Ketchum, ID

ch 24 - jo

 The time for them to perform finally came, and I was knee deep in orders at the bar. As I was making a tray of shots for a bachelorette party across the bar, I heard Phoebe's voice come through the speakers.

"Hello again," she said, causing the bar to explode in cheers. "We played here a few weeks ago for the open mic night, but we've been asked to come back, so you guys must not hate us," she said while laughing.

"If you were here, then you know who we are," Lucy said, causing everyone to cheer again. "If you weren't, we're boygenius, and we're gonna sing some of our songs that should be coming out next month."

"Which does mean you're the first crowd to hear them, so if you hate the songs please don't tell us. We're fragile," Julien said, making me laugh.

"We're gonna start with the song we sang last time, so if you managed to learn any of the words, feel free to sing along," Phoebe said.

After they sang Bite The Hand, Lucy explained to the crowd that we had just gotten tattoos of the song today, and everyone cheered. They sang a couple more songs that Alex and I had heard them sing in the studio, and of course the crowd loved them. They even sang a cover of Cowboy Take Me Away that the crowd sang along to.

"So sadly we have reached the last song," Phoebe said, causing the crowd to boo. "But we saved a very special song for last."

"The only people who have ever heard this song are standing on this stage," Lucy said, causing me to devote my whole attention to the stage. I made eye contact with Julien immediately, and she smiled as she stepped up to the microphone.

"We actually wrote it about our new favorite place," Julien said. "This last song is called Ketchum, ID."

I froze in place as everyone in the crowd erupted into cheers. The room got quiet as they started playing their guitars. I watched as Phoebe stepped up to her mic to start singing.

"Back in the States now, in a college town," she started. "I would walk around, but it's really coming down. Mesmerized by double lines; two yellow tightropes. I'm making good time."

"I am never anywhere," Lucy and Julien chimed in to harmonize with her. "Anywhere I go. When I'm home, I'm never there long enough to know."

I was almost in tears hearing them sing about this little town I call home. That feeling only amplified as Julien started to sing.

"Being in love is the same thing as being alone. Giving the sorrow some company. Nothing to say, but stay on the phone," she sang out.

I thought about the phone call we had a few days ago on the one night we weren't sleeping next to each other. I told her since I had just seen her a few hours ago that I didn't have anything new to talk about, and she asked me to just stay on the phone with her.

"No, I'm sorry, I do not know, what else you want from me?"

Lucy and Phoebe stepped up to their microphones again to harmonize on the chorus again, and I could feel the tears about to spill from my eyes. Then Lucy's verse started.

"You say, "How are you", I say, "I don't know. Let's dissolve the band, move to Idaho"," Lucy sang out. The second she said that line I felt the tears falling down my face. "Everyone's around and I hear you smiling. You say, "I love you", I say, "You too.""

The three of them stepped back up to their microphones to sing out the chorus one last time, and I could not stop crying. Thankfully, everyone had walked away from the bar to watch the rest of the show. I felt an arm wrap around me, and turned my head to see Alex who was also crying.

"I'm gonna miss them so much," I said as I buried my face in their shoulder and let the tears overcome me.

"Me too, baby. Me too," they said as they rubbed their hand in circles on my back. 

Alex and I stood there crying until the song was over, then we watched as the three of them hopped down from the stage. People kept stopping them as they were walking toward us, but Julien kept her eyes on mine. When they finally made their way to the bar, Nick congratulated them on their new EP coming out before he asked me to close out his tab. I went back to the register and printed out his ticket. As I went to hand it to him, I saw Alex chatting with the guests of honor at the other end of the bar.

"You guys really seem like you have something special," Nick said to me as I handed him his bill. "I've never seen 5 people who love each other as it seems like you 5 do. Hold on to that."

"We plan to, Nick. Thank you," I said with a small smile.

"And I think you and the short one have something real too," he said. "She kept looking over here, and I saw you watching her too. You guys seem to really like each other, and I don't think any distance could affect that."

I smiled at him, and took his card over to the register to run it, delaying going down to the other end of the bar for as long as I could.

"Thank you for your speed, but quit using me as an excuse to go talk to them," Nick said to me as I brought his card back.

"You know me so well," I said with a small laugh.

"I know. Now get down there!" he said, patting me on the shoulder.