Face The Music

by Andrea K. Robbins

  “No. Of course not!”

  He went on, “School bored me. Nothing was challenging. What took my peers an hour to do I could finish in minutes. Eventually I just stopped caring.”

  I remembered reading somewhere that a significant proportion of high school drop-outs were gifted and talented. All across the country, teachers were forced to cater to lower ability students, to bring them up to grade level for the sake of funding, while those who were most capable got left behind. It seemed a huge injustice to me.

  He continued, “I started hanging out with a rough crowd, got into things I had no business getting involved with.”

  “Your rough patch?”

  He nodded, his eyes fixed on the wall in front of us. “I was seventeen when I quit school. Started smoking pot, stealing cars. Nothing I’m proud of. I wasted three whole years of my life.”

  I swallowed hard. “What made you decide to stop?”

  His jaw was tense. “My buddies were boosting this GTO one night. It turned out to be a setup. The cops showed, they all got busted. The only reason I wasn’t there was because I had a gig with my band. If not for that, I would have gotten time. I could be in prison right now.” He was reflective as he spoke, his expression distant. “I got clean after that. The music saved my life.” His voice trailed off, and I knew he was miles away, reliving his past.

  My head was spinning with all this new information. “I don’t know what to say, even.”

  He snapped back to the present and looked at me. His eyes were soft, searching. “It’s not really something I like to talk about, especially now, you know? I’m finally doing something real with my life. I’d hate for a bad reputation to get in the way of that.”

  The enormity of what he was telling me sunk in. He could lose everything if the wrong person found out about his past. I understood now why he wouldn’t talk about it before.

  “Did you learn anything? From that experience, I mean?”

  He laughed, hard. “Only you would ask me that.”

  “Well? Did you?”

  He ran a finger across his bottom lip. I didn’t realize how much I missed watching him do that. “I learned to not take things for granted. I love my parents, a lot, but they gave me everything as a kid. I didn’t learn to value things. What was lost could always be replaced. But after watching my friends go to prison, I learned that wasn’t always the case. Life, freedom, people. You can’t replace those things.”

  My heart swelled. It was a huge lesson. One that he paid a heavy price for.

  “It wasn’t a total waste of three years, then, was it?” I asked, putting my hand on top of his. “We all screw up. We’re human. The important thing is that we learn and keep moving forward. It sounds like you learned a really big lesson during that time.”

  He looked at me, his dark eyes thoughtful.

  “Let me ask you this,” I said. “What kind of a person would you be now if you hadn’t gone through that?”

  He seemed to relax beside me. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it that way. I understand what you’re getting at, though, and I appreciate it.” He pulled his hand out from under mine and reached up to touch my hair. “But my point still stands, don’t ever think you’re not good enough.”

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  We sat in silence for awhile, each lost in our own thoughts. I couldn’t wrap my head around the irony of it all. His insecurities of his past. Mine of the future.

  “You know,” he said, turning to look at me, “it was here that I first realized how strongly I felt about you. You opened yourself to me that day. I felt like you enjoyed spending time with me. The real me, not the superstar me. When we were together, I felt like more than a musician. I felt like I mattered.” He touched a finger to my jaw. “I love you. I’ve never stopped.”

  I bit my lower lip to keep the tears at bay. “But you said you’d moved on. Told me to do the same.”

  “I was hurting. I had no right to say the things I did that night. You’d be surprised by how many people called this week to tell me that.”

  “Really? Who?”

  He ran a hand over his head. “Let’s see. Jake was the first.”

  “Jake?” I said a little too loudly. “Why would he…?”

  “Because he cares for you. He didn’t want you to leave, so he called and told me what was going on. Emily called a few days later. Last night it was Lauren.”

  I snickered, remembering Lauren’s threat to call.

  “She was probably the most persuasive.”

  “She has a way, doesn’t she?” I thought back to our girls’ night, when she and Emily had tag-teamed me into admitting my feelings.

  He turned so that he was facing me and took my hands. “I’m sorry it took me so long, but I finally came to my senses and realized that I had to come back and stop you. I don’t want you leaving your home, your life, because of me.”

