FicWad

The group looked at the door as the older Way opened it slowly. He must have been in the bitter cold for about ten minutes and it was only when it started to pour with rain that he made his return into the little house. They had all been discussing possible ways in which the departed young couple could have met each other, all focusing their ideas on the photograph of the band’s first gig. It was the younger Way who was about to ask his shivering brother if he was ok but quickly closed his mouth when Gerard began to speak.

“I know how they met.” He spoke with a low voice, “it was because of me.” He looked up slowly at the group who stared at him stunned. You could see the questions visible on the groups faces, questions like why had he never mentioned this? Why was it because of him? Why did it take him so long to reveal this? Gerard sensed they would make him continue so he pulled out the seat he had vacated before when he was seeking air. “We were playing Warped.” He started, the band already knowing it was when he was suffering from his depression without the need for him to say it. “I had had a particularly low day and night, we’d been on stage and I felt like the world was out to get me.” Robyn held Gerard’s hand firmly knowing how difficult it was for her him to talk about his addiction, especially at such an emotional time as it was. The younger Way had never heard his brother talk about this period of his complex life; he sensed Gerard had always attempted to shield him from the difficult truth. “I took so much stuff I can’t even remember what it was, I just remember falling to the ground. I thought this is it I've done it.” He looked down at his hands squeezing his loving wife’s hand by way of apology; he knew this was obviously difficult for her. “The security guards ran over, they’d been trying to crowd control a group of fans wanting to get in. Eleanor ran to me and I heard her shouting at them to move away from me, the next thing I felt was someone slapping on my back hard. I’d started to choke on my own vomit and she was a nurse. In the meantime one of the guards had ran over to Frank and he came back as she had my propped up against her.” He smiled a little at what the scene must have looked like. “She helped me back to the bus and Frank decided she needed to stay just for a couple of hours just until I’d come round. She stayed and when I came round she had managed to get a medical kit so she could check my blood pressure and run some tests on me to make sure I’d done no lasting damage. She then told me she was worked in a rehabilitation center and that I wasn't alone, that I didn't have to deal with this alone.” The older Way continued. “Frank had heard this and took her number, after much talking we decided she should tour with us to help me.” Gerard looked around the table and focused on Mikey to see how he well he was taking this in. Needless to say the taller brother was not taking the information well, he was not only dealing with the fact one of his best friends had just died, he was just finding out that his brother had nearly died. “The reason I came out of rehab so quick was because she came on tour with us. In order not to worry you” he spoke directly to Mikey this time, “we decided she’d be Frank’s girlfriend whilst we were on tour. She agreed, secretly I think she was grateful for the opportunity to be with us. As far as I knew they didn't do any relationship stuff.”

They had all took time to digest the new information their lead singer had given them, whilst looking through some of the stuff. “Listen to this.” It was Robyn who diverted our attention from our own thoughts. “I think it’s when she couldn't come on tour it’s a letter that he sent her.” She smiled giving it a quick scam through before preparing to read it out to us. “Eleanor, I believe that love is an intense feeling that means you cannot imagine your life without the one you love, but you cannot imagine your life with the one you love. Love is where every day you feel fear for the danger your love could be in, you feel pain when they are in pain. Love is a feeling where you cannot comprehend leaving your loved one; you want to be by their side for eternity. Love is a force so strong it can cancel out the bad, but heighten the good.” She looked around slowly at the group, there was not one pair of eyes that were dry “Love is – Love is what I feel for you Eleanor Thacker.” Robyn smiled as she read the final part out.

She allowed her memories to flood of the first time she met, who she thought of, this mystery woman. She’d always known Gerard; they were friends from back when he played Peter Pan in the school play. She remember when he told her they would be meeting Frank’s new girlfriend she found that idea a little strange because she had never once heard the young man mention a girl let alone a girlfriend. They were all going catching a late night showing of the new Batman film when she met a young Eleanor. Robyn instantly saw the love and affection the young new girl had for Frank, it was clear to see simply by the look she gave when Frank looked her way. Robyn had also noticed a change in her partner’s best friend. Now when anyone says someone has changed since being in a relationship, you automatically think the worst change possible, but in this case the wife remembered how the change had been a very good change. Frank was the only one who had not had a ‘significant other’ he opted to buy dogs instead, but seeing his behaviour around Eleanor, Robyn realised that Frank all along wanted a relationship, he had just never found that right girl up until then. At the cinema the guys went to purchase the tickets whilst the woman waited behind all talking. Robyn remembered how Eleanor seemed a little shy and the older woman had instantly included her in conversations and filled her in on parts of stories she was sure the young woman was unfamiliar with.

Since that day Robyn had always included Eleanor and every time the girlfriends went shopping so did Eleanor slowly building treasured friendships. She remembered the last time she had seen the couple; Eleanor had been so excited that Frank had some time off from recording and they were both heading out to the beach for a week away to celebrate their 5th anniversary. Eleanor had invited the woman around to this same house to decide what outfits she should take in order to impress Frank. Eleanor was an impeccably dressed female, during the week she was always dressed with suit pants, a fun blouse and a blazer given the fact she was the director of the rehabilitation facility, but when she went out with the girls or especially Frank she was always dressed elegantly in a style that shouldn't work, but on her it did. With this thought Robyn was sat around the table with a small smile on her face.