FIC: Open Road Song, Rated PG
Title: Open Road Song
Author: courts
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: No, not even a little.
Summary: i crack a window and feel the cool air cleanse my every pore as i pour my poor heart out
Notes: I decided to try out one of the fic prompts I posted earlier. Sorry some of the sentences are a little run-on, but I was trying to convey the hectic stream of Cook's thoughts. Not beta'd so all mistakes are mine and mine alone. Prompt comes from the Eve 6 song Open Road Song, hence the title. Comments and criticisms are welcomed as always. Thanks!
-=-=-=-=-
You can’t believe that Jeff Archuleta agreed to this, but you’re certainly not going to complain. It’s the first week in November, two months since the tour ended and two days before the next time the idols are supposed to get together for some benefit concert in Las Vegas. And you woke up the day before with the absolute certainty that you couldn’t wait one more minute to see him again.
You’d called the airline, then the car rental company and then your manager, making arrangements. Then, with your heart in your throat, you’d called him and asked to speak to his dad and Jeff had gotten on the phone. You’d explained that you needed a break from reality and thought that, with the hectic pace his son had been maintaining that perhaps he could use one as well. And, to your complete shock and utter disbelief, Jeff had agreed.
So, that’s how you got here, speeding down a deserted desert highway in a rented LaSabre with the windows rolled down and the radio blasting and David Archuelta sitting next to you looking just as beautiful as you remember him. And, finally, after two long months, you feel like you can breathe again.
He looks over at you and you catch the movement out of the corner of your eye, turning in time to meet his gaze before he has a chance to look away. He blushes and grins and you can’t help but smile in return.
"I've missed you, Archie," you tell him and it sounds so silly because it's such a ridiculous understatement, but you can't find the words to say what you really feel so you tell him what you think he will understand.
The two of you fall silent and it's he who breaks the pattern this time, asking you without warning, "Cook, why did you ask my dad if I could come with you?" He hesitates only a moment before continuing. "I mean, you were in LA, so you could have just driven from there. Or just gotten on a plane and spent a few days alone in Vegas before everyone arrived. Why'd you ask if I could come along?"
You turn towards him for a moment and consider how to answer that and you know what you should say. You should say that you just needed some time away from the world and that the open road sounded like fun. You should say that you've never been to Utah and that you figured he needed a break, too, so why not? You should say that you guys are pals and that you've missed hanging out with him and that that's all it is. And you open your mouth to say all of this, but when you begin to speak, a different set of words comes out.
"I needed to see you."
It's simple and so very complicated and you wonder if he even knows the intensity behind those words. You wonder if he can hear your heart beating in your chest over the sound of the wind rushing into the rented sedan or if he can feel the heat radiating off your body despite the cool breeze as you wait to hear what he will say in response to your confession.
As always, his response surprises you.
"I would have come anyway, you know."
You look a question across the bench seat between you, and he continues.
"I heard my dad talking to you and I knew what you were talking about and at first I thought he was going to say no. But I had already decided that I was coming no matter what."
You turn to look at him again and shake your head. "I don't ever want to make you do anything that's not right," you say and you can tell by the way that he looks at you that he understands that you mean more than just this trip. You never want him to feel like whatever the two of you have is something that he should be ashamed of.
But David just smiles and reaches across the seat to take your hand and for a moment you can't speak, you can't even breathe. Because you'd come on this trip thinking that it was your chance to finally get him to give in to what the two of you had been dancing around for months now. You thought that you could use the time to convince him that this was right, that he shouldn't run from it anymore.
Now, looking down at your joined hands and back over at the beautiful boy sitting beside you, you realize that you've been the one running all along.
You squeeze his fingers and, with a deep breath, you finally give in.
-=-=-=-=-
The End
June 26, 2008
Author: courts
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: No, not even a little.
Summary: i crack a window and feel the cool air cleanse my every pore as i pour my poor heart out
Notes: I decided to try out one of the fic prompts I posted earlier. Sorry some of the sentences are a little run-on, but I was trying to convey the hectic stream of Cook's thoughts. Not beta'd so all mistakes are mine and mine alone. Prompt comes from the Eve 6 song Open Road Song, hence the title. Comments and criticisms are welcomed as always. Thanks!
-=-=-=-=-
You can’t believe that Jeff Archuleta agreed to this, but you’re certainly not going to complain. It’s the first week in November, two months since the tour ended and two days before the next time the idols are supposed to get together for some benefit concert in Las Vegas. And you woke up the day before with the absolute certainty that you couldn’t wait one more minute to see him again.
You’d called the airline, then the car rental company and then your manager, making arrangements. Then, with your heart in your throat, you’d called him and asked to speak to his dad and Jeff had gotten on the phone. You’d explained that you needed a break from reality and thought that, with the hectic pace his son had been maintaining that perhaps he could use one as well. And, to your complete shock and utter disbelief, Jeff had agreed.
So, that’s how you got here, speeding down a deserted desert highway in a rented LaSabre with the windows rolled down and the radio blasting and David Archuelta sitting next to you looking just as beautiful as you remember him. And, finally, after two long months, you feel like you can breathe again.
He looks over at you and you catch the movement out of the corner of your eye, turning in time to meet his gaze before he has a chance to look away. He blushes and grins and you can’t help but smile in return.
"I've missed you, Archie," you tell him and it sounds so silly because it's such a ridiculous understatement, but you can't find the words to say what you really feel so you tell him what you think he will understand.
The two of you fall silent and it's he who breaks the pattern this time, asking you without warning, "Cook, why did you ask my dad if I could come with you?" He hesitates only a moment before continuing. "I mean, you were in LA, so you could have just driven from there. Or just gotten on a plane and spent a few days alone in Vegas before everyone arrived. Why'd you ask if I could come along?"
You turn towards him for a moment and consider how to answer that and you know what you should say. You should say that you just needed some time away from the world and that the open road sounded like fun. You should say that you've never been to Utah and that you figured he needed a break, too, so why not? You should say that you guys are pals and that you've missed hanging out with him and that that's all it is. And you open your mouth to say all of this, but when you begin to speak, a different set of words comes out.
"I needed to see you."
It's simple and so very complicated and you wonder if he even knows the intensity behind those words. You wonder if he can hear your heart beating in your chest over the sound of the wind rushing into the rented sedan or if he can feel the heat radiating off your body despite the cool breeze as you wait to hear what he will say in response to your confession.
As always, his response surprises you.
"I would have come anyway, you know."
You look a question across the bench seat between you, and he continues.
"I heard my dad talking to you and I knew what you were talking about and at first I thought he was going to say no. But I had already decided that I was coming no matter what."
You turn to look at him again and shake your head. "I don't ever want to make you do anything that's not right," you say and you can tell by the way that he looks at you that he understands that you mean more than just this trip. You never want him to feel like whatever the two of you have is something that he should be ashamed of.
But David just smiles and reaches across the seat to take your hand and for a moment you can't speak, you can't even breathe. Because you'd come on this trip thinking that it was your chance to finally get him to give in to what the two of you had been dancing around for months now. You thought that you could use the time to convince him that this was right, that he shouldn't run from it anymore.
Now, looking down at your joined hands and back over at the beautiful boy sitting beside you, you realize that you've been the one running all along.
You squeeze his fingers and, with a deep breath, you finally give in.
-=-=-=-=-
The End
June 26, 2008