Melodious Endgame
II.
Tori only managed to get five hours of sleep before she was awoken by knocking on her hotel room door. She groaned and tried to cover her head with a pillow. Certainly, it was too early for housekeeping, right? Oh, but did she forget to place the Do Not Disturb tag on her door handle? Either way, she felt like she could sleep for another five hours at least and was ready to ignore whoever it was at the door. Until the low buzz indicated that whoever it was had a key to get in. So it really was either housekeeping or…
"Rise and shine," came Emily's voice who took it upon herself to stride in and pull the curtains open wide. Tori groaned and tried harder to hide her face. "I have to say, I'm impressed, Tori. I didn't think you worked that fast."
"Eh?" Tori mumbled, still ready to pass back out any second.
"I just got a call from Andre Harris' manager."
Upon hearing Andre's name, Tori's eyes finally snapped open, and she pulled the pillow from her head. Emily couldn't help but laugh at Tori's big eyes, wild hair, and stiff posture. Emily sat down in the desk chair, pulling out her tablet and scrolling through her virtual calendar.
"She shared Mr. Harris' calendar with me, so we need to compare schedules. But from what I see, you're both magically cleared up for the next few months, save a few interviews and appearances here and there. He's currently staying at his condo in Chicago, and that's where his recording studio is, so let's book some flights to head that way and then we can see about temporary quarters for you."
"Wait, wait, wait," Tori sat up, her hair flared out all over her head, "This is happening so fast…"
"Well, I mean, you're the one that called Mr. Harris up at three in the morning to do this," Emily said, only half teasing. "By the way, I didn't know you knew thee Andre Harris! How come you never mentioned him to me before? The two of you would probably sound amazing together."
Tori ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it as much as possible. She rolled out of bed to get ready for the day, suddenly feeling like she had got enough rest. "You can search our names and I'm sure you'll find some of the high school concerts we did together back in the day."
"Really?" Emily questioned with pure curiosity. How did she never know this? She prided herself on doing research on various things, especially when it came to Tori and other artists. She immediately typed their names on her tablet and sure enough, there were a few videos from thirteen to fourteen years ago. The first thumbnail was the two of them singing onstage. She clicked it and, in true quick paced Emily fashion, she placed the cursor to the middle of the video before allowing it to play.
"…can give you a love that's true to your heart, not material thiiings. I'll give you my song, these words to you, sing you what I feel, my soul is true…"
Upon hearing the two of them sing together from the tablet, Tori's heart, stomach, and mind tumbled and twisted as the nostalgia hit her hard and fast. Her breathing hitched and she wanted to keep listening but also yell at Emily to turn the video off. Though Tori loved listening to all the music Andre released over the years, she avoided all their high school songs together. She wasn't sure the pain of dealing with the fallout of that time would ever really go away.
"…as I strum my guitar, you should know what you are to me! My everything, yeah…"
"Can you turn that off, please?' Tori asked with a tight throat.
Emily did as she asked, "You sounded great for a couple kids just singing on a high school stage," she commented and saved a few tabs to look at later when Tori wasn't around. "But an updated sound with the two of you now? I'd be the first to buy that single."
"You're my manager, you won't have to buy it…" Tori mumbled as she searched through her bag for the clothes she wanted to change into.
Emily pursed her lips, wondering what got Tori in such a mood. She didn't seem annoyed, but it was something Emily couldn't quite place her finger on. Maybe she just woke Tori up too early.
"So the main thing I wanted to run by you was when exactly you wanted to start. You mentioned about maybe visiting your parents after the tour," Emily steered the conversation into a direction Tori was more comfortable with at that moment.
"Yeah, I haven't been home in over a year, so I should do that today," Tori said the words, and though she was happy about seeing her family, the feeling in her stomach that working with Andre was about to become a reality was not going away, "But I'm good after today. If Andre is. I dunno, did he seem eager?"
Emily glanced at her skeptically, "Well, I only talked to Eva Mason—his manager—and she didn't really give anything away, but the fact that you called Mr. Harris at three a.m. and Ms. Mason called me at seven-thirty a.m., I can assume that they're a little eager."
"ASAP it is then," Tori said, trying hard to keep her voice normal. Last night, she was riding the high of her concert and successfully talking to Andre, but now, in the early hours of a new day, she was scared shitless.
She locked herself in the bathroom to get ready for the day.
...
...
...
Emily dropped Tori off at her parent's house a few hours later, promising that she would be back to pick her up in the morning. Tori excitedly jogged up to the front door and ran the bell and was surprised when a small child, a girl about seven years old with short blonde hair, answered the door.
