I had thought a lot about Andy since this morning. My shift at Starbucks was over at 3:30 this afternoon so I went straight home and changed out of my work uniform, laying down on my bed and surprisingly falling asleep. My dreams were plagued by Andy. His breakdown at work today had really made such an impact on me. I genuinely felt so sorry for him, I hurt for him.

I was jarred awake at about six thirty by my phone ringing, I didn’t recognize the number but I answered with the hope it might be Andy…and it was. “I don’t want to sing,” were the first words out of his mouth after I’d said hello. I knew this wasn’t good. I sighed a little, feeling so bad for him.

“Andy…of course you want to sing. It’s what you do, it’s what you love. You sung for so many years before Juliet.” I said softly and raised up in my bed, sitting up against my stack of pillows to be comfortable.

“But tonight, it would be such an insult to these kids to play for them when I don’t want to… when I would just rather be curled up in a ball in the hotel room. The show is going to be so half-ass.” Andy said quietly and I shook my head immediately.

“Get that out of your head, Biersack. Think of those kids, the cheering, the signs… Think back to when you were just little MySpace Andy Six, and how you dreamed of playing sold out venues to thousands of kids… just put yourself back into those shoes. That’s how you’ll get through tonight. Don’t think about your life right now, or anything going on in it. Think back to five years ago and how hard you were trying…” my voice trailed off, I could hear him sniffling on the other end of the phone.

At that point, all I wanted was to be in his arms, or him in mine. I desperately wanted to help him all I could, to make him feel better, no matter what. “Andy, it’ll be alright… you’ll play an amazing show, you always do. Do you know how amazing you were the other night in Louisville? I couldn’t have imagined a better concert…” I tried to fuel his ego, knowing he liked it. I could see him wearing that Biersack smirk now…

“Without you, I know I would have decided not to go on tonight,” he said quietly and I couldn’t help but blush heavily, glad he couldn’t see it. “I need to ask you something really important. It’s something I’ve thought about all day today…” his voice trailed off and I couldn’t even imagine what it was going to be.

“Come work for me. I know that it’s unprofessional for me to ask you to leave the job you’ve got, to leave your town, your life… I don’t even know if you’re attending college or not. Don’t know if you live alone or even have children,” Andy sighed somewhat, I could tell. “But I’m desperate. I can’t see a new therapist every day in a new town. I can’t use Ashley as a damned therapist, he pisses me off too much,” I couldn’t help but to start laughing.

“Andy. I do have a life here, but… how can I say no to you? After your breakdown this morning… I can’t say no. I don’t have kids though and no… I’m not in school… I’m working to have the money for school,” I said quietly.

“Then come on the road with me. We’re on tour until March 9th when I go back home to Los Angeles… It’s only another half-month away. I promise I’ll take care of you out here. You won’t be hungry, you won’t be cold. Anything you want, Livvy, I’ll give it to you.” His voice was laced with velvet, or at least to my ears it was… I couldn’t believe the words he was saying… I could only imagine them with a different meaning, a romantic meaning; but I would enjoy the meaning behind them right now, a professional meaning.

“Alright. I know you’re in Chicago tonight. That’s like a five hour drive Andy…” my voice trailed off a little as I bit the eraser to a pencil. “It’s what seven o’clock now? Give me an hour to pack and I’ll be up to Chicago hopefully by one o’clock… will you guys still be in Chicago or will you be in Pontiac by then?”

“Damn. You know my tour schedule better than I do,” Andy chuckled a little, putting his cell phone down to ask his manager or a band-mate I guessed. He returned a moment later. “It’s a four hour drive from here to Pontiac. So we won’t leave for Pontiac until like…nine o’clock in the morning. So I’ll be here, when you get here….” His voice trailed off and I smiled a little.

“Then I’ll be there at one or shortly after… are you guys staying in a hotel tonight or…?” I asked.

Andy said yes and informed me of what hotel he would be staying in and the address. He said he would text me later with the room number so I wouldn’t get turned away at the desk asking for him. We hung up and I started packing immediately. I was grateful at that point I didn’t live alone. I lived with my Mother, and she could take care of my cats for the next half-a-month.

I was real glad at that point my Mom was also at work so I just left a note on the table for her to call me immediately when she got home, that I had to go out of town to help a friend. My Mother was a very compassionate woman and I knew she’d understand that I just had to do this… especially when I loved Andy so much, as a singer at least for my favorite band. This was a once in a life time opportunity. He hadn’t asked any other girl…he’d asked…me.

Notes

Word Count: 1,028