Fandango [Josh Kiszka] Book One

Iridescent

Day Two Pt.2

Tonight they wanted to have a small fire before moving on to Wyoming. Luanne had now known Josh for nearly two days. The five of them spent the day goofing off with different games including Jake nearly giving Sam a concussion with a foam football. Thankfully she got the moment on camera so her and Josh could watch it over and over. She even let Josh use the camera for a while as they laid out in the setting sun going over their favorite albums while the others built a fire. His love for Aretha Franklin shocked her the most, but in a way it also wasn't a surprise at all.

"Your favorite song is what?" Josh exclaimed making her throw her head back laughing. 

"It's just one of my favorites but it's The Flame still Burns." She said between breaths as he put the camera close to her face. 

"Your favorite song is by Foreigner and it's not even the one you're named after? Tell the camera your truth Luanne Faye!" He shouted as she looked into the camera.

"My name is Luanne Faye Clarke and one of my favorite songs is The Flame still Burns by Foreigner even though it is not what I am named after. Josh Kiszka does not approve." She heard his giggle behind the lens as the boys called out for the fire being ready. 

He helped her to her feet not letting go of her hand as they saw the small fire with chairs gathered around it. Sam and Jake each held acoustic guitars playing softly. Danny drummed his hands on a box of graham crackers grinning softly. As they sat in the last two chairs Luanne looked to Josh.

"Are you guys going to play a tune or what?" She asked abruptly dragging their attention from their instruments and cracker box. 

Josh stood walking over to the others whispering amongst themselves when the all nodded their heads returning to their respective seats. 

Jake started first strumming the chords to a song she hadn't heard in years. The notes made her head pound lightly with old memories. She thought it mad that they would actually pick this song. When Josh began to sing her eyes flew to him in astonishment. 

Come down off your throne and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting so long
Somebody holds the key

His voice was hauntingly beautiful jolting her into an upright position. She expected him to be decent but this exceeded her expectations by miles and miles. It was not a deep voice but rather gentle and melodic.

But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home

He moved his mouth to hit the high notes moving her to the edge of her plastic chair. She looked around the circle of her new friends watching each of them play wondering what the hell they were doing in Montana. 

Come down on your own and leave your body alone
Somebody must change
You are the reason I've been waiting all these years
Somebody holds the key

But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home

Josh looked toward her as he continued into the second verse pointing at her to join in to which she shook her head. The pounding in her ears only grew worse as they played. The words seemed to burrow themself into her mind as tears welled up. 

But I can't find my way home
Still I can't find my way home
And I ain't done nothing wrong
But I can't find my way home

As they finished playing she stared at them with her mouth to the floor. There was no proper way to describe what she heard. Luanne could have told them then. Told them what the song meant to her. With only knowing them such a short time she pushed the emotional response down. Pushing her hair from her eyes she formed a sentence. 

"You guys are incredible. Genuinely. I mean it from the bottom of my heart that what I just heard was beautiful." She felt Josh's eyes on her as the others shyly smiled back at her. 

She actually liked their playing. Josh didn't know if she would. Her watching made him nervous as hell but he knew they covered that song quite well. He never expected her to say it was beautiful. The light coming from the fire made her hair seem more red, making the green of her eyes pop. They played other songs and Luanne just happily sat eating smores while listening.

Josh watched her after they finished playing and were now sharing embarrassing stories. He was going to kiss her in the lake this morning. Didn't question himself for a second even though he should've. It was the perfect moment and he blew it. The feeling of her hand gripping his arm in the water sent shocks through his body numbing him completely. The image of her lips had been replaying in his mind all day. 

"Do you think you guys will record an album?" Luanne asked dragging his attention from his mind to her camera lens and the smile behind it. 

"Hoping to achieve an album. We really just want to have fun. That's why we decided to travel for bar shows, able to see places we've never seen before." Jake answered while Sam posed for the camera. 

"If you become famous and go to Italy I am expecting a post card." She turned the camera to Danny as Josh's heart sank to his knees. 

Luanne wouldn't be there. She would be making movies, successfully. Josh knew that for sure. He had only known her for a little over 24 hours and the thought of her not being with them in Italy felt wrong. He felt as if he needed her to be there for every big moment now. Not some fucking post card. 

Watching her record his brothers he saw the iridescent nature of her radiate off them as well. She brought out the joy in them. They were having fun on this trip before she came about but not like this. They felt like kids again. 

When he walked her back to her car she paused in front of the car door before turning around slowly. 

"Would you like to ride with me tomorrow? Driving to Wyoming? If not it's okay I just thought I would ask." Her eyes were wide watching him. 

"Yes! I mean yes, I would like to ride with you to Wyoming. I'll meet you here at 8." Josh nearly shouted at her. "Goodnight Joshua Michael. See you in the morning." She kissed his cheek before climbing into her car as he waved goodnight. 

He basically skipped back to their car collapsing into a chair. Luanne kissed his cheek.

"You've got it bad bro. Women like that don't come around often." Sam sat beside him lighting a cigarette. 

"Fucking terrifying. Seems like the earth planted her just for me to hopefully find. I want to say she's an axe murderer, but she's been nothing but genuine since I met her. Am I losing my mind?" He looked to his younger brother who was never anything but brutally honest. 

"If it was another girl I would say yes. Luanne, she's not another girl. She's one of us now." Sam replied before stomping out his cigarette and patting Josh's back, "She has to go eventually though. Don't forget that. Would kill me to see you get hurt like that."

"What if she's it? The one. What if Emmeline is it for you? What if you meet her and it feels like nothing else in the world matters anymore?" He asked watching Sam turn around from walking to the car. 

"If I fall in love with someone I just met that I know nothing about then you can have every cigarette packed into my bag right now. I doubt it brother. I know how these things work. You just get hurt." Sam said solemnly before climbing into the backseat of the car shutting it lightly behind him. 

Josh stared at the embers of the fire still glowing then. It was going to hurt. He knew that the minute he saw her laying in that field. He just didn't care.