The Wedding

Banana Pancakes

I let you wait, I'm sorry, but I finally handed in my application and I'm a free elf now!
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Lockwood's POV:

I had been waiting for this moment for months. Lucy in my arms, my hand in her soft wavy hair and flower petals all around us. Letting her go seemed to be impossible, every time our lips separated I pulled her back into the kiss. And she let me.
Eventually I stopped kissing her and just looked at her. She was so beautiful with her hazel eyes looking at me.
"Do you want to go back inside?" I asked while wiping a strand of hair behind her ear.
She laughed, "No?"
I grinned, "We could dance a little more."
"You know that I'm a bad dancer." she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah", I kissed her hand, "That is indeed true, but I'd do anything to wrap my arms around your waist."
Lucy's cheeks went pink, "You're not holding back the flirting anymore, are you?"
"Why would I? I can finally say all the cheeky things that I wanted to." I winked.
"What would that be?"
I pulled her really close and whispered in her ear, "For example that your dress really pushes your cleavage and I'm having a hard time looking away."
Suddenly I felt her hand on my butt, "That was kind of the point."
I felt a tickle in my stomach, the urge to rip that stupid dress off her body became a bit too irresistible, so I brought some distance between us.
Luckily in this moment Susan passed us, "You guys are disgusting, can you lick each other's faces some place else?... Is that your hand on his butt? SERIOUSLY?"
I laughed, "Okay, time to go back in."
She didn't let go of my hand all the way back in, just like the day at the lake. I let her pull me, watched her strong shoulder muscles tense when she maneuvered us through the guests.
We arrived in the big hall where Benny suddenly jumped in our way,"Guys! I was looking for you, the band is on a short little break so we can eat, do you want to join us? We have a little room in the back."
"Yes!" Lucy smiled, "Yes, please, I'm tired of people getting in my way."
Benny led us through the crowd, behind the stage to a little room that seemed to hold more chairs and tables and now the bands' gear.
The rest of the band was already assembled and eating cake.
"Oi, Piper, is the acoustic guitar lying around there somewhere or did you leave it on the stage?" Benny asked a chubby girl with washed out pink hair.
"Dude, how do you always lose that? It's a guitar, it's not like it's small, y'know?" she answered with a deep voice.
I grinned, "So that hasn't changed either, huh?"
Benny rummaged around and pulled a maroon acoustic guitar out of a box. It was an overused thing, stickers all over it and all. At the back someone had drawn two big black letters, an A and an L.
"You kept it." was the only thing I could say. Immediately I could feel tears in my eyes, I tried my best to swallow them.
Benny smiled, wrinkles appeared around his black eyes, "Of course I did. In case you needed it back." he handed it to me.
Lucy frowned, "That's yours?"
I nodded silently while feeling the dark wood with all the stickers on it. Memories. So many of them. Of a time were things were tough, but okay.
"Jessica gave it to me when I was eight because I wouldn't leave hers alone." I finally explained.
A mixture of excitement, nostalgia and pain built up in me, it was as if my chest was bursting. I could see my sister's face in front of me, clear as a day, telling me to bugger off after stealing her ukulele again. Mum and Dad had brought it for her from a trip to Hawaii.
Then my 8th birthday, a big package. She had used up all the money she had saved for that one necklace she had been dreaming about just to get me that stupid guitar. It was the same day that the first sticker landed on it, she had peeled an orange and after the sticker from it wouldn't stay on my cheek she popped onto the wood.
I turned the instrument around and found it immediately, a penny sized blue and yellow one. I realized my hands were shaking.
"Locky, are you okay?" that was Benny's hand on my shoulder.
I took a deep breath, "Yes. Thank you, this means a lot. I see you added a few new ones. Stickers, I mean."
He chuckled, "Yeah, from all the gigs we had a sticker of the venue. I also played it from time to time to remember the good ol times, but now you can do that yerself."
Automatically my hand ran over the strings. I sat down next to Piper who smirked at me, then I started pulling a few strings, checking if it was well tuned. Of course it was, Benny had taken care of it after all.
It felt good, as if no time had passed at all. Which wasn't true of course, but I enjoyed the illusion while it lasted.
When I looked up my eyes met with Lucy's, she grinned her typical Carlyle grin. So I started playing my favorite acoustic song, Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson.

Well can't you see that it's just raining?
Ain't no need to go outside...
But, baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep you
From doing what you're supposed to.
Waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
Make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now

I smiled at her, she blushed. Cute.

And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just raining?
There ain't no need to go outside
But just maybe, laka ukulele
Momma made a baby
Really don't mind the practice
'Cause you're my little lady
Lady, lady, love me
'Cause I love to lay here lazy
We could close the curtains
Pretend like there's no world outside

"Damn boy, you can sing." Piper whistled.

And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just raining?
There ain't no need to go outside
Ain't no need, ain't no need, mmm, mmm,
Can't you see, can't you see?
Rain all day, and I don't mind

But the telephone is singing
Ringing
It's too early
Don't pick it up
We don't need to
We got everything
We need right here

Benny popped in for the bridge, he sang the lower voice. He had made a lot of progress with his singing.
We finished the song together, the rest of the band applauded, so did Lucy. There was something in her eyes that I couldn't quite place.
"Thanks Ben, I guess I'll start playing again." I caressed Jessica's orange sticker.
"No problem, Locky. It waited for you." he winked, "But now we have get back on stage."
They collected their things and one after the other left the room. I got up to do the same, but my (now finally real) girlfriend held me back and closed the door behind them.
"You, my friend," she wrapped a hand around my neck and slowly pulled me down to her, "made a big mistake."
I swallowed dryly. She still had that look in her eyes, scanning me as if she was about to eat me.
"What did I do?" I smiled nervously as she longed for my hand and pulled me against her body.
She kissed me, long and very provokingly, one hand slightly slipping under my shirt, the other one buried in my hair. My whole body tingled under her touch, I knew that it wouldn't take long for it to show in a very certain place. But it kind of felt like that was the point.
Eventually she stopped and focused me out fiery eyes, "You can't keep singing with your caramel voice all day and then expect me to be all cool about it. I will pay you back for that, just you wait." She  spun around on her heel and left the room. Just left.
It took me a second to understand what she just said.
Then I understood and from there I couldn't stop smiling.