(no subject)
I'm finally getting close here kiddies! YAY ME! I'm shooting for a fifty-chapter story all together, so that means I'm also shooting for seven chapters after this...or less if I can do it, but I don't think I can, so haha. Have fun my cheeky wee monkeys, and remember, all past chapters are in the memories.
-----------------------------------------------
So even though things were finally next to normal again, as normal as they could be at least with Skylar, there was a little hitch, "Three weeks?!" I shrieked at my brother Isaac over the phone just over a week after getting Skylar out of the house for the first time again.
Ike muttered some sort of affirmation into the phone. I couldn't believe it. He talked to distributing and told them to have the new album in stores three weeks from Tuesday. That wasn't very far off, as it was Sunday. Three weeks, The thought replayed over and over in my head and hardened my heart. That meant that I had very little time to prepare Skylar for such a trip, let alone myself. That meant also that there were less than three weeks until I had to face Zac, because three weeks was when the album would be out, and we had a CD signing that day.
For all I know, and my intuition was usually right, Zac had pressed the dates. I know that Ike was shooting for an early September release, not wanting to rush it, let the single have some time to get the song in people's heads. He was smart like that. But Zac is clever, and sneaky, and persistent. He knew that something like that would bring me back. A good backhanded slap would be in order for him if I could keep my wits when we were finally "reunited".
Eventually, I did relent and told him I'd get everything set so that we'd be leaving in two weeks. That was going to take a lot of work, I realized looking around at all of my furnishings. But it could be done, oh yes, it could. I just really didn't want to. For once my mind wasn't on music. It was on the amazing piece of man that was in the shower as I talked, more or less a hissy fit to be honest, to Isaac.
The water had stopped by the time I ended the call, and put the phone on the end table, "Tay? What's wrong?" A soft voice asked as I rubbed my face with my palms. I looked sluggishly in the general direction of the voice and watched as Skylar took a place beside me on the couch.
"I just got off the phone with Ike," My voice was heavy and raw, like I'd just woken from a three day sleep. He wrapped an arm around me but stayed silent, obviously noting the grave nature of my voice and not wanting to push me into words. I sat there for a moment, loving the feel of his comfort, the smell of his freshly cleaned skin, "The album's getting released in three weeks," I whispered, hardly able to force my voice to do even that. His arm flexed and hand gripped my waist almost painfully, and I felt the tears well into my eyes, "I'm sorry, baby"
It took him a few moments, but he did finally relax some, and even though he sniffled first, said, "Its okay. I mean, I knew it would be coming, you know?"
"Yeah, but its not fair to either of us that they pushed it up a month"
He took a deep breath after a few thick tears escaped his eyes, wiping them as soon as they were visible, "I'd have probably acted this way anyway, no matter when"
"Ohhh!" I cooed, wrapping my arms around him, "Honestly, when Ike told me I was screaming inside, saying 'no, no, let me just fucking stay here!'," I ended up laughing from how ridiculously childish my words sounded, and even he cracked a smile too, "But I knew I couldn't. I love you, but I love my music too"
"I understand," He smiled again at me, "If I didn't do you think I would be coming with you?"
"That mean you're still coming with me?"
He gave a full-on grin this time, "Of course!" He laughed, "Do you really think that I'd give you up for anything right now?"
I tried to smile even though the idea of him leaving did pain me, "No, but I just . . . Worry about how you feel about all of this. I feel like I'm just throwing you head-first, ass-end up into this"
"Well, you would have eventually anyway, right?" He was still smiling. I loved that smile, and should have thought deeper on it at the time that if he was grinning so brightly, then there couldn't possibly be something so wrong as to keep me on the verge of tears. Meekly, I nodded in his arms, folded against him as best as we could as we both sat, "Then there's nothing you could do anyway!" He laughed, "There's nothing that anyone could say to prepare me for this, whether it was then or now, and nothing would be stopping me either"
"Promise?" I squeaked out in his arms.
"Of course," He smiled, always that smile...
--------------------
We started making plans the next day between being completely sluggish, college-student-like creatures with a shared two-litre of rootbeer and cold, day-old pizza. First we made a list of people we had to call. Cable company, moving company, land lord, etc. The phone and Internet would be shut off on the 25th of the month, two days after we would have loaded a moving truck and began the trek back up to New York. Our landlord was actually a bit sad to see us go, as we were decent tenants for "being so damned young," as he'd said. But we paid him for the last month the day before the moving van came.
I made one last look around the apartment, making sure everything was packed and the space was in the condition it was whenever I'd come. The couch, the bed, the chairs, my desk, our clothes, the boxes Ike had sent, all of it crammed into a twenty foot truck like Tetris pieces to be sure it all fit. Everything around me was bare and pristine again, and instead of hopeful possibility, my mind only registered the end of the leisure Skylar and I had shared there.
