Patience (d.m)

1.8: A Spark

Lovesong by The Cure

Duff's P.O.V

I sit on the stage, the wind blowing my hair back. I wear my classic CBGB shirt with the padlock necklace. To no one's surprise, we all didn't wake up until like three in the afternoon. Steven, Izzy, and Slash are trying to get over their hangovers as best they can before the show tonight. Axl is nowhere to be found, as per usual.

I saw Henley in the hallway this morning. She looked really stressed and frantic. All of her confidence from last night was gone. I asked her what was wrong. She told me that Nikki was giving her a hard time and she couldn't get him dressed. She was on the verge of tears, so I volunteered to help. She was reluctant at first, but eventually gave in.

When we entered the hotel room, it was a complete wreck. Clothes strewn everywhere, lamps knocked over, things like that. Nikki sat on the edge of the bed with his arms crossed. After a heated confrontation, he let me help him. He kicked me (literally) out after that.

Henley met me out in the hallway, looking at least a little bit less stressed. She said thank you before hugging me tightly. Not once since I made that huge mistake four years ago did I think that I would have her in my arms again. So much time has passed and I'm still hopelessly in love with her. Who knows? Maybe if I hadn't fucked up, we'd be married by now. I told her to meet me on the stage before anyone was supposed to be here.

That's why I'm here now.

I'm waiting for the love of my life.

I look up at the sky, amazed that my band will be playing in this huge stadium in six hours. Henley's band will be performing tonight too. I'll finally get to see her perform.

I hear footsteps and I stand up, expecting it to be Henley. However, I'm met with a sight that makes no sense and makes me angry.

"What the hell are you doing here, Savage? How'd you get past security?" I demand, my hands already clenching into fists.

Savage sighs, holding his hands up in surrender. "You can relax, dude. I just want to talk to you. Also, security recognized me and let me in."

"How'd you know I'd be here?"

He shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Just a hunch, I guess."

"Well hurry up and say what you gotta say. Henley's gonna be here soon and I don't want her to see you."

"How long were you and Henley together?"

I'm taken aback by the question. Why would he come all the way here just to ask questions about Henley and I's relationship?

"About six months, why?"

He sighs. "We were together for almost three years, and she never expressed as much love for me as she did for you. She was always reserved, never said what she felt. She never really hung out with my friends. It's not that she didn't like them, she just didn't want to get close for some reason." He pauses, looking up at me. "When was the first time you two had sex?"

"Look man, that's just weird."

"Just answer."

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms. "It was on New Year's Eve. A few days after we made our relationship official." A specific line comes back that makes me smile.

"I guess you could say that I fucked you into next year."

"Shut up."

"She made me wait a year. She didn't say I love you for a year and a half. I'm starting to think she only used me as a rebound, then stayed because she tricked herself into believing that she loved me. I found a box of pictures and some of your things in it. She looked so much happier with you. I know you're the one who gave her the key necklace that she wears all the time," Savage says quickly. He looks like he's in pain admitting all of this stuff. "I could never compare to you. You were always number one in her heart, even though she forced herself to hate you. She never really did."

I frown at his words. I didn't think that Henley kept anything of us, other than the necklace. It makes me happy. But, I don't like how hurt Savage looks. He knew it all along but he forced himself to continue on in the relationship. Me coming along destroyed everything.

"I'm sure she did really love you," I say.

"Not as much as she loves you." Savage walks up to me. He holds out his hand. "I wanted to make a truce with you. I want you to know that I won't go near her or anything like that. I'll the two of you be happy."

I shake his hand and give him a small smile. "Thanks man."

With that, he walks out of the stadium without even a glance back.

About an hour or so later, Henley finally ran into the stadium. Her cheeks are a cute red and she's out of breath.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaims, finally reaching me. "I had to deal with a hysterical Nikki who wouldn't let me leave. Then I ran into Tommy who badgered me about where I was going and wouldn't let me pass him. Then I ran into Damon who was droning on and on about how I should be more responsible and shit like that."

I laugh at her long-winded explanation. I grab her shoulders. I tilt her chin up with my finger, making her look at me. "It's okay, Henley. It allowed me some time to think."

"To think about what?"

"Us. Our past. Us now. Our future."

She smiles softly. "That's a lot. What did you think about our future?"

I lead her over to the amp I was sitting on. I sit down, and she does the same next to me. "I hope that one day we'll get married, even though we're not even together. Maybe that's what I should be thinking about the first step."

"Maybe," She laughs. "But it's a nice thought."

I tense as I feel her lay her head on my shoulder. I wrap my arm around her waist, allowing her to lay into me fully. She snuggles into my side, looking out into the sea of empty seats that will soon be filled to the brim with fans.

"Henley?"

"Hm?"

"Did you mean it when you said that you loved me more than Savage?"

She's quiet for a moment. Oh God. What if she just said that to spite him? What if she's going to leave? What if she doesn't give me another chance? What if-?

"Yeah. I did." She sits up, looking into my eyes. "Duff, I want to start over. I want to try our relationship out again."

"So we're dating?" I ask excitedly.

Henley shakes her head. "Not yet. We've grown as people over the past four years. We need to get to know each other again as the people we are now."

I nod my head, thinking it over. "That makes sense." I hold out my hand to her, smiling. "Alright. Hi, I'm Michael McKagan, but people call me Duff."

She grins, taking my hand. "I'm Henley Baxter."

We're quiet again, just enjoying each other's company.

"You wanna know something funny that I remembered earlier?" I ask. Henley nods with a confused expression. "'I guess you could say I fucked you into next year.'"

Henley's eyes widen and a blush forms on her cheeks. "Oh my God!" She hits my arm, laughing. "Shut up!"