WriterGuy: Sounds perfect! When do you want to go?
SongSiren: That’s the sucky part. We’d either have to wait for Friday or go during the weekend when it’s busier. I have to take all the work hours I can get.
What a perfect distraction from the contest on Friday.
WriterGuy: Friday. Hey, does this mean it’s okay if I act like an animal?
SongSiren: ha. I’ve already been called a tiger today so I guess you can!
WriterGuy: Who called you a tiger? I just left!
Gabe didn’t want to sound as jealous as he was, but he couldn’t believe he’d left her asleep in her bed hours ago, and in the meantime, someone else had called her something like that. And why? Who was it and what were they doing that she was acting animalistic? He remembered her being worried about groupies before. Maybe she thought she’d even their numbers? Truth be told, he hadn’t been with many groupies at all. And even by “been with”, it was more of a quick talk, maybe a little head back when the band first started, but nothing serious. No one had moved him the way Victoria did.
SongSiren: Rut-roh. Jealous much? It was my girlfriend Sarah. I was asking advice for our date.
Girlfriend? Getting advice? What kind of date idea had she thrown out there for Sarah to call her a tiger? Gabe’s mind had at least cooled from the thought of a guy calling her that, but now his curiosity was peaked. How wild was Victoria?
SongSiren: And before you think it, girlfriend as in two words. Girl. Friend. And no, I won’t tell you my idea.
WriterGuy: Dang, I need to get faster at typing. You shot me down! So Friday, we’re getting wild, huh?
SongSiren: Maybe. I’m logging off. Talk to you soon.
Gabe watched the screen, unsure what to make of the conversation. She was flirtatious and carefree, but she cut off their talks almost every time. Even before she knew who he was. He wondered why. What made a girl so confident, so eager to end their talks? He rolled his chair back and stared at the screen, contemplating calling her to find out. Ti came up behind him,
“Getting wild, huh?” He snickered.
“Why do you think she ends our conversations?”
“It’s classic. She wants you to stop her.”
Gabe shot his friend a confused look. “Seriously?”
Ti nodded. “Yeah, it’s like when they say, ‘We’re so not doing anything but kissing tonight’, but the next thing you know, they’re giving it to you in the parking lot.” Ti motioned around casually as if he hadn’t just said anything out of the ordinary. Gabe raised his eyebrows but didn’t say a word. “Oh, come on, like you didn’t know. I’m a fun guy, Gabe, that’s what fun guys do.”
“So are you telling me I should wait for her to try and end our date Friday and then beg her not to? And then that will lead to doing her in the parking lot of the zoo.” Gabe watched Ti, waiting for him to compute that his advice made no sense. Oddly enough, Ti grinned into space, apparently watching the elements of the equation floating in his mind.
“Yep. I knew you’d catch on!”
“You’re an idiot. I don’t want to play games with her.” Gabe turned his back on his friend and shook his head.
“Fine, fine, it’s a game. But remember, I’m not in it for keeps. I know a means to an end. You want more, you’re gonna have to talk to Troy. He’s the romantic one.”
“What?” Gabe thought back, but he’d never seen Troy with a girl, ever.
Ti nodded. “It’s true. He’s a romantic at heart, that’s why he’s single and always alone.” Ti laughed at himself and then threw up a peace sign before closing the door behind him.
Gabe shook his head before getting up and reaching for his guitar. He wouldn’t worry about it. So far, acting on intuition had been a great start for him and Victoria; he’d just have to trust himself to keep it that way.
Chapter 18
When Victoria’s eyes opened to the room around her, she knew it was time for a change. The plain whites of the walls seemed too sterile for the new life she was starting. She really shouldn’t spend the money she’d need for bills, but she needed a change.
When she returned from shopping, Victoria emptied her bags. Black-and-red silk sheets and a comforter landed with a plunk on the floor, still wrapped in their protective plastics. The paintings, vase, and silk flower accents all stayed in their separate bag. It had taken several minutes pacing the aisles and searching through fabrics and patterns that were all either too old or too young for her, but she’d finally found a theme that fit her new life.
