Forever Now

Gustav’s POV
I walked around aimlessly for hours, questions swirling around my head. Finally, after being recognized and signing about 5 autographs, I decided to give Georg a call. It was getting cold out. I stood on a curb digging my foot into a pile of gravel as the phone rang. After a few seconds, Georg picked up. There was a lot of noise in the background, so I assumed he was still at the club.

“Hello? Gustav? What happened to you man?” he asked me yelling at a bartender for a vodka. I looked around, seeing a small coffee shop nearby. That’s what I needed, I thought looking both ways before crossing the street and bounding across.

“Just call me when you guys go to pick up the bus from Audrey’s house.” I said opening the door to the shop and walking in. Georg was silent.

“Are you okay?” He asked. I shuddered suddenly feeling cold and trying to find somewhere to sit.

“Yeah.” I said bitterly sliding into a barstool. The whole place was empty since it was about 3 in the morning. A girl with white blonde hair and a smock on came from a back room, carrying a cardboard box. I hung up my phone setting it on the counter. The girl came over, her nametag read Julia.

Her big blue eyes searched my face, but she didn’t seem to recognize me.

“What can I get you?” she asked turning to straighten a few jars of tea leaves on a shelf behind her.

“A coffee…black.” I added getting my wallet out. She went to a coffee machine putting a cup in and it automatically filled.

“Strong choice for this early in the morning.” she commented capping the cup and putting a sleeve on it. I slapped a few euros on the table, but she pushed them away setting my cup before me.

“On the house.” she said. It didn’t seem like she was flirting with me, but did at the same time. I couldn’t figure her out. I sipped my coffee, it burned the back of my throat as she watched me.

“Are you always here this late?” I asked swallowing and looking around. She rested her head in her hands.

“Always.” she smiled, “I’ve got a lot of things to pay for, things to take care of.” it was then that I saw the large gap between her teeth. “What’s a guy like you doing OUT this late?” she asked going to her old fashioned cash register and counting receipts. Her nimble fingers pinned each one to a corkboard on the wall behind her.

“It’s a long story.” I said putting my guard up again and drinking my coffee. She looked at me scratching her ear.

“I’ve got all morning.” she said looking around again. I took my baseball cap off and drummed my fingers on the counter.

“My girlfriend got an abortion while I was…” I searched for the right word to use so I could keep my cover. “…gone.” Julia smiled to herself.

“You mean while you were on tour?” she said tapping numbers into her register. I held my surprise in. So she DID know who I was. She saw my face and raised her eyebrows.

“I’m not going to TELL anyone. I see all kinds of people this early in the morning.” she winked. I leaned foreword on my elbows.

“Like who?” I asked curiously. She shook her head coming over to stand in front of me again.

“Well, I can’t tell you.” I looked down at my coffee, drumming on the top. “So what if she did. It may have not been the right decision, but she made it. And its over.”

“I love her, so much. But I can’t forgive her.” I said not meeting Julia’s eyes. She sighed.

“You wanna know what I think?” she said forcing me to look at her. I nodded not really caring. “What was the first part of the sentence you just said?” She asked pulling her hair into a ponytail.

“I love her?” I said unsurely. Julia tapped her head with her forefinger.

“Exactly. No matter what she did, it shouldn’t matter if you love her.” she put a warm hand on mine and I saw a wedding ring on her finger. She saw me looking.

“He died. In an airplane crash.” she said looking away. “Don’t take what you still have for granted.” she said sadly pulling her hand away. “Life is too short.”

Bill’s POV
Sami had been gone for a while now, there was a growing line outside of the bathroom and I was starting to worry. I made my way through the crowd going to the front of the line. There was an large woman decked in black who was pounding on the door with a clawed fist.

“Dumb bitch won’t get out of the bathroom.” she growled as the house lights went down again. There was a collective groan from the line of women. I lightly knocked on the door and pressed my ear against it, I heard sniffling.

“Sami? It’s me, Bill, please come out.” I said softly. I got many glares from the women in line for knowing the woman in the bathroom. The door swung open and Sami stood there. She looked fine, but her nose was red as if she had been crying.

“Hey.” she said walking past me. The women cheered and stared at us as when we walked by.

“What happened?” I asked her as we went to the crowded bar. Georg was there as well, talking with a with purple haired woman. Sami looked around, her face ashen.

“Nothing. I’m good.” she said plainly. Audrey appeared beside us, her face drawn.

“Hey, I’m catching a cab home. I don‘t feel so well.” she said. Sami nodded.

“I’m going to head home too.” Sami said looking to me. “I’m not staying with you guys tonight anyway. I wouldn’t want to have to make you guys go out of your way to bring me home.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she stood on her toes and kissed me.

“Call me later okay?” she said waving as she followed her sister out.

Audrey’s POV
When we reached out house, I saw the tour bus sitting out front like a silent giant. I really wished he’d show up just waiting for me, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. We walked to the front door and let ourselves in. Our father was in the living room fully clothed and asleep on the couch. The TV was on the history channel and his glasses were halfway off his nose.

Sami went over and turned the TV off, curling up beside him and resting her head on his shoulder. He snored lightly. I watched Sami as I unzipped my boots. Sami only acted tough, but I knew deep down she was a softie. She looked up at me as I started to walk upstairs.

“Are you okay Dre?” she asked quietly so she didn’t wake dad, her eyes questioning. I stopped halfway up.

“I think Gustav broke up with me.” I said thickly. Sami was silent as I kept walking up the stairs. I went into my room slipping out of my clothes and putting my pajamas on. I grabbed my tape deck from my dresser and got the tape Gustav made me from my purse. I hadn’t listened to it yet and figured, what better time than now?

I went to my window seat looking out at the fading moonlight and putting the tape in pressing play. There was a scratching sound and then Gustav’s voice came on.

“um…you made me a tape, so I wanted to make you one. Because…” he paused and then there was a tapping. “I love you. I love you so much.” he added. And then there was silence followed by a collection of drumming. The sound filled my ears. Each beat was so precise and put together. I mentally matched some of my sets to each track and sat back closing my eyes. Finally, it was over, the sound dying out. My heart fell and every tear I had been holding in spilled down my cheeks as I threw the deck across the room. I buried my face in my hands. I had made a horrible mistake.

I dragged myself to bed curling up on top, not bothering to pull the covers over me. I sobbed until my chest ached. My bedroom door opened and Sami stood in the light of the hallway. She wore a shirt that Bill had left behind for her, closing the door, she crawled into bed with me and wrapped an arm around me.

“I found out why mom was here.” She whispered trying to comfort me. I stopped crying, hiccupping and feeling her warm breath on my cheek.

“Why?”

“She was signing divorce papers, apparently her and dad were never really divorced. Only separated.” I closed my eyes not really caring. Soon, I fell into a dreamless sleep to the sound of Sami’s incessant whispers.