Take It All Away
Come With Me
After work, Adam asked me to come into his room. I was preoccupied with remember how many pastries I needed to make that, at first, I didn’t notice all the boxes. I stopped.
“You’re leaving?” I whispered.
His hands were deep in his pockets and he stared at the floor.
“After the new year,” he confirmed. “My manager called. He said I’ve been off long enough.”
“You’re packing rather early,” I muttered, looking everywhere but him.
“I have a tendency to put it off until the last minute.” We stood in silence for a while and I passed the time by looking at one of his amps. “Violet, say something.”
I shrugged and cleared my throat. “I don’t know what there is to say. It’s not like there’s anything holding you back in Oklahoma.”
He stood in front of me and made me look at him. “You know there is,” he whispered.
I blinked back my tears. “No. Touring is more important.” He frowned. “Your music has made me so happy, Adam,” I whispered, a few tears slipping out despite my best efforts. He wiped them away with his thumb. “True, there are people out there who are jumping on the bandwagon, but there are those out there who are like me. That’s what these tours are really about. You told me that yourself when we first met, remember?”
He nodded. “But my mom said something before we left,” he whispered back. “She reminded me that there will be a time where I’m going to have to make a choice.”
I shook my head and stepped back. “Don’t do that,” I breathed, finally understanding. “Don’t make yourself choose.”
He blinked rapidly and put an arm around my waist. “Come with me,” he said and I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. “Please, come with me.”
“Adam, I-”
His phone rang but he ignored it. “At least think about it. Please.”
I nodded and he pressed his lips to mine.
-
“Gina, I need you. Now.”
I was curled under my blankets. As soon as I left so he could call back whoever called him, I ran to my room and cried. I still was when she came in, my door being unlocked. She crawled under my covers with me.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, pulling me into a hug.
I started crying again.
“He wants me to go with him,” I said into her chest.
“When does he leave?”
“After the new year,” I answered.
“Do you want to go with him?” I started to sob and she nodded. “Then go, sweetheart.”
“I can’t!”
“Why not?”
“You guys need me. I have a life here. My family-”
“Violet,” she said sternly and I looked at her in shock. “You’re in love. Don’t try to deny it. And, forgive me, but your family is shit. The only one that cares is your father and you don’t get to see him that often anyway.”
I could only start crying more and she hugged me again, staying with me the rest of the afternoon.
-
The next day at work, I was too distracted and burned several of my cupcakes.
“Damn it!” I yelled, tossing the ruined batch into the large trash can.
“Calm down,” I heard Jack say behind me and I ran a hand through my hair. “What’s going on? You only ever burn your stuff when you’re stressed about something.”
I glared into the oven. “Adam’s leaving next month.” Jack put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “He wants me to go with him.”
“Are you going to go?”
I shut my eyes tightly. Before I could answer, the bell above the door rang and I froze when I heard Adam’s voice.
Jack hurried out.
“She’s in the back,” he said and I cursed him under my breath.
I kept my back facing him.
“Violet,” he whispered and I gripped the prep table. “Violet, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”
I let out a small sob and ran to him, kissing him firmly on the lips. He stumbled back but returned the kiss, holding me tightly.
“I want to go with you,” I whispered, my eyes shut.
We stood there for at least ten minutes, me crying quietly into his chest. He was shaking and I had a suspicion that he was crying, too. Finally, once I composed myself, I stepped back and let out a small laugh.
“I got flour on you again,” I said, wiping my nose on a rag I kept over my shoulder to wipe my hands.
He kissed me, holding my face in his hands. When he pulled back, my thoughts were confirmed; there were small tear tracks on his face.
“Are you serious?” he whispered. “You really want to come with me?”
I nodded and he hugged me.
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony started playing and I groaned, pulling my phone out of my pocket.
“Nice ringtone,” Adam laughed and I shushed him.
“Hi, Mom,” I said.
“You better be coming for Christmas,” she snapped at me and I rolled my eyes.
“Mom,” I began.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Minnesota for Thanksgiving!?”
“How about because I’m 24 years old?” I retorted. “Look, Adam and his friends asked me to come and I agreed.”
She laughed. “So you really are this ‘mystery girl’ then?”
“Seriously, Mom? You’re going to believe everything you see on TV?”
“You better come!”
“I will.”
“Are you going to bring Adam with you?”
I pressed my lips together. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.”
“I don’t like that.”
“Well, that’s too bad. We’ll be there on the 25th at 9.”
I hung up before she could say anything and resisted the urge to throw my phone in the oven.
“Going to Mommy Dearest’s house for Christmas?” he asked and I nodded.
“If you’re willing,” I added quickly.
“Of course. I can’t leave you to her all by yourself.”
I smiled. “She’s pissed, though,” I warned him.
He shrugged. “I don’t care. Your dad will be there.”
I kissed him lightly on the lips. “Want to help me with these cupcakes?”
