Rookie (10 page)

Once she finished eating, she ran home to shower and change into cropped jeans and a blue t-shirt.  She tied her hair back into a ponytail, applied a touch of mascara and eyeliner, slipped into some flip flops, and waited for Rob to pick her up.

She couldn’t remember having so much fun since she’d arrived in California.  He was a knowledgeable host, taking her to Beverly Hills so she could gawk at the beautiful houses and admire the chic, expensive shops.  After a quick lunch in an outdoor café, he took her to the Hollywood sign before driving around the area, trying to catch a glimpse of actresses or actors.  After driving around a few other tourist spots, they enjoyed an early dinner before selecting a movie.

Being in the dark theater was the most difficult part of her day.  Driving around or dining, they’d been able to fill the time with laughter and conversation.  It had been easier to remember that he was still in love with his ex-wife.  But sitting in the theater, sharing a tub of popcorn, she couldn’t help but to touch his hand or brush against his thigh.

And when he leaned over to whisper something in her ear, his breath caressed her neck and caused happy chills to race up and down her spine.  It took every ounce of restraint she possessed to keep from leaning into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

He’s just your friend, sweetheart,
a cocky voice reminded her.  She tried to shake it out of her head but the stubborn voice remained. 
He looks at you like you’re one of the guys, nothing more.

She knew that, but deep down she couldn’t help but to hope that maybe, after being together for the whole day, that he might look at her differently.

When the movie ended, he placed a light hand on the small of her back as they slowly made their way to the exit with the rest of the crowd.  As soon as they broke free from the horde, he dropped his hand and led her to his car.

“Thanks for hanging out today,” he said once they were inside and he started the engine.  “It was nice to just chill and not think about work.”

“Thanks for taking me,” she said.  “It was nice to see you relaxed and not stressed over everything.”

He laughed as he maneuvered through the line of cars exiting the lot.  His strong hands on the wheel attracted too much of her attention so she turned her head to look out the window at the darkness.

“Something on your mind, Rookie?” he asked.

“No,” she said, turning to smile at him.  “Just thinking about the work we have to do.”

“Don’t think about it,” he teased.  “Focus on something else.”

“Tell me something else about you,” she said, twisting in her seat.

“Not much else to tell,” he said with a shrug.

“
You married awfully young,” she said, Melanie lurking in the corner of her mind.

Nodding, he gripped the wheel tighter.  “Yeah, I did.  Was stupid.  I was nineteen and she was eighteen.  She’d just graduated and neither of us wanted to wait for her to get a college education.  Our parents warned us that it would be just too hard.”

“But you didn’t listen,” Sidney surmised.

He barked out a laugh.  “Hell no, we didn’t.  We were young, in love, and thought we knew it all.  We applied for a license, went to the courthouse, and got married.”

“What did your parents say?”

“Not much they could say at that point,” he frowned.  “They weren’t happy at all – especially hers.  She had a scholarship to attend a fashion school.”

“But, she could still go,” Sidney argued.

“True,” he said.  “And she did.  For awhile.  We rented a tiny, studio apartment and I was working at this warehouse.  It was a good job for a nineteen year-old kid, but not a good job for a nineteen year-old kid with a wife.  Melanie took classes during the day at worked at night at a grocery store. We made due.  I worked on music at night while she was at the store.”

“So, what happened?” Sidney asked, enthralled in spite of everything.

“It got to be too much,” he said.  “I was spending more and more nights with Chad and the guys that were in our first band and calling off too much at the warehouse.  I lost my job and couldn’t find anything for a long time.  The bills piled up so she dropped out of school and worked full time at the store.”

He paused for a second to enter traffic, brushing the hair out of his face.  “After about eighteen months or so, I was bitter.  I didn’t want someone tying me down.  I wanted freedom to work on my music.  Mel started to resent me for making her quit school.  It got bad.  I started spending more time at Chad’s place, drinking heavily, going to clubs, playing gigs at seedy bars.  I never cheated but it was hard on Mel, sitting at home, wondering if I was.”

Sidney’s heart went out to the young couple.  Two people who had once loved each other had let life tear them apart.

“Finally, after about two and half years, I came home one morning to find a note stuck to the fridge with a magnet.  It said that she was done, that she was going home to her parents, and that she was filing for divorce.  Her dad managed to get her an excellent attorney and shortly after I turned twenty-two, I was divorced.”

“I’m sorry, Rob,” she whispered.

He patted her knee with a smile.  “It happens, you know?  Turns out that our parents were right and we were too young.  It just took me about another year of boozing and womanizing to figure it out.  Of course, around that time, we hooked up with Paulie and Bruno and finally got noticed.”

Nodding, Sidney looked out at the lights flickering in windows.  They’d left behind the city and were well on their way towards Sidney’s little burg. 

“At least you and Melanie are friends now,” she said.

“We are,” he said.  “And maybe things do happen for a reason.  We respect each other now.  We’ve realized that, when we were married, we were
both selfish, only worried about what our own dreams and ambitions and not concerned for the other.”

“It takes time to grow up,” Sidney said.

“For some people,” he countered.  “You, on the other hand, had to grow up too quickly.”

“I suppose,” she said.  “I guess it worked out in the end for both of us.”

“It did, Rookie,” he said with a bit of a laugh as he pulled into the parking lot for her apartment complex.  “Do you need me to walk you up?”

“No,” she said, unlatching her seatbelt.  “Thanks for today, Rob.  I really had a great time.”

“No, problem,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.  “Thanks for keeping me company.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay,” she said.  She scurried out of the car and up the steps to her apartment.  Once inside, she locked the door and leaned against it, her heart drumming,
a smile on her lips.

