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Chapter 3.
“I’ll be coming home”
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The alarm clock startled me with its deafening chirp of every morning. I groaned in protest, burying my face into the pillow. That was the inescapable fight of every single day. I reached out and tempted over the nightstand until I found my objective, hitting the off button and thus shutting up the hellish noise of the alarm clock.
Reluctantly, I crawled out of bed, rubbing my eyes with my fists and stretching, trying to shake off this way the remnants of sleep without any great success. Not because I could hardly get up in the morning – lie, who doesn't like to stay a little longer in bed? –, but because over the past days I had woken up in the middle of the night, agitated and frightened, due to some nightmare. I had started to have them since my aunt's death, therefore my sleeping hours had been reduced.
I walked into the bathroom to wash my face. The image in the mirror was little promising: dark circles were painted under my eyes, evidencing my lack of sleep, and the paleness of my skin wasn't of much help to disguise it. My hair fell upon my forehead, and I pushed it away, clearing my face.
It took me five minutes to get dressed and go downstairs to get a bowl of cereal for breakfast. When sitting at the kitchen table, a purr caught my attention immediately. I looked to the side to track down the issuer of such sound, just to find my beloved fur ball sitting on his haunches, looking at me with pleading bright feline eyes. I smiled, pushing the chair a bit in order to provide enough space for him to climb up to my lap, as he did right away.
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- Lewey, you naughty boy, were have you been? – I stroked the soft black and white fur of my cat, who only purred and rubbed itself affectionately against my hand. I chuckled, rolling my eyes. – You only appear when you’re hungry, don’t you? Have you been sleeping all day yesterday?
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Well, it was more than obvious that those questions weren’t going to be answered by my cat, no way; however, that was my way to feel a little more accompanied. At least someone around here esteemed me and needed me, and that gave me some motivation to keep moving forward.
I stood up and looked in the cupboard for the cat food that I had bought the previous week – which was already half empty; I needed to buy some more over the week – and then filled Lewey’s food bowl with its due portion for breakfast. My cat could be really gluttonous sometimes. And he was terribly lazy, so I didn’t have to worry about him causing any trouble or mess at home; so much he barely got up from his bed to go to the restroom or play with his yarn ball now and then.
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Pets had been one of the topics of conversation that we discussed the previous day at my first meeting with Adam, in the café. Of course it was something important to talk about, for I didn't know the opinion of my future landlord about pet animals.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3cRA9TvAO
It was alarming to learn that Adam, in fact, had a Golden Retriever. Even though he assured me that there wouldn't be any problem if I brought my cat, and that his pup was loving, certain doubt grew in my gut. Lewey was a rather hermit and sluggish cat, he didn’t use to socialize with other animals – just like his owner. But I wasn't going to change my mind for a few things that could bother me; one doesn't always have it all in life, and I wouldn't get anything better in the short period that I had to move out.
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Lewey quickly devoured what I had put in his bowl contently. I checked the hour on my watch. I still had enough time to finish my breakfast, brush my teeth and drive to work. I was conscious that, being Monday, there would be lots of traffic on the streets, so I hurried to do all of these anyways.
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As I deduced, the car transit on my way to 'Hard Chords' – the music store where I worked at – was slow. I arrived on time to my shift, though. It turned to be a calm day, as it was expected. There didn't use to be much movement on Monday mornings. As the afternoon approached, the number of customers that entered the store increased for some reason or another. Around ten people in total, which was a modest quantity, actually. But if I was completely honest, I liked it better that way, for that only meant that I had to talk to a smaller amount of people. Less stress for me.
For some unknown reason, the picture of Adam Gontier haunted my head like a ghost, lurking my thoughts. Well, who am I kidding? I knew perfectly why I couldn't get him out of my mind, and it was precisely because I had thought he was so damn attractive, I admit it. I wasn't sure he was my type, and it wasn't like if I was going to fall for him or something like that either. Besides, it was logical that I thought about him when I was only a few hours ago from our second meeting, so I believe. He'd be my housemate, as I said. Any other considerations or additional titles out of the friend zone were not contemplated.
