More Than Just a Memory

Chapter 14

I tried to play it cool the next morning, but the memories flooded my brain like a tidal wave. I mean, was it so hard for him to put a shirt on while we were eating breakfast? Thankfully, he finished his omelette that I had made for him before I finished mine, and he announced that he was going to get ready for the day he had planned for me. I ate slowly, taking about twenty seconds to fully chew and swallow my food. I couldn't really taste the food, it was just a filler action. My thoughts roamed to everything that had occurred to me in the past four or five days. It was like strolling through an art gallery, looking at snapshots in time, memories that I really wanted out of my head. What I needed was one of those whatchamacallits from Men In Black. Neuralyzer. Yeah, whatever it's called.

I was so done with everything at that point. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to see people. I laid face-down on my bed, head at the foot of the bed, feet on my pillow. After a while, I began to relax. It was quite a comfortable position, believe it or not, and I began to let go of all of my negativity. I was nothing. Pure nothing, and it was great, like I was cradled in a cloud of existential ideals. About twenty minutes later, my bed started to flop around spontaneously. My face was lifted up by the force, and then crashed back down into the mattress in coherence with gravity. "Ouch!" Pain shot up through my nose and I felt the blood coming.

"Liv, I'm sorry!" Calum said, stifling laughter. "I didn't mean to make your nose bleed."

"Why would it be a good idea to come jumping on my bed when I'm relaxing?" I asked, head tilted back as I sprinted to the bathroom to get tissues. I stood in front of my mirror, Kleenex pressed to my face and an annoyed grimace peeking out from behind it. "You're such an idiot, Hood," I said. The truth was I could barely hold back my own laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. He came and stood behind me, making funny faces in the mirror to try and cheer me up and that was it for me. I busted with laughter, and unfortunately, my handy-dandy Kleenex decided that it's job was done, and tiny blood splatters covered my counter as the flimsy tissue fell to the floor. "Oh, now look what you've made me do!" I exclaimed in false frustration. My display only made him laugh even harder than before. He collapsed onto the tile, unable to even stand because of his hysteria.

Managing to collect ourselves, we left the apartment "way behind schedule" as Calum put it. The day passed by, filled with more banter while we visited the beautiful Chihuly Glass Gardens, enjoyed cheese from Beecher's, and strolled through Pike Place Market. When it reached about six in the evening, I suggested going home and getting some Chinese delivery. I threw on my favorite Harry Potter movie, The Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's, however you like to say it), and we began what turned out to be a nerd-out marathon for me up through the fifth movie. As the final credits scrolled, Calum cleared his throat so to get my attention.

"Yeah? What's up C-Dizzle?"

"Look, I know your birthday isn't until March and that's like four months away, but we are doing a short Aus/US tour next spring, and we are actually playing here on your birthday. I could get you and Tori front row tickets and backstage passes and stuff if you wanted to see the guys again." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and hesitated to look at me for fear of my reaction I guess. I was shocked, not only by his offer, but also by the fact that he remembered my birthday. I'm sure my expression was pretty blank, which made him hastily add, "But you don't have to if you don't want, I figure I might as well put it out there." In all honesty, it was kinda funny to see a thirty year-old man squirming as he was, and I couldn't help but giggle a bit. "I'm in!" I exclaimed. He raised his eyes to me in disbelief.

"W-wait, really?" he asked.

"If you think that I'm gonna pass up free concert tickets and backstage passes to my favorite band, you sir are sadly mistaken," I laughed. "Alright, cool!" he exclaimed.