gold rush ♬ {𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐮𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲}

xx. welcome to new york

After 'Under the waves in the blue of oblivion' the band's success sky rocketed through the roof, into space, into the unreachable universe. They were on their spaceship playing to big crowds and breaking records in a blink of an eye. They were the shiny knew toy in the shiny new city.

After high school, the band moved to New York. Emma and Tristan lived together in an apartment next to Columbia, the college Tristan was attending, and the rest of the band lived on the other side of the hall. Rory and Paris went to Yale together. Louise and Madeline went to Tulane. However, that was a few years ago. Everybody had already graduated, found jobs and started to live life adults.

Adulthood was settling in their bones, in the covered up eye bags and in the milestones of new paths, new highs, new lows, new rocky mountains, new rivers.

The year was 2007 and Oblivion finished the US leg of their tour. The day was 25th of October and Emma and Tristan were discussing their Halloween costumes for the party the band was invited to.

"Do you want to go as the album cover of 'Horizon'?" Emma suggested as the sun was going into hide-out and their bodies hid under the fresh cotton sheets.

"I don't want to mess my hair to look like Richard Carpenter. Plus, they're siblings. We're not going to promote incest."

"I just thought the outfits were cute, but you're right."

"I know." She rolled her eyes. "What about Mr. & Mrs. Smith?"

"I'm not pretty enough to be Angelina Jolie."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that outrageous lie." Tristan's eyes lighted with the perfect idea. "Romeo & Juliette. The movie version."

"You're not pretty enough to be Leonardo DiCaprio." She was smiling brightly. He obviously knew she was obviously joking. "It's a great idea. Maybe this time I'll actually get to kiss my Romeo."

"This time, Paris and my father won't get in the way."

During senior year, they had to act out a scene from one of Shakespeare's plays for an assignment. Emma, Tristan, Paris, Rory, Louise and Madeline were all in the same group. Paris proclaimed herself as the director. Tristan and Emma were casted as Romeo and Juliette.

Everything was going great. They rehearsed every line, every movement, every facial expression, every detail Paris shoved down their throats. However, on the day of the presentation, Tristan was missing. No one, not even Emma, knew where he was. Phones were calling. Nerves were breaking. Paris was panicking due to the school part of it all. Emma was panicking because her boyfriend disappeared.

Tristan never stood her up. She knew, deep in the well of her hopes, that he didn't just bail on them, that he didn't just bail on her. Emma tried to convince Paris to wait. Emma tried to convince Rory to convince Paris to wait.

They waited a full hour, but the teacher wasn't pleased. They didn't have a Romeo. There's no Romeo and Juliette without Romeo. So, Paris dressed Tristan's costume and professed his lines, the ones she already knew by heart.

"I'm not kissing you!" Emma protested when Paris was already dressed and ready. "Rory. Switch costumes."

"No. I don't know your lines." Rory said

"I'm not kissing your girlfriend, Rory." Emma repeated. "Love you, Paris. You're great and all, but it's weird. Really weird."

"Let's just get this over with." Paris grabbed Emma into the stage. Emma looked back at Rory with worry in her eyes.

They did the scene. Everybody played their parts. They got a good grade, a really good grade. And as the nonexistent curtains closed, Tristan appeared in the crowd.

As Emma bowed with the rest of the group, her eyes saw him and she ran to him without caring about anything else.

She hugged him.  

"Emma..." He whispered.

"Where were you?" She inquired after pulling away. "Why didn't you pick up your phone? Are you okay? Did something happened?" Tristan looked at her with a sorrowful look. "Tristan?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I just-"

"Tristan!" A voice came from the hallway. His father creeped through the shadows. "Hurry up. We have to go."

"Go where? Is everything okay?" Emma asked Tristan, trying her best to not look his father in the eye.

"I'm going away for a few weeks."

"Why?"

"It's just temporary." He placed his hands on her cheeks. She placed her hands on his.

"But where are you going?" She asked.

Tristan glanced at his father.

"Can you give us a moment alone?"

"Five minutes. I'll be waiting in the car outside."

"Thank you." His father left and Tristan started to explain everything. "I got into a fight with him." Emma opened her mouth. "It doesn't matter now. He is really pissed. I said a few things about my grandpa that he didn't like, but it doesn't matter. I think he wanted to do this for a long time now. This was just the last drop."

"Do what?"

"I'm going to military school for winter break."

"It's still November. Do you really have to go now?" He nodded to her question. "I don't want to keep asking why like a little kid, but I just really don't understand."

"I'll see you in January."

January...

"That's too long." She rested her head on his chest.

"I know." He rested his head on top of hers. "I'm sorry for missing the play, though. This didn't exactly go according to plan. I would never expect to come in and see you kissing Paris."

"You saw that?"

"Yes."

"It was so strange. It felt incestuous. You have no clue how much I wished you were here."

"I wished I was here too."

Tristan went to military school and came back in the 15th of January. He couldn't call anybody there. He couldn't even speak to his family. Christmas was really fucking lonely for him and Emma spent the big days thinking about him. Especially at New Year's.

Fireworks symbolized something so profound in their connection. She thought of his smile with each spark in the sky, each string of her guitar, each shade of blue and gold.

But that's in the past. The present is much merrier.

At least for now.