When we'd get back to New York, we'd have just less than a week to situate everything to our liking in my house. Then there was the CD signing, which would be mad like always, and he'd stay in the background, watching for the first time, first-hand what my life was about. Then we'd have whatever appearances my brothers and our company had planned out for the release, which would probably take up a few good weeks at least. A small, maybe two week break would come before we would gather as a band to get touring plans and dates out of the way.
It all seemed so crazy to me to think of it all. I finally saw the outsider's point of view and wondered what the hell Skylar would think of it. I just hoped that he could absorb it and fall into it a bit easier than I was thinking he would. Maybe he'd surprise me and be fine. But then again, he might go batty with it all and become a nervous wreck. I didn't know what was going to happen, and that scared the piss out of me.
But Skylar's face was bright with excitement as I finally got outside and into the truck's front, my Land Rover hitched onto the back. It made me feel better to know that he was beaming about this, "Ready baby?" I asked as I started the truck.
He nodded furiously, "Ready as I'll ever be," He laughed and I put the vehicle into gear.
We talked on and off about nothing really. He asked some about New York and what it was like, and I told him readily, my words seeming like I'd not been there in ages. Sitting patiently and attentively, he listened to my description of the madness that was Manhattan, then onto what my own house in Brooklyn was like. He said it all sounded frightening but wonderful. That made me smile. When we weren't talking we were belting out whatever songs we could find on random radio stations, mostly classic rock as he played DJ with the tuner. I didn't have a damned problem with that.
It took a full two days to get through Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We stopped to rest at a Motel Six at the end of the first night, somewhere in the north-eastern quarter of Indiana. Then we were off again after a breakfast via Waffle-House. Ohio always seemed to take forever to navigate on the road between Tulsa and New York City. Finally, we were crossing the Delaware into Jersey, then finally settling into the insanity that is forever Holland Tunnel.
Skylar's face was like a kid's on Christmas morning when we finally out of the tunnel, able to see the lights and giganticism that is the City. Even I have to admit that there was nothing else like my first real view of it. The smile I had over my face kept rising as I made our way through downtown, purposely just to give him a taste of what he'd soon know like nothing else, "I'll take you and show you around once we get everything inside," I told him as he stared bug-eyed at everything. It was night time there, and I couldn't have picked a better time to have gotten there.
He only nodded at me, gaping at everything as we moved through it, until we were leaving the metropolis behind and heading over the bridge to where he would be living. Where he would be living with me. The thought made butterflies flit around in my chest as we neared the place. I hoped he would like it. The house wasn't anything special, looking like most houses in that neighborhood, a garage, a small back yard. But it was home.
Once I pulled into the driveway, thanking my lucky stars the bulky vehicle and my own car fit in the space, I climbed out, readily taking his hand as I unlocked the door and pulled us both inside. It was just as I'd left it, thankful that Ike hadn't strewn everything everywhere when getting the things I wanted. It was more bare than usual, but still so much home. My heart swelled as I saw the photos of my children still displayed in frames over the mantle, and I remembered then how much this place still hurt.
Skylar had gone off by himself, inspecting the house like a child or newlywed would. Once he'd finished his rounds, he bounded back to me, a bright smile on his face, and I'd myself calmed enough to smile at his enthusiasm, "Its fucking great," He declared, throwing his arms around my neck and planting a kiss on my lips. When we pulled apart, he blushed a little, stating, "But uh, we have a problem," And I tilted my head in confusion, "Our bed . . . its out there," He pointed to the window that showed a silhouette of the truck, "And its dark out and stuff"
"Well," I sighed out, "Looks like I'll have to figure something out huh?" I asked, my smile a bit lost in my thoughts. I knew there was only a few solutions. Rent another hotel room for the night; Stay here and sleep on the hard floor with the few spare blankets I owned; Or . . . I sighed as I filed through my phone's address book, pressing send and having a short conversation with the person who picked up. It wasn't my cup of tea, but it was better than the thought of hard floors, or used motel beds. A heavier sigh escaped my lips as I ended the call, "Okay, looks like we're gonna go back into the City and shack up on the guest bed at casa del Ike," I tried to get out brightly, but the rest wouldn't escape me, "And Zac"
He nodded in a way that showed he understood my discomfort, "Its okay, we'll make sure it stays okay," He smiled, but it was tight, and hugged me close, "We'll just . . . try to sneak under the radar a little for tonight, kay?"
I nodded and pondered unhitching my SUV, but instead called for a cab, noting that it would be more convenient, especially with where we had to go. It was decidedly quicker with the taxi, though Skylar seemed a little afraid of how people drove in downtown. We finally made it to the complex my brothers lived in and I drew in a deep breath as we made our way to the intercom, waiting to be buzzed in by Ike. I only prayed that Zac either wasn't home, or that he was passed out. If not, this was bound to be one hell of a night.
