#driftingrose

           hayden does not do well when andy leaves him alone to his own devices. he never fully comprehended the definition of separation anxiety until andy went on a five day vacation with the girls and he ended up with no hair. luckily for hayden, andy is just up state visiting her parents and not on an island vacation without him. honestly, andy did him a favor by leaving hayden behind, but his heart and his mind don’t meet on the same plane of logic. a little liquid courage has hayden stealing his phone back from eric and drunk texting his girl a woeful story of ska bars and forced wingman third wheel situations. hayden is happy to help a friend get a little lucky, but he would also like to partake in the finer things in life. the finest piece just happens to be at least two hours out and irish car bombs just have this effect on hayden that he never remembers until he’s wandering the city looking for his favorite burger joint.

          once his hunger is satisfied, hayden finds himself looking for other ways to indulgently distract himself from how much he misses andy. there is a spark of resentment for his future mother-in law; she’s never approved of his existence in either of her children’s lives and hayden can’t help but feel like trash when he’s excluded. the night air chills his skin through his jacket as he navigates his way toward his buddy ronny’s place. clumsy fingers text familiar coded language to negotiate the purchase of a zip. after the exchange of money for goods transpires, hayden is invited for a little smoke shesh and, since ronny is a cool dude, hayden accepts the invitation. he spends over twenty minutes petting ginger, a fat orange cat that apparently just showed up one day and never left. so that’s how you get a cat!

           he thinks it’s fate when ginger follows him down the street until he turns around and sees his fluffy rear end disappear into a nearby dumpster. hayden’s next stop is a nearby convenience store where he buys a handful of swisher sweets and some purel to wash away ginger the garbage cat residue. finally, hayden slides onto one of his favorite park benches. slender fingers make quick, if not messy, work to dispose of the unwanted tobacco in favor of freshly ground herb. thanks to his pal ronny, hayden is the proud owner of a travelling grinder. or a travel sized grinder. either works but one makes hayden feel like he’s on an adventure. slick tongue tingles as hayden seals the blunt. with one end tucked between his lips, hayden cups his hand to block the lighter’s flame from the night breeze as he take a few quick puffs, savoring the sweet grap flavor. soon hayden is joined by some guys he recognizes from weekend pick up games. 

❛       swallowed  by  a  vicious  ,  vengeful  sea  --  darker  days  are  raining  over  me        ❜

@driftingrose​ said:  'I just want to be the girlfriend you deserve.'

            hayden doesn’t remember the last time he’s spent more than six hours apart from andy. from writing the album to touring they have been side by side for the past twelve months. so when andy’s friends invited her to go on a week long trip to the carribean, hayden didn’t even complain. not that he needs space or time away from andy; he merely loves her too much to begrudge her a good time. besides, he is a fully grown man who can keep himself occupied while his girlfriend is away for a week. it’s not as if every cell in his body is magnetized to her or anything. the first couple days go well; the writing bug bites and he spends a whole day writing and laying down rudimentary melodies to play for andy when she comes home. hayden invites eric over for some beers and they tool around in the makeshift studio he’s erected in andy’s absence. it’s almost as if andy isn’t gone. almost.

           the unpleasant reality is that hayden is only half of himself without andy. he forgets the little things. that’s where andy comes in, letting him know his zipper is down, or if he’s got food in his teeth --to spit out his gum before he falls asleep. when he wakes up in the morning, he knows something is off. his hair is glued to the pillowcase, its weight proving too much for dark tresses to lift. the gum is matted against his scalp, unyielding despite all of his attempted home remedies. his last resort is a pair of scissors and borrowed hair clippers. hayden fights tears as locks of dark curls fall into the bathroom sink, disgust for himself has his eyes focused on anywhere but at his reflection. what was andy going to say when he picked her up at the airport? the final day is a blur as hayden makes sure the house is as she left it; no signs of his short suffered bachelor life in sight. 

          hayden has spent the majority of his day attempting to solve the mystery of why andy is ignoring him. it was harder to keep tabs a few years ago when they only shared one class, but now they have at least two classes together but in music theory she exchanged her normal seat next to him with alex dunbar, who is a far less appealing lab partner. she didn’t even look at him in their classical music lecture, which is usually filled with amusing facial expressions of sheer boredom. andy’s resolve is iron strong and hayden knows if he is going to get any answers, he is going to have to do some digging. 

