I put her back down on the ground with one more quick kiss. “Okay, just let me change into some comfortable clothes real quick, and then I’ll tell you all about it.”
We spent the next hour enjoying her homemade lasagna and talking about our day. Everything seemed perfect, until she dropped the bomb.
“I need to talk to you about something,” she began nervously, fidgeting in her chair while twirling the end of her hair around her finger. “Like I mentioned before, Jobu’s Rum is going on tour later this summer, and well . . . Mase texted me that their first show is gonna be in Vegas on July thirty-first, and he wants us to come.”
“I’m sure he wants us to come,” I snarled.
She sighed at my response, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed over her chest. “Well that’s what his message said. I thought it’d be nice to support him at his first big show. Plus I’d like to see Vegas, even though I can’t gamble or anything.”
I wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but I could definitely do a Vegas trip. “The thirty-first? What day of the week is it on?”
“It’s a Thursday.”
“Scarlett,” I ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated, “there’s no way that I can take off work for that, especially this soon. I just started today.”
Looking up at me with sad, puppy dog eyes, she said nothing, though I knew exactly what she was thinking. I hated seeing her disappointed and sad, but I also knew it was impossible for me to take any time off.
So, without thoroughly thinking it through, I opened my mouth and said the unimaginable. “If you want to go by yourself, I’m fine with that. I know it’s important to you.”
“Are you serious?” She stared at me in disbelief.
“Well I’m not sure how much fun Vegas will be since you aren’t twenty-one, but if you want to go to the show, there’s no reason you can’t fly down there that day and come home the next. I trust you.”
Her face lit up with joy as she flew out of her chair and into my lap, hugging and kissing me. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! You’re the best”
I held her tight and kissed her back, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake.
Three weeks came and went in what seemed like three days. I was living the life I had always dreamed of. Each day at my new job was challenging and rewarding, and I knew I had made the right decision in not only my career field but the place I’d chosen to work at. I was closer with my sister than I had been in years, and even though I didn’t live near my mom anymore, we talked frequently and I knew that she was finally happy with her life.
And then there was Scarlett . . . my butterfly . . . my Psyche. She wasn’t perfect, but she was perfect for me, and that’s all I needed. I was elated that she had taken to the move so well. She had really delved into her new blog and her music, and watching her blissfully float around the apartment, made me feel like a king.
The day she left for Vegas, I was a bit nervous about her traveling alone, but I reminded myself that she was plenty capable of getting where to she needed to go. I never thought I’d admit to it, but I felt comfortable knowing that she’d be with Mason when she was there. Crazy, I know, but I was confident that he would keep her safe and not allow anything to happen to her. My fear was him keeping her a little too safe, but at some point, I just had to trust her. I knew that they were special to each other, and would always have a love and respect for one another, but for whatever reason, she had chosen to be with me.
I dropped her off at the airport on my way to work that morning, kissing her long and hard on her full lips. “Remember to have fun. Don’t get arrested or married while you’re there,” I joked.
She rolled her eyes and laughed at me. “I’ll try not to.”
Embracing her one last time, I whispered in her ear, “I love you, butterfly, ‘your curves and all your edges, and all your perfect imperfections.’ I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“I love you, too, Ash. ‘You’re my end and my beginning; even when I lose, I’m winning,’” she whispered back.
Then she grabbed her bag and headed for the security check point. Right before turning the corner where I couldn’t see her anymore, she looked back at me and blew me a kiss and made hand hearts. Damn, she was beautiful. I stood there for several minutes with a goofy ass grin on my face. I wasn’t expecting her to sing the next lyrics of the song to me, but it filled me with an indescribable feeling of warmth and love.
That afternoon at work, Louis and I actually hit a part in the project where we couldn’t move any further until we received data from a different team, and surprisingly, we were excused early. When I arrived at the apartment, the quiet and emptiness of it began to eat at me almost immediately, so I decided to change clothes and throw my surfboard in the car for a late afternoon session.
Nothing else in the world could compare to the feeling of surfing. Being out in the middle of the expansive ocean, the smell of the sea breeze, the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore, the exhilarating feeling of riding an incredible force of nature—it was my heaven on earth.
Paddling out into the endless blue waters, the endorphins began to pump through my body, inspired and energized. I made it out to the first break with relative ease, and sat up on my board waiting for the next set to come in. There weren’t very many people out in the early afternoon which was a welcome sight. I hated competing with a bunch of people for a wave.
As I saw the swell begin to form behind me, I lay down on my stomach and began to paddle into the first wave. I hopped up on the board, just as I had done a thousand times before, but somehow the leash wrapped around my ankle awkwardly and snapped. Never catching my balance, I purged forward off the front of the board into the chilly water.