-----------------------------------------------
So even though things were finally next to normal again, as normal as they could be at least with Skylar, there was a little hitch, "Three weeks?!" I shrieked at my brother Isaac over the phone just over a week after getting Skylar out of the house for the first time again.
Ike muttered some sort of affirmation into the phone. I couldn't believe it. He talked to distributing and told them to have the new album in stores three weeks from Tuesday. That wasn't very far off, as it was Sunday. Three weeks, The thought replayed over and over in my head and hardened my heart. That meant that I had very little time to prepare Skylar for such a trip, let alone myself. That meant also that there were less than three weeks until I had to face Zac, because three weeks was when the album would be out, and we had a CD signing that day.
For all I know, and my intuition was usually right, Zac had pressed the dates. I know that Ike was shooting for an early September release, not wanting to rush it, let the single have some time to get the song in people's heads. He was smart like that. But Zac is clever, and sneaky, and persistent. He knew that something like that would bring me back. A good backhanded slap would be in order for him if I could keep my wits when we were finally "reunited".
Eventually, I did relent and told him I'd get everything set so that we'd be leaving in two weeks. That was going to take a lot of work, I realized looking around at all of my furnishings. But it could be done, oh yes, it could. I just really didn't want to. For once my mind wasn't on music. It was on the amazing piece of man that was in the shower as I talked, more or less a hissy fit to be honest, to Isaac.
The water had stopped by the time I ended the call, and put the phone on the end table, "Tay? What's wrong?" A soft voice asked as I rubbed my face with my palms. I looked sluggishly in the general direction of the voice and watched as Skylar took a place beside me on the couch.
"I just got off the phone with Ike," My voice was heavy and raw, like I'd just woken from a three day sleep. He wrapped an arm around me but stayed silent, obviously noting the grave nature of my voice and not wanting to push me into words. I sat there for a moment, loving the feel of his comfort, the smell of his freshly cleaned skin, "The album's getting released in three weeks," I whispered, hardly able to force my voice to do even that. His arm flexed and hand gripped my waist almost painfully, and I felt the tears well into my eyes, "I'm sorry, baby"
It took him a few moments, but he did finally relax some, and even though he sniffled first, said, "Its okay. I mean, I knew it would be coming, you know?"
"Yeah, but its not fair to either of us that they pushed it up a month"
He took a deep breath after a few thick tears escaped his eyes, wiping them as soon as they were visible, "I'd have probably acted this way anyway, no matter when"
"Ohhh!" I cooed, wrapping my arms around him, "Honestly, when Ike told me I was screaming inside, saying 'no, no, let me just fucking stay here!'," I ended up laughing from how ridiculously childish my words sounded, and even he cracked a smile too, "But I knew I couldn't. I love you, but I love my music too"
"I understand," He smiled again at me, "If I didn't do you think I would be coming with you?"
"That mean you're still coming with me?"
He gave a full-on grin this time, "Of course!" He laughed, "Do you really think that I'd give you up for anything right now?"
I tried to smile even though the idea of him leaving did pain me, "No, but I just . . . Worry about how you feel about all of this. I feel like I'm just throwing you head-first, ass-end up into this"
"Well, you would have eventually anyway, right?" He was still smiling. I loved that smile, and should have thought deeper on it at the time that if he was grinning so brightly, then there couldn't possibly be something so wrong as to keep me on the verge of tears. Meekly, I nodded in his arms, folded against him as best as we could as we both sat, "Then there's nothing you could do anyway!" He laughed, "There's nothing that anyone could say to prepare me for this, whether it was then or now, and nothing would be stopping me either"
"Promise?" I squeaked out in his arms.
"Of course," He smiled, always that smile...
--------------------
We started making plans the next day between being completely sluggish, college-student-like creatures with a shared two-litre of rootbeer and cold, day-old pizza. First we made a list of people we had to call. Cable company, moving company, land lord, etc. The phone and Internet would be shut off on the 25th of the month, two days after we would have loaded a moving truck and began the trek back up to New York. Our landlord was actually a bit sad to see us go, as we were decent tenants for "being so damned young," as he'd said. But we paid him for the last month the day before the moving van came.
I made one last look around the apartment, making sure everything was packed and the space was in the condition it was whenever I'd come. The couch, the bed, the chairs, my desk, our clothes, the boxes Ike had sent, all of it crammed into a twenty foot truck like Tetris pieces to be sure it all fit. Everything around me was bare and pristine again, and instead of hopeful possibility, my mind only registered the end of the leisure Skylar and I had shared there.
