan to blush before walking over to the booth John sat at every time he came to visit Raegan at work.
"Do you want your usual, John?" She asked him as she leaned against the booth with a smile. He nodded and leaned up to place a soft, loving kiss on her lips.
"Alright, I'll be right back." Raegan said softly before walking back towards the kitchen with a smile on her face. "John wants his usual," she told the cook, Dylan, and he nodded. Over the last three months, John has been coming every day Raegan works - which was practically every day - so all of the people who worked here memorized John's order fairly quickly. While waiting for Dylan to finish making John's food, Raegan leaned against the counter opposite of Dylan and made small talk with the guy only a few years older than her; it was when a topic she tried her hardest to ignore the past three months came up that Raegan began frowning.
"So how much longer will John be here?" Dylan asked and Raegan sighed.
"The boys should be done in the studio within the next few days but they won't be going back to Arizona until next week." Raegan's frown was apparent even in her voice so she wasn't surprised when Dylan turned around to face her with an apologetic and sad smile.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up, Rae. It’s not like he'll be gone forever, you'll still be able to talk to him all the time," Dylan told her while Raegan just turned away from him and put two pieces of bread into the toaster. It was a few minutes before she spoke up, "You know that's not true, Dylan; he'll be so busy touring. I'd only be able to see him the few times The Maine has shows in Cali and he'll be too tired or busy to talk most days." She quickly wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand with a shaky smile and untied her apron before placing the toast on a plate and picking up John's plate with her other hand. "Can you tell Annie I'm taking my break?"
"No prob, Rae. Enjoy your break."
"Thanks Dylan." Raegan called out as she left the kitchen and walked over to John's booth and placed his plate on the table and sliding in across from him.
"Thanks sweetheart," John told her lovingly before beginning to dig in. He ate like he hadn't seen food in days, which caused Raegan to giggle. John looked up at her, his signature crooked grin on his face, and Raegan giggled even more as she leaned across the table to wipe some of his omelet off of his chin with her thumb before sitting back down and biting into a piece of her toast.
"Who brought your drink?" She asked while nodding towards the coffee placed beside his plate.
"Taylor brought it out while you were taking your time back in the kitchen," John teased and Raegan stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh.
"I'm sorry food actually has to cook, John," she apologized jokingly before taking another bite into her toast. They continued eating in silence, just enjoying each other’s company.
"How's the album going?" Raegan asked, mainly to make small talk but also to figure out how much longer she would have with John.
"It’s amazing, Rae! I really can't wait for you to hear it; you'll love it! We're finishing up our last few songs and we're going to do a few promotional shows around Cali." He continued talking but she was only half-paying attention after he mentioned how he was almost done. Raegan continued smiling though because it was adorable to hear him talk about what he loves.
"You know I'd love it, John; you guys are amazing." Raegan smiled. She looked at the clock on the wall beside the kitchen and sighed; her 30 minute break seemed to go by so quickly.
"I have to get back to work," she said sadly with a frown on her face.
"Do you want to go to dinner tonight?" John asked and she smiled.
"I'd love to." Date nights with John are the best.
"Great, I'll pick you up at seven? Wear something nice."
"That'd be great. Bye, John, I love you."
"Love you too, Rae, I'll see you later."
After her shift was finally over, Raegan quickly hung up her apron in the kitchen of the diner and exited the kitchen, telling a few of her regular customers goodbye and that she had tomorrow off and would see them in a few days. Driving much faster than the speed limit would ever allow, Raegan arrived home and quickly made her way into her apartment, pulling her hair out of its ponytail in the process before taking her shoes of at the doorway and heading to her bathroom to take a quick shower seeing as she only had an hour before John would arrive.
Raegan turned her curling iron on the moment she got out of the shower and towel dried her hair as quickly and efficiently as possible before going to her bedroom to dress in a light tan-ish color dress, a gray blazer and a light pink necklace before lightly doing her makeup. Afterwards, she went back to her bathroom to curl a few strands of her naturally wavy hair and braiding and pinning some of it back but looked in the mirror with wide, panicky eyes when she heard her front door open and softly shut again along with John's voice calling out her name while she was still doing her hair.
