And I know that I never again will feel that pain as I look down upon the sleeping woman in the bed before me, the sterile white blankets tucked neatly in around her, a peaceful look upon her beautiful face. I smile a little, amused at my own stupidity of taking advantage of such a gift. And that she was; a gift. My gift, something I will cherish forever in our future years together.
I blink slowly, just then realizing how tired I was. The events of the night past were taking their toll on me now. I turn my head slowly and look out the window just in time to see the brilliant light of the rising sun racing through the trees, across the dirt, over the concrete of the road, dancing in between the cars in the hospital parking lot, splashing up the brick wall, and finally slowing its pace just as it reaches the window pane beside me. Another day has begun in Tulsa, giving me another reason to be thankful: I am alive to see this day, while the young woman in the bed nearly did not. She is fine now, sleeping restfully and gaining back her strength to continue on in this journey of our life.
"You are the only person on Earth I know who would get sick of looking at a Harvard Law School diploma," my roommate replied, laying herself stomach-down on my bed and squinting over at the frame. "I would kill to have had the money to go to Harvard. And you know I'm not kidding."
"I only hope you are," I stated, smiling at her. Erin, my roommate, gave me a lopsided grin, then pushed the diploma away and sat up Indian style.
"Okay, so, what is on the agenda for our first night in New York City?" she asked anxiously.
"I was just planning on doing a little unpacking…" I trailed off, giving her a cautious look and anticipating her reaction. As I'd expected, Erin's eyes bugged out.
"What? You've got to be kidding me! Our first night here and you want to spend it in here?" she gasped. Then she shook her head. "No, no, no. I refuse to sit back and allow you to become a hermit. We're going out tonight."
"Erin… I start work tomorrow. I don't think…"
"That's exactly it! Don't think!" she interrupted, grinning. She jumped off of my bed and grabbed my hands excitedly. "Come on, it'll be fun."
Her enthusiasm was contagious. I sighed a little, giving her a hard time but knowing full well that I would go out. "Okay, I guess… But it can't be a late night. Tomorrow's my first day…"
"First day? Low, it's your father's law firm. I highly doubt he'll mind if you're just a few minutes late…" her voice trailed off as she exited my room. I laughed a little, returning to the open box on the desk in front of me.
"You really don't know my father then," I mumbled under my breath.
"I have a feeling that you're going to hate me…" she taunted, giving my arm a little squeeze. I eyed her cautiously, not sure if she was joking or not.
"Why…?"
"Because… A friend of mine heard of this really great club over on 98th, and got our names on the invite list," she explained. I was baffled.
"And I'm going to hate you exactly why?" I questioned. A mischievous look flashed into her eyes, and I suddenly didn't feel right. "Erin, what did you do?"
"Nothing! But just wait until you see the band that's playing… This is gonna be so much fun!" she insisted, jumping around a little. I sighed, then allowed her to drag me off into the direction of the club. We got there and found her friend, a guy she had gone to U.Mass-Boston with. We waited in line with him, gave our names to the guy at the door and showed him our IDs, and then we were admitted into the club. I'd been to a few clubs before, but this one was just overwhelming. There were people everywhere, flashing lights, pumping music, and to top it all off, smoke pouring out of a smoke machine mounted to the ceiling. There were even a few randomly places disco balls.
"So, who's the band?" I shouted to Erin as we weaved in and out of the crowd, following her friend up towards the place where the stage was set up. She only shook her head at me, giggling madly.
"Hey New York City, whazzup?" the DJ yelled into the microphone. "Are you ready to be taken back, back in time to the late 90's? Then give it up…"
That was our cue. I turned and looked at Zac and Taylor, who stood beside me, looking out at the guy on the stage, and the crowd in front of him. I took a deep breath, then held out my hand to my brothers. "Well, what do you say?" I asked them.
"I say let's kick it," Zac announced, putting his hand on top of mine. Taylor nodded in agreement, putting his hand on top of the pile. We dropped our hands down, then jogged out onto the little stage and to our instruments.
