Somebody That I Used to Know

Sydney was cradled in my arms as I sat on the rocking chair in the back of the house as I fed her milk from the pink bottle in my hand. She was just over a week old and her pictures were already all over Twitter and Tumblr thanks to Ronald Joseph Radke, the secret photographer.

“How are my two beautiful girls doing?” Ronnie asked as he stepped through the glass doors and walked over to where Sydney and I sat with a bottle of water in his hand that he quickly handed to me.

“We are doing fantastic!” I said happily, the baby girl in my arms making small cooing noises that Ronnie awed at.

“I have a present for you.” Ronnie said, looking at me with a smirk on his full lips, “And, let me warn you by saying this may possibly be the most amazing and best gift I have ever gotten you.”

“Really?” I asked, moving Sydney around to pat her on the back and burp her only to have Ronnie take her from my hands and do it for me, “And what exactly is this amazing gift you got me?”

“I can’t tell you,” Ronnie said as he finally got Sydney to burp and moved her around to cradle her in his arms much as I had down just a few minutes earlier, “If I tell you it won’t be a surprise.”

“Yes,” I began when I finished swallowing the mouthful of water I had from the ice cold water bottle in my hand, “Because you know how much I absolutely love surprises.”

“Well, I know you’ll love this one.” Ronnie said as he shook his leg up and down to help him calm Sydney down as she slowly slipped into a deep slumber in her father’s arms, “Go upstairs and get dressed in your favorite shirt and your favorite pants with your favorite everything else.”

“Why so much emphasis on favorites?” I began to ask, “Are you taking me to something that may soon become my absolute favorite thing in the world?”

“You never know,” Ronnie said as I stood up from the rocking chair, “I might have some extravagant event planned for you.”

I chuckled slightly and walked inside to see Charlie and Sailor waiting patiently to be let outside and into the backyard. I opened the door for them and watched them run outside happily as they frolicked around on the plush green grass. I chuckled and walked upstairs with Smudge following me up the stairs and into the bathroom to take a shower. I plugged my iPod into the dock and smiled when Kellin Quinn’s voice filled the bathroom. Smudge meowed and I smiled down as I crouched down to pick the kitty up.

“I know, my love,” I began, talking to the pudgy cat in my arms as it cuddled into my slightly, “I should have named you Kellin, but your daddy said I can’t name any of our babies after the man I’m obsessed with.” I said before placing the chubby kitty on the floor.

I stripped off my clothes and threw them into the hamper that sat by the sink, singing along with Kellin as the warm water from the shower head washed over my hair. I scrubbed my body clean with my favorite pomegranate and mango body wash before washing my head with the expensive Bedhead shampoo.

I pulled on a bra and a matching pair of lacy boy shorts and plugged in my blow dryer. I shook my hair out and passed the blow dryer over it to get it dry and set in its usual waves that cascaded down my back. I put on some concealer and foundation before starting on my makeup, going a little heavier than usual around my eyes as I did so. I pulled my clothes on and slid my feet into the heels before looking my body up and down in the mirror that stood in front of me. I smiled at my reflection and opened the bathroom door to walk into the bedroom to see that Ronnie was already showered and his hair was done to perfection.

“You look extra attractive today.” I said, as I passed by him and what I would need in my purse.

“You look extremely gorgeous, Ana.” Ronnie said, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

“Where are we going?” I asked him.

“I told you already, Ana.” He began, “I can’t tell you, it’s a secret!”

“What about Sydney?” I asked him.

“Your mom is going to be over any minute to watch her with my dad.”

“They’re driving all the way over here just to watch her?”

“They offered, plus they only saw her the day after she was born. So I figured they would want to spend as much time as possible with her.”

I nodded my head after thinking about it for a bit since he probably did make the best choice. I heard the doorbell ring and I followed Ronnie downstairs and to the door that he promptly pulled open to reveal the smiling faces of Russell and my mother.

“Hi guys.” I said, giving each of them a hug, Ronnie doing the same after me.

“Where’s my beautiful Granddaughter?” my mother asked.

Ronnie and I led her and Russell up the stairs and to Sydney’s bedroom that lay towards the end of the hall.

