ease the ache.

DANIELLE HARPER

As excited as Dani was just to be there, she was even more excited to actually sing with her girlfriend. She obviously sang with other people, considering she was in a band in high school, but she mostly sang on her own these days. Especially since she had spent her time working on her music. That’s how she usually preferred it. To sing on her own. It wasn’t like she had an issue with working with others. She even enjoyed being in a band, but she wasn’t trying to make a career for other people. She was trying to have her own. This kind of singing, though. The kind that was just for fun; was just as important to her. It’s what she loved and it helped get those creative juices flowing. That’s when she didn’t mind singing with other people. She even liked seeing how her voice sounded with others. Sometimes they meshed well together. Other times, not so much. This time she was sure that they would, though. She didn’t get to hear Gaby sing often, but when she did, she never sounded bad. Maybe that was her being biased, but whatever.

“Oh, stop it.” She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. Obviously she didn’t want her to actually stop, since she liked being referred to as someone who is very obviously about to become a world recognized singing sensation, she just didn’t see this being a bad idea at all. “I’m sure you’re going to sound great, baby. We’re going to sound great together. Like you said, we work.” She said, giving her a reassuring smile. She was so excited about singing with Gaby that it didn’t even bother her when she called her cute. In fact, she started to like it. Not that she would admit to it, of course. She still liked to act like she was more badass than that. “Yeah, well. You’re cute.” She shrugged.

Since Dani had planned on singing alone, she hadn’t thought of any duets. Her asking Gaby was a last minute thing, since everything had already been set up. It didn’t really matter, though. Any song could be turned into a duet, really. All they would have to do is take turns. “Well, I’ve got a song I was going to sing, anyway. I know for a fact that you know it.” She said before glancing at the guys behind the glass. “You guys know the first song I asked for, right? That’s the one we’re gonna do!” The guys gave her a thumbs up, which she happily returned as she waited for the music to start. It was doing covers like this that helped her feel inspired. She could practically feel it when the music started. Although she preferred doing her own music, she liked doing covers. Especially when her song choice was the Beatles. It would be hard not to feel inspired. “Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo. Here comes the sun and I say, it’s all right, mmm…” She smiled as she started singing, waiting for her girlfriend to sing with her.

GABRIELA LOPEZ

This gift had been for Dani, and Gaby was planning to enjoy it by simply watching her girlfriend sing and do what she loved to do. That would’ve been enough for her. More than enough, in fact. It actually seemed like the perfect Valentine’s Day, one that Gaby was sure she’d remember for a long time to come, and hopefully the first of many with Dani. She wasn’t trying to get ahead of herself, though. If nothing else, at least the thought of singing grounded her a bit, since she really was nervous. She was excited too, though. She knew Dani wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to do, so she obviously wasn’t nervous enough to not want to do it, or she would’ve protested. It also helped that Dani seemed to have a lot of confidence in them doing this together. “I’m sure I’m not, but I like that you think this will work for us as well as everything else does,” she smiled softly at her girlfriend.

Gaby was still trying to get out of her head when Dani had asked for song suggestions, so she was glad when the other girl took over. “Oh? What is it?” she asked, brow raising, though she shot her a playful glare when she didn’t get a response. She trusted that she’d know it, though, if Dani said she would, and just waited for the music to start. Once it had, she recognized it right away, and couldn’t help but smile, especially when Dani began to sing. Hearing her girlfriend singing was always one of Gaby’s favorite things, and she could easily get a little lost in it. So much so that she forgot to sing with her at first, and just simply watched her, enjoying the sound of Dani’s voice, as well as that look on her face; the kind of look that only singing could draw from her. Gaby saw that look directed at her sometimes, too, especially lately, when things would be quiet between the two of them after a particularly cute or sappy moment, and Gaby’s heart would race as they looked at each other. She wasn’t trying to read into that, though. She didn’t know what it meant.

