Tethered (Book Two of The Invisible String Series)

Here's To Us

We tend to stick with our older songs as openers for the setlist, and once Leon has counted us down the music flows pretty freely. Everyone seems to be completely in sync with each other and we move through the entire night with relative ease. Each song passes by within the blink of an eye, and before I know it, the last little bit of the setlist comes along to round out the end of the night.

I ditch my electric guitar for my acoustic one, smiling slightly to myself as the lights reflect off the polished body. This had been one of the first things I'd bought in preparation for this tour and I'd had it custom-made just for the occasion. It's a beautiful guitar, really. Much like the first guitar my mother ever bought me, it's a Taylor and just so happens to be the exact same shade of green that matches the eye color of a certain actress, with intricate silver vines spread across the neck and out onto the body.

One of the crew switches out my microphone stand and slides my stool into place, which I take a seat on as I flash a smile out towards the crowd. "I was kinda hoping that you all would like to close out this night with me by taking things a bit slower."

I strum out a few light chords, just something to feel the silence as I listen to the crowd's echos around me for what seems like the hundredth time tonight. "I like to take the end of our shows and kind of play a little tribute to the people who are the backbone of this band, and that would be the families of all of us on stage here tonight."

That really gets everyone kicked up again, much to my amusement. "So we collectively want to dedicate this song to all our people who are watching this from back home."

My absent-minded strumming leads directly into the first chords of the song perfectly, flowing into each other with ease.

We could just go home right now

Or maybe we could stick around

For just one more drink, oh yeah

The drums enter behind me and I smile to myself as I sing the lyrics, listening to the way the crowd sings it back.

Get another bottle out

Lets shoot the shit

Sit back down

For just one more drink, oh yeah

Here's to us, here's to love

All the times that we fucked up

Here's to you, fill the glass

'Cause the last few days have kicked my ass

So let's give 'em hell

Wish everybody well, here's to us, here's to us

Stuck it out this far together

Put our dreams through the shredder

Let's toast 'cause things got better

And everything could change like that

And all these years go by so fast

But nothing lasts forever

Here's to us

Here's to love

All the times that we messed up

Here's to you

Fill the glass

'Cause the last few nights

Have kicked my ass

If they give you hell

Tell 'em to go fuck themselves

Here's to us

Here's to us

Here's to all that we kissed

And to all that we missed

To the biggest mistakes

That we just wouldn't trade

To us breaking up

Without us breaking down

To whatever's coming our way

Here's to us

Here's to love

All the times that we fucked up

Here's to you

Fill the glass

'Cause the last few days

Have kicked my ass

So let's give 'em hell

Wish everybody well

Here's to us

Here's to love

All the times that we messed up

Here's to you

Fill the glass

'Cause the last few nights

Have kicked my ass

If they give you hell

Tell 'em go fuck themselves (Go fuck themselves)

Here's to us

Here's to us

Here's to us

Here's to us

Here's to us

Here's to love

Here's to us (Wish everybody well)

Here's to us

Here's to love

Here's to us

Here's to us

As the last note rings out in the arena, it's semi-silent. Until the crowd breaks out in the loudest cheer I've ever heard, and I'm momentarily awestruck at the amount of joy and love and support I can feel here among everyone in attendance.

The rest of the band joins me by my stool, all of us coming together in a large group hug as we wave and take in this moment together. This night honestly couldn't have gone better and, while I wish Lizzie and Liv were here to share in this moment with me, I couldn't have asked for a better opening night for this tour. And from the dazzling smiles on everyone else's faces, I think they're feeling something similar.

Remembering my promise, I lean forward slightly to make sure the small crew that's been hunkered down just past the barriers and have been live-streaming the whole event can see me. I blow a kiss directly into the camera, mouthing off an 'I love you' that I hope Lizzie sees from here.

Eventually we make our way off stage and into the back, where we're all still buzzing from the show and our adrenaline. We pause to take a few more pictures to commemorate this moment together and I can't help but think, as I make funny faces alongside some of my very best friends (who are family at this point), that life could not get better than this right now.

I make a mental toast in my head to everyone, smiling with nothing but pure happiness and joy.

Here's to us.

_______________________________________________________________________-

Hey, guys! Welcome back to this story! I'm really excited to be back and to be seeing this series to the end like I originally planned to.

I think I really only have like another 10-15 chapters before this book is done and then we'll be on to the third and final part of this series.

Thank you all for the continued support and I look forward to riding out the rest of this journey alongside all of you!

-CR