Never Really Meant It When We Said 'Goodbye'

The Birthday Gift (pt 1)

Being at a show where a woman who is the love of your life's ex was interesting. Amber wasn't really sure how to feel about it, but at least she had the chance to go to a free Sabrina Carpenter show, and that amounted for something. Especially when that free show was also somewhat of a birthday present. Somehow, someway, Tara had managed to get the blonde pop artist to do a show in San Francisco, even though it was very last minute and not in accordance with the blonde's tour schedule. It was a sweet and thoughtful gesture, which meant quite a lot to Amber as she loved Sabrina as an artist and as a person in general. They may not know each other well, but Amber was usually always able to pick up on people's energy be it from a video, a photo or a simple look at them. And Sabrina's energy was so great, and the many great things she'd heard about the artist from her friends who met her and talked to her on a regular basis only proved that further.

Now, the thing about this being a 'birthday present' from Tara was slightly complicated. Yes, the dark haired sergeant put a lot of thought into this and likely worked her ass off to make this happen, but the fact that her ex was an opener for the show and the two of them recently hooked up didn't make this so great. Plus, the weird state of Amber and Tara's relationship made it all the more complex. How was the ravenette supposed to navigate through this and what was she to think of it? The gift was thoughtful and sweet, but it was also likely organized before all the bullshit that went down between them. It made her feel weird about the gift, despite how much she appreciated all the thought and work that went into making this happen.

The venue they were in was packed, which made Amber super grateful to have VIP access to the show. Standing in the crowd that was at Sabrina's show would not be fun, and Amber didn't feel like dealing with a big ass crowd of drunk, high and sweaty and horny men and women that were undoubtedly in the crowd. One downside to being in the VIP section, though, meant that she'd be forced to watch every single little thing Lily does that may or may not be potentially aimed at her and at Tara. Amber didn't even know where the two stood in their relationship, but she didn't really want to know the answer to that, either. Sometimes it was better to just look the other way and not pay attention.

Going back to the crowd in the venue, after the release of the Taste music video in which Tara starred, people kept trying to start conversation with the sergeant, having recognized her from the music video. Tara was somewhat responsive, but kept mostly to herself, more concerned with her friends rather than with the people that kept trying to get photos taken with her and get autographs. Amber now understood what Mindy said about the papz staying on Tara's ass after every single interaction she had with Sabrina, along with the constant speculation that the two were together. From what she was told, Sabrina and Tara usually just laughed at the fact, rather than being bothered by it. That was better than fully drowning in what the press said about one, which for sure could send someone into a pretty bad spiral.

"Here're the drinks!" Chad said with a bright smile on his face as he walked towards the group with Tara by his side, both of them somehow four drinks each.
"Thank you baby." Liv smiled as she pressed a quick kiss on Chad's cheek, taking her drink from him. As per usual, she went for a vodka cran, which also meant that she'd be getting four-six more rounds throughout the show. Kirby and Sam both went for a beer, Mindy went for a margarita, Chad and Tara both got Old Fashioned, and Anika went for a Dirty Shirley. Amber decided to go with the most basic drinks of them all, getting a simple Vodka Redbull, which was going to fuck her up for sure with all the other rounds she'd get, but fuck it, might as well. It was her birthday, after all, it's only fair to party.
"Y'all excited for the show?" Mindy asked, sipping on her drink, a small smirk on her face that was quickly wiped away the second Tara gave her a death glare.

"Fuck yeah!" Kirby exclaimed, holding her beer with the arm that was in a sling, her other arm wrapped around Sam's waist. "It's a Sabrina Carpenter show, who wouldn't be excited? And it's free!"
Sam gave a light chuckle, kissing her girlfriend's temple, and gave a look at Amber, silently checking in on her to make sure she was okay. It seemed like ever since that dinner, everyone was more concerned about Amber's wellbeing rather than Tara's, except for Mindy, who still seemed to be clueless about the situation. The concern was appreciated, but Amber did feel a bit guilty as Tara needed the same support as she was being given.
"Guys, we can talk about this more later. The show's about to start so let's just focus on that, yeah?" The usually super chatty Anika cut in, a slightly annoyed expression on her face. Amber dismissed it for the excitement she probably had to see Sabrina preform, and didn't say anything else, instead averting her attention towards the stage, where the lights suddenly went out, indicating that it was time for the opener to come out.