39. Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Laredo
I wake up alone on the office futon with panic flooding me. The room is dark, the lights off, the door closed, and Betty is nowhere in sight.
The last thing I remember is Betty in my arms and me fighting sleep. I must’ve drifted off. I swing my feet to the floor in search of my phone.
This was her plan all along. I refused to take a break all day, so she led me on a path that she knew I’d never resist.
How could I fall asleep today of all days? I hop to my feet and spot the phone on the top of the desk. I swipe and wipe my eyes, taking in the time. It’s almost four o’clock. I slept for three hours. I take a deep exhale; I have less than an hour before I need to be at the arena for sound check with Ariel and the band.
I’ve missed two calls, one from Ariel and one from Adam. Shit. In the corner of the screen, I spot the mute icon, indicating that the sound is turned off. Betty must have silenced it to ensure my sleep remained undisturbed.
I scan the text.
Ariel: Text me back. I have some news.
Ariel: Dude for real, hit me back. You need to hear this from me.
Adam: Where are you? I’m going crazy thinking about tweaking your solo for tonight.
Ariel: WTF. Why aren’t you picking up your phone?
Adam: Why is Emily inviting me to a beach BBQ today? Did Ariel put her up to it?
Ariel: If you are dead somewhere in a gutter, I’m going to kill you.
Adam: Why aren’t you picking up your phone? If you don’t text me in the next hour, I’m going to track down Betty.
What in the living hell is going on? I type out a quick text to Adam.
Here’s your proof of life text. Headed to the sound check soon. Don’t touch the solo. It’s perfect.
Next up is Ariel. Her texts seem to hint at an urgency, and I wonder if it’s related to tonight’s performance. I call her. “I’m on my way,” I say, hoping to address any concerns she may have.
“Don’t bother.” The words are tinged with a blend of acceptance and frustration. A combination, unluckily, I’m all too familiar with.
“What? You don’t want me to come?” I lower down to the futon and expect a wave of disappointment to hit me. What did I do this time to screw up? I checked the call time four times this morning. I’m not late. It can’t be that.
I thought I had learned, grown. But I’m back on the hamster wheel. A prize just beyond my grasp being snatched away. Again.
I brace for defeat to hit, followed by anger, the rationalization and my destructive rebuttal. Over the last week, I’ve had a lot of time to analyze the pattern.
A calm settles over me, and I realize it’s not coming. This news isn’t the end of the world.
I can accept this. I just need to know why.
“Did I say something? Do something?” I realize, for once, I care about my actions. How they impact others.
“That’s not it, Laredo. I’m sorry. I’m frazzled. It’s been a day.”
Ariel is not the type of woman to get flustered. But in the last few days, I’ve seen her with her guard down. Frustration, anger, even tears. And I know the reason why.
“Adam?” I whisper.
The line goes silent for a moment. “And here I thought you were the clueless brother.”
We share a knowing laugh. We’ve come a long way ourselves in a few days. “What do you need from me?”
An audible breath floats across the line. “When I originally called, I needed you to invent a reason to bring Adam to a beach barbeque, but you didn’t pick up. Emily is filling in. He should be meeting her shortly.” While I was sleeping, Ariel was planning. Everyone has been busy today. “I know I told you I don’t do apologies. But I’m going to meet him at the barbeque and throw myself at his mercy. I hope he takes me back. I screwed up.”
I can’t help but bite my lip, the nervous habit providing a temporary distraction. As Olivia sent the invites to all the musical acts, I made sure she deleted the email to Ariel. I had no clue what Ariel was planning for Adam for today. But if it went sideways, I didn’t want Ariel and him sequestered together in the tight space of the studio. I didn’t want Adam possibly distracted by her presence, not tonight. Not with so much at stake.
It takes everything in me not to let her know what Adam has been working on. But that’s not my place. “I have to see this,” I deflect. If she’s going to make a grand gesture, I need to be there.
Not just to bear witness and be able to recount my version to Hailey but also to be there to support Adam if the grand gesture doesn’t work. Adam has always been there for me. Now, it’s my turn.
