The Stage

by Catherine Russell

  “Good evening. I’m Ilaina, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get you anything to drink?”

  “How about two glasses of merlot to start with? Thanks.” He was looking directly at me, and didn’t even bother to glance up at her—or to ask me what I wanted, which was rude on so many levels. I raised my eyebrows, wondering just who he thought he was. I found my voice quickly.

  “Hold on, no merlot for me, Coke, please.” His surprise was obvious as I sat back comfortably, searching the menu.

  His continued silence told me he got the message. I didn’t want to look up, so I amused myself with the menu. My uneasiness grew, so I did what came naturally, making a stupid comment.

  “I’m a big girl now, got my big girl panties on,” I said sarcastically, continuing to use the menu as a prop to hide behind. I glanced down, and when I looked back up, I noticed his lips tightened and his eyes were cast downward.

  “I’ve offended you, and for that I’m sorry.” He speech pattern was so formal, so eloquent. His words were honest, at least. Surprisingly, I caved.

  “Its fine. It is just that I’m not much for wine. Plus I haven’t eaten today. Not a good idea on my first date to be a total lush.” I tried to be a bit more gentle with my words. “I’ll take a sip. Who knows? Maybe I’ll like it.”

  A slight grin reappeared, softening his features. “So, where were we?” he said. “Oh, that’s right. You have questions. Well, so do I. Now it’s my turn.” He winked at me, then stared at me, calculating. “Where did you grow up?”

  “On South Hill, in Puyallup.,” I said as the music continued and more customers began to fill the other booths. The place was quickly getting busy.

  “And when did you meet Ashleigh?”

  “We’ve known each other since elementary school. She’s the one person who probably knows me the best.” I’d had enough of the idle chit-chat and wanted some serious answers.

  “My turn. What happened downstairs at The Stage the other night? What is that place?”

  Just then the waitress came back with our drinks. He raised his glass slowly, eyeing me over the rim. I took a sip of his wine, which tasted really good, actually. I took a swig of my Coke and it burned all the way down. I was glad I didn’t follow his suggestion. The splash in my stomach told me I was on more than empty. The waitress returned for our orders.

  I took a quick glance at the menu. “I’ll take the chef special with extra garlic, please.” He raised his eyebrow at my request, and I almost called him on it, but I let it go.

  She turned to him for his order, and I noted that he was careful to look at her as he spoke. “I’m fine, thank you.”

  “Aren’t you eating?” I asked as she walked away.

  He looked up at me with a smirk. “No, I’m still full—I had big lunch today.” He sat back against the bench cushion with his arms spread out across the back, his fingers relaxed, hanging down. In the dim light his skin almost glowed, and I had to pull my eyes away to keep from staring at him.

  “Well?” I prodded, impatiently waiting for an answer to my last question.

  “I’m not exactly clear on your question.”

  “Oh, come on now. Don’t play that card. The downstairs where I ran into you and your keyboardist, Pepper. Remember?”

  The waitress quickly returned with my order and left just as fast.

  “Was that the night you hit your head when you were locked in the closet?”

  His sapphire eyes were confusing me, and his words jogged my memory. I did hit my head… but was it the same night? Did I make it up? Hallucinations are a sign of a head injury, I reminded myself. I could feel my cheeks flush as I took a heaping bite, trying to distract myself from serious embarrassment.

  Now that the dance floor was packed, the music had become tempting. I started tapping my foot along with the rhythm. He caught my eye and put his hand out. “Would you like to?” he said, inclining his head towards the floor, a smile pulling up on the edges of his delicious mouth.

  “I wouldn’t advise it even on a good day. I’m not the world’s best dancer,” I hedged. For some reason, I was nervous about being so close to his body.

  “It’s all in who leads. Trust me.”

  Trust me. Those words kept popping up all night. He leaned closer to me now—closer than he had ever been before. My heart raced, making me extremely warm and anxious. Dancing might help to distract me, so I chanced it.

