Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story (43 page)

“Looks like you’ve got company,” Taylor said to Annie, motioning toward the long black car.

Annie stopped and peered off into the darkness.  Her heart suddenly coming to life in her chest.  The man leaning against the car came from the shadows and began to walk toward her.  The dark hair and earthy swagger were all too familiar.  Annie smiled and bit her bottom lip.

“Hey Taylor, how’s it going?” Michael asked, smiling nervously.

“Still as handsome as ever, I see,” she commented.

He shrugged, turning his eyes to Annie.  Suddenly Taylor felt like an intruder.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone,” Taylor said awkwardly and walked toward her car.

“See you later,” Annie called to her.

“I won’t wait up,” Taylor laughed.

And then they were alone.

“I couldn’t wait until Friday,” he spoke softly.  “I hope you’re not mad.”

“No.  I don’t mind at all,” she grinned.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it; cautious of every move he made.  For several nerve-wracking minutes they stood holding hands, then Annie stepped closer to him.  Gently, he pulled her against his chest and buried his face in her hair.

“I really missed you,” she sighed  “I’m glad you came.”

“Want to go for a ride?” he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

They ended up at the band apartment, curled comfortably on the couch in the living room.

“Are you still nervous about touring with Lace?” Michael asked.

“Yes.  I don’t suppose you’d have any words of advice for me?”

Michael nodded.  “Sure.  Best advice I can give is: never let the fans get too close.  Keep your offstage life as separate and private as possible.  The more the fans know about you the more they think they own you.”  He stretched his legs and set them on the coffee table.  “And never trust anyone out of the circle.”

“The circle?” she asked, confused.

“Actually, the circle consists of several different rings.  The center of it is you.  In the ring closest to the center are the people you can trust the most.  That would be me,  your band members, and maybe their immediate families.  The bigger the rings get, the less you confide in them.  Soon enough you’ll figure out where the boundaries are.”

“How?”

“You’ll know the first time you see something in print that you thought was said in confidence.  That is when you’ll know you stepped outside the circle.  It’s a hard lesson I learned a long time ago.  That’s why Thrust hates outsiders.  We’ve been burned too many times.”

“I’ve got so much to learn,” Annie sighed.

“If you want to learn, I’ll teach you everything I know.”

“Hmmm, I like the sound of that,” she giggled.

“I thought you might,” he said, his grin turning serious.  “I don’t want to downplay the obvious perks that come along with being in this business, Annie.  But, I won’t sugar-coat the drawbacks either.  I’m thankful every day that I’m still able to do what I love best and for the fans that continue to buy our records and go to our shows.  It’s for that reason alone that I allow them to get close to me at all.  I guess you could call it a love-hate relationship.”

Annie listened carefully to his words of wisdom and knew she had much to learn.  He was wise beyond his years and had managed to pack two lifetimes into his thirty-eight years.  It was hard not to stand in awe of what he had accomplished.  She felt so uneducated to the wicked ways of the world when she was with him.

“Too many people will fuck you over and not feel an ounce of guilt after they do it.  Management will sell your soul to make a buck off your name.  To them, you’re nothing but a name or a face.  They’re always looking to get something from you.  The fans would claw the skin off your body just to take home a scrap of your clothing as a souvenir or sell it online.  If you’re not careful, you will lose yourself in the process.”

“Wow, you’re really making me rethink signing with Lace.”

“I’m not trying to scare you.  But, maybe now you can understand why I’m so guarded and second-guessing anyone new I meet, wondering what they really want from me.”

They continued to talk until they both fell asleep.  Michael woke first and realized he was still fully dressed, with Annie sleeping contentedly on his chest.  He couldn’t help but smile as he stroked her tangled hair.  Slowly, she began to stir on top of him and her eyes opened.  Her clear blue eyes danced with life.

“Good morning,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she replied, sitting up on the couch.  “I don’t remember falling asleep.”

Michael laughed.  “You were snoring!”

“I was not!”

Annie moved about the apartment and grinned.  “How many houses and apartments do you actually own?”

