by Tia Siren
“We’re going to my place, what’s the problem?” he replied. “Garrett’s already at the house.”
“At your house?”
“Yeah,” he affirmed. “He’s had a key for years. He’s there now.”
“He’s at your house when you’re not?”
“Yeah, he’s been helping me out with something,” said Darren.
“Does it have to do with the surprise?” I asked facetiously.
“Actually, it does,” he confirmed. “You’ll see, little lady.”
And, see I did.
In Darren’s driveway was a small moving trailer. The back doors were open, and there were some furniture and some boxes already inside. We parked behind Garrett’s car on the street.
“What?” I gasped. “Darren, what’s going on up there?”
Darren opened his front door, and Bo scurried from the backseats up to the front to leap out with him. I was stuck in my seat, flabbergasted by what I saw.
Then, my eyes drifted from the moving trailer over to the sign that was posted in Darren’s yard. It was a realty sign with a man’s face on it and the word “SOLD” emblazoned across the sign.
“Oh, my God,” I said to myself.
Darren opened my door for me. I saw Garrett walking outside of the house, holding a beer in one hand and a box in the other. He put his box down when Bo came running up from the street up to see him.
“What’s going on?” I asked Darren, thinking I knew the answer already.
“Garrett’s helping me pack, and he’s going to drive up with us to Nashville and help us get settled in,” said Darren. “I was able to call in a favor and get the trailer for a lot less than what’s listed.”
“Darren,” I said in astonishment, shaking my head. “You didn’t.”
“I did,” he said with no vagueness. “I sold my house, and I’m moving to Nashville now. You wanted to get there as soon as possible, right? Well, I’m right there with you. I was able to sell the house for way more than I paid for it, so I’m thrilled about that. I transferred some money over to Garrett so he could get the trailer and get started for me so that we could get going soon.”
I started to cry. “No, you really did it?”
“Of course, I did,” he said, kneeling down to face me in the passenger seat. “Wasn’t I going to eventually?”
“Yes, but you didn’t have to sell it so fast like that,” I said through tears. “You love this house. You sold it because of me.”
“I sold it for us,” he said, taking both of my hands in his. “It makes sense financially too. I mean, rent is only going up more everywhere, every day; and, houses are becoming more expensive around here. There’s no point in waiting. Let’s sign the papers for our place in Nashville. Let’s really get our future started, baby. I know I want this. I’ve never been more sure of anything before.”
I was literally speechless, almost wanting to accuse him of pulling an elaborate prank on me. After believing that Darren might not ever leave Rome, years ago, I stopped picturing a scenario where he would pack up his things from his nice little house and move far from Georgia. To see it really happening was surreal.
“I want this,” he repeated, kissing my hands repeatedly. He now seemed worried, anxious about my reaction. “But, if you’re not really sure, then I’ll figure something out. The new owners don’t move in until nine days from now. No pressure, but—”
It took no effort to come to my conclusion. I took his face in my hands, grabbed him and kissed him. No doubt remained behind, and I was ready for what he was: Really getting our future started.
We ordered pizza and packed up Darren’s things around the house. Garrett had already moved a sizeable amount of stuff into the trailer, but with the three of us working together, I knew we could get on the road to Nashville by that weekend.
We spent the evening with Garrett, chilling and catching up on the past month. He loved hearing about the intricacies of how we were mixing our album, and I loved hearing about the antics they’d gotten into while I was in Memphis.
Mel and the others at Darren’s job threw him a farewell party on Darren’s last day at work. Apparently, there was some troublemaking, which included Garrett hooking up with a girl they used to work with, even though he brought Wendy, the girl I was introduced to at the Shoreman. There was also, evidently, a small fire that almost broke out when a mishap with their grill occurred. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to be there although Garrett did invite me.
For a while, the boys began trading stories among themselves, leading me to process what all was happening. My dreams all seemed to be coming true, and I didn’t know how to handle it.
“I’m going to miss coming over here,” Garrett said as he finished his fourth beer.
“I loved living here,” said Darren. “This was a good home. I like the buyers, though. I think they’ll keep it a good home. Bo’s really going to miss being here. This is pretty much the only home he’s had. He’s lived here since I got him.”
“That apartment in Nashville will be a good fit for him,” said Garrett. “There’s a lot of room for a dog—a lot of space. He’ll be great.”
“Bailey was mentioning maybe getting another dog,” said Darren. “We were thinking of adopting a puppy. Right, B?”
I looked up at them, still out of it. I smiled, guiltily shuffling my feet.
“I’m sorry, I’m a little distracted at the moment,” I told them.
“What’s wrong?” Darren asked.
“Nothing,” I replied. “Absolutely nothing. I’m just waiting until I wake up and realize that I’m making all this up.”
“This is all real, girl,” said Darren. “What can I say to prove that to you?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll step outside for a few moments,” said Garrett, dismissing himself from the group. Bo ran outside and joined him.
