Zoom Into Me

BILL’S POV

I had gotten up early the next morning, just in case. Just incase she called early. I wasn’t sure if she was a morning person or not, but I couldn’t risk missing her call. Last night we chatted for a quite long while, her doing most of the listening. Which was a not very common thing, every time I talked with someone, since I tend to rant and go on and on about something and change from one topic to another in matter of seconds, they would either interrupt me to talk themselves and sometimes to even excuse themselves and leave. I seem to have this need to get everything I have going on in my head out, but I’m never able to find someone who will truly listen to me and less pay attention at what I’m saying. She was different. I knew it. There was something about her that had caught my eye since the first time I saw her that night after our show. Otherwise I would have never even tried talking to her, I never do, talk to random girls I mean.

Once I was awoken by the three alarm clocks places strategically around my bunk, I proceeded to turn them off one by one before grabbing some clean clothes and my makeup bag and heading to the small shared bathroom. But when I got to the door, it was closed, and locked.

I sighted defeated, knowing that at such early time of the morning someone would already had beaten me to it. Since I tended to get up late, I never had any problem with waiting for my “turn” for using the bathroom, everyone else always got up earlier than me and had already had their turns. I made my way to the small kitchenette of the bus, only to find Tom making himself some coffee.

“Guten Morgen” he greeted me, feeling my presence, even with his back to me.

“Morgen” I replied, groggily. It was still too early for me, my voice was….weird.

He served himself a cup of the hot steaming caffeine beverage and pulled out another cup to fill for me. Taking one cup in each hand, he signaled with his head for me to follow him to the “dinning” area.
The table that we used for eating, writing, and using the computer was just a plain white square table for four. We took turns with the staff members using it, which resulted in everyone eating at different hours.

I followed my brother to the table, only to see Georg seated already with a cup of coffee and some waffles. Tom sat next to George, but it wasn’t as if I didn’t see it coming, he always sat next to Georg, and I sat beside Gustav, who was obviously in the bathroom.

Tom took a sip of his hot coffee, burning himself in the process.

“Scheiße! It’s burning hot.”

Georg chuckled beside him.

“Soo, wast neight. You two talked all night, what could you possibly talk about for so long?” my brother curiously asked me, the first part not too understandable as his tongue seemed to be sensitive from the burn.

I wanted to blurt everything out, every little detail of our, well mostly mine, conversation but I didn’t want him teasing me about it later.

“Ah, come on! You look like you’re going to explode, spit out already”

My twin knew me too well.

So I ended up explaining everything, and he did teased me once or twice like I had expected, I knew him too well. When I had gotten to the part about her calling me, he frowned.

“So, you’re gonna maintain in contact?”

I nodded. What was so wrong with that.
He seemed to had read my thought well, as always.

“Bill, I don’t wanna see you hurt, so what I’m gonna say is for your good. You already know we’re finishing the tour tomorrow and heading back home to Germany after. You should stop this before it gets more…”

“Personal” Gustav finished for my brother, who had seemed to not able to find an appropriate word.

He took a seat beside me, obligating me to scoot down the seat from the middle of it to right next to the window. They were all now looking at me seriously, almost afraid of what my reaction might be.

“But….no…”

“Bill, we’re serious about this. None of us want to see you…heartbroken.” this time after his pause, he was able to find a word.

I shook my head, in total disagreement with them and their worries. But I knew they were right. That thought had come to me since we first talked, I just chose to ignore it. I didn’t wanna risk losing her, not after our special “moments”. I’m pretty sure I was the only one who had even acknowledge them, but they were there. They were that first time we started to get to know each other on the long trip to that amusement park, and on the Ferris Wheel, and recently at the hospital getting to know her family.

“Excuse me. I’m not feeling too well, I’m a bit dizzy. I think I’ll go lay down a bit” I lied, and waited for Gustav to get up and let me out.

He innocently believed my lie and allowed me to pass, Tom however I knew would see right through it, but he let it pass.

I did head to my bunk like I had said I would, but not to sleep or “get better”. I laid down, grabbing my phone from the small night table in the process.

No missed call.
No new text.

I sighted once again. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

As if on cue the screen of my phone lighten up and un unfamiliar sound came from it.
Um, that’s weird. That was not my ringtone.
Tom. I could only imagine he played with my phone again.

I nervously touched the screen of my iPhone to answer the call that was indicated as unknown.

“Hello?”

Her sweet voice immediately made me smile, it always did.

“I’m sorry if I called you too early”

“No, it’s not…early, at all” I replied, glad to have woken up early today.

We talked for another few minutes, until I felt a presence next to me. Tom quietly took a seat on his bunk in front of mine. He was looking at me accusingly, as if I was doing something bad.
I knew what he wanted me to do. He didn’t need to say for me to actually know, I could see it in his eyes.

“Lucy, listen. I have something important to say to you actually.”

I looked at my brother who was eagerly nodding, waiting for me to continue.

“What is it?”

I could sense worry in her voice.

“Well, you know how we’re on tour and all?”

I didn’t need to wait for her answer, I knew she knew.

“Well, we’re ending the tour in two days and then….well, then we’re heading back home. To Germany.” I added the last part, unsure if she knew what I meant by home.

She was silent.
Scheiße. I knew I shouldn’t have told her.

“I understand. We can still stay in touch…if you want.”

I was glad she understood, or at least that’s what she had said, her voice seemed to say the opposite. When she mentioned staying in touch my heart did a happy dance.

“Ja, I’d love to…stay in touch” I blushed as I notice I had brought up the L word, even if it weren’t to express my feelings for her.

She giggled through the phone and my heart just finished melting.

“Me too. I…”

When she didn’t complete her sentence it was killing me.

“You what?” I asked anxious to know what it was she wanted to say to me.

She remained silent for another few seconds, and Tom looked at me curious as well, as to what she was gonna say.

“I think…I think, I like you.”