I find her standing by the bar, holding a tray at her side while she watches me with a smile on her face. I keep my eyes locked on hers and sing like she’s the only one in the room.
When the song ends, we lead right into “18 and Life” by Skid Row. With the sounds of the music filling the bar, the crowd comes to life. Everyone is out of their seat, dancing to the music, or bobbing their heads. I find my dad standing behind the bar with his arms crossed over his chest like he’s a bouncer. He’s even bobbing his head to the beat of the music.
We play several more songs before we come off stage for a break. Alissa bounces into my arms and lands a long, strong kiss. “Oh my God, you’re amazing!” Her cheeks are flushed, and she’s wearing a wide smile.
“Thank you. Come outside with me and cool off.” I take her hand and lead her toward the door.
“Dane, I’m working. I probably shouldn’t just run off when I have tables to wait on.”
I wave her off. “You’re due for a break.” I pull her behind the bar and press her against the wall before moving my lips to hers.
The reaction of the crowd gave me a huge high. I’m buzzing with excitement and feel like the world is mine for the taking.
“Alissa!” my dad yells.
We jump apart and turn to see him standing at the corner of the building.
“You’re on the clock. Get back to work.”
She scurries off, apologizing along the way. I sag against the building, waiting to get my ass chewed out. But instead, he comes to stand beside me. “I had no idea you were so good.”
I laugh. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You know, I may have been wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” I turn to look at him.
“About you not being able to make money with a guitar. I think you’ve got what it takes.”
I’m in utter shock. My whole life he’s told me I have to work hard and get good grades. That I’d never make it anywhere with a guitar in my hand. “Are you messing with me right now?”
He laughs. “No, I’m serious. You’re becoming a man, Dane. It’s time for you to find what you’re passionate about and go after it.”
“I thought you said that was a pipe dream. Now, you’re telling me to go after it?”
He shrugs before standing up straight. “Nobody’s right all the time. We’re all just trying to do our best in life. That’s all you can ask for.” He walks away, leaving me alone in the dark.
The rest of the night passes by in the same fashion. The band quits at midnight, and we’re all exhausted from the show we put on. By the end of the night, everyone in the bar was up dancing. Dad even had to pull a couple women off the bar top when we played, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard. It’s a night I’ll never forget.
Dad hangs out at the bar to make sure everything’s taken care of and closed up properly. Alissa and I take advantage of being able to get hidden away in my bedroom before he comes home. I have an appointment to check out a house tomorrow, and while I don’t have my hopes up, I pray it works out before we’re caught and kicked out of my dad’s house.
I remove my clothes and crawl into bed, pulling Alissa as close as I can get her. I drift off to sleep with her head against my chest while listening to her steady breathing.
We wake in the morning and get dressed. I watch as Alissa sneaks out my window, and once her feet are firmly planted on the ground, I turn to head for the steps. Just as I’m reaching for the handle on the front door, my dad walks into the room.
“Where are you going so early?”
I motion toward the door. “To pick Alissa up. We’re going to have breakfast and spend the day together.”
“Alright, have a good time and be home by curfew.” He takes a drink of his coffee and heads back into the kitchen.
I find Alissa sitting in my car. When I slide in, I look over at her. “Are you ready to go see our new house?”
“I’m more than ready.” She smiles widely.
We drive into town and pull up to the rundown, two-bedroom house. The outside is done up in a sun-damaged wooden siding. The yard is grown up at least a good foot, and the shrubs and greenery lining the worn-out porch are overgrown and taking over.
I look at Alissa. “Don’t worry. We can fix this.”
She looks back at me, blue eyes shining brightly. “I’m not worried. Illusions, remember?” She smiles and opens her door.
As we walk up on the old porch, the wood creaks beneath our feet. I can feel it give way just a bit, and I pray we don’t fall through. I knock on the door, and my dad’s old friend, Dan, answers.
“How are ya, Dane?” He holds out his hand to shake.
“Good. It’s nice seeing you again.” I shake his hand before we walk in. “Dan, this is my girlfriend, Alissa.”
She holds out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. What are you doing with the likes of this one, huh?” he teases her.
She shrugs and backs away a few steps.
“So, Dane. Does your dad know about this?” He places his hands on his round hips and raises an eyebrow at me.
I let out a nervous laugh. “Not exactly.”
He nods. “Yeah, I figured. That old man of yours is going to be pissed,” he says with a laugh.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Well, listen. I seem to have gotten myself into a little financial trouble. I know the property isn’t in the best of shape, but I’m only asking twenty thousand. I’m more than willing to sell it contract for deed too. I’ll just need you to put some money down, but we can discuss all that after you check out the house.”
“Alright, thanks.” I spin around to look at Alissa. “Well, what do you think?”
“I like it. Let’s check out the rest of the rooms.”
We’re in the living room. There isn’t anything special about it. The hardwood floor is worn down with no shine left, and the white walls are yellowing from age. There’s a blood red sofa against the wall and a coffee table fashioned from an old spool that used to hold wire.
