"Yes, thank you. We are going to have so much make-up sex when your hand is healed, neither of us will be able to walk."
He chuckled. "I can't wait."
Suddenly I realized that Daniel hadn’t used a condom. In all the hustle and bustle of his injury and the circus that was our life in London, I hadn’t gotten a refill on my birth control pills. I needed an exam and just hadn’t had a chance to make an appointment. Since Daniel and I weren’t having sex, it had slipped my mind until just this moment. Oh, well, it would be okay. I’m not going to get hysterical. Daniel and I would manage this.
"Hmmmm. I love you, sweet Mary. Thank you."
"For what?" I whispered, slowly drifting off to sleep.
"For everything."
****
Returning to London from our visit, Daniel, I noted, seemed much more rested. Not that he intended to sit around the house and do nothing—he was already counting the days until his follow-up visit with the surgeon. Though I had not mentioned my project again to him since before we left, Daniel certainly didn't forget. He was raring to go.
Chapter Ten
Daniel walked out of the surgeon's office in high spirits. He insisted I sit in on the exam doctor’s advice. I was only too happy to appease him. We left knowing if all went as planned, he would be freed of his cast in another four weeks and possibly be granted the green light to begin playing again. Oh yeah, it was going to be a long, long month.
The cast changed to one not quite so cumbersome and he was also given some freedom from having to hold it in a sling. He was walking on air, certain he should begin making plans to resume his tour. I finally convinced him to slow it down.
On the way back to his place, we stopped and picked up lunch. He was excited to get started doing something. Anything! Sitting in the living room sharing egg rolls and pot stickers, I couldn't help but smile to myself at how a simple visit to the clinic had turned him around. It was the boost he needed, but it also meant I was going to have to watch and make sure he didn't do too much, trying to speed things along.
"Mary, I know we haven't found an agent to help find us a place, but I had a thought about the whole thing."
I was curious. We hadn’t discussed it since before we went to France. Was he having second thoughts?
"What is that?"
"Why don't you move out of your place and move your stuff in here until we have an opportunity to find another place? You've been living here since the accident, why not make it permanent?"
"Been thinking about this a lot have you?" I took a bite of egg roll and watched his face. Those brown doe eyes gave him away every time.
"Yes, I have, as a matter of fact."
"Humm…Remember, Eloise? She's moved back to London and made a few comments about my letting her take over my lease now that you and I are practically living together. All I would have to do is move my personal effects and leave her with whatever I didn’t need or she wanted."
He instantly grinned, obviously believing he had scored big time. "You're a genus, sweet!" He exclaimed, bending over and planting a savory kiss on my cheek.
"I'll call her this evening after she gets off work. In the meantime, I think you need to relax a little."
"That's all I've been doing." He frowned.
"And that's what you're going to continue doing. I don't want you getting ahead of yourself and then paying for it down the road."
"Agreed," he reluctantly replied.
"If you rest for a while after we're done eating, I promise we'll go sit in your studio and begin going through video footage."
If all else fails, bribe him. It seemed to be the only way I could keep him in line.
"I was thinking, sweet, do you think we could pay a visit to my label and management offices? Doesn't have to be today. I just thought it might be a good touch if we went and updated everyone."
"Yes, I think that is a jam-up idea." Yeah, and it'll keep all the hangers-on out of our place.
"I didn't realize, until we were in France, how much unnecessary drama I'd put you through, letting all those people camp out here."
Oh, he's good. I seriously wonder sometimes if he can't read my mind.
"Well, you know, I'd had my fill when your old flame, Gisele, tried her hand with me."
"But you handled yourself so well, sweet!" I heard a chuckle come from deep inside his throat. He was having fun with this, no doubt about it. "Look at how fast she left!"
"You're enjoying yourself aren't you?"
He laid his head back and laughed, his long hair flowing behind him as he did. "I have to amuse myself somehow. I'm rather limited in what I can do right now."
"Daniel, go lie down and rest for a while. Go read or watch a movie. I'm going to text Elle while I've got my apartment on my mind and get her to thinking about it."
"Good idea. Hurry, though, I wouldn't want you to miss the good part." He cackled as he walked through the living room and down the hall to the bedroom. Well, at least he wasn't a crotchety boring old thing who wanted nothing more in life than to watch movies.
Shaking my head, I found my phone and sat down to compose a quick text to Elle.
Something to think about: my apartment. Interested? We can talk later. I hit send and sat and waited. I knew Eloise well enough to know she'd get back to me in an instant, unless she was busy at work. Less than a minute went by before she replied.
Yes! Talk 2nite!
****
Having gone through things in my apartment for the last time, I left a beaming Eloise with the keys. She and I had spent endless hours packing up my clothes and personal things and hauling them to Danny's studio, where I knew I’d have to go through them once more. Everything else, the furniture and kitchen stuff, I left for Eloise—and she was happy to have it. Now it was time to go. To move on to the next chapter in my life. One I was making with Daniel. Funny, closing out this phase of my life did not bother me.
I don't even recall how the conversation got started, but Daniel and I had just returned from my last trip to the apartment.
