FicWad

By the time the wheels of their rental sedan veered off of the interstate exit, her unsightly nervous habit of biting her nails had left her with nearly nothing but just as unsightly stubs at the end of her finger tips. The street signs seemed to pass in slow motion as that butterfly feeling in her stomach continued to flutter more intensely than ever before.

Overcoming the trials and tribulations that come along with everyday relationships grows harder when hours, days, week and at times, months pass without seeing that one person your broken or newly mended heart desires; and their attempt to reconstruct a nearly broken love from across the country was about to test the boundaries.

Glancing nervously from the road before her to her current passenger, Janelle fiddled with the cell phone on her lap as the wheels of the car rolled silently into a vacant parking spot. Without taking her eyes off of Ana once the car was safely in park, Janelle hit the green call button, reverting the phone back to its last outgoing call once again. Within seconds their arrival was officially noted and Ana scrambled anxiously from the car.

"Pete said they'll let us in at the gate, he'll be waiting inside" Janelle informed her overly anxious counterpart as she locked their doors of their loaned vehicle, "probably dressed inconspicuously or some garbage like that."

"Inconspicuous for Pete means a hat and sunglasses instead of the usual hoodie that he uses to shield him from real life." Ana joked lightly, stealing glances in the windows of passing cars as they shuffled quickly towards the venue, prodding and pulling away at stray strands of hair lightly blowing in the wind.

"Are you excited?" Janelle caught a glimpse of Ana straightening out her clothing for what had to be the fifth time since they climbed out of the car.

Nodding enthusiastically, Ana's gesture was followed immediately by a heavy sigh and the admittance of defeat, "But, I'm scared to death."

"He's going to be so surprised, don't worry yourself to death." Janelle offered a supportive smile as she happily linked arms with her nervous friend, forcing her to skip along the remaining distance to the entrance, chuckling loudly at the glances they were receiving from the fans who had already begun to set up fort in front of the venue.

"If only they knew who we slept with at night" Janelle laughed just loud enough for Ana to hear.

"And then" Ana replied matter-of-factly, "I think we would be getting a little more than a few dirty looks."

With arms remaining linked as they reached the large security employee standing guard at the front gate, they shot each other confused glances when the burly man before them smirked wildly to himself upon their arrival, immediately reaching down for the walkie talkie strapped securely to the belt of his jeans.

"I've got your take-out delivery at the front gate" Mumbling in to the black plastic device that almost looked lost in his large hand, the security guard just shrugged with a smile as Ana and Janelle both simultaneously cocked a confused eyebrow in his direction. Explaining the "code" to them almost immediately, it made perfect sense; "That's what he's been calling it all day."

A few beeping noises and some static rang through the small technological device before Pete's less than intimidating voice squeaked out, "Excellent!"

Within seconds they were allowed to pass and were set free to wander their way through the venue that for the time being, was nearly deserted with the exception of scattered crew members and food service workers. Linking arms tighter and skipping once again, they made their way towards Pete, who was seated casually in the drivers seat of a golf cart, obviously on loan on account of his injured foot. Jumping into the passenger seat, Ana happily embraced her gentleman lover's heterosexual life partner in a welcoming, relieved hug.

"So, are we Chinese take-out or a pizza delivery?" Janelle inquired jokingly as Pete maneuvered their motor vehicle from its current parked spot, out towards the back parking lot, where an array of buses were currently littering the black top.

"You're two hot tamales flown in special, from the city." Pete joked, wiggling his eyebrows as he ushered them through the buses, out towards the bus Patrick shared with Andy for many months of the year.

"Good one" Ana rolled her eyes as Pete dug through his sweatshirt pocket for his phone and hit a few buttons, pressing the device to his ear once they narrowed in on the bus they were searching for.

The conversation went something along the lines of "Yo, food, door" before he hung up and stuffed the communication device back into its rightful, comfortable home.

Within seconds, Ana felt her knees shake and her heart begin to pound in her chest as the door opened to the bus before them and an exhausted looking Patrick sauntered out, standing idly on the steps, awaiting his once promised take out. Once his tired eyes shifted from the ground, they immediately locked with hers from across the parking lot, brining a new life to their dull green color. It was almost hard for Ana to breath as Pete stopped the cart 100 feet away from where Patrick was taking the last two steps down to the pavement.

