| Lynn sighed as she closed the door behind James. “I can’t believe I just told him all that,” she whispered to herself. She headed back to the attic to finish looking through that box. Once upstairs, her eyes fell on the trashcan, and she walked to it with a heavy sigh. With trembling fingers, she bent down and pulled the picture of them out of the trash. Her face crumpled as the tears surfaced. She collapsed onto the floor, holding her stomach as she sobbed. The memories flooded back – she could still feel his lips on hers, and his arms around her. She missed that feeling. *** “Mark…” Scottie had followed him off the bus and into a nearby fast-food restaurant. Mark waved him off over his shoulder, speeding his steps up. Scottie jogged to catch up with him, and after they both ordered their food, settled into the chair next to him. Mark stared at the food in front of him as Scottie dug in without a word. He watched Scottie finish eating with a scowl, finally picking up his soda to take a long, slow drink. He picked up a French fry and nibbled on it, eyeing Scottie uneasily. Scottie opened his mouth to speak, and Mark held up a hand, rolling his eyes. “I don’t want to hear it, Scott,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. Scottie clamped his mouth shut, and Mark picked up his burger. Scottie waited to open his mouth again until Mark had taken a huge bite and was unable to stop him. “Why don’t you just try calling her?” Mark stopped chewing suddenly, then snatched his lunch into his hands before storming out of the restaurant. Scottie sighed as he stood, gathering the trash littering the table. He headed back toward the bus, managing an apologetic smile at the employee staring at him in awe. “Where’s Mark?” Scottie had searched the bus, but Mark wasn’t anywhere in sight. Stapp shrugged, his eyes questioning Scottie. Scottie sighed. “I told him he needed to call her.” Stapp’s face fell, and he shook his head. “I know I shouldn’t have said anything, but he’s really starting to piss me off. He’s been doing this for eight years. He either needs to get over her or suck it up and call her.” “I know that, Scottie, and he knows it too. But you seem to have forgotten that he doesn’t know how to get a hold of her.” Scottie’s face fell, a sheepish look slipping across it. “Oh yeah.” Stapp nodded. “Have you seen him?” “No.” Scottie sighed, stepping off the bus again to look for him. He found him sitting on the curb outside the restaurant. Mark looked up at him, managing a small smile. “I’m sorry man. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Mark nodded slowly as Scottie sat next to him. “You know,” he started, “I would call her, but I don’t know where to start looking for her.” He sighed. “I guess I should just forget about her.” Scottie put a consoling hand on his back. *** “Here,” James said, tossing a pair of concert tickets onto Lynn’s desk. Her eyebrow rose as she picked them up. “What’s this?” she asked, confused. “I’m taking you out tonight. You need a little relaxation.” She nodded. “Have I heard them before?” He shrugged. “Hmm…” She fiddled with them, her fingers tracing the letters printed on the tickets. “I guess I can go, if you paid for it.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him. He laughed. “Great,” he said. He turned to exit her office, then spun back around on one foot, digging through his pockets. “Oh… I forgot.” He pulled two laminated pieces of paper from his pocket. He wiggled them at her. “V.I.P. passes, too – for my very important person-boss…” She laughed at him and waved him out of her office. Two hours later, after changing, they were headed to the arena. “These seats are really crappy, James,” she said with a smirk. He frowned. “I know – my favor didn’t exactly do what he could have, but at least we’re here.” “True. Here instead of at the office…” He laughed. “I’ll be right back,” he said, standing abruptly. “Bathroom.” She laughed and nodded, scooting back in her seat so he could get by. *** “Great job with the seats, baby,” James said once he found Dana, his girlfriend who just happened to work at the arena. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, and she laughed. “You know, usually people want seats closer to the stage, but whatever…” He smiled down at her. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise,” he said. “She hasn’t seen him for a long time, and I don’t want her to know it’s him until we go backstage.” “They have big screen close-ups. What are you gonna do about that?” James shrugged. “Pray she doesn’t notice?” She laughed at him. He kissed her and disappeared, leaving her in the hallway, still laughing. He got back to his seat just as the first band came out onstage. Lynn enjoyed the first two acts, and sat down before the headlining band came out. She smoothed her jeans with a sigh. “This was a good idea, James,” she said with a smile. “It’s gotten my mind off a lot of things. Including Mark,” she sighed, her thoughts returning to him. “Until now anyway.” James felt a twinge of guilt, hoping she’d react the way he wanted her to. The band took the stage, and he noticed that they were at a bad angle to see the big screen. He silently blessed his girlfriend. Once the concert was over, they headed back stage. The security guard checked their passes and let them back, directing them to the green room. Lynn was enjoying herself, talking to various people, and she hadn’t noticed the two men playing ping-pong in the back. She settled onto the couch with a blond man, chatting happily. *** Mark smiled as he scored another point against Brett. He stuck his tongue out with a laugh, serving again. A movement caught his eye, and he looked up, just in time for Brett to score a point against him. A shapely woman had just entered the room, her back to him. Her hair was long and black, her jeans hugging her body tightly. She had a black studded tank top on. He watched her settle on the couch with Scottie, turning his attention back to his game with Brett. A familiar laugh echoed through the room, and he froze, looking up slowly. The woman had turned her head, and he could now see her profile. The color drained from his face as he whispered her name. Brett followed his gaze, confused. Mark dropped his paddle, heading over to the couch. *** “It’s been a while, Lynn.” Lynn froze, her face registering shock. Scottie looked at her funny, then over her shoulder. The color drained from her face as she slowly turned around. Her eyes followed his body up toward his face, taking in the muscular arms his tank top exposed. Her eyes fell on his face, and the can of soda dropped onto the floor, spilling all over the place. She stood slowly, facing him. Her green eyes met his warm, brown eyes, and a single tear slid down her cheek. “Mark,” she whispered. James smiled from the corner. She backed away from him, nearly tripping over the coffee table. His face was expressionless, his eyes dark. Her lip quivered, another tear surfacing. She blinked, shaking her head as she tried to clear this illusion from her mind. She opened her eyes slowly, but he hadn’t disappeared. She bolted from the room, and he followed her, running down the hall to catch her. James followed, as did Scottie and Stapp. Mark caught her just as she was about to open a door and run outside. His hand grasped her arm, spinning her around to face him. Stapp stopped, catching James and Scottie. He forced them back to the greenroom. “Lynn, look at me.” She shook her head, not wanting to believe this was happening. A sob escaped her, and he pulled her close. Her eyes closed as she breathed in his scent, hearing his heart beat quickly and steadily. They slid to the floor, and she clung to him. She pulled away, trying to stand. He held her in place, turning her face toward him. Her eyes dropped to the ground. Finally, she gave in, meeting his eyes. They said nothing, sharing their emotions through their eyes. He stopped a tear halfway down her cheek with a gentle brush of his hand. Her eyes closed at his touch, and he leaned in, capturing her lips in a soft, gentle kiss. She pulled away, standing. She walked down the hall, managing a quick apology over her shoulder as she ran away again. Once safely inside her house, she locked the door and slid to the floor, the sobs resurfacing. Mark stared after her, saddened once again. James approached him, followed by Scottie. Scottie put a hand on his shoulder, and Mark dropped his head, sighing. He rested his hands on his hips, fighting the tears. “She did it again, Scott. That’s all I need to know.” James shook his head. “Mark…” he turned around. “Who the hell are you?” “I work for Lynn.” He offered Mark a piece of paper. Mark took the paper, reading her office address. His eyes met James’ and he smiled, thanking him. “She really does miss you, Mark. Just give her a chance to find out for herself.” Mark nodded, then headed back to the green room. |