"You handled that well, sweet; but you've been awfully quite since we left. Everything okay? Not having second thoughts are you?" He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, watching me hang the last of my clothes in the closet.
"I'm fine. I'd forgotten how long I'd lived there and where my life was when I first moved in. I was overdue a change. Start a new page, that sort of thing."
Then he dropped a bomb.
"Can I ask you a question? I'm just throwing it out there. Something for us to discuss. We don't have to decide anything tonight."
I shut the closet and swung around to look at him. He looked serious enough. I walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "What's your question?" He hedged for a second, like he was having second thoughts.
"How would you feel about moving to New York?"
I stared at him in disbelief. I was in total shock, at a loss for words. All I could do is look at him.
"Mary? Say something."
"I…I don't know what to say, Danny. I have never really given much thought as to where, in the future, we might live. I assumed it would be here, perhaps a new place here—one we chose together. But, New York? Why, Danny?"
"Why not? I've always loved New York. I love the feeling I get from it—the energy, the inspiration. But we don't have to make a decision anytime soon. I just wanted to throw the idea out. Something for us to think about, okay?"
I nodded my head. "Yes, for sure. Do you want to hold off looking here for a place, then?"
"Would you mind terribly, sweet?"
"No, perhaps I could get an agent lined up in New York before we go there next time. I have to admit, though, I've sort of gotten rather fond of this place. There's a lot of you here, you know, and that makes me happy."
He sat there eyeing me curiously, as though he'd expected a far different response or reaction.
"What?"
"You do amaze me somet
imes, sweet, that's all."
"Well, you even said there's no rush. On the other hand, if moving to New York is something you feel you need to do for your career…"
"We're in this together. It's not just me we're talking about anymore. It's you, as well, and what's best for us. I just wanted to throw the idea out, that's all."
"Well I, for one, think it's more than time for you to get back to playing. I miss hearing you." I crawled across the bed and sat up, legs folded, and gently took his injured hand in mine.
****
Daniel and I made his requested trips to his management firm and his label, unannounced. I convinced him it would be far more fun to catch everyone off guard, by just showing up.
"Say, Daniel, have you heard what that club owner Jake Black is up to?"
Jake Black, now there's a name I haven't heard for quite a while. Then, again, Archangel has been in semi-retirement. Life with Danny seems to have fulfilled whatever needs I thought Archangel could. This could be interesting.
"No, I haven't; but then I haven't been out to any clubs, lately. What sort of self promotion has he come up with now?" Daniel asked, a huge cocky grin on his face. I stood next to him, just far enough behind him where he couldn't see my face. I couldn't risk it.
"He's come up with a good one. He's issued a wager of sorts, put out a call—sort of like Batman. Only Jake is looking for Archangel and he's willing to pay big to the person who finds her or leads him to her. Evidently she was quite the draw for his clubs when she played."
Danny laughed, turning around far enough to catch my face and my reaction. "You have to give the dude credit for being original. Anyone know how much he's paying out?"
"Two thousand pounds," someone crowed. "Can you imagine the lucky bugger who walks away with that purse?"
"She must be good if he's willing to dole out that sort of cash," I said, loud enough for Daniel to hear me.
"Oh, she is sweet, she is."
"I hope she is okay." I lied, in an effort to make conversation without jeopardizing my motive.
"What do you mean?" Daniel backed himself up enough to look at me directly.
"Nothing. Just curious. Makes me wonder if she's still around, since this Jake character is willing to put up money to entice her back into the spotlight."
"Yes it does, doesn't it?" He replied smugly. "Perhaps she's happy and content without it all, now." We stared at each other, daring the other to blink first.
Oh, Danny you are smart. Or do you read my mind like I've so often wondered? If he doesn't know of my so-called alter ego, what would he think of her? That grin of his, the one he has now, like the cat who swallowed the canary? Have I busted myself out to him like I did about my family?
Neil and Penny came rushing up to Daniel, breaking our gaze. By the way they were acting, I wondered if there had been some recent development between the two. Had Penny moved on to Neil, resolved to the idea that Daniel was nothing more than a dream?
"Daniel, Mary! Good to see you both," he boomed in a voice that was louder than I was used to hearing come out of the normally quiet and reserve handler. He shook Daniel's hand and turned to look at me. "You've been keeping him in line I see."
"I'm trying. I've had to bribe him with some music related projects to make him behave like he's supposed to," I replied.
I noted Penny just had to slither up to Daniel anyway, hugging and kissing him. That one is totally in it for herself. I hoped Neil was aware of that little fact. Judging by his face, however, I doubted it. Something told me that that perhaps, in Neil's case, it was more lust and not love.
"Do you think we could steal your boyfriend away one evening, Mary? We could sure use his ear for a new artist Neil's wanting to sign," Penny gushed.
"That's up to Daniel," I replied, suddenly feeling pressed in from the bodies surrounding us and looking for a way to escape the nausea I was feeling at that precise moment.
"All set for your brothers’ big show?" Blip, and just that fast, she was on to something else. "I bet you sit back and wish you had followed them in to music, huh Mary?"
"Actually I did follow them into music, just not down the same path. As for their show, Daniel and I haven't discussed it."
"Well, they'll be here next week,” Neil said, looking at Daniel. "Great photo op Daniel, you and the three Tudor boys."
"Only if Mary takes the pictures."
"Neil and Joe are going to let me, actually." Penny injected.
"I didn't know you were interested in photography," Daniel replied.
"Oh, yeah. I've been taking pictures for the guys for ages. I can't wait to meet your brothers, Mary."
I bit my tongue and remained silent. Daniel picked up on my changing mood and tried to shift the conversation to a means of escape.
"Well, let me know will you, Neil? I'm afraid, though, we must go. Mary and I have another stop to make before we call it a day."
He led me out through his crowd of admirers to the elevator. Glancing out of the corner of my eye as the doors shut and he punched the button for the lobby, I saw that him looking at me in the high polished metal of the elevator interior. I pretended not to notice. Instead, I felt his good hand reach out and touch my cheek and as he did I leaned into him and let him kiss me.
Daniel was my safe haven, just as I was his; and I didn’t want anyone or anything to ruin it for us.
"I think I've had enough for today, sweet. Why don't we go home? It looks as though it's going to rain, anyway."
"Yes, let’s. You don't need to overdo it. Do you want to stop and get lunch or do you want me to fix something for us?"
"Would you mind? I rather enjoy you cooking for me. The kitchen has had more use in the time you've been living with me than it ever has."
"Flattery will get you every time, Daniel Kennedy."
"But I mean every word I say."
"I know you do. That's one of the things I love about you. You're honest."
We hit the lobby and proceeded on to the rest of our afternoon.
By the time we got home, Daniel was truly worn out. After making grilled cheese and soup for lunch, he headed to the sofa to watch a new movie he'd found. While waiting for it to start, I decided to clean up the kitchen. I always hated the clean-up part and wanted to get it out of the way.
"Holler when it starts, okay? I'll try and be as fast as I can."
"I'll hold your place," he teased, patting the cushion next to him.
Finished, I sauntered back into the living room only to find Mister I-have-to-see-this-movie sound asleep, stretched out on the sofa. I picked up a blanket from the back and unfolded it before covering him. I debated whether to kiss him, but decided I might wake him and he, indeed, needed to sleep.
Looking around trying to figure out how to pass the time, my eyes came to rest on the door to his studio. I could go in and work on finishing up some of the clips I had been attempting to put together—the ones Daniel and I had worked on together.
Walking through the metal door, I turned on a few lights. I started to sit down in front of the monitor, when my eyes caught my violin case sitting off to one side of the room. Without thinking, I walked over to the case and opened it. Holding the instrument in my hands, I stood, silently contemplating what to play. A piece I used to play in the clubs began to guide my fingers and bow. The more I played, the more enthralled I became. Then, for a second, I thought I heard something. I quickly dismissed it as being nothing but my over active imagination. After finishing, I wandered over to the small black baby grand Daniel kept and began to run my fingers over the keyboard. Haunting melodies came to mind, taking me away to another world-- back to when Amadeus and I used to practice together. Lord, what brought that on? I kept on playing until once again something made me pause and look around.
Just as I did, Daniel came into full view, his hair having come free from the binding he usually kept it up in. "I woke up and you weren't near. I heard the sounds of the piano, and here you are. Very nice, by
the way."
"Thanks. I wanted to let you sleep so I came in here with the intention of finishing those clips, but the keyboard beckoned."
"Haunting. Is it something you composed?"
I nodded my head. "Something Amadeus and I used to play. So I suppose yeah, we composed it together. Back in the day." I snorted at the vision.
"I thought you didn't snort." He teased, sitting beside me on the bench.
"I don't. That was a stifled laugh."
His eyes were gleaming with all sorts of things– mischief and perhaps something naughty. "Is it? I must remember that in the future. You really should play more often, you know that? You need to play the violin more, as well. You really are very talented, regardless of what those brothers of yours might think."
Chapter Eleven
The end of June was fast approaching and time for not only my three brothers and the American invasion of their Tudor Reunion Tour, but time for Daniel's cast to come off at long last. His two months had turned into almost three due, in part, to an overly cautious surgeon who had the foresight to hobble Daniel an extra couple of weeks. The good surgeon figured his famous patient would not take things slow once he was freed of his restraint.
The final cast wasn't really a cast. Daniel could take it off to shower and dress himself, and he was free of the dreaded sling.
Still, we erred on the side of caution when it came to our intimate moments.
Imagine my disbelief when I found him, late one evening, sitting on a stool in the bathroom, his arm out of the cast and attempting to move his wrist and hand. I watched in utter amazement and immediately wondered how long he'd been doing it.
I stood, leaning against the door casing, surprising him. "My, my, my, could it be Daniel Kennedy has his own secrets?" I whispered.
His eyes pierced mine from the mirror as he turned to face me. "I didn't see what harm it would do if I tried to exercise, just to build the strength and stamina I'll need to play. I'm being very careful, sweet."
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