paper bag ( lip gallager )

chapter 14 : sleep to dream

Each exhalation escaped her lips like a visible puff of smoke, creating an ethereal mist around her in the frigid air. The symphony of car horns and the hustle of the South Side neighbourhood enveloped her, creating a backdrop of urban sounds as she embarked on her journey. 

Y/n stood still, her gaze lost in the distance as the car horns echoed through the brisk, windy air. Her attention snapped back to reality when she noticed Vinnie's car approaching slowly. Nervously biting her lip, she watched the vehicle's approach and halted her steps.

She approached the car with caution, leaning down slightly as Vinnie rolled down the windows for her. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice filled with a mix of regret and yearning.

"Fuck you, Vin," Y/n muttered softly, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she wrestled with her emotions. He was the one person she had truly loved, even though he didn't seem to care about her, and that inner turmoil weighed heavily on her. She wanted to feel it in her heart, not just in her head.

"My dad's in the ER again," Vinnie interjected abruptly, causing Y/n to fall silent. Suddenly, her assumptions about him being dead or unfaithful seemed trivial. "It was a drug overdose, but he's going to be okay."

Y/n opened the car door and slipped inside, feeling a rush of regret for her initial reaction. "Shit, sorry," she mumbled, settling into the seat beside him and closing the door.

Vinnie leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. He cupped her head from behind and rested his forehead against hers. "I listened to all those voicemails," he confessed, referring to the countless messages she had left him, full of fear and anger over not hearing from him. "I'm glad you're okay... And I'm not dead, or cheating on you with some rich, stuck-up blonde bitch."

A chuckle escaped Y/n's lips as she leaned down to kiss him, and Vinnie eagerly returned the affection, his hand gently running through her hair as she held onto his shoulders.

༶ 

Mandy, Y/n, and Ian strolled down the bustling street, a sense of relief palpable in the air. Mandy held onto Y/n's hand tightly, her head nestled on Y/n's shoulder as if seeking solace and assurance that her friend was alright, considering the recent events. 

Y/n had taken the time to fill them in on the details surrounding Vinnie – his explanation for his prolonged silence and the backstory of everything that had transpired. She had recounted it all, ensuring they understood the complexity of the situation.

"Well, at least you didn't almost get pink eye, on on top of passing out." Mandy joked pushing her shoulder a little bit while they continued to walk, the cold freezing over all three of them. "I was like, girl, you are not using my eyeliner if you have a pink eye to Addison McQuillan; and then she was like, well, then, you're not my friend anymore." 

She smiled a little bit turning and looking into Mandy's eyes. "Oh well, wow...that wouldn't be fun" 

"Not at all, Ian?" Mandy called noticing that the boy wasn't paying attention to her at all. "You're not listening, are you?" 

Ian had this kind of smile resting on his lips, one that said that he found someone that he liked. "No sorry," 

"What's wrong with you?" Mandy asked letting go of Y/n's arm with both of the girls stopping to look at him. "I mean, you totally aren't acting normal after the other day; when you got your gun back." 

"I slept with someone, who wasn't Kash." He confessed to both of the girls. 

Both Y/n and Mandy furrowed their eyebrows looking at him. Y/n smiled for her friend as she patted his shoulder almost in a congratulations counting that Kash was about a couple of decades older than Ian; unlike Y/n who was dating someone only two years older than she was.