Mistakes

"So what do you want to do with all these big dreams of yours, David?" I asked one night.

David and I had been hanging out with some new friends he and the boys had made since coming to Los Angeles. They were really chill guys and knew how to party. We were both completely faded, curled up on the couch together. David got super cuddly and affectionate when he was drunk.

"I don't know, Kalel," he said quietly, throwing his arm around my waist, pulling me back so his chest was pressed against my back. His fingers found mine and he played with them absently. "I think, for right now, I'm happy where we are."

"You'd never want to DJ or anything?" I asked, a little surprised. "You guys put so much of your EDM influence into the music, I would've thought that being a DJ would appeal to you."

He was quiet for a long time, thinking. "If that ever happens, and I get to be a DJ, it'll be because of you. You never let me give up, Kalel. Thank you."

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I rolled over in bed and found Riot curled up on David's chest, sleeping peacefully and soundly, just like the man underneath her was. As if reading my mind and knowing I was awake, David's eyes opened minutes after mine had and he looked over at me.

"You look sad, baby," he observed quietly, his hand finding mine under the duvet. He held it and played with my fingers, just like he always did.

"It's not me. It's Riot. She's sad," I told him, just as quiet.

He smiled a bit and played along. "Why's she sad?"

"She doesn't want you to go on tour. She's going to miss you terribly."

Carefully, David removed our snoozing kitten from his chest, setting her carefully on his pillow. He wrapped his arms around me and I burrowed into the warm cave his arms provided. I felt silly and ridiculous. He had to go on tour, of course. He was a musician, and most musicians toured. Not to mention the fans would have a hissy fit if Breathe Carolina stopped touring all together.

"This tour's only a month long, baby. It's nothing. I'll be back here before you know it," David said quietly, his lips against mine for a few sweet kisses. "Besides, after this tour there are some things you and I will be doing together," he added, making me smile.

The other day, David had gotten a call from Drama over at Young & Reckless, inviting the boys to the Y&R prom they hold in December. We'd both been pretty pumped about it, since I went to my high school prom with a kid I barely knew and David had gotten set up on a blind date with a girl who had bored him to tears. It would be fun making this prom experience a little different than the one we both had from high school.

"I am really excited to see your family for Christmas, though," I told him, playing with his fingers for a moment before I laced them together and held them together on my hip. "And my family, too. It feels like I haven't seen everyone in forever, even though I kinda have."

"It's different circumstances, that's all. This visit will be much better than the last one," David said and bent to kiss me again. "I love you, Kalel. I'm so glad to have you back by my side again. Really."

That made me smile again. "I love you, too, Dave. I'm glad you're back, too."

David and I spent the afternoon together. I made lunch for us and we ran out to Whole Foods to grab some groceries. Shopping with David had always been really nice. Bradley and I had a bad habit of going out and shopping for junk food. We'd end up with armfuls of Ben and Jerry's ice cream pints instead of the veggies I had intended on purchasing.

But David embraced the healthy eating I was into. I wouldn't really call myself a vegetarian, since I ate seafood like it was nobody's business, but I really liked organic foods. And when I wasn't having girl issues, I preferred snacking on veggies or fruit rather than a batch of brownies.

I made us dinner that night and we spent the evening sitting on the couch, drinking Moscato and sharing bread pudding that I had made while dinner was cooking. It was one of the nicest days I'd ever spent with David. He and the boys were going downtown tonight, though, for a DJ set at a nightclub. He left me around 11 pm to head down and meet up with the guys. David had invited me to come down as well, since they were going on at 12:30 am. I gave Bradley a call.

"Hey, babe. The boys are DJ-ing tonight. You game?" I asked her, when she picked up.

"You know I am, Elle. How you holding up, kid? You gonna be okay?" she asked.

I sighed softly, leaning back against the couch. "I guess so. We spent the day together today, which was really nice. But I'm going to be sad tomorrow when he's gotta go."

"Of course you are, honey. It's natural. You only just got him back," Bradley said understandingly. "We'll go out tonight and have lots of fun. And this tour is only a month long. I'll keep you super busy. You won't even have time to think about David."

I smiled. "You're a good friend, Brad. I'm giving you an hour. If you're not ready, I'm taking the cab without you."

Bradley was over mine and David's place in thirty-five minutes flat, dressed like she was going to the fucking Emmy's. I grinned and pulled her into a hug.

"You look fucking beautiful!" I exclaimed. "But we're going to the club. You look like you're trying to attract a sugar daddy."

"Maybe I am," Bradley teased me and then knelt down when baby Riot came to greet her. "Ohh, and there's my little girl. You're too cute, little Riot."

Ever the attention whore, Riot flopped on her side and purred as Bradley scratched under her chin. I smiled and went back to the bathroom to add another coat of lipstick. Snatching my clutch from the counter, I flicked the bathroom light off and stepped into my heels before I came back out to where Bradley was, now standing, waiting for me.

"I believe our cab just pulled up," Bradley said, holding her phone out. "Right on time, too. I'm impressed."

I rolled my eyes at her and linked arms. "Come on. Wouldn't wanna keep the Uber driver waiting too long."

David had put my name and Bradley's name on the guest list, so the snobby woman at the door checking names and IDs had much less to complain about than she looked like she wanted to. The drinks at the bar were a little too expensive for my taste, which kept me from blowing a shit load of money. I settled on just ordering an Appletini and waited for David and the boys to go on.

They were all completely shitfaced when they took the stage. Bradley and I left the bar in order to find a good place to dance, since the club was packed out the second the boys showed up. The beat dropped and everything went completely apeshit.

I loved my life, so much. And I had never been more proud of David. He was up on stage and when I caught glimpses of him, he was smiling so big I thought his face might crack in half. He was happy. I was happy. We were happy together. Nothing and nobody could take that away from us.