  Between the rising tempo of all the bodies dancing around us and the blush that wouldn’t leave my cheeks, his cool hands felt like smooth ice on my skin as he guided me towards the dance floor ever so gently. There were so many people. Crowds were not my favorite thing to experience. I was afraid if I looked away from him I’d lose what small part of control I had. My hands were trembling, my feet felt like lead weights.

  As we reached the floor, a clear path seemed to open in the crowd. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the way he looked at them, almost silently commanding them to part for us.

  “Trust me, Meg. I won’t let anything happen.”

  He just didn’t understand. I was terrified, everyone was looking at me. My senses were on overload. I could feel my control slipping. “You don’t understand. I… I want to, it’s just hard for me.” I could feel the panic setting in. My feet already set to find the closest exit.

  Suddenly his hands were cupping my face. All I could see was his intense deep eyes. I tried to pull back but suddenly everything around us disappeared. In its place were trees, the forest of my childhood. We stood under the clear blue sky, the sounds of the creek going by, and the breeze brushing against my skin. He was there, with me. How could this be happening?

  “Trust me, Meg. I’m here.”

  “What’s going on? I don’t understand. What did you put in my drink?” I began to panic, yet his hands held me, my eyes locked on his. I tried to slow my breathing to keep from panicking, forcing me to focus. I didn’t want to bolt like so many times before.

  I didn’t go on dates for a reason. I didn’t like to get close to other people, but this was quickly turning out to be anything but a regular date.

  He released one hand from my chin, wrapping it around my waist, then resting it gently in the small of my back, his other stroking my cheek, cool and smooth. I’d never felt this before, so scared yet safe. Scared because I felt so exposed, safe because he held me like a porcelain doll.

  He started to sing—not to the crowd, but to me—like I was the only one there. I’d never heard these lyrics before, but the words wrapped around us, through us. On and on we danced, moving as one. He leaned closer to me, touching his face to mine, picking up my hand to kiss my wrist, all the while looking at me, reassuring me with a haunting smile.

  All at once, his eyes flashed deeply and I was falling. It seemed like slow motion: he tilted his head and then kissed my cheek, hesitating for a split second. Then I felt his cold, velvet lips hovering on mine so softly, yet so hard. My breath was gone. I wanted to push him back, but I didn’t want this to stop.

  Something was off, but I pushed that feeling away to savor his first touch. I was lost in the movements of our kiss and the pulsing music. His hands found their way around my waist, pulling me to him; the sensation of skin on skin only increased the pleasure.

  My inner alarms were screaming and I was ignoring them. I tried to stop, to let go—and he felt my reactions. “Geoffrey, I don’t understand. What just happened?”

  The questions just kept coming. I couldn’t stop them. I searched his face for some meaning, some reason for all of this. Was I just dreaming? “I’m going crazy, aren’t I?” I felt the control slipping as I turned for the door, but he held my hand. I could see he meant me no harm, yet the hair on the back of my neck was standing up.

  Then, as though he heard my thoughts, he spoke. “Megan, calm down. You’re fine, and you’re safe, though I believ
e the three Cokes you downed might have wired you up a bit. You seem a bit confused? Maybe I should take you home?”

  There was something behind his words; his intensity seemed to convince me, but I still had questions. I glanced around and suddenly realized that we were the only ones left, the music silenced. We made our way out the door and stepped into the very early hours of morning.

  What just happened? I asked myself over and over on the ride home. I held on to him closer than I had ever held anyone before; it felt too comfortable. I was scared, but I still wanted more. I didn’t remember getting to my door, let alone going inside to crash, but my dreams started before my head hit the pillow.

  Who was Geoffrey Drake? Why did I remember him in my dreams of being a child? How did I see those things tonight?

  I searched for answers in those dreams, but found nothing.

  Chapter 6

  My first weeks at The Stage went by quickly. The summer heat had given way to cool evenings with cloudy skies. Each night Geoffrey and his band would take the stage, packing the house, but he didn’t speak to me. The tips were great and I was finally able to furnish my little piece of heaven. Ashleigh and I scavenged through the secondhand stores to find unique pieces, but I had to rein in some of her more eclectic tendencies, like when she suggested I put up pink neon tube lighting in my bedroom.