          his first witness is teddy, who knows just as much as hayden and informed him that andy has been rushing through dinner since monday night and she even turned him down when he invited her to the skate park on tuesday. what teddy could tell hayden is that macy vanness saw andy crying before badminton. macy didn’t have much more to offer hayden except that andy excused herself from PE in order to study for an exam hayden is sure she took the week before. hayden wants to corner her before she can flee campus, but coach reminds him that practice starts at 1645 sharp if he wants to play in saturday’s game --meaning there was no chance hayden will get away with skipping.

          the confusion of the day’s sleuthing has led hayden to drastic measures, hoping whatever sparked this cold front has nothing to do with himself. once hayden parks carefully parallel to the adler’s home, with appropriate distance from teddy’s car, he strides up the walkway to ring the doorbell. apprehension for the opened door is relieved when teddy answers, wrapping him in a hug with a whispered, “good luck buddy, i hope you brought a jacket because it’s frosty up there.” blue gray eyes trail up the staircase where andy must have retreated into her bedroom. 

          hayden is greeted with the darkness, the only light provided by the cracks between her curtains illuminates enough for hayden to see the small lump of andy cocooned in her bed. a frown tugs at the corners of his mouth as he closes the door behind him, “andy?” there is no response and he can’t be sure if she is asleep or ignoring him to the bitter end. hesitant steps lead him to the edge of her bed where he teeters between his options: accept the cold shoulder and join teddy in whatever he has planned (difficulty level: easy), or he can climb into bed with andy to comfort her until she feels safe enough to tell him what is going on inside her brain (difficulty level: expert).

          “what a beautiful couple.” hazel eyes fixate on the genuine happiness radiating from andy’s smile. an announcement of her impending marriage graces the fifth page and hayden’s stomach turns at the thought that this could be his last chance to tell her how he feels. folding the newspaper, hayden stashes it under the passenger side seat. it has been five years since hayden has been to his home --five years since he lost his best friend. five years since he’s seen the love of his life. hayden has filled the time building his career; his band is successful, they’ve just finished a tour and are taking some time off and for hayden it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. for the past year he has been following andrea’s engagement --along with the rest of their hometown. apparently marrying some fancy Los Angeles Doctor is big time news. 

             the sun shines through his windshield as he turns into the parking garage and hayden pulls up to the ticket machine, leaning out of his window the pluck a small stub. finding a spot is easy enough and hayden makes quick work of parking. looking in the rear view mirror, hayden adjusts his curls, suddenly nervous to put in motion his big plan. it is not every day you attempt to break up an engagement and while there is no apprehension (he believes he is doing the right thing) there is doubt that andy will do anything besides kick him to the curb as soon as she opens her hotel room door. the chirp of the car alarm echoes in the empty garage as hayden makes his way to the elevator. his mom had texted him the information on where andy was staying and it wasn’t too hard to get her room number from the girls at the front desk --they were friends in high school and he’s here with a wedding surprise. a few autographs later, and hayden is making his way to the elevator.  

@driftingrose​ said:  “You belong to me”

          valentine’s day has become their holiday. in the beginning of their relationship, hayden had to be reminded that the holiday was even a thing. luckily, not only is valentine’s day       A THING, its celebration is mandatory. after six years, hayden has the valentine’s day celebration down to a t. they started their morning with the joining of their bodies, followed by breakfast in bed --his signature vegan pancakes with homemade tofu bacon and sliced strawberries. the life of two famous musicians can be hectic. it can take a monuments effort to carve out an hour of quality time. fortunately, hayden not only demanded the day off, but also the day before and after, in order to fully satisfy both of their needs for one another. 

           they’re now both showered and fully dressed, ready for whatever andy has planned for the first half of their day --hayden requested the evening for his own romantic plans. they stand in the living room of their apartment, locked in each other’s embrace, noses nuzzled together as their lips lazily exchange soft kisses. “of course i do, babe,” hayden tightens the grip he has on andy adding a little heat to their smooching, “and you’re all mine.”