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My hand shut around the small rubber ball at half of its path, catching it in the air with an agile movement of my wrist. The lads and I were like almost every noon at the old empty warehouse of Barry's uncle – which we had acclimated and furnished to be our official rehearsal room for the band – doing perfectly nothing but chatting once our brains had been emptied sharing our ideas for the new songs. We had already finished working on the riff of one of the songs that I had written and composed for the band.
I threw the ball back to Brad, who caught it from his place on the couch that Neil had contributed- the one he almost got rid of on his last move-out, and which he had so kindly donated to the decoration of our petit private 'studio'.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXs1nuASqX3
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- So, is that it? – Neil asked, sitting by the other blonde's side on the couch. – The dude's going to rent the room?860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FJh1W9jbS
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The topic had come up after having received such an unexpected and somewhat annoying phone call that same morning. It had made me get up early after a horrible hangover! But, fortunately, that wasn't something a couple of aspirins, a cigarette and a nice shower wouldn't solve, eventually.
Brad was looking at me inquisitively, as if he was trying to guess what was on my mind, at the same time a mischievous smile crept onto his face.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQWn5NNnBe
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- I don't know, dude. He just said he was interested on it. – I shrugged, carelessly. – I guess he'd negotiate terms and that stuff today's afternoon, when I meet him at the ‘Oaken Broomsticks’.
- Oh, the ‘Oaken Broomsticks’! – Brad sang, mockingly. – You only take your best dates there, Adam. On special occasions.
- Oh, shut up, Brad! – I rolled my eyes, amused. – If I wanted to fuck a dude, I'd do it whenever I wanted to, without even bothering to invite him a coffee first. Ask your brother.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY05oK9dCUO
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Barry and Neil issued an 'OH!' in unison. I knew that was a low blow, but Brad and I had been best friends since fucking Kindergarten. No fight or insult between us was ever for real. We both knew it. Brad threw me the ball harder this time, crashing soundly against my palms when being stopped by my hands before it hit me right on the face.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaToYkPwGBu
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- Fucking bastard! – He retorted incensed.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhrEeql45z
I merely laughed, rubbing my palms to soothe the burning that the hit of the ball caused me, having left them reddened. Eventually, Brad joined the laughter too, and the other lads did the same.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnbtpfOmEv
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- Hey, imagine the world of possibilities! – Brad replied. – He didn't mention his age or anything, and you've never seen him. He could be a grumpy and bad-looking man, or he could be a supermodel! Just think about it, what kind of dude would he be? What if he's insufferable, or even worse, what if he listens to Justin Bieber's music? Oh, poor thee!
- You think I'd accept someone who listens to such rubbish in my house? – I snorted. – You're nuts! Of course I'll seize the excuse of the meeting to see what kind of dude he is. He didn't give me the impression of being that bad, though... except from the fact that he called me too damn early in the morning, of course. I'm smarter than what you think, friend.
- Whatever you say!
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The lads laughed, and I simply ignored his comment with a mock gesture offended. We wrapped ourselves into another moment of mindless talks, jokes, laughs and an occasional coup, referring to the subject we had allegedly had concluded a couple of times more before I noticed the time goes. It was getting late for my supposed meeting with the so said Benjamin Burnley.
I bade farewell to the band with few words, otherwise I knew I'd end up staying a little longer to argue and scoff with them. I got out of our rehearsal warehouse and quickly climbed up on my precious navy Harley Davidson Super Glide, and as soon as the engine replied with a soft roar, I was on my way and drove towards my favourite cafeteria in the city.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNGSCGHy3e
But, first, I had to make a quick stop at the gas station to fill the tank. Once covered the fuel issue, I traveled through the traffic rapidly to arrive at the ‘Oaken Broomsticks’ as soon as possible – keeping in mind the responsibility, of course. I'd never let anything happen to my beautiful Harley, she was the second love of my life; it took me a good round of savings to get her, so I made pains to keep her as new.
