When he didn’t respond again, I continued. “You know what; your lack of answer says it all. You don’t even have to answer me.” I know my voice broke, and I know he heard it.
I laughed brokenly. “I know you Davis. Don’t you realize, when you wrote your song With You, I knew you weren’t thinking of me? I knew you had found someone.”
Tears were running down my face unheeded. I was mad and I didn’t care if he knew how upset I was. “I know your music is written about your life. Your life! So I knew you had found someone you cared about. Your song told me,” I finished hoarsely.
“Damn it Steph, I am not doing this over the phone. Either tell me where you are or I am calling the house right now, waking up our parents and telling them you need me.”
He was angry, I thought. Why wasn’t he backing down? Why wouldn’t he leave me alone?
Savannah was my sanctuary. There were no memories of him here. If he came here….No, he wouldn’t. Would he?
“Are you crying?” he asked hoarsely
I couldn’t answer him, not wanting him to know. I furiously wiped tears from my eyes, ignoring his question.
He sighed, “God Steph.” I could imagine him running his hand through his hair, his voice laced with frustration.
He surprised me when he said, “Come to me then.”
His question surprised me. “I can’t,” I protested after a moment. Seeing him, that wouldn’t help me to get over him. How could I be strong, how could I resist him if he was right in front of me? I didn’t trust myself. Not after last time.
“Then I am coming there,” he said firmly. “It’s your choice.”
I hesitated, my mind going in all sorts of directions.
“Where are you?” I whispered.
“In Virginia; I think Richmond. I will be in Greensboro North Carolina on Sunday night,” he said softly.
My mind was thinking, not sure what to do. Either keep him from Savannah or go to him. What choice did I have?
“OK, I will come to Greensboro,” I said unhappily.
I heard him sigh. “Do you need me to arrange a flight for you or will you drive?”
“I…I think I will drive. But I can’t get there until Sunday though,” I said hesitantly.
“What time will you be there?” he asked me.
“Not until 6 or 7pm,” I said, trying to remember how long a drive it was.
“Then you will need to meet me at the Greensboro Coliseum,” he said firmly. “I will arrange for your hotel reservations.”
I kept silent, my mind racing.
“Steph?” he questioned.
“Yeah,” I asked breathlessly.
“How long can you stay with me?”
I shivered at his words. They sounded so intimate, and the thought of spending any amount of time with him scared me.
“I…How long will you be there?” I asked him instead.
“I’m not sure. I know our next show isn’t until Thursday night, but I will have to speak to Leo, my manager, to see what else I have scheduled.”
“Can you fly in instead?” he asked me.
I couldn’t think. I still couldn’t believe we had been on the phone this long and that I would see him in a few days.
“I can’t think,” I admitted. “Maybe I will fly in. Let me look at the flights. I can text you when I can arrive.”
“Yes, do that. I can have a car pick you up.”
I still didn’t understand why he was pushing this? It didn’t make any sense.
“Davis, are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him hesitantly.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “Definitely. I should have done this sooner.”
I shivered.
“OK, I will text you with what I decide tomorrow,” I said.
“Or call me. Anytime Steph, OK?” he said earnestly.
“Yes, OK. Goodbye Davis,” I said.
“I’ll see you soon. And Steph?” he whispered.
“Yes?” I answered softly.
“I am sorry, so sorry about not calling you sooner,” he said and then I heard the click, ending the call.
I dropped the phone on my bed, my hands still shaky. As I lay down, I felt the muscles in my back loosen. I hadn’t realized how tense I had been.
Rolling onto my stomach, I went over the call again. He had called me, I thought excitedly. He had apologized to me too.
But, just as quickly, I tamped down my excitement. Nothing was going to change, I reminded myself. For as long as I have known Davis, he had never settled down. He reminded me of the ocean; always moving, never sitting still.
I started thinking about all I needed to do. I looked at the clock. Almost 4am.
I still had to figure out if I was going to drive or fly to Greensboro. I had to decide what clothes to pack, and would I need to go to the laundromat? I also had to finish the article I had started before he called.
I sat up in bed. I know I wasn’t supposed to be excited, but if I was honest with myself, I couldn’t wait to see him again.
In a flurry of activity, I went over to the small table I was using as a desk, saved the article on my computer and started searching drive time from Savannah to Greensboro.
About five hours driving and that didn’t account for breaks. It might be too long a drive if I wasn’t able to get very much sleep tomorrow, I fretted. Sticking my finger in my mouth, I started chewing my nail.
Maybe I should look at flying, I thought. My excitement was beginning to wane when I saw how much it cost to fly.
Well, if I didn’t sleep when I got off work tonight, I could take a 6:30am flight and arrive around 11:00am. All the cheaper airfares were for early morning flights, and early morning was when I slept. The afternoon flight cost double so they weren’t an option.
Could I check into a hotel at noon, so I could sleep awhile before I had to meet Davis at the Coliseum?
I thought about my bank account, and the added expense of airfare, hotel and cab fare, and my excitement started dwindling. I had the money in my account, but I was hesitant to spend that much. I had bills I needed to now pay every month, and I hesitated before spending that much money.
