BETTER LOVE → hozier

→EIGHTEEN (real life)

"Oh no, I can't believe you did that!" Eileen exclaimed with a huge laugh. She was walking arm in arm with Anna down a little street. In front of them walked Andrew and James, lost in a conversation. They had arrived in New Orleans with the tourbus late yesterday, and it was the first time Eileen had ever been here. So she needed a moment to take it all in. What a gorgeous city. The last couple of days had been chaotic, but she was feeling way better now. She got to see the world, even media hate was worth that. Anna tucked slightly on the arm of her jacket, causing Eileen to turn her gaze at the readhead. "Wha-Oh" she nodded before letting go of Anna's arm. In a few quick steps she found herself next to Andrew, taking his hand, just as they turned around the corner and entered a huge mainstreet.

"Right on time, miss Holmes" Andrew mumbled, sending her a light smile. "As always, mr. Byrne".

This had become a little dance they danced. When nobody else was around they were back to being themselves. Then they were just Eileen and Andrew, two people who didn't particularly like each other. But then, when there were other people around, they suddenly turned into two people who were in love. But what had taken Eileen by surprise, was the fact that pretending to be fond of Andrew, wasn't as hard as she thought it was gonna be. And she was in fact, not sure how much of it was acting anymore. But then again, it was hard to tell the dancers from the dance.

"I want a small intimate wedding" Eileen stated out of nowhere. It had become a little game of theirs. When they were in public they would talk about absurd future plans, so they always seemed like they were enjoying each other's company. They had already named all three of their dogs, and decided how their house was gonna look. "Yes, I definitely agree" Andrew nodded, intertwining his fingers with hers. "And what about children? Do you want them?" he asked, not looking away from the woman at his side. A small part of him couldn't help but feel lucky due to the fact that he got to walk down the pavement with her hand in his. Where this feeling came from, he didn't know, but he wouldn't mind if it went away. It was as stupid as this whole thing was. "Mhm, yes. When the time is right" she nodded, smiling brightly to him, as they passed by a few fans waving. "Me too. What should we name them?" a light chuckle left Andrews lips, and it only grew when he heard her answer. "Well, Jackie and Wilson, dummy! What else?" Eileen also broke into laughter, leaving them speechless for a few minutes. "That really is your favourite song, isn't it?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "Yeah" Eileen shrugged. "But don't flatter yourself, it's the only one i like".

☆

Later that night, Eileen walked in backstage, just a few minutes before the show started. The band had left a few hours ago to rehearse, and not wanting to leave just yet, Eileen had been wandering around the city ever since, just taking it all in.
She could hear the familiar sound of the audience buzzing, and just a moment later the crowd burst into screams, stating that the band had made their entrance. Quietly she snuck in, looking for her chair. Which turned out to be harder than expected. Confused, she turned to the nearest crewmember, who informed her that it, by request of Andrew, had been moved to the wings. As the first number ended, she had made her way to the wings, to find her chair sitting with perfect view over the stage. With a smirk she sat down, and after letting her gaze wander on the stage for a few seconds, she pulled out a half finished scarf from her bag, and started to knit. The scarf was for Andrew. They had bought the yarn together before they left Europe, and he had been so excited for it. The memory left a little smile to linger on her lips. When the next number ended, she joined the audience in clapping, and looked up to find a pair of eyes on her. Andrew sent her a grinning smile, before the familiar tunes of Jackie and Wilson started playing. Eileen sent him back a smirk and a wink, which made his heart fluster, and gave him strength to carry on with the concert.

From that day on, Eileen always sat in the wings.

☆