“I love you, I’ve loved you all along.” I whisper into the darkness. A thin sliver of moonlight peaks through the curtains of the bus.
“I love you too, Alex.” She mumbles in her sleep, and a serrated knife plows through my chest.
Chapter 27 Bristol
The sun peeks through the slice of curtains on the bus, the light hitting my face directly. I roll over in bed, hoping to get away from the light. When I throw an arm out searching for Andrew, I find the other side of the bed empty. I lift my head up from the pillow, and with one eye open, I search the room, but it’s empty too. I grab the oversized T-shirt from the floor and a pair of sleep shorts, pulling them up my thighs. I grab the ties for the drawstring as I make my way out of the bedroom. Rhyit and Boston sit at the small table with coffee cups and the ever present notebook between them. I raise my arms over my head and yawn, letting the sleep leave my body.
“Is there coffee?” I ask, startling both of them. Boston motions to the coffee pot with his mug, and I grab a cup from the cupboard before filling it with the liquid gold. Once the cup is full, I take a seat on the couch directly across from the small table, tucking my legs under my body as I stare out the window. The landscape of the south zooms past us, and the deep green foliage of Louisiana slowly creeps in with every mile.
“Sleep well?” Rhyit asks, not looking up from the notepad. I nod, but he can’t see me.
“I had the strangest dream.” I announce, still looking out the window. The dream playing on repeat in my head; it’s not my normal dream or nightmare, whatever it would be described as.
“Oh yeah?” Rhyit asks, leaning back in the seat, his attention now solely on me. “What about?”
“I was running down a hallway, but I couldn’t get to the exit door.” I say, turning to look at him. “I kept running, but the door kept getting further away.” It felt like I was running through a maze I couldn’t get out of.
“Was anyone with you in the dream?” Rhyit asks, narrowing his eyes at me. Jeez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
“Yeah.” I reply, keeping my answer as vague as possible. I don’t want to tell him who was at the exit, who was waiting for me there.
“Who?” He spits, his fist hitting the table.
“Settle down, man.” Boston chastises, finally entering the conversation.
Rhyit clears his throat, shooting a glare to his friend. His attention returns to me, and I feel like I’m on trial for something, but I haven’t the vaguest idea what I’ve done.
“Who was in the dream with you?” Rhyit asks, his voice calmer than before.
“You were there.” I reply, giving a brief pause, but Rhyit’s eyes narrow again. “So was Alex.”
“What was Alex doing there?” Boston asks over his coffee cup.
“I don’t know he was just there, he’s been in my dreams a lot lately.” I confess, but Rhyit isn’t having it. He looks furious, his features stoic as his jaw tics.
“I bet he has.” Rhyit sneers. “Was something going on with you two? Before he died.”
I purse my lips but say nothing. I hold his stare as he cocks his head to the side waiting for an answer.
“I can’t believe you would even ask me that.” I hiss. “You of all people.”
“Well, you can’t tell me what the last thing he said to you, you said some weird shit to him at the funeral,” he lets out an angry exhale, “and you said you loved him last night in your fucking sleep. I’m not a genius, Bristol, but something isn’t adding up.”
I said I loved him? I don’t remember that. I panic and look to Boston, who gives me a ‘just tell him’ look. The bus rolls to a stop, and I breathe a quick sigh of relief. I want to bolt out the door and run as quickly as I can away from this conversation. The door opens just as I’m planning how I’m going to live my life on the run, but I grimace when I realize I don’t even have shoes on. Andy’s blonde head pops into the front of the bus.
“Hey guys, mind if I come in? I have some super exciting news.”
“Sure.” I say just as Rhyit tells her we’re busy. She looks between us, not sure who to listen to, but she must decide it’s safe because she bounces further up the stairs to the bus and parks her ass on the couch next to me. Rhyit stands near the table and eyes her like a piece of moldy bread.
“Sooo….” She starts, letting the vowel sit stagnant for a moment, and I assume the pause is to build anticipation, but it’s only building annoyance. “I talked to Steve last night,” she pauses again, it’s weird she calls her dad by his first name, “the last stop on your tour will be Seattle.”
You could hear a pin drop, it’s so silent in the room. No one says a word as we stare at her, the reasoning behind us playing in Seattle is clear, but I don’t believe Paperweight realizes the ramifications of what us playing in Seattle will have.
“Fuck no.” Rhyit says, his tone holding no room for question.
“It wasn’t a question.” She snaps, her voice like a razorblade against glass.
“Then it was a suggestion, and I suggest you run back and tell daddy dearest that it’s a hard fucking no for us.”