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My life was ruled by three key areas: my family – in which was also found the two girls I loved so much, my Harley and Mabel –, my friends and my music. Nothing else was fit in it permanently. The music encompassed everything basically, including my life style similar to every typical rocker's.
When we were not playing at bars, cafés or small shows, Brad and I worked together at the mechanic shop of his father's friend. I liked bikes and cars, and it was a good way to spend time and earn some money, same which a life of little-known musicians like ours offered. However, we were working on that, and soon we would become big rock stars.
That had been our dream since high school, if I remember correctly. Brad and I practically knew each other since we wore diapers, and we became best friends – so much I saw him like a brother – since then. Since we were kids, we felt a great passion for rock music, and it was a family thing – my father had been a professional rocker, member of a little rock band along with his older brother and his best friend, going on tours all around the country and living off his music. He’s always been my greatest inspiration, just like Nirvana, of course. Those guys revolutionized music.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMyXSD10af
We met Neil at high school, and it was then when we had the idea to become a band. Brad played the bass guitar, Neil was the drummer and I played the role of both guitarist and lead singer. Since we were only three members, we came up to baptize our group under the name it keeps to date: ‘Three Days Grace’.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3BRrXkqkA
Barry joined in later on, being the oldest of all of us – not to mention the tallest as well, that bastard was 6'4ft! –, and he became the lead guitarist.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3fhVJQYxm
The four of us had always been good friends ever since, and we spent many years playing together that, more than a band, we were a small family.
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When I finally arrived to the meeting place, the nice coffee shop of my predilection, I noticed that my watch read a little past six. It wasn't like if I was evidently delayed, anyways. Minutes more, minutes less, who cared?
I opened the door of ‘Oaken Broomsticks’ and entered, my eyes wandering around, aiming to find the so-mentioned Benjamin with who I had to meet. The place was kind of empty, and there were just a few people sitting by themselves, so it wasn't hard to spot him out. He had turned to the entrance the moment I walked by the threshold, his eyes finding my gaze quickly. I knew it was him then – I mean, there wasn't anybody else who seemed to be waiting for someone else –, so I walked towards the table in which he was sitting.
His hair was short and dark, black as the night sky, contrasting exuberantly with the paleness of his complexion – he appeared to never catch the sun – and the depth of his gaze. It was hard not to notice the dark shadows under his eyes. He was wearing an army green jacket, under which showed the yellow stamp of the so characteristic Nirvana logo on a black t-shirt. All together revealed his identity of rocker par excellence.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x7vf9ekkP
He seemed anxious, shifting slightly on his seat as I approached. His expression reminded me of an intimidated kid, his eyes big and bright staring at me cautiously and undecided, probably wondering if it was me. He looked young; he must've been a couple of years younger than me. If I was completely honest, I'd say that the guy was cute; attractive in a somewhat exotic way, unconventional. There was something in him that caught my attention, besides his notably good taste in music.
I stood before him, arching my eyebrows lightly at his evaluative glance, which far from judging my appearance seemed to appreciate it. I caught then the hazel tint in his eyes, distinguishable at that distance.
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- Are you Benjamin Burnley? – I asked him.
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His cheeks gained a subtle pink blush that matched with the soft colour of his lips, thin and curved like delicate bows. Yeah, the guy wasn't bad-looking at all. Though, to my misfortune, he seemed to be the quiet and impossibly shy type.
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- Yes, I… that’s me. – He nodded clumsily. So, I wasn’t wrong. – You’re Adam Gontier, I guess.
Oh, his voice was charming, though. If only he wasn't so afraid of using it...
- I am. – I smiled. – I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long. I had to get gas halfway to here.
- No, no… It’s okay.
- Good. – I nodded. There was a brief pause, and I knew that if I didn't resume the conversation, the thing would turn a little awkward. Benjamin didn't seem to have much intention to talk, as I feared, so I had to break the ice first. I tilted my head, staring at his t-shirt, making my interest evident. – Nirvana, huh? I think I already like you. – I said, my smile broadening pleased to prove that my comment had had a positive result on him. He was adorable; if lucky, we'd become good friends. I looked at the chair on the opposite side of the table, to then turn back at him. – Can I?