With a sigh, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to drive. I couldn’t afford to fly, although that made the most sense. But the cost to drive was practically nothing; a tankful of gas and it would save on cab fares.
I needed to get some sleep, I thought. Driving always made me tired, and contemplating the drive with little sleep was worrisome.
But I couldn’t sleep yet, I still had to finish the article.
With a sigh, I opened up my article and began working. I freelanced for several magazines, and I was working on an article about Atlanta, and unique things to do there for a travel magazine. It meant I had to do a lot of research before I could write the article, but I dare not leave it until tomorrow. I had to have I done before I left for Greensboro.
Tomorrow, I had to do laundry and pack, plus I had to work. Tonight was my long night, usually an eight hour shift at the bar I worked at.
I was able to finish the article several hours later, and grimaced when I saw it was already after 7:00am. It was getting late, and I worried about not having enough time to hit the laundromat when I awoke later so I started gathering my clothes, loading several baskets.
I hated doing laundry, and I had been putting it off. Now I had two baskets to take down to my car, and then I had to lug both into the laundromat and then back out again to my car and then back upstairs when I got home. It made me tired, just thinking about it.
Oh well, the longer I stood here undecided the longer it was going to take me.
An hour later, I had all my laundry in the wash machines, and a good 30 minutes before I could move them to the dryer. I yawned and tried to get comfortable on the hard plastic chairs.
Thankfully, it was blessedly empty. I preferred having no one here when I did laundry. There were times when some of the people in the laundromat looked partic
ular shady, their gazes and actions making me uncomfortable.
I felt my eyes getting sleepy and cringed thinking about falling asleep here. Not good, I thought.
Maybe I should text Davis and let him know I was going to drive, and hope I could get some sleep after work and leave around noon. That should put me in Greensboro around 5:00pm.
I texted:
ME: Hi, I decided I should drive. Much cheaper. See you around 5 or 6 Sunday. S
I put my phone in my purse and leaned back. I looked out the windows to see full on sunshine, the sun shining brightly through the windows. The day had begun, I thought sleepily.
I must have drifted off to sleep, as the sound of my phone ringing startled me awake. I sat up straight, disoriented for a moment. My phone was still insistently ringing so I reached in, answering, “Hello.”
“So you’re still awake?” Davis’s voice came over the phone, deep and husky.
I smiled. “Actually, I’m glad you called. I fell asleep in a laundromat. Not a good thing, believe me,” I said chuckling.
“What the hell are you doing in a laundromat?” he barked.
“Laundry, you goof,” I said smiling.
“You should be in bed sleeping,” he said.
“So should you,” I replied.
“I am in bed, and was drifting off when I got your text. I can’t believe you are still awake,” he said curiously.
“Well, my plans changed suddenly tonight, and I had to finish the article I was writing, which took hours. And then I figured I better do laundry, so I can leave tomorrow for my unexpected trip.”
“Why don’t you do your laundry after you get some sleep?” he asked.
“Because I work tonight, and it’s my long night,” I explained patiently.
“You work at night? What the hell do you do at night?” he asked with a trace of grumpiness in his voice.
“I work at a bar as a waitress,” I smiled into the phone. He sounded so grumpy but so sexy. I was imaging him, half asleep, lying on his bed, wearing nothing but….Stop! I told myself.
“Are you kidding me?” he said in disbelief. “You are kidding me, right?”
“Nope, totally serious,” I said happy and chipper suddenly.
“Does your mom know?” he asked irritably.
“Yes, she knows. She doesn’t like it, but she knows it’s my decision,” I said, emphasizing the ‘my decision’ part, in the hopes he would get the hint and back off.
“I don’t like the idea of you working around a bunch of drunks,” he muttered.
“Just because people go to bars, it doesn’t make them drunks,” I snickered.
“What kind of bar is it? A dance club?” he asked.
“Actually, it’s a bar that caters to the twentysomething crowd. There’s a dance floor and a juke box, and sometimes on weekends, they have a small band or solo singers there,” I explained. “I like it there.”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Couldn’t you find anywhere better to work?”
He sounded grumpy again and for some reason, it made me smile.
“I make good tips, and I need the money now that I have to pay rent every month,” I explained.
“God Steph, why did you leave home? I don’t like the idea of you living alone,” he said.
I yawned, and said, “I needed a change of scenery.”
“I don’t get it. Do you at least have friends where you’re at?” he asked quietly.
I felt my stomach clench, sensing something in his voice that disturbed me.
“I don’t know anybody here.” I said simply.
“You’re totally alone? God Steph, I don’t like it at all,” he said hoarsely.
“You’re starting to sound like a brother,” I said testily. How could he understand that I couldn’t be around my family, because they talked about him? I even distanced myself from my girlfriends, as all they wanted to do was talk about him, always bugging me to introduce them or get them tickets to one of his concerts. It was tearing me apart, feeling the way I did about him. I had to leave. What choice did I have?
“That’s bullshit! I sound like someone that cares about you,” he complained. “I sure as hell don’t feel like your brother.”
