Love Song: A friends-to-lovers rock & roll romantic suspense

by K. G. Fletcher

  The hotel restaurant wasn’t particularly busy. A few lone patrons sat at tables covered in white cloths, sipping coffee and eating remnants of what looked like breakfast. Casey spotted Sam by himself at a table against the wall, his large roller luggage, and drum cymbal case parked nearby. Eyeing her jacket draped over the chair across from him, a wave of nerves rolled through her and she had no idea what to say.

  After donning large, black sunglasses, she sheepishly parked her rolling suitcase next to his and started to put on her jacket.

  Sam looked up at her with lively eyes and grinned. “Good morning, sunshine. Would you like some coffee?” Acting like everything was normal, he flipped over the beige mug at the empty place setting in front of him.

  “No thank you. I’m good.” She shrugged on the jacket and turned to leave.

  “Whoa! Sit down for a minute and keep me company while I finish up here.”

  Hesitating for a beat, she decided to sit, popping the collar up on her jacket and folding her arms across her chest. She felt absolutely terrible and had to avert her eyes from the nauseating food on the table. Her hair was still damp, pulled into a messy bun and she was too hung over to bother with any makeup, hence the dark sunglasses.

  Sam ate slowly, adding a dollop of ketchup to his fried potatoes. Casey watched him chew and offer her small smiles in between bites with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Did he know something she didn’t? She abruptly got up and started to pull her luggage behind her.

  “Okay. Enjoy your breakfast….”

  “Wait! Casey, just wait a minute.” He stood quickly, threw his napkin on the table, and grabbed her by the shoulders. She turned around to face him, thankful the dark shades hid her expression. With his large hand, he tucked a tendril of loose hair behind her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

  “I want to apologize for egging you on last night. I don’t know what got into me either. You were a great sport playing along. I think we both got a little out of hand.” His eyes turned a deeper shade of blue, the heat between them palpable.

  She shyly looked down at the floor. “It’s okay. As long as I didn’t force myself on you or anything. I’m really embarrassed.”

  Sam shook his head and smiled his killer smile as he lifted her chin with his fingers. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said softly. “I had a blast. I’m just really sorry I’m the one who caused you the massive hangover you must have right now, am I right?”

  Being this close to him made it hard to breathe. She nodded, not sure if she was bold enough to kiss his tempting lips mere inches from hers, the intimate bubble bursting with a familiar voice.

  “Yo! Good morning my drunkard friends!” It was Rocky. His dark hair was slicked back, still damp from an obvious shower, and he looked the part of a rock band musician in his ripped blue jeans and black Converse tennis shoes.

  Sam pulled his wallet out of his jeans pocket and threw some money on the table. “What’s up, man? You sleep well?”

  “Oh yeah. I slept like a baby. That third beer really knocked me out. Casey, girl… how are you doin’?” His tone had turned sarcastic.

  Casey offered him a fake smile and started to walk past him. “I’m good. I’m so sorry about last night.”

  “Nah, nothing to be sorry about. That was a blast, man!” He picked up a piece of potato from Sam’s plate. “You gonna finish that dude?”

  “It’s all yours, Rocky.” Sam grabbed his luggage and followed Casey.

  “I’ll catch up with you guys in a few. Thanks for the grub!” He sat down to eat the remnants of Sam’s breakfast.

  Casey walked quickly to the lobby, aware of Sam following her.

  “Hey…. Hey, Casey, please, wait up,” he called.

  Slowing her pace, she allowed him to catch up to her and they continued to walk side by side in silence. The rest of their bandmates, minus Dora who had left on an earlier flight, were milling around the lobby waiting for their transportation to take them to the airport. Sam immediately got caught up in a conversation with the other musicians who he greeted with high fives and laughter. Casey’s head was throbbing and she was thankful to see the familiar van pull up on the cobblestone drive in front of the hotel. The sooner she could sit down and close her eyes, the better.

