Dreams & Other Lost Things {Sequel to B&TBR}

Chapter 12: Dark Bedrooms & Promises.

The snow had stopped sprinkling down at around seven later that night. We were all sitting around the living room while Grayson and Asher battled each other on a video game I didn't know the name of. It had been going on this way for a while.

We all split off into separate parts of the barn to get it cleaner faster. With both boys upstairs and Ellie and me downstairs, we were able to make the place spotless. Well, almost, anyway.

I felt a yawn escaping my mouth before I could stop it, hurrying to put a hand over my mouth. I didn't want them to think I was about to fall asleep, though it would be reasonable since I've been riding on about five hours of sleep every night.

"I'm going to go make sure everything's done," I mumbled as I pushed myself up off the chair I was sitting in. My real goal was to go find some place to lay down.

"You're such a party pooper," Grayson called after me for the second time that day. I ignored him as I walked up the stairs. I passed all the rooms that once had teenage boys sleeping in them. I realized I spent a lot of time in this place, a lot of memories were made, and a lot of things happened that I would never forget.

I walked to the end of the hallway where Asher's room was. I pushed the door open to find several boxes filled up with records and random things that he must have left behind. On the large shelf that used to be filled with records from top to bottom was one single record. Sitting beside it was a small, thin, guitar pick.

I picked it up and held it flat in the palm of my hand. On the back were three words: I love you.

I remembered Asher giving it to me the day after his 19th birthday party that I had put together. Holding the pick tightly in my hand, I carefully took the record out of its case and placed on the record player in the corner that wasn't packed yet.

The Beatles' record Abbey Road began to play quietly as I sat down on Asher's bed and looked down at the pick in my hand. It reminded me of what I went through just end up right back where I started – where my life really started.

"I found that laying on my record player the day after you left," Asher said as he entered the room, closing the door softly behind him. The lights in the hallway had been turned off so I assumed Ellie and Grayson had gone to bed.

"I didn't mean to forget it," I assured him as he sat down beside me. "I also didn't realize that was going to be one of the last times I'd be in this place."

Asher chuckled. "You're forgiven."

I carefully set the pick on the record player again, willing myself not to forget it again, since I didn't have pockets in my cotton shorts. "I won't forget it this time, I promise."

I stood by the record player as it spun in circles and shoved my hands into the pocket of my sweatshirt. Asher slowly stood up and walked over to me, not taking his eyes off mine the entire time. He held his hand out in front of him as if to ask me to dance, and I took it.

We swayed for a few moments, hand in hand, body against body.

"This is where I brought you the first time you went to one of our shows," Asher whispered. We didn't need to whisper, but the moment was tender and required quiet speaking. "And where you finally showed me your sketches that I'd been dying to see."

"And where I slept when I couldn't go home," I added, smiling to myself. I rested my face in the crook of his neck and took in his smell.

"A lot of things happened in this place," he continued. I took a deep breath and held him tighter.

"Yeah..." I trailed off. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for, Bea," he scolded, pushing a piece of stray hair behind my ear.