The Youngest Manager

Chapter 9 Distraction

Rosemary:

"I'm fine," I assure Drake with a smile that he can't see. It's been three months, summer's only three months away. College down the street, full ride and Drake, nothing could've been better. I get out of the cab and walk the path to the now familiar plot. The letter in my hand. "I have to go, I'll call you later. Brighter than the sun."

"Deeper than the ocean." He says before disconnecting the call. I turn my phone on do not disturb mode. I take a deep breath before sinking down next to the stone.

"Hi," I start, "It's been a while. I just, I still, I really miss you." I look at the two plots side by side, two total strangers sharing something so intimate in death. Something close. "Drake and I both got accepted full ride to George Washington University, just like we wanted." I tell her. I put a copy on her stone under the angel. "We're both going, just like you and Daddy did." I think back to all the stories they told of high school and college together.

"KnightSong is going on tour soon. Kenton is finally getting excited about it." I keep talking. Soon I'm telling her about everything KnightSong, Drake, Dad, School, and life in general. "I won't be able to come by for a while in a few months, KnightSong is getting big, and I've got to manage their tour. but it isn't a problem. Dad's finally getting a chance to step back, now that I've got a steady job that will work around school, it's all working out, and Dad gets a chance to breath." I stand up brushing off the dirt from my jeans. "I'll come back soon, next week." I blow a kiss to her before walking away. Drake's car is waiting in the parking lot across the road. I look and cross the street to meet him.

"Feeling better now?" He asks me opening my door for me.

"A bit, it's always nice to talk to her in person." I tell him. "As in person as I can anyway."

He wraps me in a hug pressing a kiss to my temple. "It's okay to cry." He whispers pulling away.

"I'm done crying," I tell him. "After that day at the hospital, the wake, the memorial, the funeral, the media attention I'm done crying, I've done enough to water a third world country for a year." I tell him, "I don't have any tears left."

"Deeper than the oceans." He whispers to me before starting the car.

"Brighter than the sun." I respond lacing our fingers over the center console.

"I think you should do the month of pre-tour runs with the management team."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No, of course not Rosie, I love you. Deeper than the oceans. I think it'll be good for you to travel for a while. When my grandfather died, I needed to be away, focusing on something other than every memory I had of him. I went and built houses across the country with HFH, you'll be going and planing a tour."

"You were gone for months."

"Yeah, but that was what I needed, my grandfather was a huge role-model in my life. I needed time."

"You came back, you were different, but the same."

"After someone you love dies, you're never really the same Rosie." He says, "You need time to process, this will be just that, it'll throw you into focusing on something else, but also give you the distance and time to process everything."

"You're right, it's annoying how you're always right." I tell him.

"Say's the girl with the basically perfect GPA."

"Wouldn't have it without some help from my brainiac boyfriend."

"You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."