"Please don't let me screw this up," I muttered to myself as I turned my back to the crowd and pulled the strap of my guitar over my head. Tay's short term of silence before was apparently over now, as he chatted easily with the audience. His fingers flew nimbly over the keys of his Kurzweil as he played the intro to our first song. Zac and I picked it up at the same time, and the evening began.
We played for nearly an hour to a packed house. I don't remember seeing so many people in one little club at one time before. Nevertheless, the crowd responded well to our new songs, and the energy was really flowing. After our last set, we thanked the audience and wished them a good night before running off stage. I grabbed a towel that my sister-in-law was holding for me at the side of the stage. She tossed one to Zac as well, and then Taylor when he reached her. He gave her a half smile, putting his arm around her as we walked along the edge of the room until we reached the door that took us into a back hallway where our makeshift "dressing room" was located.
"You guys sounded great," Megan praised, smiling widely at all of us. Zac grabbed a bottle of water out of the cooler on the floor in the dressing room and took a big gulp.
"Thanks Meg," he replied, running the towel down his face and then tossing it onto a chair. Tay collapsed onto the couch in the room, dragging Megan down onto his lap. I unbuttoned my navy blue over shirt and took it off, draping it over the back of a chair before sitting down and propping my feet up. My ears were ringing in the sudden silence of the room, although I could still hear strains of the music from the club filtering in.
"Hey Ike, good job on 'Never Forget'," Tay complimented, bringing up the only song we'd played that had been a challenge for me to perfect before. I nodded in response.
"Thanks."
"Hey, did I hear that manager guy correctly when he said that we get free drinks?" Zac piped in.
"Forget it Zac, you're underage," Taylor interjected. Zac pouted a little.
"I am 18 years old, which qualifies as being an adult," he argued. I smiled haphazardly at him and his attempt at convincing us to allow him to drink.
"Maybe when we get back to the hotel, Zac," I said, giving him a little hope to cling to. "One of the reasons they allowed us to play here with you being underage is that we swore to keep track of you."
"Fine, fine, I'll just stick with a soda," he replied, heading towards the door. He paused and looked back at us. "Anyone want to go with me, you know, just to keep tabs on me?"
Taylor glanced over at me, and I knew that meant that he wanted me to go. I sighed a little, but stood up. Zac waited while I grabbed a fresh shirt out of my duffel bag and pulled it on, then followed me back out into the club. We pushed our way up to the bar, where we both ordered a glass of Dr. Pepper. As we waited, I felt eyes upon us and turned around. A girl was standing beside me watching me with an interested smile on her face. She was kinda short with chin-length, dark blonde hair. I had no clue who she was.
"Hi!" she greeted, waving a little.
"Hi," I replied, returning her smile.
"You're from the band, right?" she asked. I nodded. Her eyes shined. "You guys were great. I really like this new sound."
"Are you familiar with our old sound?" I questioned. She shrugged a little, a mysterious smile spreading across her face. I was suddenly feeling intrigued by this stranger and her smile.
"Well, one would have to be a little familiar with the old sound in order to recognize this new one," she stated. I nodded. "Where are you guys from?"
"Tulsa," I answered, taking my glass of Dr. Pepper from the bartender when he returned. I looked at Zac quickly, who was standing on my other side. He raised his eyebrows at me once.
"I'm gonna go… somewhere else," he told me, winking a little and then suddenly disappearing into the crowd. My attention was brought back to the blonde girl.
"Really? My roommate is from Tulsa. Well, kind of. We just moved here from Boston," she was explaining to me. Something in my mind clicked at the mention of Boston. The girl offered her hand to me. "I'm Erin."
"Isaac," I replied, shaking her hand. "Is this your first night in New York?"
"Yes. And what a way to spend it, talking to a Hanson," Erin giggled, taking a sip of a drink in her other hand. "Low would never believe me."
"Who?" I asked, confused. She shook her head.
"Just my roommate. She's here somewhere, but I lost track of her in the middle of your set…" she trailed off, looking around. She gave up after a moment and shrugged. "Oh well. She's around."
"What's her name?"
"Low. That's what I call her, at least. It's short for Willow," Erin told me. I suddenly choked on a sip of soda that I had just taken. She gave me a worried look. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I insisted. Could this be? Could her Low and my best friend Willow be the same person? How strange is this?