  My mind was whirling. Was it possible? After that night on the balcony, I never let myself believe, never allowed myself to hope, that this could happen. I couldn’t wrap my head around what I was hearing.

  He watched as his words sunk in. “Allie, you were my inspiration. The feelings that came through in my performances were all because of you. All throughout the competition, I chose songs for you. Didn’t you see it? I owe you everything. You are my passion.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a strip of paper. “Here.”

  The one you love is within reach.

  “I knew it then, and I know it now. I love you.” He leaned across the bench and kissed me. I was too shocked to kiss him back, and he soon pulled away and looked at me, a line of concern creasing his brow.

  I shook my head, convinced that I was having a dream. They were always like this, Chris and I together and happy.

  But waking up was excruciating. I was waiting to wake up.

  Chris frowned as he watched me. He sucked in a deep breath and rested his elbows on his knees. I closed my eyes and let my head fall forward.

  After a minute, he spoke. “I have something for you.” He took my wrist and tinkered with my bracelet.

  An iridescent blue-green butterfly charm dangled from the chain. I was so exasperated that it took a minute before I could speak. “Oh my gosh!” I hadn’t had a new charm since Mom was alive. “It’s beautiful.”

  He leaned back against the bench, his stare intense on my face.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. “I must be dreaming.”

  “No, you’re not.” He stood up, still holding my hands. “Let me take you home?”

  “Home?” I laughed. “There’s nothing there. All my things are on a truck headed to Canada.”

  He raised an eyebrow and looked over my head. “Oh yeah, that’s right.”

  “How did you know to find me here?” I asked, suddenly curious.

  “I flew in this morning. My flight was late getting in, so I rushed straight from the airport to your apartment. Emily was there, nearly hysterical. You should have seen the look on her face when she opened the door and saw me,” he laughed. “She didn’t know whether to hit me or hug me. I went to your room, hoping to find you, but all I found were bare walls. I thought I’d missed you, thought I’d have to go all the way to Canada to get you. “Emily told me your flight didn’t leave until three, but you left early. She said you were going to say goodbye to your mom, but had no idea what that meant. You should probably call her. And you should call the moving company and tell them to turn that truck around.”

  “I should,” I said. “And Lauren, Jake, and Paul, too. But there’s something else I’d rather do first.”

  “What?”

  I threw my arms around his neck and looked into his eyes before leaning forward and kissing him. His lips were so warm and sweet, so inviting that I never wanted to let go. He pressed into me, probing my mouth with his tongue and sucking on my bottom lip.

  He pulled back when I came up for air. “Wanna get out of here?” A mischievous smile p
layed at his lips.

  “God, yes.”

  We raced outside and hopped into a cab. Chris gave the driver instructions as I pulled out my phone. I didn’t want to have long conversations with everyone, but I knew I needed to at least let them know about my change in plans.

  I smashed my cheek against Chris’s and held up the phone. “Smile,” I said as I took our picture.

  “What was that for?”

  I typed a message under the picture: Change of plans.

  “This way I can let everyone know without having to spend all the time explaining,” I said as I pressed ‘send’.

  He gave an appreciative nod. “Smart. But now your phone will be ringing off the hook. People are going to want details.”

  “No, it won’t.” I turned it off, tossed it into my purse, and cuddled against him as we drove.

  A moment later, Chris’s phone rang.

  “Maybe you should turn yours off, too.”

  He glanced at it. “It’s my mom, I should answer. I kind of took off this morning without telling anyone.”

  I listened to his side of the conversation. “Hi, Mom,” he said. “No, I’m fine. I’m in Chicago.” He paused and listened. “Yep, she’s with me,” he said, patting my thigh. “I know, I should have. I’m sorry. I was in a hurry.” He paused again. “Okay. See you later.”

  The cab pulled up to a hotel. “The Ritz Carlton, sir,” the driver said, turning off the car.

  I gawked out the window and stared up at the luxurious hotel. “The Ritz? Isn’t that a little-?”

  “We deserve it, don’t you think?” Chris said, taking my hand. “Unless you’d rather go back to your place?”

  “And sleep on the floor? No way. This will be just fine.”

  Chris ran ahead and checked us in as I took my time taking in the view. Once I got into the lobby, he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the elevator.