Butterflies in my stomach fluttered, his last statement said with such conviction.
“I’ve got to go. My clothes are ready to go in the dryer,” I said huskily.
There was a loud bang as a couple of teenagers entered the laundromat, slamming the front door open hard, causing it to hit the glass entry door on a rolling laundry basket, slamming it into a washing machine.
“What the hell was that?” he asked harshly.
“A couple of teenagers just walked in. They hit a washing machine,” I explained quietly. I was watching them. They glanced at me so I turned away, feeling uncomfortable.
I stood up, the phone in the crook of my shoulder. I held it to my ear as I walked to the washing machines my clothes were in, and began transferring them to the dryer. I worked as fast as I could, while I listened to Davis.
“For Christ’s sake, I don’t like this at all,” he said angrily. I could hear him breathing heavily into the phone. “What if you need help? Who do you call? If your car breaks down, or you’re hurt?”
I swallowed. I had no one I could call except maybe my boss. Suddenly, I felt lonely, wishing I was back at home. Being on my own was hard, and I missed having loved ones around me, but I also felt like I needed to grow up too.
It would get better once I started college, and met some friends, I reminded myself.
Feeding quarter in, and hitting high, I gave a sigh of relief when all my clothes were finally drying.
“Steph, are you still there?” he asked in agitation.
“Yeah. Sorry, I was trying to get my clothes in the dryer so I can go home,” I said quietly.
I turned suddenly, when I saw out of the corner of my eye the teenagers behind me. Thankfully, they were a couple of rows over, tampering with the change compartment on a washing machine. I was so thankful in that moment that I didn’t bring my purse. I just had my car keys and some quarters on me, so they couldn’t steal anything from me.
Choosing a chair where my back wasn’t away from the teenagers, I sank down onto the chair. Just one more hour and I would be out of here, I thought. I would fold all my clothes when I got home, just so I could leave that much sooner.
“Forget your clothes. I will buy you a brand new wardrobe when you get here. Just get out of there,” he insisted with an edge to his voice.
“Davis,” I started, when he cut me off.
“God damn it Steph,” he groaned. “Do you know how scared I am right now? You won’t tell me where you are, you’ve been up all night, and your sitting at a damned laundromat with who knows what kind of hoodlums around!”
“I am not hanging up until I know you are safe. And if you don’t tell me where you are at, I swear to God, as soon as we hang up, I’m calling home and finding out your address, so you might as well tell me,” he growled.
I had to smile. He was getting himself all worked up, and I could picture his beautiful face with a frown that caused those little lines in his forehead.
“God, you sound hot when you get all worked up,” I whispered teasingly, not wanting the teenagers to hear my comment.
“Don’t sweet talk me. Tell me where you are!” he insisted hoarsely.
“Speedy Laundromat in Savannah, Georgia,” I said with a sigh of resignation. I knew he was going to find out. It was stupid of me to keep it from him.
“Shit, you’re hours from home,” he said heavily in the phone.
CHAPTER 4-DAVIS
I didn’t let her hang up with me until she was in her car, heading home, and I still didn’t want to let her go.
What the hell was she thinking moving to a city where she knew no one? Hell, how did she even know if she was in a good neighborhood or bad? And why Savannah? None of it made any sense.
I
grabbed my phone again, texting Leo.
DAVIS: Hey bud, what’s my schedule today?
Knowing I wasn’t going to be able to sleep, I took a shower and dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. As I brushed my teeth, I checked my phone. I only had a text from Leo.
LEO: 2pm – call into KRPK Greensboro for interview is all for today. We check out tomorrow at 9 and 12 noon flight to Greensboro
Making a decision, I hit dial and called Leo.
“Hey, up early aren’t you?” he remarked smiling.
“Yeah, so change of plan. I want to check out today. And I need a flight today to Savannah Georgia for just me,” I requested.
“OK,” Leo said, and I could tell he was writing. “What time do you want to leave today?”
“I am ready anytime, so whatever flight you can get me on. Then I need two tickets from Savannah to Greensboro leaving Sunday. Let me know my options, but I don’t want to leave until sometime after say 10am on Sunday.”
“Got it. Let me get you some options and I will call you back. What about a hotel in Savannah?” he asked.
“No hotel,” I said, figuring I would worry about a hotel if I needed one.
Leo signed off, promising to call soon.
I checked my contact list and hit the number for home. It rang twice when Amanda answered.
“Davis, sweetheart, how are you?” she asked in her friendly way.
“Great, we’re just taking a couple of days off before my next gig.” I proceeded to tell her how the concert went in Richmond Virginia, and then listened as she told me about my dad’s golf game this weekend.
“Actually, I am glad I caught you. I misplaced Stephanie’s home address in Savannah. Can you give it to me?” I asked.
“Oh sure. I didn’t know you were heading that way? Wait until you see where she lives! It just makes me shudder,” she remarked before rattling off the address.
I felt myself tensing. Her mom’s comment made me glad I was going to make a surprise visit. I needed to see where she lived, where she worked. I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I knew she was OK.
My phone buzzed, and I answered Leo’s call.
Davis Page 4