Just Off the Key of Reason

Chapter Eighteen - I Only Waste My Time Dreaming of You

Monday, 25th of June, 2007 – Somewhere in New Mexico

They set off shortly after breakfast the next morning, their driver declaring that he could do eight hours of driving each day. Nobody was about to object, given that he was more or less their only option around the country at the moment. Overnight a steady summer storm had settled in, blanketing the landscape in heavy, grey clouds. The rain was yet to actually fall, but it could easily be felt in the air that it would happen soon. Pete seemed to feel better with the shift in weather. He felt like the rain could wash away any of the remaining misery that still hung around him. As soon as the drops started falling, his mood started lifting. Everyone was relieved to have the mischievous Pete back, even if it meant that it came at the cost of their peace and quiet.

They'd been on the road for nearly six hours. The driver shouted something out to them whenever they had crossed the border into New Mexico, but nobody really paid attention, most of them were too busy doing their own thing to be really listening. Patrick sat across the lounge behind their bunks, staring out the window at the road growing behind them. It was always crazy for him to think about how many miles they put behind them every time they went on tour. From planes to cars to buses, the miles piled up by the thousands. He'd done it a few times now, but it never seemed to make any more sense how far people wanted their little band to go. The rain slowly trickled down the glass, his gaze following it as it began to pool at the seal along the bottom. He had decided in his restless night of sleep at the hotel that he had to make a move. Something had to be done to try and make her see that he was serious about his feelings. And he knew that he couldn't be the one to make the decision, because if it were up to him they would've been dating months ago. He had to do something to make her make the call; it was her mind that needed changing. But what was he meant to do? He needed to find the catalyst to make this reaction happen. The special thing that he was meant to do or say, whatever created that spark. He was never good at making the first move, or any moves at all really. Flirting was never his forte.

The couch dipped next to him as his face was suddenly pressed into the window. It took him a moment to realised that he had been tackled by someone and they were now leaning against him.

"Don't take up the whole couch, Patrick." Joe's voice chastised as he struggled to free himself. Eventually the guitarist moved to the side, allowing Patrick to shuffle back and move as far away from his assailant as he could. He glared across the couch for a brief moment before returning his gaze to the road. "You look angsty. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Patrick lied with a shrug. The self-depreciating look on his face quickly told Joe the answer to his question.

"C'mon, I know you better than that, dude." He pressed, motioning to tackle him again.

"Okay, okay!" Patrick threw his hands up in front of him to try and fend off anything else Joe could throw at him. "I'm... I'm trying to work out how to, um, win girls over." He admitted sheepishly.

"Win girls over? Why? The girl you want is already into you." Joe laughed loudly.

"Well, kind of. But I need to get her to date me." He huffed, adjusting his hat so that it was sitting back on his head correctly.

"Oh. Well, girls like confident guys. The sorta guy who knows he's awesome." Joe said, running a hand through his hair and clearly picturing himself in some form of shampoo commercial. Patrick stared at him sceptically. Joe did seem to hit it off with any woman he wanted to, and he was pretty sure he'd read somewhere that girls liked confidence.