Till Death (A Bruno Mars Fanfiction)

Chapter 73

Several hours later Naomi sat in between Bruno's sisters and family at a restaurant watching her boyfriend get lost in the music he was playing. It was the first time since he found out his mother was sick that he had even gotten close to an instrument. He sat in the dimly lit restaurant sitting at unfamiliar set of drums that suddenly melted into his body the second he picked up the drum sticks. She watched his eyes so intent on the drums and the way he bit the side of his cheek as he played a song she could tell everyone knew he loved. Seeing the same body movements every single time he touched an instrument or a microphone made her question what she was doing. Was his mom right? Did she really not love what she was doing? There was never a time when she could remember doing the same thing with her body or her voice. There wasn't a thing that always completely made her comfortable, unlike him who just knew exactly what to do. "Nay..." Presley leaned over the table to talk to her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Are you okay?" Presley asked.

"Yeah. I'm good." she shook her head.

"When do you leave for your tour?" Presley asked. "I don't even know what I would do if we got to the point that we went on tour. Like it would be so fucking nuts."

"Yeah. It's going to be nuts." Naomi answered with a sigh. "I'll be back." she responded getting up from her chair sliding past Bruno's line of site to get out the door and walk toward the beach. Wearing a bright purple maxi dress and white sandals she sat down in the moonlit evening light on the beach. She laid on the sand watching the endless sky of stars finding a moment to actually pray for the first time in months. God, I don't know what I'm doing. I need some direction. Is this what I should be doing? Is being with him the right thing? Do I need to go back and find what is best for me? Was that the best? I'm so selfish. What am I even talking about? I should be worried about them. Without their mom. This is like the worst. I hate that I'm feeling like this right now. I should be completely focused on him and what they need now. Not this crap. What am I doing? Help me find the right things to say and the right things to do right now. I am so lost.

A few minutes later she heard someone humming from behind her and the sound of flip-flops. "Mims?" he asked watching her sit up wiping off the sand from her back. "What were you doing?" he asked her.

"Just thinking." she said watching him sit down next to her taking her hand pausing a little. "Maybe still thinking about what we talked about earlier. Just like maybe praying about it."

"Oh." he said not sure how to respond to her. The mystery of her church going past had all but faded since her first trip to New York when she sang for him. "I forgot you did that."

"I kind of did too." she told him. "I kind of miss it."

"Awww." he said wrapping his arm around her. She laid her head on his shoulder closing her eyes taking in his sweet smell.

"I'm sorry all this is happening, Brunz. I wish I could fix it. Or find the right words or whatever. Like it's different." she said to him feeling his head fall onto hers.

"I know, Mimi." he answered sitting with her for a while longer until she suggested they go back home. "Yeah. Let's go back. Tomorrow is a busy day...." he said of finishing up some of his mother's memorial service planning. Naomi almost instantly fell asleep when they arrived at the hotel. She fell on the bed dramatically taking over his side of the bed. He pushed her over a little laughing at her. "You might want to change before you fall asleep." he told her.

"Yeah, probably." she moaned dragging herself over to her clothes putting on a cami after taking off her dress not even caring that she was naked in front of him anymore. "I'm not even putting on pants anymore." she said falling into the bed.

"Good night, Naomi." he said kissing her cheek feeling her move her lips to his laughing at him.

"Good night, Bruno." she laughed turning her body in the other direction.

"I'll be back...." he said quietly feeling like he needed to escape all the people and things that had been going on. He walked down the long sidewalk to an empty seating area. He sat at the table reaching for the cigarettes he had convienently forgotten he had in his pocket.

"Excuse me?" he heard a soft voice coming from behind him.

"Yes?" he asked turning to see Maggie standing behind him. She looked exactly the same, this time wearing a pair of yoga pants and a bright orange work-out shirt. "Oh. Oh god." he said shocked. "Why does this keep happening?" he thought out loud turning to face the each. "I'm good. This is stupid." he said feeling Maggie's presence in front of him.

"You know...this is the first time I've been to Hawaii." she told him. "It's really pretty. But stupid hot and humid. Now I know why you leave your hair like that." she laughed.

"I'm glad you finally came around to it." he said trying not to engage in whatever was going on in his head. Why does she need to be here? He thought to himself.

"Because you need some direction, Bruno." she answered him reaching for his hands holding onto them. "I told you I was going to watch over you."

"I know." he said to her.

"I don't have any answers for you, Bruno." she said looking into his eyes.

"Maggie, for the first time since I've seen you....I want to see Naomi and not you....." he told her. "I just want to be with her...."

"You need to listen to her, too, Bruno. You two belong together, but it's going to be hard. And it's going to hurt. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even in a month. But whatever she wants....let her go." Maggie told him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"I've said too much already, Brunz." she laughed nervously.

"No....no you didn't...what do you mean?" he asked.

"Your mom was smarter than you thought." she told him kissing the top of his giant hair. "I really do like it that way. It's better than the womp." she said squeezing his hands walking away from him.