by A. J. Wynter
Blaine exhaled and smiled. “So, if we change the date of the AGM to the first weekend in October, that would work for you?
The old hippie smiled at Blaine and wrapped his arms around him in a huge bear hug. “You would do that?”
“Well, in truth, it’s a little self-serving. With the supply of our other products in limbo, we are going to need to rely on your grass for the fall.”
“It’s going to be a lot of work for me. Like, hours a day more work man.”
“I know, I thought about that. It’s quiet this summer, so I could bring some of the prospects to help you out; some young bucks who still have good backs!”
“That’s great, brother. But, I don’t want to supervise a bunch of wannabe farmers.”
“What if I oversee them? Keep them in line?”
“I suppose that could work. It would really help me out here.” Steve picked up the wheelbarrow and trudged away.
“So, we’re good?” Blaine followed behind Steve.
“A certain young lady that hangs out here isn’t influencing your decision?”
Blaine was thankful for the hot sun blazing down, masking the redness that flushed his face. Spending time at Steve’s farm was the best way he could think of to see Olivia. “Nope,” Blaine lied.
“That’s too bad,” Steve said. “She’s really something.”
“She certainly is,” Blaine muttered under his breath.
Steve may have been old, and his hearing impacted from years of jamming with the band, but he heard Blaine and smiled to himself. He had witnessed a pretty magical moment between the two of them. He knew an energetic connection when he saw one.
“So, you and the guys will be out here tomorrow. six a.m. sharp?”
“There’s a six a.m.?” Blaine joked.
“If your boys want to play farm hand, they better be here and ready to work.”
“Roger that, boss.” Blaine saluted.
“Enough of that nonsense. See you tomorrow,” Steve said, walking off in his light-footed, stoner hippie trot.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – OLIVIA
Olivia clicked the laptop shut and sat for a minute to process what she had just watched. It was gross. There has to be better porn that that, she thought to herself. The stuff she watched seemed like more of a gynecology lesson than a sensual experience. She watched enough to get the gist of blowjobs, there definitely was a rhythm to it, and Maddie was definitely on to something with the sloppy bit, but the way that the men had grabbed the women’s heads and pressed their impossibly huge dicks into their mouths so far that they gagged, didn’t seem appealing to Olivia at all. Maybe she was meant to be a virgin forever.
She picked up her bow and set to perfecting the end of one of her audition pieces. She preferred to memorize her music, as opposed to trying to flip the pages of the sheet music. However, with the porn images fresh in her mind, she was distracted and needed the sheet music. As she played, she couldn’t help but wonder about the size of Blaine’s member, and whether or not it would hurt when he entered her.
“LIV! Livvy come here pretty please,” Maddie yelled from her living room hangover camp.
Olivia sighed and padded into the living room. The room smelled like stale alcohol and fried food, and Olivia surveyed the various takeout wrappers scattered around Maddie’s nest.
“Want a sip of my milkshake?” Maddie extended the cardboard cup out to her sister.
Olivia sat down on the floor next to Maddie and took a big slurp of her milkshake. It was chocolate. Delicious. Maddie still looked and smelled like a raccoon that had gotten in a fight with a box of beer, but color had begun to creep back into her face.
“Oh, and your phone was going crazy. Steve texted and wants you out for band practice at ten tomorrow.”
“Thanks for looking Mads,” Olivia said, not really caring that her sister had been monitoring her text messages. “Ten a.m. is pretty early for the guys.”
“Hey Liv, I’m sorry for being crass earlier. I didn’t realize that you hadn’t been getting it on with the dorky musicians at the school.”
Olivia sighed. “I mean, I’ve kissed guys, but it’s never gone any further than that. And, I feel like I’ve missed my window of opportunity. What guy wants to sleep with a twenty-one-year-old virgin.”
Maddie almost spit out her milkshake. “Um. All of them.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Yeah. I am. They get to feel experienced, like they’re the teacher. And I actually find it kind of hot when a guy tells me what to do in bed.”