"I'm almost ready! Just make yourself at home, John!" she called out and began to quickly finish her hair. After feeling accomplished with her hair, Raegan quickly went back to her bedroom to lightly spray on some perfume and put a pair of heels on that she was happy she could wear since John was several inches taller than her.
Giving herself a confident smile, Raegan left her bedroom and began to walk down the hallway. "Well, well, well aren't we all dressed up," she teased as she took in John's black button up, silver tie, skinny jeans, and black shoes. He looked up at her from his place on her small couch and smiled at her while standing up with a bouquet of pink lilies - her favorite flower. She smiled widely and blushed as she took the flowers from him after giving him a quick kiss and told him she was going to put them in a vase before coming back and hugging him tightly a few moments later.
"God, you're so beautiful," he whispered into her hair and she blushed again before leaning back and kissing him.
"You're not so bad looking yourself," she giggled once she pulled away and he smiled back at her before leaning back in to kiss her, and she instantly deepened the kiss. He chuckled as he pulled away which earned him a pout from Raegan. "Not until later, Darling, we still have a date to go on," he reminded her and she let out a frustrated sigh before nodding once she remembered their date. "Are you ready?" he asked her and she nodded and interlocked their hands before following John out of her apartment after she locked the door. They walked in a comfortable silence to the elevator and waited calmly for the elevator to get to the third floor. Since the elevator already had a few people in it, John and Raegan stood in the corner - his arm wrapped around her waist - as he whispered sweet nothings into her hair causing her to quietly giggle with a light blush on her face once the few other people looked over at the couple.
An elderly lady that Raegan assumed lived on the floor above hers since she never actually saw her before smiled at the couple before asking the two how long they've been married, causing Raegan to blush madly as John replied to the lady with a smile on his face as he tightened his grip on her. "We're only dating, ma'am; I've been lucky enough to be with this gorgeous girl for three months." John's reply and his adorable accent he got from spending his entire life living in Arizona made Raegan blush even more, if that's even possible, as the lady gushed about how they made the cutest couple and they seemed like they were meant to be. John thanked her as the elevator door opened, and the couple waited for the rest of the people to get out before they made their way into Raegan's apartment's lobby and outside into the warm California air. John opened the car door for Raegan once they made it to his car, and she quietly thanked him.
As John was driving, he quietly sang along to a song on the radio that Raegan couldn't recognize, but she watched him while smiling at how adorable he was. A few songs later, she finally spoke up, "I can't believe that lady thought we were married; its insane how we've been together for only three months but we look like a married couple." He looked over at her for a moment before turning back to the road as he reached out with one hand to hold her hand, a smile apparent on his face as he replied, "She did have a point though."
"That we should get married?" Raegan asked confused - John was leaving next week to go back to Arizona for a few days before going on tour, why would he want to get married now especially when they've only been together for a few months?
"No not that," he chuckled and she raised an eyebrow at him. "We make an amazing couple; we get along great and the past three months have been amazing. It really does feel like we were meant to be." As he clarified, Raegan's smile grew and she nodded before looking out the window to see they arrived at the restaurant.
John opened the door for her once again and she leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. After John told the hostess his name, she led the two to a table. They chatted about anything and everything as they waited for their food to arrive, and the two ate in silence for several minutes before Raegan spoke up. "I can't believe you have to leave next week," she said sadly in between bites and he frowned at her.
"Hey, we can still be together. I promise I'll visit every time I get the chance, and when we have shows in California, you can come along for a few days. And you'll be graduating in a year and a half, Rae, so you'll be able to come out and visit more. Everything will be fine, we'll be fine." John tried reassuring her but he knew it was impossible; he's been having doubts about this just as long as she probably has.
"I know, John," she lied halfheartedly just to make him feel better. "Everything will be fine."
"I'm fine, Raegan. Just go over to that lovely boy of yours," the older lady told Raegan with a laugh, causing Raegan to blush before walking over to the booth John sat at every time he came to visit Raegan at work.
"Do you want your usual, John?" She asked him as she leaned against the booth with a smile. He nodded and leaned up to place a soft, loving kiss on her lips.
