The Runaway [The Killers]

His Runaway

Brandon POV

I rushed into the house my heart racing in my chest. She was gone. It was obvious by the lack of warmth the house felt. Her familiar essence was non-existent as I walked through the rooms. Her clothes gone, perfume, pictures, everything gone.

"Brooke." I whispered, my eyes welling with tears like they had been the past month. I wandered to the kitchen and there sat the envelope ending all of this. Her familiar signature adorning every page, but lacking the bubbly luster. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I sat down, staring at the papers in my lap now. I pulled out my phone and pressed it to my ear.

"Hey is she there?"

"No. She's gone..." I swallowed the lump in my throat before squeezing my eyes shut." "She's fucking gone Ronnie! " My eyes welled with tears like they always did when the picture perfect image of her crossed my mind. I threw the phone across the room, the damn thing breaking into pieces before I raked my fingers through my hair and yelled. I looked at my golden band before pacing to the bedroom and shoving it in the nightstand. I'd look at that damn thing for years to come. That day started my mess of a life. A life my parents surely didn't know about and wouldn't know about for a long damn time. It was nearly a nightly ritual for the first few months, once I got a new phone to call her number. Tell her how much I missed her. Then drink myself asleep. Hot Fuss and Sam's Town just seemed to work this way. How pathetic right? From 2003 to 2007 I lived this nightmare. The nightmare that included hookers, drugs, and alcohol. 2008 was the restart of our story.

(Day & Age Era 2008)

"Brandon! Let's go!" Ronnie hollered down the hall of the bus. I groaned slightly as Lindsey pulled me closer to her.

"Do you have to go to practice tonight?"

"You know the answer to that." I mumbled and gently pried her off of me. She was technically my girlfriend, but her and I had been at odds lately. She was fake in a fake world. I felt as if I was at least semi real.

"You're just gonna brush me off again?" She rolled her eyes before standing and grabbing her purse. "I drive all the way here last night just to get shrugged off?"

"It's the first show of the tour Lindsey. I have to practice! This is my home town, I need to make them proud." She sighed and shook her head.

"Then I'm driving back to LA. I'm not some back burner project Brandon."

"Fine." I mumbled and put on my black jacket with the pheasant feathers adorning the shoulders. "I don't know what you expect of me other than to do my job."

"Stop brushing me off that's what!" She stormed off the bus, a sigh of relief escaping my lungs as I sat down for a moment while Ronnie strolled his way into the back of the bus.

"She'll be back she always is sadly. She probably will even be at the show tonight."

"I don't think that's what I concerned about."

"What's on your mind?"

"Today's the memorial of the day I lost Adeline." I shrugged while biting the inside of my cheek. "It's been five years and I still feel like I could have changed something ya know?" He sat down beside me and took a deep breath before taking his time to answer.

"You still think about her and Brooklyn don't ya?" I nodded my head before sitting back and looking at where my wedding ring once settled. Now it was always in my bunk in the back of the tiny drawer.

"I think of her all the damn time ya know? I wonder what she's doing and how she looks and how she feels about it all. If she regrets leaving or regrets ever meeting me."

"I highly doubt she regrets any of that Brando. Lisa and I had our moments and what I've learned from those moments is things happen for a reason. You never know. Maybe you and Brooke will end up crossing paths again one day. I admit I liked you and her together. You guys made fucking sense. I just don't think either of you even considered how to properly handle losing Adeline. Dave, Mark, and I were really worried about you. Your drinking got out of hand and you were smoking that shit every now and then...you jumped from girl to girl trying to forget her, but Brooke isn't the type of girl you forget. Like I said follow your heart. I don't think it's with Lindsey."

"I think you're right." I chuckled weakly before standing. "You know none of the fans know about Brooke or Adeline. I wanna tell them through a song or something, but it's kind of hard not knowing how she's feeling."

"Write it and they will come." He stood and led the way off the bus. I followed him into the arena, which could obviously hold over twenty or so thousand people. My nerves would be all over the place more than likely, but I couldn't give into drinking myself to death again. Especially on today's date. I walked up onto the stage and looked out at the empty arena, singing to the ghosts in the room. Little did I comprehend what tonight would bring into my life. Sound check went flawlessly and we hurried back stage as the crowds slowly trickled into the arena, my heart racing more and more by the second as I glanced to our manager Robert walked into the room.

"Alright guys, show then after party. There is a few VIPs coming to the penthouse tonight so I want you all on your best behaviors. If they stay the night kick them out in the morning." He chuckled to himself before walking back out of the room. "Let's go!" He hollered and soon one of the best and worst nights of my life started.