“Really, it doesn’t feel misogynistic or trite?”
“Not to me. Not in the moment. I mean it can seem cheesy as hell, but as long as you’re both into it, I don’t see what’s wrong with it.”
Olivia picked at her nails and contemplated what Maddie had just said.
“Listen, you’re overanalyzing it. Just go with the flow when it happens. You’re gorgeous and I just hope whoever is lucky enough to get your attention, realizes the diamond he’s got in front of him. Even if she sometimes looks like a chunk of coal…”
“Speak for yourself, you dirtbag!” Olivia squealed at her sister.
“Get up here and watch a movie with me, and let’s do our nails.”
Typically, Olivia would’ve scoffed at doing something so girly, but she was feeling closer to Maddie than ever, so she parked herself on the end of the couch, and for the first time in years, had a lazy afternoon watching movies, eating junk food, and painting her nails with her sister. It felt slovenly, gluttonous, and amazing.
Olivia got up bright and early and went for a walk in the rain. She planned to practice until 9:30 and then get a ride out to the barn for band practice. She laughed to herself, a few months earlier, band practice had looked very different. She hadn’t expected to become a member of a middle-aged men’s classic rock band, but she loved it.
She didn’t know when they’d be done jamming and since Maddie had work in the afternoon, she offered to drive Olivia to the barn. They put her bike in the back of the car and carefully lowered the hatchback over its frame. Olivia looked over at Maddie as she drove the car. For someone who looked like hell yesterday, today she was positively glowing, her hair piled on top of her head, her cheeks dewy, and her lips pink with gloss. Olivia pulled down the visor and tried to mimic Maddie’s messy bun with her brown hair, but it was too long and flopped down over her ears. She looked completely ridiculous.
“Here,” Maddie said, handing her a tube of lip gloss. “It’s my favorite.” Olivia took the tube and carefully applied a layer of gloss. She pursed her lips in the mirror. ‘It looks pretty good,’ she thought to herself.
“That really makes your green eyes pop, especially against my shirt.”
“I didn’t think that you’d miss this one, you never wear it.” Olivia smiled.
“It looks great on you. What’s with all the effort this morning? Expecting someone to be there?” Maddie teased.
Olivia flushed. She had played out her next meeting with Blaine over and over in her head. Of course, she hoped that he was going to be there, but she also wanted to prepare herself for the strong possibility that she’d never see him again.
As they pulled onto the long grassy driveway, Olivia’s heart began to hammer in her chest. She rubbed her hands on her jean shorts, hoping they would blot up the sweat. Maddie looked over at her sister and smiled knowingly.
When they reached the barn, Olivia’s heart sank. There were no motorcycles in sight, only Steve’s impeccably maintained vintage VW bus and a big black cargo van. She hadn’t realized that she’d been holding her breath, and now released it, relaxing. She didn’t know if she was relieved that he wasn’t there, of if she was upset. She decided it was a little bit of both.
“Too bad,” Maddie said. “Get your bike out of the trunk and don’t forget your raincoat, it looks like these showers are going to continue all afternoon.
Olivia dragged her bike out of the trunk,
slammed it, and patted the car on top like they did in the movies. Maddie laughed and gave her a wave before reversing out the long laneway.
Olivia could hear the band warming up and ran to the barn, steering her bicycle beside her. Once inside, she tossed her raincoat onto a bale of hay and wound her hair into a loose long braid.
“Hi Liv!” Steve whispered into the microphone.
She waved and ran to pick up the guitar. She plugged it in and felt the excitement she felt every time she heard the feedback of her instrument through the amp. While she was busy messing around with the dials on the amp and setting up her foot petals, she didn’t notice the shadowy figures enter the barn.
“What’s first up?” she asked the guys.
“Touch Me,” Steve spoke into the mic.
“The Doors version?”
“Yeah man,” Steve drawled, putting on his best Jim Morrison. “One, two, one, two, three, four!” he counted in and they were off.
