Page 73 of Bulletproof
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sitting on the deck and staring at the mountains had always filled Derek with a peaceful vibe. Sitting nextto Travis while gazing at the same scenery pushed Derek’s contentment level into sheer bliss. “This is really nice.”
“It’s beautiful,” Travis agreed.
Having finished breakfast, thanks to Travis’ skill with a box of Bisquick and Derek’s knowhow with a slab of bacon and scrambled eggs, they sat in silence while lounging on the hammock on the deck. Many times, Derek hadfallen asleep out here, but never had he cuddled with someone and just enjoyed the beauty of the big blue sky and the Santa Monica Mountains.
“Let’s go for a hike,” Travis said.
“Let me guess. The Hollywood sign?”
“Yeah. I miss that place. You have no idea how much I fucking love it on top of that hill.”
Derek stretched, undecided if he’d ratherstay here and do nothing, or revisit the place where his relationship with Travis began. “Let’s go,” he said, after a few seconds. “This time, let’s try not to start a fire. Or get chased by the cops.”
Travis chuckled. “I can’t make any promises.”
Derek went to the cabinet that held his keys and paused as he reached for the Porsche’s keyring. “Do you know how to ridea motorcycle?”
“Shit, yeah. You got a spare for me to ride?”
“That depends. Do you have a motorcycle license?”
They both laughed, remembering the mishap with the tour bus and driving out of class.
“No,” Travis replied. “But I’ll take my chances.”
“You just look for trouble any way you can get it, don’t you, Fontana?”
“Trouble is my middle name.”
“That’s why I like you.” Derek took two sets of keys off the hook and brought Travis into the garage. “I’m taking this baby,” Derek said, referring to the Harley-Davidson Street Bob. “You can have your pick of the Softail or the Dresser.”
Travis chose the Softail and they both took off down the driveway. Thirty minutes later, they roared upCanyon Lake Drive to the place they first bonded. Without the cover of night, the Hollywood sign seemed twice as large, and it grew in size and stature as they approached it. They rode as far up the winding hill as they could in order to get away from the tourists, but without disturbing the residents who occupied the multi-million dollar properties.
Since they were starting out onhigher elevation, the climb didn’t seem as treacherous as that first night, but maybe it was because they weren’t drunk. Small branches and twigs crunched under Derek’s feet as they stayed low to the ground, shielded by the brush so they didn’t draw attention to themselves. A ground squirrel scurried by, confused by humans invading its territory, and small lizards zigzagged through the weeds.
Once they reached the lettering, Travis dropped onto his back and stared up at the sky, disappearing in the sparse brush. “Lie down next to me.”
“Are we gonna screw around in the dirt? Because that could be either fucking awesome, or extremely painful if a herd of fire ants decide to take up residence in my ass.”
Travis laughed, rich and carefree. “I’ll tryto control myself.” He extended his hand toward Derek. “Look at the sky with me.”
Derek pulled his hair to the front in order to keep it out of the dirt, and lay parallel to Travis with his palm under the back of his head for protection. After all, long hair had its commitments. They didn’t speak for a long time, content with enjoying the serenity of the late afternoon sunshine andwatching the sun descend in the horizon.
Twilight came quickly, and the pastel sky faded to the glow of midnight blue, then to a deep navy. Stars peeked through one at a time, announcing their presence with a flicker of light. They began to multiply. As Derek continued to stare at the sky, more stars came into focus, and the sky transformed into a constellation of blinking lights.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Travis asked, in a dreamy voice. “Watching the stars come out of hiding? They’re up there all day, but no one knows it. They stare down at everyone, invisible, watching everything without anyone knowing. Then the night comes, and that’s when they show themselves.”
Derek lifted his head to look down at the street below, now empty of civilization, wherea hundred people stood a mere hour ago. He settled back down with his hands laced behind his head. “It’s beautiful.”
“I know. I love this kind of quiet beauty. Inside the house, quiet talks to me. And it doesn’t have nice things to say. But out here, surrounded by nature and the infinite sky, I find solace. The crazy thoughts inside my head disappear into the void.” Travis pausedfor a few moments. “This is the only way I got through my childhood. Sneaking out at night and staring at the sky. No one could take that away from me.” Travis turned his head toward Derek. “What was it like for you as a kid?”
“Normal, I guess. I played video games, but I wasn’t a gamer. Music was really all I thought about. I’ve been playing guitar since I was seven. I was neverinterested in playing ball with the other kids in the neighborhood. I always wanted to practice.” Derek imagined his Strat in his hands and fingered the chords toAK-47.
“Did your parents support your music?”
“Yes and no. They always pushed me to consider a career other than music, or something more stable than a rock star. After I graduated high school, I told them Iwas taking a year off to figure out what I wanted to do before registering for college. But I knew I was never going. And that’s when Bulletproof got signed. My parents were proud of me. They came to a lot of my shows in the beginning.” Derek chuckled. “But the audience got too wild for them.”