  “Where’s your sense of adventure, Megan?” she asked in her ultra-sweet, sugary voice.

  “In my mind, thank you very much, exactly where it’s staying,” my inner librarian replied.

  My books, sketch pads, and me—I told myself that’s all I wanted… but then, each night I found myself scrutinizing his every move on stage. It was like watching a well-oiled machine: smooth and flawless. It had to be a front, an illusion. He was too perfect. Sometimes I thought I caught him eyeing me, too, while performing, but then he’d play it off.

  Due to my rotten luck and some impeccable timing on his part, I got a chance for a closer look one night. I caught my foot on something near the stage just before the show started, and I almost smashed my head on the corner of the stage. I don’t know how he did it, but Geoffrey caught me. He just must’ve been in the right place at the right time, I guess. Afterwards, he pulled me aside and offered to give me a ride home. The buses had stopped running late routes, and I had been using my bike for transportation. After getting soaked the last two nights in a row, I graciously accepted.

  The rest of my shift went by in a blur and Ashleigh found me at my station, cleaning up after a very busy closing. My mind was racing but my eyes were starting to droop.

  “You’re doing great!” she said. “Everyone is commenting how good you are. Looks like you did pretty well with the tips, too!”

  “Yeah, I think I’m getting the hang of it—though I did almost fall over at one point. Geoffrey was there, though, and he caught me,” I said through a yawn.

  “You’re tired! Go home…oh, hey—how are you getting home? You’re not walking, are you?” she asked. It wasn’t exactly a short trip to my place, plus it was late and pitch black outside.

  “No, Geoffrey said he’d give me a lift,” I said as I searched the now dark and deserted dance floor. I was praying he hadn’t changed his mind. “Speaking of the devil, have you seen him?”

  “I think he went to get a bite to eat down the street. I’m sure he’ll be right back. Wait here though; I don’t want you out in that dark alley by yourself. Great job tonight. I’ll call you later.”

  I turned and walked toward the back exit to wait for Geoffrey, shoving my tips deep into my pockets. I was really tired, so I leaned back on the door. Whoosh! The door opened and I fell outside, catching myself on the railing as the door closed with a clank.

  Great, just peachy! I stood in the dark with the door locked behind me. My eyes tried to adjust to the sudden darkness while my breathing sped up. I swung my purse around my neck and shoulder, holding it close to me as I found the stairs to sit down on.

  The club had been so warm, but now I could feel a chill coming on. I tried to calm down, taking several deep breaths. How was I going to get home now? No one knew I was out here, and Geoffrey might have forgotten about me. At least it wasn’t raining, but my chills weren’t strictly weather-based. Small sounds started to creep up on me; a banging here, a horn in the distance, a car passing. I closed my eyes and listened; people, two or three walking on the sidewalk across the street, talking. Scratching, like little feet on metal from down the alley—probably a rat. I knew the front entrance would already be locked. I could just start walking, but my gut told me to stay put.

  Then I heard something like a sigh… but I wasn’t sure. I shook my head, trying to hear it clearly. I was afraid I was hearing voices again, but this wasn’t an ominous sound; it was more like a comforting feeling. I closed my eyes, trying to pinpoint where it was, then it stopped.

  I opened my eyes again, now realizing I could see movement coming toward me. The footsteps echoed off the alley walls, causing the panic to rise in my chest. I was suddenly covered in goosebumps. Which way could I run? Would I be fast enough? Probably not. My feet felt like they were cemented to the step. Then I saw Geoffrey strutting down the alley, looking like he’d caught me red-handed. He smiled slightly as if he were amused at my predicament, being locked out in the dark, by myself.

  “What do we have here? Let me guess—you leaned on the door handle, right?” he asked, suppressing a laugh. He stretched out his hand to take mine and I noticed that his gloves were already on. I guess he really had gone somewhere.