- Please.
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Of course, the question was mere politeness. I would have sat anyways, we were supposed to be in a sort of meeting, isn’t it? But I must admit I liked to hear his immediate response. I took seat in front of him, so that I could look directly at him without any problem. Nevertheless, Ben seemed to try and avoid my eye.
He looked somewhat nervous, uneasy. I deduced that eye contact made him uncomfortable, so I slacken my pose a bit and softened my gaze, without any intention of intimidating him. After all, it’d be convenient for me if he decided to rent the room; a little extra money wouldn’t hurt at all.
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- So – I spoke again, for the silence that had settled between us was beginning to drive me crazy. –, you say you’re interested on renting the room?
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The rest of the conversation flowed smoothly, better than I could have expected, if I must admit. I talked to him about the ‘room in rent’ – actually, it was my house’s basement, which have been acclimated to be an extra bedroom that I had never made use of. Truth is that I bought the house many years ago with plans different to which I had now, but I had managed to survive on my own all this time – and the house general conditions, of course.
After all, the guy did seem interested on renting the room. As it was expected, he hesitated a bit at the mention of the shared bathroom. The house wasn’t built in the cleverest way; it was small and had a single full bathroom. However, the look in his eyes made me understand that maybe he was desperate, especially considering how soon he planned on moving out.
Finally, Benjamin told me that he’d like to see the room, and it seemed quite convenient to me. Thus he could decide whether he wanted the room or not more easily. We agreed he would go to my place the following day, around five o'clock, since he'd be finishing his first shift by then. Of course, I'd already be back home from the mechanic shop as well.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCDP3O6suu
Curiosity took over me when he mentioned he had two jobs, so I openly asked him what he did for a living. And to my pleasant surprise, I discovered Ben was also a musician. He played at nights at a small bar downtown, same I hadn't visited in a long while – not because I didn't go to bars that often, but I hadn't gone to that one in specific – which explained why I hadn't listened to him play before.
I told him also that I belonged to a rock band too, and he appeared excited about the idea. I could notice, even, that he was chilling a little and showing a tad more open, and I seized such opportunity to get from him as much information about himself as I could. If he was going to become my housemate, I had to know him well enough, after all. I wasn't going to let a psychopath into my house or anything.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jfOfzkay6
That's why I invited him a coffee, planning on spending some time chatting with him and subtly questioning him about his life. Benjamin didn't seem to be a bad guy at all, that is for sure. He was somewhat serious and pretty quiet in my opinion, but he was kind and congenial. Yeah, maybe I'd get to like him. And he was definitely not ugly.
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I wasn't sure how a whole hour passed, if not more, while having a friendly talk, knowing each other. He told me the reason of his hasty moving out, and I was speechless, for he was about to lose his home after his aunt's death a few weeks ago. I expressed my condolences sincerely. I knew perfectly what it was to lose someone close.
As I had suspected before due to his peculiar accent, I also learned that he came from the USA, and that he had moved to Toronto nearly ten years ago. He had a cat – a little inconvenience, to my mind, since Mabel didn't like cats; but we'd make that up later, if he accepted the room – and he had just joined a band as vocalist and rhythmic guitar.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqHu8EiBJv
It appeared almost impossible to conceive that in all that time we had never met before. Sure, it wasn't like if Toronto was a matches box, exactly. But, considering we frequented similar circles…
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At the end of the afternoon, we terminated our meeting. He had to go back to his second job at the bar on Maple Avenue, and I had to go home to see my precious Mabel. He was reluctant to let me pay the bill, as I had promised from the beginning, but I made sure he didn't give a single penny in the end, satisfied at having accomplished my goal. I admit I wanted to win the liking and trust of the guy, and not because I had a vital interest on being friends with him or anything like that, it was just more prudent, if you ask me, to have a healthy relationship – in case he decided to rent the room, of course.
