Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story (51 page)

As the door closed behind him, Annie stirred beneath the sheets.  She inhaled deeply, smelling something different in the room she hadn’t smelt in days.  It was cologne –
his
cologne.  She must be dreaming, she thought, sighed his name aloud and drifted back to sleep.  When daylight filled the room, she saw the flower on the pillow beside her and pressed it to her nose.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Taylor commented, as she breezed into Annie’s room carrying breakfast on a tray.  “A sure sign of spring.”

Annie smiled.  “Did you leave this on my pillow?”

“No.  I’m assuming it came from the vase beside your bed.  Why do you ask?”

Annie took the tray from Taylor and settled up against the headboard.  “Okay.  I know you’re going to think I’m crazy, but last night I woke up suddenly and I smelt him in the room.”

“Smelt who?  What are you talking about?” Taylor asked.

“I smelt Michael’s cologne.  I’d know his cologne anywhere and this was so vivid, like he was actually here.  And when I woke up, this flower was on my pillow.  Spooky, isn’t it?”

Taylor swallowed hard.  “You must have been dreaming.”

“Yeah.  I imagine I was, but it was so real.”

“There was a small article about him in the entertainment section of the news paper this morning,” Taylor quickly stated, trying to change the subject.  “Something about the progress of their new album.”

“Really?  Can I see it?”

“Yeah.  I’ll bring it in later for you. Annie pressed the flower to her nose again and smiled.  Then tears began to form in her eyes.

“You miss him, don’t you?” Taylor asked, touching the quilt over her friend’s leg.

“Yeah, I guess I must if I’m imagining his cologne in my room.”

“Call him.”

“No, I can’t.  Besides, it’s probably too late.”

“Too late for what?” Taylor asked.

Annie shook her head.  “I said some really horrible things to him, Taylor, which I’m sure only made the situation worse.  But I wanted him to hurt.  Isn’t that awful?  I wanted him to feel the pain I’ve been suffering through.  Does that make sense?”

“It makes perfect sense.”

Annie was sobbing now.  “All I wanted was for him to love me and
only
me.  I wanted to be the first and last thing he thought of each day.  I wanted to make babies with him and grow old together.  I don't give a shit who he is, what he does for a living, or how much money he makes.  I just wanted him.  But I guess I wanted him too much.”

Annie wiped at her cheeks and sighed.

“Call him.  Ask him to come back,” Taylor insisted.

“I’m not even sure where he is.  He could be back on the west coast by now, Boston, or any state in between.”

“Then call his cell phone.  He has that with him wherever he is, right?”

Annie nodded, wringing her hands nervously.  “It’s early.  He’s probably still sleeping.”

Taylor stood from the bed and pointed to the telephone.  “Call him.  I’ll be back later to take the tray.”

Taylor danced down the hallway and into the living room.  Michael was reading the paper, shirtless, barefoot, with hair still damp from the shower.  His legs extended onto the coffee table before him.

“Where’s your cell phone?” she asked with excitement.

“In the bedroom.  Why?” “Go get it!”

“Why?” he asked, getting off the couch.

“Because you’re expecting a call!  Now, go get it!”

“From who?”

“Your wife.”

Michael retrieved his phone and returned to the living room.  He set it beside him on the couch and tried to pretend his heart wasn’t about to burst through his chest.  Several minutes passed.

“She’s not going to call,” he said.

“Be patient.  She’s as nervous as you are right now.”

“Am I that obvious?” he laughed.

“Yes.”

“What am I supposed to say when and if she does call?”

“Let her do the talking and try to relax.”

“Where does she think she’s calling me?”

“She hasn’t a clue, but you risked the entire plan last night with your secret bedside vigil.”

Michael smiled.  “What can I say?  I had a moment of weakness.”

“Brilliant move.  Annie said she woke up and smelt your cologne in the room.”

“I needed to see her and the baby.”

The ring of the cell phone caused them both to jump and Michael reached for it.  It rang a second time before he answered it.

“Hello.”

“Hi, it’s me,” Annie sighed, relieved to hear his voice.

“How are you and the baby?” he asked, trying to maintain his calm. 

