‹ Prequel: Twins
The Tree
Everything's Changing.
There was a tree in the backyard of the house they lived in. Brendon’s house, technically, but Ryan’s place was more of a storage facility than anything else. (Dru wasn’t sure if the electricity was still on. The rent wouldn’t even get paid if she didn’t set reminders on Ryan’s phone.)
But, the tree. It was on oak, she thought. She wasn’t sure, but she considered it an oak. It had thick branches and, as fall was approaching, the leaves were starting to disappear. On this particular weekend, Brendon was in Vegas visiting his parents. Ryan and Dru were at home.
It was Ryan’s idea to take a chair into the backyard and climb the tree. Dru just went along with it. It wasn’t until he was in the tree and helping her up, that her minor fear of heights kicked in. “I don’t want to go higher.”
He smiled at her and leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose. “Come on, baby. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Not here.”
Ryan laughed and then he heaved himself up to the next branch, helping her up after.
“What if we fall?” the girl asked. She wasn’t technically frightened, just a little scared of the prospect of broken limbs.
“Do you really think I’d let you fall?” His voice was warm that time. He kissed her forehead.
They only climbed up one branch higher. And they sat, cradled almost between the branches and the trunk of the tree. Dru sat between Ryan’s legs and he kept his arms around her waist.
“Everything’s different now.” the girl said. There was fear evident in her voice now. And it wasn’t from heights or falling or the idea of a broken arm. It was from change and worrying constantly about the fact that other parts of her life would split apart and go in separate directions. Namely, the two boys she lived with.
“A lot of things, yeah.” Ryan half agreed. “But not everything.” He rested his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “We all still love each other. Just because we’re in different bands now doesn’t mean that’s going to change.”
“You’re with him all the time.” Dru didn’t need to name ‘him’. They both knew who he was. “You’re hardly ever with us.”
“I’m here now.” Ryan’s voice was low, but not angry.
The girl swallowed the lump in her throat. “I heard Brendon call you. I heard him ask you to come.” It was all but a whisper.
“You’re mine.” Ryan’s arms tightened around her slightly. “You’re mine and his and he’s mine, too. I’m his. We’re all part of each other. It doesn’t matter if I’m here or there or on tour or tracking somewhere, we’re all together somehow. I’ll never leave you because I can‘t. You’re a part of me, Dru.”
“I think I want to go inside now.”
Ryan climbed down first, helping Dru step onto the lower branches and then lifting her from the chair safely onto the ground.
They went inside and watched TV, snuggled on the couch. They ordered Chinese for dinner and watched some weird movie of Ryan’s with English subtitles. Later they went to bed, their ankles touching and his hand on her back. She fell asleep to the sound of his breathing.
In the morning there was coffee and then donuts. They fucked on the couch and later in the bed. Ryan brought in the chair from the backyard. At six they left for the airport to pick up Brendon. Before they got out of the car, Ryan tucked a strand of hair behind Dru’s ear and kissed her cheek. “I love you.” he said, voice gentle. “Don’t think everything changed, because that didn’t.”
She looked at him and gave him an almost (but not quite) sad smile and they made their way across the sidewalk to pick Brendon up from Terminal B.
But, the tree. It was on oak, she thought. She wasn’t sure, but she considered it an oak. It had thick branches and, as fall was approaching, the leaves were starting to disappear. On this particular weekend, Brendon was in Vegas visiting his parents. Ryan and Dru were at home.
It was Ryan’s idea to take a chair into the backyard and climb the tree. Dru just went along with it. It wasn’t until he was in the tree and helping her up, that her minor fear of heights kicked in. “I don’t want to go higher.”
He smiled at her and leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose. “Come on, baby. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Not here.”
Ryan laughed and then he heaved himself up to the next branch, helping her up after.
“What if we fall?” the girl asked. She wasn’t technically frightened, just a little scared of the prospect of broken limbs.
“Do you really think I’d let you fall?” His voice was warm that time. He kissed her forehead.
They only climbed up one branch higher. And they sat, cradled almost between the branches and the trunk of the tree. Dru sat between Ryan’s legs and he kept his arms around her waist.
“Everything’s different now.” the girl said. There was fear evident in her voice now. And it wasn’t from heights or falling or the idea of a broken arm. It was from change and worrying constantly about the fact that other parts of her life would split apart and go in separate directions. Namely, the two boys she lived with.
“A lot of things, yeah.” Ryan half agreed. “But not everything.” He rested his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “We all still love each other. Just because we’re in different bands now doesn’t mean that’s going to change.”
“You’re with him all the time.” Dru didn’t need to name ‘him’. They both knew who he was. “You’re hardly ever with us.”
“I’m here now.” Ryan’s voice was low, but not angry.
The girl swallowed the lump in her throat. “I heard Brendon call you. I heard him ask you to come.” It was all but a whisper.
“You’re mine.” Ryan’s arms tightened around her slightly. “You’re mine and his and he’s mine, too. I’m his. We’re all part of each other. It doesn’t matter if I’m here or there or on tour or tracking somewhere, we’re all together somehow. I’ll never leave you because I can‘t. You’re a part of me, Dru.”
“I think I want to go inside now.”
Ryan climbed down first, helping Dru step onto the lower branches and then lifting her from the chair safely onto the ground.
They went inside and watched TV, snuggled on the couch. They ordered Chinese for dinner and watched some weird movie of Ryan’s with English subtitles. Later they went to bed, their ankles touching and his hand on her back. She fell asleep to the sound of his breathing.
In the morning there was coffee and then donuts. They fucked on the couch and later in the bed. Ryan brought in the chair from the backyard. At six they left for the airport to pick up Brendon. Before they got out of the car, Ryan tucked a strand of hair behind Dru’s ear and kissed her cheek. “I love you.” he said, voice gentle. “Don’t think everything changed, because that didn’t.”
She looked at him and gave him an almost (but not quite) sad smile and they made their way across the sidewalk to pick Brendon up from Terminal B.