Stranger Things Have Happened, I Know

Ch 5 & 6

CHAPTER 5

The next morning, I woke before Dave and decided I needed a shower. I snuck in & washed up quickly. I crept out in my towel, hoping Dave was still asleep. He wasn’t.

“Hey there! Good morning!”

“Cover your eyes!” I said, laughing. He squeezed them shut. “No peeking.” I changed into some fresh clothes and went back into the bath room to brush my hair and apply some make-up. Meanwhile, Dave called Taylor to let him know he'd be riding to Boston with me. I could tell by Dave's side of the conversation that Taylor was perplexed, but Dave said nothing to me. I made coffee while Dave showered and dressed. He hummed quietly while he gathered his things from around the suite and packed his bags up. I studied him from the couch as I sipped my own coffee. To me, he was the most handsome type of man. I loved a guy that could pull off the long haired look. It was a look that not everyone should wear, but Dave pulled it off effortlessly. Same with the beard. He was tall, but not too tall. I estimated about 6 feet. His legs were long and he had a little bit of a belly, presumably from drinking, as the rest of him was fit and toned. His arms were muscular, making the sleeves of his T-shirt taught. His red tribal tattoos peeked out from underneath. I sighed quietly to myself and took a mental snap shot of him.

Dave did a final sweep of the hotel room and then dragged his bags to the door. He grabbed his coffee and came to sit down next to me.

“Now what?” I asked.

“Now we wait for Guy to come and get my bags,” he said, smiling at me over his coffee cup. “I certainly don't carry my own bags.”

“You carried my bag!” I pointed out.

“Well yeah, that's different,” he said, rolling his eyes, as if this were obvious. Moments later there was a knock at the door. Dave jumped up and jogged over to the door and looked out through the hole before opening the door. A wiry man with a thin face stood on the opposite side.

“Hey Guy,” Dave said. “Just take these bags here down, I am catching a ride with a friend to Boston. I will see you guys there.” Guy just nodded and gathered up Dave's things. He turned to me. “You ready?” I set my coffee cup down and nodded. Dave scooped up my bag and threw it over his shoulder. “Let's hit the road.”

We followed Guy to the elevators. Guy hit the Lobby button, I hit the Garage button. Dave and I put on our aviators and ducked our heads as Guy exited the elevator with Dave's bags and headed towards the buses that were pulled up under the portico. The doors slid shut and we continued down to the garage. I fished my keys out and headed towards my parking spot, Dave following behind me.

I opened the back door and he slid my bag onto the seat. He then got in the passenger’s seat while I went around and slid into the driver's seat.

“And we're off!” I said, starting the car and putting it into gear. I pulled out of the garage and up behind the buses, which we would be following. Dave settled down deeper into the seat and played with the radio. We listened to classic rock and discussed different bands. Dave told me stories about musicians he had met, who he'd seen in concert and who he wanted to meet, both living and deceased.

“Are you looking forward to tonight’s show?” He asked me. I nodded and flashed him a smile.

“Hell yeah! Are you?”

“Yes and no,” he replied. “It’s our last show on our North American Tour, but that means we fly out this weekend to start our European Tour.” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

“You're leaving for Europe?” I asked, shocked. “For how long?”

“Until the week before Thanksgiving,” he replied, sounding tired. My heart sank. I wasn't sure why, but I felt really disappointed that he was leaving the country. I gave myself a mental slap. What, did I think he was going to stay in Western Massachusetts with me forever? I took a deep breath and tried to shake it off. We talked for a little bit longer about the tour until I began to recognize the outskirts of Boston. We were making good time.