  Before she knew it, they’d made it to the airport, through security, and settled in the area outside the gate, waiting for the plane to arrive to take them back to Atlanta. Slumping in the uncomfortable furniture, she kept her eyes hidden behind her dark sunglasses. When she felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her jacket, her arm ached as she pulled it out.

  “Are you okay? I’m worried about you.”

  She looked directly across the aisle and met Sam’s gaze. His phone was in his hand and his head tilted with concern as he stared right at her.

  Sighing, she texted him back, thankful that they were using technology and not their voices to communicate in front of everyone.

  “I’ve felt better.”

  Nodding sadly, Sam stood and walked away from the group. She assumed he was headed to the restroom. Shoving her phone back in her pocket, she closed her eyes and made a promise to herself that she would never drink gin again.

  “Here darlin’.” His voice startled her. He was sitting right next to her and held a bottle of water and a travel-size packet of Tylenol. “You need to drink all of this and take these. Once you’re hydrated you’ll start to feel better.” He gripped the top of the water bottle and twisted off the cap for her. Taking the bottle from his hands, she sipped gratefully and watched him rip open the medicine. Holding her hand out, he dumped the two white pills into her palm. She threw them back and sipped some more as he casually draped his arm around her, and started to knead the tense muscles in her neck. It felt so good, and she couldn’t help but surrender to his kindness and lay her head on his broad shoulder.

  “Go ahead and close your eyes, sweetie. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to board,” he whispered. She nodded and drifted off almost instantly.

  Chapter Three

  Casey slept most of the hour and a half flight back to Atlanta. She didn’t dare take off her dark sunglasses, and was thankful for the white noise of the airplane surrounding her like a welcome lullaby in her hung-over state.

  It was an unwritten rule that upon arrival, everyone in the band waited for one another as they disembarked the aircraft. She always enjoyed that “walk” through the terminal with her band family. It was comical how strangers looked at their motley crew carrying various instrument cases as if wondering if they were a famous rock band. Casey definitely looked the part of a rocker today with her dark shades, walking next to Sam who lugged his cymbal case. The band said their goodbyes at baggage claim, dispersing to the parking garage or curb where their loved ones would pick them up. Casey was pleased when she realized Sam was also heading to the MARTA station to take the train through the city.

  “So you’re a public transportation person too, huh?” he asked as they continued to walk side by side.

  “Yes. I can’t stand driving through downtown Atlanta in all the traffic. I park my car at the Sandy Springs station near my apartment. Which station do you go to?”

  Sam nodded and smiled. “The station right after Sandy Springs—North Springs.”

  Casey was thrilled knowing he lived on the north side of Atlanta.

  “I actually live in Cumming, which is up Georgia 400. It’s just a whole lot easier parking at MARTA and taking the train to the airport,” he explained. His arm brushed against hers sending a pleasant shiver across her skin.

  They both pulled out their “breeze cards” and waved them over the turnstiles, allowing them to enter. It always amazed her that no matter what time of day it was at the airport MARTA station, there were always tons of people. Atlanta did, after all, have the busiest airport in the world.

  A completely packed train was just about to leave the platform with its red lights blinking and dinging for the last-minute ri
ders to get on board.

  “Come on! We can catch this.” Sam squeezed his way into the compartment while maneuvering his luggage to allow Casey to move in front of him. There were no seats available, so they stood close to each other in the aisle. The doors gave a final ding before closing, the announcer indicating their departure. The train jolted forward causing everyone to bump into one another. Sam immediately put his hand up to hold onto a metal bar attached to the ceiling.

  “Put your free arm around me so you don’t fall,” he whispered into her ear.

  Casey nodded and hooked her arm around his waist, thankful for his sturdiness to keep her from falling. She shyly looked up at him and smiled. When he smiled back, his blue eyes appeared soft and kind. After several stops, two seats next to each other became available. They shifted their luggage and sat down, still many stops from their destination. Sam casually put his arm across the back of her seat as the train entered a dark tunnel making the lights blink.

  “You wearing those shades all day?” He teased with a grin. She nodded and grinned back.

