Categories > Celebrities > Panic! At The Disco > Just For the Attention
A/N- I wish I could explain what took so long. When I realised I had writer's block, I asked Rogue to help me, and then I had no time to work on it from then on. Apparently the characters took over her mind though, and a couple of annoyingly long shifts at work later, they worked with me too. Otherwise, I've been going crazy being stressed out by school and work and my fraternity (it's coed...). So yea...here is is. Phoenix part two:
*
As soon as Sarah had managed to calm down, Nikol had slipped off, leaving the two sisters to finish the tour together. She was in desperate need of a drink and a moment to think. She found the kitchen still occupied be Heather, who was continuing in her reminiscence quietly at the table. Nikol helped herself to a glass of water, and then sat in the seat next to her faux-mother.
“I love what you've done with the place. It's gorgeous!”
Heather paused in her page turning and looked up at Nikol, “Yes, well there's no stopping Jason when he comes up with a project, is there?”
“Evidently not,” Nikol responded, while surveying the room with more careful detail while her thoughts wandered.
“So those are some pretty incredible men you two found,” Heather said, picking up on Nik's train of thought.
“Hmm,” she muttered, not wanting to voice her fears.
Heather sighed and shook her head slightly, “But you're not convinced, are you? What's going on Nik?”
The girl paused, took a deep breath and then dove in, “It's just...everything with Ryan. At first I thought everything was going too slow, and now I'm worries it's going too fast. I'm afraid I'm not good enough for him, that he'll bore of me, and that the most perfect thing I ever felt will be shattered.”
Heather laughed softly, “Right. Cause you're the epitome of boring,” she said, dripping with sarcasm. She pushed the photo album towards her, flipped open to a page full of pictures of the girls in various costume for midnight movie releases. Nikol laughed softly as she looked through them and Heather continued her pep talk.
“Besides that, honey there's no set speed for relationships. When you know, you know, and things progress naturally as you let them. So let them.”
Their talk was interrupted by the sound of laughter on the stairs. It was apparent the tour had concluded, and Danielle was now in shopping mode. Nikol stood and placed her her glass on the sink as Ryan found her side. Before Danielle pushed them out the door, Nikol managed to wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him lightly.
“I love you,” she whispered softly in his ear when they pulled apart.
*
Danielle was beaming as they passed through the glass doors.
“Welcome to Scottsdale Fashion Square, gentlemen, the greatest mall in the greater Phoenix area!” she announced to the band. Jon and Spencer had been driven over by Sarah after they had been dropped off by a tour driver, eager to see the girls in their element.
Jon laughed, “It look like a regular mall to me,” he said mockingly.
Sarah smiled up at him, “She only likes it because of the elevators. They amuse her.”
Danielle slung her arm over her sister's shoulders, “Oh don't sell me short. I like the fountains too.”
Their first stop was at the food court, where their appearance caused a minor disturbance.
“Zack's not going to be happy when he sees those photos,” Spencer said as they settled into an out of the way table, heads ducked low.
“Well take the heat,” Nikol said, secretly enjoying watching her friends squirm.
Finally they were up and touring the mall's multiple level. On more than one occasion, the boys were drug into clothing stores while the sisters fawned over various pieces, and attempted to force Nikol into trying something on. It took awhile, but eventually they found a store that Nik voluntarily walked into. This is how they found themselves in Build-A-Bear amongst numerous children, acting like they were still in grade school. When they had entered the store, Ryan had dragged Brendon away claiming to have seen something he needed in a store they had passed. He was given a weird look by all five his companions, but he left all the same.
Brendon was more than a little confused as his best friend led him through the throngs of shoppers, but as he saw where Ryan's b-line would end, he was hit with a moment of clarity.
“Ryan, are you serious?” Brendon questioned as they walked under the arch declaring the store to be Tiffany and Co.
“As a heart attack,” Ryan replied as he walked casually up to a display case of engagement ring and started to browse within seconds they were greeted by an eager saleswoman. Brendon silently hoped that she was excited for the sale, and not due to recognition, if this new got out before Ryan intended it to, it wouldn't bode will for the couple, they were barely public as it was.
