Journey to Love (Ongoing)

Stardust and Yearning

Vienna

Vienna was always searching for Camille. Even when she didn't mean to, her feet walked of their own accord to wherever she thought he might be, whether that was the Glam Slam, the lake next to the beach, or what she had affectionately nicknamed his "nest" in Beverly Park. The latter is where she headed Monday morning in hopes of having alone time with him before rehearsal.

She had made an especially strong effort to look nice for him that day, arranging her long, black and gold ombre curls in a half-up, half-down style, throwing on a snug red mini-dress that flared at the skirt, and topping off the ensemble with matching red pumps. She knew for a fact that Camille loved her in red, in part because of the contrast it made with her eyes. Time and again, he'd say she reminded him of a vintage movie star.

Her lovely appearance was marred by a frown when she reached the park and saw that the "Welcome Home, Ruthie Washington" banner was still up. She made a mental note to have Gruff and Puff take it down while Camille was otherwise occupied. She doubted it was healthy for him to be fixated on Ruthie after all this time, especially when Vienna herself was ready and willing to do anything for him.

"Camille! Camille, where are you?" she called out as she walked past the park's open areas and into its more wooded ones. The place she called Camille's nest was a small clearing taken up by a gazebo, a fountain, and a picnic table. For reasons unknown to Vienna, Camille usually chose to sleep on the bench beneath the gazebo, which he covered with several thick blankets and pillows to make it more comfortable.

The path to reach the nest was a little overgrown and frequently lost in the trees, and although Vienna had traversed it multiple times, she was still unable to find the clearing unless there were signs of Camille's presence to guide her.

"Aha!" she yelled triumphantly upon spotting a wrinkled notebook page. Without hesitating, she picked it up, and watched as a sparkling substance fell from it. She smiled as she read words that, to her, were obvious lyrical fragments. "Ah, Camille. Forever trying to write the perfect song, aren't you?"

Vienna followed a trail of other such papers feeling confident that she would find her target at the end. The ensuing success made her giddy, and a little bold.

She walked until they were less than a foot apart. Camille was right where she thought he would be—curled up with his guitar beneath a mess of bedding and crumpled pieces of paper. Propped up a few inches to the left of the bench was Camille's ever-present cane, and to his right, the guitar's case. At this time, the hazel of his eyes was hidden by lids, and apart from his breathing his body was motionless. However, in Vienna's experience, such signs did not necessarily mean he was asleep.

"Camille," she said sotto voice. Her fingers itched to stroke his hair as she stooped to get a better look at him. "Camille, are you asleep or just thinking?"

He didn't answer, and Vienna felt silly for speaking to someone who did not seem to hear her, but now that her mouth had opened, she couldn't get it to close.

"I hope you're asleep because there's something I have to tell you, something I don't think I could say if you were awake." She wrung her hands. "There's no cool way to put this, so . . . here goes. I love you, Camille. With all my heart and soul, I do." 

She waited. There was no movement, no indication at all that he had heard her confession. She released a sign heavy with both relief and disappointment, then rose to her feet. There was precious little space that wasn't taken up by his possessions, but Vienna managed to pace what was available as her deepest thoughts escaped.

"Camille, I know you belong to Ruthie and who knows, maybe you always will but, if I could be with you sometime . . . baby, you'd be surprised. I am something fierce."

She stopped pacing and hurried back to him.

"Are you listening, Camille? I'd cook for you, clean for you, help you write your songs . . . Ruthie's not the smartest one in this outfit, you know. I even wrote a poem for you."

Vienna was close to reciting her verses when the dual sounds of a trumpet and saxophone pierced the air nearby. She moved out from under the gazebo and sat down at the picnic table, heart pounding in anticipation of Joshua and Sax entering the area.

The two men stumbled into the clearing, both wearing shabby-looking clothes and clutching their instruments to their chests. They looked as shocked to see Vienna as she was to see them.

She sprang to her feet. "Hi, boys!"

"Hey, Vienna," Joshua said.

Sax favored her with a nod. "What's up?"

Thinking quickly, Vienna pointed at Camille. "I'll tell you what's not up."

Joshua glanced at their bandleader and grinned. "Yeah, he worked all night. We tried to help but fell asleep."

"Help with what?"

"The perfect song," Sax said, "Camille's got the notion that if he can come up with it, some special bridge will appear."

"And if the bridge appears something great will happen! At least, that's what he thinks," Joshua said, his tone making it clear that he didn't share the same belief.

"He's been slowly going nuts since Ruthie left," Sax said. The part of his face that was visible beneath his sunglasses looked forlorn on Camille's behalf.

"Ruthie," Vienna spat. The name tasted sour on her tongue. "What does he see in her?"

Joshua shrugged. "She's hot."

A low moan suddenly sounded, causing the trio to put a pin in their talk. Like wild deer, they froze as Camille disentangled himself from his bedding.

"Morning," Joshua said once it was clear no one else would speak.

"Is there a reason y'all are in my personal space?" Camille asked. His morning voice was deep and pronounced.

"We're at least ten feet away from you," Sax muttered just as Vienna giggled.

"We're just checking on you, that's all," she said, "the boys told me about the bridge you're trying to find. Maybe I can help you."

At the mention of the mysterious bridge, Camille's face lit up. "I'm glad you offered, Vienna. In fact, I think the whole band should help."

Vienna's eyes widened. "Actually, I was hoping—"

Camille was no longer paying attention, as he was busy talking to himself while he tidied up the nest. "The more the merrier, right? Maybe Ruthie will want back in too."

Vienna bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming. It seemed that no matter what she said or did, Camille found some way to drag Ruthie into the mix. She took a few deep breaths in and out while Sax and Joshua talked about nothing, and then made a resolution.

Let Camille take his best shot at Ruthie, she thought, and I'll take my best shot at him. I'm gonna be the one to pick up the pieces when she breaks his heart again, and I'm gonna be the one to help him find everything he's been searching for.

Author's Note

*adopts late night radio hostess voice* This chapter is unofficially sponsored by the Jill Jones version of "Baby, You're a Trip." 

Question: Has your mouth ever run without your permission?

~ TheKnowledge1814