Save Me From the Dark

by Edward, Réna

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter as I watch her open a few of the buttons on her shirt and finger the opening.

  She is asking him questions and licking her lips constantly both during and in between each question. I could see the uncomfortable look on his face. Time to take action.

  Touching Gary’s arm, I smirk at him. “It’s time to save my man. Start walking over there and play along. I’m going to hide over there and come out in a minute. Okay?”

  “Okay,” he says, drawing the word out.

  Waiting until he is only a few feet from them, I push the door open and let is slam shut. Standing there, I stare toward them in faux shock. Then I let a huge fangirl scream leave my lungs as I start running toward them.

  “Oh my God! It’s really you! I’m meeting Ace Jergens,” I scream hurrying toward them.

  Gary steps in front of me with a smile on his face, stopping me from reaching Ace.

  “I’m your biggest fan,” I squeal. “Eeekkk!”

  Gary is trying hard not to laugh and when my eyes met Ace’s I could see the same look on his face. He stands from his chair and takes a couple steps in my direction.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s time for my meet and greet. Have a good day, Alexis,” he says politely.

  “But what about our time, baby,” she practically whines as she looks at me.

  “You need to stop calling me that. We are not together. As far as the interview goes, you’ve asked plenty of questions. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he turns and walks the rest of the way toward me.

  “It’s okay, Gare, I’ll be okay. Why don’t you show Ms. Harver out?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Gary says in such a manner that I have to cough in order to cover up my laughter.

  Alexis huffs, but turns and walks with Gary. I sigh in relief, but we have to keep up this charade until Alexis is gone.

  “Ace, I’ve listened to your album so many times I’ve got all the songs memorized.”

  He laughs. “That’s good. I’m glad you like the songs. Why don’t we walk this way the luncheon should be ready,” he says as he steers me toward the door.

  We walk across the lot keeping up the act. But once he closes the trailer door behind him, he seals his mouth over mine. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I return the hungry kiss. When we break from the kiss, we are both breathless. Ace rests his forehead against mine.

  “Thank you so much baby. I can’t stand being around that woman.”

  “I have to say, I don’t like you around her either. Can’t someone else interview you?”

  He pulls back and tightens his arms around my waist. “Gary thinks with the way she acts that she’d cause problems if I ever requested that she no longer interview me. So I just deal and when things start getting out of hand, Gary steps in so I don’t have to be mean and give her something to gossip about in her article.”

  Nodding my head, I look up at him, smiling. “Thank you, Ace. This has been the best birthday, I ever dared dream about.”

  “When I first saw your profile, something inside me came to life. When we started talking, my heart began to beat again. When I saw you from the stage, I knew then and there you’re my everything. I know this is all fast because we only just met face to face yesterday, but we have been talking for six months and…”

  Putting my finger over his mouth to shut him up, I lean up and kiss his mouth softly. Pulling back, smiling, I lean in and kiss him again. The kiss quickly turns into another hungry kiss. Lifting me up, he sits me on the peninsula of the counter pulling me tighter to him as he stands between my legs.

  “I’m surprised you held off this long,” Gary jokes as he enters the trailer.

  Ace pulls away smiling. “I’m shocked too,” he winks at me.

  “Well, she’s gone. You need to get back to work.”

  Ace turns his attention back to me. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay for another performance?”

  “No, I’m not sure, but I know I need to leave. It could draw attention if I’m here for yet another one. You know?”

  He nods with a frown on his face. “Okay.”

  Reaching up, I touch his face with my hands. “Will you be coming to the hotel?”

  Kissing me lightly, he whispers against my lips. “Try and stop me.”

  A few minutes later, we are walking out to the car and I notice that Ethan and Heath climb into the front seat of the car. My stomach turns. Maybe tonight I should tell Ace that I don’t like Ethan.

  Ace kisses me soundly right there in the middle of the parking lot, pushing me against the side of the limo. Breaking apart, he kisses my lips lightly one more time.

  “Relax until I get there and then we can do something together.”

  Nodding my head, I gaze up at him dazed. “Okay,” I say distractedly.

  Kissing me one more time, he opens my door. Looking down at me, something crosses his face that causes my stomach to tighten. Sighing, he closes the door and hits the top. Soon we are driving away.

  Turning, I watch as he stands there watching the limo disappear and I watch as he does. This almost feels as though I am saying goodbye to him. It almost feels as though I won’t see him again. Turning back around, I sigh.

  “Everything okay, Ms. Bella?” Heath asks.

  “Yes, but no, if that makes sense.”

  “He’ll meet you at the hotel before you know it.” He smiles sadly at me.

  Nodding my head, I turn and look out the window. If things were different, this whole thing would be different. There’d be no need for security, for me anyway. The need to constantly look over my shoulder would be gone too.

  When I met Ace all those months ago, I never thought it’d last at first. But I definitely never imagined him to say he loves me. Wow, he loves me! No one loves me. I’m just not a loveable person.

  The drive is short. We soon pull up in front of this lavish hotel. It is the kind of hotel that I’d never even dream of stepping into in a million years. The car pulls around into an underground parking garage. Ethan steps out and opens my door when we pull up to a door.