DANIELLE HARPER

If anyone had seen the excitement on Dani’s face, they would have thought this was her first time in a music studio. Of course it wasn’t, but she didn’t get to do it as often as she would like. There was something about recording a song that made it more real. Give Your Heart A Break wasn’t the first song she’d written, but it was the first one she was really proud of. It was the first one she’s ever recorded in a recording studio; not to mention the first one that really made her feel something. That was all because of Gaby. If she was being honest with herself, a lot of her happiness was because of Gaby lately. Not that she would ever really be honest with herself. The last thing she wanted was to depend on someone to feel happy. That’s not what she was doing, and if she allowed herself to be real, she would realize that. It wasn’t about counting on her to be happy, it was about the way she made things better. If she wasn’t so scared of her own feelings, she would understand. Gaby always made things better. For as long as she’s known her. Dani didn’t know how she did it; she just did. Being in the recording studio was no exception. She was happy being there no matter what, but having Gaby made it even better.

Aside from the occasional performances in the shower, Dani hardly ever heard her girlfriend sing. It seemed kinda weird, considering they had been living together for awhile. She knew that not everyone could sing the way she could, but that wasn’t exactly the point. She was sure everyone sang in the privacy of their own homes, so she just assumed that maybe she was shy about it? Not that Gaby had anything to be shy about anymore. At least, not in Dani’s opinion. Even if it was cute when she did. She just felt like they were at a place where they could do or say anything; with singing being absolutely no exception. She had sang for Gaby more times than she could even count. In fact, she had almost asked her to sing for her, but singing together seemed like a much better idea. She wanted to hear what their voices sounded like together. Well, she mostly wanted to hear Gaby’s voice, but together as well. She had a feeling they would sound good together. She didn’t know why; she just did. “Of course we can. Come on!” She grabbed her by the hand, leading her into the sound booth. The fact that she had been in one before was irrelevant. It felt surreal every single time.

“I’m not going to laugh at you.” She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. Since she hadn’t really planned on being there that day, she didn’t have any idea what she had wanted to sing. Of course that had been discussed with the sound guys, who were waiting for them on the other side of the glass. She had mostly given them songs she hadn’t yet done covers of, since she didn’t have the music for her own. Not that it matter, her only two songs had already been recorded. This was just for fun. Just her and her girlfriend recording some music together. This was probably just what she needed. It was no secret that she felt uninspired lately. It was also no secret that Gaby was her biggest inspiration. She was already very excited. “Okay, so. We need a song!” She said, showing just how excited she was to be doing this. “Suggestions? The guys behind the glass probably think I’m crazy for dragging you in here without picking one out. Can you guys here us?” She asked, putting the headphone on. She chuckled when they gave her a thumbs up, letting her know that they could in fact hear her. “Okay, good!”

GABRIELA LOPEZ

Gaby had visited a recording studio before. Her mother had had singing roles in past movies, and Gaby remembered begging her to take her with her when she was a little girl, and Maribel had agreed. It had been fun, but Gaby was really little, she didn’t really remember it. Plus, the sound guys had been fussing, since there was a cute little kid running around the place, and she’d gotten a ton of attention. This time, it was totally different. She wasn’t here just for the sake of following someone to work and stealing focus; she was here for Dani, and that was so much more special. Gaby had never been in the actual recording booth, and instead had just sat outside of the glass with the sound guys, just like she figured she’d do today. It caught her off guard when her girlfriend asked her to sing with her, but not in a bad way. As fun as it seemed, though, and as adorable as the idea of dueting with the girl she.. had feelings for was, Gaby was still Gaby, so of course she was a little apprehensive.

Fortunately for the two of them, Dani was still Dani, so Gaby laced their fingers once her girlfriend had reached for her hand, then followed her into the booth without further question. It was worth it just to see the excitement on Dani’s face. Gaby refrained from telling her how cute she was, and instead just smiled at her; something she couldn’t have stopped herself from doing even if she’d tried. There were two mics set up already, along with two sets of headphones. Gaby just stood behind the one that was leftover after Dani had picked. “You’re right, we do,” she nodded, looking at the headphones hanging over the stand in front of her. She laughed as her girlfriend spoke. “I mean, you’re not exactly sane. And apparently neither am I if I think that embarrassing myself in front of someone who is very obviously about to become a world recognized singing sensation is a good idea, but I guess that’s why we work.” She winked, picking up the headphones and putting them on. It didn’t matter that she’d forced herself not to say it before, Gaby couldn’t even help it now as she watched her girlfriend acting like a total pro in the booth already. “You’re so cute,” she grinned. She was totally in awe, as usual.

