Die In California

32

Rook's POV:

Devyn's birthday was a success, and probably the best thing I'd ever pulled off. The loud, natural laughter the night before, the smile on her face as she wandered around the zoo, the little gasps as she saw an animal she particularly liked. It was all so much better than any tour I'd been on.

I couldn't stop myself from watching her sway through the crowds of Kells' friends at her birthday party. She had the biggest smile on her lipstick-red lips, a laugh sounding over her playlist that was booming from the amplifiers we'd hooked up. She was in her element, despite not knowing the majority of people in the function room. Devyn was walking with an air off sass (and sexiness of course), and you'd have never known that she was in a hospital room a few months ago, walking on a fine line. She'd made so much progress, she was unbelievable.

Throughout the show on the night of her birthday, Devyn stood by the sidelines, a huge smile on her face. I'd never seen her any more herself than when she was on the side of the stage, her body elegantly moving in time to the music. Our music. She was singing our lyrics loudly with Casie, the two of them tightly holding hands and swinging their arms between them as they danced. Devyn was so carefree, a completely different person to the girl she was a few months ago.

After our show, we headed backstage to grab drinks, Kells rolling a blunt as we all took it in turns to shower the sweat away. I changed into some biker jeans I'd found in the bottom of my bag, along with a black Lace-Up t-shirt and a sleeveless vest jacket, styling my hair up in a quiff. I told myself that I was doing it because I enjoyed my hair being out of my face for a change, but deep down I knew that it was because it was Devyn's favourite hairstyle on me. But I'd never admit that to anyone.

Once everyone was ready, we headed out to an outdoor restaurant about half an hour from the hotel for Devyn's second birthday meal. It was pretty dark out due to being late after the show, meaning the lights around the courtyard created an atmospheric glow, a sense of ease flowing through the restaurant. The tables were for two, so we all sat at ones that were set out in rows by the long fireplace, receiving a hint of heat from the flames every now and then.

"Have you had a nice day?" I asked Devyn over our meals - Devyn's pasta dish, and my salmon. She looked up at me with a smile, the warm orange reflection of the candle between us dancing in the sea of blue in her eyes. 
"I have. Thank you." She looked down with a slight blush, her brown waves falling down to shield her from me. I longed to push the brunette strands back behind her ear, to skim my thumb across her soft, rosy cheek, but I knew that we still had boundaries - despite having let all of our walls down for a night. I had to be patient.

Devyn seemed to be in her element as she laughed along with our friends, occasionally sipping from her glass of the finest white wine - courtesy of Baze. She was wearing black skinny jeans with rips in the knees, along with a black cropped bustier that did nothing but accentuate her figure, and a black leather jacket that she had over her shoulders - now draped over the back of her chair. She looked gorgeous, much like she did last night, and I often found my eyes drifting back over to her, admiring her in her golden glow.

"That's beautiful!" Ashleigh gasped as she grabbed Devyn's hand in hers, admiring the silver Tiffany bracelet on her wrist as it caught the light perfectly, shining like her smile. 
"Thank you." Devyn smiled, momentarily glancing at me as I sipped from my pint. I didn't know whether she wanted to highlight the awkward relationship status between us (we weren't exactly dating, but after last night I'd say we weren't just old friends), knowing that we'd be teased, or the guys would jump to conclusions. So I let her take the lead, watching her smile down at her bracelet, Ashleigh surprisingly not pressing the matter further - for which we both relieved.