We walk through to the small kitchen. The cabinets are in good shape, even though they’re old and antique looking. The floor is black and white linoleum, but there aren’t any chips or cracks that I can see. The only thing the kitchen needs is some fresh paint.
We backtrack to the living room and go down the hallway, stopping in the bathroom first. The green tub is dirty and starting to rust. I open the lid on the toilet. The bowl is dry but has hard water stains along the rim. The whole bathroom will need to be replaced. That’s for sure.
We continue down the hall, peering into the spare bedroom. It’s small and has red shag carpet and white walls. This whole house is completely outdated, but for the most part it’s in good shape. Since we don’t need a second bedroom, this room can stay as it is until the time comes we need it.
Taking her hand, I lead her down the hall to the master bedroom. The carpet and walls match the first bedroom, but this one is bigger with one big window that lets in natural light. “What do you think? Can you see this being our bedroom?”
She smiles. “I can.” She takes a few steps into the room and holds her arms out to her sides. “We could put the bed right here.”
I close the distance between us and push her up against the wall, where she wraps her legs around my waist. I lean in and press my lips to hers. Her soft lips tease me, and her sweet taste sends a trail of tingles through me. I pull away and look into her blue eyes. Something is shining brightly in them.
“Marry me.”
“What?” she asks.
“You heard me.” I grin.
“Are you crazy? We’re seventeen.”
I laugh and nod. “I am crazy. Completely fucking crazy about you. Marry me.”
“Dane…”
I shake my head. “Don’t do that. Don’t act like I’m the only one that’s thinking it. I may only be seventeen, but I know who I want by my side for the rest of my life, and it’s you. Mar
ry me.”
She laughs. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
I nod while moving in for another kiss. When I pull away, I say, “So what do you say?”
She nods with a big smile. “Yes!”
I kiss her more passionately this time, letting everything I am soak into her.
“So, what do you think?” Dan asks, walking into the room.
I set Alissa on her feet and turn around to face him. “We’ll take it.”
He smiles and motions toward the living room. “Great, let’s go take care of some paperwork.”
We follow him into the living room and take a seat on the bright, red couch. He hands over a file folder. “This is your standard agreement. It states that you’ll pay a five thousand-dollar down payment, and then four-fifty a month until the house is paid off. Will you be able to swing that?”
I nod. “Absolutely, but one small problem.”
“What’s that?” Dan asks.
“I’m not eighteen, so how can I sign a contract?”
He thinks it over for a minute. “As far as I’m concerned, your money is the same as everyone else’s. I don’t care how old you are, as long as you make the payments. I’ve known you since you were a kid, I think I can trust ya.”
“Thanks, Dan. You have no idea how badly we need this.” I take the pen and sign the contract. “Let’s just hope my dad doesn’t kill me.” I laugh while scribbling my name across the line.
He waves me off. “I think we both know your dad’s bark is worse than his bite. He’ll come around. In fact, I think your dad was about your age when he and your mother ran off and got married.”
I slide the papers across to him. “Really? I didn’t know that. He doesn’t talk about her much. She passed away when I was so young. I don’t remember a lot.”
He picks up the papers, tapping them on the table to align them. “Yeah, your dad was a lucky son-of-a-bitch. He stole her right out from under me.” He smiles like he’s remembering a fond memory.
“And you guys stayed friends?”
It’s weird thinking of Dan and my mom together. He’s the one that taught me to read music and play guitar. Him and my dad have always been close. I’d never have guessed my mom came between them.
“We weren’t at first. I met your mom when we were seventeen. I took her out on a date. I picked her up and took her out to dinner. Then we went to the pool hall that used to be here in town. We ran into your dad there, and it was like love at first sight for those two.” His eyes glaze over like he’s watching the memory instead of telling it. “At the time, it pissed me off the way he was looking at my date. Looking back now, I can see that was the moment he fell in love with your mom.”
I smile from hearing the memory. I wish my dad talked about her more. He’s never told me how they met.
“Well, anyway. I better get going.” He stands and walks toward the door.
“Thank you, Dan,” I say handing over the check for the down payment.
He takes it, folds it, and slides it into his shirt pocket. “Good luck, Dane.” He strolls out, closing the door behind him.
I turn around and grab Alissa up in a hug, spinning her around. “Welcome home,” I tell her before landing a kiss.
She giggles. “I can’t believe it.”
“Me either.” I set her on her feet. “And we even get a couch.” I plop down on the blood red couch and prop my feet up on the old wooden coffee table.
“It is a nice couch,” she says, moving to sit by me. She cuddles up to my side and looks around the empty house. “We have a lot of work to do.”
“That we do. We better get started if we’re going to stay here tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Absolutely. I’ll run home and pack up our clothes. We can camp out here in the living room floor in front of the fireplace. We’ll worry about furniture later.”
I figure she’ll be bummed out about having no furniture or food in our new house, but she looks happy and content.
