Look At You Now (Ray x Reader)

Second Thoughts

you all left your flat and made your way to a near by bar. you found a booth and sat in the middle while the guys squeezed in, ray and frank went on either side of you. you didn't know what franks problem was but he was either rather cold or mean to you or really nice and touchy. no in-between. tonight seemed to be a touchy night and by the look of rays face he wasn't overly pleased. Mikey was sent up to the bar to order everyone's drinks and gerard started explaining the conditions of the band.

"so... we are at the recording studio from early in the morning to late at night, sometimes we sleep over if we're behind." you nod "we don't party when we're touring, most of the time we stay in our hotel room and play video games" you nod "if you have a problem with anyone in the band it should be sorted before we enter the recording studio or it should be put on hold until we're out" you nod "oh! and uh... another thing... we're based in new jersey so... you'd have to come back to the states with us" what.

okay so maybe saying yes before hearing terms and conditions wasn't the smartest idea on your part... there was no way you could just pack up and leave scotland like that-

"we fly home tomorrow night..."

TOMORROW NIGHT?! right you weren't even ready to leave in a week never mind tomorrow... was being a bassist worth leaving everything you know and love behind? what about your family? what about Connor? that idiot couldn't take care of himself without you. safe to say you were beginning to have second thoughts.

"oh i uh- uhm i don't know... tomorrow night? that's... that's really sudden" you stuttered, gerard gave you a small smile and placed his hand on top of yours to comfort you

"it's your choice... if you don't feel like you can leave then please don't feel pressured to" you smiled at his words and both frank and ray tensed up slightly at gerard holding your hand, weird.

"i... i need to make a phone call" ray moved and you quickly hurried out the booth and outside the pub to call Connor, if anyone knew what to say to make you feel better it was him.

*ring ring*

...

*ring ring*

Connor: (Y/n)! have you just woken up?

(Y/n): Connor don't speak just listen. i have just been offered the opportunity of a lifetime...

Connor: okay...

(Y/n): i don't think i can take it... it's a bassist position in a band...

Connor: (Y/n)! that's amazing! what do you mean you don't think you can do it? this could be your chance to get big

(Y/n): Connor! just shut up and listen!... they want me to move to america...

Connor when silent for a minute but it felt like hours. when he finally spoke it sounded like he was holding back tears.

Connor: well what are you waiting for... pack your bags... you're gonna live your dream even if that means you have to leave sunny scotland behind

you don't know why but his words made your eyes water and you felt a lump in your throat

(Y/n): i'll phone you everyday...

Connor: just don't forget me when you're famous...

you both laughed a bit and you wiped the singular tear that fell from your eye, Connors words made you feel slightly more confident in your decision, this was it... you had dreamed of being in a band since you were fifteen and here was the perfect opportunity. As you were trying to gather your emotions you felt a hand on your shoulder, when you looked up you say ray with a worried look on his face.

"are you alright? i'm sorry if Gerard caught you off guard by asking you to come with us... if money is a problem we could cover your plane ticket.. and you could stay with one of us until your on your feet..." he tried comforting you but to be fully honest you weren't really listening, all you could focus on was his face, if only scotland produced men as fine as this man. "(Y/n)? you still alive in there?" ray snapped you out of it and you nodded.

"i think i'm gonna do it ray... i'll pack my bags but... tomorrow i need to say goodbye to everyone" when you said everyone all you really meant was Connor, your family didn't have much contact with you and wouldn't probably notice if you left but Connor... you and him were inseparable, it would be like leaving your brother to fend for himself

"if it doesn't work out you can always come back" ray said, well it's not really that easy to just 'come back' since you'd be leaving your job behind meaning you'd have to quit and getting a job with minimal qualifications is a harder task than you'd think, even McDonald's wants you to have some sort of qualification behind you these days.

"...sure ray" you chuckle "it's really that simple but i know you're trying to help... like i said i'm gonna give it a go but i need to see Connor" ray tilted his head slightly and tried to sound unbothered by the mention of another guy in your life

"oh and uh... who's Connor? that guy you were with at the bar?" he questioned awkwardly, you nodded and he stayed quiet for a bit before blurting out "is he your boyfriend?" you couldn't help but laugh at his question although he didn't seem to find anything funny

"no no he's not, let's just say i'm definitely NOT Connors type" you explained while emphasising the 'not' Ray seemed to understand and let out a little sigh of relief but you played dumb and pretended not to notice.

"shall we head back inside and enjoy our night? i mean after all we're here to celebrate you joining the band and if you're out here all night who are we gonna celebrate" ray joked patting your head, he seemed to love this height difference you guys had going on and would do stupid little gestures like these at any moment he could.

You pushed him away playfully and fixed your hair "fuck off dude i'm not a puppy!" you laughed. Ray chuckled and you both walked back into the bar and took a seat at the booth with the guys again. Gerard looked at you with apologetic eyes as if it were his words that had hurt you but you smiled at him as reassurance and took a sip of your drink.

"so... the verdict?" frank spoke up looking at you "can you come to jersey? it's like the best state in america so it's a privilege if you think about it" he continued, this man has a lot of jersey pride and it practically oozes off him

"i need to say goodbye to my friend and pack my bags... plus i'll need to buy a plane ticket won't i" you said pulling out your notebook and writing down a checklist of things to be done before tomorrow night.

"we can cover your plane ticket (Y/n), although you may have to chip in when it comes to luggage since you'll have to bring your bass and amp" Gerard said happily

"we travel America a lot on the road, coming to the UK was like a one time off kinda thing and it just so happened we came here" Mikey chimed in with an excited smile "guess our luck is really changing" he added on before taking a sip of his drink.

"so... we've got as far as... im the bassist." you pointed out with an eyebrow raised "care to share your roles in the band?"

"oh shit yeah i forgot about that part" Gerard said while face palming himself "i sing" he said simply

"i play guitar" Frank grinned

"well so do i knuckle head, tell her what guitar role you play" ray said smacking the back of franks head softly

"jeez okay!- i play rhythm guitar." he pouted while crossing his arms, he really was like rays kid or something, although he was the closest to you in age so you felt sooner or later you guys were bound to become good friends

"i play drums!" Mikey exclaimed, he was a pretty slim guy so it was hard to imagine him on drums but you were sure he was amazingly skilled.

"and i'm the lead guitarist" said Ray. he had a warm smile plastered on his face and it was practically impossible to look away.

Now you knew everyone's role you began turning your attention to writing your checklist, you needed to clean the apartment, put holidays in for your job since you didn't feel comfortable sacking it in just yet, meet Connor somewhere for a coffee and so many other things you were certain tomorrow was gonna be the most stressful day of your life.

But hey, this is your dream right? it's gotta be worth it in the end.