Olivia loved Touch Me, the guitar riff was so much fun. She had practiced it ad nauseum and was great at it. She smiled and sang along with the guys. ‘We’re sounding pretty tight today,’ she thought to herself.
When they finished, she heard clapping from the back of the barn. The muted light that filtered in through the barnboards made it hard to see who it was, but one silhouette in particular looked very familiar. Her heart jumped a beat. She never would’ve fooled around the way she had if she knew Blaine was watching from the shadows. She felt a lump growing in her throat and was embarrassed by her goofy antics. ‘Fuck, I think I even did a kick in there.’ She chastised herself.
“You guys done with the straw?” Steve asked into the mic. He loved talking into that damn microphone.
“Too wet!” A low deep voice rang out from the back.
“Did you tarp it?”
“Yes, boss. It’s all set for when the rain stops.”
“If you guys want to stick around for a bit, I can help you with the radishes after this song.”
“Sure, we don’t have anywhere to be, and we’ve got a cooler full of beer in the van.”
“Have at it, man,” Steve said and smiled.
The van. It made sense now. Of course, they wouldn’t have ridden their motorcycles in the rain, but what were they all doing there? There had to be at least 5 bikers seated in the back of the barn. How was she going to play, knowing Blaine was here?
“Let’s do another Doors,” Steve said.
“Riders?” Laurie suggested.
“Very fitting,” Steve said and counted in again.
Olivia was a practiced musician, so she was able to play through her nerves. She played perfectly, but didn’t take any risks, or creative liberties. When the last note rang out Steve raised his eyebrows at her and shook his head. She smiled meekly and took the guitar off.
“I’ll be right back; you guys work on the chord progressions in Freebird.” Steve jumped off the makeshift stage and went to chat with the group of men huddled around the crates in the back.
Olivia held her breath as Blaine approached the stage. She hoped her lip gloss had survived the last hour.
“That was amazing. You are really good,” he said and smiled at her.
God his teeth are perfect, she thought to herself.
“Thanks, I like to play.” Omigod, omigod, omigod, did I just quote Garth from Wayne’s World?! she berated herself.
Blaine smiled and chuckled, “Maybe we can play a little bohemian rhapsody a little later on.”
She was frozen stiff. Her mouth betraying her with its paralysis. Olivia couldn’t think of anything witty to say, or anything at all, in fact, but was saved by Steve.
“Blaine, help these guys with the crates!” he shouted from the huge barn doors.
“Duty calls.” Blaine gave her a wink before he jogged away.
She watched his muscles ripple under his white t-shirt and couldn’t help but stare at his ass. She wondered if he played hockey, because he had the round muscular ass of a pro player.
With the peanut gallery gone, Olivia was able to relax and really wail out on the guitar. They played for two hours, and in her opinion, they’d never sounded better. As she put away her guitar, the heavens opened up and the torrential downpour that had been threatening all morning released over the farm. The sound of the rain on the tin roof of the barn was deafening, it sounded like ball bearings were falling from the sky. She jumped as a crack of thunder boomed through the sky. She continued to wind up the patch cords and hummed to herself as the storm continued its beating.
The barn door flung open with a clatter and the five bikers practically fell into the barn. They were completely soaked and laughing hysterically. She watched as Blaine wrung out his glorious pony-tail, the water puddling on the barnboard beneath his feet.
“Radishes are done,” he said, smiling at Steve.
“That’s great guys. That would’ve taken me all week,” Steve replied. “Hey, do you guys mind giving Little Liv a ride home? I’d hate for my lead guitarist to get struck by lightning before we can play our first gig.”
“Of course,” Blaine said. “Your chariot awaits, m’lady.”
“Um. Let me grab my bike first,” Olivia said.
“Skinny – get the lady’s bicycle.” Blaine ordered. The big fat biker nodded and picked up her bike like it was a feather.
She couldn’t meet Steve’s eyes as she left with the bikers, but if she had, she would’ve seen that he was smiling.