He watched closely as his friend analyzed each ring carefully and tried to phrase his next question carefully.
“Are you sure about this Ry? I mean, isn't it a little...fast?
Ryan looked up, a wide smile on his face, “You would think so, but time doesn't matter when you know.”
“And what exactly do you know?” Brendon pressed further.
“That she's The One. I'm positive that there's no one else out there that's a better match for me. We have similar interests, but she's still unique. She's fun and lively, and incredibly intelligent. And on top of everything else, she get me. I've never been in a better relationship, and I doubt I'll find anyone better than her, so I'm done trying,” and with that said, he redirected his focus at the diamonds sparkling subtly inside their case.
“And you're sure of this?” Brendon asked on last time, following the songwriter to the next case.
“Brendon, the last time I was this sure of anything, I said we should send our demo to Pete, and we see how that one worked out. Now, will you stop trying to talk me out of it and help me find a ring?”
Brendon laughed, “Not just any ring. The ring, right? I mean if she's perfect, the ring better be too right?”
Ryan stood and grasped his friend in a hug, incredibly grateful for his support. This was a new world to him, and he was going to need all the support he could get, “Exactly. Thanks B.”
They set about looking, trying to ignore the sales woman's hovering. It took several cases, but finally Ryan saw it. Brendon looked over from a different case at the sound of his friend's gasp. As soon as he saw the ring, he knew their work there was done.
The ring was a simple princess cut diamond, that couldn't have been more than two carats. It was set on what appeared to be a simple platinum band, but upon closer inspection a design of Celtic knots could be seen etched into the band. In a word, it was perfect. He quickly got the woman to open the case and size the ring, find that luck was on his side and the ring was the right side. He had it boxed up while they picked out a couple pieces for their alibi, and paid before hurrying quickly out of the store, hoping the girls were still tied up with making their bears.
*
Turned out luck was really on their side that day. The girl's were acting so off the wall, which apparently slowed them down. Plus, making five bears (or in Nik's case, a penguin) was a lengthy process.
They spotted the girls at the naming station, and walked up behind them.
“Brenny Bear? Really Dani?” Brendon said as he caught glimpse of the screen.
Dani jumped in her chair, shocked to hear his voice, and Nikol started to laugh maniacally.
Danielle turned in her chair and smiled, “Hell yes! He's even got his little tux and top hate, though I don't know what the fuck this rabbit is. It's all: Brendon Urie circa 2004!”
Even Brendon couldn't help but laugh at her description, “You are truly bizarre, but I love you all the same,” he said, and bent to kiss her.
Nikol meanwhile showed off her creation, “It's penguin, and it doesn't have a stalkerish name,” she explained, holding up Icicle for inspection.
Ryan smiled, “It's perfect,” he declared, and also claimed a kiss, though it was less...enthusiastic than the other couple's.
As she pulled back, Nikol looked rather inquisitive, “Where did you guys go anyway?” she asked.
“You'll find out later,” he explained, “If we're here any longer we'll be late for dinner. Hey morons!” he yelled at his other friends who were goading and teasing Sarah, who didn't seem to mind in the least bit, “Hurry up and pay, we've got a dinner to attend to!”
Jon laughed, “We've already paid, genius, it's your girls who are lagging.”
Ryan look back at Nikol who blushed, “It was Dani really, she was being overly picky.”
Danielle did not look asked as she walked towards the register, “What can I say? I love shopping, even for tiny plush toys.”
*
“Where the hell are you taking us?” Ryan asked from the backseat. They were currently driving down an expanse of desert decorated road and the only car in sight was Sarah's Corolla, training behind them slightly.
Brendon turned in his seat to face his friend, feigning terror, “Ry, I knew bringing fans on this tour was a bad idea, they're out to kill us!”
Ryan scowled and struggled to speak over the girls' laughter, “Cut it out asshole. It was your idea in the first place.”
