Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer (Ava+CP)

[Lady Bloody Ava]

There was a bit of a manic episode when it came to getting dressed. Gabby had gone through four outfits before finally settling on the one she had originally picked; a pair of black skinny jeans, her favorite black doc martins, and a mustard colored sweater. She got there a little earlier on purpose, to settle the butterflies a tad and indulge in a spiked hot cocoa that warmed her from the inside out. The professional overthinker was so immersed in all of the possible outcomes of this encounter that she did not initially see Denny and her ex walk into the bar. "Hey Denny," she voiced as she held the warm mug in her hands. Her hair was left down because it added warmth this time of the year.

The silence was awkward and the waitress managed to make it back with their appetizers before anyone even said anything. She watched as Denny left with the waitress leaving the two of them alone. No doubt a strategic move on his part, partially. "Benji..." she sighed his name as she continued to look at him., "you look like shit and you're so quiet." Open observations spoken with a soft tone of voice. Those green eyes looked down at the cup of hot cocoa in her hands before she continued on. "You worked so hard for this band, Benji. I even have tickets with my roommate to come to see you, but I've always been so scared to wake up and hear on the news that you died of an overdose." It brought back memories of her crying so hard into her pillow some nights.

"I blamed myself for this, you know. I cried so hard for weeks. I still haven't slept with anyone since you, for what little it's worth, but... I realized that it wasn't my fault." This was probably was some people would call killing with kindness. Gabriella wasn't yelling at him. Her tone was soft. No tears, just a casual conversation, but she avoided looking at him while she did so, just to keep herself together. "Why are you doing this to yourself, Benji. This band is your everything and if you keep on going down this route with the drugs then it will be nothing more than a one-hit wonder. Benji, say something... please..." Gabby pleaded and finally looked at him.

 

[CaptainPeriwinkle]

He sat in stoic silence. His face remained unchanged as she spoke. His ears seemed to hone in on what she was saying, but his eyes fixated on the mug in her hands. Why the fuck did Denny bring him here? Gabby had broken the silence, and though her words were registering, his mind wandered. His attention focused back on her when she mentioned his band, and when she spoke about how much she had cried. What did she know about crying? How could she have possibly known how he felt? How could she even think to say that this wasn't her fault? His anger boiled up inside of him, and yet, his gaze remained transfixed on her mug.

As she pleaded with him and looked at him, Benji could feel her eyes boring into him and judging him. He wanted to tell her how happy he was to see her. How he really hadn't stopped thinking about her despite all of his actions but he couldn't. He wasn't able to. He wanted to storm out of the little bar, cancel the sold out show and just leave this shithole college town. Silence enveloped them once more before Benji's gaze finally shifted. A few short months ago, he would have given her anything. He would have cancelled his tour to be with her. He would give her the shirt off his back, even if it meant he would freeze and she wouldn't, he was willing. Now, he was disgusted by her mere presence. The seed of disdain he had for her had been planted at his brother's party, and by now it had grown and consumed him.

He wasn't ready for this interaction, not even in the slightest. He wanted to reach across the table and hurt her, a thought that honestly made Benji quite scared. He clenched his hands into fists, though not out of anger, he was was desperate to keep his hands from shaking. In some ways, he knew she was right. In others, he didn't want anything to do with her. He blinked his eyes, trying to wake up from this shitty dream he found himself in the middle of, only to realize that this was his new reality. The girl that he had loved, his best friend in the entire world, was dead to him. He would have honestly felt much better if he hadn't had known that this was the town she was attending college at.

From his perch at the waitress station Denny had been watching the whole thing and it didn't seem like things were going to well. Benji had hardly moved, and he could tell from watching his best friend and learning his body language that Benji was about to lose it. At the same time, Benji clearly didn't want to cause a scene at this bar. It was packed to the gills, and he was doing his best not to scream of embarass himself. That was when Denny decided to swoop in. "Alright champ." He said, patting Benji on the shoulder. "I think it's probably time we call it." Benji looked up at him, caught his gaze before glancing at Gabby and then looking back towards his friend who nodded at him with a reassuring nod. Getting up, Benji walked out of the booth and out of the bar.

"I'm sorry Gab. I thought he was ready." Denny said with a sad smile. "He still cares about you, I've heard him talk in his sleep. He just isn't ready." With a shake of his head, he placed a fifty dollar bill on the table. "It's on us. I promise you he will come around. Take care of yourself." He said before tapping on the fifty and walking out. The meeting had been a disaster, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have gone.

Gabby's phone buzzed. It was Wendy.

"How's it going? Are you okay?"

 

[Lady Bloody Ava]

Gabriella was not surprised about his reaction, but she was about how she felt about it. There he was, her best friend, and he had no words for her. He hates me. He couldn't have been ashamed, and if he was he did a damn good job of hiding it. She downed the rest of her hot chocolate, which was now room temperature at this point, and paid the bill after getting Wendy's text.

"Eh, went about as good as I expected. I'll pick up a bottle for us on the way home and then I need a cuddle session if you don't mind."

Gabby left a generous tip for the waitress and still had enough to hit up the liquor store near campus. She brought back a bottle of tequila and walked through the door and began peeling off the layers of clothing on her body. The jacket, sweater, jeans, and boots were all ditched for her t-shirt and she remained in her panties. "Wendy..." a voice child as the bottle was placed in the freezer for them next to the barely empty one that she had been working on since this semester had started.

A gentle knock on Wendy's door sounded before she let herself in and crawled into bed with her roommate. Gabs got comfortable and gave the most exaggerated sigh with her arms wrapped around her, in her opinion, gorgeous-looking roomie. "So... it sucked. He looks like shit, and you can't help those that won't help themselves, I guess." There was a moment of silence as she thought to herself. "I need a fresh start..." a little weary laugh sounded in the dim room. "I need to get laid first, that would probably do me a world of good... what do you think?" The bra had been ditched so nothing but a t-shirt and whatever Wendy was wearing sat between the two of them.

"I wish the snow would stop, it was freezing..."