The next few shows went off without a hitch; we had to alter our sets a bit, staying away from anything that’d be too strenuous for me, but I was able to get through them without too much pain.  Neither me nor Carrick paid much attention to Shawn beyond what was required, and thankfully he returned the favor.  We called it an early night each night, hitting the road to the next town as soon as our gear was loaded into the van.

Despite the obvious divide in the band, the mood was somehow lighter than it had been before.  Carrick and I smiled and joked around, talked about what we’d do first when we got home.  Carrick reminded me he owed me a surfing lesson, as soon as I was healed up.  The thought of finally spending time alone with him kept me going, even as tired and sore as I was.  Every now and then he’d catch my eye and smile, and I knew it was on his mind, too.

“Hey babe, look.”  Carrick shook me awake lightly, and I looked out the window.  I rubbed my eyes and sat up, looking around.  We were parked at one of those ‘scenic vista’ pull-offs, just off the highway; ahead of us, the sun was just rising over the horizon - the ocean.

“C’mon,” he said, stepping out of the van and heading towards some benches set up a few feet from the drop-off.  The wind was brisk as I followed him, raising goosebumps on my arms, and I could taste the salt in the air.  My ears picked up the sound of waves hitting at the base of the cliffside, accented by the cawing and squawking of gulls.

“Pretty,” I said as I took a seat next to my boyfriend.  The water sparkled in the growing light, slashes of white piercing the sapphire expanse.  Carrick made a noise of agreement beside me.  I felt his fingers lace with mine, and I smiled.

“Almost home,” he said, and I nodded.  “What do you want to do?” he asked after a minute.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…”  He paused, then nodded in the direction of the van.

“Oh.  Um… I don’t know.  What do <i>you</i> want to do?”

“Honestly?  I don’t know either.”  Carrick went silent again for a couple minutes.  His thumb brushed lazy circles on the back of my hand; it was a surprisingly soothing gesture.  “I’ve been friends with him for so long; it’s tough to just walk away from all that.  But after the way he’s treated you?  The shit he said?  I don’t think I can just let that go.”

“I never meant to come between you guys.”

“Zac… I’ve told you already, you didn’t.  You haven’t done anything wrong here, okay?  This is all on him.  I just… it really makes me wonder if he’s always been this bad, and I just didn’t notice.”

“What about the band?”  I hadn’t expected to stay with my first band forever, of course, but then I’d never imagined my first band would make it as far as this one had, either.

“You’re more important,” Carrick said, looking me in the eyes.  I felt a lump in my throat, humbled by his words.  “Besides,” he added with a smirk, “we can just start our own band.  Hell, I’m the one that came up with the name Hard Pressed, so technically we don’t even need to change that.”

“Yeah, something tells me Shawn’s gonna have a problem with that…”

“Shawn can eat it,” Carrick replied, and we both laughed.  We fell quiet again; I leaned against him and he put an arm around my shoulders.  “I’m gonna miss that house, though.”

“Can’t kick him out of the band <i>and</i> the house?” I chuckled.

“Nah, let him deal with that.  God help the poor saps he gets to rent the other rooms, though.  Anyway, I figured we’d want something a little smaller.  A little more… intimate.”

I glanced at Carrick, surprised - and excited - to see the suggestive smirk on his lips.  His eyes hinted at something else, though, a mixture vulnerability and hopefulness, and I realized he meant more than just physical intimacy.

“Yeah,” I said, smiling and nestling closer to him.  “Yeah, I think that’d be good.”

“We don’t have to jump into anything too fast.  I’m fine with getting a two-bedroom if you want your space...”

“Care,” I interrupted.  We smiled at each other for a moment, and I let out a contented sigh.

“Love you,” he said softly, running a finger over my cheek.  I leaned in to give him a kiss, whispering the words back to him just before our lips touched.