Eddie's POV:
My stomach is in knots as I tune my guitar backstage at The Hideout. My knee bounces slightly as I try to take deep, even breaths to help with my nerves. I peek out into the bar area and I see a number of people already filing inside; one of which is Arabella, my ex flame and the girl Ripley caught me kissing out in the alleyway. She catches my eye and waves eagerly in my direction and I fall back, rolling my eyes in exasperation. I had told her the last time I had seen her that I'm in a relationship, but she doesn't seem to care. I'm just glad Steve decided to come tonight so he can help keep tabs on the situation while we play and until I can get to Ripley myself.
Gareth and Jeff shoot me concerned looks as they move about, setting up equipment and getting ready themselves, but they don't say anything. I'm thankful for their silence as my mind reels, worried about tonight.
Before I know it, it's time to go on stage and we move into place. The familiar jittery feeling that comes with performing is there and I close my eyes for a moment, breathing in and forcing my joints to relax with each inhale and exhale. Once I reopen my eyes, I turn back to the band and nod before we signal for our introduction. The bar owner nods before climbing up onto the stage and addressing the crowd with a smile. I barely hear him as I look out and my eyes finally land on Ripley. She's in the crowd close to the bar and Steve has thankfully found her and is talking happily down at her. I still feel a slight pang of jealousy at the sight of them so close and happy together, but it is nowhere near as bad as it once was. The crowd cheers loudly, pulling me from my thoughts and Gareth jostles me forward. I grip my guitar in my hand tightly as we climb the steps and I grin out at the crowd. I survey the room, trying to keep from staring at Ripley the entire night, but I'm finding it hard. She looks absolutely stunning as always and I've missed her. We have a show to put on, though, so I put on my best face and say a few witty lines before diving into our set.
We play a few covers and mix in a few originals to keep the crowd on their toes. The room comes alive underneath us and I smile as I see people bob their heads and hold their drinks over their heads as they lose themselves to the music. Sweat trickles down my forehead and back as I play the guitar, my arms working as I move my hands over the strings. My eyes continue to dart to Ripley and I watch as she sways to the beat, her hips hypnotizing me as I play. I smile and breath heavily as we finish our current song, the crowd cheering and clapping throughout the bar. I turn to the boys and they nod reassuringly towards me as I move back up to the mic, running a hand nervously through my hair.
"This next song," I say, my voice still labored. "Is for a very special girl."
My eyes meet Ripley's and I gaze at her with a small smile. Her hands fall to her sides and she looks up at me with a serious expression. I can see the glisten in her blue eyes even from here and I hope that it's just from the lights and I'm not making her cry.
"This girl has been by my side for as long as I can remember and sometimes I take that for granted. Sometimes I don't tell her enough how much she means to me or how I really feel. So I wrote a song about it in the hopes that maybe it will help. I know we usually rock out, but this one is a slow one so you may want to grab a partner if you have one, folks."
I blow Ripley a kiss, not caring if I look cheesy and her hand comes up to her chest to cover her heart. My fingers move back to my guitar and I start to strum the rhythm I wrote over the last few days, the song coming to life around me. I lean forward, my lips mere inches from the mic and I let the words fall from my mouth.
When we were just two kids
Barely old enough to kiss
All I could dream of were your lips
And of all the things I didn't want to miss
Now we're in love and I
Will always keep you for my own
Your sapphire eyes
See the things I've never shown
Even though we've always been opposites
They say we're bound to attract
Baby when I'm with you I just don't know
How I'm suppose to react
Because Believe it or not
I'll love you forever
Even when we are old
There won't be a time that we won't be together
Because you and I
We just make sense
Believe it or not
The song continues on and the crowd sways to the lyrics. My eyes stay glued to Ripley as I sing and I realize she is in fact, crying, her hand coming up to wipe at her face. My heart swells at the sight of my beautiful girl in the swarm of people, her hair glistening in the light and her face shining.
We finish the song and the crowd applause. We saved that song for last so I would not have to wait to leave the stage to be with Ripley. We take a quick bow and then leave. Gareth and Jeff assure me that they have clean up covered as I wipe my sweaty palms down my jean clad thighs and head out into the bar.
Once I make it out there, I make my way to where I last saw Ripley. Quite a few patrons, stop me along the way to tell me how much they liked the show tonight and I thank them with a smile. I can see Ripley, my sights locked on her golden locks. Her back is turned as she talks to Steve and I admire her as I approach. Before I can reach her, Arabella steps in my path with her hands on her hips. Her green eyes stare up at me harshly and her lips are set in a harsh line.
"What the hell was that, Munson?" She questions, her voice sharp and shrill.
"What was what?" I ask in return, my eyebrows knitting together.
"That song dedication," she huffs, her arms coming up to cross over her chest. "You made it sound like you have been with this girl for a long time, but you were making out with me a couple of weeks ago. I didn't think you were serious about relationships."
"I'm serious about this one," I assure her, my voice colder than I intended and she seems momentarily taken aback.
"Oh?" She says, her voice serious. "And why is that?"
"She's the one," I say plainly and Arabella blanches. She shakes her head in frustration and looks off in the distance for a moment before she steps a little closer, leaning in.
"You're not built for normal relationships, Eddie," she says, her words cutting through me like a knife. "You'll get bored with this girl and you'll come crawling back to me eventually. I just don't know if I'll be around to care."