The room came together like a dream. Victoria had finished placing the fake red flowers in a black vase on her nightstand when she heard a knock on the door. Her stomach flipped, and she panicked, wondering what she looked like. She found her hair in a messy ponytail, but it was mostly together, and her sweatpants and T-shirt were sloppy but clean. The rap on the door came a little more forcefully. Well, if he’s too impatient to wait, then this is the me he gets! Victoria huffed and went to the door. But it wasn’t Gabe.
“Where the hell have you been?” Sarah stood rigid at the door, her face taut but for the wrinkles at her scrunched forehead.
“Shopping. What’s wrong?” Victoria moved aside and let Sarah in.
“You scared the hell out of me is what’s wrong! I couldn’t get a hold of you.” Sarah’s voice was high as she slammed her purse down on the kitchen table.
“But I had my cell, its right here.” Victoria reached into the pocket of her purse where she always kept her phone. It wasn’t there. Slowly at first and then frantically, Victoria emptied the contents of her purse. No cell phone to be found. “Crap. Where is it?” Not under couch cushions or in the jeans she’d worn out that morning. There was no sign of it anywhere, on any shelf, or even in the bathroom. The apartment showed nothing.
“Gabe? Hey, it’s Sarah. I found her.”
Victoria smacked her head on the open door of her freezer at the sound of Sarah’s voice.
“No, she’s fine. It’s her cell phone that’s gone MIA.”
“What are you doing?” Victoria mouthed.
Sarah giggled. “Shut up, Ti. Victoria’s not like that.”
“Not like what?” Victoria put her ear up against the outside of Sarah’s cell.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll forward you whatever pictures I find.” Sarah laughed and nodded. “Shut up. I gotta go.” Sarah lunged forward as she snorted, trying to hold in a laugh. “I’m hanging up now.” Her smile stretched her face, but she shook her head “no” hard. “Good-bye, Ti!” Sarah hung up her phone and dialed Victoria’s number. Muffled ringing came from the next room over.
“What was that all about?” Victoria questioned as they headed for the bedroom.
“I freaked, I told you. You were killing me. I couldn’t find you, and so I got a hold of Gabe to see if he had heard from you. But then he was worried where you might be too.”
Victoria followed the sound to a pile of sheets from her old bedding on the floor. Shaking out the sheets, she watched her phone hit the floor. “How did you get Gabe’s number, anyway?”
Sarah leaned against the doorway. “Got on the website, found WriterGuy, and told him who I was.” Her petite shoulders shrugged nonchalantly. “Do you not think I’m resourceful?”
Victoria chuckled. “You were that worried? I am a big girl, you know.” But it felt good to hear people worried about her. She smiled up at Sarah before checking her phone. The screen blinked thirty-five text messages between Gabe and Sarah and multiple missed calls and voicemails. “Aww, you guys love me.” She giggled.
“Barely, after a stunt like that!” Sarah’s eyes widened as she really looked around the space. “Wow, changing much?” Her fingers trailed the black silk sheet and petals of the fake flowers on her nightstand.
“Feels good in here, doesn’t it?” Victoria looked around too. It was confident and feminine but edgy. It was perfect.
Sarah’s nose crumpled up at the middle of the three paintings, an o
pen book with the words Liberum Esse printed across it, hanging above Victoria’s bed. “What’s it say?”
“I don’t know, but it feels right.”
Sarah wiggled her eyebrows. “Feels right, huh?”
“Speaking of! What was that with Ti?” Victoria put her offending phone on the nightstand and crossed her arms.
“Ha! Nothing! He’s a funny guy, though.” Her face was open, her tone gave no hidden amount of desire or need. Maybe she was telling the truth.
“You sure that’s it?” Victoria made one more push.
“Totally.” Sarah nodded definitively. “I mean, I’d let him make a move, but you know me. I’m not really in it for the long haul.” She shrugged.
Victoria decided to let it go. Sarah was always flirting and having little trysts. She was open about everything, so if she claimed Ti was funny, then that’s all it was.
“Hey! Did you think about your date?”
