THE RECORD SHOP ⋆ 𝗱𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗹

twenty four

JUNE 21, 1991. SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

IT'S LATE IN THE afternoon and the sun is quickly setting when Dave arrives home from tour. Evie is sitting at the dining table with a cup of tea while she works away on an artwork for Society 90. She stands when Dave comes through the door, moving to embrace him.

"Hey, you," she kisses him hello and pulls him in for a hug.

"Hi," Dave says shortly.

"How were the shows?" Evie asks, removing her arms from him and noting his closed off nature.

"Good," he plainly states before dropping his bags to move to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

This was not the warm reunion that Evie had in mind. She expected Dave to be over the moon to see her here, their first night together in Seattle since she had moved all her stuff in. Instead, he gives her the cold shoulder. She remains silent for a moment, not wanting to push him, but clearly there is something bothering him and she worries that it could be her. Maybe despite all his convincing, he just wanted to come home to an empty house and rest, not have to be with his girlfriend.

"What's bothering you?" She asks, deciding to be upfront.

"Nothing," he shakes his head.

"Dave."

"Evie."

"Something's wrong," she states again.

"God, nothing's wrong can you just drop it," he stresses unconvincingly.

She walks over to hug him and he hesitates before half heartedly hugging her back. With this lack of affection Evie's stomach drops and her mind immediately runs to the worst place, imagining all the girls Dave would have encountered in each city.

Evie steps back, tearing her arms from Dave as his arms drop to his side. His dark eyes stare her down, reading the perplexed look on her face.

"Okay, what is going on? You don't want to hug me, you haven't said anything about me moving in, you're not talking-,"

"Stop Evie."

"No. What is going on? You're worrying me," she tells him, crossing her arms and placing further distance between them.

"I'm tired alright, I just need some sleep. You know how I get when I'm tired," he stresses to her.

"You never don't want to be near me when you're tired. Is this about me moving in?" Evie says.

"Evie," he sighs.

"If it is, if you don't want me being here, if you've changed your mind I can go."

"It isn't that. Trust me I want you here more than anything else right now. Tour was just super stressful," Dave sighs.

"What's going on?" Evie asks softly and Dave sighs again, clearly feeling nervous to say whatever he's about to say. He's been biting his tongue the moment he walked in the door.

"You can talk to me Dave."

"I know," he says.

"It's just Kurt," he continues, "He just makes me feel like I'm replaceable you know? He and Krist are so close and they've had so many drummers in and out. I could just be another one," Dave rambles and Evie takes a breath of relief knowing that it isn't anything too bad, but also feels so strongly for Dave in this situation, knowing it's all just anxious thoughts. There is no way they'd replace him, before Dave came along they were good, but really it is his skill and precision that made them great.

"I was just so on edge. Kurt made a side comment about getting another drummer if they wanted to at the start of tour and it replayed in my head the whole time. I gave up a lot to come out here and play for them you know? I don't want it to have been for nothing," he says.

"Dave, you are not going to be replaced. Kurt is moody and irrational you know that, but he loves having you in the band. He's said it 100 times that Nirvana would be half the band without you as the backbone," Evie reassures him.

"I know, but it's Kurt. He could have me out in a second," Dave says.

"He could, but he won't. They'll be lucky to find anyone else as good as you and Kurt knows that. He'd be an idiot to replace you," she says.

"Trust me, Kurt is probably just stressed about playing well and is putting that stress on other people. You have nothing to worry about," she continues.

"I know. He just got in my head," Dave sighs.

"He's good at that," Evie notes.

Dave takes a deep breath and opens his arms.

"Can you come here now and give me a hug?" He says and Evie does so without a word.

"I missed you so much and I'm so excited you're here. Sorry I didn't show it," he murmurs to her.

"It's okay. Do you feel better?" She asks.

"Yeah, heaps better," he tells her.

"Talk to me when you're stressed Dave, I'm always going to listen," Evie says.

"I know it's just different with Kurt because I know you two are close," Dave says.

"Hey, no matter how close Kurt and I are, you come first. It's always you Dave," she tells him.

"Okay," he says.

They spend the rest of the night catching up, Dave telling stories from the road and Evie talking about what she's been up to while he's been away. She shows him some art she's done and some photos she's taken. Everything is back as it should be, the two of them happy to be with each other.

In the following days and weeks Dave helps Evie to fully settle in, allowing her to finally feel 100 percent okay with her being in Seattle. She counts every day she spends with Dave as a blessing. She thought that on days she goes to Olympia to work she would dread the drive back home to Seattle, but it has turned out to be the opposite. The drive home to Seattle is exciting because it means she's going back home to the person she loves. She's going back home to Dave.