I welcomed myself out the house and shut the Denmark Street door. Just as my fingers left the handle, the door reopened.
Surprisingly, Ray came out of the house, dressed in his dressing gown, and kissed my cheek, probably a smudge jealous of Dave his younger brother.
"Thanks for coming along Y/N. Dave hasn't been that happy in such a long time." , he took my arm and said, "Come I'll show you where the bus stop is"
"Oh yeah, thanks," I chuckled, realising I would have got lost without him. As we walked along the brisk streets of night, I said, "How come Dave's not been so happy recently, I can't picture him being sad?"
"Me and Dave always argue with each other." Ray kicked a pebble out the way and put his head down, as though he had no real reason to raise it with pride.
"I've been such a bad brother." , he said. "He's naughty and all, but I'm his older brother, and I should protect him and care for him. Oh Y/N, what should I do?"
"Just show him that you love him." I said, remembering that introverted sense of love the brothers shared. "He knows that you love him Ray, but if you show your love more you might-"
"Receive the kind of love that he showed you." Ray continued.
"Yes."
"But does he truly love me, love me in his thoughts and feelings. Love me without me having to love him through actions first? True love's like nature, Y/N, like the hazel leaves blowin' in the wind, growing if it wishes to, dying if it must. And after death, it does not just simply disappear in to the breeze. It's still there, though dropped on the cruel floor of the world.
For me and Dave, our love's dying. But I've found a watering can. And I can help it grow, so can he. Love's natural, Y/N; love's natural."
The bus stop was now in sight after walking for five minutes. I loved the companionship me and Ray shared, but it was nothing compared to the love me and Dave shared, as natural as a lotus sprung from a murky pond. I decided to ask Ray one more question.
"What do you think Dave'd want, perhaps, a little present?
"What he needs is a new guitar case. He spotted this nice one that's hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It's not too much money-wise, so don't worry."
We arrived at the empty bus stop, and lucky for me, the bus had arrived too.
"Thank you Ray." I said
"No, thank you." And with that, Ray turned around and headed back home, in his knee-length dressing gown.
As I stepped on to the London double-decker, I wondered what Ray meant by that. I mean he wasn't even in the same room as us for most of the time I spent at their house. I took the window seat near the front of the bus.
After thinking of my nearest guitar case shop, I remembered that paper Dave slid in my pocket. I rushed it out and into my hands. I held the memorabilia of the day close to my heart and smiled, before carefully opening it.