Over and over, I tried to surface, but for some reason I kept getting pulled deeper. Spinning underneath the water in an undertow, I lost my sense of direction and couldn’t tell which way was up and which way was down. I reminded myself not to panic, but my body instinctively fought the current. Finally, I gave in to the physical fatigue and mental exhaustion and let go, relaxing my body and thinking about Scarlett’s beautiful face that I would see the following day.
MASON
I was a nervous fucking wreck. Damn if I didn’t crave a shot—or five—of whiskey for the first time in over seven months. I’d been on stage in front of people hundreds, maybe thousands, of times before, but for some reason, that night seemed so different . . . so significant. Jobu’s Rum had finally gotten our big break—we were headlining in Las Vegas to kick off our global tour! It was if the night set the tone for the next four months of shows, and I wanted it to be flawless.
My schedule had been booked solid from nine o’clock that morning straight through until show time. After breakfast, we had interviews, followed by a photo shoot, and then a sound check. We were fed a late lunch/early dinner before attending an autograph signing and photo hour with barely enough time to shower and get dressed before we were due backstage for the show. Everything was so different from when we opened for VanderBlue, the good ol’ days when we just showed up, went on stage to perform, and then hung out backstage signing a few autographs and partying. We were really given the star treatment and it was cool as shit. I made sure to tell Jag how appreciative I was several times throughout the day.
As I got dressed for the show, I wondered how Scarlett’s day had gone. I had done everything I could possibly think of to make it a day that she’d remember forever too. She’d played such a huge role in getting me to that point, and I wanted to not just show my gratitude, but to let her know that I would always love her and wanted the best for her always.
I stood in front of the mirror in just my jeans and ran my fingers over the word I had tattooed on my upper chest. Euphoria. It was my reminder every day of what I was striving for. Smiling, I thought about her reaction when she opened the bracelet. I really hoped she loved it; I thought long and hard about each of those charms and I knew each one would be special to her. Flyin
g Max and Andi out to be with her once I found out she was coming alone was just a bonus. I loved knowing that the three of them, along with Marcus, would be in the front row, experiencing everything with me first hand.
Cruz tapped on the door and walked in the bathroom without waiting for a response. “You ready for this, man?” he asked me.
I turned away from the mirror and looked at him. “More ready than I’ve ever been. Let’s do this.” I slid the plain, fitted black t-shirt over my head and my feet in my black and white checkered chucks before following him out of the room.
The closer we got to show time, the more relaxed I got, surprisingly enough. There were a ton of people backstage; I didn’t have any idea who half of them were. I practiced some of the stress relieving techniques that Heather had taught me, and got myself into a happy, secure place mentally. Jag came into the waiting room and told us it was time to follow him out. When we took the stage, the cheers from the crowd were overwhelming. I looked out into the audience and all I could see was a sea of people. Our first single, She’ll Never Know, from the new album had released two weeks prior and had done well on the charts, but I had no idea that many people even knew we existed.
Before we began our first song, I thanked everyone for coming out and being a part of such an epic night for Jobu’s Rum, especially our family and friends that had made the trip to see us. I looked down at all of them when I made the comment, overjoyed to see each of their faces. Then, wasting no more time, we began what would end up being the best show of my life. The excitement buzzing through the air was electric, and every one of us felt it deep in our bones.
The music flowed out of us like it was what we were born to do. At one point, I ripped my shirt off and gave it to Scarlett. I was a man possessed; the music had completely taken over my body. We played through many of the songs on our latest album as well as a couple that would come out on the next one, and as the show was nearing its end, the lights were brought down a little and I took a moment to address the crowd again.
“I just wanted to thank you all again for coming out this evening. We’ve got two more songs for you before we wrap it up, and I just wanted to say something about them beforehand. This next song we are going to play is a cover of one of my favorite songs. I first played it one night in my brother’s bar back in Houston by myself, and at that time it summed up how I was feeling about someone spot on. Then, once the band started playing together again, it was how we ended each of our shows. The last song, which is our latest single, is actually the song I wrote in response to the first one. I think it’ll all make sense here in a minute.” I winked at the crowd, which was answered by a deafening roar of screams and whistles.
I grabbed the stool sitting on the side of the stage and we played our version of Let Her Go once again. However, at the end of the song, Sebastian played a bass line that led us straight into the next. It was then that I looked down at Scarlett and said, “I hope you always know.”
Dark and dirty I couldn’t find my way out
Shiny and white you never had any doubt
Together a mess that could only be made in Heaven
So can you tell me where my Heaven went
Whose bright idea was it to let her go
Can you tell me where my Heaven went
My biggest fear is that she’ll never know
Lost and confused it was you that I feared
Eager and ready you allowed me to steer
Together a mess that could only be made in Heaven
So can you tell me where my Heaven went
Whose bright idea was it to let her go
Can you tell me where my Heaven went
My biggest fear is that she’ll never know
An angel and a devil that fell in love
Chaos created and it fit like a glove
Together a mess that could only be created in Heaven
So can you tell me where my Heaven went
Whose bright idea was it to let her go
Can you tell me where my Heaven went
My biggest fear is that she’ll never know
My biggest fear is that she’ll never know
She’ll never know that I loved her so
A thunderous applause accompanied by a standing ovation followed the last note of the song. We took our bows and ran off the stage straight into our dressing room. I felt higher in that moment than I ever had on any drug; it was out of this world. We took a few minutes alone as a band, to both calm down and exchange some serious man-love. Then, we opened the door to a frenzy of people waiting for us. I cut through the crowd of mostly females, pawing and pulling at me, looking for one person. As soon as my eyes found her, I could feel my heart beat again and I remembered to breathe.