  “Well, at least you have a little more color in your cheeks. I hope you’re feeling better.”

  “I am. Thanks for taking care of me earlier. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it.”

  Sam leaned into her ear and whispered, his warm breath making her insides stir. “I need a do-over with you. Can I take you out sometime soon? No gin, I promise.”

  Casey leaned back so she could see the expression on his face. His eyes were clear pools of blue ocean water beckoning her to jump in.

  “I would love that, Sam.”

  His chest puffed out as he sat up a little taller as if he were pleased with himself, and he shifted his arm around her shoulders to give her a side hug. They spent the rest of the ride talking about their performance from the night before. In the blink of an eye, the train was slowing down at her stop.

  “Well, this is me. I guess you’ll call me?” she asked as she stood and gripped the handle of her luggage.

  “I will,” he promised, looking up at her.

  Nodding, she lingered for a moment more before exiting the automatic doors of the train. Casey knew she liked him and was reeling from the entire weekend. When she turned around to have one last glimpse of him, she was stunned to see him walking swiftly toward her. Her mouth dropped as he let go of his luggage and immediately palmed her cheeks, pulling her forward, and kissing her long and hard. She tensed for a moment, not sure what was happening, before she allowed herself to relax into the kiss, his warm tongue invading her mouth with purpose.

  Pulling back, still holding her face, he panted as their eyes locked. They breathed heavily, coming down from the intensity of the kiss, waiting for the other to speak first.

  “You missed your train,” she said quietly.

  His mouth turned up slowly into a grin and he gently propped her sunglasses onto her head before he touched her lips with his index finger. “I’ve thought about kissing you all day,” he admitted.

  With the sunglasses off, she averted her eyes, remembering she didn’t have any makeup on.

  “Stop, Casey. You’re gorgeous. I want to see you, darlin’.” He tenderly touched her face and she stared up at him with wide eyes, allowing him to see her in her natural state. He didn’t seem to care she was unadorned, and leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek. Wrapping her arms around him, they hugged under the fluorescent lights of the concrete platform, the screeching of the train on the tracks fading away in the distance.

  ***

  “Cee-Cee!” Casey’s energetic three-year-old niece, Gwyneth, lunged at her legs as she entered the apartment.

  “GG!” Casey nicknamed the fair-haired little girl GG when she was just a toddler, having full conversations with her in gibberish.

  “I missed you,” GG pouted, looking up at her, clinging to her thighs while holding her favorite teddy bear.

  Casey parked her suitcase near the door and scooped the little girl into her arms, giving her a big hug. GG pulled the sunglasses off Casey’s head and put them over her own hazel eyes. She grinned from ear to ear, revealing huge dimples in her baby cheeks.

  Casey rubbed noses with her niece, making her giggle. “Have you been a good girl while I was away?”

  “Yes.” She nodded with all the honesty a three-year-old could convey.

  “Are you sure?”

  GG nodded again. “I’ve been a very good girl.” Her little face was serious as she waited for Casey’s reaction, the sunglasses humorously enormous on her small face, her pigtails sticking straight out of her head.

  “Well, that makes me very happy. And you know what happens when you’ve been a good girl?”

  Her little face lit up. “I get a prize!”

  Casey nodded, pulling a small lollipop out of her jacket pocket. GG grabbed it exuberantly and ripped off the cellophane wrapper so she could put it into her mouth. Casey always made sure to bring a little something back for her niece after she’d been out-of-town gigging. She loved reuniting with her, thankful for her unconditional love.

  GG pulled the pop out of her mouth, her tongue already turning orange, and yelled toward the kitchen. “Mama! Cee-Cee’s home!”

  Casey’s sister, Laura, came around the corner from the kitchen and smiled. “Hey, sis. How was your trip?”

  She put GG down and collapsed on the L-shaped sofa. The Disney channel was playing on the TV very softly and toys lay scattered about the living space. “It was great. I’m just really beat.”

  Laura sat on the ottoman across from her and GG immediately nestled in her lap. She tried to put Casey’s sunglasses over her mother’s eyes while she sucked on the lollipop. “You look tired. Did the show end late? Or did y’all go out afterward?”

