Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Devon
Leaving the cabin sucked. In the short two weeks we’d spent there, it felt like home.
Which was strange since I had a home and my parents were more than happy for me to move back, but it wouldn’t feel right if I was there without Johnny.
We went back to LA and packed up his stuff in a U-Haul and moved it to a storage unit near my place, and the four of us practiced and got ready for the show in Sacramento.
Two months wasn’t enough, and by the time it ended we were all firm in our decision to end the band, and our friendships were closer than they’d ever been.
Tanner had tried to convince us to try it for another six months but none of us were willing.
“Have you had any luck finding a place yet?” I asked Johnny as we were relaxing on the couch after a day of practice. Next week we’d be playing the big show in Sacramento and all of us were anxious.
“Yes, I’ve been looking online, and I have a realtor looking for me too.”
“So, I guess you’re staying at my place until you find your own?”
“Would you mind?” The tone of his voice was full of doubt and uncertainty. He’d been staying with me since we got back from the cabin and since we were playing in Sacramento, we were practicing there too.
“If I minded it, I wouldn’t have asked.” I took his hand and kissed the palm of it.
“I miss being at the cabin already.” We were at my apartment that was close enough to downtown Sacramento to walk to a few bars on the weekends, which we’d done a lot of during our break.
We’d also spent time with my family, and they were getting to know Johnny as my boyfriend, not just my bandmate.
Mateo and Jeremy were living with Jeremy’s family in Stockton, but they were in Sacramento so much they were considering moving here too.
“I wanted to talk to you about that. The time we spent there was special, and I felt like both of us had a connection to that place. It just feels like it should be ours.” Johnny held my hand as we sat at the kitchen table.
“It is special there. Maybe we can rent it every year. We could make it a tradition, and I know Mateo and Jeremy loved it too.”
“I talked to the owners, and they’re willing to sell it to me.”
“What? Are you serious? How could you—can you do that?” I was so shocked I’d lost the ability to form a complete thought, but Johnny had a way of doing that to me while centering me all at the same time.
“I’m serious. When we spoke, they just asked if they would be able to use it for a week in the summer.” I was up and, in his lap, as soon as he finished talking.
“So, it’s yours?” I asked between kisses.
“It’s ours,” he said. I didn’t know how that worked, but I loved that the place that had been so special to us would now be ours.
“I have some news too,” I said but didn’t move from straddling him. His hands ran up and down my legs and I had to force myself to focus.
“What is it? It’s not about the gig, is it?”
“What? No. I talked to Tanner about working stage crew at some of his shows in the area. He said he’d love that, and he’ll send me the schedule to see which ones I want to do.
” Breaking the news to Tanner had been tough.
None of us were sure what his reaction would be, but he handled it like he did every other catastrophe ever thrown his way.
He was calm and said he knew we were all tired of the grind before asking what we all planned to do.
“Babe, that’s great. I had a feeling it would work out with him. He’s always got something going on lately.”
“Plus, there’s a lot of local places that really need help with their sound systems.” Everything was working out and all of us were happier than we’d ever been. But we still had the big show on Friday to get through.
“Hey, assholes, I heard a rumor that this is your last show, any truth to that?” Easy asked as we all waited backstage for our turn to play. We were all sharing the same room since we were playing back-to-back and none of us were bothered about sharing.
“Yep, we’re going to be starting a new path,” Mateo said, making everyone laugh.
“Okay Master Yoda,” Glen said with a warm smile.
“Some of us never get out of this business, and others stay too long. Good for you getting out while you still like it and it hasn’t sucked the life out of you,” Rory, the bass player, said.
“We’re all ready for a change,” I said.
“So, are you going to be doing sound for us?” Liam asked.
“It’s possible. I mean I wouldn’t say no. Unless we had plans,” I said making them all chuckle.
“We’re happy for you all, and I hear you’ve got some new music. You know the fans are going to be pissed that you drop it on them and leave,” Easy said.
“Or they’ll hate it. Either way it’s our farewell to them,” I said and squeezed Johnny’s hand.
“You lads are alright,” Drake, Easy’s dad, said and patted me on the back.
In a way, everyone here was family but the connection between us wasn’t just the music or by blood, it was more than that.
It was shared experiences and conversations over meals.
Time spent together writing music no one would ever hear, and frustrations over having to work too much without any time off.
But through it all we found something good, and that good would last longer than the strum of the last chord or the first grey hair that I was sure was coming any day now even if I was only in my twenties.
It was a tough industry, but we survived it intact and with a bigger family.
“Anchor Grey, you’re on in ten,” someone from the stage crew shouted into the room before hurrying back outside.
Johnny turned to me then, his eyes so full of love it hurt to even think of looking away. “Are you ready, baby?”
“I’m ready,” I said and noticed Mateo and Jeremy wrapped up in each other having their own conversation before they both looked over at us.
“Let’s do this. Let’s make them want us so fucking bad that they’re gonna cry when we tell them this is our last show,” Mateo said.
“Alright, boys, let’s go,” Johnny said, and like he had before every show, he led us onto the stage.