Chapter 19
Victoria clapped her hands excitedly as they neared the zoo’s entrance. As if they weren’t sure where they had ended up, the words INDIANAPOLIS ZOO stood high above them in bright, white lights. “I’m so excited!”
Gabe laughed. “Sweetheart, I’m excited, props on the cheetah top.”
She swatted away his hand as he plucked at the tight spandex material of her tank top. No matter the other changes in her life, one thing she would always do was coordinate an outfit with an event. Wearing something non-animal print to the zoo was just unacceptable.
With a sly smile, she took his hand and pulled him under the entranceway. “Watch it, mister. There are children around.”
First things first, she needed to see the giraffes. Of course, if he wanted to stop at an exhibit or two along the way, that would be fine, but the trip wasn’t officially on until the giraffes were seen. She also knew she needed to head west to get there. Gabe paid for their entrance and dutifully took a map. It took everything in her to silently watch as he opened it, turning it around to figure out where they were, instead of yanking him in the direction herself.
Seemingly satisfied with their positioning and the map, Gabe smiled up at her. “Where to?”
“Giraffes. And they’re this way.”
The feel of his hand under hers was like a straight shot of adrenaline. It fit so well. Even more than that, she was proud to be with him. He made her feel like more than she thought she was. Getting him past the forest section of the zoo wasn’t hard, but when they came to the avian center, Gabe stalled out. He stared long and hard at the building, squeezing her hand before shaking his head and continuing their path to the giraffes.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I just, I don’t know. Birds always reminded me of my mom. The whole freedom thing, you know? And doing what makes you happy. Birds are awesome at that.”
Suddenly she felt a little selfish, rushing him through things he might want to see first all on account that she wanted to see her favorites first. “Do you want to stop in?”
“What, you want to make me cry?” Gabe winked at her and kept walking, his hand pulling her up to his side.
“No, but I don’t know, I feel bad rushing you through.”
“Tori. We have all day. We’ll make it through all of it.” He kissed her hand as they strolled.
She could see it ahead, the entire wing of the zoo dedicated to the African plains. There was no shortage of excitement to be found. It felt as if she was a kid again but better because she was enjoying it with a man who she had seriously strong feelings for. And he was as excited as she was. If she had a nickel for all of the pictures he made her pose for, she’d never have to go back to work. Penguins behind her, positioning her finger so it looked like it was in the yawning lion’s mouth, the ten millionth lifetime picture she took staring up starry-eyed at the beauty of the giraffes. That one hadn’t been posed. The creatures put her in awe. They were so tall and graceful, long legs and necks, beautiful markings and colorings, and what girl wouldn’t want eyelashes like those?
As they walked around, Victoria breathed in the rightness of the day. Just the right amount of people there so it didn’t feel like a zombie apocalypse had come and forgotten them, but not busy. The sun was warm enough that they didn’t need coats, and the moments the clouds cleared out, the power of the sun heated them up quickly.
But better than the weather and the pictures was the overwhelming lightness that surrounded them. There was no tension or worries, headaches or problems. The whole day was filled with nothing but fun.
At lunch, they stopped in for burgers at the café in the center of the zoo. The early summer weather being too much to deny, they agreed to dine outdoors. Families came and went, happy and sad children, cranky and pleasant parents. With all of the people-watching, Victoria almost didn’t notice the stares at first.
Gabe was recognizable. People may not have known how they knew him, but many kept an eye on him, and she saw a couple sneak pictures with their phones. He didn’t even seem to notice. Which was the weird part, really. He was so involved in her and what she wanted to do and when she wanted to do it that when she laughed instead of answering, he finally stopped talking. “What?”
“You don’t even notice? Really?”
His face was blank. “Notice what?”
“I don’t know how to say this, mister, but uhh, you’re kind of famous.” She gazed openly at the people around them.
Gabe leaned in, placing a piece of her hair behind her ear. “They’re staring at you, not me.”
