Last Kiss

Starbucks and Last Stops

We were stopped at Columbus, Ohio for our last show. Our beautiful tour had come to an end.

Columbus made me anxious. Just southwest of Columbus was Cincinnati, my hometown. It was also Sammy's hometown. Cincinnati was filled with memories. Memories of him and me and our friends. When we became more than friends. When I never wanted to hear his name again.

But that was all in the past. Memories are only that: memories.

We had arrived late that night so in the morning I decided to go out to find some coffee. I knew Columbus well; not as well as my hometown, but still fairly well. While I wish I could surprise you with how unique and Midwestern Ohio is, we drink Starbucks just the same as the rest of the world.

I purposely found a Starbucks twenty minutes from the hotel. Fans from each place we stopped were doing some crazy intense stalking and finding every place we stayed, so I prayed I could get some peace and quiet.

It was softly raining, as it does in the Midwest. I never liked big puffy raincoats, so I slipped into the Starbucks and brushed the raindrops off my old, ratty sweatshirt. I ordered a latte and found a quiet table to myself. The sucky weather forced all the patrons into the drive-thru, so there were only a couple other people sitting with me.

I people-watched as I sipped my drink. There was a college student busily typing away on her MacBook. Two teenage girls sitting on their phones, giggling with their Frappuccinos in hand. A business man sat in the very far corner, muttering to whoever on the other end of his call. Two tables over, a girl sat with her coffee, scrolling absentmindedly on her phone.

I did a double take on the girl. I hadn't seen her in days, but I recognized that white blonde hair anywhere. "Hannah?" I called out in a soft voice.

She abruptly looked up at me. Her face softened when she saw me, but it was no less awkward. I did not know what to do or say and I did not want to go back into the rain, so I gestured for her to come sit with me. She did, hesitantly. It was not pleasant for either of us.

"Hey, Stevie," she said politely. Since our last encounter, I was afraid she could not be civil. To be fair, I did not know if I could be civil around her. But there we were.

"Hannah," I smiled. "Where have you been? I mean, obviously you've been traveling with us, but we haven't seen or heard from you."

Hannah stirred her coffee with her straw and was silent for a moment. "Ever since - well, you know. I wanted to lay low. I'm an agent. I'm supposed to be behind the scenes. I decided to try to do my job for a change"

"Hannah," I sighed and set my hand on her shoulder. She flinched, ever so slightly, but she did. "You are great at your job. Honestly." And I was being honest.

"Are you kidding me?" she rolled her eyes. "I spent all my time chasing after Sammy! Half the time I didn't even know what city we were in!"

"Columbus," I informed her in all seriousness. "We're in Columbus."

She paused, and for the first time, I thought I saw a genuine smile come from out of her. "Yeah, I figured."

"Hannah?" I took a very deep breath. Here we go. "Do you want to know why Sammy and I are the way we are?"

She shrugged, but her eyes were longing.

"Sammy and I are both from a town just southwest of here. We met in seventh grade and were best friends ever since. We fell in love in high school. He's the one who introduced me to singing."

Hannah's face changed. It was a mixture of confusion and intrigue. "But, what happened? I mean, you guys weren't together. You looked pretty shocked to see him, actually."

"He auditioned for the show, but he didn't tell me. He wanted for it to be a surprise, but I never found out. No one ever told me, and ever since I thought he just left me without a goodbye or an explanation or anything."

"Oh," Hannah looked back to her coffee. "That explains a lot. I mean, the part when you ran away and were emotionally singing in the bathroom."

I chuckled. "Yeah. Memories."

"I glad you told me this," Hannah said, making eye contact with me. "I had no idea. Your instance connection came from years of it."

I nodded. On the outside, I would stay cool and collected. On the inside, my stomach was doing back flips. Had I finally made amends with this girl?

"Hey," Hannah glanced at her phone as it purred in her hand. "You got to go. Valerie just put you and Sammy down on the calendar."

I checked my own phone. I did have to get going. I stood up and gathered my things. Outside the rain had come to a stop and the sun was seeping through the blue-grey clouds.

"I'll see you," I said.

"Yeah," Hannah pursed her lips in amusement. "I guess you will."

...

"Last show tonight, yes?" Valerie asked us. Sammy and I were standing across from her in her hotel room. Sammy was in khakis and an OSU sweatshirt. I was wearing my favorite leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Valerie looked way too LA compared to us.

"Yep," Sammy grinned. "I hate to say it, but I'm almost glad to get back to BoomMusic."

"Actually," Valerie gave us a frisky look. She had something up her sleeve. "There is one last thing I want to do before we go home."

Sammy and I exchanged a look. Val looked way too excited at the moment.

"I convinced Hannah and Matthew to give us one more show. But this time, only the two of you," Valerie giggled. She was barely able to contain her news.

"In two days, we will be in Cincinnati, Ohio and you two will be performing an exclusive show at the top club there! 'Celebrity Singers Return for Hometown Hurrah!' I can already see the headlines!" Valerie squealed.

"We're going back home?" I laughed, turning to Sammy. He looked amused and excited and as I wrapped my arms around his midsection, he pulled me closer. Hiding my face in his chest, I inhaled sharply. We're going back home?!

I heard Sammy nervously laugh. "Val, you sure this is a good idea? I mean, Stevie and I haven't really gotten any publicity yet?"

"And this is your chance! You guys are young and in love. It is time the world knows! Plus, it will be a private event. There will be a couple top paps there, but only the most controlled ones. No crazy paps! And no love crazy fans! So no one will be attacking you, Ms. Stevie!" Val blabbed on and on.

"Wow," I turned my head back to Val. "Sounds amazing." I pinched Sammy between the shoulder blades.

"Oh! - yeah, yeah. Sounds so amazing, Val!"

And with that, Val shooed us out, instructing us to create a list of songs we would perform. As soon as she slammed the door in our faces, Sammy and I looked at each other.

"Oh, boy," I said.

"Stevs," Sammy chewed the inside of his cheek. "We're going back home."