"Well, I should probably go find her. We have to make it an early night," Erin explained. She smiled at me. "I'm glad that I got to meet you. Maybe next time I'll get you to sign something, like my chest or something."
For a second, I thought she was serious, but her smile and her eyes gave her away, and I laughed a little. "Yeah, maybe," I agreed.
"Have fun in New York," she called, waving a little and walking off. I leaned back against the bar, a smile creeping onto my face. Willow was here, in New York, in the same club. I knew that she'd graduated from Harvard in May, but that was the extent of my knowledge of the subject. Then I suddenly realized that I didn't have her new address or phone number, and therefore had no means of getting in touch with her. Frantically, I looked around to find Erin again and hopefully find Willow also. But Erin was nowhere in sight. I made my way around the tables and people, searching everywhere. I was going to give up, mentally kicking myself for letting Erin slip away so quickly, when I saw someone whom I thought was her heading towards the doorway that led to the outside patio area of the club. I quickly made my way over there and stepped outside.
"Erin?" I asked, putting my hand on the girl's arm. She turned around, looking confused, and I realized that it wasn't her. I apologized and stepped back, looking around again. Just as I was about to turn and head back inside, a lone person off in the corner of the patio caught my eye. She was standing alone, staring up into the sky and at the buildings all around. I knew instantly who she was and smiled to myself, quietly making my way over to her. I stepped up beside her at the fence that separated the patio from an alleyway, but she didn't notice me. For a moment, I stayed silent, looking over at her face.
"No, I thought they were kind of…" I trailed off, turning my head to look at the person. My breath caught in my throat when I saw who was standing beside me. He smiled.
"Kind of what?" he asked quietly. I was too stunned to say anything at first, but my surprise eventually faded away.
"Isaac? How did you…?"
"I met your roommate earlier, and she mentioned you. I knew I couldn't leave without finding you and seeing you, talking to you," he told me. His eyes swept over me, and he smiled. "You look really good."
"Thank you," I replied, blushing a little. "Where are Zac and Taylor?"
"Inside. They are gonna be so excited to see you," Isaac stated. I followed him inside and to a door on the side of the room. Somebody grabbed my arm and I turned around to see Erin.
"Hey, there you are. Are you ready to go?" she asked. Her eyes moved past me and she smile when she saw Isaac. "Hey there stranger, we meet again."
"So we do," Ike agreed. He raised his eyebrows slightly. "How about that autograph now?"
Erin giggled, but I gave him a confused look. He just shook his head. "Maybe some other time, thanks," Erin said. She looked at me again. "So, you wanna head out now?"
"No, I'm gonna stay a little longer and catch up…" I trailed off, nodding towards Isaac. It was now Erin's turn to look confused, glancing between Isaac and me.
"Do you two already know each other?" she asked. Ike and I both nodded.
"He's my best friend," I explained. Her eyes widened.
"Are you kidding?" I shook my head. "You never said anything… Oh, forget it. I'll talk to you later. Don't stay out too late." She winked at me a little as she walked away, then waved at Isaac. I turned to him with a little smile.
"You gotta love her," I stated. Ike laughed a little, then led me down the hallway and into a little room that I assumed was their dressing room.
"Guys, look who I found," Isaac announced, opening the door. He moved aside to let me step into the room, and I the first person I saw was Zac. He was holding two pairs of drumsticks in one hand and a duffel bag in the other. The second our eyes met, he dropped everything in surprise.
"Will? No way!" he exclaimed. He literally leapt across the room and threw his around me, nearly knocking me over. I grinned, hugging him tightly.
"Hi Zac," I greeted. When he let go of me, I was suddenly grabbed by someone else and pulled into a fierce bear hug. Just when oxygen was beginning to be an issue, the suffocating arms let me go and I found myself face-to-face with Taylor.
"Hey there," he greeted.
"Ow," was all I could say, then I laughed a little. He gave me another hug, softer this time.
"What are you doing here? We thought you were in Boston," he said, stepping aside. Megan grinned and waved at me, also giving me a hug.