"Hi! Who—wait…Charlotte?" Tori hadn't seen the girl in almost two years and was surprised at how much she'd grown.
"Char, what did we say about answering the door when—," a tall man with a slick haircut and full beard came from across the kitchen to grab up the girl, but then stopped when he saw Tori, "Oh hey, Tori! Long time no see!"
"Chance, you're here! That must mean…" Tori pulled her bags inside when Charlotte stepped aside, already rolling her eyes sarcastically when Trina's voice came from the couch.
"My little sister's here!" Trina yelled enthusiastically, peaking her head over the back of the couch. The strong smell of nail polish hit Tori's nose and she figured Trina was giving herself one of her famous pedicures.
"That's me!" Tori dropped her bags on the ground to close the door behind her. She did not expect to see Trina's family here today; usually her mom warned her that there would be extra company if she knew Tori would stop by. But this was probably more of Tori's fault for not letting her know first.
Chance was Trina's third husband, but the two of them had been together for three years now. A record for Trina. Tori always found it cute when Trina called him "My Charming Chance" because it held so many different meanings behind it. He definitely had a Prince Charming look going for him. Being her third husband, the third time seemed to be the charm for Trina. And he was her lucky charm.
Trina oversaw costumes in Broadway plays back in the day, and little four-year-old Charlotte at the time was having a mental breakdown backstage. Trina somehow managed to calm her down and make her laugh. Her father was impressed by this, and told her that he and his brother directed movies for kids, and he wanted her to come work on set with them because Trina had a natural way of getting kids out of any sour moods they were in. They started dating, Trina moved up and became Head of Costume Design in a lot of hit movies.
Trina was still a lot, but Chance miraculously turned her into a tolerable human being—something Tori didn't think was possible until he came along. And Charlotte also helped contribute, transforming Trina into an instamom who was both cool and responsible (for the most part).
"Tori, I was expecting a phone call, not a whole visit!" Holly said as she skipped down the stairs. Her mom may have been getting up there in age, but she still moved around like she was in her twenties.
"Thought I'd surprise you! …and everyone else!" Tori waved her arm around the room at everyone, "I only have a day to catch up though."
Trina rolled her eyes and went back to her pedicure, "Ms. I'm too busy and famous to spend any good amount of time with my amazing sister."
"Wow, that sure is a long name," Tori deadpanned.
'How about I take Charlotte out on the town and give you ladies some quality time?" Chance suggested, already reaching for his phone to call a ride.
"I didn't mean to chase you off!" Tori said apologetically.
Chance shook his head, "No worries. We've already been here for a week," He walked up close to her as he headed toward the door and in a low voice said, "Help me." His eyes glimmered to show he was joking, but Trina still heard it.
"Hey, watch it you! This is payback for having me stay at your parent's house for two weeks!"
"But my mom made quiche everyday…" Chance countered.
Trina thought about it for a second before nodding in agreement, "She did make the best quiches…"
"Hey, I make good…" Holly started, trailed off, then said, "frozen pizza!"
"That you do, Mom," Tori agreed, finally going over to her to wrap her in a hug.
When Chance and Charlotte left, the three Vega women decided to order everything off the menu from their favorite Chinese restaurant and stay inside.
"Is Dad not here?" Tori asked as she got the kitchen ready for all the containers of food that were about to arrive.
"Um…no, not right now," Holly said, rubbing the side of her neck uncomfortably. Tori only nodded. After Tori found out about Holly and Gary back when she just got with Beck, it blew up her world even more than she had already blown it up herself. She knew she had no right to hold such a grudge over her mother's head when she herself had been unfaithful to Andre. She tried to reason with her mind, thinking things like "they're married, it's completely different!" But she finally realized that it wasn't all that different.
Holly, for what it was worth, felt awful having Tori find out the way she did. When Tori told her the next day that she wanted to move to New York early, Holly helped her gather her things together, bought her a plane ticket, and gave her a large chunk of cash. She deposited more in Tori's bank account. Tori wasn't ready to talk about anything at that time, but Holly wanted to support her daughter in any way she could. Maybe it was to make up for never being the greatest mom when the girls were growing up.
Holly confessed to David about her affair soon after and he instantly mentioned marriage counseling. Some days it helped. On other days it caused more damage. There were long stretches of time when they were good and in love, then there were longer stretches of time when they fought constantly, and he had to stay elsewhere. And so, the volatile spiral of their relationship continued, and for Holly to say that David was not home right now meant that they were in one of their downward twists at the moment.
Tori saw, or rather heard about (she didn't come home too often) the long-lasting effects being unfaithful could have on everyone, and it continued to haunt her day after day.