  “Allison.” He backed me into a corner as the doors pulled closed. His breath was heavy and hot against my cheek as his lips traveled across my skin, pausing to nibble at my earlobe. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulled him even closer, and he buried his face in my hair. We kissed all the way up to the top floor and could hardly keep our hands off each other as we made our way down the hall.

  “This is it,” he said once we’d found our door.

  ***

  “So I have to know,” I asked. We were naked under the sheets, my upper body lying across his chest. “What did Lauren say that made you decide to come back?”

  He ran his fingers through my hair. “She told me you were quitting school. She said you’d just given up.” He looked at me seriously and frowned. “You can’t do that. It’s a part of who you are, something I admire most about you. You can’t just throw all that away.”

  “I wasn’t quitting,” I whispered. “Just taking a break for awhile to figure things out.”

  “Have you? Figured things out, I mean?”

  I twisted around and looked into his face. “There are a lot of things I don’t know. But the one thing I’m sure of is that I don’t ever want to be apart from you again.”

  He squeezed me into a bear hug. “Good. I didn’t make that investment so you could just quit.”

  I felt my eyes grow wide as I looked at him. “It was you!” I said. “I guess in a way I always knew. But why? After everything I had done, why would you do that for me?”

  He pulled me to his chest and ran his fingers up and down the skin on my back. “I told you, I love you. I’ve never stopped. After you left that night, I was determined to give you the space you needed. I thought that if you didn’t have to worry about the money things would be easier for you.”

  I nuzzled against him, my heart swelling in my chest. “Thank you, so much. I love you, Chris.”

  “I love you, too, Allie.” He yawned. It was a long, deep one that brought water to his eyes. “Sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

  The act was contagious, and we both laughed as I wiped at my eyes. “Me either.”

  It wasn’t long before he fell into a deep sleep. His breathing became soft and his muscles started twitching beneath me. So much for not sleeping, I thought with a smile.

  I gave up the fight shortly after that. It was the best sleep I’d had in months.

  We woke up a few hours later. After soaking in the jetted tub, we went out for dinner. A reporter called to us just as we were climbing into a cab. “Chris Knots! Allison Banks! A word, please!” He lifted his camera and flashed a couple of pictures. “For the record, are the two of you together again?”

  Chris grinned and looked at me. “You want to take this one, or shall I?”

  “I can handle it.” I pressed my hands against his chest, tilted my face towards his, and puckered my lips. He laughed before leaning forward to kiss me. I smiled when I heard the camera click.

  The man asked another question, but I grabbed Chris’s hand and pulled him into the cab.

  “I can already read the headline,” he said with a chuckle. “Chicago’s Contestable Couple: Together Again? What do you think?”

  I turned and watched out the rear window as the reporter’s shape disappeared behind the car. “You know, I can honestly say it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what they call it. We’re together. That’s all that’s important.”

  “Now, that,” he said, pulling me close, “is music to my ears.”

  ###

  Acknowledgements:

  Face the Music never would have come to fruition without the help of several important people. I would like to extend an extra-special thank you to my two sweet girls, Chloe and Baylee, for being as patient as young girls can be when their mama always has her nose stuck in a computer. Sarah, thank you for loving my ideas, even the bad ones. Mom and Ashley, thanks for encouraging me from the start and cheering me on until the very end. Katina, thank you for helping me with the early drafts all those years ago. Lori, you are, without a doubt, my most favorite shark. And Travis, my dear husband, thank you for not following through with your threat of tossing my laptop over the side of a bridge.

  A Note From the Author:

  I hope you enjoyed reading Face the Music as much as I enjoyed creating it. If you find it worth sharing, I would very much appreciate it if you would take the time to go to your favorite eBook retailer and leave an honest, genuine review. Thank you, so much, for your support.

  About the Author:

  Born and raised in eastern Missouri, Andrea K. Robbins is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and Idaho State University and hold degrees in Human Nutrition, Biological Sciences, and Secondary Education. She currently resides in southern Idaho with her husband and two young daughters and enjoys teaching Jr. and High School science and health classes at a local school district. Robbins is also working toward a Masters degree in Science Education through Montana State University. When not working, she can be found spending time with her family or getting lost in a sappy love story.

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