Their fingers were tangled on the table they’d chosen, but it wasn’t close enough. Before he could move his face away, Victoria kissed his cheek. “I lo—” Holy crap. Way too early for that, but man, did the moment call for it. She smiled, closed her eyes, and shook her head. “I love being here with you. Just being with you, I guess.”
For once, Gabe toned down the excitement he had put into every event of their day. His fingers rubbed hers, never letting his gaze leave hers. “I love being with you too.”
Not that exchanging “I love you’s” would ruin the day, but the close call definitely made Victoria take a step out of the moment. “Come on, we still need to get you to the avian house.”
His gaze was intense as he watched her stand, a sly grin on his face. Everything about him made her insides twist and quake. He claimed she was the siren who had wrecked him, but hell if she didn’t feel lost at sea herself.
* * * *
Troy stared out into the room, finally speaking. “Dude. I think I’m in love.”
Gabe turned to face the rest of his band mates. They all had a dumbfounded look on their faces.
“It’s the end of the band.” Burke shook his head and pulled the guitar strap off from around his neck.
“It’s a little quick, isn’t it?” Ti fumbled with his drumsticks, a smirk on his face.
“Can’t help it. That voice. Did you see her hair? Oh my God.” Troy put his hand over the microphone and tipped his forehead to it.
“Yeah, I’ve got a hard-on as we speak,” Gabe said dryly. “Can we please get to work now?”
“I second that vote.” Burke pointed a finger in the air and looked around the room.
“Can we? I mean, if Gabe’s hard and Troy’s lovesick, how exactly do we practice? I mean, I know how to practice, but not together. That’s a step I’m not sure even I want to take.” Ti tossed a drumstick in the air and caught it with one hand. Gabe glared at him.
An idea formed in Gabe’s head, and he threw his hands in the air, excited. “Troy, maybe you should do the duet. I haven’t wanted to from the beginning, and well, if you guys are going to get married and have babies, I wouldn’t want to interfere.”
“Dude. She’s sick. You have no idea. I can’t believe she won the contest and is singing with you, and you don’t even want to sing with her. I’ll totally do the duet.” Troy perked up.
“Hate to be the downer, guys, but the fest people want Gabe to sing the duet.” Ti
pounded out a steady beat on his drum. “Which song are we going to have her do?”
Burke put his guitar back on and picked out a line from Siren’s Song. “New one. She’ll be excited either way, and our fans will want to hear it.”
“No,” Gabe said sternly. His jaw clenched. There was no way some other girl was going to sing the song he’d written for Victoria.
He was pretty confident she’d almost said she loved him when they were at the zoo, and that in itself was the deal breaker. There was no way he would chance damaging the relationship he’d found with this woman, and if he was sure of anything, it was that having another girl sing with him about love was a hell of a way to put the first nick in it.
Groaning back to reality, he dealt with the issue at hand. “I’ll figure something out. She’s probably got a small range, anyway. You know those contests, the contestants pick one song and stick with it until it sounds good, but it doesn’t always mean she’s got talent.” Gabe shrugged.
“Speaking of talented girls. Did you give your little lady a tour of the parking lot?” Ti whispered across the room to Gabe.
Gabe shook his head. “Not your business.”
“Are the rest of us going to meet this chick?” Burke spoke up. Gabe had thought about it, but they had never done the whole introduce-the-band-to-the-girlfriend thing…mostly because they’d never had serious girlfriends.
“Yeah, I need to pick a practice to bring her to.”
“You know tomorrow we’re meeting with the contest chick. You could bring Victoria with you.” Ti stretched out her name in a sing-song fashion.
“Why not?” Gabe nodded and grabbed his guitar pick. “Seriously, though, can we practice now?”
After a few hours of playing, only Ti remained, and even he was about to head out. Their practice had gone really well. Siren’s Song was coming along nicely, much smoother than the first night they had played it. It wouldn’t take much for them to be ready to go for the Street Fest. As long as this contest chick didn’t hold us back. Gabe hoped the girl actually had some talent. He had done enough of those contests himself when he was just starting out. In most cases the person who won was one-dimensional. Their talent was limited to a small song selection and their “practice” was singing in the car on their way to the contest.
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