“Aww,” the girl's chorused together, and then Nikol took Ryan's hand in hers.
“Don't worry love, we're almost there. In fact you should probably put on those ties, so we don't have to wait when we do get there.”
Ryan shrugged and reached for the plastic bag on the floor containing two neckties the girls had pulled out of their wardrobe that morning, explaining the it was a nice restaurant so they needed to dress the part. Ryan was a little unconvinced since the girls looked a little causal, but he handed Brendon his floral decorated gold tie, and donned his own less loud gold one without comment. Finally, just as he finished his knot they pulled up to what looked like an old country store.
“And how is this formal?” Brendon asked as they walked up to the side entrance, Sarah trailed about a minute.
“Oh hush, you'll understand soon enough,” Danielle said, looping her arm through his.
They had finally reached the hostess station, where three girls were standing around talking, dressed in classic, albeit a bit stereotypic, country clothes. The restaurant was a collection of outdoor picnic tabled and a raised stage with and an open dance floor. There was also a door propped open to an indoor seating area, but the mass amount of people at one of the wooden tables gave off the feeling that they were going to be sitting outside.
“Ah. There y'all are,” one of the girls greeted.
“Yep. Sorry, we got distracted at the mall,” Danielle said to explain their tardiness.
The girl led them towards the table, menus in hand, “Your ma said you might,” she smiled, and handed over the menus, before walking away to greet Sarah, Jon and Spencer.
It took no time at all for Dani's dad to try and start digging into the boys, which caused both of them to look like they had been caught doing something illegal. Their expressions made their bandmates laugh as they approached the table.
“Lord, dad, back off. It's not their fault we were late, I got distracted by plush toys.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Jason said as he hugged his daughters.
“Oh hush. Dad I want you to meet some really incredible guys. This is Brendon, Ryan, Jon and Spencer.”
Jason stood and shook each of their hands, not need to ask who was with who. Their affections were rather clear in their actions.
They finally took their seats, and casual chatter spread across the table as Danielle continued to introduce the rest of her extended family, which apparently had been invited to either gawk or intimidate.
Danielle had just been about to comment on the radical changed that had been made to the restaurant when their waitress appeared out of the building.
“Good even' everybody. Glad to see the whole crew is here finally,” she took visual survey of the group and them produced a pair of scissors from her apron, “Uh oh. It appears we've got a coupla rebels here.”
She walked over to Ryan pulled on his tie, grabbing it firmly before cutting it off right under the knot. She walked towards Brendon, and managed to do the same to his tie after Danielle restrained his arms from protesting.
“What the hell, Dani?” he said as he stared at the remnant of his tie hanging from his neck.
“I'll explain in a minute,” Dani said, trying to calm him, “Just give her your order.”
When the waitress had left, Dani and Nikol pulled their friends up from the tabled, and walked them inside.
“Welcome to Pinnacle Peak Patio,” Dani said.
Nik finished her statement, “Our favourite restaurant in the world.”
The boys gasped at the ceiling in wonder. Stapled to almost every inch of the wooden roof were the remain of neck ties and countless business cards. They walked further around the inside of the restaurant, studying all the western themed items displayed in numerous glass cases.
“So I wish I could say sorry, but to be really honest, those ties were hideous and had to die. Think of it as an initiation of sorts.”
They let the guys wander for awhile, occasionally pointing out things like the photos of celebrities that had eaten there, a wall were likely to end up on by the end of the night. Dani also walked them back to the room where her parents had been married. When they eventually made it back to the table, a band had taken the stage, and their food had arrived. They sat down to eat, and were given the regular drill and grill by Jason as they worked through their plates.
When there was finally a paused in conversation, both Dani and Nik chorused a question at the same time.
“So where did you guys go today?” they asked in unison.
The table went silent until Spencer spoke up, “Okay, that was scary.”
The rest of the table laughed while Ryan produced a plastic bag from the inside of his jacket.
Jon gave a mock gasp, “The drugs were supposed to be for after the show!”