Sprinting to her, I scooped her in my arms and hugged her so tightly I may have bruised her ribs. I could feel her crying on my shoulder, and I only prayed they were happy tears. I sat her back on her feet and looked in her eyes, “Why are you crying, Angel?”
She smiled through her tears, “I’m just so proud of you. You were fucking amaze-balls, Hotpants.”
I threw my head back, laughing, “Did you just say fucking and balls, both in the same sentence? And call me Hotpants?”
She giggled and nodded hard. “I think I did. All of this debauchery in Sin City must be wearing off on me,” she joked.
Shaking my head, I put my arm around her shoulders and looked around for the rest of the gang. Standing off about ten feet were Marcus, Max, and Andi. I ran over and embraced each one of them, thanking them again for coming. Then I told all of them to follow me back to the room where they were having the after-party.
A few hours later, I was completely wiped out and all I wanted was to go to sleep. I looked around for the rest of the band and my friends and family and said good night to each of them. The party was still in full swing with the alcohol flowing and bodies grinding against each other in the middle of the dance floor, but I had no reservations at all about retreating to my room to get some much needed rest. As I was making my way to the door, I saw Scarlett standing and talking to one of the producers. I didn’t much care if it was rude or not, I grabbed her hand and asked if I could talk to her for a minute. She politely excused herself from the guy and followed me out of the room.
“I just wanted to thank you again for being here. I know I’ve said it a million times, but it really means a lot. I’ve missed you.” I looked down at her wrist and saw the charm bracelet. I grinned and looked back up at her. “Do you like it?”
“Are you kidding? It’s one of the best things I’ve ever been given; I know you put so much thought into it.” She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you for not just the bracelet, but for all of today. It’s been an amazing experience.”
“I’m actually headed to my room, I’m exhausted. Are you gonna stay down here a while longer?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m pretty tired too. I’ll head that way as well. It’s already after two and my plane leaves a little after noon.”
“I’ll walk you to your room to make sure you get there safely,” I said without giving her an option. I put my hand on the small of her back and led us toward the elevators.
Once we made it to her door, I did my best not to get emotional, but damn if it wasn’t hard. I knew that we’d still text and stay in touch, but since I was going to be on the road for the next several months, I didn’t know when I’d see her again. I circled my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me just as tight. I didn’t want to let her go.
Not again.
Not ever.
And I knew in my gut it was my last shot.
“Stay the night with me, Angel. Just sleeping . . . please. Give me a few more hours before we have to say goodbye,” I whispered into her hair, praying she’d grant me at least that. I knew I was a bastard for asking, for forcing her to make that decision, but I was a bastard who loved her . . . a
nd I knew she loved me too.
“Mase,” she pulled back and stared deeply into my eyes, her own glassy with unfallen tears, “I can’t. You know—”
Slamming my lips onto hers, I kissed her with everything I had—pleading and begging for one more chance to show her how right we were for each other. Much to my surprise, she didn’t resist, not even a little bit, and as our tongues danced with each other’s for the first time in months upon months, I thought all of my waiting for her had finally paid off.
I was finally going to get my girl back.
ASH
Bright lights. Loud beeping noises. Unfamiliar faces. Excruciating pain everywhere. Those were my first thoughts when I woke up in the hospital nearly a day after my surfing accident. I had no recollection of what had happened after I got sucked under, but was later told a local found me washed ashore more than a mile down the beach from my car, and that if he wouldn’t have found me when he did, I’d have most definitely died from internal bleeding.
After a complete analysis with me alert, the doctor invited my mom and my sister in and they both rushed to my side, concern painted in the dark circles under their eyes. Thankfully, however, he explains that my most serious injuries involved the fractured left ankle and tibia which had already been addressed in surgery, a punctured spleen, and a moderate concussion. After another blood transfusion (apparently I’d already received two), setting and casting my leg, and a few days of observation, I’d more than likely be ready for discharge with daily physical therapy for six to eight weeks.
He excuses himself to give us some time alone, stating a nurse would be in to move me out of ICU in the next hour or so. It wasn’t until the door closed behind him that I realized who was missing and everything that led up to the accident fell into place.
“Scarlett . . . airport,” I croaked hoarsely, wincing in pain at the needles prickling my dry throat. “I was supposed to—”