| “Hey, come on in,” Michal said, opening the door wider to let Tremonti in. He smiled and stepped in the door, his eyes darting around the apartment. He watched her grab her keys and smile at him, then head out the door. He followed and watched her lock the door, taking in her slim figure. He smiled slightly. “You look nice,” he said quietly. She blushed and smiled. “Thanks,” she said, looking down at herself. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a black baby tee, with her black Nike’s. He offered her arm, which she took, and they walked down the path to the car. *** “Thanks for dinner,” Michal said, stopping outside the door to her apartment. “No problem,” Tremonti said, smiling. “Any time.” He watched her unlock the door and gesture for him to come in. He stepped in the doorway. “Feel up to a walk?” she asked, smiling. “Sure,” he said, smiling. She walked out the door, locked it, and dropped her keys into her pocket. They were silent for a few moments. “Can I ask you something?” “Sure,” Michal said, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. “How long have you had cancer?” Michal took a deep breath and slowly let it out before answering. “They found it about six months ago,” she said quietly. “What kind is it?” Her eyes fell to the ground. “Breast.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I woke up one morning with a huge bump, and it was really tender, so I went to the doctor and he ordered a biopsy.” She laughed slightly, and he looked over, concerned. “He said I was the youngest case of breast cancer he’d ever heard of. I did the whole radiation thing, but I have seven months until I’m done with chemo. They said it’s gone, but I still have two years until I’m in complete remission. I finally have my hair back,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “God, I’m twenty-one years old. I’ve still got college and graduate school ahead of me.” “So, when do you graduate?” “In a few months,” Michal said, her gaze fixed on the ground in front of her. “Then I have three years of law school after that.” “Where are you going? Do you know?” “Cornell, I think.” He nodded. They walked slowly in silence. She looked over at him and chuckled, her laugh deep in her throat. “What’s funny?” he asked, his eyebrow raised. She stopped walking, and he did the same. “You have a huge bruise on your neck,” she said, her hand lightly brushing against it. Goose bumps rose on his skin as he grimaced slightly and he shivered. “It’s a cute one.” The sarcasm was obvious and he smiled, his hand meeting hers. She looked up into his warm, brown eyes, then back down to his mouth. She swallowed hard, uneasiness returning to her stomach. “I don’t want your sympathy, Mark. I have enough as it is.” “I know,” he said quietly. His hand went to her cheek, gently caressing the soft skin. “This isn’t sympathy.” She looked down at her hand on his chest, and he gently lifted her chin with a finger. He slowly leaned down, his lips capturing hers in a soft, gentle kiss. He pulled back, watching her eyes flutter open. He smiled and took her hand, urging her forward. They walked the rest of the way in silence. They reached her front door, and she unlocked it, letting it swing open in front of her. He turned her toward him and leaned down to kiss her again. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her full against him. Her hands went around his neck, catching in his hair. He pulled back and looked into her blue eyes. She smiled and pulled out of his grasp, heading for the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow when we get to the stadium,” he said, still holding her hand. She smiled and nodded, leaning back to kiss him again. *** “Are you gonna make it to the show tomorrow?” Phillips asked on the other line. Michal smiled and shifted on the bed. “Yeah. Mark told me to get there around noon so I can get there for the soundcheck and everything.” She picked up the latest issue of Guitar World, and stared at the picture of Tremonti on the cover. A smile found its way to her face. “Cool. I’ll see you then,” Phillips said. “Okay. Tell everyone hi for me, okay.” “Sure thing, babes.” She smiled at the nickname Phillips had given her. “See you then.” “Bye.” Michal sighed as she replaced the phone on the hook. She leaned back on the bed, covering her face with her forearm. She turned and glanced at the clock, sitting up to set the alarm for a two-hour nap. When it went off, she yawned and groggily sat up. “God, I hate this,” she said to herself. “Hate what?” She looked up and saw her roommate, Lyndsey, in the doorway. Lyndsey came over and sat on the bed next to her. “These damn pills,” she said, opening the bottle and tossing a couple of pills in her mouth. She picked up the bottle of water off the bedside table and took a long swallow, grimacing. “You have to take them, though,” Lyndsey said with a sigh. “I know. They just make me feel like crap,” Michal said. Lyndsey just nodded sympathetically, reaching out to smooth the hair standing up from Michal’s head. “Are you coming with me to the concert tomorrow?” “Sure thing, doll.” Michal laughed. “You’re such a nerd,” she said between giggles. Lyndsey smiled. “Yeah, well, you love me.” *** “What’s up with you, Tremonti?” Stapp raised his eyebrow as Tremonti sauntered into the room, a grin on his face. He plopped onto the couch next to Stapp. “Dude, I haven’t seen my girlfriend in two months, and I’m happy I get to see her today. That’s all,” he said, his brown eyes twinkling. “When’s she supposed to get here?” “Sometime around noon. I told the guard that she’s coming and showed him a picture, so he’s gonna let her back when she gets here.” Just then, Tremonti’s cell rang, and he jumped up to take it out of his back pocket. “’Lo?” “Hey – Mark?” “Uh, yeah, who is this?” “My name is Lyndsey – I’m Michal’s roommate.” “OH! Hey. What’s up?” “Um, Michal’s driving at the moment, so I need to get directions from you,” she said, laughing on the other end of the line. “Okay, where are you?” Lyndsey told him and quickly wrote down the directions he gave her. Soon, they were pulling up to the stadium, and heading backstage. Before Michal knew it, Mark ran up the corridor and picked her up, spinning her around. She laughed and gently smacked him, begging him to put her down. Lyndsey laughed and extended her hand. “I’m Lyndsey, nice to finally meet you, Mark.” He shook her hand, a wide smile on his face. “You too. C’mon,” he said, gesturing down the hall, “I want you to meet the rest of the band.” He took Michal’s hand and led them down the hall to a small room, where Scott Stapp, Scott Phillips, and Brett Hestla sat, chatting and laughing. “Guys, this is Michal and her roommate Lyndsey.” Phillips’ eyes lit up and he embraced Michal, then shook Lyndsey’s hand. Stapp did the same, and introduced them to Brett again, who nodded and smiled politely. Tremonti gave them the quick tour and they sat in the front row to watch soundcheck. Before they knew it, it was time for the concert to start. “You might want to head out there,” Phillips said. “They’re starting to let people in, so you want to get a good place where you can see but won’t get bounced around too much.” Michal smiled and nodded. Mark leaned over and kissed the end of her nose and disappeared. Lyndsey and Michal were escorted by security to a secluded spot on the floor where they could still see, but not have to go into the pit. Halfway through the concert, Michal started feeling dizzy. Her hands were clammy, and she couldn’t focus, so she and Lyndsey found a security guard to let them onto Creed’s tour bus. An hour or so later Mark burst through the door, concern written across his face. “What happened?” he asked, his eyes searching for Michal. |