There's No Coldness In California (Patrick Stump/FOB Imagine Short Story)

Part 12

Patrick speeds down the streets of Chicago, anger boiling up inside of him as he weaves in and out of lanes, growing irritated with drivers obeying the speed limit. Miraculously not getting pulled over, the singer arrives at the one place he knows he won't be turned away from. At least, he hopes so.

He swings into the driveway and jumps out of the car, storming up the walkway and pounding on the door. He takes a step back, his foot tapping incessantly as he impatiently waits for the door to be answered. After a few seconds pass by, he knocks again. "Come on! Open up!" He shouts, his voice faltering in tone as he tries to sound less angry. "Please?" He adds meekly.

The door opens after another few seconds slip by, the person in the doorway crossing their arms over their chest and raising an eyebrow. "Please?"

"I'm sorry," He reiterates the phrase he's been saying more than ever since he returned to Chicago, pushing his fingers through his hair, "I just, I didn't know where else to go."

"What are you doing here, Patrick?"

He heaves a sigh and shakes his head. "I just, I really need a friend right now. Everyone else hates me."

She giggles. "I'm not surprised."

Patrick scoffs. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You didn't actually think you could get away with what you were doing, did you?" She asks him, retreating back into her home and Patrick following after her, "I mean, you were sleeping with that producer when you were still with (Y/N). What did you think was going to happen?"

Your boyfriend's cheeks grow red in embarrassment, closing the door behind him. "I don't know. I didn't think things would happen like this."

"What happened?" She pulled out two glasses and filled them with water, handing one to Patrick.

He takes the glass into his possession and takes a sip. "(Y/N) and I had a fight, and she pretty much told me to leave."

Elisa laughs and sips her drink. "Finally."

The singer's lips curl down into a frown and he sets the glass down on the counter. "You know, you can at least try and act sympathetic for me."

"Why? It's your fault that your girlfriend came to her senses. I mean, she was bound to find out sooner or later. You're not a nobody, Patrick. You're Patrick Stump and even though you're not in Fall Out Boy anymore, people still know who you are. Besides, it's not like you guys even loved each other anymore, right?"

"No..."

"Yeah, Patrick, that's why you cheated on her," Elisa replies sarcastically.

"I made a mistake!"

"More than once," She tacks on. He glares at her, causing her to shrug her shoulders. "Patrick, I don't know what you want me to tell you. You lost all your money. You cheated on your girlfriend. You let down your daughter. Do you want me to tell you that everything you've done is okay?"

Patrick's chest tightens, and his throat swells up. "I just want you to tell me that I can stay here for a day or two, until I figure things out."

The dance teacher takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I don't know, Patrick...your girlfriend and daughter are kind of starting to grow on me, even though they have no sense of time management. I feel like if I let you stay here, I'd be betraying them."

"Elisa, you're my friend, my best friend. Come on, you've got to let me stay here."

*****

Later that same day, Pete's in Patrick's position, cruising down the now deserted streets with his headlights cutting through the darkness and illuminating the stretch of road before him. The radio in his car is down low and Gabby's in the backseat, the booster seat he always has for her failing to keep her in as she leans to the side, her eyes closed and her lips are slightly parted, a trail of drool coming from the corner of her mouth. Pete smiles and shakes his head, returning his attention to the road and finishing his trip to yours and Patrick's house.

Once he's there, he turns the car off and gets Gabby out of her seat, holding the sleeping girl in his arms as he walks up to the front door. He knocks on the door, only for it to slowly swing in, the door not even closed.

His eyebrows knit together, concern washing over him. "(Y/N)?" He calls out, his voice shaky and tainted with worry.

"In here," A soft voice replies to him. He walks into the kitchen where he sees you sitting at the island, your finger trailing along the lip of an empty glass of wine with a haze in your eyes. Beside you are two empty bottles of wine, and on the floor, the scattered remnants of a broken wine glass.

"Hey, you never called me," He comments, taking note of these little things and approaching the other side of the island, where he starts to sway side to side to keep your daughter asleep.

"Sorry," You apologize indifferently, refusing to meet his gaze, "I forgot."

"So what happened?" He inquires, "Where's Patrick?"

You heave a sigh and tilt over the empty wine glass, the cup bouncing on the counter a few times before settling. "Well, I told him to go back to California, and he did."

Pete's face drops. "Wait, what? I thought you were going to fix things."

"I wanted to," You begin to explain, folding your arms over your chest, "But I just went off on him and...and he told me that he was considering leaving Gabby and me for that whore in L.A and...and I told him he wasn't wanted here and to just go back."

"(Y/N)..."

"It's okay, Pete. I mean, really." You walk up to him and hold your arms out, wordlessly asking him for your daughter. He hesitates, wondering whether or not you're sober enough to hold your daughter. You drop your arms to your sides, the tears you thought you'd entirely shed returning to your eyes and your lip starting to quiver. "No, it's not okay, Pete. I-I didn't want him to leave. I didn't m-m-mean the things I said to him. I-"

Pete sets Gabby who's woken up a little bit down on the floor and pulls you into a hug. You immediately break down in his arms.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, (Y/N)," He tries to assure you, rubbing your back comfortingly and holding you close as you sob into his shoulder, "It's going to be okay."