“The badass of rock groveling on her knees. There’s no way I’m going to miss this.”
My laughter is returned by Ariel. “And you’re still an ass.”
I nod and pivot my thoughts to logistics. “It’s going to have to be a quick apology. You have a sound check in an hour.”
The laughter on the other end fades away. “I thought you understood. There isn’t going to be a sound check.”
I’m confused. “What do you mean? I thought…” I replay her words from earlier. “When you said for me not to show up and then you mentioned Adam, I assumed that meant you changed your mind and decided you’d rather have him on the stage with you and your band.”
“I’m sorry, Laredo.” For a woman who doesn’t apologize, I’m quickly losing count. “What I meant is that we’re not performing. My band isn’t coming. Dax is the only one who made the trip.”
I scratch my head in confusion. Dax is the drummer in the band. “I thought…”
“Me too. But apparently, I’m the only member of my band still addicted to performing. They have other priorities in their lives now.”
I think of Betty and fully understand their decisions. While music can ignite joy in a musician’s heart, it cannot hold a candle to the overwhelming power of love. All my life, the word “love” never crossed my mind with relationships. Betty and I have a long trek ahead of us, but I see what waits for us in our future. And I can’t wait.
“I’ve given up the slot for a local band, Plot Twist. They’re good kids, and they deserve the break.”
“Why didn’t you take the slot for yourself? You have a new sound. The Sunday stage would be the perfect place to show the world.” I’ve learned a lot this week and already know what she’s going to say before she says it.
“My band earned that slot. Not me. The Sunday stage is the holy grail of the festival. I have one unreleased solo song out. I haven’t earned that shine yet. My time will come.”
The respect I have for Ariel grows with each syllable of her statement. She’s a rock goddess for a reason. “That’s beautiful.” I couldn’t have said it any better.
“Listen, I got to get a move on. I must change outfits and try to win back Adam.”
“Shoot me the location,” I say, standing just as the door opens. Betty peeks her head in, spots me on the phone, and starts to retreat. I lift a finger for her to stay. “I’ll meet you guys there, and one more thing…” I capture Betty’s gaze. I’m sure she is trying to figure out who I am speaking to on the phone. “I’m bringing my girlfriend.”
Betty’s smile reaches her beautiful eyes, and I disconnect from the call. That’s when I notice what she is wearing. It’s the T-shirt from our family band, Bluer Collar. I gave her the shirt last summer.
“You still have the shirt?” I hear the wonder in my voice.
“Yeah.” She utters the word with a sexiness I know well. “Some hot dude gave it to me last year.” She takes a step toward me, her fingers fisting the bottom of the T-shirt.
“You didn’t throw it away?” I can’t believe she’s wearing it. The well-worn shirt shows signs of wear and fading, this is not the first time she’s put it on since last summer
“I could never bring myself to do it,” she says, her eyes welling up with emotion. “Whenever a dark cloud came into my life, I would slip on the shirt and remember a happier time. I would remember you. I would remember us.”
I hear the cracks in her voice and want to wrap her in my arms. But I don’t. There are still more words waiting to spill from her lips.
“You weren’t here, but you were, in a way.” She tugs on the shirt. “It was never enough. But it got me through.”
My gaze lingers on the shirt, me, Adam, and my sister posing like every rock group we ever admired. I love this picture of us. And I love it even more on Betty. I blink away a tear. “I’m here now. No more just getting by. Together, we get to live life the way it should be.”
She looks up, hesitancy in her eyes. “Do you want me to be your girlfriend?” She glances down at my phone, my words to Ariel a minute ago.
I thought I had made my intentions clear, but with my track record, I can no longer assume. “Yes. For starters. And, in time, so much more.” I bat away any concerns that linger. “Do you want me as a boyfriend? I must warn you I have no clue what that means and will probably screw it up a time or two.”
A soft giggle escapes her lips, she points to the center of the T-shirt, her finger hovering over her heart. “Trust your instincts.”