“I don’t know how to bake,” he said quickly and I tossed an apron at him.
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“You’re leaving?” I whispered.
His hands were deep in his pockets and he stared at the floor.
“After the new year,” he confirmed. “My manager called. He said I’ve been off long enough.”
“You’re packing rather early,” I muttered, looking everywhere but him.
“I have a tendency to put it off until the last minute.” We stood in silence for a while and I passed the time by looking at one of his amps. “Violet, say something.”
I shrugged and cleared my throat. “I don’t know what there is to say. It’s not like there’s anything holding you back in Oklahoma.”
He stood in front of me and made me look at him. “You know there is,” he whispered.
I blinked back my tears. “No. Touring is more important.” He frowned. “Your music has made me so happy, Adam,” I whispered, a few tears slipping out despite my best efforts. He wiped them away with his thumb. “True, there are people out there who are jumping on the bandwagon, but there are those out there who are like me. That’s what these tours are really about. You told me that yourself when we first met, remember?”
He nodded. “But my mom said something before we left,” he whispered back. “She reminded me that there will be a time where I’m going to have to make a choice.”
I shook my head and stepped back. “Don’t do that,” I breathed, finally understanding. “Don’t make yourself choose.”
He blinked rapidly and put an arm around my waist. “Come with me,” he said and I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. “Please, come with me.”
“Adam, I-”
His phone rang but he ignored it. “At least think about it. Please.”
I nodded and he pressed his lips to mine.
-
“Gina, I need you. Now.”
I was curled under my blankets. As soon as I left so he could call back whoever called him, I ran to my room and cried. I still was when she came in, my door being unlocked. She crawled under my covers with me.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, pulling me into a hug.
I started crying again.
“He wants me to go with him,” I said into her chest.
“When does he leave?”
“After the new year,” I answered.
“Do you want to go with him?” I started to sob and she nodded. “Then go, sweetheart.”
“I can’t!”
“Why not?”
“You guys need me. I have a life here. My family-”
“Violet,” she said sternly and I looked at her in shock. “You’re in love. Don’t try to deny it. And, forgive me, but your family is shit. The only one that cares is your father and you don’t get to see him that often anyway.”
I could only start crying more and she hugged me again, staying with me the rest of the afternoon.
-
The next day at work, I was too distracted and burned several of my cupcakes.
“Damn it!” I yelled, tossing the ruined batch into the large trash can.
“Calm down,” I heard Jack say behind me and I ran a hand through my hair. “What’s going on? You only ever burn your stuff when you’re stressed about something.”
I glared into the oven. “Adam’s leaving next month.” Jack put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “He wants me to go with him.”
“Are you going to go?”
I shut my eyes tightly. Before I could answer, the bell above the door rang and I froze when I heard Adam’s voice.
Jack hurried out.
“She’s in the back,” he said and I cursed him under my breath.
I kept my back facing him.
“Violet,” he whispered and I gripped the prep table. “Violet, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”
I let out a small sob and ran to him, kissing him firmly on the lips. He stumbled back but returned the kiss, holding me tightly.
“I want to go with you,” I whispered, my eyes shut.
We stood there for at least ten minutes, me crying quietly into his chest. He was shaking and I had a suspicion that he was crying, too. Finally, once I composed myself, I stepped back and let out a small laugh.
“I got flour on you again,” I said, wiping my nose on a rag I kept over my shoulder to wipe my hands.
He kissed me, holding my face in his hands. When he pulled back, my thoughts were confirmed; there were small tear tracks on his face.
“Are you serious?” he whispered. “You really want to come with me?”
I nodded and he hugged me.
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony started playing and I groaned, pulling my phone out of my pocket.
“Nice ringtone,” Adam laughed and I shushed him.
“Hi, Mom,” I said.
“You better be coming for Christmas,” she snapped at me and I rolled my eyes.
“Mom,” I began.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Minnesota for Thanksgiving!?”
“How about because I’m 24 years old?” I retorted. “Look, Adam and his friends asked me to come and I agreed.”
She laughed. “So you really are this ‘mystery girl’ then?”
“Seriously, Mom? You’re going to believe everything you see on TV?”
“You better come!”
“I will.”
“Are you going to bring Adam with you?”
I pressed my lips together. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.”
“I don’t like that.”
“Well, that’s too bad. We’ll be there on the 25th at 9.”
I hung up before she could say anything and resisted the urge to throw my phone in the oven.
“Going to Mommy Dearest’s house for Christmas?” he asked and I nodded.
“If you’re willing,” I added quickly.
“Of course. I can’t leave you to her all by yourself.”
I smiled. “She’s pissed, though,” I warned him.
He shrugged. “I don’t care. Your dad will be there.”
I kissed him lightly on the lips. “Want to help me with these cupcakes?”
“I don’t know how to bake,” he said quickly and I tossed an apron at him.
“There’s a first time for everything.”