With a few deep breaths in, Ana took control and the moment that heart warming smile spread over his lips, she was off; jumping out of the cart, her feet hit the ground running, sprinting to him as fast as her scrawny legs would take her and within seconds, she was in his arms, their lips crashing together violently in a rush of passion, anxiety and desperation.

His rough hands were around her neck, cupping her face and stroking lightly at her cheeks as his lips assaulted hers and his heart raced uncontrollably in his chest. It was hard to believe that she was really there, that his hands were really feeling her skins beneath his fingertips. Pulling away breathlessly, it was hard not to pull her lips right back to his, in fear that in a moment, he would wake up and it would all have been a cruel dream.

"I love you" Was all he could say when their lips parted, his hands still wrapped around her neck, his fingers now taking home in her hair, "I love you so much."

Gripping the back of his neck, her fingers were knotting in his hair as well as she almost violently pulled his lips back to her own, mumbling softly against the flesh of his bottom lip, "you have no idea how good it is to see you", in between kisses.

Pulling the cart closer to the bus now, Janelle and Pete joined the reunited couple near the steps of the bus, where Pete, putting the golf cart in idle, gloated in a way only Pete could get away with, "Well Patty-cakes, it looks like once again, I win the best friend of the year award."

Patrick beamed happily once his lips were free again, reaching down and grasping Ana's hand in his own, lacing their fingers together and holding her close, "Thank you, so much."

"Well then, I guess my partner in crime and I will leave the two of you alone to rekindle whatever that yuck-ness is so … yeah." Pete grumbled sarcastically as he pulled the cart into drive before speeding off into the distance, "Sound check is at 3, so don't forget."

"Mhh-hmm" was mumbled incoherently in understanding as Patrick's lips were once again attached to Ana, in the most blissful feeling either of them had experienced in far too long.

An hour later they were still cuddled up together on the bed in Patrick's make-shift bedroom, still tangled in each others arms, stealing kisses like they were teenagers, left alone by their parents for the very first time. Ana's arm was slung comfortably over Patrick's torso, who was currently tracing spirals up her bare forearm, his free hand holding her body close to his.

Lost in the bliss of each other's company, they barely hear the knock on the door that echoed quietly through the room, or the muffled "Are you decent?" that followed.

"Yes" Patrick laughed lightly, "You can come in."

Joe fumbled to open the door to the currently happy couple and raised an eyebrow curiously, "Uh, do you want us to leave so you can have sex?"

Ana and Patrick both chuckled loudly to themselves as Joe stood awkwardly at the foot of the bed, waiting for an answer, an answer that Patrick happily provided.

"No, don't worry about it, that's not a big deal."

"Ah-alright, I uh- we just didn't know and Janelle said you had your period but sometimes she lies and Andy didn't want to ask so I figured I would find out you know man, I don't want to cock block you or anything. No offense!"

"You're not cock blocking me" Patrick assured his anxious friend, "We're just hanging out." With an understanding nod, Joe was soon out the door.

"I'm sorry" Ana apologized lightly.

Patrick laughed heartily, "All I need from you is to be here, with me, like this - that's all that matters."

Frowning heavily as her head rested on his chest, "But it's only for tonight and I'll be gone again in the morning."

Sighing heavily in sadness, Patrick hated having to accept reality, "I know, but soon, it'll be over and I'll be back, back to you for good; or, for a while, at least."

Ana copied his sigh, her fingers now tracing aimless patterns on his stomach as his free hand twirled strands of her hair around his fingers. "I'm taking my dress to be altered on Saturday."

"Really?" It was almost odd how happy that statement, that information made him. It was a dress, not something he was typically interested in, but it was a step forward on their wedding, and that alone made him happier than he had been in longer than he liked to admit.

Nodding against his shoulder, her fingers glided gently against the fabric of his shirt as she listened to his heart beating in his chest, taking in his smell and the warmth his body naturally conveyed; soaking in the moment, because it wouldn't last long. In the morning, they would climb back into their rental car and be on their way as the buses pulled out of the parking lot, continuing their journey to another show in another city; becoming just another day in this life that they live.