Dani rolled her eyes as Ryan passed a small black box across the table to Brendon, “Please don't say that, my parents will try to keep me hostage here, even though you're joking,” she emphasized the last word for her parent's benefit.
“Okay, so the thing is, we knew you would be upset when we left tonight,” Ryan said, starting in on their alibi and trying to ignore the fact that they had the entire table's attention.
“So,” Brendon continued, “We got you something to remember the trip by,” and with that said, the both handed over the slim boxes to the confused women.
The two friends slowly pulled open the boxes, to reveal to rather gorgeous necklaces lying on the velvet interior. Danielle's was a silver treble cleft with a ruby stone embedded in the bottom of the embellishment, and Nikol's was an ornate Celtic knot accented with a small diamond in the centre. The table chorused in appreciation as the girls showed them off, and then had their boyfriends help put them on.
The rest of the dinner was rather uneventful. When the plates were cleared, they still had around an hour to kill before needing to leave for the venue for sound check, so they took a couple turns on the dance floor. There was a lot of shuffling of partners, and eve one memorable dance the the guys danced with Dani's five year old cousin.
A couple restaurant patrons shyly asked for picture and at a request, they graced the stage with an impromptu performance of a country song Brendon had written over the course of the tour. Finally they couldn't delay any longer, and took of for the venue, racing time unwillingly.
They had barely made it back in time to be rushed to the meet and greet by Zack, who was less than impressed with their close call. The girls spent most of the meet and greet being accosted by old friends, and confirming their rumoured relationship status.
They took the stage that night, completely confident of themselves, and gave what they considered to be the best performance of the tour.
At the end of the night they loaded the buses rather reluctantly, and watched as their home disappeared behind them.
*
A/n- A couple things. The restaurant is absolutely real. My parents were really married there, it's the greatest place to go (and having a tie cut off is amazingly fun). I actually went there on mother's day, and it gave me my second wind on this story, and I believe it was that night that I cranked out the chapter “When the Day Met the Night”. Now...I must sleep...I have work earlyish tomorrow.
Please join the JUST FOR THE ATTENTION YAHOO GROUP and add NIKOL CORBETT and DANIELLE BRYANT on FACEBOOK!
*
As soon as Sarah had managed to calm down, Nikol had slipped off, leaving the two sisters to finish the tour together. She was in desperate need of a drink and a moment to think. She found the kitchen still occupied be Heather, who was continuing in her reminiscence quietly at the table. Nikol helped herself to a glass of water, and then sat in the seat next to her faux-mother.
“I love what you've done with the place. It's gorgeous!”
Heather paused in her page turning and looked up at Nikol, “Yes, well there's no stopping Jason when he comes up with a project, is there?”
“Evidently not,” Nikol responded, while surveying the room with more careful detail while her thoughts wandered.
“So those are some pretty incredible men you two found,” Heather said, picking up on Nik's train of thought.
“Hmm,” she muttered, not wanting to voice her fears.
Heather sighed and shook her head slightly, “But you're not convinced, are you? What's going on Nik?”
The girl paused, took a deep breath and then dove in, “It's just...everything with Ryan. At first I thought everything was going too slow, and now I'm worries it's going too fast. I'm afraid I'm not good enough for him, that he'll bore of me, and that the most perfect thing I ever felt will be shattered.”
Heather laughed softly, “Right. Cause you're the epitome of boring,” she said, dripping with sarcasm. She pushed the photo album towards her, flipped open to a page full of pictures of the girls in various costume for midnight movie releases. Nikol laughed softly as she looked through them and Heather continued her pep talk.
“Besides that, honey there's no set speed for relationships. When you know, you know, and things progress naturally as you let them. So let them.”
Their talk was interrupted by the sound of laughter on the stairs. It was apparent the tour had concluded, and Danielle was now in shopping mode. Nikol stood and placed her her glass on the sink as Ryan found her side. Before Danielle pushed them out the door, Nikol managed to wrap her arms around his neck, and kiss him lightly.