  “Yeah, you caught me,” was all I could say.

  “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long. I needed to grab a snack,” he said wiping something off his lip with the back of his hand.

  I stood up, my legs a little cramped from being so tense, and a big yawn overtook me. Suddenly, I was very tired.

  “Come on, let’s get you home,” he offered quickly.

  We walked down the alley, and I discovered that he hadn’t come to work on his motorcycle tonight. In its place was a beautiful midnight blue Ford Mustang, completely tricked out. It was my dream car, and as soon as he opened the door I slid onto the warm leather seat.

  “Nice car. When’d you get this?” I asked, practically drooling over the dashboard and wicked sound system.

  “Oh, I’ve had Baby for a while. I normally take her out once the rains start. Don’t get me wrong, I love my bike, but taking a cold shower as I ride home isn’t on my list of fun things to do.”

  He grinned as he turned the engine over. I wasn’t much of a car geek, but just from the throaty sound I knew it was a V8. I buckled up as he reached to do the same and our hands touched slightly. I imagined again that there was some kind of charge between us, but he just smiled and stroked the back of my hand.

  I kept reminding myself he was only helping me get home, nothing more… but who was I kidding? We chit-chatted on the way, discussing music, and before I knew it we were at my place, speakers cranked to the max. I went to step out of the car and totally lost my balance. Somehow Geoffrey caught me effortlessly with one arm as I tripped over the curb.

  “Holy crap, how’d you do that?” I said, trying to get my legs back under me, short of breath.

  “Just lucky, I guess.” He grinned. He seemed totally different once he was off stage. The bravado was gone, allowing his gentle, truly kind personality to shine through.

  He helped me stand up, which pushed us closer together than normal. Our faces were inches apart. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he held me; my lips parted to say “stop,” but I was speechless. He slowly leaned in and his lips touched mine for the first time since our date, and it was just as intense. The only difference was I was totally aware of how our bodies reacted to each other this time.

  At first, his lips were light upon mine, moving in perfect unison. He held my face gently as my body began
to react. My lips parted slightly to catch my breath, and realized he was doing the same. My lips found his again, but I wasn’t nearly as gentle. One hand wound its way up my neck, his nimble fingers weaving into my hair; the other hand was wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me against him.

  It felt completely natural. This was really happening…

  You are the one, I thought I heard him say—but he couldn’t have said anything at that moment. My lips parted and I tasted his sweetness as his tongue found mine. Then he took my hands into his own as we parted.

  “Uh, wow. Okay. I’m so—” I stuttered.

  “No, Megan. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said as he looked at me, holding my hands to his heart. His words and face were pained as I tried to hide my reaction deep inside. How could I be so stupid? Just because he kissed me doesn’t mean he wants to play tonsil hockey. God, I’m such a moron.

  He shook his head as if in disagreement with my thought. “You haven’t done anything wrong. You deserve to be treated better than that. I had no right…” His voice trailed off on that dark thought.

  I could see his emotions clearly and felt the need to right the situation. “Look, let’s just dial it down a notch, that’s all. I’d be the first to say something if I didn’t like it. But I suck at lying, so I won’t deny it.” I smiled, trying to lighten the moment.

  He tilted his head, looking at me, and nodded in agreement. “May I walk you up?” he asked, holding the lobby door open.

  “Sure, I’d like that.”

  The night air helped cool things off as we made our way inside. His nervous twitch of running his hand through his hair was sweet and so not like the singer on stage that I’d come accustomed to. I felt my cheeks warm as I fought back a shy smile. We stepped into the elevator together and both reached for the button,

  ending up with our hands touching again.

  His touch gave me a thrill that I wasn’t used to, so I didn’t move my hand away as he gently wrapped his fingers around mine. I noticed that his hands were very cool—but then again, he did have his gloves off and it wasn’t exactly warm out. The doors closed and all at once the overhead light went out, and normally I would have freaked out, but having him there had just the opposite effect. Not only did he hold me close, wrapping both arms around me, his lips found mine and I didn’t hold back.