—George Crook

When the suite door shut behind me, and I was back in the hallway of the hotel, my mind was spinning. I was expecting Nick to be by the door, but I did not see him anywhere. The bright, fluorescent bulbs illuminating the quiet, chilled hallway were a glaring reminder of my return to real life, but I was going to make sure the slide back down to normalcy was delayed as long as possible.

My feet glided silently along the dark carpet, as I eyed the posh, wooden doors of other hotel guests. I wondered briefly what any of them might have thought, if they knew what just happened in the suite at the end of the hall. As they peacefully slept, nearing the beginning of their new day, I was fast approaching the end to one of the greatest days of my life.

When I turned to find the elevators again, I saw Nick passed out on the couch by the refreshment machines. His elbow was on the arm of the couch, cheek pressed to his unclenched fist. I stepped forward quietly to press the down arrow button. It lit up soundlessly, but was taking a while to approach. Without making any sudden movements, I looked back at Nick again, to see if he was still sleeping, and he was.

A soft ding sounded and the elevator doors opened. Just as I was about to step on, I noticed someone was already there, and trying to come out. I apologized in my haste before realizing it was Devon.

There was an opened pack of smokes in his red-and-black, flannel shirt pocket. The scent of a freshly lit cigarette brushed through the air between us and I smiled nervously before moving out of his way.

"Hey, you," Devon said, taking me by complete surprise. "Julian asleep?"

"Um, I don't think so, not yet," I said. It came out smoother than I had imagined it.

"'Kay, good, I'm 'bout to ring him," Devon said, while winking at me once. His eyes were a bright, crystalline blue. "Leaving so soon?"

I simply nodded.

"Right. Catch you later." Devon smirked.

"See ya," I said, stepping onto the elevator. Later?

As I pressed the button to return to the lobby, and the doors were closing, Devon was nudging Nick's shoulder to wake him. The doors shut just as Nick was coming to, and the descent started. 

My legs felt like jelly.

I closed my eyes for just a moment, and the elevator dinged once to signify the end of my fairy tale night. The doors opened, and suddenly I was Cinderella, returning from the ball. Except, in this case, I left nothing tangible behind for my ripped-jeans-and-leather clad prince to find me again. 

The lobby and front desk were quiet, almost motionless. Only a few people were around, but still I hoped there was nothing in my face to give away where I had just been. I could see it was still mostly dark outside as I approached the front doors and stepped outside.

The early morning Tucson air was already warm and dry, immediately making me miss the chilled air of the lobby. There were still a few fans scattered around outside, mostly pressed up against a wall, or resting their heads on each others shoulders, and drifting in and out of consciousness. 

They had waited patiently, all night, in this muggy mess for a glimpse of their idols—not just for Ascend the Stars, but for the musicians in the headlining group, too. An autograph or a picture would have made it all worth it to them. Something that would have taken just a matter of seconds would have been worth their entire evening of discomfort. Fewer than twenty four hours ago, I may have been one of them—amusing Laina's antics. 

Yet, there I was, sitting among them, waiting for a cab, after having just spent the night with one of their musical heroes.

Intentionally, I avoided making eye contact with all of them, but I didn't think any of them really noticed me after I sat down on a step. They had looked up when the doors opened, and back again when they realized I was not one of the musicians. 

For a moment, a pang of guilt hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. Why did I deserve this dreamlike evening over any of them? I almost felt like a traitor. Despite this sense of guilt, for the first time in my entire life, I was smiling without trying. 

My mind battled itself, back and forth, about the likelihood of this happening to me, considering my impressive track record of bad luck. Question after question flooded my head, washing away reason and sanity. 

Why me? 

Why Julian? 

Why did everything happen to ensure our paths aligned perfectly, to meet in that parking lot before the show? 

Why did Laina and I get lucky enough to win the quintessential ticket lottery by scoring front row seats? 

What did Julian see in me? 

What had I done to deserve this?

It was the rarest of chances, not because of what Julian was, but rather who Julian was. 

Genuineness and kindness shined through him, in lights bright enough to blind anyone who stood too close. He allowed me the briefest glimpse into his heart, and even without knowing him as much as I would have liked to, I was sure it was too big for his body.

Moments of dire passion began to replay incessantly in my mind. Absolute elation washed over me in waves. Warm, at first, like simmering coals in the pits of my stomach. Then cool, as chills tingled my spine, sending small earthquakes through me. 

I shuddered, already wistful for the indescribable sublimity of his touch. If that night was all I would ever have, it would still have been the greatest gift for which I could have hoped.

The quiet city streets were just starting to show signs of life, as the sun crept up quickly, steadily, and the street lights dimmed. As some birds began to chirp, a yellow cab circled around, then stopped in front of the entrance. 

It had to be for me. 

I got up and strolled over, as the driver rolled his window down. "Miss Brooke? Heading to the overnight parking lot?"

"Yes," I said, a bit surprised. I knew Julian had called for the cab, but I didn't realize he had given the driver any of my details.

"Please, get in," the cab driver said.

I hopped into the backseat, behind the driver, and buckled, before remembering to check my phone. Endless missed calls, voicemails, and text messages littered my screen—too many to sort through. Just then, my breath caught in my throat when I saw a text from Julian, who still was not saved as a contact in my phone.

Miss you already. Hope you had a good time. Let me know when you're safely back? x

He wrote to me. He missed my company. He was actually trying to talk to me, after everything. 

Panic set in at the thought of losing his number, so I quickly racked my brain for a nickname I could use as his contact information. I only had a few minutes before I was back to Laina, so I needed to be fast. It had to be something simple enough to remind me of who he was, without being glaringly obvious to any wandering eyes. 

Julian... Ascend the Stars... Ascend... Upward... Aiming... 

I glanced at the street signs ahead, with shapes directing us on where to go.

"Arrows," I mumbled to myself, while quickly adding him to my phone. Simple, but it would have to do, I thought. By using that nickname for Julian, it also ensured he was at the top of my alphabetical list.

I immediately pulled his text back up, reading it and rereading it several times, to make sure it said what I thought it did. Finally, I wrote back to him quickly, but carefully.

I bet I miss you more. I'm in the cab on the way now. Almost there...

As I sent the text to Julian, my list of unread texts updated, and the latest one was from Laina, from two minutes earlier.

He's here with me now. I'm so sorry. Didn't know who else to call.

Before I could ask her what she was talking about, and let her know that I was on the way, the cab driver was slowing down and taking a turn. We were already back at the overnight parking lot. 

Only two cars were there, and they were parked next to each other. I recognized both, but only one of them was my own.

1. "Change My Mind" (piano cover) by Nuetful

2. "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun