Chapter Thirty
KNOX
I HOLD the piece of paper up against my chest as the people begin to stream out of the door.
Most of them have the same haggard look of airplane travelers, but there is some levity amongst the crowd.
I see Raven’s face in the moving tapestry, and the softest hint of ginger appears at the back of my throat.
It’s such an unexpected sensation that I cough a little. Several passersby glance at the paper.
As she approaches me, Ven’s eyes drop to the page as well, and she laughs. Wide-mouthed, fully throated laughter. She reaches out and traces the big cursive letters of her name that I wrote in fat black marker.
“Really?”
“I’m all about that five-star quality experience, and I expect your review to reflect that.”
She leans into my body, and we kiss, the world falling away for a long moment. Even the cold air stops registering for me for the length of time our lips are together.
“Hello, handsome,” she says as the embrace ends.
“Happy you’re here, honey,” I respond.
I reach around her to grab the handle of her rolling carry-on.
I pull open the back door of the van and place her bag there, taking her backpack as well as she slips into the passenger seat.
Back into the driver’s seat, I turn on the indicator light, waiting a few seconds before pulling back out into the slow-moving traffic.
Soon, we are back onto the main highway and headed back into Denver.
“So I hope you’re ready to be sick of me,” Raven says as we pull off the highway and into the neighborhood streets. “I was able to get five days off this time.”
I chuckle. “Sick of you? I doubt it.”
“Okay, good.”
Raven moved back to California as planned at the end of August, but we’ve been making long-distance work.
I always imagined it would be hard to maintain the same spark with a partner, whether virtually or in person, but with Ven, it’s as easy as breathing.
We text back and forth all day long. We update each other on our days, and we send silly videos and funny GIFs to make each other laugh.
We talk on video chat for hours most nights.
We fall asleep to the sound of each other’s breathing, lemon and ginger and honey always present on my tongue in those moments.
Her last visit was in late September. She came to check up on House Band Featuring and meet with Hendrix and Danica about the next two bands that replaced us at the end of our contract.
It was a crazy 48-hour fuck fest that had me walking funny for days and regretting absolutely none of it.
But if she has more time this visit, I have every intention of taking her on at least one proper date.
“We’re booked for a gig on Halloween, but would you want to go to a party once we’re done? It’s an earlier one, so we should be finished by ten.”
“Sounds fun.” Venny grins.
We pull into the neighborhood and pass several houses that I would swear have added to their Halloween lawn decorations just since I last saw them on my way to the airport an hour ago. Their clear enthusiasm for the holiday makes our dark house look drab by comparison.
Venny seems to notice that as well because as we walk up to the front door she says, “Do you want to carve some pumpkins while I’m in town, maybe get in the festive mood?
I haven’t done it in a few years, but it’s really fun.
My dad is a huge holiday decoration nut, so our house is usually decked out from mid-October through New Year’s. ”
“Absolutely. We could go to a pumpkin patch or something and pick a couple out tomorrow.”
“Yes!” she says, stepping into the house.
We’re greeted by the warm, comforting smell of pot roast, a staple everyone in the Nightshades has loved since we were kids.
“Smells delicious in here,” Ven says, pulling her scarf from her neck. I reach out to take the rest of her outerwear and hang it up on the coat tree.
“We’re back!” I call, and I hear feet shuffling.
“Hey Ray!” Zeke says, pulling her into a firm hug.
“Hi, Zeke, good to see you. How are you?” she inquires.
“Great, I wanted to show you this new composition I arranged two nights ago.”
“Wait, like composition? Like writing music?”
“Yeah!”
“This I’ve got to see. That’s amazing, Zeke. You weren’t a strong music reader a few months ago, and now you’re writing it?”
“I know, right! Come on, I’ve got the sheets out on the dining room table.”
Zeke leads Ven down the hallway towards the kitchen and dining room, while I take the steps up to my room three at a time. I place her bags on the floor beside the door and dresser.
A cold breeze hits me across my exposed arms, and I look up.
“Oh shit,” I say aloud, realizing my bedroom window is cracked open.
This afternoon was so nice I pushed it wide open to let the crisp fall air in.
The wind blowing through the dying leaves created a constant soft rumble as I practiced this afternoon.
But I forgot that the moment the sun disappears, the temperature plummets.
I cross the room swiftly, pulling the window firmly shut and locking out the cold air.
When I arrive back downstairs, everyone is in the final stages of dinner being served.
Zeke has removed the pages and pages of sheet music from the table, and he and Venny are setting out five places.
Via and Cash are in the kitchen working in perfect coordination to get the pot roast, roasted vegetables, salad, and bread ready to eat.
It’s an unexpected sight to see someone I’m in a relationship with work in such perfect harmony with three people who are foundational to who I am today. It warms my whole chest up. We all sit down and devour the meal in front of us, the conversation free amongst us all.
“Knox told me your last week at House Band was great,” Venny says as we pass the bread and salad around and fill our plates and glasses.
“It was,” Cash says.
“Underselling it much, babe? I am still riding high. We had to put in a rush order on merch. We ran out with two nights to go,” Via elaborates.
“I’m sorry I missed it. But that’s the nature of my job, unfortunately. How are your next few weeks looking?” Raven asks the table.
“It’s only been a few weeks since our stint there ended, but I’ve got us booked and playing every weekend and two or three other nights a week all the way through December.”
“Plus, that meeting with Mandy from Dark City’s Children,” Cash says.
“Oh, yeah,” Ven glances at me, “You mentioned that. Is it scheduled? What’s going on there?”
Vis sighs heavily, “It got canceled unfortunately, his assistant said there was an emergency. But glass half full, its already rescheduled, so I think we’ll have some good details by Thanksgiving.”
Via crosses her fingers.
“That’s still amazing.” Raven’s gaze settles on me for a moment like she is waiting for me to add something.
But I’m honestly just enjoying the moment of watching them all together. Venny being in this room with all of us feels so right to me.
“And we talked about it as a band,” Zeke continues. “January and February can sometimes be dry spells for live shows. We’re thinking about doing some studio time in the new year. Pull together an EP or maybe another full album.”
“Really? You all have enough new stuff for a full album?”
Raven looks at me again, and I nod.
“Plus, we have enough time to start looking at stops for a tour next summer,” Via says. “It’s about time to get back out there, see the fans beyond this little bubble we’ve been able to cultivate.”
“It would be good timing. New music to take on a tour,” Cash chimes in.
Venny’s smile is wide as she listens, and Zeke and Via go back and forth on potential North American locations.
“I’m really impressed by how you’ve been able to leverage your time at House Band Featuring. I mean it was always what I envisioned long term for bands that signed seasonal contracts with us, but you and the Heirs are my first test subjects.”
I scoff. “Rude, I never got a piece of cheese. Don’t most test subjects get cheese or a food pellet or something?”
“Oh, you got something.” She turns that exacting stare on me.
Down boy.
Everyone at the table begins laughing. As we finish the delicious food, Zeke starts talking about bringing all that sheet music back out.
“Let’s clear the table first, please,” Via insists.
We begin to stand, each reaching for various items. Plates, wine and water glasses, utensils.
“So Via, Knox and I were thinking about going to a pumpkin patch tomorrow and picking a few up to carve,” Venny says as the cleaning continues. “Do you want to come?”
“Oh, fun! I haven’t done that in years. Cash?”
“Could be enjoyable,” Cash says thoughtfully.
Crash!
I turn at the sight and sound of glass shattering on the kitchen floor, red wine splashing everything in sight.
“Shit!” Raven shouts.
“Fuck,” Zeke exclaims, “I’m sorry, Ray!”
The remains of the red wine is spread out across the tile floor, the green bottle a glimmering mosaic of shards held precariously together by the white label.
She wears a gray shirt, but I can still see a large dark wet stain across Ven’s entire chest.
“You okay?” I ask her, concerned she might have cut herself.
“Yeah. I just wasn’t expecting to get wet yet.”
She winks up at me as I take her hand. I help her across the room and out of the kitchen.
“I’m really sorry, Ray,” Zeke repeats, looking at the mess left on the floor.
“It’s okay. Shit happens. I’m just going to change my shirt,” she tells us all, slipping away towards the steps.
I only hang back for a few moments before following her up the steps, watching as Zeke and Via work quickly to clean up the broken glass and mop up the wine.
I’m just reaching for the doorknob of the bedroom when the door swings wide.
Raven stands at the threshold. My gaze drops down to her chest, and I see she has thrown on an old Nightshades T-shirt that I’ve had for years, my name emblazoned across her breast.