“I love you,” she whispered softly in his ear when they pulled apart.
*
Danielle was beaming as they passed through the glass doors.
“Welcome to Scottsdale Fashion Square, gentlemen, the greatest mall in the greater Phoenix area!” she announced to the band. Jon and Spencer had been driven over by Sarah after they had been dropped off by a tour driver, eager to see the girls in their element.
Jon laughed, “It look like a regular mall to me,” he said mockingly.
Sarah smiled up at him, “She only likes it because of the elevators. They amuse her.”
Danielle slung her arm over her sister's shoulders, “Oh don't sell me short. I like the fountains too.”
Their first stop was at the food court, where their appearance caused a minor disturbance.
“Zack's not going to be happy when he sees those photos,” Spencer said as they settled into an out of the way table, heads ducked low.
“Well take the heat,” Nikol said, secretly enjoying watching her friends squirm.
Finally they were up and touring the mall's multiple level. On more than one occasion, the boys were drug into clothing stores while the sisters fawned over various pieces, and attempted to force Nikol into trying something on. It took awhile, but eventually they found a store that Nik voluntarily walked into. This is how they found themselves in Build-A-Bear amongst numerous children, acting like they were still in grade school. When they had entered the store, Ryan had dragged Brendon away claiming to have seen something he needed in a store they had passed. He was given a weird look by all five his companions, but he left all the same.
Brendon was more than a little confused as his best friend led him through the throngs of shoppers, but as he saw where Ryan's b-line would end, he was hit with a moment of clarity.
“Ryan, are you serious?” Brendon questioned as they walked under the arch declaring the store to be Tiffany and Co.
“As a heart attack,” Ryan replied as he walked casually up to a display case of engagement ring and started to browse within seconds they were greeted by an eager saleswoman. Brendon silently hoped that she was excited for the sale, and not due to recognition, if this new got out before Ryan intended it to, it wouldn't bode will for the couple, they were barely public as it was.
He watched closely as his friend analyzed each ring carefully and tried to phrase his next question carefully.
“Are you sure about this Ry? I mean, isn't it a little...fast?
Ryan looked up, a wide smile on his face, “You would think so, but time doesn't matter when you know.”
“And what exactly do you know?” Brendon pressed further.
“That she's The One. I'm positive that there's no one else out there that's a better match for me. We have similar interests, but she's still unique. She's fun and lively, and incredibly intelligent. And on top of everything else, she get me. I've never been in a better relationship, and I doubt I'll find anyone better than her, so I'm done trying,” and with that said, he redirected his focus at the diamonds sparkling subtly inside their case.
“And you're sure of this?” Brendon asked on last time, following the songwriter to the next case.
“Brendon, the last time I was this sure of anything, I said we should send our demo to Pete, and we see how that one worked out. Now, will you stop trying to talk me out of it and help me find a ring?”
Brendon laughed, “Not just any ring. The ring, right? I mean if she's perfect, the ring better be too right?”
Ryan stood and grasped his friend in a hug, incredibly grateful for his support. This was a new world to him, and he was going to need all the support he could get, “Exactly. Thanks B.”
They set about looking, trying to ignore the sales woman's hovering. It took several cases, but finally Ryan saw it. Brendon looked over from a different case at the sound of his friend's gasp. As soon as he saw the ring, he knew their work there was done.
The ring was a simple princess cut diamond, that couldn't have been more than two carats. It was set on what appeared to be a simple platinum band, but upon closer inspection a design of Celtic knots could be seen etched into the band. In a word, it was perfect. He quickly got the woman to open the case and size the ring, find that luck was on his side and the ring was the right side. He had it boxed up while they picked out a couple pieces for their alibi, and paid before hurrying quickly out of the store, hoping the girls were still tied up with making their bears.
*
Turned out luck was really on their side that day. The girl's were acting so off the wall, which apparently slowed them down. Plus, making five bears (or in Nik's case, a penguin) was a lengthy process.
They spotted the girls at the naming station, and walked up behind them.