“I want to start my life with you, Bailey,” said Darren. “I want us to make music together. I want to pick out bathroom tiles together. I want to have kids with you.”
“Do you?” I said, taken aback.
“I want to do everything with you,” he replied. “I’m in love with you. I’ve felt this way for a long time, and when you were gone—”
We held each other’s heads in our hands.
“I was asleep for six years,” he said. “I’m awake now. I can’t go back to sleep. I need to be with you for as long as I’m awake.”
Then, for the first time since we were in high school, Darren shed a tear down his face. I wiped it away with my thumb, and I began to feel more streaming down my face.
“I’m so in love with you, Darren Holt,” I declared. “I want to do everything with you, too. Let’s start right now.”
Chapter 39
Darren
I woke up with Bailey sleeping under my arm. We were both naked, under the covers, sore from a day of hard work and a night of intense passion. I thought back on the last several days.
We finished packing up everything at my house. Then, on our way to Tennessee, Bailey called the management staff at the place we liked in Nashville and requested lease paperwork for the unit we liked the best. By the time we all arrived in Nashville, the apartment we liked was cleaned and had power and water started for us.
Our place in Nashville had a lot of space. It was two stories, with a spacious living area and kitchen, and several modest bedrooms and bathrooms spread across both floors. There weren’t any furnishings in the place, and we were planning on painting the walls, but we could immediately see our home when we walked through the door.
We unpacked me, stayed in Nashville for another day, and then we scooted over to Memphis to help Bailey pack up and prepare to move. Luckily for us, she hadn’t unpacked any of the things she had taken from her parents’ house, and Bailey wasn’t heavy with possessions. It wasn’t going to take long to pack up the trailer and get moving. Neither of us were in a hurry, but we were both anxious to start arrang
ing our things in the new place in Nashville.
We were resting in her bed, sleeping on about the only piece of furniture left in her apartment except the couch Garrett was on. Bo was sleeping at the foot of the bed, and it seemed as though everyone was sleeping except for me. I tried to return to slumber, keeping my eyes sealed as tightly shut as I could make them go.
I was trying to think of names for the album we were going to release. We weren’t throwing out many names at that point, but we were both thinking about it. I went through each song in my head, trying to nail down a theme or dissect what inspired most of the music. The easy two answers were “love” and “each other,” but we wanted the title to reflect something unique and personable.
I got out from under the covers, slowly and carefully crawling from the bed down to the floor, where my laptop was which contained our untitled album.
I sat there with my earbuds in and played around with the order of the tracks, listening to how certain arrangements flowed better than others. We felt that if we could think of a good title, that would help determine the track list or vice versa.
We had recorded twenty-one songs, but we were planning on only putting fourteen or fifteen on the album release. We hadn’t been planning on using certain songs, but once I removed that factor from play, I started having more fun figuring out a good running order.
We had discussed the possibility of a two-disc release, but we hadn’t firmly decided on that, although we were leaning toward it being only one disc. But, I found a few good track combinations, which featured all twenty-one songs. The first set of ten songs were more driven by their beats and instrumentals and featured lyrics more about life, growing and learning; whereas the second set of eleven songs were primarily rock, R&B or country-inspired.
I listened to the track list a few times in a row, letting it sit with me and simmer. I kept the volume low so as not to disturb my girlfriend or my dog. However, at some point in the night, Bailey stirred and was drawn by the light coming from the laptop.
“What you doing, baby?” she mumbled.
“I’m finishing our album,” I told her.
She wrapped herself in the blanket and comforter like a massive human burrito. She scooted close to the edge to look over my shoulder and watch.
“I see what you did there,” she said with intrigue as she looked over the proposed track set. “You know, that order could work.”
“Right?” I said with excitement, causing Bo to stir in his sleep.
“Let’s work on that in the morning,” she said sleepily. “Come back to bed.”
“I just need to come up with a name for the release,” I said frantically. “I can feel it there. I know we’re going to figure this out.”
“We’ll figure it out tomorrow,” she said. “You need to sleep.”
“I’ve been asleep.”
I focused on the lightest track on the first disc with the catchiest rhythm, which was a song inspired by, with words taken directly from, Bailey’s father. Wayne sometimes played short little tunes he would make up, even if you were just hanging out with him. They weren’t anything complex or convoluted, but they were always catchy.
The song we made that was inspired by him was “Friends.” We originally were going to integrate a piece of Wright home video, where Wayne was talking to a younger Bailey, into the song; but we were unable to make it sound how we wanted. Instead, the finished song consisted of words and rhythm that felt like something Wayne might create on his own, rather than something taken directly from his words.
While we had sworn not to name the album after any of our tracks, I began to ponder.
Then, I had my epiphany. The idea that I would be unable to shake and yet, somehow I knew it was what we were supposed to do.
Disc one would be titled “Friends” and the second disc would be called “Lovers.” That way, the listeners could go on the journey Bailey and I had taken: from friends to lovers.