“I’m better.  She’s better too.  It’s amazing how clearly you can see things when you’re well rested.”

Annie paused, wondering where to go, what to say.  “Did I wake you?”

“No, I’ve been up for a while, sitting here reading the newspaper.”

Taylor giggled and wandered from the room to give him some privacy.

“Taylor said you were in our newspaper this morning but I haven’t read the article yet.  She said it mentioned the progress of your new album.”

“Progress?  Then the article must be a nice, short piece of fiction.”

“Michael?”

“Yeah, babe?”

Hearing his familiar reference to her made her face blush.  She fanned the heat with her hand.

“I was wondering, if you weren’t in the middle of something or recording, if you could come back to see me.  But, if you’re busy, I understand.”

“You want me back in New York?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.  I thought we could talk some more - rationally this time, and maybe come to a different conclusion.”

“When?”

“I don’t know.  Where are you?  How long would it take for you to get here?”

Michael pushed open her bedroom door with his bare foot and stood there with a brilliant smile.  “Is that quick enough?” he laughed.

Annie dropped her phone.  “You’ve been here the whole time, haven’t you?”

“Yes.  I told you I wasn’t going to leave.  So, instead, I gave you some space.”

“Taylor said you left.”

“She lied.  I’ve been staying in the bedroom down the hall.  Are you mad?”

Annie shook her head.  “No, I’m just happy you’re here.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

At weeks end, Michael had Annie back at the doctor’s office.  She was given a clean bill of health and discharged to the care of her own doctors near their home in Boston.  The doctor ran down a list of do’s and don’ts and handed Michael a prescription for vitamins.

“And since you didn’t ask,” the doctor continued.  “I’d wait the full six weeks before you engage in intercourse, but your home doctor may advise differently.  If you have any other questions or concerns, call me.”

A few minutes later, they were on an elevator heading toward the lobby.

“You ever notice when the subject of sex comes up between you and the doctors, all eyes turn toward me?” Michael commented.  “I mean, what is it?  They see a long haired musician standing before them and assume I’m an animal?”

Annie glanced up at him and smirked.  “Well, aren’t you?”

He clutched at his heart and pretended to be hurt.  “Ouch, I’m wounded,” he laughed.

“You've been called worse, Michael,” she answered.  “Hell,
I've
called you much worse.”

They settled into the backseat of the waiting limousine and raised the tinted divider window separating them from the driver.  Annie immediately attached Sammi to her breast.  Michael reached for her hand and kissed the fingers, then pressed it against his firm thigh.  The traffic in mid-town was busy with early Friday-evening commuters leaving the city for the weekend.  Michael turned his head and stared out the window watching the pedestrians scurry along their way.

“I’m not worried about having sex with you, Michael,” she stated, out of the blue.

“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to face her.

“I mean, I’m quite certain there won’t be any, so, the doctor advising us to abstain from it is really a moot point.”

“How do you figure?”

“You haven’t been tested yet, have you?” she asked.

“No, I haven’t.  For privacy reasons, I thought I’d wait until I could use my own doctor in Boston.”

Annie smiled and looked away.  Several minutes passed and the silence hung heavy between them.

“Annie, let me ask you something,” he sighed, “and I want you to be completely honest with me.”

“Okay, but don’t get mad if you get an answer you don’t want to hear.”

“If I had the lab reports in my hands right now and all the tests were negative, would you let me make love to you?”

“No.”

“You answered that awfully quick.”

“I guess I did.  Maybe it’s because I’m that certain of my answer.”

“Why?”

“I told you before, it’s going to take time.  Point blank, I’m not ready to be intimate with you.  Frankly, I can’t believe I’ve progressed this far in a week.”

“What do you mean?”

“A week ago, I had to fight the compulsion to vomit whenever you entered the room.  Now, I’m actually sitting beside you and you’re holding my hand,” she answered, as she eyed their clasped hands.  “That’s progress.”

“Vomit?”

Annie shrugged her shoulders and smiled.  “That’s probably exaggerating a bit,” she said, glancing away.  “But I couldn’t stand the sight of you.”

