one.
“Tonight has to be perfect,” I mumbled to no one in particular. I finished buttoning my shirt, smoothing out the crinkles as I quietly hummed along to whatever tune Nick was playing on his guitar. I soon realized that he was playing Love Bug, and decided to sing along.
“I can’t get your smile out of my mind,” I sang softly, straightening my tie. Kirsten’s smile suddenly sprang up in my mind, causing a smile of my own to work it’s way across my face. Tonight was our one year anniversary. Yep, twelve whole months of sweet bliss. I would’ve liked to take her out to dinner, but unfortunately, both of us had an award show to attend, so dinner would have to wait until the next night. Disney decided to host an awards show for all its stars, and both of us had to make an appearance. My brothers and I were nominated for a number of categories, on top of being asked to host the show, and she was nominated for Favorite Fresh Face.
My smile grew bigger as I recalled how excited she had been when she found out she had been nominated. “I can’t believe they would nominate me!” she had squealed excitedly. I remember I had smoothed her hair down, kissing her lightly. “Of course they would nominate you,” I had said. “Your fresh face is just about the cutest one there is.”
She had blushed when I kissed the tip of her nose, and I remember thinking how cute she was when she blushed. As my thoughts drifted back to present day, I slowly realized that it would be time to get the awards going a matter of minutes. Nick was still strumming along to Love Bug, and I rolled my eyes.
“Nick come on,” I said, turning around. “We’ve gotta get this show –“
I stopped cold in the middle of my sentence. Nick wasn’t the one playing the guitar. In fact, Nick wasn’t even in the room. But she was. I stared, the slightest bit of fear fluttering in my chest at the sight of her. Her dark brown hair hung in her face, her moody hazel eyes piercing through me as she strummed a cherry red acoustic guitar.
“I can’t get your smile out of my mind. I think about your eyes all the time,” she sang softly, her steady gaze never faltering. Chills ran up my spine as I listened to her haunting voice quietly sing the second verse. She tilted her head to the side slightly, a small grin on her face. I took in a sharp breath as I soon began to realize who she was. Sarah.
-----
“Joe! Wake up, we gotta go,” Nick said in my ear. I bolted upright into a sitting position, looking around the room. Where was I? Where was the black couch? Where was Sarah? My eyes flicked to Nick, who was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a red, button down shirt. His hair was damp and sticking to the front of his forehead, and he smelled pretty clean. Must’ve just gotten out of the shower.
Relief washed over me as I realized that I was sitting safe and sound in my bunk on our tour bus. I fell back against my pillow, listening to the low, steady rumble of the bus. Nick leaned over me, one eyebrow raised. “Dude, bad dream or something?”
I shook my head and pushed him out of the way, sitting up and swinging my legs over the edge of the bunk. Nick backed up, taking a sip of the Red Bull he clutched in his left hand.
“Yeah, well, we gotta go,” he repeated, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I yawned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
“Go where?”
He rolled his eyes as he turned his back to me, taking another gulp of his Red Bull. “To get ready for the awards show,” he called, heading for the front of the bus. I sighed, laying back against my bunk and closed my eyes. Sarah’s face flashed across my thoughts, forcing my eyes open. A chill passed through me as I recalled how eerie her voice had sounded in my dream. I tried my best to shake the thought, but found that I couldn’t.
Man, what is it going to take to get her off my mind? I thought, frustrated by the fact that she was, once again, haunting my dreams. A low buzzing noise sounded from somewhere in my bunk, and I dug around in search of it’s source. I finally found it under my pillow. It was my phone. I took a look at the caller ID and smiled, all thoughts of Sarah disappearing from my mind.
“Hey, babe,” I said, hopping down from my bunk and walking into the sitting area of the bus. Kevin sat on the couch, strumming one of his guitars. I nodded at him as I passed.
“Hey Joe,” Kirsten answered. “You excited for tonight?”
I stopped cold, doing a double take at the guitar in Kevin’s hands. Was that a new guitar? I peered at it, my voice catching in my throat. It was cherry red.
“Joe?” Kirsten asked.
“Yeah?” I said, still staring at Kevin.
“Are you excited for tonight?” she repeated. I swallowed hard, ignoring the puzzled look Kevin was giving me.
“Yeah. Can’t wait.”
comments? :]
- Jay.