She turns her nose up slightly and I really look at her. I don't know what I ever saw in her. Her knotted brown hair is clumped between her shoulders and her makeup is smudged, her red lipstick staining her teeth. Her exterior is nothing in comparison to what lies underneath; a cold and insecure person who takes things out on others. I can finally see it now and I shake my head, almost pitying her.
"I won't be coming back," I promise her, patting her on the shoulder once. "Have a nice life, Arabella."
I start to walk away and I hear her scoff behind me, but I don't turn. My eyes have refocused on Ripley, who has turned to watch my interaction with an interested expression. Steve smiles beside her and I smile in return, eager to be with them.
"I'm too good for your trailer park ass anyway!" I hear Arabella yell behind me and I don't pay her any mind. Ripley tenses though and I see Steve's hand come down on her shoulder. "Enjoy my sloppy seconds, bitch!"
Arabella cackles and a lot of the people around us have grown quiet. I keep walking, my fists clenching and unclenching at my sides. She wants a reaction and I refuse to give one to her. Ripley's mouth pops open though and I can see flames in her eyes, her cheeks flushed in anger. I shake my head at her. Our eyes meet and I watch her shoulders move up and down a few times as she takes a few deep breaths to collect herself.
I've finally pushed my way toward her and I bring my hands up, cradling her face in my palms and tilting it back. I look deeply into her eyes, not caring that we are in a crowded bar. Not caring that Steve is standing right here. Just lost in the moment with her.
"I've missed you," I whisper, leaning down so my lips are inches from hers. "And I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too," she breathes and I smile, my lips just tickling hers. I feel her tremble against me slightly and I resist the urge to crush her body into mine, wanting to savor this moment. A small part of my mind notes Steve walking off in the direction of the bar and I smile softly again.
"You know, I hate arguing with you," I murmur softly and she nods. "But I'm kind of eager to test a theory I've heard."
I bring my lips down and kiss her once, just a whisper of her skin on mine before I pull away. She's nearly breathless below me and I marvel at how wonderful she looks. Her eyes are almost completely dilated, the blues disappearing from view.
"And what's that?" she sighs. Her tiny hands come up to fist into the front of my shirt and I move a little closer, feeling the heat of her body so close to mine. I trail my lips along her cheeks down to her jaw. I kiss a searing path back to one of her ears and stop at the lobe, tilting my head so I can capture it in my mouth. I roll the sensitive skin between my lips before capturing it in my teeth and giving it a gentle tug. Ripley lets out a breathy moan and I shush her, not wanting anyone else to hear how wonderful she sounds. I place one of my hands on the small of her back and pull her more flush against me, my whole body charged by the feel of her.
"That make up sex, is the best kind of sex," I whisper into her ear and she squeezes closer to me, her grip on my shirt tightening momentarily. When our eyes next meet, her gaze is wild and filled with desire and for a moment I toy with the idea of fucking her where we stand. I break eye contact first and shake myself, thinking better of it. I start to push her towards the back of the bar. I practically barrel through bodies as I lead her through, wanting to get her home as fast as humanly possible. Really just wanting to at least get her to the confines of my van as quickly as possible.
I breathe deeply in and out of my nose and try to focus on mundane things so I don't pitch a tent in the middle of this crowded area, but every time I glance over my shoulder at Ripley I find the task more and more difficult. She licks her lips as she watches me usher her forward and her eyes continue to burn a hole to my soul. My hands are sweaty and shaky and I grip hers in mine to keep me steady.
When we get to the backstage area, the band is just finishing cleaning up and Gareth and Jeff turn towards us with smiles.
"Ripley!" they call excitedly and she offers them a polite smile in return "Glad to see the two of you have patched things up!"
"There's one last thing I'd like to patch up," I mumble under my breath and Ripley gently elbows me in the chest, her cheeks growing pink. Jeff and Gareth obviously didn't hear me because they move on.
"Do you guys maybe want to go with us to get a bite to eat?" Gareth asks. "We were going to go to The Diner for a late dinner."
"Oh no," Ripley says, waving them off. "I've already eaten so I'm not hungry and I have something for Eddie to eat so we are good."
I choke on my spit and my eyes water. I bend at the waist slightly and cough loudly, trying to catch my breath. I look down at Ripley and she's got a small smirk on her face as the guys say their goodbyes and let us move along. She grips my arm and starts pulling me to the back door and I laugh at her eagerness as well as my own.
When we get outside it's raining pretty heavily. Neither one of us had noticed with all the noise that was going on from inside the bar. I grab Ripley's hand tightly and we count to three before making a run for the van, laughing loudly the entire way. By the time we get there, we are both soaked and panting. We grin at each other as I open the back of the van and we pile in. I slam the doors shut behind us and I turn to look at her. I hadn't really noticed her outfit before, too focused on her face. But as my eyes roam her soaking body I'm surprised to see she is wearing a white polo with monarch butterflies all over it. It's tied in a knot over her belly button piercing and she's got on a tight black miniskirt, made more tight by the rain. It's another outfit that is a mixture of us and my heart swells looking at her. She grabs a spare Hellfire shirt from the floor and uses it to dry out her hair, wringing out the ends and she glances over at me. I reach down and lift my sopping wet shirt over my head, my eyes never leaving hers.
"What?" she asks, her eyebrows raised.
"Just hungry, that's all," I say with a smirk and she laughs, her whole face lighting up. "And I'm ready for the meal I was promised."
"Then come and get it."
Inspo for Ripley's Outfit: