For the first time in nearly three years, A.J. McLean was visibly nervous before a show. He wondered what was to blame briefly before he remembered where he and the other Backstreet Boys were that night. FleetCenter. Boston, Massachusetts.
The group had added "Til There Was You" to the lineup the night before in Albany, N.Y. and it received an incredible amount of applause. The critic from the local paper had heralded the song as a "smash hit."
Tonight, there was the all-too-real possibility that J. could hear it. Since beginning their rehearsals of the song, A.J.’s bandmates told him they would do anything necessary to help him find the ghostwriter. He had heard an infinite number of unsolicited, educated guesses about her identity. Playing his part, A.J. dismissed all their suggestions. He didn’t want his mind clouded with any preconceived ideas of who she was.
A.J. was pacing now. Anxious and excited. He was so involved in his thoughts that the comforting hand that settled on his shoulder startled him. "Bone, you need to calm down," Howie observed.
"She’s out there," the younger man said with quiet authority. "She’s here in this building."
Howie and the others still didn’t know how to understand the connection between their friend and this woman, but neither did they deny its existence. "You’ll be okay.
And A.J. was okay. He poured his very soul into that night’s concert, but as much as he concentrated upon his singing and choreography, he was aware of the fans. He continuously scanned the audience for the telltale green eyes, and yet, he knew she wouldn’t allow herself to be revealed until he had performed her song. He was prepared for that moment.
An hour into the show, it was time. As Kevin sat down at the piano and Howie grabbed an acoustic guitar, A.J. inhaled as much strength as he could and spoke. "How ya doin’, Boston!" He was rewarded with a chorus of screams. "Good. Me and the guys would like to perform a new song for ya’ll tonight. We hope it’s something you like. I wrote it with the help of Kevin and Howie and the words of a…" He paused to think and found his eyes drawn to the faces in the third row. "…a friend of mine from Boston named J."
A.J. froze. There in front of him was a woman with blonde/brownie-colored hair that hung to her shoulders in thick waves. Her face reflected the shock he could read in her eyes. In fact, he could read every emotion in her GREEN eyes.
A.J. smiled. "So we would like to dedicate ‘Til There Was You’ to you, J." He pointed to the woman, the signal for his bodyguard. He watched the skyscraper of a man approach J. and lead her backstage, where she would stay until A.J. could join her.
* ~ * ~ *
She knew it wasn’t suppose to happen this way. How to escape? He would be so heartbroken if she left, but hearing the strains of "It’s Gotta Be You," she realized the concert was near its end and she couldn’t remain there. Quickly , she scribbled a note on a piece of scrap paper that she had found lying on the coffee table. Placing it where she knew he would see it, she left the dressing room just as the Boys were entering the backstage area. She watched A.J. tease Nick for a moment before she disappeared.
"Where is she?" A.J. asked upon discovering an empty dressing room.
"Who?" Kevin replied.
"J. Marcus brought her back here. Where is she?"
Howie thrust a non-descript piece of paper into his hands. "I’m sorry, A.J."
"No. She didn’t. She couldn’t." He fell into one of the couches and unfolded the note.
Dear Alex,
Thank you. You don’t know what it meant to me to hear my song. My gratitude makes it difficult for me to do this to you. I’m sorry. You must understand that we were never meant to meet like this, but I’ll explain later.
Love,
J.
A.J. was hardly aware of the tears escaping his eyes as he shook his head. He felt empty, incomplete. What did she mean by she would explain later? Thanks to the events that transpired and her cryptic note, he expected to endure another nightmare, but the events didn’t manifest a dream that night or in the nights that followed. The letter A.J. expected to explain her abrupt departure never materialized. Still he refused to forget. He couldn’t forget.
Meanwhile, the Boys decided to record "Til There Was You" for their next album and even made the song their first single off the record. The song had been well-received by critics and fans. A.J.’s friends only hoped that it might help him heal from the experience.
* ~ * ~ *
She was driving down Commonwealth Avenue with the moonroof open so she could enjoy the warm Indian Summer air. It was October – over a year since she had sent the original letters to A.J. – and she was headed to her father’s house in Newton. As always, she had her radio tuned to the local pop station.
"That was ‘Push" from Matchbox20. Now from one Orlando band to another, here is the Backstreet Boys with their latest offering ‘Til There Was You’."
She smiled. This was probably only the third time she had heard her song, but the single had only been released for a week. Never did she forget to raise her eyes to the sky and thank God for speeding her letter to A.J.
"Thank you," she whispered as she made the turn onto Beacon Street.
Though I am not usually one to withhold chapters from you when at all possible, Cheryl and I have reached the mutual decision to make you wait until the next update set for the Epilogue. Never fear, the Epilogue will tie up all the loose ends and will have your jaw dropping to the floor. Take it from me, the conclusion of "A Song In Every Silence" is definitely worth the wait. You probably won't thank me for this "cruel and unusual punishment", but suspense is an author's best friend. *g*
~Jessi
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