Wish You Were Here

Tour ended swiftly for Brandon, before he knew it, they were on their way back to California. Brandon’s stomach lurched inside him, he was going back home to start putting together their new album. Back home to the San Fernando Valley , to that small quiet neighborhood; back home to Luna. He, as hard as he tried, could not forget her or her words. His heart ,though buried alive, still bled, still reminded him that it was her it wanted, that it was her he loved. Brandon picked at the scab on his knee, he was nervous to be going home. He was nervous to see his mother, that read him like an open book. He was nervous to walk those familiar streets which held that small chance in their concrete hands of running into Luna. Brandon shut his eyes, though it was night he was afraid to look at the illuminated porches, at the dim yellow lights that led the way to his house, he was afraid he’d see her.

“Brandon, my man, you’re home,” Ben stated once the van stopped moving. Brandon gazed at the simple two story house with its windows lit and its front door wide open with the lanky figure of his brothers in the door way.

“Home,” Brandon mumbled softly. The word awkward upon his soft tongue. He walked out to the fresh night and pulled his luggage out of the van. “Well gentlemen, I bid you goodnight and will see you tomorrow,” he said into the van smiling.

“Sure thing bro.”

“Sounds good.”

“See ya tomorrow.”

“Goodnight!’

Brandon held his hand to the window as the van started and pulled away from his house. He turned to face his two brothers, “Hey.”

“Hey, welcome home,” his older brother Darren said smiling.

“Thanks.”

“How was tour?” asked his younger brother Jason.

“Fun but tiring.”

“It looks like you haven’t slept in days,” Darren commented.

“It smells like you haven’t showered in days too.” Jason joked.

Brandon forced a laugh and handed Jason a suitcase to drag in.

“Where’s mom?” Brandon asked walking into the house.

“She went with Linda to leave Luna at USC,” Darren replied smoothly.

“Luna got into USC? She’s…gone?”

“She didn’t tell you? She got her letter that day you left. I would’ve thought she would’ve paged you at least.”

“No…,”Brandon said softly.

“Well that’s weird, weren’t you two like dating?”

“Not exactly.”

“Huh,” Darren said scratching his chin.

Brandon felt his face flush under his older brother’s silent gaze. “ I am tired man, completely exhausted. I think I am going to go to bed,” Brandon mumbled.

“You sure? Mom’s going to be home soon.”

“I’ll see her tomorrow.”

“Okay, goodnight bro.”

“G’night,” Brandon said turning around, he left his suitcases by the closet at the bottom of the stairs , tomorrow he would unpack, tomorrow he would have the courage to face the world but tonight he was a fragile little thing.

Brandon entered his dark room and collapsed upon his soft covers, how odd and rewarding it felt to be home. Every inch of him craved sleep but his heart that now pulsed in his hand yearned for Luna. A Luna that would crawl through his window and slip beneath his covers and keep him warm and tell him about her dreams. A Luna that was his muse. Brandon looked out his window to the night sky and looked to the tiny fragments of light known as stars and thought back to the time he and Luna went surfing at night when they were younger.

“Brandon the cops are going to come!” Luna whispered griping her board.

“Nonsense, this beach is usually deserted.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mhm, trust me. We’re not going to get in trouble.”

“Okay,” Luna sighed.

He smiled at her and grabbed her hand leading her through the sand.

“Let’s leave our stuff here,” he said throwing down his board.

“Okay.”

He watched her strip down to her bikini from the corner of his eye and watched how the moonlight bounce of her skin.

“You ready?” she asked.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

He held the fiberglass board against his skin and held her hand once more. They slowly walked to the shore and let the water lick their feet surprised at how warm the water felt. She let go of his hand and slid into the dark water, he followed her further where the waves began to form.

“Look,” she said pointing at the sky, “You can see all the stars so clearly.”

Brandon looked up and saw how close the stars looked. He laid on his board listening to the waves splash around him and to the soft humming noise escaping Luna’s mouth and thought of how it would feel to have her humming lips upon his.

He would always remember that night as clearly as he did the last night with her. Brandon sighed into the cool breeze entering his room. His fingers longed to hold a pen to paper. His mind and heart suddenly fell into sync and craved to be let out upon the blank paper. He grabbed the stray paper off the floor and let his heart take over.

“You magnify my better half,” he sang softly.