  “Come on Ms. Bella. We’re here.”

  Stepping out, I look around. “Where are we?”

  “The Sky Homes, Ma’am.”

  “Oh, uh, okay…” I say nervously as we walk into an elevator.

  Ethan slides a card into a slot on the elevator panel and presses the button to the top floor. Soon the elevator is moving. The awkwardness that I feel around Ethan only serves to increase the tension and make it seem even smaller in here. Stepping to the corner, I take a deep breath and try to keep the gasping from being audible.

  Every so often, I can feel Ethan looking at me. I’m sure he’s thinking I’m a freak or using Ace. At some point, I need to reassure him that is not what I’m doing, but frankly, I’m not comfortable enough around him to do that. Would I ever be? I just don’t know, but something didn’t seem right to me.

  The elevator dings the arrival on the top floor. Once I step out into the hall, I take another breath and rest my hand on the wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ethan’s quizzical look. Shaking my head, I square my shoulders and look at him. He stares at me for a minute or two longer then turns and walks down the hall.

  Following behind him, I notice only one other door on this floor. I’ve never been in this place before so I am not even sure if these were rooms or those apartment deals that I’ve seen on television before.

  He stops at the end of the long hallway, slides the key in the door, and pushes it open. Looking at me quizzically, he motions for me to walk in. Swallowing hard, I walk into the room. My mouth drops open as I walk down this entry hall and into the living space. This is one of those apartment deal things.

  The living area is all open to each room. As I’m spinning in a slow circle, I can see Ethan moving around.

  “Ace should be here in a couple of hours. He said to tell you to relax and maybe take a nap. He wants to spend time with you when he gets here
before you have to leave.”

  Nodding my head, he nods back and leaves the room. Spinning in another circle, I try hard to take in what I’m looking at. Tentatively, I take small steps toward the stairs as I continue to take in the extravagant surroundings. The marble floors, the shiny black surfaces, the fancy white furniture the huge windows, all of it seems so far over the top.

  Walking down to the end of a short hall, there are double doors. Pushing them open, my breath leaves my lungs. The size of the bed in this room is bigger than anything I’ve ever saw before.

  The bedding looks fluffy and far too comfortable to ignore. In a total childish moment, I run across the room and jump onto the bed. Giggling, I burrow myself deeper into the comfort. Before I know it, I’m falling asleep.

  Ace

  The final strings of Loving You Foolishly sound and the screaming starts. Thanking everyone for coming, I practically run from the stage. All night, all I could think about was Bella. She is so far into my heart it’s unbelievable.

  “Ace! Ace!” I hear screamed behind me.

  Not stopping, I continue to hurry my way outside. Gary’s voice sounds over the piece in my ear.

  “Alexis is running after you. You might want to get rid of her.”

  Frustration fills me. Turning, I face a grinning Alexis. “What do you want? I’m busy. How did you get backstage to begin with?”

  “I have my ways,” she smiles and she runs her hand down my arm.

  Stepping back away from her, I look her directly in the eyes. “Well, whatever it is you’re doing, stop. You are not allowed back stage unless I say otherwise. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy.”

  Her huffing is the last thing I hear before I’m ducking into a nearby car followed closely by Gary. Once the car is in movement, my body relaxes. I’ll be with my girl soon.

  “You know you just pissed her off right?”

  “I’m sure I did, but I’m done coddling her. Call the magazine and tell them I do not want her interviewing me anymore. Maybe they can just schedule her with someone else at the time of my interviews and she’ll never know,” I say hopefully.

  “You know that’s reaching just as much as I do,” Gary says distractedly.

  Looking over at him, I see him reading his phone. “What’s going on?”

  “Don’t worry about it right now,” he says looking up as we arrive at the hotel.

  Whatever he is looking at is erased from my memory. I am only an elevator ride away from my girl. Climbing from the car, I can feel my heart begin to race. Just the thought of her waiting for me, I know now what I’ve been missing.

  She is what I’ve been searching for, what I’ve been longing for. The ride up the elevator is far too long. Gary keeps laughing at me.

  “It’s only been six hours since you’ve seen her,” he laughs.

  “I know, but with what’s going on in her personal life…,” I shrug. “I’m just worried when I can’t see her, I guess.”

  “Ethan and Heath have been watching the door. Don’t worry so much.” He takes a deep breath. “But I do know what you are saying. I’ve been checking in with the guys throughout the sound check and concert.”

  “Thank you.”

  We walk down the hall and Gary goes into the only other apartment on this floor, while I continue down to where my girl is waiting for me. Sliding my card into the door, I push it open and walk inside.

  “Bella? Baby?”

  Seeing nothing touched downstairs, I walk up to the bedroom. When I enter my room, the sight before me has me pulling out my phone and snapping a few pictures of her before I make my way to the bed. Carefully, I climb onto the bed and pull her into my arms kissing her head softly.

  “AJ?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. Go back to sleep,” I whisper.

  She sits up. Rubbing her eyes, damn if she didn’t look sexy as hell and I couldn’t stop myself. Leaning in, I take her lips with mine. Bella moans immediately and wraps her arms around my neck, scooting in closer to me. Enfolding her in my arms, I lower her back down to the bed.

