Normal //Ryan Metzger

10: babe?

It was finally time for the final show in New York City and I couldn't be more happy but more nervous in my life.
Ryan had been calling frequently, but towards the end of the tour, the calls and FaceTimes were sporadic and sometimes they never happened.
I applied lipgloss over my red lip in the bathroom mirror with a shaky hand. I made sure every part of me looked good since I hadn't seen Ryan in such a long time. Even though I knew he wouldn't care, I wanted to present myself as the girl who didn't just wear sweats the whole month and a half he was gone.
"You ready?" Jess asked coming into the bathroom while fixing her curls.
"I guess," I said, cracking a nervous smile to her through the mirror. I threw the lipgloss into my clutch and turned around.
"I don't think I've seen you this happy in a while," she smiled. "This happy looks good on you, Lo."
"Thanks, Jess." I said smiling. I hesitated my next words, not knowing if I even wanted them to be true. Jess noticed my hesitation and caught on quick.
"Something is up," She said crossing her arms. "What is it?"
"I-uh," I stuttered, not knowing how to put this next part into words. "I think I'm gonna give it a shot with Ryan."
"Holy shit!" She yelled in excitement. "About fucking time!"
"Shh stop," I said waving. "I'm just gonna talk to him and tell him 'hey maybe we could be a thing y'know'?"
"Okay but you guys practically are," she laughed.
"I know but he's been distant lately and I-"
"Lauren,I know this is your worst fear," she said rubbing my right shoulder with her hand. "But this is the best thing you can do for you right now."
I smiled and rested my cheek on her hand.
"Now lets go get you a boyfriend," She smiled and I laughed.
*
We walked up to the venue with our lanyards around our necks, running a bit behind for the show. The security guards let us in and we went straight backstage following one of the tour management people.
My heart started to race as we neared the backstage area. I had no idea when I'd be seeing Ryan and I had no idea what I would say when I saw him.
Jess could sense my anxiousness and squeezed my hand in hers to let me know she was there and so I didn't get sucked into my thoughts.
"You know he likes you," She yelled over the loud music playing in the venue. "You just gotta confess your side and that's all, okay?"
I nodded and turned around to continue following the stage manager.
I saw the three brothers running towards the stage from their backstage room. Ryan looked over at us and his face lit up with his huge smile.
"Hey!" He said dashing over to us. He wrapped one arm around me in a quick hug then pulled away. "I can't really talk right now but I will after the show!"
Before I could say anything, he ran away and onto the stage with his brothers in their places. Fog crowded the stage at dark purple lights covered the guys, the light reflecting off of Ryan's glasses.
We stood at the edge of the curtains, watching the three of them rock the crowd with such high energy. Ryan was sweating profusely, but the smile on his face never faded.
I was mesmerized by the performance. In all of the concerts I had been to, I had never seen a band interact and get the audience involved in ways they didn't even know they were helping. The set was moving and emotional, all while being fun and energetic.
I couldn't get over that damn smile of Ryan's as he performed. That smile always made my heart skip a beat.
"Don't you love watching him on stage?" Natalie yelled over the music to us. Even if she wasn't tall already, her pumps made her tower over me.
"Yeah," I said, continuing to dance and giving her a look. Even though Natalie was nice and all, the vibe she gave off made me weary, and Jess could sense that vibe as well because she jabbed my side and mouthed 'who is that' to me with a look on her face.
As the concert neared an end, the three brothers took their bows at the end of the stage, grabbed a quick photo with the crowd, and dashed off of the stage towards our direction.
"Holy shit that was the best set of my life!" Ryan said as he ran up to me. He gave me a sweaty hug and I could feel his heart beating through his chest with adrenaline. "Did you like it?"
"Like it?" I said with a huge smile. "Holy shit, I loved it. You guys truly did an excellent job."
"They did the whole tour," Natalie said, resting her arm on Ryan shoulder.
"Hey babe!" Ryan said to Natalie. Ryan cupped the side of her face and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
My heart jumped right out of my chest along with my stomach. Time moved in slow motion as the pair locked lips right in front of me. I felt myself let in a gasp for air, not knowing if it was out of shock or because I quit breathing for those split seconds.
Babe?
"Oh yeah," Natalie said looking at me. "That would have been a nice thing to tell you. Ryan and I hit it off in Chicago and decided to give it a try!" She said with a fake smile.
Ryan leaned into me, making our conversation between just us.
"Sorry I didn't text you," He said. "We just got so busy-"
"No," I said. I could feel the cold tears pudding at the rim of my eyelids. My glasses hid them from view. "I'm happy for you."
"That is such a relief," Ryan said. "I'm glad."
"Me too," I said, letting out a sigh.
_________________________________________
-I'm sorry
-chapter song: The World is a Marble Heart