I woke up the next morning to an empty bed, half of the closet missing, and a pot of coffee already made. I didn't even get to say goodbye to Ruby before she vanished out of my life with the promise of returning when this madness blew over.

After her unexpected visit, I was more open to Pete's idea. Before, I didn't have any closure, and I had to deal with the pressures of trying to balance two lives at the same time. I didn't want to lie to Ruby and I didn't want to leave her. I couldn't. However now, knowing I'd see her again at some point, I was ready to do this.

With Sarah's and my second "date" going much better than the first, the two of us got to know about one another quite well, and it was surprisingly easy for us to "fall in love". It started out with subtle public appearances, the paparazzi eating the bait I'd cast out for them - as if they'd been starving for years - and creating our story for us. When interviewed and directly asked about our relationship, we kept it a mystery, intriguing the fans and keeping them around for our next step.

The tour Pete had planned for us was an overall success; our next step was to make another album. And that's exactly what we did, however, not without losing Ryan and John first. It was hard losing them, but there was no other way the next album was going to happen if they stuck around. So, with just Spencer and me, the two of us put out Vices & Virtues and scored another touring gig, where I saw Ruby for the first time in years.

"Ruby?" I muttered in disbelief, matching her smirk.

"Yeah. You know, R-U-B-Y."

"No, I...I know how to spell it. But what are you doing here?"

She laughed that laugh I hadn't heard in what seemed like forever. "Getting my favorite album signed, just like everyone else here."

I stared at her blankly, my emotions all over the place. I blinked a few times, snapping myself out of the daze I'd fallen into and looking at the CD I still had in my hands. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to sign my name, leaving a little insincere note for her as well, the same note I gave all of my fans. I capped the sharpie and handed her the album. She smiled and took it into her possession, going to leave when I stood up and grabbed her arm.

"Are you coming to the show tonight?" I asked her, the fans waiting behind her in line either gasping in surprise or shouting at her to hurry up.

"Well of course," She replied, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You want to meet me afterwards?" I offered, sending the teenage girls into a frenzy, in hopes I would ask them the same question. After all, they didn't know the history Ruby and I shared, or the relationship we had. To them, Ruby was just another Sinner, here to get her album signed.

Her cheeks deepened in color. "I-I don't know, Brendon. I-"

"Please," I begged, "You and I...We need to talk."

The fans in line went wild. I knew I was attracting the wrong kind of attention, but it had been three years since I'd seen her. We had a lot to catch up on.

She sighed and ripped her arm out of my hold. "Fine. I'll meet you backstage."

"You know where to go?" I asked her, the fans going wild and Pete starting to make his way over; he didn't look happy.

"Yes, I know where to go," She assured me before leaving the line and meeting up with Dallon, who'd been standing a few feet away from the tent, waiting for her. The two of them had a quick exchange before Dallon wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her away. I heaved a sigh, just as Pete came up and told me to get back to the signing.

*****

The lights in the venue went out and my eyes quickly adjusted themselves to the darkness, my band mates and I making our way off of the stage. My casual walk evolved into a quick jog, me wanting to reach side stage before anyone else.

I wove my way through the stored amps and extra guitars and drumsticks and into the back, where I took a few corners before making the last one and finding her standing against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest and her head turned in my direction so she could see me. A wide smile, wider than the one I already had, appeared on my face.

"You're here," I stated idiotically, my breaths rapid and uneven.

She chuckled. "Yes, Brendon, I'm here. Good observation." There was playful, humorousness to her voice.

"Let's go someone more private, shall we?" I suggested. She nodded her head in agreement before I grabbed her hand in mine - our fingers intertwining - and leading her down a couple more hallways, finding an open dressing room. I walked in and closed the door behind us, letting her hand go and allowing her to venture a bit farther into the small, dark room with a lack of decent furniture.

"You've been doing music for how long and this is still all they give you?" She inquired with a giggle, making her way over to the vanity and picking up some of the pieces of makeup.

"Yeah, but, I kind of like it," I answered, joining her side and looking at her through the mirror. She was different than I last remembered, her hair longer and her face a little less cheerful. "Reminds me of the old days, you know?"

"You make it sound like it's been ages since we've last seen each other."

"It's felt like ages." A moment of silence passed before I went on to ask her, "So, how have you been?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I've been okay. I mean, as okay a girl who just found out her boyfriend is marrying another girl can be." I bit my lip, trying to interpret the smile she had while the words slipped past her lips. I couldn't tell if she was mad about it or just trying to joke around. "What about you, Mr. Rock Star?"

"Lonely," I told her honestly, clasping my hands behind my back and looking down at her. She met my gaze and I forgot how beautiful her eyes were. "I don't want to do this anymore, Ruby. It's becoming all too real. I mean, I'm engaged to someone that isn't you."

A redness crept up in her cheeks as the corner of her lips curled up into a small grin. She averted her gaze away from me and back down to the vanity top. "Am I at least going to be invited to the wedding?"

I scoffed. "Let's hope there isn't even a wedding. I don't want to get married to her. I mean, don't get me wrong, Sarah's a nice girl and I like her, but not in a way that I want to marry her."

Ruby remained silent, pushing around the various things scattered about the table.

"You know, there hasn't been a single day that's gone by where I haven't thought about you," I confessed, daring to place my hands on her hips. I could feel her wince under my touch, looking back at me with wide eyes. The corner of my lip perked up into a grin and I gently pulled her back into me, smiling down at her. "And it doesn't help that you haven't changed one bit since the last time I saw you."

"I could say the same," She murmured, holding my gaze. I'd never wanted to kiss her more in the entirety of our relationship.

The two of us just stood there for a moment or two before her eyes flickered down to my lips, hers slightly parted, our breaths intermingling. I couldn't help it anymore, and I dove down, connecting our lips.