The Darkest Days

15. This Was Just A Taste, Darling

Audrey was wearing a dark black hoodie, her brown hair were a little frizzy and she blamed all the constant styling that was damaging them.

She dragged her luggage with one hand and in the other hand held a handbag as she made her way towards the parking where everyone was loading their things in.

"This too." She handed the man her luggage and thanked him. Once inside her bus, she snuggled up inside her blankets; winter was peaking in this part of the world.

Suddenly, her bunk's curtain was pushed aside to reveal one of the male dancers. "Where's the dude from last night?" George asked.

"Mason?"

He nodded.

"He's going with his dad. They'll be at the show before leaving."

"You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend, kiddo."

"Okay, everyone needs to," she placed her head out of her bunker, looked back and shouted the rest, "stop calling me kiddo here!"

She heard a few chuckles from the back.

"But you're the youngest!" George smiled.

Now I know how Mason felt, she scowled.

"As of today, I'm twenty. Not a kid."

He laughed and shook his head. "So, have you bought anything for Christmas?" He further asked.

"No, I'm waiting till last minute."

"What gets more last minute than twenty first?"

"Twenty second and twenty third."

He frowned.

"What have you bought?" She asked.

"I wanted your help. My younger sister's of your age and I wanna know what you'd like from your brother."

"Well, I can't decide for someone I don't even know."

"Just name anything, I'll see if she'd like it."

Audrey thought if Jake was older and bought her something, what would she like?

"My little brother gave me a handmade card last year. So I really wouldn't want anything else from him." She laughed but her longing to be with her siblings increased.

"I can't make cards for her."

"You can buy her something standard? A perfume? Some concert tickets she always wanted to go to? Or maybe a vacation, if you can afford."

"I can buy her a new guitar.." He said thoughtfully.

"There you go. She's a musician?"

"Yep." He said proudly. "Art runs in the family, I think."

"My sister is a singer. Runs in my family too, maybe." She smiled.

"Really? You can sing too?"

Her face scrunched up. "Not really. Not as good as her."

"Maybe you're just out of practice. It's more of an art; comes with practice, not talent."

Just then, Audrey's phone started ringing. She hummed. "Speak of the devil. It's her."

George nodded. "I'll leave you to it, then." He said and left.

"Hey."

"Happy birthday, Audrey!" Vanessa shouted at the top of her lungs, jolting Jake awake.

"What?" He shouted.

She shrugged and he closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his heart.

Audrey closed her bunker's curtain. "Thank you. I miss you like I never have. I was just talking about you."