Chapter 18

"Don't worry baby I'll protect you, just close your eyes. I'm right here."

She muttered, "Last time you said close your eyes, you dumped ice cream down my shirt."

"I got no ice cream....." He stepped back, downed his drink and sat it on the stage behind her then turned her around to face the musicians playing a hauntingly sad blues riff. He pulled her back against his body put his hands on her hips and whispered again "Close your eyes."

She shuddered once then closed her eyes, her head tilting enough to rest on his chest. "Don't get why you think that will help."

"Just listen Mel." His body started to sway a bit in time with the rhythm. "Let it go...... feel it"

She listened to the slow melody that wound its way into her soul, to the beat of his heart that thudded against her chest, to someone’s husky hum that rose and dipped with the music, and moved to the hands guiding her hips. And as the music faded a single tear slipped down her cheek.

She stilled as the music paused for a moment and tried to will the feeling away. She couldn't start to feel now, she couldn't, yet each brush of the hand, each drawn out chord kept hammering at her, making her remember the things she swore never to remember again.

"That's it." He held her back against him "You feel it? Let it do its job Mel... let it heal you," he said softly

She took a deep breath, lifted the drink and took a huge swallow only to cough as it burned its way down her throat. "Shit that's strong."

"Easy there Darlin'," he winked. "Hey I.." He stopped as he was interrupted by a dark haired man in a suit . He listened to what the man had to say then nodded. "I got a surprise for ya Mel.... you stay right here. Ya hear me?? Don't move...."

She stiffened as he pulled away. He was walking away? He…shit.. He'd forget her again. She knew how music was.. it had taken him away before and this time if it took him away, well she didn't have a way home.

He walked away, towards the stage. After a few minutes he stepped out, dressed from head to toe in black, a borrowed guitar slung over his shoulder. He stepped up to the mic and tapped it once then cleared his throat and said a husky, "Hello."

He strummed a few chords, adjusted a few knobs then said "I didn’t plan on playing tonight but... how can I say no? Music is my mistress...." He searched the crowd for Mel and locked eyes with her. "It sometimes takes ya on a path you're not quite ready for. but uh... anyway, I wanna sing a song I helped Jon write...... and I want you to listen to the words.. Especially you Mel........ they mean a lot to me...."

He counted off "2, 3!" and played a simple intro then opened his mouth to sing in his deep timbre

"I guess this time you're... really leavin'"
"I heard your suitcase say goodbye"

He had written this with his friend? He WROTE music and lyrics? As his fingers teased the strings coaxing sounds so exquisite they hurt, her heart twisted. God. he could PLAY? Her eyes closed as that whiskey rough voice crooned, her heart bottoming out. So much pain, so much hope and all of it mixed.

And as the chorus lengthened and spoke of promises to be there her eyes lifted and her feet took a couple of steps forward. Past and present t-boned in her memory as she watched him on stage. She felt more than saw as the women crowded closer. And for the briefest instant she saw her Dork on stage, heard all the girls tittering and screaming and shrank a little inside. Just as swiftly as the memory rose the next words blew it back into the foggy mists of time.

“I know you know we've had some good times
Now they have their own hiding place
I can promise you tomorrow
But I can't buy back yesterday”

Dear God, he remembered, he remembered and it came out in words written when she wasn't even around. Damn him. Damn Dork for singing a song she instinctively knew was partly her. He hadn't forgotten; he'd hidden in the music like she'd hidden in the boring. God dammit she was gonna kiss him, if she didn’t kill him first.

She lifted her drink and took another huge swallow, thankfully it didn't burn quite so bad going down this time, her feet moving even closer as his words, his song, HIS music whispered into her soul.

Richie never took his eyes off her. Not once. He knew the moment she understood. He saw it in her eyes and he sent a silent thank you heavenward for her finally understanding.

He sang the last chorus his voice full of heart felt emotion

“I'll be there for you
These five words I swear to you
When you breathe I want to be the air for you
I'll be there for you
I'd live and I'd die for you
Steal the sun from the sky for you
Words can't say what a love can do
I'll be there for you”

When the song ended, he accepted the applause from the crowd humbly. He handed the guitar back to the man he'd borrowed it from and stepped off the stage. He was immediately surrounded by people praising him, women trying to beguile him and he took it all in stride, thanking everyone as he passed, placing a gentle flirty kiss on first one cheek then another but never once taking his eyes off Mel.

Her heart stopped beating even as she started to smile. He saw her this time. He wouldn't walk past her like he had so many times before. Her heart started up again, its beat hammering against her ribs as he smiled softly.

He reached out and took both her hands in his then leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Whaddya say we get outta here hmmm?"

She stood there her eyes bright, and rambled, "You did learn to.. you.. God you sing?? You never sang, and you write? I mean.. I knew you had stuff inside.. but," She blinked a couple times and tried to calm the racing thoughts. "Get outta here?"

"Yeah outta here," he chuckled a bit and placed one slender finger to her lips. "Shhhhhhh... lets go."

He led her by the hand, stopping once or twice to exchange money for a key and lord knew what else. He punched the key on the elevator pulling her in with him.

She followed behind him, more dazed than anything as the past was washed away by the man here and now. It added up and didn't, he was and he wasn't, God she was so out of her element. "Wha.. where?"

He didn't say another word, simply led her to a room, unlocked the door and motioned her in. He shut it with soft click and flicked on the light.

She stood there nearly afraid to step into the room,. Her eyes skittered around expecting some makeshift motel 6 like room only to be stunned even further. Shit it was nice? It was luxurious, classy, and so not her, hell what if she broke something? "You sure you wanna bring me here? I mean..."

"It's ours for the weekend Mellie."

He removed his Stetson from his head and hung in on the brass coat rack near the door, He was once again in front of her in two strides, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her with years of pent up passion, his tongue merciless, his hold on her tight.

Her head reeled with the force of the kiss, slender hands fisting into his shirt as his lips took and took until she was breathless. What did he want? What the hell was he expecting? Her heart started to hammer as she tried to keep up, tried to figure out what to do or what he wanted, all she knew was that his kiss was destroying her, inch by mental inch.