"Yeah, well, I moved. I got a job in my father's law firm here in the city, and a friend of mine from back in Boston decided to come with me, and here I am," I explained, looking around happily at all of my old friends.
"That is so cool," Zac commented. He went back and got his drumsticks and duffel bag off of the floor, then put his arm around my shoulders. "We were just getting ready to go, but you're welcome to hang with us tonight."
"That would be awesome," I agreed. "Can I help you carry anything?"
"No, no, that's okay. The roadies will get it. Let's go," Taylor insisted, grabbing a bag of his own, then taking Megan's hand and leading the way outside to a waiting van.
"Is that a subtle hint that you want to see my new apartment?" I teased. He laughed a little.
"You know me too well," he stated. I grinned, then opened my door.
"Come on, let's go up," I said. He followed me up the two flights of stairs to my apartment and waited as I unlocked the door quietly. I pressed my finger against my lips to indicate to him to be quiet, seeing as Erin was probably asleep. He nodded as we stepped inside, and I closed the door quietly behind us. I turned on a light in the living room and moved on to the kitchen as Isaac looked around.
"This is nice," he commented, joining me in the kitchen.
"Thank you," I replied. There were still boxes everywhere, holding kitchen utensils, non-perishable items, plates, cups, etc. I moved a couple of boxes off of the chairs at the table and we sat down. Neither of us said anything for a few moments, we just looked at each other across the table. I was still in disbelief that I had found them again, by total coincidence.
"I can't believe that you're here," Isaac said finally, and I smiled.
"I was just thinking the same thing."
"So talk to me, what's been going on with you lately?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to listen to me. I merely shrugged a little.
"Oh, you know, the usual. A little of this, a little of that. School's over, I'm starting a job at my father's firm, I've got this great apartment…" I trailed off, giving him a little smile. "Life is flying high at the moment. I don't know though, ask me again in a couple of weeks."
"Why do you think this newfound euphoria will change?" Isaac asked.
"Oh come on. You try working with my father and remaining up-beat and euphoric," I stated. Isaac laughed a little.
"Okay, I get your point," he said. Now it was my turn for interrogation.
"So, what have you been up to lately?"
"Not too much, actually. We finished up the album, I started working with Louis Drapp, a musician in Tulsa who owns his own studio, he helped us start planning for our tour this summer, and then we left for promo work. And here I am," he stated. I smiled, catching his eye. It had been so long since I'd looked into those eyes, and I suddenly felt at ease being with him, a sense of security washing over me.
"I miss you too," I answered her, glancing across the hotel room at Taylor and Megan, who were sitting together on the couch watching television. They both glanced over at me, Taylor raising his eyebrows teasingly and Meg smiling. I scowled at them, then took the phone and dragged it into the bedroom I was sharing with Isaac, then carefully shut the door. "We'll be home in a week or so, and then we'll have the whole summer to spend together on tour. You're still going on tour with us, right?" "No you don't," Reagan called my bluff, a slight pout etching in her voice. "Maybe I should just stay in Tulsa." "No, you shouldn't. We've already talked about this. The art schools in Tulsa aren't nearly good enough for you. And what would be the point? I'd never get to see you anyway because I'd be traveling so much," I reminded her of our previous conversations about college. She sighed. "I know, I know. I just wish…" she trailed off for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. "I wish things didn't have to be like this. Us being apart so much." "I know, but it'll only be for a little while. I mean, college can't last forever, can it?" I asked, trying to sound comical and lighten up the mood. "It can seem like forever."
"Don't worry. Just forget about all that right now. I'll be home in a week, and we'll take it from there, okay?" "Okay," Reagan agreed. "I'll call you in a couple of days. I love you," I said, lowering my voice a little at the end of my sentence. There was silence for a moment. "Reagan?" "I love you too, Zac. I'll talk to you later," she said. We hung up, and I went back into the living room of the suite. Tay and Megan both turned to look at me once again as I put the phone back on the table beside the couch. Tay had a tiny smirk on his face. "What?" I asked innocently.
