"Honey, you look really nice." Eliza's mom complimented her as she descended the stairs.
"Thanks, I really tried." She said, smoothing out the ends of her skirt in hopes that wrinkles didn't begin to form.
"Jitterbug, don't you think you're stressing yourself out too much? It's just Virginia."
"I know." She sighed. "I just don't want to make a bad impression." Today, Virginia had invited her over to the Grohl household for dinner. She'd been over there for dinner many times, so it wasn't the act of sharing a meal with them that was scaring her. It was the reason that she'd been inviting her over that was causing so much grief. Virginia had decided to celebrate the recently formed couple, Dave and Eliza.
They had been dating for two weeks, and it's safe to say that it was the best two weeks of Eliza's life. Dave had been inviting her to all of the shows he'd been playing with Scream, which happened about four times a week. She'd become closer with all of the other guys in the band, all who referred to her as an honorary member of the band. She helped them set up and take down the stage, and had even started help with their recording sessions for their new album.
Even though they'd only spent a few weeks together as a couple, it had felt like forever. Today was the first day that Virginia had free, so she'd chosen it to celebrate. Eliza had known Virginia pretty closely for the better part of a decade, so her impressions of Eliza were pretty well cemented. However, she couldn't get over the fact that this would be the first time she'd be introduced as her son's girlfriend.
So, Eliza did everything in her power to ensure that everything went well in her favor. She had picked out her favorite blue skirt and white t-shirt and put her hair into a braid, tied off with a blue ribbon to match her skirt.
"Here, jitterbug. Good luck." Catherine handed her a platter of brownies that she'd made for Eliza to bring over.
"Thanks mom." Eliza said as she walked out the front door to make the trek to Dave's house, which only consisted of her walking across her front yard into his driveway. She followed the path up to his front door and rang the doorbell.
It was answered almost immediately by Virginia, who wore her warm smile spread across her face. "Sweetheart, you don't have to ring the bell! You're like family."
"Awe, thanks Mrs. Grohl." Eliza replied while stepping into their home.
Dave came from around the corner and embraced her in a warm hug. "Hey Eliza!" He said before giving her a kiss on her forehead.
"Hi Dave." She said, trying to hide her warming cheeks from Virginia.
"Come, dinner is ready." Virginia said, ushering them both to the dinner table.
"Where would you like me to put this?" Eliza asked, motioning to the platter covered in tin foil in her hand.
"Oh my, you didn't have to bring anything!" Virginia responded.
"I got it." Dave said, taking it from her hands and putting it on their counter.
He then returned and pulled out a seat for Eliza to sit in, and pushed it back towards the table once she sat down. Virginia then began passing out the dinner and poured Eliza and Dave a glass of grape juice.
Once she sat down, she raised her glass. "To Eliza and Dave!"
"To us." Dave said quietly, winking at Eliza. They clinked glasses with each other and then dug into their delicious looking meals.
Once they were finished, Eliza got up and began trying to help Virginia clean up the kitchen.
"My dear, you do not have to help. Dave said you guys had plans for after dinner?"
She looked towards Dave, who was trying to mask a smile. "Oh, well I was not aware of these plans?"
"That's the whole point of a surprise." He said, winking and grabbing his car keys off of the table. "Wanna join me?"
"Of course." She said, going around the corner and grabbing her shoes from the front door and meeting him by their garage.
"You kids have fun!" Virginia hollered as Dave shut the door.
He came around and opened the passenger side door for Eliza. He then got into his side, slid the keys into the ignition and sped out of this driveway.
"Where are we going?"
"Like I said, it's a surprise." He said, laughing.
She looked over at him without saying a word. She hadn't said it yet, but she loved him. She loved the sweet sound of his laughter, the way that he never let her open a door for herself, the way that he always made a point to find her in the crowd or in the wings of the stage during every show he played. He would always shoot her his killer grin in the middle of his set, making her feel so special among the crowd.
She wanted to tell him all of this, yet she felt a mental block when she tried. It almost seemed too good to be true. This was Dave she was talking about. The boy she'd dreamt about since she moved in next door to him, ten years ago. On the outside, they were polar opposites. He was a true punk rocker, wearing his leather jacket and boots everywhere he went. She loved her skirts and her hair bows and her white sneakers. But, on the inside, they just clicked. She was just worried that their differences would ultimately drive them apart. There's no way that he wouldn't meet some pretty girls who were also wearing combat boots and leather jackets at his shows, and then what? She became so worried about their differences that she began to see their relationship as almost temporary. There's no way a guy like him would want to stay with a girl like her long term. So, all she could do was look over longingly at him, and feel at a loss for words when her heart was screaming that she loved that boy.
They sat in the car, hands intertwined, until Dave pulled into the parking lot of an unlit building.
"Dave, where are we?" Eliza asked as he came around the car to open the door for her.
"Just you wait." He said. He took her hand and led her towards the back door to the building. He reached for the handle, turned it, and realized it was locked.
"Good thing Pete gave me the key." Dave said, shoving his hand into his pocket and fishing around until he found a brass key ring.
He put the key into the lock, and twisted the now unlocked door handle. He reached his hand in and flicked on a few lights, revealing the contents of the building. They were standing at the entrance of a hallway with several rooms jetting off of it. She could see all the way to what looked like the front of the building, which had the words "Springfield Recording Studios" written on the front window.
"Dave, what are we doing at a studio?"
"I don't know, just here to shoot some hoops?"
She laughed and followed him into one of the rooms off of the hallway. He twisted the door handle and then turned back around to face Eliza.
"I'm gonna cover your eyes, ok?"
She nodded and smiled.
He covered her eyes with the palms of his hands, then reached his face down to meet her forehead and gave her a kiss. "This way sweetheart." He led her into the room and sat her down at a bench in the center. "I'm gonna take my hands away, but you have to promise not to look."
She shook her head again in agreement. He then sat down at a chair facing her. After a few moments, he told her to open her eyes.
She was met by Dave, smiling ear to ear, clutching a red guitar to his chest. They were in a recording room, so there were instruments all over the place and a soundboard shoved against the wall. The room was illuminated by candlelight and there were rose petals scattered everywhere.
"Dave! What is all this?"
He sat there, still smiling, proud of his accomplishment. "After the first night we spent together, I was just so wired. I couldn't sleep. So, I did what I always do when I can't sleep. I wrote." He shot one more grin at her before placing his hands on the guitar and began to strum.
Eliza sat there for the next two minutes, soaking in all of the love that was radiating off of him in that moment. He played his guitar with intent, meaning every word that he said.
But it's you, I fell into. He sang, looking up at her and smiling. She could tell that he was nervous, so she scooted herself next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. She sat there until he finished playing.
"Dave, that was really good! You wrote that all by yourself?"
"You like it?"
"Of course I do!" She exclaimed. "You gotta record that. That's a hit."
"No, sweetheart." He said, grabbing her chin to pull her in closer to his face. "This is our song. Just for you and me." He poked his finger in her chest towards her heart, then did the same to himself.
They sat there for a moment, just taking in the sight of each other's eyes. He picked her up by the waist and sat her back down on top of his lap.
"I have something to tell you, Eliza." He said, grabbing her hands and twisting his fingers into hers.
"What?" She said, all too eagerly.
"I love you." He said. As soon as the words left his mouth, she could feel his heartbeat quicken in his chest. He was nervous, and Eliza couldn't blame him.
"I love you, too"
He grabbed the back of her head, lacing his fingers into her hair, and pulled her into a long, deep kiss.