They ran out to the van and Skinny opened the passenger door for Olivia to hop in the front. Blaine jumped into the driver’s seat and the rest of the guys piled into the back of the dirty cargo van. The four sopping wet bikers sat on the floor.
The rain pelted the top of the van, and when Blaine started it up, he put the windshield wipers on max. Even though she had sprinted as fast as she could, Olivia was soaked, her hair was plastered down against her face and Maddie’s peasant shirt clung to her body.
“So, when’s your first gig?” Blaine asked as he navigated the truck through the rough field and onto the pavement of the county road.
“You’ve got me. I don’t think anyone will actually hire those guys.” Olivia responded, laughing. “I don’t think we’re really stage-worthy.”
“Are you kidding?” Blaine said. “You guys sound amazing!”
“Thanks.” Olivia blushed. “I don’t think there’s a lot of demand for classic rock cover bands anymore though.”
Crater peered forward into the front of the van and leaned on Olivia’s armrest. Close up, Olivia could see just how horrible his acne must have been as a teenager. His cheeks resembled the surface of the moon, and she understood how he had come by his nickname. “Nope. You’re wrong about that guitar-girl. We spend enough time in seedy bars to know that classic rock ain’t ever gonna die.”
“Her name is Olivia.” Blaine swatted at Crater, “And get in the back!”
Blaine turned up the heat and blasted the fans, attempting to clear the steamy windshield.
Crater laughed and returned to his place amongst the soaking wet pile of bikers. The windows were dripping with condensation and the van was starting to smell like a mix of manure and cigarettes. Olivia cracked her window and Blaine did the same. He turned up the radio, stepped on the gas, and they sped into town. Olivia wiped the condensation off the passenger window and tried to catch glimpses of Blaine out of the corner of her eye. She could see the veins in his tatted bicep as he gripped the top of the steering wheel with his right hand, his left hand settled comfortably in his lap. He had a full sleeve tattoo on his right arm, and thanks to his soaked t-shirt she could see the phoenix rising that ran from his wrist to his shoulder. She had never found tattoos sexy before, but wanted to reach and trace the lines of that particular phoenix.
They turned into an alleyway beside a mechanic’s shop and headed into the back yard.
“Where are we?” Olivia asked. She wasn’t really afraid, but had become aware that she was
in a van full of men she didn’t know.
“This is the clubhouse.” Blaine threw the van into park. He turned to face the guys in the back, “Everybody out!” he yelled.
The guys scrambled to their feet and leapt out of the van.
“See you when you get back here.” Skinny punched Blaine in the arm and smirked at him.
“Just get out,” Blaine growled.
When it was just the two of them in the van, Blaine reversed out of the alleyway, using his mirrors. “Where to?”
“I should get out of these wet clothes, so home please.”
“And where might that be?”
“Southside,” Olivia replied.
At the end of the driveway, Blaine put the van in gear, but instead of driving away, he pulled back into the rear of the property. “Hold on a minute, I have to go get something.” He hopped out and returned shortly, carrying a black duffel bag.
They sat in silence as Blaine navigated the van through town. Olivia’s heart pounded in her chest. She could feel the electricity running through the air between them. She longed to reach out and hold his hand. She gave herself permission to look at him, and studied his face while he drove. His eyelashes were light, unless you looked closely, you would miss how long and lush they were. His beard was mostly red, but had hints of blonde, the same blonde from his head, running through it. She wondered how his beard could be so red, while the hair on his head was so blonde. She blushed as she wondered about the rest of the hair on his body. She found herself lost in thought, but snapped to attention when Blaine pulled off the road. The rain had stopped and the sun was burning the wetness off the ground.
“Where are we?”
Blaine cleared his throat. “I want to show you something, before I take you home. Is that o.k.”
Olivia’s heart skipped, but she tried to appear calm. “I would love that Blaine, but I am soaked.”
They reached a small clearing with a pond fed by a small stream. The sun was shining through the forest trees, creating foggy sunbeams. It felt like they had happened upon a lush scene right out of a fairy tale.