The food arrived, and as Trina was pouring three glasses of red wine for them, Tori confessed to the one thing she did not want to mention in front of them, "I'm seeing Andre tomorrow."
"Who?" Trina asked, grabbing up one of the glasses and holding it out so the other two could clink all the glasses together, "Wait, wait, wait, before that. Let's do a cheer."
Holly held up her glass next, "Cheers to Tori finishing another tour! So proud of you, honey."
Tori smiled and held up her glass, "Thanks, Mom—."
"Anything else?" Trina interrupted before they could clink.
Holly gave Tori a knowing look. It wouldn't be a complete celebration if they weren't celebrating Trina in some way too, "And cheers to Trina for landing the job with Rivers and Roads."
Tori's eyes widened, "Wait, that popular book series? They're turning it into a movie?"
"Three movies to be exact," Trina bragged, shimmying her hips in a mini victory dance.
"That's amazing, Trina!" Tori turned back to Holly, "And what about you? What can we celebrate for you?"
"Hm…to finding a new home!" Holly announced and it made Tori raise a thin eyebrow. "That's actually why Trina and Chance are here. They're helping me find a place closer to the coast. I'm…I'm ready to move on from this place."
Tori suddenly felt like she was missing so much by being away on tours and working on albums all the time. Her parents seemed like they were separating for good. Her niece grew up, or at least, it seemed like it. Tori didn't realize how much a kid could change in just two years. Trina was apparently a bigger deal in the movie biz than Tori gave her credit for if she got selected for a huge project like Rivers and Roads.
"Cheers!" Trina finally said for all of them. They placed their glasses together and in unison said, "clink!" They all took a hearty sip of wine.
"So," Holly started, opening a container of noodles, "Andre, huh? When was the last time you saw him?"
Tori busied herself with a container of veggies, "Twelve years ago…"
"Nervous?"
"Yes…" Tori admitted, pushing pieces of broccoli around with her chopsticks, "We didn't exactly end on a happy note."
"Wait, we're talking about that guy you dated for two years in high school? Andre Harris? Isn't he dating that international model—Amara Singh?" Trina asked, sifting through the beef in another container.
"Yes, that Andre and…no, they broke up like eight months ago. Or…so I've heard," Tori took a long sip of wine. It did not go unnoticed by Tori when her mother and sister exchanged a look. "And besides, it's not like that. I need new songs for my next album, and Andre just happens to be next the best songwriter I know and so—."
"Knew," Trina corrected, "You don't really know someone you haven't seen in twelve years."
For some reason, this hit Tori right in the gut. She had to blink a few times to keep the tears from springing to her eyes. She took another longer than usual sip of wine.
"That was nice of him to agree to help you. I remember you two being really close," Holly commented, and the phrasing of it seemed so insignificant to Tori. They were really close? Those were the words to describe what they had? Those were the words to describe what she regretted she lost?
"You had a weird group of friends," Trina said, as if she wasn't the weirdest one of the bunch. "I remember the hot one. Beck. Damn, was he a cutie. Could never get him away from Jane though."
"Jade," Tori fixed for her, and she wondered if Trina was just playing dumb or if these people really did slip her mind after all these years.
"Right, right. Hey, let's look at some house pics for Mom. We found some absolute gems," Trina worked on hooking her phone up to the TV so they could all view easily. And just like that, the conversation on Tori and all her old friends was dropped. She didn't know what else she expected; it's not like she talked to her family about anything regarding any of them, so even her bringing up Andre was just a random fact.
Tori looked at the TV screen over her wine glass, wondering when she started to keep all her feelings hidden from everyone. She didn't think she was isolated in any way, but bringing up high school was enough to bring on strong nostalgic memories that had her heart clenching in her chest. When she first started touring, she was given a therapist just to have on hand in case her life got too overwhelming. She spilled a lot out to this therapist, and it helped her realize a lot of things, though the realizations came a little too late.
She put on a smile for Holly and Trina as they viewed all the house pictures, but Tori was suddenly feeling the distance between her and Andre. The thought of that distance decreasing tomorrow made her feel like she wanted to sprint to the airport and start now.
Checking her phone, Tori counted twenty-one hours until Emily would pick her up. And now that she was paying attention to her phone, she wondered if she should text Andre. She was sure his manager gave him the memo of Tori arriving tomorrow, but that way felt so…formal.
Tori: Excited for tomorrow! This happened so fast
To her credit, she only lingered a few seconds before pressing send. Andre didn't text back for two excruciating hours, but when he did, she wanted to be in Chicago that very instant.
Andre: Let's make magic happen