"Alright, I'll be right back." Raegan said softly before walking back towards the kitchen with a smile on her face. "John wants his usual," she told the cook, Dylan, and he nodded. Over the last three months, John has been coming every day Raegan works - which was practically every day - so all of the people who worked here memorized John's order fairly quickly. While waiting for Dylan to finish making John's food, Raegan leaned against the counter opposite of Dylan and made small talk with the guy only a few years older than her; it was when a topic she tried her hardest to ignore the past three months came up that Raegan began frowning.
"So how much longer will John be here?" Dylan asked and Raegan sighed.
"The boys should be done in the studio within the next few days but they won't be going back to Arizona until next week." Raegan's frown was apparent even in her voice so she wasn't surprised when Dylan turned around to face her with an apologetic and sad smile.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up, Rae. It’s not like he'll be gone forever, you'll still be able to talk to him all the time," Dylan told her while Raegan just turned away from him and put two pieces of bread into the toaster. It was a few minutes before she spoke up, "You know that's not true, Dylan; he'll be so busy touring. I'd only be able to see him the few times The Maine has shows in Cali and he'll be too tired or busy to talk most days." She quickly wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand with a shaky smile and untied her apron before placing the toast on a plate and picking up John's plate with her other hand. "Can you tell Annie I'm taking my break?"
"No prob, Rae. Enjoy your break."
"Thanks Dylan." Raegan called out as she left the kitchen and walked over to John's booth and placed his plate on the table and sliding in across from him.
"Thanks sweetheart," John told her lovingly before beginning to dig in. He ate like he hadn't seen food in days, which caused Raegan to giggle. John looked up at her, his signature crooked grin on his face, and Raegan giggled even more as she leaned across the table to wipe some of his omelet off of his chin with her thumb before sitting back down and biting into a piece of her toast.
"Who brought your drink?" She asked while nodding towards the coffee placed beside his plate.
"Taylor brought it out while you were taking your time back in the kitchen," John teased and Raegan stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh.
"I'm sorry food actually has to cook, John," she apologized jokingly before taking another bite into her toast. They continued eating in silence, just enjoying each other’s company.
"How's the album going?" Raegan asked, mainly to make small talk but also to figure out how much longer she would have with John.
"It’s amazing, Rae! I really can't wait for you to hear it; you'll love it! We're finishing up our last few songs and we're going to do a few promotional shows around Cali." He continued talking but she was only half-paying attention after he mentioned how he was almost done. Raegan continued smiling though because it was adorable to hear him talk about what he loves.
"You know I'd love it, John; you guys are amazing." Raegan smiled. She looked at the clock on the wall beside the kitchen and sighed; her 30 minute break seemed to go by so quickly.
"I have to get back to work," she said sadly with a frown on her face.
"Do you want to go to dinner tonight?" John asked and she smiled.
"I'd love to." Date nights with John are the best.
"Great, I'll pick you up at seven? Wear something nice."
"That'd be great. Bye, John, I love you."
"Love you too, Rae, I'll see you later."
After her shift was finally over, Raegan quickly hung up her apron in the kitchen of the diner and exited the kitchen, telling a few of her regular customers goodbye and that she had tomorrow off and would see them in a few days. Driving much faster than the speed limit would ever allow, Raegan arrived home and quickly made her way into her apartment, pulling her hair out of its ponytail in the process before taking her shoes of at the doorway and heading to her bathroom to take a quick shower seeing as she only had an hour before John would arrive.
Raegan turned her curling iron on the moment she got out of the shower and towel dried her hair as quickly and efficiently as possible before going to her bedroom to dress in a light tan-ish color dress, a gray blazer and a light pink necklace before lightly doing her makeup. Afterwards, she went back to her bathroom to curl a few strands of her naturally wavy hair and braiding and pinning some of it back but looked in the mirror with wide, panicky eyes when she heard her front door open and softly shut again along with John's voice calling out her name while she was still doing her hair.
"I'm almost ready! Just make yourself at home, John!" she called out and began to quickly finish her hair. After feeling accomplished with her hair, Raegan quickly went back to her bedroom to lightly spray on some perfume and put a pair of heels on that she was happy she could wear since John was several inches taller than her.