When we'd get back to New York, we'd have just less than a week to situate everything to our liking in my house. Then there was the CD signing, which would be mad like always, and he'd stay in the background, watching for the first time, first-hand what my life was about. Then we'd have whatever appearances my brothers and our company had planned out for the release, which would probably take up a few good weeks at least. A small, maybe two week break would come before we would gather as a band to get touring plans and dates out of the way.
It all seemed so crazy to me to think of it all. I finally saw the outsider's point of view and wondered what the hell Skylar would think of it. I just hoped that he could absorb it and fall into it a bit easier than I was thinking he would. Maybe he'd surprise me and be fine. But then again, he might go batty with it all and become a nervous wreck. I didn't know what was going to happen, and that scared the piss out of me.
But Skylar's face was bright with excitement as I finally got outside and into the truck's front, my Land Rover hitched onto the back. It made me feel better to know that he was beaming about this, "Ready baby?" I asked as I started the truck.
He nodded furiously, "Ready as I'll ever be," He laughed and I put the vehicle into gear.
We talked on and off about nothing really. He asked some about New York and what it was like, and I told him readily, my words seeming like I'd not been there in ages. Sitting patiently and attentively, he listened to my description of the madness that was Manhattan, then onto what my own house in Brooklyn was like. He said it all sounded frightening but wonderful. That made me smile. When we weren't talking we were belting out whatever songs we could find on random radio stations, mostly classic rock as he played DJ with the tuner. I didn't have a damned problem with that.
It took a full two days to get through Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We stopped to rest at a Motel Six at the end of the first night, somewhere in the north-eastern quarter of Indiana. Then we were off again after a breakfast via Waffle-House. Ohio always seemed to take forever to navigate on the road between Tulsa and New York City. Finally, we were crossing the Delaware into Jersey, then finally settling into the insanity that is forever Holland Tunnel.
Skylar's face was like a kid's on Christmas morning when we finally out of the tunnel, able to see the lights and giganticism that is the City. Even I have to admit that there was nothing else like my first real view of it. The smile I had over my face kept rising as I made our way through downtown, purposely just to give him a taste of what he'd soon know like nothing else, "I'll take you and show you around once we get everything inside," I told him as he stared bug-eyed at everything. It was night time there, and I couldn't have picked a better time to have gotten there.
He only nodded at me, gaping at everything as we moved through it, until we were leaving the metropolis behind and heading over the bridge to where he would be living. Where he would be living with me. The thought made butterflies flit around in my chest as we neared the place. I hoped he would like it. The house wasn't anything special, looking like most houses in that neighborhood, a garage, a small back yard. But it was home.
Once I pulled into the driveway, thanking my lucky stars the bulky vehicle and my own car fit in the space, I climbed out, readily taking his hand as I unlocked the door and pulled us both inside. It was just as I'd left it, thankful that Ike hadn't strewn everything everywhere when getting the things I wanted. It was more bare than usual, but still so much home. My heart swelled as I saw the photos of my children still displayed in frames over the mantle, and I remembered then how much this place still hurt.
Skylar had gone off by himself, inspecting the house like a child or newlywed would. Once he'd finished his rounds, he bounded back to me, a bright smile on his face, and I'd myself calmed enough to smile at his enthusiasm, "Its fucking great," He declared, throwing his arms around my neck and planting a kiss on my lips. When we pulled apart, he blushed a little, stating, "But uh, we have a problem," And I tilted my head in confusion, "Our bed . . . its out there," He pointed to the window that showed a silhouette of the truck, "And its dark out and stuff"
"Well," I sighed out, "Looks like I'll have to figure something out huh?" I asked, my smile a bit lost in my thoughts. I knew there was only a few solutions. Rent another hotel room for the night; Stay here and sleep on the hard floor with the few spare blankets I owned; Or . . . I sighed as I filed through my phone's address book, pressing send and having a short conversation with the person who picked up. It wasn't my cup of tea, but it was better than the thought of hard floors, or used motel beds. A heavier sigh escaped my lips as I ended the call, "Okay, looks like we're gonna go back into the City and shack up on the guest bed at casa del Ike," I tried to get out brightly, but the rest wouldn't escape me, "And Zac"
He nodded in a way that showed he understood my discomfort, "Its okay, we'll make sure it stays okay," He smiled, but it was tight, and hugged me close, "We'll just . . . try to sneak under the radar a little for tonight, kay?"
I nodded and pondered unhitching my SUV, but instead called for a cab, noting that it would be more convenient, especially with where we had to go. It was decidedly quicker with the taxi, though Skylar seemed a little afraid of how people drove in downtown. We finally made it to the complex my brothers lived in and I drew in a deep breath as we made our way to the intercom, waiting to be buzzed in by Ike. I only prayed that Zac either wasn't home, or that he was passed out. If not, this was bound to be one hell of a night.