Heaven Help Us

Stay Tonight

“Did it turn out that she was his true love?” Jepha asked when I sat down with him the next week.

“We’re getting there, Jepha!” I laughed. His blue eyes sparkled knowingly and with happiness.

“Okay, okay! Keep going!” He grinned.

“They made a cute couple; nearly everyone agreed with that. It was pretty undeniable. Andrew was very sure that he was head over heels, written in stone, destined to be, in love with Juliet. About a month before he went on tour again, he went out and bought an engagement ring.”

Jeph gasped. “Was he going to ask her to marry him?!”

“He was.” I nodded. “He kept it hidden, his heart filled with joy that he thought he had finally found the one. The day he left for tour, he was so happy, but he was sad as well, because he had to leave her for a while. One of his band mates had been acting a little off lately, but Andrew figured it was just that he missed his puppy or his home. A couple of weeks into the tour, Andrew was a little lost in an unfamiliar town and he really had to go to the bathroom.”

Jepha giggled at that.

“He saw this house, and ran for it. He knocked on the door and a really beautiful young woman opened the door, laughing at her cat falling down the stairs.”

“Mommy used to have a cat when she was younger! It fell down the stairs too! She told me. She laughs every time she remembers it. Is it like that, Dad?”

“Exactly like that. She seemed pleasantly shocked to see Andrew standing at her door, and she let him in to use her bathroom. After he used her restroom, he stayed around for a few minutes to talk to her. He found out that she was going to his concert that night. This filled him with an unexplainable joy. He invited her to take a tour of his band’s tour bus. Her friend yelled for her, though, so she left him in her living room for a few minutes. Andrew was okay with this, except that he had to get going really soon. He quickly put his name and number in her phone while she was helping her friend. He didn’t normally do any of this, but there was something about her that struck a special chord inside him. It wasn’t just her looks; he already had her face engraved into his mind and her laughter was a sound that he never wanted to forget. Of course, he was still ‘in love’ with Juliet at the time, so he ignored these things. When she came back down, Andy left, thanking her and bidding her goodbye, with the hopes that she would take him up on his offer to visit the tour bus.”

Jeph yawned sleepily and smiled apologetically.

“And that’s where we’ll leave it for tonight.”

“Okay. Are you coming back tomorrow to tell me more of the story?”

“I want to, buddy, but your uncles and I are in the studio tomorrow.”

“That’s okay, Daddy. Just make sure to remember Mommy’s birthday, alright?”

“I could never forget it, Jeph.”

He smiled and hugged me. “G’night Daddy.”

“Night, little dude.” I said, kissing the top of his head.

I watched him pull his blankets up to his chin and curl up with Batman and then switched off the light and walked out into their living room.

"Hey, is he asleep?" Rain asked, her arms coming up to rest on my shoulders as she looked at me.

"He will be in a few," I nodded, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. "I've got to get going, though. The boys and I are recording more tomorrow."

She sighed and leaned her head on my chest.

"I don't want to leave." I told her honestly.

"Then don't. Stay here tonight."

So I did.

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So no hint to who Jepha's crushing on yet, but I'll put it in there somewhere...Also, to those who guessed it was Bronx: Sadly, not Bronx. Bronx and Arthur...they've got a thing going on, Arthur just won't admit it yet.