Giving herself a confident smile, Raegan left her bedroom and began to walk down the hallway. "Well, well, well aren't we all dressed up," she teased as she took in John's black button up, silver tie, skinny jeans, and black shoes. He looked up at her from his place on her small couch and smiled at her while standing up with a bouquet of pink lilies - her favorite flower. She smiled widely and blushed as she took the flowers from him after giving him a quick kiss and told him she was going to put them in a vase before coming back and hugging him tightly a few moments later.
"God, you're so beautiful," he whispered into her hair and she blushed again before leaning back and kissing him.
"You're not so bad looking yourself," she giggled once she pulled away and he smiled back at her before leaning back in to kiss her, and she instantly deepened the kiss. He chuckled as he pulled away which earned him a pout from Raegan. "Not until later, Darling, we still have a date to go on," he reminded her and she let out a frustrated sigh before nodding once she remembered their date. "Are you ready?" he asked her and she nodded and interlocked their hands before following John out of her apartment after she locked the door. They walked in a comfortable silence to the elevator and waited calmly for the elevator to get to the third floor. Since the elevator already had a few people in it, John and Raegan stood in the corner - his arm wrapped around her waist - as he whispered sweet nothings into her hair causing her to quietly giggle with a light blush on her face once the few other people looked over at the couple.
An elderly lady that Raegan assumed lived on the floor above hers since she never actually saw her before smiled at the couple before asking the two how long they've been married, causing Raegan to blush madly as John replied to the lady with a smile on his face as he tightened his grip on her. "We're only dating, ma'am; I've been lucky enough to be with this gorgeous girl for three months." John's reply and his adorable accent he got from spending his entire life living in Arizona made Raegan blush even more, if that's even possible, as the lady gushed about how they made the cutest couple and they seemed like they were meant to be. John thanked her as the elevator door opened, and the couple waited for the rest of the people to get out before they made their way into Raegan's apartment's lobby and outside into the warm California air. John opened the car door for Raegan once they made it to his car, and she quietly thanked him.
As John was driving, he quietly sang along to a song on the radio that Raegan couldn't recognize, but she watched him while smiling at how adorable he was. A few songs later, she finally spoke up, "I can't believe that lady thought we were married; its insane how we've been together for only three months but we look like a married couple." He looked over at her for a moment before turning back to the road as he reached out with one hand to hold her hand, a smile apparent on his face as he replied, "She did have a point though."
"That we should get married?" Raegan asked confused - John was leaving next week to go back to Arizona for a few days before going on tour, why would he want to get married now especially when they've only been together for a few months?
"No not that," he chuckled and she raised an eyebrow at him. "We make an amazing couple; we get along great and the past three months have been amazing. It really does feel like we were meant to be." As he clarified, Raegan's smile grew and she nodded before looking out the window to see they arrived at the restaurant.
John opened the door for her once again and she leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. After John told the hostess his name, she led the two to a table. They chatted about anything and everything as they waited for their food to arrive, and the two ate in silence for several minutes before Raegan spoke up. "I can't believe you have to leave next week," she said sadly in between bites and he frowned at her.
"Hey, we can still be together. I promise I'll visit every time I get the chance, and when we have shows in California, you can come along for a few days. And you'll be graduating in a year and a half, Rae, so you'll be able to come out and visit more. Everything will be fine, we'll be fine." John tried reassuring her but he knew it was impossible; he's been having doubts about this just as long as she probably has.
"I know, John," she lied halfheartedly just to make him feel better. "Everything will be fine."
♠ ♠ ♠
Raegan & John's Outfitssong: I Do - A Rocket to the Moon
I have a lot planned for this story as long as I get enough feedback!
This is written as part of the past and so is the next chapter (it was supposed to be one chapter but it was nearly 4000 words so I decided to break it up into two parts). The first two chapters are in third person but I can switch it back to first person (mainly Raegan) after that if you guys want.
So I got this layout off of a story layout site because I'm terible at making my own layouts and I didn't realize there was a picture saying 'tears' on the titles of the chapters but I like this layout too much to change it.