a kiss to the top. “Understandable. You’ve been going too hard for too long. You need to get some rest before things in your life get even crazier. Want me to take you home, or you want to crash at my place again tonight?”
I would like nothing more than to sleep in his arms all night, but I think it’s probably best for me to go home and reflect more on my life—our lives. Plus, I need a shower, clean clothes, and an early bedtime. I need as much sleep as I can get. I know if I stay with him, we’ll spend most of the night making love instead of sleeping, and if I don’t sleep soon, I’m afraid I’ll collapse.
“I think I’ll stay at my place tonight. I need to call the guys and make up some excuse. I need a shower and some clean clothes.”
He nods. “You sure everything is okay?”
I nod and offer up a smile. “I’m sure.”
He lets the subject slide and we finish the drive back to my place. I unbuckle my seatbelt and lean over to kiss him. “Thanks for today. I had really good time. It was much needed.”
He kisses me softly. “You’re welcome. Get some sleep.”
I kiss him once more before making my way up to my apartment. I let myself inside and fall onto the couch. I call Van, grudgingly.
“What the fuck, Luna?”
“I know. I’m sorry,” I mumble into the phone as I’m running my hand through my hair. “I’m just so exhausted. I came home from work early and took a nap. I just now woke up,” I lie.
“I came by there and banged on your door. You slept through that?”
I close my eyes. “I guess so. I’m just beat between all the practices, the shows, recording, and working at the store. I’m sorry I missed practice.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like we haven’t been playing enough as it is. Just get some rest.”
“Oh, I’m going back to sleep right now,” I promise.
“Talk to you tomorrow,” he says, hanging up. I get up and go to plug in my phone, then I head straight for the shower. I shave, wash my hair and body, and get out. I wash my face and apply some moisturizer before combing out my hair and going straight to bed. I sleep all night long.
I’m standing on stage and looking out at the crowd. This isn’t our usual small bar. This is a huge stadium with thousands and thousands of people. It’s nothing but a sea of faces, and all eyes are on me. I look down and find my sea-foam green guitar in my hands. That’s weird. Journey doesn’t leave my apartment. I look around me but the band isn’t there. It’s just me. I’m all alone on this stage. I feel frozen—unsure of what to do. How can I perform without the band? I can’t do this alone.
The crowd starts chanting my name over and over, and I feel as though I have to do something. Anything. My fingers move across the strings of my guitar, and then my mouth opens. A song I’ve never before played on stage comes out. It’s the song I’ve been writing. The crowd starts to sing along with it like they’ve known it for ages. How can that be? I’ve never played it for anyone.
Like it was meant to be, the crowd in front of me starts to split down the middle until I can clearly see Daniel standing in the crowd, looking up at me with his shimmering eyes. The spotlight chases the gap in the crowd, stopping on Daniel and lighting him up for all to see.
My singing stops as we lock eyes. Something is being exchanged, but I’m not sure what. Love? His lips turn up into a smile, and slowly, in the silence of the packed stadium, he starts fading away. Suddenly, he’s gone. I’m left confused. Where’d he go? How did that happen? I find myself looking at everyone in the crowd, wondering if they saw it too. The parted crowd starts to close up until the split down the middle is erased. I look behind me and there’s the band: Van, Lane, and Ridge, all behind their instruments and ready to play.
“Come on, Luna,” Van says quietly, “it’s time to let go and accept your destiny.”
The drums start up and the crowd goes wild, ready to get on with the show. But I’m lost and stuck, unsure of which way to