Back Into Your Arms

I still couldn’t find a job.

I sighed heavily as I looked over at John who had his earphones on and was producing a song on his MacBook.

Even with the music on, he still looked over at me as if sensing me staring at him. He right away took off his earphones and gave me his undivided attention.

“I can't” I said to him shaking my head.

“Why are you stressing so much? A job will come when you least expect it”

I sighed even more and made a face.

“I have no patience”

“That I know” he said and laughed. I got off the couch and walked over to where he was sitting. I sat on the seat next to him, he handed me the earphones.
It was an acoustic version to one of the only songs he had let me listen to from the new record, no lyrics, just the instrumental. It sounded amazing.

“I like this, dare I say a little bit better than the original” I said and handed him back the earphones.

“You love the original”

“Exactly” I said standing up and laying on the couch again. I looked at my phone and realized I had a new message from Tessa. She was asking me if I wanted to help her that day.

“I’m going to Tessa’s!” I exclaimed. He looked over at me and nodded.

“Have fun, and bring me back some of whatever you girls are making today”

I wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek but I still felt too shy about it. So instead I simply smiled and walked out.

When I arrived at Tessa’s, she already had everything out and scattered all over the kitchen.

“Today we are making Cinnamon Rolls and Dinner Rolls!”

“Oh yummy!”

“Right? Definitely going to need to do an extra 20 minutes of heavy cardio!” she said laughing.

“20 minutes, I’m definitely eating more than 2, so make that 40 minutes”

“How’s the job hunt going? I heard you got your license again!”

“I did get my license! It feels good to drive again, but the job hunting isn’t going too well”

“You know John must really like you since he’s letting you use his car” she said and giggled.

“He doesn’t let others use his car?”

“Nope, that jeep is his baby”

“Well then” I said and laughed as I felt the keys in my pocket. He had seemed so relaxed about letting me use his car.

“Oh, and about the job…I have a surprise for you!”

“A surprise?”

“Yup” she said walking over to her tablet that was sitting on the living room sofa.

“What’s this?” I asked her.

“They are looking for a cooking instructor at the adult school, I think you are more than qualified for the job”

She handed me the tablet as I looked at the job listing. I had never taught at an adult school, but this was a great opportunity, it was a job that would allow me to do what I love best which is to teach.

“You know, you’re the best Tessa!” I said and gave her a hug.

“I had to find a way to help, but anyways c’mon let’s go bake!” she said as we stood up and headed towards the kitchen. She went on to tell me all about her family, and especially about how long she had been dating Jared.

“9 years?” I gasped. She nodded.

“We missed meeting each other by a year huh?”

I nodded.

“The fact that you have been there from the start is beautiful, the band has come a long way huh?”

“Definitely, it’s hard though, it can get hard sometimes, they go off on tour for months”

I hadn’t quite thought about that before, a new album meant a new tour. It meant time and distance apart.

“How do you usually deal with that?”

“It wasn’t easy the first years, and it still isn’t but you just kind of learn to take that time that their gone to focus on yourself, focus on your job, focus on taking up a new hobby, spending time friends and well I’m really glad I have you now, we can totally hang out while the boys are gone”

I smiled.

“Definitely! I’m glad I have you too, you have so much experience in dating a man who is in a band, I’m definitely going to need advice and help”

“You like music, right?”

“More recently yes, I’ve been listening to music so much lately”

“That’s good, because these boys practically breathe music, while they are here, they will always be writing a new song, producing something new, listening to new music etc, so I’ll tell you what a plus side to them being gone on tour is, you get to hear this” she said opening a window, you could hear the birds outside and the sound of the wind against the trees.

“You don’t get to hear that very much when they are home” she added and laughed.

“I will take note of that” I said and laughed with her.

Tessa had instantly become one of my closest friends.
We were close in age, we dated men in bands, we both loved cooking and baking, so we had a lot in common. We finished baking, her photographer came over, she took some photos, we chatted some more and then it was time for me to head out.

“I’ll apply for the job, and I’ll let you know if they call”

“Sounds good”

I waved goodbye and got in the car.

I was about to turn on the car, when a headache began again. I was getting tired of the migraines, and I usually knew what they meant.

It was then that a new memory came to me.

My parents were upset with me.

“You want to go to another concert?”

“Yes”

“People get drunk and do drugs at the concerts held here” my dad added.

“But I won’t be, I’m only 17 anyways, I can’t drink”

“No, you are not allowed to go”

“Mom, Dad, please, what-what if Brandon goes?”

My parents looked at each other and then at Brandon. He just shrugged.

“I wouldn’t mind going”

“See? Please?”

“Whose concert is this for anyways?”

“John and his friends, they finally got a small gig”

“So, this has to do with John?” my mom said even more bothered.

“Mom, he’s my boyfriend, I have to go support him, it’s their first show”

“What time will you be home?”

“I’ll be home by 10, I promise”

“Make that 9pm, I don’t want you home any later, and I need your brother to be with you at all times”

“That-that’s fine, thank you mom, it really means a lot to me, you guys are more than welcome to go and support too”

“Please Melody, we aren’t supporting a band like that”

I was so caught up in the memory I didn’t realize I was getting a call.

I looked around the car startled and shivered when I saw it was my mom calling me, it’s almost as if she knew.

The way she said she wouldn’t “support a band like that” kept ringing through my ears. Stirring up forgotten emotions, her words hurt, hurt as if they had just been said to me today.
I had never heard such vile words come out of my mother’s mouth. Her speech had always been kind, or at least courteous. It shocked me to remember something like that, I even began to question whether the memories were real or not.

I rejected the call, and drove back to John’s house.

I entered the home, and found him lying in bed taking a nap. I smiled and headed back to the kitchen. Preparing a dinner for him to compliment the dinner rolls I had made with Tessa.

What I hated the most was that my memories only came in fractions. I had no clue how the concert had gone that day. I was left to wonder, wonder if I had made it home on time, if Brandon had enjoyed the concert, if something in that day set off what happened later in the year.

I quickly walked over to my purse, took out my earbuds and plugged them into my phone. Blasting the music nice and loud, in hopes of quieting my mind and negativity.