Page 52 of Wish We Were There

He laughed again, shaking his head and trying to gather his thoughts before continuing.

“This was everything to Zach,” he finally said. “Being here with the band onstage, touring around to see all of you, wherever you were—this was his dream. This was what he wanted to do for as long as I knew him. I’m really thankful he shared that dream with us, and with you all. I’m thankful for the time I had with him, and with the rest of the band. Kylie, Angie, Dean—” He turned to look back at them. “Thank you for everything, really. I’m so lucky to have friends like you. Thanks for sticking with me through all of this.”

Angie grinned widely at him, Kylie blew him a kiss, and Dean only nodded from behind his drum set. Taylor turned back toward the crowd and made a wide gesture.

“Thank you for being here tonight in this new chapter of my life,” he continued. “I’m done touring, but I’m so glad to still be sharing music with you all through the Caesura Room. So please keep coming back for more shows. I’ve never owned a music venue before, but, you know, how hard could it be?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Thanks to all my new staff, especially Moss, Reid, Jasper, and everyone on the stage crew. Thanks for trusting me, and thanks for making sure this show happened without any issues.”

Taylor turned again to look backstage. “And there are some people backstage I need to thank, too. Rogelio, thanks for being a friend of the band during all this. You’ll always be welcome here. And Parker...”

He choked up, eyes burning. How could he put into words everything Parker had done for him? How would any thanks possibly ever be enough? Taylor blinked away tears, clearing his throat. He could see Parker’s face, his brows furrowed, despite the sweet smile on his face.

“Parker,” he repeated. “I couldn’t have done this without you. The Caesura Room is as much your baby as it is mine now. You’ve always been an important part of mine and Zach’s story, and part of Get Well Soon’s story. I’m so glad to have you in my life still. This one’s for you.”

If he kept looking at Parker’s face, he would really start to cry, so he turned his attention back to the keyboard and smashed his hands down into the opening chords of Wish We Were There.

I saw you in a dream last night driving next to me on the highway

Headlights off but the streetlamp followed you all the way home

It painted you like liquid gold

We were only inches apart

We were only miles apart

Maybe a happy ending isn’t in the cards for us

A backyard garden and picket fence somewhere quiet and suburban

And I know you can see it, too

Don’t you wish we were there?

Then you saw me get dragged down in the undertow

Our friends all watching but only you knew I couldn’t swim

No one else dove in

Our hands were inches apart

We were only miles apart

Maybe a happy ending isn’t in the cards for us

A backyard garden and picket fence somewhere quiet and suburban

And I know you can see it, too

Baby, don’t you wish we were there?

How do I get what I want when I don’t even know it?

What more could I want when I already have it?

Did you get what you wanted?

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