Not without your Flaws- A Bastille Fanfiction

CHAPTER III-We Make Our Agreements

PART I

It was the morning and you could hear muffled voices from across the landing. Finding your way out of the small, messy bedroom you wandered to the room at the end of the hallway and sat on the sofa. Ralph walked in about a minute after you carrying to cups, smiling warmly at you. Sitting down beside you, he said "I wasn't sure if you were a coffee or a tea kinda person, so I went for the opposite of what I drink. Coffee for you, tea for me" You took it graciously, glad of the hydration that would soon wash over you after the abnormally boiling night it had been. "Good guess! Thanks."  The heat somewhat burnt your hands and you rested the cup on the small table to the side, waiting for it to cool down. 

Dan strode into the room, smirking as per usual. "I've just gotten off the phone with Chris." was all he said, sitting down beside you and pulling you into his chest. No one said anything because you were all waiting for Dan to continue, but he didn't. Ralph then spoke "Chris?"  He nodded and continued doing what he was doing. A little frustrated, you pulled away from his chest and sat looking at him for a while. "For Heaven's sake Daniel! You've got to give us a little mire than that!" Your boyfriend laughed at you and suddenly got sarcastic. "Daniel, eh? You've never called me that before Robyn! I don't like it" He frowned a bit, looking a little hurt and sad. Wasn't he the little actor? You scowled at him and finally he caved in. "Alright, alright! Chris Wood is the name of the guy with the drum school thing. I asked him whether he had any students who might be up for joining a band with me. He showed interest and practically insisted that I met him in person. So we agreed to meet tonight!" He sounded happy with himself, like he'd accomplished some great feat. So Dan was really serious about this whole band thing. You somehow felt responsible for a part of it, but maybe not. Maybe he was thinking about it before you even brought up the subject.                                           "Be careful though, Danny boy. Strangers are dangerous." Didn't you know it. Dan merely laughed off the comment, but it stuck with you all throughout that day. 

You thought back to the time when you were running, running away from the man with the mean streak. You brother was panting beside you, tears falling and soaking into the fabric of his jacket. Your hands were tightly intertwined and you refused to let go until you were both safe. The footsteps behind you were becoming less and less clear and they soon began to fade into the background of wherever it was you were going to. You were sure to lead your brother into a public space, where there was less of a chance of being caught but still you didn't stop running. Your heart was beating in your mouth this time and you stopped then, exasperated from the endless running. You were sure you were safe but you couldn;t your brother from crying, the nonstop stream of tears staining his rosy cheeks.                                                                                                                                                        That memory walked with you through life, and your brother's. That was why you were so close to him- he had told you that he had felt safest when he was cradled in your arms that day. He was younger than you, 6 years younger. You were 9 the day the man came. From then on, you and your brother had been the closest you had ever been. And it grew. 

"Robyn? ROBYN?!"  The chorus of Ralph and Dan's voices brought you back from the past and made the crystal tears fade away. "Yeah?! Yeah?" You coughed away any traces of  sadness from your voice and smiled at them both. "You wanna come and meet Chris with me? I could use a friendly face..." A friendly face...you'd always liked that phrase. It implied that not everyone was bad and that some people could be trusted. Your faith could be put somewhere else, other than locked deep within yourself. "I don't do well with new people. I'm not the most outgoing of people and it's pretty painful to watch...I'd rather n-" Dan interrupted you before you could finish your plea about staying at home, possibly curling up on the sofa and watching Mulholland Drive. "C'mon Robyn! Please! You have to come! You don't have to talk to the guy, just come along! To save me from any awkward misdemeanours..." A look you hadn't seen before took the place of Dan's normal one- the puppy dog eyes. You couldn't resist them on most people, but on him, they were irresistable. Sighing, you agreed and went on with your day. 

PART II- At the bar

You had made your way to the bar with Dan by your side, easing your mind about meeting this guy. Not that you thought he was going to be weird or anything, but it was hard not to think about the worst when you'd been in the situation you had, even though it was 13 years ago. "If you wanna sgo and sit down somewhere, I'll bring you a drink. Coke? That's usually what you drink when you're on a 'crazy' night out. How you don't drink alcohol really confuses me." You tried to stay away from anything that would lower your inhibitions. Safety meant protection. Staying safe meant not putting yourself in stupid situations. "Yeah, please. Promise you won't be long though... I don't think I can bear to be away from you for long." You teased him and his smile eased your thoughts. He nodded and made his way to the drinks bar. You saw him greet the bar tender with the infamous nod and smile, and order your drinks. Just then, a short looking man tapped him on the back and greeted him with a handshake. "Alright mate? I'm Chris." You heard him shout, trying to be heard above the booming music. "Yeah, I'm good thanks dude. I'm Dan. How're you?" Ha. Even with bar talk he was the perfect gentleman. You watched them as they began a spiral into the depths of musical conversation. You seemed to have been forgotten. 

You didn't want to interput their conversation, they'd gotten really into it after about an hour. But you began to feel uneasy again and couldn't resist going up to him. Rising from your place on the booth, you ambled your ay up to Dan's side and tapped him on the shoulder. He was sort of surprised to see you, like you couldn't walk from one place to another without him. Typical. "Robyn! I'm so sorry! I-" You stopped him with a smile, it was your turn to comfort his uneasy mind. You finished his sentence for him though. "You forgot about me." You joked, resting your hand upon his shoulder. You nodded towards the two drinks that he craddled in his hands and he gave the glass bottle of coke up. "Sorry...Uh, this is Woody!" The man sitting next to him thrusted his hand towards you as you tried to figure out why this man's name had all of a sudden changed to 'Woody'. "Hey, I'm Chris Woody. But people usually call me Woody. Nice to meet you, Robyn!" He was enthusiastic and awesome enough for a nickname. He smiled warmly, his cheeks becoming rosy with the mixture of heat and alcohol. You mimicked him and shook his hand gently before Dan told you about their conversation.                                                                                                                                       "Woody here plays the drums...that was kinda obvious, what with him teaching drums and all. He's interested in possibly joining the band, so we're gonna meet up again later on in the week to see if we can figure out some kind of beat to go along with the songs." Dan spoke almost non stop, and you could see that he was coming out of himself with help of the larger he was drinking. You liked seeing him like this, because he wasn't drunk, just merry. He was talkative and he didn't stop for breaths. He was rarely like this. "Ya know, how did you think I was an old man? I doubt that any old man could play like I can play mate." Laughter filled the air and you found yourself talking with them, really enjoying the company whichwas strange. Soon the darkness had taken over the daylight and you were on your way home, laughing with Dan. Woody was really into this band idea!