“I don’t own this one, Annie; which is why I’ve never mentioned it.  The band owns it together.”

“I guess that explains the décor.”

“Why?  You don’t like it?” he laughed.

“Not exactly.”

“I’ll be sure to tell the decorator,” he joked, walking into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator.  “Are you hungry?”

Annie’s eyes were still busy scanning the walls and rooms, when she spotted a wall clock.  “Holy shit!  Is that the correct time?”

“Yeah, I suppose it is,” he answered.

“Oh no, I’m going to be late for practice,” she complained, trying to find her discarded shoes.

Thirty minutes later and after a quick stop at Starbuck’s for coffee and a muffin, they arrived back at the warehouse.

“Would you like to come in and watch?” she asked, jumping out of the limousine.

“Will it make you feel awkward?”

“I don't know, but I suppose we might as well get this
reunion
over with, right?”

They walked into the building, holding hands and sipping hot coffee.  Annie still had on the clothes from the previous night.  Taylor immediately took notice.

“Did you get lost last night?” she teased, giving Annie a quick head-to-toe glance.

“Nice to see you again, Taylor,” Michael smiled, slipping an arm around Annie’s waist.

A sound technician latched onto Annie and brought her over to test a new microphone.  Lacey appeared and spotted Michael.  He saw her coming, long legs and straight blond hair flailing in the breeze.  She was still amazingly pretty, in a young-girl-ish way.  Michael glanced at Annie who was still busy with the microphone issue and hoped she’d hurry back.  Exhaling heavily, he waited for the inevitable.

“Michael Wade,” Lacey smiled.  “It’s good to see you.”  She leaned in for a hug and kissed him on the cheek.

Annie watched with interest from the other side of the room but stayed her distance.

“You look great, Lacey.”

“I can tell you’re lying, but thanks,” she giggled.  “You’re still the handsome stud I remember.”

He squirmed uneasily.  Again his eyes flashed toward Annie.

“She’s a great person,” Lacey commented, noticing Michael’s attention shift again to his wife.  “You’re very lucky to have her.”

His eyes returned to Lacey and he smiled proudly.  “And, not a day goes by that I don’t acknowledge that fact,” he said.

Lacey sighed.  “I’m still looking for Mr. Wonderful, and its not easy.”

“I thought you got married?” he asked.

“I was, but the divorce proceedings lasted longer than the marriage.  It was almost as nasty as your divorce, but not quite.”

“Yeah, mine was definitely one for the records books,” he laughed.

Finally Annie appeared by Michael’s side and he relaxed.  Lacey’s eyes danced back and forth between them.  “You make a very attractive couple.  I can’t wait to see the babies you have,” Lacey teased, winking at Annie before she sauntered off to talk to Taylor.

Annie felt the blood drain from her face and hoped Michael didn’t ask questions.  He moved to a stool and pulled her between his spread thighs.  “Are you okay?” he asked, forcing her to look him in the eye.

“Yeah.  I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“I’m still tired.”

“Hey, didn’t you two get enough of each other last night?” Taylor screamed from across the room.  “Come on, we’re already an hour late getting started.”

“Little do they know, we didn’t even kiss last night,” Annie sighed, turning to face her band mates.  “I better get to work.”

Michael tugged on her hand and pulled her back between his legs.  Then his hand slipped around her neck and pulled her against his mouth.  Annie melted into him, her hands moving around his waist, and everything around them faded.  His lips were so moist and pliable, she wanted to consume him where he stood but thought better of the idea.  Regretfully, she pulled herself away from him.

“We’ll have to finish that later,” she smiled, with her face flush and arousal making her unsteady on her feet.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he smiled.

“Okay.”

She made her way through the sea of cables on the floor and toward her microphone stand.  Several hours later, the band finished practice and were making plans to patronize a few uptown city nightclubs.  Michael turned his attention to Annie.

“What do you want to do?” he asked, stroking the back of her head.

“I want to get out of the city,” she whispered.  “Can you take me back to the Vineyard?”

“Sounds good to me.  I’ll make the arrangements,” he replied, pulling out his cell phone to call the airport.