“This new house is so gorgeous Ana,” my mother said, “I’m so proud of how far you’ve both come over the last few years.”

“Thanks momma.” I said as I leaned into the crib and picked her up easily into my arms handing her to my mother who had her arms opened to hold on to the blue eyed beauty that I had brought into this world just a few days ago.

“Are you ready to leave?” Ronnie asked me.

I nodded my head and followed him out the doors and we walked towards his large black car before he sped away on the high way.

“Where are we going?” I asked him, hoping I would be told some information about what he had planned for tonight.

“I told you, I can’t tell you where we’re going. It’s a secret.” Ronnie said.

I groaned and turned on the radio, playing with the ring on my left hand that Ronnie gave to me just a few weeks ago. I leaned back in my seat and turned on the volume on the radio before turning my attention back to the black road in front of us. Ronnie pulled up at Epitaph and I looked over at him confused.

“This is the big surprise?” I asked him as we got out of the car and he led me to the doors.

I walked through the doors and was greeted with the faces of old bands that I had worked with and people who were friends of Ronnie and I.

“Well,” I began when the ‘party’ was coming to a close hours later, “I guess that was a surprise, was that also my gift?”

“No,” Ronnie said as he moved to be behind me where he set a blindfold over my eyes.

He took my hand and led me away, the sound of a door closing was the only thing that made me know we were in a different room.

“Your gift is this.” Ronnie said before taking off the blindfold I had tied over my eyes to reveal Sleeping With Sirens standing just a few feet away from me on an elevated platform.

They all had their instruments at the ready and I watched as Kellin fixed the hat on his hair and soon stepped forward to the microphone. I stood up and felt Ronnie’s arms wrap around me from behind as Kellin started his song.
Oh, my stomach’s tied in knots
I’m afraid of what I’ll find if you want to talk tonight
Oooo Oooo
See the problem isn’t you, it’s me I know
I can tell, I’ve seen it time after time
And I’ll push you away
I get so afraid, oh no

And I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
I can't even live with myself
Oh-oh-oh
And I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
And I don’t want nobody else
Oh-oh-oh

I only have myself to blame
But do you think we can start again
'Cause I can't live without you

Oh, my stomach’s tied in knots
I’m afraid of what I’ll find if I can see you with him tonight
Oooo oooo
See the problem isn’t you, it’s me I know
I do this every single time
I’ll push you away, ohh
I get so afraid, oh no

And I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
I can't even live with myself
Oh-oh-oh
I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
And I don’t want nobody else
Oh-oh-oh

I only have myself to blame
But do you think we can start again
I only have myself to blame
But do you think we can start again
I only have myself to blame
But do you think we can start again
I only have myself to blame
Let's start again
Let's start again
I can't live without you
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh
Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh

And I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
I can't even live with myself
Oh-oh-oh
I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
And I don’t want nobody else
Oh-oh-oh
'Cause I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
I can't even live with myself
Oh-oh
And I can't live without you now
Oh-oh
'Cause I don't want nobody else
Nobody else
Nobody else
I can't live without you
Oh-oh

“That was all for you Anastasia.” Kellin said before walking off the stage with the rest of his band members.

“What was that for?” I asked though the tears in my eyes.

“That was for everything. That was for giving me a beautiful daughter named Sydney Veronica Radke. That was for falling in love with me. That was for coming to visit me when I was in prison. That was for saving me from me. That was for doing all of the amazing things you’ve done for me and for others. You’re a beautiful, caring woman who thinks about everyone else before she thinks about herself. That was for being you, for being my neighbor, my best friend, my girlfriend, and,” he began as he moved to kneel on one knee with a Tiffany blue box in his hand that made my heart race as he opened it to reveal the most gorgeous ring I had ever laid my eyes on, “Anastasia Lara Chek, will you do me the honor of being your husband by marrying me?”

The tears were flowing freely from my eyes as I nodded my head eagerly as Ronnie slipped the ring onto my left ring finger where it would lay there for the rest of eternity.

When we were home, I felt complete for the first time. Ronnie and I were cuddled together on the bed with Sydney in between us.

“What are we ever going to do if she finds out I’m not the father?” Ronnie asked me as he toyed with my hair.

“That he’s just somebody that I used to know.”