Alone, Together

Someday

Someday

I loved waking up, seeing his face as he slept. He looked like a child. We tiptoed in, careful not to wake Nikolai and took off our clothes. Nothing sexual happened. We whispered a little, about our dreams and future before sleep over came us.

Fab came in shortly after my admiration for Albert. He jumped on the bed, screaming “Wake up! Columbus, Ohio.” I wondered if they ever flew anywhere in the U.S. Albert rolled over and faced me, “We’ll be up in a minute,” He grumbled. He opened his eyes and shook his head. “Soon we’ll be in NYC and have a month break.” He rolled on top of me. “And we’ll be alone.” Fab made gagging noises and left. I sighed, “But then I’ll have to go to school and you’ll be touring…” 

Albert rolled off me and went to the bathroom. He didn’t reassure me or anything, just went to piss. I grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt to wear. Albert came out in jeans. He scratched his chest and looked at me. “One day, we’re going to be happily alone.” I smiled and hugged him. “We’re alone now.” He kissed me, “but not really.” He grabbed a shirt from his suitcase and we left, roadies already coming in the room to get everything else. 

“We’re catching a plane.” Albert said sighing, “Planes until NYC. Two more tour stops.” He brightened up. I knew what his first plans were when we were settled in New York again. I didn’t know how I felt about them though. We got on the bus with the others. Nick was sleeping on Nikolai’s shoulder and everyone else looked extremely tired. “How are you guys going to perform?” I asked Albert, worried. He shrugged, “Sleep on the way there.” That seemed logical and I played with his hand, waiting on the bus to arrive at the airport. I started to admire them more, the more I was around them. Their lives on tour were performing, travel, perform, interview, travel, perform, travel… I remembered being younger and hating driving to Tennessee and Colorado. It was so boring and took forever. 

I leaned over and kissed Albert’s cheek. He smiled a little. He whispered softly to me, “I miss my apartment, my dogs, my parents… I can’t wait for the break.” A thought came to my mind; what if when I’m back in New York and you’re travelling if you’ll miss me too? I kept silent, not wanting to be a clingy lover. Julian was watching us with sympathy in his eyes. “What will we do during the break?” I asked, knowing already. Albert whispered in my ear, “Each other.” I bit my lip, feeling the heat rise to my face. Ryan rolled his eyes, “Albert, goddammit. Can you not be a flirt for once?” Ryan looked even more tired than usual. Albert and I shut up and sat there with the same melancholy faces as the rest.

I watched the cars go by. The bus looked like a normal tour bus. People were waving, hoping it would be their favorite band. It’s funny how I never noticed until now. We weren’t invisible like everyone else in their cars. We were in a tour bus, obviously for a professional band. It had that flare to it. It only didn’t advertise. I wondered if my invisibility was taken too. I snuggled closer to Albert. It probably was. I stopped watching the people wave, relating this to my life. Albert was busy texting someone. I watched him a little, asking myself those silly questions. 

Would I win my invisibility back? Was I ever invisible in the first place?

I couldn’t answer any of them because they all were made to be rhetorical. The airport loomed ahead of us. It felt like it would swallow us. Ryan was busy on the phone, asking about their private jet. I thought bands didn’t have private jets, but The Strokes did. “We only use it when we tour.” Nikolai explained, “It’s easy and no delays because of other people and such.” Albert wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we parked. “One day we’ll take a private jet to our honeymoon.” He whispered in my ear. I felt my face heating up. “I’ve never ridden a plane.” He laughed, “You didn’t do a lot of things before you met me.” He was right. 

I was a safe girl. I didn’t let anyone in too deep and I didn’t do things that I wasn’t sure about. Since I met Albert, I had done things I didn’t even think I would do. “The jet is here, everyone off the bus.” Ryan ordered us.

We all walked off the bus, cursing the sun. I wondered about their opening band. “We’re going to fly to Columbus, do some interviews in Ohio, play, travel, and play some more.” Ryan explained to us, like a coach for a team. I imagined us before his eyes. Five tired guys with sleep in their eyes and the girlfriend. I imagined myself in more detail than the others. Hair, a mess from sleeping; clothes, rumpled from hurrying to put them on; and dark eyes, lack of sleep from these last couple of days.

If Ryan thought of this, he held back his laughter. Probably because he was equally tired. We all walked in through a secret entrance, God forbid fans notice them. The jet was ready with a logo of The Strokes. “So you guys don’t advertise on your bus, but you do for the heavens?” I asked poking Albert. “I guess we want the ‘Big Guy’ to like us more than regular mortals.” I rolled my eyes, questions bubbling on my tongue. 

The roadies all crowd around the jet, figuring out what they had to do. The Strokes sat around in the private lobby, waiting on instructions from Ryan. Albert and I stayed back before entering with the others. “If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can go to my apartment.” Albert said, taking my hands. “The first touring is always the hardest.” I shook my head, “I’m okay. It’s you who should feel overwhelmed.” He bit his lip. “You’re right.” I squeezed his hands, “You know I am.” He kissed my cheek, “One day, we’ll be together. I mean together. And that’s all we’ll ever need.” I rolled my eyes, “Someday.” He frowned, “Why do you say that?” I shook my head again, “It doesn’t matter.” I kissed his hand, “All that matters is that you get to your tour dates unharmed and fully rested.” 

I loved how he stared at me; an emotion was a mix between sympathetic and wonder. No one but my friends and family looked at me like that. I mentally took a picture of it and kissed his cheek. “Come on, you got fans to please.” I started dragging him in the lobby. His face turned mischievous and smiled, “I’ve never had a girlfriend who put the fans before herself…” I hadn’t really thought of that. I put his career first, especially now. I didn’t answer, not feeling the same way. Ryan started shouting his orders and snapped me out of my thoughts once again. Travel, play, travel, play, vacation, played in my head as we got on the jet.

It was nicely decorated with The Strokes merch everywhere. I sat next to Albert and lay my head on his shoulder, mentally checking off travel. This would be the longest stretch.