False Starts || Dave Grohl

Chapter 57

"Seems Like Only Yesterday, Life Belonged To Runaways"

February 3, 1997

Los Angeles, CA

I couldn't help the eerie feeling that washes over me as I dart through the crowded terminals of Los Angeles International. Hardly anything has changed since the last time I was here in 1994 and that is not a time I want to be reminded of today.

The time I spent with him is the last thing I want to think about today.

My last memory of the golden state is a sad one, ending with me crying in an uncomfortable airport chair while an attendant from Delta Airlines informed passengers that our flight to Seattle had been cancelled due to fog accumulation. I broke down and none of the businessmen cared enough to lend me their shoulder to cry on.

Walking into the sunny outdoor arrival area was an instant relief, even if my blue eyes stung from the overwhelming UV rays. My lungs felt less constricted as I adjust the strap of my duffle into a more comfortable position, silently praying that Dave was still here. Waiting patiently for me to arrive like he said he would during our phone call this morning.

My eyes awkwardly scan down the line of cars, looking for something that would scream 'David Grohl' to me, but nothing catches my eye. I expected to find him through the sound of aggressive death metal, but all that can be heard is air traffic traveling through the wind.

Fuck, maybe he forgot about me...

Or maybe this was all a joke to get back at you for the Kurt situation.

I shake the dark thought from my head and do another sweep of the cars before a pair of hands cover my eyes, making me gasp and jab the person in the stomach with my elbow. "Fuck!"

"Dave?" My heart was beating so fast when I turn around to face the man that I thought I was going to have a heart attack. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

His hand is clutching his abdomen as a shy smile appears on his face. Since the last time I saw him, he'd grown out his facial hair and I couldn't help but notice how it made him appear five years older. "You were looking around like a lost puppy, so I wanted to surprise you. I didn't think you'd go all Jackie Chan on me."

"I'm a girl who's alone in an unfamiliar place and you don't think I'm going to karate chop your ass if you sneak up on me?" I cross my arms over my chest and grumble when he copies me. "You said you'd be in your car."

A family of tourists pass by and I can see the young daughter's eyes widen when she catches sight of Dave standing in front of me. Before he can come over though, her father yanks her by the arm toward a nearby cab.

"Your flight was late, so I parked." Dave signs in relief, glad that he won't get bombarded by the stranger for god knows what. "For a minute there, I thought you had bailed."

"Glad to know we were on the same page," I sigh as he grabs the strap to my duffle, tugging it over to his own shoulder. The sweet, closed mouth smile that appears after was his way of silently asking me not to argue.

Carrying my bag is his attempt to slowly glue our shattered relationship back together, but it was weird. This whole situation was weird if I'm being honest.

I flew out to LA to stay at my ex-fiancé's bachelor pad and ultimately assist his band with the recording of their sophomore LP. Nothing about that picture is remotely normal.

Dave and I exchange a look out of the corner of our eyes as we turn the corner towards the parking garage, his left hand moving to rest on my low back as he leads me through the aisles in search of his Chevy Tahoe. "So, how was the flight?"