All is Found

27

I could barely sit still. After our show in Maryland we got onto the bus and drove through the night for Salem. Our next show is tomorrow in Boston and I get to see Thea finally. The past month on tour has both been great and hard. Playing shows again made me feel amazing and I love the feeling of being on stage. But being away from Thea is killing me.

            After our facetime on the way to Ohio we have gotten better with talk to each other. We set date nights and have been texting more. Thea is finally settling into her new position at work and things are calming down for her so it has been a bit easier on both of us even though I still worry about her.

            Just like I thought, I haven't seen Asher since he visited me that day on the bus. I've seen Ashley once while I was singing on stage during a show but I haven't seen Asher. I'm hoping that they will be with me tonight when I go on stage.

            We drove through the night so the bus can drop me off at Thea's house before taking everyone else to the venue. I only got a few hours of sleep on the ride here because I was so excited to see Thea and I have been pacing the length of the bus since. Our bus driver Charlie got so annoyed with me he told me to sit in the passenger seat. It was a shock and I apologized to Charlie a few times. He understood and started to drive through Salem.

            The smile on my face started to fade when he drove over the bridge. Charlie drove slowly and I asked if he could stop for a minute when he got over the span. He agreed and pulled over to the shoulder. I told him I would only be a few minutes and he nodded as I stepped off the bus.

            I made my way down the walkway to the middle of the bridge that has become so familiar to me and gripped the railing. I looked over the side and saw the blue water in the early morning like. The snow is long gone now in the middle of May and it is warmer.

            "Ashlyn." I turned around when I saw Nikki and Alyssa standing close to me.

            "This is where I almost went over." I said and looked down at the water below me. It's a bit rough today with the wind and I could see all the white caps of the waves. No question if I went over right now then I would be swept away by the tide.

            "How about we get you home to see that girlfriend of yours." I heard Alyssa say.

            I released the railing and looked up at the sky as the sun came up over the horizon. Just as I was about to turn away from the railing the Grim Reaper appeared. He held his hand out for me again.

            "There is always a part of you that will want to go over this railing Ashlyn. Why not just do it now?" The Reaper said.

            I took a deep breath and turned away from him and grabbed Alyssa and Nikkis' hands and let them lead me back to the bus. Diego and Britt were waiting for us when we got back on the bus and Charlie pulled away quickly once we were inside. I sat down on the couch and held tightly onto Nikki's hand.

            I watched as Charlie drove to Thea's house and I counted down the seconds until I knew I would be in her arms again. I held my breath as Charlie pulled the bus into Thea's driveway and I saw her. Thea is standing on her porch in my Salem High School sweatshirt and a pair of shorts with her slippers.

            I let go of Nikki's hand and flew out the doors of the bus and ran the rest of the way up her driveway. Thea walked off her porch and I jumped into her arms. She caught me and spun me around as I gripped onto her so hard. When she put me down I look at her and pressed my lips to hers. Everything was right in the world again and I felt whole again. The half of my heart I left with her when I left the airport is finally united again.