I closed the laptop and got back into bed with her. I fell asleep with thoughts of crazy dreams coming true. Friends/Lovers becoming a hit and being a vehicle for Bailey and me to tour the world and sing our songs. Writing songs together on a cool, sunny Tennessee day at the park or on our balcony. Earning a living finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a child trying to figure out life, love and the world.
I wrapped my arms around my lady, seeping into sleep with thoughts of her.
Epilogue
Bailey
One Month Later
Darren and I stepped out of our Nashville apartment, dressed nicer than either of us had dressed in years, truly feeling like we were quickly ascending to the top of the world.
We released our duo album, Friends/Lovers, a week after Darren had the right idea on what to name it and what order the tracks should be. It quickly rose to the top of several online charts.
“We’re still number 1,” Darren often said through cell phone scrolling during breakfast.
“We got a 3.5 out of 4 rating,” I might reply as I’m seeing what users and fans are thinking and saying about the music on a variety of sources.
We were all ecstatically surprised to watch the album perform so well so quickly upon release, considering I was still a fairly new name, and Darren had never released a song in any capacity beforehand. In the month since we released the album, we had been invited onto several morning and talk shows, and our overall promotion tour was more massive than either of us had ever imagined.
Despite things happening remarkably quickly, and how we’d barely gotten any sleep, this miracle that was becoming our lives was so fun to experience with Darren. None of it felt real to me. I was becoming a popular singer. Darren was finally living and breathing music like I’d always wanted. And through it all, I was falling more in love with him every day.
I still missed my parents, but I took solace knowing that they would surely be proud of me if they were still alive and with me. I was grateful to have Darren with me, and I was thankful that we took care of each other.
As we stepped out into the world, looking like rich people, we called for an Uber to take us to a place called Fine Steakhouse. Although it had an ironic name, it was one of the finest restaurants in our part of Nashville, and we were going there to celebrate and toast our success. Darren had been very adamant about going to Fine Steakhouse, and I was happy to oblige. I’d always wanted to try it, and I just wanted to be with him.
We were holding each other quietly, smiling the whole ride from our place to Fine Steakhouse. We chatted casually with our driver, and before we knew it, we were outside of the restaurant.
At first, I was puzzled as to why the place looked vacant, but then it hit me.
“Darren, why does it look like the place is empty?” I asked knowing the answer.
“Because it is,” he answered.
“Are they open?”
“They’re definitely open,” he said. “I know for a fact they’re open.”
I shook my head, wondering what drastic measures my boyfriend had taken to be romantic. He always went above and beyond my expectations, so I was learning to stop asking myself so many questions and just let it happen.
We got inside the restaurant, and my suspicions were confirmed. I covered my eyes in embarrassment, shocked at what I was seeing.
The place was lit up, decorated with lights and a stream of flowers leading to a specific table dressed up waiting for us. There was good music playing over the sound system, and the staff was there for only us.
“What is this?” I asked.
“I bought the place out,” said Darren. “What do you think?”
I didn’t think people could actually buy out a restaurant, and yet, exactly that appeared to be unfolding in front of me. I was rapidly going through scenarios in my head, wondering what all Darren had paid. You don’t just rent out a fancy restaurant for a light celebration.
“It’s breathtaking,” I replied. “Why did you do all this?”
/>
“I thought it would be a good idea,” he said in his usual cryptic way. “I had a table in mind, but we do have a pretty wide selection of tables and booths to choose from.”
“Let’s follow the trail of flowers,” I said. “I can’t believe you did all this.”
My mind kept lingering on the idea that he was going to propose to me. Darren liked to take things slow, so I felt confident that it would’ve been out of character for him to ask such a question. But, I was still in disbelief that Darren had moved from Rome to be with me, and that had been months ago.
No other idea was coming to mind. I was busy trying to calculate how much money he must’ve spent to rent the restaurant out, and it had to have taken out so much of what he’d earned on our album.
“Darren, I don’t—”
“Let me treat you like royalty sometimes, darling,” he whispered to me.
We sat at our table, staring at each other for several seconds, beaming.
“What is all this?” I asked again.
“I thought we could have the place to ourselves,” said Darren. “You’ve never had a guy rent out a restaurant for you before?”
“No, sir,” I told him.
“You know how lately when we go out to places, someone recognizes us and ends up monopolizing a lot of our dinner?” he asked.
“You wanted it to be just me and you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Nothing else. Well, except for the kitchen staff and our server.”
“Right.” I laughed.
Our server, Randy, came over and tried to take our order. I was still fixated on him renting out the restaurant for us. We started off with water and bread.
“Did we go gold or something?” I asked him, wondering about our record.
“Not yet,” he said. “This isn’t about work or our creations. This is about us.”
“Okay,” I said, grabbing his hands.
“Is this okay?” he asked me about the situation.
“It is, but Darren, this must’ve cost so much.”
