Anything (Van McCann | CATB Fan Fiction)

28. Heathrow Airport, London

|Van|

My heart was hammering when my car neared Heathrow. It has been months since I last saw Vienna and fuck, I could not believe I was finally going to see her again. Her absence made my headspace clear. And I have decided that to lay it out there, throw my heart at her feet, and hope that Vienna wont tear it into tiny pieces.

Of course, I could only picture myself doing all that in my head. I wished I have the guts to tell her how I really feel.

Vienna did ask for some time. I kept my word and gave her all the time that she needed. With her deciding to come back and work with my band again, it sorta gave me hope. I was almost sure that her return was not only for the band, but, it was because of me too.

I had to breathe out of my mouth when I finally arrived at the arrival gate. My fingers had subconsciously been fondling on a leather necklace that was tied around my left wrist. They were Vienna's and she had given me those when we were in Vegas because she wanted me to remember her always. Truth be told, I didn't need the bracelet or strings to remind me of her. She was already permanently etched in my mind like a tattoo.

I looked up at the information screen which indicated that her flight has arrived. This was it. All or nothing.

When Vienna finally appeared behind the automatic door, my heart raced even faster. There she was, walking towards me, with a breathtaking smile plastered on her sweet face. Her eyes were a tranquil shade of brown with a little bit of green, alive and warm, just like how I remembered them. How could I possibly say no to those eyes? Her cheeks were flushed, like she was nervous to see me too. She continued to pushed her trolley until she was just a few feet away from me.

"Hello there," I smiled widely. I was so happy to see her again that I just could not contain my emotions. If it was up to me, I'd throw myself at her so I didn't have to wait any longer to hold her again, but I had to control myself or she'd think I'm insane.

"Hey you," she smiled back, biting her lower lip, throwing her hand out for a hug to which I gladly accepted. It felt absolutely nice to hold her so close again that I happily sighed. She still had that sweet, candy shop scent on her, which I loved so much and her hair was soft and clean that I just could not resist myself from running my fingers in them. Christ, I missed her so fucking much.

"How was your flight?" I asked her while making our way back to the car as I pushed her trolley down the pavement.

"It was okay. Sat next to a snoring man. Had to put my music on full blast," she giggled, staring at me like she was analyzing something that was on my face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Oh," she giggled. "Your hair. It's... different. You lose your bangs."

"It did!" I chuckled, amused that she noticed that minor detail about me. "Too lazy to cut it."

"You should leave it alone. I kinda like how it is now," she muttered, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. Her face suddenly turned bright red when she realized that she just made a comment about my hair. That made me laughed.

"If you say so, ma'am. Not gonna cut it then," I winked at her.

"I mean, you can do whatever you want with your hair, Van. It is your hair. I mean..." she panicked which made me laughed even harder.

"Hey, relax," I gestured at her, pulling her waist closer to me with one hand as I pushed down a trolley with the other. "I like that you cared so much about my hair," I teased. Placing my hand around her waist made me realized how tiny her frame felt. Far tinier than I remembered.

"You... lost a lot of weight," I told her although I hoped it didn't come off as an insult. "Everything okay?"

"Everything is A-Okay," she murmured. I knew she was lying but I decided not to push my questions any further. I'd hate to make her uncomfortable. But I couldn't help but wonder if Seth had anything to do with it.

The ride home to my flat was great - Vienna was telling me everything about how New York has been and how she had just done touring with another band across the States. It mesmerized me to see her talk non-stop, like she was excited to tell me everything about her life.

When we were nearing my flat, I noticed that Vienna was starring at me like she was scrutinizing something. I wasn't sure why until I realized that I was quietly singing a song that I just wrote.

"One of your own?" She asked. She almost seemed embarrassed for asking, like she had done it without thinking again. I nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. It's not finished yet. Maybe that's why it's stuck in my head," I told her.

"She seems important to you," she asked, suddenly inquisitive. "Does she mean something?"

Her question caught me off guard, as did her insight. And her concern. Most girls didn't notice my lyrics when they were around me. "Huh," was all I could come up with to say.
Of course, that wasn't enough for her. "You just sang about wanting everything at once and how she blew your mind... I mean, most of your songs are about one particular person," she asked, her voice timid.

In that one simple sentence, I could almost hear her begging for me to open up to her, wondering if I was singing about somebody else.

With a warm, carefree smile, I told her, "No one's ever cared to ask about my lyrics before. Well, no one outside the band or media, that is." I paused, wondering if I wanted to crack open the confession door just yet.

I'm singing about you, Vienna.

"Well, uhm..." I murmured, looking over at her. She blinked and turned my way, her eyes wide.
"We are here. This is my flat." That was not exactly what I wanted to say, but, I had foolishly said it.

Vienna looked disappointed when she realized that I was not opening up to her, which pained my heart a little. "Right," she murmured, tucking in her hair, eyes down to her feet.

Man up, Van! Man up!

I forced myself to gather every ounce of confidence and courage in me to tell Vienna how I really felt.

"I'm.... I'm glad you're here," I grabbed her hand in time before she stepped out of the car.

Surprised, Vienna turned to look at me again. She was smiling warmly when she heard I said it. Her instant relief was almost palpable. "Me too, Van."

"Have you been thinking about the thing that we last talked about?" I finally asked.

"What thing?" She playfully asked, shaking her head, holding in a laughter.

"You know, the thing we talked about in Vegas...." I pushed my luck.

"I need help with my bags," she laughed, quickly placing a kiss on my cheek before she exited the car.

Oh, this girl's a playful one, I'd say.

Hi guys! I'm back for a short update! I miss this story so much!!!