Annie slept against Michael’s chest for most of the flight back to the Vineyard until air turbulence woke her.  The co-pilot came back into their cabin and asked if they were all right, then warned them of the impending nor’easter headed for the island.  All departing flights would be canceled, once they landed.  Michael shrugged it off.  Nothing was going to ruin his weekend with Annie.

It was raining heavily when they landed in Edgartown and the wind was near gale force.  Michael slowly made his way through the back roads of Vineyard Haven toward his beach house.

“Michael, none of these houses have lights on,” Annie commented with a note of concern in her voice.

“I think the power is out,” he replied, carefully navigating the jeep down the treacherous dirt road to his house.

She peered out her window trying to see familiar landmarks though the thick milky fog and wind-blown torrents of rain.  “Will we be all right out here if the power is out?”

He pulled the jeep into the driveway and brought it to a stop.  “Annie, you’ve lived on this island how long?  Don’t tell me a little nor’easter scares you now?”

“I’ve never been on the water when one of these storms roared through,” she answered nervously.

He patted her on the thigh and smiled.  “We’ll be fine.  Grab your coat and we’ll make a dash for the door.”

In a flash Michael bolted from the jeep and ran to the door, unlocking it and tossing their bags inside the kitchen.  Annie was right on his heels with her coat hovering above her head in an effort to stay dry.

“Go dry off and I’ll get some wood to start a fire,” he suggested, and darted out the deck door to the woodbin.

Annie found a couple of candles and lit them, placing them around the kitchen and living room.  She jumped when the door flew open and Michael stumbled back inside with his arms loaded with heavy chunks of tree, his clothes drenched through to the skin.

“You’re soaking wet,” she said, her voice full of concern.

“I’ll change after I get the fire started,” he replied, as he sunk to his knees and loaded up the fireplace rack with wood.

When he finished, Annie handed him a towel to dry his hair.  He pulled off his shirt and hung it over a chair to dry and headed for the bedroom.  Annie took her shoes off and sat on the floor in front of the fire.  She closed her eyes and basked in the warmth of the flames.  The wind vibrated against the cottage, and rain and sand pelted against the glass, creating an eerie atmosphere.  A shiver rocketed through her body.

“Are you cold?” he asked, entering the living room, pulling on an old sweatshirt over his damp hair as he walked.

“No, not really.  But I’m relieved to be inside,” she replied shifting her position to make room for him to sit beside her.

Michael spun the couch around to face the fire and used its base to sit against on the floor.  Annie did the same.  Then he hung his arms over his bent knees and dropped his head back against he couch cushions, resting his eyes.  “The fire feels nice,” he said.

A long pause hung between them, as Annie contemplated her next statement.  She knew how she wanted the conversation to end, but finding the right words to begin made her nervous.

“You know, I realized this morning that we talked for hours last night but never discussed the two subjects I wanted to talk about the most,” she began.

He rolled his head to face her.  “I was happy just hearing the sound of your voice.”

She smiled and turned her eyes to the fire.  “The conversations I had with Lacey about you were very…therapeutic for me.  She helped me put a lot of things into perspective and suddenly, it all made sense.”

“What does that all mean, Annie?”

She studied his face, his eyes and the sensuous lines of his mouth.  Just looking at him made her heart pound harder and the bottom drop from her stomach.  In the flickering glow of the fire, his sleepy eyes danced with love.  He filled her soul with such an inner peace.  Everything around them faded into obscurity.  The only sound she could hear was his breathing.

She reached out and brushed a layer of drying hair off his brow, then slid her fingers down the bridge of his long nose and over his full lips.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, you can’t change your past anymore than I can change mine.  Granted, my past isn’t quite as colorful as yours, but nonetheless, it’s done and over with.”

“So everything is okay?”

“Yeah.  But if you ‘omit’ important information like that again…”

“Annie, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Okay, then let’s forget about it,” she said.  Nervously she wrung out her hands.  “There’s something else I need to share with you.  It’s something I found out just before I left for New York.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember the night a couple of months ago we made that enormous bonfire on the beach?”