  Casey sighed knowing her overprotective sister was going to be mad. “I drank too much gin at the club in the hotel. I feel like shit….”

  “No, no, no! Cee-Cee said a bad word!” GG looked at her mother with concern, orange dribble sliding down her chin.

  “I’m sorry GG. Cee-Cee is tired and needs to go to bed soon.”

  Casey could hear Laura whisper in Gwyneth’s ear to go wipe her face and helped her off her lap. A look of disappointment replaced her usual sunny smile as she turned back to Casey. “You know I don’t like it when you drink the hard stuff. You’ve got to be careful, Casey. You shouldn’t drink while you’re on the road at all. I just wish you’d stop,” she scolded.

  “Please, Laura…. It was a dumb move, that’s all. Partying comes with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, you know that. We work hard and play hard. You worry too much.” She kneaded her temples that were slightly throbbing again and decided to change the subject. “How was your weekend? Anything exciting happen?”

  “Nope. Just hanging with the little person, like always.” Her smile was tired.

  “No drama?” She eyed her sister intensely.

  “No drama….”

  Laura was five years older than Casey and a single mom. They’d moved in together almost a year ago, Casey wanting to help with GG after her sister went through a bitter breakup and an event that led to her ex-boyfriend, GG’s father, being arrested. It was an abusive, volatile relationship, which resulted in him stalking her and Gwyneth for several frightening months.

  Casey had been on an outing to the Atlanta zoo with GG and came home to find her sister with a black eye after a confrontation with him. Apparently, Donny Tanner did not like it when she’d gone out on a date with a mutual friend and let her know it with his fist. After convincing her sister to press charges, Casey felt like she needed to be near her and GG to protect them and to help her sister finally come to terms with what a bad guy the father of her child was. They were their own little family unit now, living in a nice three-bedroom apartment in a gated complex.

  Laura got up and headed back to the galley kitchen. “So how did the new drummer work out?”

  Leave it to her older sister to remember everything. “He was
great. Very talented. I’m sure he’ll be hired again.”

  “Was he cute?”

  Casey sighed as she watched GG settle on the floor to watch a Disney cartoon. Her little niece was too darn cute sticking her thumb into her orange stained mouth as she stretched out on the floor with her little butt in the air. “Yes. He was cute.”

  Laura returned, and handed Casey a bottle of water. Her eyebrow was raised with interest as if ready for some girl talk. “Really? That’s a plus!” She sat down next to her.

  Casey rolled her eyes and spoke quietly. “We kissed, he asked me out, and I’m going.” It was easier to get straight to the point with her sister rather than drag it out.

  “That’s great! I was hoping there’d be a connection. You don’t get the opportunity to meet a lot of single guys with your tour schedule, and how nice that you have music in common.”

  “I know, right? We’ll see what happens.”

  “When are you going out?” Laura’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Casey suddenly felt guilty she was the one having all the fun while her sister was without a man and raising a daughter by herself.

  “I’m not sure. He said he’d call me.”

  Laura patted Casey’s knee and headed back to the kitchen. “That’s awesome. Hey, I baked some chicken for dinner and it’s almost ready.”

  GG suddenly gasped and turned to look at her aunt with wide eyes as if she’d won the lottery. “Yummy chicken!”

  Chapter Four

  Wearing workout clothes and ready to sweat it out at her Friday spin class, Casey dropped Gwyneth off at the local church preschool she attended three days a week and headed toward the gym. The week had flown by as she did the same weekly tasks she always did when she wasn’t on tour. Her sister Laura taught first grade at the local elementary school and left Casey in charge of Gwyneth during school hours, the two of them always finding fun in their errands and adventures. On the days GG was in preschool, Casey would often pick up shifts with her temp agency, workout, or volunteer to be the secret reader at Laura’s school, joining her for lunch in the staff lounge afterward. It was a simple life, unlike her life on the road with the band, which was always full of crazy shenanigans.