#ohbells

“          Together I think that we can make it.  Come on let's  run!          ”                he says as he pulls up his hood over his head.  Danny glances back over his shoulder,  his smile   wide   as he meets her eyes before grabbing her hand and launching out into the rain.  The pair had snuck out to catch a bus out of town to an   open mic,  in a cafe what was supposed to have   agents and executives   lurking in back booths.  And Danny didn’t  regret  it in the slightest,  even is it lead to them sprinting through the rain in attempt to catch the bus that was about begin pulling out of the parking lot.  Even if they  m i s s e d  it and they had to call one of their parents  ...  it was worth it for the feeling on that stage.  It was worth it to sing in front of people,  to feel that thrill.  To get that business card that still felt  w a r m  in the pocket of his jeans. But  ...  he’d still rather  NOT  end up  grounded  for trying to reach his dreams.  So he runs  faster,  pulling Bella behind him,  barely reaching the bus door as it begins to   l u r c h   forward.

Danny’s fist comes down on the door in a few rapid knocks to catch the drivers attention,  his body visibly   r e l a x i n g   as the door opens and allows him to step up onto the bus.  His hand loosens and finally lets go of Bella’s as he walks up the   narrow   staircase,  pulling the bus pass print out to show the driver before making his way do the isle  to make a   beeline   for the back of the bus.  He shrugs off his guitar and settles it between his legs as he takes a seat in the back row,  his eyes moving to Bella as he smiles wide.               “          We   made it,          ”               he says,  relief in his voice as he slouches slightly in the seat.

But that's another story for another day.

“          Shit,  you did  NOT,         ”              he says,  awe in his voice as his mouth hangs open slightly at the content of the cart she pushes toward him.  Danny had a few days off of his tour,  so he’d come home.  To see his family as well as Bella.  Just because they’re not   together  anymore doesn’t mean they can’t  hang out,  right?  They’re part of each other’s lives.  They   have   to be.  You can’t go from being so much to   n o t h i n g   at all,  he refuses to believe so.  It wouldn’t be fair to either of them.  To anyone who has ever   loved   anyone,  but it just  ...  didn’t work out.  Not because someone fucked up,  or hurt the other  ...  but because sometimes other dreams mattered too.  Mattered  m o r e.  Or at least,  that’s what he’d continue to tell himself.

Brows raise slightly as he takes a step closer to the cart,  fingers wrapping around the metal grate as he leans over to peer in.  He shakes his head slightly before looking back up to her,  His smile turning   w i d e   as he replies,                 “          You never forget a   damn   thing,  do ya?       ”             It isn’t as though he’d  excepted  her   to forget anything.  It had been months,  sure.  But they’d known each other for far longer than that.  Her remembering his favorite snack combinations was  h a r d l y  impressive.  Except  ....  somehow it   was.  At least to him.  So he laughs and reaches down to puck up the bag of   Flammin’ Hot Funyons   and shake his head in amazement before holding the bag next to his face.                 “          This is one of the   MANY   reasons I’ll always   love   you,       ”               he says jokingly,  but his expression turns soft.

“         We say we're   friends,  we play   pretend ...      ”                 he says,  shaking his head.  Rubbing absently he searches for the right words,  and each option falling  f l a t.  He instantly regrets not deciding to go a little  bigger  with this.  Music had never failed him before,  why hadn’t he thought this was moment to showcase that?  Admittedly it may have been  too much  if he did,  but at least the words would come   o u t.  Instead his lips remain parted slightly, fingers press deeper into the back of his neck and he remains silent for   several  seconds too long. After a few seconds his eyes   f l i t   to her,  a light pink tinging his cheeks in a barely noticeable   f l u s h   before he glances away and breathes a single laugh.                 “         We   p r e t e n d ...      ”                 he repeats,  as if saying the words again he’ll get the clarity he so  desperately  needs in this moment.  Damn.  He really is  useless  without a guitar.