His eyes drifted back to the sidewalk.  She could see the tightness in his jaw and wondered what he was thinking.

“I thought you weren’t going to pressure me?” she asked.

“I’m not.”

“Then, why am I sitting here feeling like you are?”

He turned toward her, studying her face as if the answer were written on it.  “I don’t know.  I…never mind.”

“What?  Say it.  Don’t hold back now.”

He shook his head in frustration and glanced out the window.  “It wasn’t my intention to pressure you.  I told you a long time ago I express myself best through my music and through…touch.  It’s my nature.  How am I supposed to make things right if you won’t let me touch you?”

Annie shrugged.  “I guess you’ll have to find another way, because the touching option isn’t going to happen.”

His eyes dropped to their entwined fingers.  “I love you,” he whispered.

“I know.”

“Do you?” he asked.

She squeezed his hand. “Yes, I do.  I can feel it, but that doesn’t make it any easier for me to get past what you did.”

The traffic began to move and Annie noticed Taylor's apartment building pass by the car window.  “Let me ask
you
something, Michael.  Where is our driver taking us?  We just passed Taylor's apartment.”

He smiled at her.  “I’m taking you out for an early dinner to celebrate.”

“Oh?  And what are we celebrating?”

“You coming back to Boston with me.” “I haven’t given you an answer yet.”

“I know.  I was hoping you’d say yes.  Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t mind staying at Taylor’s place but I’d rather be sleeping in my own bed.  And, it would be even better if you were sleeping in it beside me,” he said, squeezing her hand.

He raised her hand and kissed the fingers.  “So, will you?”

“Will I what…share your bed?”

He nervously nodded.  “Not just the bed, Annie, the whole house.  I want us to be together and I want the baby to have her own room.  You said it would take time to repair the damage I caused.  Well, we need to be together to do that.  Right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, you’ll come?”

“Yes, I’ll go, but on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You won’t pressure me to be intimate with you.”

“Deal.”

His eyes dropped to Sammi suckling and he smiled.  “You know, I never thought I’d be jealous of a baby eating lunch before,” he chuckled.

She shoved him playfully on the shoulder.  “You’re pressuring me again.”

“That wasn’t pressure,” he teased.  “I was merely making an observation.”

“Yeah, okay.”

It was late when they arrived home and Bonita was already in bed.  Annie quietly made her way up to the master bedroom to settle the baby while Michael went to the kitchen to check his mail.

Annie had her back to the door when he entered.  She was setting the baby in the cradle Bonita had left for them.  He came up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders.  She bristled at this touch.  Dejected, he stepped away and sat on the end of the bed.

“If it will make you feel more comfortable, I can sleep in one of the other bedrooms,” he stated glumly.

She spun around and faced him.  His hands were clasped between his spread thighs, weariness creasing his face.

“I’m not going to ask you to leave your own bedroom.”

He closed his eyes and flopped back on the bed.  “After all this time, you still don’t consider this your bedroom too?”

“That’s not what I mean,” she replied, moving into the bathroom to change.  When she returned to the bedroom she was dressed in loose-fitting boxer shorts and a t-shirt.

“You shared my bed in New York and that worked out okay.  I have no problem doing the same here.”

He rolled to his side and propped himself up on an elbow.  “Okay, then I guess we’ve got a deal.  I’ll stay.”

He stood slowly from the bed, his body painfully close to hers.  She bit her bottom lip and stepped away.

“I’ll be in the shower, if you need me,” he smiled.

Annie sat on the bed.  This was no different then New York, she told herself.  So, why was her heart racing and her palms wet with perspiration?  She pulled the clip from her hair and reached for her brush, only to realize she had left it in the bathroom.

She could hear the shower water running, as she approached the door.  Pausing first, she dried her sweaty hands on her shorts.  The knob turned easily in her hand and with trepidation she stepped into the steam filled room.

To her surprise he was not yet in the shower.  Instead, he was standing before the sink, gazing into the mirror as if deciding whether he needed to shave.  All clothing removed, he was gloriously naked.  She gasped and quickly covered her mouth.  It was the first time she had seen him naked in many weeks.