“We’ve been playing together for about four years now. It’s always quite the experience with these guys but we have fun and we enjoy sharing our love of music.” His eyes roam my body again, and I get more than self-conscious. “You look…. You look beautiful tonight.” He licks his full lips, and I start to slide down the wall to get back to the bar. His hand is suddenly on my arm, stopping my movements, but I dare not look at him. “I’d love to buy you a drink after the bar closes tonight, if…. If you want to.” My heart feels like it could leap out of my chest as I turn my head slightly and see the pleading look in his eyes. I nod shakily and watch his lips move up into a smile as he releases my arm, and I walk quickly back to the bar where it’s safe. This is so wrong. He’s my teacher. But God, since when have I ever played by anyone’s rules? This is so going to be the slowest night of my life.
§ § § §
Longest show of my life when all I want to do is talk to Emma. The way her gorgeous eyes met mine in the hallway, the way she fidgeted as I looked at her. I could sense her body responding to my voice and shit, what a body and mind. Fuck! Why does she have to be a student of mine? How unlucky am I? Why on earth do I find someone who I actually want to know, be with, and am not free to do so?
Finally, we’re about to play the last number and I turn to the guys and whisper, “The Hardest Things.” Duke rolls his eyes and then shrugs as Phillip and Mark wink. “Thanks a ton for being here with us tonight. You all Rock!” The women crowd around the edge of the stage and scream. “This is a new number and you all are the first to hear it. I hope you like it.” They all scream again but as I sit down on the stool and start strumming my guitar they all quiet down.
How can life be so unfair at times?
Why can’t it give me what I need?
Is it too much to ask for the one I love?
Why is it always the hardest of times for me?
All I want to do is know you,
Love you,
And keep you safe.
But life has a way to always intervene,
Keeping us apart.
Why is it always the hardest of times for me?
I continue to play and sing, pouring out everything I feel about Emma into this one song. As I reach the end, I look up and see her standing behind the bar. Her blue eyes sparkling from the overhead light and I see her heavy breathing and know in my gut she’s affected by my words. That makes me even more determined to get to know her, want her and try to figure out a way to have her.
I finish off the last chords of the song but you can’t hear them over the screaming women. A girl I’ve seen at several bars starts to pull herself up to get on the stage and I rise and take a few steps back. “You always play our song for the last one. Why did you have to ruin it? You didn’t play it at all for me tonight.” She cries as she’s almost on the stage. A big bouncer is there just as she stands and starts to run, grabbing her around her waist and carries her off crying, screaming and hitting his arms.
“Night, everyone! Be careful getting home. Be safe! We’ll see you again tomorrow night!” Screaming and yelling ensues as I walk down the few steps off the stage and make a beeline for the backroom, the guys hot on my heels. When we get into the room, I see a tray of beers and shots and look around, but Emma isn’t here. We all down our shots and sit around drinking our beers then start loading up the instruments we can take with us. We start heading out of the bar through the backdoor, and I turn suddenly, walk back down the hallway and peer around the corner. I see people cleaning up. No customers are left, and Emma is nowhere around. Letting out a big sigh, I turn back and walk towards the backdoor wondering if I made the biggest mistake of my life and scared her off. I push open the door and start walking to my truck. My head down in my frustration but a noise causes me to look up. My smile spreads when I see Emma sitting in her car next to my truck. I jog the rest of the way open my door and place my guitar carefully on the passenger side floor board then turn around and smile as she lowers her passenger window. I walk over lay my arms down on the door and lean in the window and laugh when I see she has sunglasses on. “Uh, I don’t think you need those. I don’t think the sun will be that bright until tomorrow.” I wink as she laughs and then puts her hand on the frames, sliding them down her nose, so I can see her eyes.
“I’m incognito. We can’t have people seeing us together or you’ll lose your job.” Shit! I hadn’t even thought of that, well I had but not sure I really care. “Come on. Follow me. I know an out of the way café that’s open all night.” My eyebrows raise as I wonder how she would know of such a place. “Hey, when you work until the early hours and are in desperate need of a great cup of coffee and some quiet time, you go looking. Now, get in your truck.” She winks as I smile, turn to my truck and get in. She’s already heading out of the lot by the time I get my seatbelt on. I have no problem catching up to her little car and follow it for what seems like a half an hour until she finally turns into a small parking lot. After I park and get out of my truck, I look up at the sign and smile. I catch up to her and watch her shyness as I open the door to ‘Mabel’s Music’. She walks in, and I follow her over to a corner table in the back. The other side of the place is covered with racks of CD’s, old albums and various posters of bands on the walls. Very nostalgic.