Under My Skin (on hold)

Chapter 19- Looking Up

Ben was sitting at the desk in his living room, chewing on the end of a pen. Now that the tour was over, it was about time that he started writing the outline of new music for Burying the Broken.

Lainey was still healing, and Ben was talking good care of her. He thought that when he saw her, he would think of Jessica and what she's done to him, but he didn't. He looked at her and saw the dog he was responsible for taking care of, and loved deeply.

Ben didn't realize this himself, but this as the first time he's ever let something go this big, that easily. He thought it would be the hardest thing in the world, until he let it go. Then it was the easiest damned thing.

There was a knock at his door, and before he even looked up from his lyrics he yelled
"It's open!"

Jeremiah walked in, and Lainey perked up her head. He walked over and sat on the couch next to Lainey and started scratching her head.

"Hey Ben. I got a call from the manager of a venue in the next town over and he wants us to play a gig on Saturday. You down?"

"Sure. I'm working on a song, so it's possible that if we can get the rest of the guys together that we can perform it. We've done it before."

"Great. I already talked to them and the guys are game.Want me to call them over and we can put together an arrangement?"

"Sure. Tell Logan to bring food and TJ to bring energy drinks."

"Okay I will." Jeremiah got his phone from his back pocket, but hesitated to call the band members.

"Wait, dude. Can we talk about how you're handling everything? You seem to be taking it really well."

"I am, Jeremiah." He said, turning around to face his drummer.

"I'm taking it really well. I'm kind of scaring myself, but I'm really over her. I realized I once was very happy with her, but I wouldn't be where I am now if things hadn't played out the way they did. I feel like she was like my shadow, always lingering in my past. Now that she's gone, I feel better. Like, free."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Jeremiah. I'm telling the truth."

"Okay. Just know you can always talk to me or any of the guys."

"I know. Thank you, though."

"No problem." Jeremiah said before unlocking his phone and calling the rest of the band members.

They were all over at the house within the hour, with acoustic guitars and drumsticks. When they were arranging the song with guitars only, Jeremiah was sitting on the couch with his feet up in the coffee table, trying out new stick tricks.

When they recorded an outline of an arrangement on their phones, they turned to Jeremiah.

"So have you and Bethany started planning the wedding yet?" Logan asked without any lead into it.

Jeremiah was shocked out of his drumming trance and dropped his sticks on the floor. He tried to catch them as the fell, but he hit his head on the coffee table with a loud "clunk".

"Wait, what? No not really, um, the thought hasn't really hit me yet, um, wow, okay."

"Okay man." TJ said, laughing. "You might want to start thinking about that!"

"Yeah," he said smiling, remembering he was getting married to the woman of his dreams.

"You have any drum fills yet?" Ryan asked.

"I think I have a few ideas."

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Saturday came, and they loaded up their gear into the bed of Ben's truck that afternoon. There were drums already there, so all Jeremiah had to carry was his gig bag, which consisted of Pepsi, hairspray and drumsticks. Bethany was dog sitting for Ben for the time they were gone.