French Benefits

31/ Not Dead Yet

* TRIGGER WARNING *
This chapter involves extreme violent content, dark subject matter, explicit language and content that may not be suitable for all readers. Please be advised.

ALSO, before I get started I want to give a huge thank you to suehasm for helping me with this chapter. She writes amazing stories and she's beyond talented! Thank you hun 🖤

Sunday · December 2, 2001 · Pontiac, Michigan

"Hey, stud," I answered my phone as Hanna's name popped up on my caller I.D.

I've been in my office at home for the past few days, gathering our expense reports from the tour.

We had hella charges for damages in almost every state and country we visited. Not that any of that surprises me; it just takes forever to go through. This entire year has been hell; in both good and bad ways.

"How's my favorite ho doing?" Hanna beamed from the other end of the phone.

"Just busy and very sex deprived. Still going through these expenses. I miss you! How was the honeymoon? And how's Iowa?"

Her and I talked for about an hour. She was beyond happy with her new life with her husband and wanted our band to take a little time off but that was a conversation that all four of us would have to agree on at once.

This tour we just got done with was not only one of the best of our career but hands down the toughest to get through. I'm in agreement that we all need time off. Maybe a year off would do us all some good.

The clock rounded one in the morning before I stood up, popping my stiff back, and deciding to go to bed.

I apparently left my phone in the kitchen earlier because when I got downstairs to fix a drink, I saw that I had a few missed calls and texts from Sid.

|SID: Hey gorgeous. Missing you.|

|SID: Tried calling a couple of times. Guess you're still busy.|

|SID: I love you. xoxo|

I sent him a text back saying I was too exhausted to talk tonight, and I would call him back later. It's nothing against him; I just worked way longer than I meant to and just want to go to bed. A response from him never came and it wasn't long before I was falling asleep in my bed, half the glass of water still on the small nightstand.

◊◊◊

Around nine, I kept to my promise and called Sid.

"Hey you." He greeted. He didn't sound as upbeat as I imagined he would have.

"Hey. Sorry about yesterday. I'd left my phone elsewhere and didn't stop working until the early morning." I know I didn't have to explain myself but for some reason I did anyway.

"No worries. I just wanted to hear your voice. I'm going crazy without you."

"I miss you too, more than you know." I sighed heavily.

I was secretly hoping that he would say he's coming to visit me but didn't get my hopes up. It's been a little over a month since I've seen him in person, and I could tell this distance thing would be a lot harder than I originally imagined. Especially the no sex part.