  After a moment, she pulls back and smiles, placing her hand on either side of my face.

  “All my life, the only thing I’ve ever known is pain and sadness, until now. Whatever makes you so different, I hope I never lose it. Because when I’m with you…I feel like I’m…I’m… something.”

  Pressing a soft kiss to her lips, I smile. “When will you realize, to me, you are everything.”

  A tear slips from her eye, sliding down to her temple. “Please…”

  “I can’t. You have no idea how empty my life was before you. I understand that this is hard for you to believe, so I’ll prove it to you. Every day we are together, I’ll show you in my actions not just in my words. I love you,” I whisper the last part before kissing her deeply.

  Breaking from the kiss before I go too far, I smile down at her. Bella smiles back at me.

  “I hope you know you mean a lot to me too, but I’m just not sure I’m…”

  Placing my finger gently on her lips, I make a soft shushing noise. “I told you before; I’m not pressuring you to say it back. I’d never force you to do something you’re not ready to do. That wouldn’t be fair to you or to me.”

  She nods her head and I can just see the tears glistening in her eyes. This beautiful woman never ceases to amaze me. No matter what she faces at school or home, it’s love that throws her off. It saddens me to my core. Bella is one of those types of people that deserve to be loved not hated or hurt. It seems that may be all that she gets sadly.

  “So,” I say in way of changing the subject. “What would you like to do tonight? Whatever you want we can do. Your wish is my command,” I grin, pulling her to a sitting position.

  Her answering smile knocks the breath from my lungs. She is definitely the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s no wonder my heart chose her to fall for. Her inner beauty matches her outer beauty.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been here before,” she mumbles almost sounding embarrassed.

  “Okay then,” I jump off the bed. Holding out my hand to her, I smile. “Tonight will be a night of dreams and surprises.” I kiss her hand as she stands from the bed. “I’ve got a few calls to make. Why don’t you jump in the shower and I’ll have something special waiting for you by the time you get out.”

  She kisses my cheek and walks off into the bathroom. I so badly want to walk in there and relish in that beautiful body that I know lies beneath those clothes, but I will never take from her for my own selfish needs. When we make love, I want her just as invested.

  This is the first time I’ve ever been in love before and I’ll be damned if I do anything to mess it up. When we really started to get to know each other, something told me that she’d change everything for me. She did too. To what degree, I just don’t know yet, but I’m here for the long haul that’s for sure.

  Pulling my phone from my pocket, I call the front desk. “Jarrett’s room please.”

  “Just one moment, please.”

  Within a few moments, I hear the familiar rough voice of my partner in crime. “Jarrett.”

  “Hey man, what are you up to tonight?”

  “Not much. Just got in, honestly ready to hit the sack. Dare I ask why you’re calling me through the hotel line and not my cell phone?”

  “Because you rarely answer your cell phone anymore.”

  “Hmmm, okay good point. So what’s up?”

  “Can I bug you for a favor before you sack it for the night?”

  “You know you can. What’s up?” I could hear the nervousness in his voice.

  Jarrett and I go way back. When I first started singing, he and I bonded almost immediately. We are the same age and under the same record label. Jarrett Vera is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to country music. He is setting new heights for anyone that comes along after him. He’s worked with top artists and shocked them all.

  “Can you ask Dawn if she’d
get me a very nice evening outfit or some shit? Something that will pass the dress code for Alialeah’s, but be comfortable enough to walk around in…”

  “You mean casual/classy?” I hear Dawn’s voice.

  “Ha! Uh yes, I guess? She’s a size six, I think.”

  “How many times have I told you to stop the groupy shit, brother?” Jarrett’s father tone cuts in.

  “She’s not. Do you remember the girl I met online?” I ask nervously.

  “Yeah, did she finally agree to meet you?”

  “Yeah, she attended my concert yesterday. She was so pissed when I lied to her. She has Gary’s stamp of approval.” I pause for a moment. “She has my heart,” I say almost quietly.

  “Damn, man. She earned Gare’s approval? She’s gotta be made of gold for him to approve of her,” he laughs.

  “She’s incredible. Are y’all hungry? Maybe we could all go to dinner together and you could meet her?”

  “Yes,” Dawn squeals.

  Jarrett’s laughter sounds through the phone. “I guess we’re going to supper. She’ll get the shit for your girl, man. Anything else?”

  I pause for a moment, taking a deep breath. “Please make sure it’s not too revealing. Long sleeves, the works.”

  It’s Jarrett’s turn to pause. “Okay,” he draws out the word. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s not my place to explain. See you soon?”

  “Yeah, we’ll all ride to the restaurant together. Dawn is already on her way over with the clothes.”

  “Thanks man.”

  “You know, I’ll do anything for you, brother. Hell, you brought me Dawn. I’ll be thanking you forever for that one. This is the least we can do.”

  “You don’t have to come. I know you said you’re ready to sack it.”

  “Dude, I think your balls have fallen off. The poor girl will not know pleasure. I wasn’t intending on going to sleep dumbass.”

  “Oh, well that’s even worse,” I laugh.