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My Harley took me back home in a trice. When I parked the bike in front of the garage of my humble abode, I noticed that my beautiful Mabel was sitting on the step in front of the porch. Her silky golden hair shone brightly under the last rays of sun.
As soon as I climbed off of the bike, she ran to me to welcome me. I smiled, squatting down to be at her height, greeting her with open arms.
- Hello, pretty! Did you miss me?860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaie4q6OzK
Mabel wagged her tail from side to side vehemently, standing on two legs to reach up for me and lick me on the face, panting as if her heart raced just by seeing me. I chuckled, running a hand playfully through her soft fur, petting her head before standing up again. I realized she wasn't the only one who was waiting for me.
Brad smiled broadly, looking at me amused from where he was standing, leaned against the main door frame. His blonde bangs fell upon his forehead, as usual; his hands in the pocket of his jeans, in casual mode, as if he didn't want the thing.860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqeoNQG4jz
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- What are you doing here? – I asked bluntly, smiling back at him.
- I just came here to say hi. – He shrugged with mock innocence. I raised an eyebrow, staring at him skeptically. – Okay, okay, I admit it... I wanted to be the first one to hear your fabulous tale. Why don't you invite me to come in, have a beer and tell me how your date with your possible new roomie went? – He inquired, in a teasing tone.
I rolled my eyes, snorting amusedly.
- You're worse than Ariel, y’know? – I replied, taking out my keys, preparing to open the door. – Not even she is as gossip as you are. You're acting worse than my girlfriend! – I joked, by the time I opened the door and motioned with a nod for Brad to come in.
- I worry about you, Wade! You should be thankful. - He said as reply. - Stop babbling and get me a beer, will you?
- Sure, honey. Do you need anything else? A massage?
- Well, now that you mention it...
- Oh, fuck you!860Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tuuWZcjmq
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I headed to the kitchen, with Mabel stepping on my heels, to get out of the fridge a couple of cold cans of beer and go back to the living room, where Brad was sitting comfortably on the couch. I threw a can to him and he caught it on the air, easily. I dropped myself lazily on the armchair, with the cold can between my hands. Mabel laid at my feet, resting her head on her front paws, quietly. She was only a pup, she was five months old as much, and was my greatest adoration.
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- Well? – Brad urged, taking a sip of his beer. – How did it go? How's the dude? Will he rent the room or not?
- Hey, chill, dude. Shoot one by one. – I laughed. Brad just rolled his eyes, waiting for my answers. – Well, it was better than I expected, frankly. Benjamin seems like a nice guy. He likes Nirvana and he's a musician, so I think we could get along well. Besides he's not bad-looking, I must admit. – Brad arched an eyebrow, drawing a sly smirk on his face, so I hurried to explain: – Shut up, he's not my type.
- I said nothing. – He defended himself, pretending to ignore what I was talking about.
- You thought about it. – I retorted. – I mean, he's cute and all, but he's way too shy and quiet to my liking. It wouldn't work, and I have already other interests by the moment, you know it.
- Oh, come on Adam! We both know perfectly that things with Amanda are not going to last much longer. You'll get bored in the end, as always. – My friend said, at what I scowled.
- You wanted to know what happened today or not?
- Fine, fine, easy. No need to get mad, I was just speaking my mind about it. – He shrugged. – Go ahead with your storytelling, then. Is he going to rent the room?
- It's not decided yet. But it seems most likely to me, since he was really desperate to move out. – I told him, taking another sip of my drink. – His aunt died and he's about to lose the house or something like that, and he doesn't have a steady job, so what I'm offering is convenient for him. They gave him up to a month to move out.
- Ugh, that's horrible! – Brad winced. – I'm sorry about him.
- Me too. – I sighed. – He's coming over tomorrow's afternoon to see the house and the room and such, anyways. I hope the mess doesn't scares him that much; a little extra money would do me just right.
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Brad nodded his agreement, and we both drank our beers. As I had expected, he basically asked me for a verbal description of Ben, and as many details I knew about him or about our conversation as I was capable of recalling. Sometimes, he acted like a big kid. Some others,… he was just an idiot.
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