“Brenny Bear? Really Dani?” Brendon said as he caught glimpse of the screen.
Dani jumped in her chair, shocked to hear his voice, and Nikol started to laugh maniacally.
Danielle turned in her chair and smiled, “Hell yes! He's even got his little tux and top hate, though I don't know what the fuck this rabbit is. It's all: Brendon Urie circa 2004!”
Even Brendon couldn't help but laugh at her description, “You are truly bizarre, but I love you all the same,” he said, and bent to kiss her.
Nikol meanwhile showed off her creation, “It's penguin, and it doesn't have a stalkerish name,” she explained, holding up Icicle for inspection.
Ryan smiled, “It's perfect,” he declared, and also claimed a kiss, though it was less...enthusiastic than the other couple's.
As she pulled back, Nikol looked rather inquisitive, “Where did you guys go anyway?” she asked.
“You'll find out later,” he explained, “If we're here any longer we'll be late for dinner. Hey morons!” he yelled at his other friends who were goading and teasing Sarah, who didn't seem to mind in the least bit, “Hurry up and pay, we've got a dinner to attend to!”
Jon laughed, “We've already paid, genius, it's your girls who are lagging.”
Ryan look back at Nikol who blushed, “It was Dani really, she was being overly picky.”
Danielle did not look asked as she walked towards the register, “What can I say? I love shopping, even for tiny plush toys.”
*
“Where the hell are you taking us?” Ryan asked from the backseat. They were currently driving down an expanse of desert decorated road and the only car in sight was Sarah's Corolla, training behind them slightly.
Brendon turned in his seat to face his friend, feigning terror, “Ry, I knew bringing fans on this tour was a bad idea, they're out to kill us!”
Ryan scowled and struggled to speak over the girls' laughter, “Cut it out asshole. It was your idea in the first place.”
“Aww,” the girl's chorused together, and then Nikol took Ryan's hand in hers.
“Don't worry love, we're almost there. In fact you should probably put on those ties, so we don't have to wait when we do get there.”
Ryan shrugged and reached for the plastic bag on the floor containing two neckties the girls had pulled out of their wardrobe that morning, explaining the it was a nice restaurant so they needed to dress the part. Ryan was a little unconvinced since the girls looked a little causal, but he handed Brendon his floral decorated gold tie, and donned his own less loud gold one without comment. Finally, just as he finished his knot they pulled up to what looked like an old country store.
“And how is this formal?” Brendon asked as they walked up to the side entrance, Sarah trailed about a minute.
“Oh hush, you'll understand soon enough,” Danielle said, looping her arm through his.
They had finally reached the hostess station, where three girls were standing around talking, dressed in classic, albeit a bit stereotypic, country clothes. The restaurant was a collection of outdoor picnic tabled and a raised stage with and an open dance floor. There was also a door propped open to an indoor seating area, but the mass amount of people at one of the wooden tables gave off the feeling that they were going to be sitting outside.
“Ah. There y'all are,” one of the girls greeted.
“Yep. Sorry, we got distracted at the mall,” Danielle said to explain their tardiness.
The girl led them towards the table, menus in hand, “Your ma said you might,” she smiled, and handed over the menus, before walking away to greet Sarah, Jon and Spencer.
It took no time at all for Dani's dad to try and start digging into the boys, which caused both of them to look like they had been caught doing something illegal. Their expressions made their bandmates laugh as they approached the table.
“Lord, dad, back off. It's not their fault we were late, I got distracted by plush toys.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Jason said as he hugged his daughters.
“Oh hush. Dad I want you to meet some really incredible guys. This is Brendon, Ryan, Jon and Spencer.”
Jason stood and shook each of their hands, not need to ask who was with who. Their affections were rather clear in their actions.
They finally took their seats, and casual chatter spread across the table as Danielle continued to introduce the rest of her extended family, which apparently had been invited to either gawk or intimidate.
Danielle had just been about to comment on the radical changed that had been made to the restaurant when their waitress appeared out of the building.
