See You In Chicago (Crygi Fanfic)

Chapter 2 - Little Pink Box

The following morning, Crystal awoke to the blare of her alarm and the emerging sunrise. As usual, she was up way too late the night before, scrambling to finish the final details of each outfit. A bit of a struggle, considering she had to be up early for her drive to Chicago. She immediately went to brew herself a cup of coffee, taking in every bit of caffeine in an attempt to wake herself up.

Digging through her wardrobe, Crystal selected one of her favorite boy looks for the day before styling her mullet to perfection. Of course she wanted to look her best when she met up with Gigi. As she scanned her room to pack some final things, Crystal paused at the little pink box on her dresser. Inside was something one-of-a-kind for Gigi; something that Crystal had spent countless hours contemplating. Cradling it in her hands she lingered for a moment, wrapping it carefully with one of her silk scarves. She packed it gingerly between some shirts, hiding it from any obvious view. Trying her best not to dwell too much on the box's significance, she zipped up her suitcase and set it by the door.

Crystal had a long 8-hour drive ahead of her but was eager to get on the road as soon as possible. Her first stop in Chicago would be O'Hare Airport to pick up Gigi from her flight. Even in her tired state, she perked up at just the thought of their reunion. Loading up the last of her belongings in the car, she sent one final text to Gigi before hitting the road.

"Hi Geeg, hopefully this doesn't wake you up. I'm heading out now from Springfield- can't wait to see you later <3"

Driving across the rural Midwest, the early morning sun blanketed the fields around her. The quiet roads stretched on for miles, leaving Crystal alone with not much more than her thoughts. She turned on some music to combat the silence, each song emanating freely through the car's open windows. As shy as she was to admit it, she had put together a playlist of songs that reminded her of Gigi. Ones that Gigi had performed to, ones that reminded her of Gigi's secret goofiness and love for 80s throwbacks. Ones that seemed to speak for their somewhat crazy relationship and times spent together. And in typical Crystal fashion, maybe a One Direction song or two.

"Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart

Like why are we here? And where do we go?

And how come it's so hard?

It's not always easy and

Sometimes life can be deceiving

I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together"

Humming along to the music, Crystal pondered once again a conversation she had nervously been hoping to have with Gigi. With the two of them back together this weekend, there was no better time to share what she had been thinking...right? Thoughts that could completely change their relationship as they knew it. With her small hometown miles behind her, she imagined herself driving towards a new life, one that she could share more closely with Gigi. One marked not so much by stretches of long-distance, but rather one spent in the same city. Crystal had always considered California a second home, especially as she spent the first few years of her childhood there. But now she could see herself living there as an adult, starting not only a new stage in her career but her personal life as well. The notion of moving out to LA felt increasingly real and one that Crystal wanted to pursue. Would Gigi be freaked out by this next step in their relationship? Was it too much too soon to be moving across the country? Sure, they had made it very clear that they were each other's soulmates; that they felt a connection with one another that couldn't be matched. Despite this, Crystal couldn't help but feel nervous about sharing this confession.

While these thoughts lingered in her mind, she concentrated on the road ahead, each mile bringing her closer to the bustle of Chicago. 

(A/N: Song- "Better Together," Jack Johnson)