“Stop, you idiot,” she chastised as she turned on a light and walked to her bedroom.  Opening a drawer, she withdrew a pair of pajamas and began to undress.  “He’s your friend, stupid.”

With that, she went to the bathroom to prepare for bed; Rob’s kiss still burning her cheek.

Eight

She was immediately thankful that she’d taken a little time to relax on Sunday when she walked into the office the next morning.  Things started out hectic and only grew worse.  She worked through the pile that Rob had left for her on his desk until lunch time.  After a quick bite, she was rushed into the rehearsal room to go over her music with the musicians.  That took up the rest of the afternoon and once Rob was satisfied, he told her that they would have one more session before getting into the recording studio on Wednesday.

Tired but satisfied, Sidney dropped into her bed every night, happy with the way in which things were going.  True, it was going rather quickly, but it didn’t give her time to think or doubt.

Her first session was a complete disaster.  Her voice kept cracking, she couldn’t hit notes, and she mixed up lyrics. Rob, believing that music sounded best recorded at once, almost always recorded in what he called ‘concert style’.  He liked to have the band in the studio with the singer, the way he thought music should be recorded.  It wasn’t exactly a new style, but it was a method he preferred and one that was beginning to catch on at other studios.

After half an hour, Rob called for a break.  He released the band for fifteen minutes so he could talk to Sidney.

“What gives, Rookie?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she whined.  “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

“That’s bullshit, Sid,” he said.  “You were spot on when we rehearsed.  Is it nerves?  The recording?”

“Possibly,” she said, deflating.  “I don’t know why, though.  It’s not really that much different.”

“No, it’s not,” he said.  “Just relax and make yourself believe that it’s just a rehearsal.  Close your eyes if you have to.  Just lose yourself in the music.”

She released a breath.  “I’ll try.”

He smiled.  “All right.  Why don’t you take a breather?  Get a soda or a water or something.”

“Okay,” she said, nearly bounding out of the room.  She hurried to the lounge where the rest of the musicians were gathered, and snatched a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Relax, Sidders,” Bruno said, giving her a brief hug.  “You’re doing fine.  It’s always a little nerve-wracking the first time.”

“Thanks,” she said as she twisted the cap off the bottle.  “Hopefully I can stop freaking, or whatever it is I’m doing, and start working.”

“You’ll get it,” Paulie added.  “Don’t worry.  We have faith in you.”

Their confidence lifted her spirit so that when Rob poked his head inside the room a few minutes later, she felt a little better.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded that she was ready.  When the music started, she closed her eyes and sang with her heart, blocking out everything else.  She allowed the raw emotion to filter through her voice as the passion for her song filled her heart. When she finished, she opened her eyes and grinned when Rob announced through the intercom that they nailed it.

They managed to get through two more tracks that afternoon before Rob called it a day.  When she emerged from the studio, he embraced her in his arms.

“Excellent, Rookie,” he said.  “We should be able to finish recording in the next two weeks and then start editing.  We’re a little ahead of schedule.”

“Good,” she said, closing her eyes while he held her in his arms.   When he released her, she could only smile up at him like an idiot.

“Go home.  Get some rest.  We’ll start again tomorrow,” he ordered.

Nodding, she trudged to the elevator, more tired than she thought she was.  When the car let her off, she jogged to the locker room to collect her bag, smiling at the piece of tape bearing “Rookie” stuck
to her locker.  It seemed like so long ago when Rob had stuck it there but in all actuality, it had only been about six weeks.  How quickly time had passed since her arrival.

***

The next week and a half passed in the same fashion.  Rob worked her in his frenzied manner, so eager to get her recording done so he could edit, promote, and release her CD.  Every day that she worked with him, her excitement grew.  She couldn’t believe that she was going to have a CD for sale in the same music store where she used to work.  It seemed as though fate was on her side.

Except for the Rob situation.  Her feelings for him were growing as quickly as her excitement about her new CD.  Although he hadn’t made mention of Melanie since the Sunday Sidney had spent with him, she knew that he was still in constant contact with her.  Quite often he’d walk into a room, cell phone pressed to ear, rambling on and on to someone.  Sidney didn’t need to have a genius IQ to figure out just who it was.

Lexie was a constant reminder, too.  She’d mope about, upset that her friend was in Paris and hadn’t taken a position in LA yet.

“I don’t get it,” Lexie sighed one afternoon in Rob’s office while Sidney was updating files.  “She was so excited to come to LA.  She wanted to relocate so that she could reconcile with Rob, but she up and leaves for Paris.”

“Maybe Paris was too good of an opportunity for her to miss,” Sidney offered.

“I guess.”

“And she won’t be there permanently, right?” Sidney asked.

“No,” Lexie said, brightening.  “She should be back in a few weeks.  And then, hopefully, things will sort out.  I really miss the old days when the four of us used to hang out and do stuff together.”

Jealousy
twinged Sidney’s heart.  “I’m sure you’ll be able to do those things once she gets back.”

“You’ll have to join us,” Lexie added with a smile.  “You’ll get along great with Melanie.  She’ll love you and you won’t help but to love her, too.”

Sidney highly doubted it but she didn’t want to upset her friend so she agreed.  Inside, though, she couldn’t imagine hanging out with the two, happy couples - it would only remind her that she could never, ever have Rob.  She was doing the best that she could to remind herself of that on her own – she didn’t need physical proof.

“Whatever happened to that Grant, guy?” Lexie asked.  “Does he still call you?”

“Not really,” Sidney frowned.  Other than a handful of messages that he’d left a week ago, she hadn’t heard a thing from him.  “I think he’s realized that nothing is going to happen between us.  I’m hoping he’s given up and moved on to someone else.”