“Good even' everybody. Glad to see the whole crew is here finally,” she took visual survey of the group and them produced a pair of scissors from her apron, “Uh oh. It appears we've got a coupla rebels here.”
She walked over to Ryan pulled on his tie, grabbing it firmly before cutting it off right under the knot. She walked towards Brendon, and managed to do the same to his tie after Danielle restrained his arms from protesting.
“What the hell, Dani?” he said as he stared at the remnant of his tie hanging from his neck.
“I'll explain in a minute,” Dani said, trying to calm him, “Just give her your order.”
When the waitress had left, Dani and Nikol pulled their friends up from the tabled, and walked them inside.
“Welcome to Pinnacle Peak Patio,” Dani said.
Nik finished her statement, “Our favourite restaurant in the world.”
The boys gasped at the ceiling in wonder. Stapled to almost every inch of the wooden roof were the remain of neck ties and countless business cards. They walked further around the inside of the restaurant, studying all the western themed items displayed in numerous glass cases.
“So I wish I could say sorry, but to be really honest, those ties were hideous and had to die. Think of it as an initiation of sorts.”
They let the guys wander for awhile, occasionally pointing out things like the photos of celebrities that had eaten there, a wall were likely to end up on by the end of the night. Dani also walked them back to the room where her parents had been married. When they eventually made it back to the table, a band had taken the stage, and their food had arrived. They sat down to eat, and were given the regular drill and grill by Jason as they worked through their plates.
When there was finally a paused in conversation, both Dani and Nik chorused a question at the same time.
“So where did you guys go today?” they asked in unison.
The table went silent until Spencer spoke up, “Okay, that was scary.”
The rest of the table laughed while Ryan produced a plastic bag from the inside of his jacket.
Jon gave a mock gasp, “The drugs were supposed to be for after the show!”
Dani rolled her eyes as Ryan passed a small black box across the table to Brendon, “Please don't say that, my parents will try to keep me hostage here, even though you're joking,” she emphasized the last word for her parent's benefit.
“Okay, so the thing is, we knew you would be upset when we left tonight,” Ryan said, starting in on their alibi and trying to ignore the fact that they had the entire table's attention.
“So,” Brendon continued, “We got you something to remember the trip by,” and with that said, the both handed over the slim boxes to the confused women.
The two friends slowly pulled open the boxes, to reveal to rather gorgeous necklaces lying on the velvet interior. Danielle's was a silver treble cleft with a ruby stone embedded in the bottom of the embellishment, and Nikol's was an ornate Celtic knot accented with a small diamond in the centre. The table chorused in appreciation as the girls showed them off, and then had their boyfriends help put them on.
The rest of the dinner was rather uneventful. When the plates were cleared, they still had around an hour to kill before needing to leave for the venue for sound check, so they took a couple turns on the dance floor. There was a lot of shuffling of partners, and eve one memorable dance the the guys danced with Dani's five year old cousin.
A couple restaurant patrons shyly asked for picture and at a request, they graced the stage with an impromptu performance of a country song Brendon had written over the course of the tour. Finally they couldn't delay any longer, and took of for the venue, racing time unwillingly.
They had barely made it back in time to be rushed to the meet and greet by Zack, who was less than impressed with their close call. The girls spent most of the meet and greet being accosted by old friends, and confirming their rumoured relationship status.
They took the stage that night, completely confident of themselves, and gave what they considered to be the best performance of the tour.
At the end of the night they loaded the buses rather reluctantly, and watched as their home disappeared behind them.
*
A/n- A couple things. The restaurant is absolutely real. My parents were really married there, it's the greatest place to go (and having a tie cut off is amazingly fun). I actually went there on mother's day, and it gave me my second wind on this story, and I believe it was that night that I cranked out the chapter “When the Day Met the Night”. Now...I must sleep...I have work earlyish tomorrow.
Please join the JUST FOR THE ATTENTION YAHOO GROUP and add NIKOL CORBETT and DANIELLE BRYANT on FACEBOOK!
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