Requested by burdybaby (I hope this will go along with what you're looking for... I've had this idea in my head for awhile. Thank you, everyone, SO MUCH for the views, and I'm sorry these requests are taking so long!)
You stood on the corner of the sidewalk, facing the small store, peering through the multicolored blur of indiscriminate passer-bys in search of none other than your dearly beloved boyfriend, Eric. He had gone out to run a few errands for his father after getting off work not too long ago. As per usual, you were waiting for him faithfully.
It didn't take long before his familiar figure stepped out the doorway, clutching a bag. You raced over to him, his eyes becoming alight with excitement when he caught sight of you.
"Eric!" you squealed, engulfing his frame into a hug.
"You're acting like you haven't seen me for months." he chuckled in a low voice, patting your back warmly.
After parting from the embrace, you and Eric began to walk, hand in hand, over to his father's flat. This was quite routine for the both of you, however, when you took a glance up at him, you noticed that Eric seemed to be in an especially melancholy mood. He must have noticed your prolonged stare of concern, but remained silent up until you set foot into the musty building the elder Mr. Burdon inhabited.
You two took the usual trod up the many winding flights of creaky stairs, down the dim hallway, and over to room 221. Eric twisted the glistening golden key into the narrow hole, and pushed the heavy door, painted a dull shade of red, open.
The dark, cold, drably decorated room was exactly the same as you remembered it from your last visit. You helped Eric put away the groceries, not once breaking the silence that hung heavily in the air. Once this task was complete, he sighed quietly and trudged over to the bedroom where his father lay, you padding along behind him.
The old man looked especially frail today, of the many times you had visited him. He lay motionless in the bed, beneath the dingy sheets that had been tucked up to his bony chin.
"Eric..." he gave a thin smile upon seeing his son, "And I see you've brought your girl... the lovely miss... miss..." Mr. Burdon began to fumble. He had never been able to recall your name, but he was very kind-hearted, and you weren't upset in the least. After all, it's not like he could help it.
"Y/N." you corrected gently.
"Ah... what a beautiful name." the old man sighed.
"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Eric complimented, to which you blushed. There was another lingering silence, until Eric finally piped up, "Is there anything you need, dad?".
"No, son, I'll be alright. Thank you for everything... now, you two stay out of trouble, m'kay?" the man produced another weak grin.
"We will."Eric stated bluntly, seemingly having returned to his miserable mood.
As soon as the two of you set foot outside of the room, you turned to Eric.
"Are you sure everything's alright?" you questioned, your deep concern apparent.
"Well... why don't you sit down, first?" Eric suggested, pulling out one of the chairs out at the small dining room table for you. This caused you to feel a sudden pang of nerves. What could he have meant by that? You figured it couldn't be good news. Nonetheless, you sat down, swiping your quickly dampening palms flat across your shins, the anxiety that hung in the air palpable.
"I'll just flat out state it, love... I... I quit my job." he sighed out, raising a hand to wipe his brow as his dark gaze bore into you, rich with worry. There were a few moments of silence as your own eyes searched his in wonder, seeking an answer. His job, more specifically, the money that came with it, had been supporting not only himself, but you and his father. To suddenly quit with little prior warning was nothing short of a major alarm.
"Silence is better than an outburst, I suppose... but do allow me to explain." Eric stated in a mild, hushed voice, reaching his hands out across the finely-notched wood of the table to hold yours reassuringly.
"Go on." you nodded encouragingly, although now in a less frantic state of mind you were able to gather some ideas as to what motivated his decision, the lingering thoughts never straying, as if patiently waiting to be confirmed or disproven.
"Well, I don't know where to begin, really, if I'm to be honest. I had just been... thinking about it, y'know? Not seriously at first, I mean, everybody gets the thought of leaving it all behind when it's Monday and the first thing you do in the morning is to punch God knows how many holes into a piece of sheet metal. But one night, it dawned on me. My father worked the same job as I do... and look what became of him. I don't want to end up a slave to the industry, slowly draining myself of my being with each and every passing day." he paused to let out a long-winded sigh. You remained silent, contemplating a response, when you noticed that the tense expression plastered across his face had significantly softened. The corners of his lips turned upwards as he squeezed your outstretched hands affectionately, a glimmer of hope seeming to form in his kind eyes.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you... happily. Not worried, not breaking my back to earn a meager wage, just... spending time and sharing fond memories with the love of my life." Eric confessed, to which you grinned.
"And I'd dream of nothing more." you admitted, the words you had been searching for finally revealing themselves at last, "As long as we have each other, I know it'll work out.".
"Don't worry, I've already given the want ads the old once-over." he winked in response, to which you giggled, the two of you getting up to share a walk in the cool of the evening. Leaving the building behind, stepping into the familiar murky blue haze of the city after sunset, you both strolled on, arm in arm, shoes clicking along the well-worn sidewalk, as happy as could be, with every step reaching towards a new life together.
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Musician Imagines
FanfictionImagines for musicians from the sixties to the eighties.
