| “Morning,” she said. “You want me to let you crash in the guest bedroom?” she asked, softly brushing a stray hair from his forehead. He yawned, nodding slightly, resembling a little boy that had just awakened from a nap. She pulled him up from the couch, her fingers intertwining with his as she lead him down the hall, not bothering to flip the light switch. She pulled back the covers, fluffing the pillows for him. She turned to him slowly, and he wrapped his arms around her. She turned her head, uncomfortable with this sudden, unexpected sign of affection. He sighed, and she felt his breath on her neck, making her shiver. Her eyes focused on the alarm clock on the bedside table – it was three in the morning. Her hands went to his shoulders as she pulled herself out of his arms. “Goodnight,” she whispered. His hand lingered in hers, gently squeezing her fingers. She turned to him, managing a small smile as she exited the room, flipping the light off on the way out. He sighed, running his hands through his hair as he sat on the edge of the bed. *** Mark woke with a start to the alarm’s loud buzz. His fingers fumbled, trying to find the snooze button. He flopped back on the pillow, scratching his head. He stood, his eyes focusing on the doorway, on a shadow. He smiled, and she entered the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she leaned her head against his stomach. “The towels are in the hall closet, if you want to take a shower,” she said quietly. He nodded, running his fingers through her hair. Her eyes closed, and he sat next to her. “Scott called while you were asleep. He said you need to be at the arena around noon.” He nodded. She stood and went to the door. “Is it just me or is it cold in here all of a sudden?” he asked, watching her stop in her tracks. She turned slowly, her eyes flashing. “What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded. He shrugged, standing and walking past her, pulling a towel down from the closet and disappearing behind the bathroom door. She sighed as she heard the shower turn on. She couldn’t help but laugh. *** “So how’d it go?” Scottie asked, looking up from the card game at Mark, who had just walked into the dressing room. Mark shrugged, picking up a can of Coke and popping it open with one hand. Scottie’s eyebrow rose, pressing for further information. “Well, what happened?” “Nothing.” “So you didn’t work anything out?” Stapp asked before taking a swig of beer. Jagger flipped his cards over, showing his hand, delighted at the laughter he received. He giggled, leaning back against Stapp’s chest as Scottie gathered the cards to re-deal. Mark shook his head, settling into the chair across from Stapp and pulling Jagger into his lap. “So what happened?” “Nothing.” Mark sent Scottie a look, and Scottie shut up. “Is she coming after the concert tonight?” Stapp asked, fanning his cards. Mark shrugged. “She was gone after I got out of the shower, so I left her a note. I guess we’ll find out in a while.” “Anything interesting happen?” Mark sent Scottie another look, and Stapp kicked him under the table, receiving a sheepish look from Scottie. Mark snickered, picking Jagger up as he stood. He flipped a giggling Jagger over his shoulder as he grabbed another Coke. He decided against the Coke, putting it back and grabbing a couple of beers, tossing one to Stapp. He sat back down with a sigh. “No, nothing happened for the millionth time, Scottie. She cried, and then we went to bed. That’s it.” “Went to bed…” Stapp trailed off, his eyebrow raised. Mark rolled his eyes. “C’mon, man. What do you think I am?” “Desperate?” Scottie snickered. Mark mimicked him, then sighed, shaking his head. “C’mon guys, sound check,” said Steve, the stage manager. The guys nodded and stood. Mark handed Jagger over to Stapp, and the four headed out to the stage. *** Lynn sighed, refusing for the last time. James just didn’t understand. “Why won’t you just try, Lynn?” “James, you don’t understand, okay? I can’t.” She stood up from the couch, pacing around the room, wringing her hands. “Lynn…” he whined. “C’mon. He obviously still cares about you, and you know it. Why are you being such a bitch?” Lynn’s eyes shot up angrily. “What the hell are you talking about? You don’t know what happened in the past. You weren’t there. You have no idea what I’m going through.” “You’re right, so tell me.” Lynn shook her head, and James sighed. “Look, I can tell this is hard for you – I can see that. But try looking at it from his point of view. For all he knew, you were married and had kids – had a new life. But he found you, and you’re single.” Lynn sat, confused by all the thoughts and emotions running through her head. “He never stopped loving you, Lynn. And something tells me you haven’t stopped loving him.” Lynn’s eyes dropped to the floor. “I do still love him. But I can’t forget the past.” James’ eyebrows furled. “I thought you said you ran away from him because you were scared he would hurt you.” “I did.” “So what’s the problem now?” Lynn sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, for eight years I’ve gotten along just fine without so much as a thought of him, except every now and then. And then all of a sudden, you get this bright idea to hook us up, and everything’s changed. All the feelings I had for him came back to me, and I’m scared again.” “So you’re just going to run away from him again, not knowing what it would be like to just be with him?” “Exactly. What I don’t know can’t hurt me.” James sighed. “You’re running blindly, Lynn. Trying something isn’t going to kill you – you know him well enough to know he’s not going to hurt you intentionally. Especially after wondering about you for eight years.” He took her hand in his. “Just give him a chance, Lynn. That’s all I’m asking.” She sighed, then stood, grabbing her purse and keys. “Where are you going?” “I’ve got a concert to go to,” she said with a smile. James smiled back. *** Lynn pounded the steering wheel, frustrated with the traffic. She had already missed the first half of Creed’s set, and was hoping to get there soon so she could catch the last half. It didn’t look like traffic was going to let her. As she sat, her car not moving, she noticed that for the first time in eight years, she had butterflies in her stomach just thinking about seeing Mark again. She smiled to herself. As she pulled into the parking lot, she noticed that the concert goers were starting to pile out of the arena. She swore to herself, cursing the traffic that had prevented her from getting there sooner. Hurriedly, she hopped out of the car, slamming the door and practically running toward the back entrance. She quickly told the guard who she was, and he let her back. She ran toward the greenroom, praying they were still there. |