Love Never Fades

Upon arriving back at their small bus after their last performance of this particular tour, Andy was hyped up on adrenaline like he always was. Performing for their fans, what few there were since they were a relatively new band, in comparison to the likes of KISS or Mötley Crüe, always left him in a good mood. Despite being tired and sweaty, he couldn’t help but be in a good mood, just like Jake, Jinxx, and Sandra were.

They all took advantage of clean, running water that wasn’t ice-cold and grabbed a shower before heading back to the bus, so they were clean and relatively cool upon arrival. Considering that they knew their bassist wasn’t feeling well when they headed for the stage, they all nodded in silent agreement. It was likely that he was asleep, and therefore they wanted to be quiet to avoid disturbing him. For once, entering the bus for them was a fairly quiet affair, but they weren’t expecting what they were greeted with.

With shocked gasps, they took in the almost ransacked appearance of the bus, immediately concerned about Ash. He’d been the only one on board, and since it was parked in a desolate lot a short distance from the venue, someone could’ve broken in and hurt or killed him, and it was likely there’d have been no witnesses.

Each of the band members searched the bus, all of them worried sick about their friend since they didn’t know if he was okay. A loud gasp from the back caught the attention of Jake, Jinxx, and Sandra, and they immediately headed up there. They were greeted with the sight of a somewhat relieved, yet still worried Andy, who held a sheet of paper in his hand. When asked, he said that it was an obviously hastily-scrawled note from the missing man, saying that he’d gotten a frantic call from his grandmother while they were on stage. With no time to let them know, he left the note so they wouldn’t worry since he had to go home.

“Well, that explains why the place looks like it was ransacked,” Sandra said sensibly. “If he got a frantic call, he was likely in a rush while packing his things.”

“But since this is the last night of the tour, why didn’t he just wait for us?” Jinxx asked curiously. “He knows we’d have gladly taken him over to LAX instead of his apartment as we all made our ways home.”

“True, but what if his grandfather was having a heart attack, and time was of the essence?” Jake suggested. “If it were something like that, he might’ve felt like it was better just to go ahead and leave than waste time by waiting, even if he’d wanted to.”

“That’s true enough,” the multi-instrumentalist conceded with a nod. “Considering that he said the call was frantic, it probably was an acute condition like that.”

“I just hope he’s okay,” Andy said quietly, his already-deep voice sounding deeper than normal, like he was about to cry.

“You okay, Andy?” the drummer asked, sounding concerned.

“I’m just worried about him,” he swore. He didn’t want to say anything about the way he felt for his best friend, which was more than brotherly love.

“Bullshit,” the tiny woman said, calling his lie. “Don’t think I never saw the way you two looked at each other.”

Confused, the guitarists just sat there quietly.

“Okay, okay,” the young frontman conceded, slumping onto their tiny couch. “I love him, okay? As far more than a brother. I was attracted to him right from day one, and as I got to know him, that just made my feelings for him grow.”

Jake and Jinxx seemed shocked, but she merely gave him a knowing look.

“So why didn’t you ever say anything?” Sandra asked curiously.

“I never knew if he’d accept that I liked him like that or not,” he admitted, blushing furiously.

“Wow…you men are sooo fucking dense,” she said, face-palming as she shook her head.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Andy asked, thoroughly confused.

“If you couldn’t see how attracted to you Ashley was, you’re about as close to deaf, dumb, blind, and dead as it gets,” his friend told him bluntly. “Even I could tell that he liked you, and that it wasn’t just in a brotherly way.”

“So why didn’t he ever take the initiative and say something to me first?” he asked.

Rolling her eyes, the drummer sat down beside him. “I doubt any of you realized it, but Ashley’s as queer as a three-dollar bill. It’s likely that, especially having grown up in a place like he did, he was never accepted for that. If he was accepted, it was just as likely that he kept his mouth shut to avoid bullying and the like.”

All of them were shocked at this revelation, but still listened closely.

“Considering how hard it was for me to come out, I get the feeling that he was scared that coming out would ruin his life and keep him from achieving his dreams,” Sandra continued. “Therefore, it wouldn’t have been anything against you personally.”

“That makes sense,” Jinxx agreed. Aside from their drummer, he was really the only mature and sensible one in the band.

“Trust me, I get it when it’s put like that,” the frontman agreed. “I doubt you guys ever realized that I’m bisexual.”

His friends looked a bit surprised, thinking that his drunken flirting with other guys was just the alcohol talking.

“Yeah, see,” he chuckled with a smirk. “Never saw that coming, did ya?”

Their conversation started to die down from there, and they all agreed that giving Ash a few days to get home and find out what was wrong with his grandparents was best. They weren’t going to blow up his phone with calls and texts, knowing that he likely wouldn’t be able to respond to them in a timely manner. However, they agreed that a good night text tonight telling him that they wished him the best, and a phone call with a possible voice mail, in a couple days, would be their best course of action.

After sending him his good night text that admitted how much he loved him, Andy sighed and started getting his things together. It wouldn’t be long before he was dropped off at his dingy little apartment, something he hoped he could upgrade from soon. That was one of his least concerns, though, as his best friend was one of his top priorities.

While he was unpacking his things and getting settled in again once he arrived home, he had no idea that earlier that night was the last time he’d see him for a long time. He thought that the bassist was just being a good grandson and going back home during his grandparents’ time of need. If he’d known the secret he was hiding, Andy would’ve done more to find Ash before he could slip through his fingers like sand through an hourglass. But he hadn’t known, and now because of that, it was too late.

Notes