Run from your problems, but you cannot run from yourself.

"Woof!" A wet nose dug into my side. Echo had hopped into my bed last night, excited that I was the new person in the house, the new 'puppy' to play with. She set her giant head on my chest, staring me down with puppy eyes.

"Hey girl." I scratched in the sweet spot behind her ears. Her eyes closed in pleasure. Faint sizzles of bacon being cooked up hissed from downstairs. Alan had stayed over for the night after we started watching Iron Man. I don't know why, but he had an affinity for Iron Man. At the end, Alan was dead asleep so Austin tossed a blanket over him and we walked back upstairs. All three of us were dead tired from playing at the beach side.

Echo licked my hand affectionately. I was snapped out of the memory of Tino and Phil attempting to show me how to surf. They brought their boards along to our little secluded beach that Austin brought me to. The first few times I had scored a few epic fails, but got the hang of it quick enough.

"You want bacon? Don't you?" I laughed quietly to her.

"Yes, I do." A voice started me from looking at the dog. Austin walked in, opening the door a slight bit more. Thank goodness I was used to sleeping in a shirt and pair of shorts and I wasn't in anything less. He came and laid down next to me, tossing the light covers over him. He had a pair of shorts and no shirt on. The pit bull moved over as I curled up next to Austin.

"Mmm... You're warm." I commented. Austin wrapped his arms around me, once again enveloping me in his warmth.

"And you are cold. Are you sure you don't need another blanket?" He asked me cautiously. I shook my head. I was perfectly fine.

"You two are the loudest cuddlers I've ever heard! Now come down and get bacon!" Alan yelled up to us. Austin pouted and I held him close.

"He can wait." I commented. It was only eight thirty. I didn't plan on getting out of bed until at least nine. Echo was impatient for the delicious treat and bolted out of bed, using Austin and I as a launch pad, sprinting down the stairs.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked him. He smiled happily.

"We're going to record. If you didn't want to come along, there's a park around by our studio, so you can go and bring Echo, unless you really want to watch us record." He told me. Echo barked happily and munched on a piece of bacon from downstairs.

"Echo's getting seconds if you don't come down in the next minute!" Alan threatened. Oh, bacon was good. I didn't want to miss that.

"I do want to go! I also want bacon." I told him. We tossed off the covers and went downstairs. Alan was at the stove, putting bacon on plates for us, along with an omelet. It looked delicious and my stomach rumbled. Next to his own plate was his phone. Alan never had his phone out unless he was texting one person...

"LP updating you in Colorado?" I asked him. He shook his head, looking slightly worried. We all sat at the island, munching on crispy bacon, cooked just the right way. I tossed a small bit to Echo who looked at me gratefully.

"She hasn't messaged me back. I'm worried because she said that she had to answer the door, and then she would text me back, and THAT WAS EIGHTEEN HOURS AGO!" He cried out, exasperated. I shook my head.

"Lily-Pearl probably just miss placed her phone, or maybe it died and she had to charge it." I told him, rolling my eyes at the diva's drama. He shook his head.

"She probably disappeared!" He cried out. I dismissed the thought. Seriously, the likelihood of that happening was next to nothing.

"Alan, she wasn't just TAKEN from the doorstep. It's not like some stranger just drove her away." I shook my head at his drama. Alan looked worriedly at his phone again, as if it would magically light up.

"Don't worry she'll respond. Lily-Pearl always does." Austin confirmed happily. I smiled and nodded. The tension went out of Alan's eyes, I could see it ebb out.

"Speaking of her, I have to tell you a story." I told him. Alan leaned against the granite counter, happily eating part of his omelet.

"Story time!" He cried out. I pulled out my phone, opening up the text she had sent me.

"So LP texts me this: On Thursday, my teacher asked me what I wanted to be and she thought I was going to be a writer because I liked English. I told her no, I wanted to be a musician or a band manager. She wondered why and I told her because I wanted to play at concerts with Alan, or I wanted to manage Of Mice and Men so I could spend more time with Alan and because I love music. I forgot to tell you this on Friday." I looked up. Alan was covering his face with his hands he was so excited. It was kind of like watching a little kid receive a puppy, or cat, as a birthday present. Austin looked just as pleased.

"That has to be one of the cutest things I've ever heard." Austin giggled. I smiled. She was so dearly attached to Alan. He had his own personal shadow.

"I love Lily-Pearl. You have the most adorable sister." Alan breathed out. I laughed happily. She was shy and cute.

"LP has absolutely fallen in love with you guys." I explained. Alan burst out in smiles again and I feared he would be torn apart by the bursting joy.

"She can be our manager!" He called> Austin laughed a little.

"But we already have one..." He started. The ginger shot away the notion.

"Well, she can start out as an assistant and then take over when he retires." Alan decided. It sounds like my sister already had a plan set out for her.

"I could totally see you two hanging out together all the time as an assistant." I thought out loud.

After we finished our breakfast, we all changed into something decent and went out to the car, taking a twenty minute ride to the studio. The building was beautiful and open on the inside. We went to the recording room and for the next hour, I watched them practice and run through some new songs as I sat in a comfortable chair, talking to some of the people that come through the room, including their manager. When they took a break, Austin smiled at me and waved me into the room.

Tino, Aaron, Phil, Alan, and Austin gathered around as we made a circle. They promptly sat down in and I followed them, not know what we were doing. Alan started the beat.

"I"ll be one." He exclaimed, getting first pick. The others sighed. I was number four.

"One's got no dots, how many dots has five got?" He passed it off to Austin and we were going. I smiled yet I couldn't believe Austin and Alan brought the game back to the others.

By the very last round, it was me against Tino. We were both at only two dots. After ten minutes of increased chanting, we finished when Tino screwed me up and won.

"You brought us victory with the last running in the store after the concert, but now you must regain your honor in the Dot Game!" He folded his hands together, as if he was some karate master. I bowed my head and attempted to not burst out with laughter.

"Yes, Master!" I cheered. Their manager came and told them they needed to start soon, so I went out to get a drink of water as they warmed up again. As I stepped into the hall, I went to a large section of the wall which was a big window that looked out over a park. There was a man sitting on a park bench just at the edge of a cluster of large palm trees.

He stared up at the window and I could almost feel his eyes bore into me, right through the tinted glass. He had cropped blonde hair and a tiny tattoo barely visible from three stories up. Even from this height, I could see the muscles bulge out under his thin black shirt. I watched as he went up and strode away.

From my advantage, I watched the kids play on a swing set, and a couple hold hands and walk through the trees, but this man stood out against my memories. Walking to the water fountain, I took a sip of water and went back into the studio, listening to their voices blend together, and hearing the drums pound out with the guitar. I felt the ease of which the calm came over me.

And all was perfect.

Notes

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