“Come on, I’ll drop you off at your truck, and you can pick up some supplies while I pack our bags.” I hold out my hand, and she takes it.
Chapter Six
Dane
Instead of dropping Alissa off at her truck, I let her take my car. Her S-10 will be easier to load and move our things. My nerves are through the roof just thinking about telling my dad what we’re doing. I know he won’t be happy about it, and I’m hoping to God he’s not so pissed off that he fires the both of us. God knows that I won’t be able to pay for the house for long if I don’t have a job.
I park the truck and walk into the house. Mason is sitting on the couch watching tv. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s in the garage looking for the sander for the dining room floor,” he answers.
I go upstairs and throw all our clothes into bags. I also grab all the blankets and pillows from my bed. As I’m making my way down the stairs with my arms full of bags, my dad walks into the kitchen from the garage.
Seeing me with my arms full, he stops dead in his tracks. “Where in the hell do you think you’re going?”
Mason sits up on the couch, studying me and all the bags in my arms. I look at my dad and motion toward the front door with my head, not wanting to have this fight in front of my little brother.
Dad is on my heels as I walk outside. I toss the bags into the back of the truck and turn to see him standing on the front steps with his hands on his hips. When our eyes lock, he holds his hands out at his sides in a “what” gesture and starts walking over to me.
I reach out my hand. “Thanks for everything, Dad, but it’s time for me to go.”
“Go? Go where?” he asks, shaking my hand.
“I’m buying a house for me and Alissa. We’re getting married.”
He lets out a long breath and rubs his forehead. “Fucking Dan,” he breathes out.
I laugh. “Why didn’t you ever tell me how you stole Mom away from him?”
The stress and worry lines on his face ease away as he laughs and leans against the truck. “He tell you that?”
I nod and slouch next to him. “He said that you and Mom ran off and got married when you were my age.”
“He’s always been full of shit. I didn’t steal her away. He just gave up way too easily.”
I smile. “So, it’s true?”
He nods. “Yeah, I guess it is. One look was all it took from her, and I was a goner. I would’ve given up anything to have her, even my best friend. And it did cost me our friendship for a while. He didn’t talk to me again until you were born, many years later.”
I smile. “So, I guess you kind of know how I feel then.”
The serious expression paints his face again. “Look, Dane. This isn’t a joke. Marriage, buying a house—it’s serious, and I don’t think you’re ready to take all that on.”
“I can do it, Dad. You think I’m the fuck up around here, but I’ve watched you my whole life. I know what I’m doing. I know I can take care of her.”
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t support this. You’re too young to get married. You shouldn’t be rushing your life like this. You should be thinking about graduating high school, going to college, and starting a career, not getting married and buying a house.”
I let out a sigh. “We both know I’m not going to college. I’ll be doing good if I can graduate on time, if at all. This is what I want. Why can’t you support me?”
“I’m sorry, Son. I just can’t.” He slaps me on the shoulder and walks back into the house.
A part of me is relieved that he didn’t try to stop me, but another part of me is disappointed because he won’t support me in doing the same thing he and my mom did.
I want to tell Mason goodbye, but I don’t want to walk back into the house. So instead, I get behind the wheel of the truck and drive back to town.
I unload our things and drop them all on the living room floor. “Lissa,” I call out.
“I’m i
n here,” she yells from the bathroom.
I walk into the hall and push open the cracked door to see her scrubbing down the sink. “We have water, but no power.” There’s a small window in the bathroom, but the sun is starting to go down.
“I bought a few candles when I was picking up cleaning supplies. What did your dad say?”
I take a step toward her and pull her against me. “He won’t support our decision. That also means he won’t help us either. We’re on our own.” I lean my forehead against hers and close my eyes.
“We’re on our own,” she repeats.
I run across town and grab us a pizza for dinner. When I get back, Alissa has the blankets and pillows thrown out on the floor in front of the fireplace with a fire going. Dozens of candles burn everywhere, casting a light glow around the room. I take a seat next to her on the blanket and open the box, offering her the first slice.
“Thank you,” she says, taking a piece of pizza.
We sit and watch the fire while eating quietly.
“Dane, can I ask you something?”
I can feel her eyes on me, but I don’t look away from the raging fire. “Shoot.”
“Are you regretting this?”
When her voice crack with nerves, I finally look over at her. “Regretting what?”
“All of this.” She looks around, eyes flashing in every direction. “Me, this house, the proposal?”
My brows pull together. “No, why would you ask me that?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “Since you came back from talking to your dad, you just seemed sad. I don’t want to be the reason you’re sad. If you want, I can go back home, and so can you. We can pretend this day never happened.” I love that she wants to make me feel better, but we both know what we did today can’t be undone. She can’t go back home, and I can’t un-buy a house.
I drop my slice of pizza into the box and lay her back, moving my body on top of hers. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again, you got it? You’re not going back to that house. I want to live here with you. I want to marry you. I don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks.”
Giving Up My Chance at Forever_Prequel Page 7