Alone Together Alone

I knew that Ashley and I needed to talk.

I drove all the way home wrestling with the thought.

I pulled into my driveway to see Ashley’s car was there.

“Well I guess now’s as good a time as any.” I muttered to myself as I pulled the keys from the ignition.

I saw her the minute I walked through the door just sitting on the couch waiting for me.

“Petey, We have to talk.” That tone always meant bad news no matter who it came from.

I slowly walked over and sat down beside her.

“What is it babe?” I asked cautiously.

She pulled me in quickly and kissed me deeply.

Yet she still had the solemn look on her face when she pulled away.

“Petey, the spark is gone.” She spoke the word softly, slowly, and honestly.

She was right.

“I know.” I matched her in softness, in remorse.

“We can still be friends right?” She asked hopefully.

I smiled. “Of course.”

We shared a hug.

“Well, I have to go Pete.” She said as she stood up.

“Talk to you later Ashley.” I said as I watched her form disappear.

That went disgustingly well.

I couldn’t believe I took it so well.

I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my chest.

I expected the dreams to go away.

I thought that was what the dreams wanted me to do.

I did get a night’s reprieve.

It was the most blissful rest I’ve ever had.

Of course the most amazing thing was waking up with the sun pouring through my window.

I looked at my alarm clock realizing I had to be at the studio in an hour.

I rolled out of bed happy for the first time in a long time.

I was soon in my car (much to every other driver on the planet‘s dismay) headed to the studio.

I was late thanks to a trip to a Starbucks that had a stupidly long line.

“Way to be late, Pete.” Patrick, my best friend, joked as I walked in.

“Hey man, you should be glad I’m late because it means I got a full night sleep!” I shouted back.

“Wait, Insomnia Pete slept all the way through ‘til morning?” Joe asked skeptically.

“Damn right! I didn’t have one of those nightmares either.” I bragged.

“Let’s get this show on the road folks!” The producer called out disrupting us and getting us back on track.

Lunch rolled around and Joe and Andy went out to pick it up and Patrick and I were sitting together discussing lyrics.

“Pete?” He asked softly making me look up from my notebook that had the lyrics messily scribbled down in it. “The girl in your dreams-Erin right?” He checked before continuing, “I think she showed up in my dreams last night.”

Shock covered my face.

I hadn’t told him her name.

He wasn’t kidding.

“What?”

“She saved me. She didn’t want me to be a vampire like you two. She was strong, she didn’t want to let us close to her, you could tell.” He smiled lightly as if she were a memory of an old friend. “But we snuck around her guard. Why are these dreams so vivid?”

“I don’t know.” I responded back still marveling at the fact he dreamed about her too. “They just are.” I knew exactly what he was talking about.

He sighed. “Is it weird that the same girl showed up in both of our dreams?”

“It would be if they were different types of dreams.” I joked back.

He chuckled. “No kidding.”

Maybe this wasn’t so weird.

Joe and Andy both ended up alone with me at some point in the day and they both had stories too. It was getting weird again.

Andy was in the booth drumming and Patrick was sitting with the producer and discussing the song with him.

Leaving me and Joe on the couch talking amongst ourselves.

“She saved Alessa, man. Just jumped right off the roof and saved her. Alessa was pregnant and Erin couldn’t stand the idea of the baby getting hurt.” He dropped his head gaze shifting to the wedding band on his left hand. “When I married her I was just looking at her amazed that I got this beautiful angel to marry me, to be the mother of my son. I didn’t know who I should have thanked but since that dream it felt like I should have thanked that girl. Is this totally insane?” He asked hopelessly.

I smiled. I don’t know why I just had to. “Of course not.” I dropped my hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

“I feel like I should thank you too.”

That surprised me. “Why?”

“You’re the one who introduced us to her. You met her first. At least that’s how it happened in my dream.”

That was new information.

He and I just sat there silence filled with the thoughts about all that had just been said.

Later the same day Andy had a very similar conversation.

Joe was in the bathroom - he had Mexican food for lunch nuffsaid - and Patrick was laying down some vocals.

I wonder why they all felt the need to do this to me all in one day. Although I’m sure none of them told each other about it.

I guess I just feel that the world likes to play cruel tricks on me.

“Dude I hated her.” He went on. “I didn’t trust her one bit. I wouldn’t even shake her hand and that pissed her off to no end so she hated me too.” He chuckled, I doubt he even knew why he laughed there. “But in the end I put my hand out to her and her eyes welled up like she was about to cry and she put her hand in mine. She called me ‘Friend’ to tell me all was forgiven the past was gone and we got to start fresh the next day, but the next day didn’t come.” He sounded like he was disappointed that in his dream he couldn’t get that fresh start.

I’ve passed my madness to my bandmates. They must have drank out of my water bottle or something.

“Why didn’t the next day come?” My curiosity got the best of me even though something told me I didn’t want to know.

He looked directly into my eyes, face serious. “We died.”