"She sounds cool. So, when did you meet her again?" he asked, taking his sunglasses off his face for a second to rub the lens gently on his shirt before replacing them quickly. "Um, a while back. Six or seven years, I think. It's been a while. But she's amazing, really. I can't wait for you to meet her," I continued on about Willow excitedly. He laughed at me a little. "Whoa, chill down a bit Ike. If you keep up like this, I'll accept nothing less than a Greek goddess," he stated. I gave him a sincere look. "Then you can accept her, because a goddess she is," I agreed. But then I shook my head and decided to shut up and let him meet her and get an impression for himself. As we approached the café, I saw Will sitting at a table already, waiting. I stopped and grabbed his arm, stopping him also, and pointed her out to him. "That's her." He lowered his sunglasses a little and looked over, then smiled. "Yikes, man." "Look, I kinda didn't have time to mention to her that you were coming, so bear with me a little, okay?" I asked. He nodded, and we continued down the sidewalk. Willow smiled and waved when she saw me, and stood up to greet me. "There you are," she stated, greeting me with a hug. I smiled back at her.
"I'm sorry we kept you waiting, we were late leaving the hotel," I explained. Will gave me a confused look, and I motioned to the man beside me. "Will, this is Jonny Lang. Jonny, this is Willow Carter." "Nice to meet you," Jonny greeted, offering his hand to her. Willow smiled politely, if a little in awe, and shook his head. "The pleasure is mine," she replied, then gave me a wide-eyed smile. I gave her a sheepish look.
"I'm sorry, I didn't have time to mention to you that Jonny was in town and I invited him to come along," I explained as we all sat down, and a waitress came over to take our drink orders. "I hope it's not a problem," Jonny added. Will shook her head. "No, don't worry. It's a pleasant surprise," she insisted, flashing him a friendly smile. "The more the merrier, right? Especially if it's another guitar-god." "Another? You act as though there is another guitarist here who is worthy of mention," I scoffed, grinning at her, and Will gave me a playfully scolding look. "Isaac, you know you're the best in my book. Don't be so modest," she teased. I laughed a little and we gave our orders to the waitress. All during the meal, Jonny and Willow got to know each other, and I was totally relaxed, feeling content that two of my best friends were getting along so well. When Willow excused herself to the ladies room, I nudged Jonny on the arm. "So? What did I tell you?" I prompted. Jonny merely nodded.
"Dude, I need to start trusting your instincts a little more often. She's really cool," he agreed. I grinned, then shrugged. "Hey, I can't help it. I just know how to pick 'em," I joked. Jonny rolled his eyes, laughing. The waitress returned with our check, and as Jonny and I argued about who should pay, Willow returned. She watched us bicker for a couple minutes before reaching over and snatching the bill out of my hands. "How's this for an idea: neither of you pay. It's my treat," she insisted, digging through her wallet. Jonny and I looked at each other. "No, I don't think so," he stated. "Neither do I. Give that back," I added, reaching to take the bill back. Will grinned and held it out of my reach teasingly. "No, seriously. It's my treat. I do live here now, and you both are just guests." With that, she stood up and went to pay the bill inside. I sulked for a moment, and Jonny laughed. "Don't worry, dude. We'll get her back. You should buy her a nice bouquet of flowers or something," he suggested. My sulk disappeared and I shrugged a little. "Maybe," was all I said. When Willow got back, a smug smile on her lips, we all gathered our stuff and headed back towards the hotel.
"Will!" a voice called once we stepped into the hotel lobby. Zac ran up out of nowhere and grabbed her arm. "I'm holding you captive. There is a James Bond marathon on TV tonight, and nobody will watch it with me. What do you say?" "Um… do I have a choice?" Will asked, laughing. "No," Zac answered, shaking his head. "Okay then. I'm game." "That actually sounds pretty fun. Mind if I join in?" Jonny piped in. Zac nodded enthusiastically, and Will smiled over at him. If I hadn't known her better, I could've sworn there was something timid-like about that look. But the moment passed in a flash, and then she looked over at me. "What about you, Ike?" she invited, holding her hand out to me. Personally, I didn't really like the old James Bond movies. But something about the look that Will had given to Jonny, and the look she was giving me now, made me go against my better judgement. I nodded and took her hand, and the four of us headed over to the elevators.
<--- Back
<--<--- Home
---> Next