Flexing his jaw briefly he tilts his head back to look at the ceiling for a moment before he forces himself to meet her eyes again.               “         Fuck me,  this is harder than I thought,      ”          he   m u m b l e s   as he takes in a deep breath before forcing his eyes to lock on Bella’s with a ferocity they so very   rarely   held.                 “         We say we’re friends  ...  We pretend that’s   ALL   we are,      ”                he says,  his hand finally dropping from the back of his neck as he straightens his posture.  His tone is clear and   u n i q u e l y  serious as his attention settles fully on her,  even his nerves seeming to melt from his bones as he takes a slight step closer.                “         But that’s   not   all we are.  It’s   not   all we want  ...   At least it’s not all that   I   want.  And I like to think I know you well enough to know that you’re   holding back   as much as I am.      ”

bella  said   ♫   :       “      i just like hangin’ out with you all the time.       ”

“         that’s so   c h e e s y ,        ”                he replies,  but his smile widens in   amusement   as he slides a little closer to her along the counter.  his attention shifts from the   exaggerated   movement of nick’s hands as he recalls a story to the room of their recent tour,  danny no longer caring enough to   tag team   the storytelling like he typically would.  they’d been back in washington for a few days,  since their short thanksgiving break from tour hit.  they had a few days back home before they’d be setting off again,  and he’d spent just about  e v e r y  minute with bella.  sure,  the first twenty-four hours were primarily him  sleeping off   the cross country trip,  but he’d done so in her house.  much to her dad’s   e x a s p e r a t i o n .   however,  charlie had always liked him well enough,  so it wasn’t really a pressing issue.

bella  said  ♡  :           “     i’ve  spent  the  night  cryin’  on  the  floor  of  my  bathroom     ”

“       yeah,  thought so.  well get   off   the floor,       ”        emery replies easily,  popping her earbuds in so she can stay on the phone easily before dropping it onto her bed and walking towards her closet.  she   p u r s e s   her lips slightly as as she pulls open the double doors,  instantly   u n s u r e   of what her plan for the day will even entail.  her mind working a mile a minute she begins to to shift through options of things to do to bring her friend out of the  rut  she’d found herself in.  as with   m o s t   friendships,  she hand an arsenal of options in place.  she just had to decide which would be the most  ...  appropriate.  she’s only quiet for a another beat before the plan cements on her mind and she grabs the appropriate shirt.        “      i’m coming over,  and we’re going on an   a d v e n t u r e ,        ”        she says easily as she tosses the crop top onto her bed before seeking out her jeans.        “      if you’re not   dressed   when i get there you’re going out in whatever you’ve got on,  coming isn’t   r e a l l y   an option.       ”

asked for a    netflix starter ♡    based on  virgin river season 1 ep 1.  

“     thank you for  ....   well   e v e r y t h i n g,       ”       emery says, an attempt at a smile on her lips as she takes the offered blanket from bella and   hugs   it to her chest.  she’s a little   wobbly   at her feet,  so she decides to follow her body’s lead and sit on the couch behind her,  the fabric already covered by a thin sheet,  pillows situated for her to sleep.  she doesn’t   dare    glance to towards the tv that had been turned off minutes before,  knowing she’d see her reflection.  she could feel the   t e n d e r n e s s   around her eyes,  still   stinging   from the tears of the evening that had lead her here.  to her friend’s place,  in the middle of the night.  pulling her away from whatever she’d been doing.  emery’s arms tighten slightly around the blanket before leaning back into the couch and   slouching   into it.  despite the way her eyes began to sting again with a renewed round of tears,  she forces a   w r y   smile to her lips as she raises her brows to bella and adds,         “       but   m o s t l y   thanks for the whiskey.       ”

it was   partially   a joke,   p a r t i a l l y   the truth.  when she’d appeared with a backpack with   just   enough of her belongings to last a few nights away,  she’d been unable to get out much about her breakup until she downed  f a r  more than a shot in one drink. emery looks away as she drops the show of a smile to place the blanket on the couch beside her before reaching to carefully catch the   fresh   tears at the corners of her eyes with fingers with a sigh.  she wasn’t sure why she was bothering,  her makeup having been   l o n g   ruined anyways.         “       FUCK,  i need to stop  c r y i n g ,       ”         she sighs before tilting her head back against the couch with a mix between a sigh and a   laugh.