DANIELLE HARPER

Not once had Dani ever celebrated Valentine’s Day before. She didn’t hate the holiday or anything; she just never had a reason to actually celebrate it. Before Gaby, she never really had someone who she considered special. This was the first time she had ever put some actual thought into it. Although their relationship was still new, Dani still wanted to do something nice for her. Maybe get her something nice, even if she didn’t know what. Gifts were hard. Who ever knew what was right? A stuffed animal sure as hell wasn’t good enough, but then again, she wasn’t about to go shopping for an engagement right. It didn’t seem like there was some middle ground. A gift that showed that she liked her, without going overboard. It wasn’t easy for her to find, but eventually, she was able to get something. She hoped that her girlfriend would like it. She had a feeling Gaby would like just about anything that came from her, since she was cheesy like that, but Dani wanted to do something nice for her. Gaby deserved that. Anyone who willingly dealt with Dani deserved it. There was only one problem. Now that the holiday has arrived, she was having second thoughts about her gift. She still thinks that it’s nice and Gaby would like it. There was just a voice in the back of her head, telling her it was kind of intense. Maybe that was her being stupid. Her feelings for Gaby still scared her sometimes and she worried about getting in too deep. The poor girl didn’t realize she already was.

The only thing that calmed her nerves is when she finally saw her girlfriend. The gift was still in Dani’s purse, because she hasn’t had a chance to give it to her, yet. She had nearly forgotten about it when Gaby told her she had gotten her studio time for Valentine’s Day. If she was trying to hide her excitement, she was doing a terrible job. She hadn’t been back in the studio since she recorded Lightweight for Gaby. Now she only worked on her music at home, waiting for a phone call she was sure would never come. She had been keeping her options open since then, meeting with as many people as she could, but she hasn’t been in an actual studio. The second they walked into the building, it was like this huge weight was lifted off her shoulder. It was almost like coming home. How lucky was she to have a girlfriend like Gaby? This is one of those times when she wondered what she did to deserve her. If she spent all her time thinking about it, she still wouldn’t have an answer. Other than her being really fucking lucky.

As Dani stood outside the recording booth, she couldn’t help but think of the first time she had. It was when she recorded Give Your Heart A Break. Gaby had been on her cruise and Dani was so excited to tell her about her time in a real music studio. This time, it was different. She had fun before, of course, and she dragged Matt along with her, but he wasn’t the person she really wanted there. Gaby was. This time, she was going to take advantage of being there with her. She knew that her girlfriend could probably watch her sing all day, but Dani had a different idea. One that she wasn’t sure Gaby would like or not, but she sure as hell did. “Do you know what would be really cool?” She asked, smiling at her girlfriend. “If you went into the recording booth with me. Maybe sing a duet with your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day.” She hoped that bringing up the holiday would help convince her. Maybe make her see the duet as a romantic gesture. One that she couldn’t really say no to, could she?

GABRIELA LOPEZ

It was really no secret that Gaby absolutely loved days like Valentine’s Day. She was a sucker for any holiday that brought joy to people, and Valentine’s was only more special, since that hopeless romantic in her got to come out. Whether she was in a relationship or not, she always loved the holiday, though she had to admit, it was better to have someone to spend it with, and especially when that someone was Dani. She’d been growing more and more attached to her girlfriend with pretty much every single day that passed, and Gaby had a feeling today would be one to remember. Picking out a gift for her was easy. She’d gone ahead and done the usual Valentine’s thing, like purchasing a sappy girlfriend card for her, as well as a box of heart shaped chocolates. Gaby hadn’t expected anything back, since she had a feeling this holiday wouldn’t be one Dani had any real interest in, but that was okay. She didn’t need anything. As long as she got to spoil Dani, that was all that mattered.

She wanted to pretend like the card and chocolates were the only things she’d gotten for her, but she couldn’t even keep the main gift to herself for a whole minute once she’d handed the others over. Gaby knew how much Dani had been struggling to write music lately, so she wanted to help in any way she could. She’d spoken to Paisley, who had been able to schedule some studio time for the afternoon, and the smile on Dani’s face when Gaby told her let her know it was absolutely the right gift for her. Gaby’s smile mirrored her girlfriend’s, not only because of how happy Dani was, but also because this would be the first time Gaby would be getting to see her in the studio. The videos Matt had taken last time were cool, but she was sure they didn’t even compare with how it would be to actually be there and see her girlfriend doing what she loved in person. Once they’d arrived, she’d known she was right.