The Song Remains The Same

🌱Part Three🖤

Robert was in fact thinking about him. Not only at breakfast on that particular morning. He had in fact caught himself thinking about the guitarist a bit too often within the previous weeks. Of course he wasn't thinking of him all the time but it still concerned him. Or maybe it didn't really concern him but he just assumed that it was how most people would react to such inconvenient desires. Could he even speak of such? Were they desires? Or just imagination? Was it his loneliness and the fact that he hadn't seen his wife for so long? He had already tried to find explanations for his reoccurring glances and the goosebumps he always seemed to get when touching the guitarist.

After breakfast he headed back to his room -again needing assistance to climb up the staircase which really annoyed him- and started packing his clothes and all his belongings into his suitcase. The band would be picked up at 11 for a bus ride of several hours, eventually arriving at a small hotel in Austria, somewhere in the mountains. While packing his things, Robert found a shirt that he didn't recognize at first. He smelled at it to know if it had already been worn.

His heart skipped a beat.

What the hell?

It smelled like Jimmy.

Robert had absolutely no idea how the shirt had gotten in his room. The guitarist hadn't even been there. The vocalist shook his head. It probably had been a mistake. Maybe he had thought it was his shirt and had taken it with him after a meeting or something when in fact it wasn't. He took the shirt again. It smelled nice. For a brief moment he closed his eyes and imagined his best friend wearing the shirt on stage, winking at him, then opening the buttons to reveal his bare chest. That beautiful, pale, perspiring skin. The guitarists hands gliding over the fretboard, drawing squealing sounds from the instrument and creating emotions Robert couldn't put in words. He wondered what else those hands could do and immediately felt a bit dirty, imagining such a thing. Then his own thought hit him like a train. He had said it himself. His best friend. Yes, they were friends. There was no romantic passion or sexual desires or erotic tension between the two of them. But in his dreams it seemed so real and Robert couldn't help but smile at his imaginations.

It was just a dream, but a very beautiful one for sure.

***

The bus arrived just on time and the band entered the vehicle while chattering and cheering excitedly. They were exhilarated to go to Austria and be able to see the stunning mountains. After making sure that everything was alright and no suitcases were missing, the driver finally started the bus and they slowly left the parking lot.

Jimmy and Jonesy went to explore the bus while Robert and Bonzo decided to find a nice spot for reading or in the drummers case; sleeping. The singer found a seat next to a huge window, which was perfect for reading. He sat down with a quiet wince of pain. It really bothered him that his ankle had been hurting so bad these previous days. He had just opened the book and started to read when Jimmy and Jonesy came back with four cups of coffee. Robert put down his book and took one of the cups instead.

„We found a coffee machine", the bassist explained while nipping at the hot beverage. Jimmy placed one of the cups in front of the drummer, who had already fallen asleep within only five minutes.

„I think he needs some caffeine as well", the guitarist joked.

„No. Alcohol...", the drummer muttered in his sleep, probably talking in his dreams.

Robert almost spit out his coffee as he started laughing and Jonesy chuckled amusedly.

Jimmy just made a dramatic gesture in the air. „Sorry mate, no alcohol for you today. But there'll be plenty of it as soon as we arrive in Austria." He said this with an altered voice to show that he was just joking.