ten | and their voices rang with that aryan twang | part two

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Long Time Running is a really good song and this chapter has a happy quote about getting back together. Pete and Josh reunite again and stay together. I promise.

--
{Josh's POV} October 10th, 2016

I was waiting to go on stage for one of the European shows, looking around and trying to hope to hell that things would be alright, things would be okay and I would be happy with myself. But the whole thing is, that I would be happier without Pete, but I couldn't do it all without Pete.

I sighed and went to one of the pay phones outside, my bandmates were looking for me, I put the pay phone to my ear and remembered so many things. I remembered the words we spoke and I remember how my heart felt for so long.

I sighed and gave in, my fumbly fingers dialling the numbers for Pete's phone. "Pick up, please." I begged silently to myself, hoping and praying to God that Pete picked up.

"Hello?" Pete's voice answered, "whoever this is shouldn't have this number. Say who you are now." Pete seemed cold and indifferent and angry, I could understand if he was because of me.

"Pete.... It's Josh. I thought things through and I thought about it all. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of the bullshit I caused in the past. I remember how I pushed you away and I remember how I denied your dreams. If you don't want me back, I've spent too long ruining from you. I know it." I spoke, waiting for the words to come out right and waiting for Pete's reply.

"Josh, I wish I could just hop on a plane and come there to watch you sing your heart out, watch you do your thing on stage. I can't just do that, because my passport isn't renewed, but I do forgive you and I hope you forgive me. Please remember that if I'm not right there with you the whole way you know I am in spirit." Pete spoke, and I wiped my eyes as I hung up when Matt called me to go get ready for the show.

I decided to do something different tonight. I didn't tell the band, but I'd told the venue. I wanted to bring back the covers. I was happy that Pete had forgiven me and I'd forgiven him. But we weren't back together. I wasn't ready for that kind of thing at the moment.

The only problem I saw was that the world was turning and turning into things that weren't beautiful, or gorgeous in my mind. They were beautiful in a moment, beautiful in a decade, I felt ahead by a century.

I remembered all of the things years ago, going to that concert with Pete and remembering hearing Bobcaygeon. Remembering when our lips met and remembering the night we made all the things happen, remembering it all. That was the night without a doubt, where I'd gotten likely Bronx's name from because the show was in New York.

I knew the time was coming for the cover and I went over to the piano, staring around at the crowd. "So some people keep saying, "hey Ramsay why didn't you watch that show on TV in August?" and I'm a fucking Canadian so why the hell wouldn't I. I've always been a kinda fan of this group and I thought a one night only cover would be great. This song holds a special memory to me of when I had my own special moment at their concert years ago."

"I left your house this morning,
'Bout a quarter after nine.
Coulda been the Willie Nelson,
Coulda been the wine" I started singing, my fingers plucking the chords of the guitar in my hands. I felt so.... Rejuvenated, and relieved that I could share my memory.

"When I left your house this morning,
It was a little after nine
It was in Bobcaygeon, I saw the constellations
Reveal themselves, one star at time" this was the most wonderful feeling, my mouth singing the words that had been the soundtrack to that spark. The whole crowd had more or less brought out phones, and it felt like the greatest atmosphere you'd ever seen.

" Drove back to town this morning,
With working on my mind
I thought of maybe quittin',
Thought of leavin' it behind " I started to cry, thinking of Pete and thinking of that horrible day that I walked away ten years ago. My heart was sinking, and I didn't know what to do. I remembered lamenting that July day about missing Amanda. I remembered the Fourth of July and watching the fireworks alone.

"Went back to bed this morning
And as I'm pullin' down the blind,
Yeah, the sky was dull and hypothetical
And fallin' one cloud at a time" I felt like the words were consuming my soul, my memories returning of kisses and pleasure under the silken sheets. When I caught only one glimpse of the newborn Bronx, his parentage covered by birth certificate changes and faked pregnancies.

"That night in Toronto,
With its checkerboard floors
Riding on horseback,
And keeping order restored,
Til The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Stepped to the mic and sang,
And their voices rang with that Aryan twang" I felt relief as the song started to reach its heightened point, my eyes scanning the crowd. They begged to have me continue my emotional words.

"I got to your house this morning,
Just a little after nine
In the middle of that riot,
Couldn't get you off my mind" I had continually thought of Pete throughout the lyrics as I kept on and on singing. The crowd didn't find my own verses or words.

"So, I'm at your house this morning,
Just a little after nine
'Cause, it was in Bobcaygeon
Where I saw the constellations reveal themselves
One star at time" I stopped when I noticed a familiar face up in the balcony of whatever theatre Marianas was playing tonight. I started to cry. Fuck? I'm supposed to play Dearly Departed... I'm supposed to after the Bobcaygeon cover.

This isn't going to end well.
I rushed backstage, my bandmates rushing after me. Mini Ramsay had also decided to start his kicking fury again, so it wasn't helping. I'd stopped going shirtless two shows in. The fans didn't really notice a difference. I had to go off of the health diet because it wasn't good for Mini Ramsay. Or should I say Mini Ramsay/Wentz. I don't know, I guess I was in such an emotional state things on my mind were rushing in.

"Josh, breathe in and out." Mike instructed me as I started to chokingly sob, the best memories coming to me. "You have to not play DD. You're too emotionally unstable. Do a fan requested song, instead of doing DD." Mike gave me a light hug. "It'll be good for Mini Ramsay."that's now what my bandmates had nicknamed the spawn - I don't call my kid a spawn but I originally did-, but I didn't tell them about Bronx, because it was too much of a long story. Now back to what was going on...

I went back to the stage, my eyes still red rimmed. "Obviously, I feel like shit cause yknow, that song is super emotional for me, so I'm unfortunately not going to do Dearly Departed, but let you guys pick the next song. After that, we play the rest of the set."

The fans ended up picking Beside You, because I sure as hell wasn't playing Pop 101 -- we'd removed it for some shows. Wasn't risking the spawn to jump and bounce during pop101-, or Shake Tramp in my state. It was a nice subsitute, and to help my emotions I imagined I wrote it about Pete.

I went back to the tour bus after the show, when I saw a familiar face sitting in the front area. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my tone seeming full of happiness.

---
Who is Josh speaking to?
a) Pete
b) his best friend Brennan
c) his best friend Andrew
d) his sister Sara

Sorry for the chapter delay. Was making myself sick over picking a Hip song for it.

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