It was around midnight when the band stopped to play. Everyone needed a break, so a DJ began to play a song. I watched Oliver moving through the crowd and followed. Or tried to at least. I ended up being half-way across the dance floor when he disappeared. So I upped my pace and as soon as I made it back to the entryway I ran into someone.
"Tracey!" My arms went to her shoulders to steady her.
"Watch it! Oh, Hannah! But reeeally, are you trying to breaak me or sooomething? I thought that was that… rainbow girl's joob. Whatever her name was. Loca… Liz…"
"Lola," That was weird. Four years without talking about her and now hearing her names twice in one day. "Anyway… Where did the band go?"
She must have noticed the frantic attitude and sudden frenzy, because she shook her head. "In their break room, of course."
"Which is where?"
"Upstairs," She pointed to the grand staircase and I didn't have time to thank her because I was zipping up the stairs, bumping into a few people along the way. In too much of a hurry to see him, I had not asked which room upstairs. There were two different hallways, and I started down the first. Opening doors to see that they were empty, (or occupied by couples) and moving to the next one. By the time I reached the end, I realized that he was at the other hallway. So I ran down the hall, dodging past the few party-goers who had meandered up there.
I began the process again, opening door after door. When I opened the sixth one down that side of the stairs, there was a guy pulling a shirt over his bare chest. Thinking it was just another couple, I started to back out, apologizing.
"Hannah?" I froze. That voice. I had just heard out belting out songs about the love of his life and finding himself. The door opened and I stumbled, not realizing that I had been leaning on the door handle. The guy who had been putting his shirt on moved to catch me, but I was standing straight before his help was required.
"Can you give us a minute?" The guy nodded and stepped though a different door, where I heard voices. I turned to face Oliver. The one person who I thought I might never get to see again. The urge to jump into his arms was resisted.
"Oliver," I knew I sounded breathless. I felt as if I was going to faint any second.
"Miley," He was flipping the cuffs on his dark shirt towards his body.
I did not know what to do or say. So my mouth took over my body again. "What are you doing here?"
He stopped with the shirt and stood up straight, flashing a smile full of white teeth. "Performing."
A smile edged its way from my heart to my lips. Something about the way his brown eyes flashed in the light made me want to grin more. "What about Lilly?" I glanced around his shoulder as if I would see her there. The shaking of his head made my attention focus on him again.
"Haven't you heard?"
"What?"
"We didn't last after I dropped out of college."
"You-what?" I had not heard anything like that. Last I heard was that they were trying to make it work over long distance. And he was going to school.
"Well… I barely passed through high school," He chuckled as he watched my face. "Do you really think I could have made it two years through that?" He laughed again and I forced myself to breathe. Though I found myself laughing too. "Naw, I decided to focus on my music career."
"How… how do you like it so far?"
He shrugged. "I like my band. Haven't had much chance for anything 'glamorous'. Unless the preview of my first music video could be considered that. Which I doubt. Though it was a blast, watching myself on the screen was bizarre. I wish you could have been there."
All it took was one sentence. Tears swelled in my eyes and I brought my hand up to my nose to pretend I was scratching it. Looking down to hide the water, I watched as a drop fell to the ground. I cleared my throat and tried to not wipe away the wetness in my eyes. It would smear my make-up, which was something I really did not want to do.
It was such an over-emotional reaction that my brain was still trying to understand it when my mouth spoke. "I've missed you."
But my words were drowned out as the other members of his band streamed through the door that the sound was emitting from. "C'mon Oken, time to finish this gig up. They are all chanting your name."
"Of course they are," I glanced up in time to see him face them and the boy with a guitar watching me. He was the one who had been putting his shirt on.
"We'll meet you downstairs in two," His eyes were still meeting mine. I gave him a small smile that he did not return.
"Alright Coop," Was all Oliver said, before the bedroom door closed behind them.
It took a moment for that to register. "Coop? As in Cooper?"
Oliver smiled. "Your brother's best friend, Cooper, yes. You didn't recognize him?" I shook my head in response, the tears now gone from my eyes. "Well he knew who you were. I didn't tell him," He added as I began to raise an eyebrow toward him. "Jackson did."
I rolled my eyes, thinking I was going to kill my brother. But I had not even seen him since the beginning of the tour. That brought me back to the present, standing in a room with Oliver.
"I'll see you around, I guess," He smiled and opened the door. I wanted to say something and stop him, but my brain and mouth were unable to find the words. He must have taken my silence as a response and left, leaving the door open for me. I should have gone after him, but my feet were frozen to the ground.
---
I could have stayed but it was clear he did not want me to. He could have given me his number to contact him or asked for mine. But he just left. Not even so much as a goodbye.
So I left the party, not even wanting to be there in the first place. Karl stayed behind me as we got into the limo and went to the hotel. I spent the rest of the night staring at my ceiling, playing the scene over again in my head. Not even a little dip in the Jacuzzi could calm me down enough to fall asleep. That was our reunion? After all that time I was not sure what I expected.
Yeah I did.
A hug. We had not even touched. Not a hand-shake or brush of our clothes when he passed. Like we were strangers… but even they would not be afraid to touch someone, right?
A best friend. I thought that I might be able to get him back. But the way we parted, I knew I couldn't. How we split our friendship was enough for him to get over me.
A much better conversation than the one we had. I was sure he did not even hear me when I told him that I missed him. I talked about his band.
After over thinking it all, I fell asleep while the sun began to come up and a soft orange glow fell on me and the comforter.
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Tra-laa. ^^
Hope you liked it, the last installement will be posted on a different day.
For some reason Crys's penname would not show up so here is her ID number;
1397612
Please review! :DD