The Barefoot Violinist

Gatekeeper

Cory finally got his meeting with Blue. Walking up the driveway, he was taken aback by two burly men stationed outside the door, sunglasses and ear pieces, dressed in black suits. When he walked up uncertainly looking either men, they stopped him.

"Miss Blue?" one asked.

Cory nodded, while the other proceeded to pat him down, nodding for him to go up to the front door. Very confused, Cory rang the doorbell, and an older man, grey haired, in a black suit, opened the door for him.

"Follow me." was all he heard, before he could open his mouth, Mouth agape, he followed the man through the house, gawking around. This was very unexpected for Blue. He had assumed, well, he didn't know what he assumed, but this house filled with ornate artwork, sculptures and delicate furniture seemed out of place with the girl he knew.

Bringing him to a door in the basement, the man knocked once, opened the door and motioned for Cory to enter and with a slight bow, left. Stepping uncertainly inside the room, he spotted Blue sitting on a couch watching TV. Looking around, he noticed that the whole basement was decked out as an arcade, with a massive TV on the wall and comfy chairs strewn all over the place.

"Em... Blue? Corry asked uncertain of the welcome he was going to get. But squaring his shoulders, he cleared his throat again and went to sit in a chair next to her. "Blue?"

"You have 30 minutes, make them count." was all she said, not looking away from the screen.

Cory looked between her and the screen with a frown. "What?! She snapped, "I turned off the sound, now speak or I'll ask Alvin to get rid of you."

Eh... okay... Yeah, well the thing is...You know this thing with Bennett..." he trailed off. Earlier he had this conversation planned out, but he's been caught off guard since he stepped into this house.

"The clock's ticking and my patience is wearing thin..." she said looking over to him. The fact that she wasn't scowling at him, gave him a bit of courage.

"Well, the thing is, I've been really shitty to Bennett. For a long time... I was hurting about my own shitty life and I thought that taking it out on Bennett and kids like him made me a big guy, you know... g-get more attention and shit. He was so weird and a loner, not even noticeable." he kept looking at hands as he was talking. "He just pissed me off every time I saw him. He was what I really felt like on the inside... you know... scared, alone and invisible." He's never actually shared any of that ad he wasn't planning to, but the words just came out by themselves.

"Why are you telling me this? How is this adding value to my day?" she raised an eyebrow at him

"Damn, Red. You sure know how to cut a guy down." he laughs nervously, rubbing his neck with one hand. "Okay, okay." he put his hands up as if to pacify her. "Look, I love Bennett." Blue snorts at that. "You may not believe me, but I love him more than anybody else could. He pulled my world apart and upside down, then slowly put it back together again. From that moment, I knew I could only live for him..."

"We were getting into a really good space you know? But then that shit with Jake happened, with him lying to Bennett, then beating him up. I... my world fell apart..." his eyes shimmering with unshed tears that he seems to be biting back.

"Again, why do I need to know your whole backstory?" her eyes did not move from him.

Cory sighed, "I love him Blue." he sighed sadly. "I love him and I want to protect him, make him smile, be everything that he needs..." It was so easy to say. It slipped off his tongue as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "All I'm asking is for a chance. Just give me a chance to be with him. Please, I'll do anything!" he begged.

"Shouldn't you be telling someone else this?" Blue asked with narrowed eyes.

"Well, I would but... you've sort of been cock blocking me... you know? He says frowning at the floor.

"Look dickhead, I am a long way from forgiving you for all the shit you've caused him. Especially the last time your buddy took his world away from him. The fact that even a shithead like you could experience a little bit of what he experienced, when you took away the only thing that he loved, is a miracle. The only thing that brought him real joy." She was angry again.

"The fact that you're here sniveling like a pussy, means that you are feeling at least a little of what he felt. But don't get me wrong 'Cory', she spat his name as if it disgusted her, a cold threat hiding behind her eyes. "If you ever hurt him, if you ever make him cry again, I will come and I will find you. I will have you drugged, gagged and tied up. Then I will slice into your skin very, very slowly until you know what real pain is. I will make sure that, Catherine and Ralph, is it? Well, I will make sure that Catherine and Ralph understand exactly how much their dickhead of a son fucked up." she said coldly, her eyes steely, her gaze not letting go of Cory's.

He shuddered when he saw the seriousness of her threat in her eyes, her voice barely audible. The threat was clear. It frightened him, but he didn't care right now. This was his chance in. His way to make Bennett remember the real him again!

He nodded in earnest. "I promise, I won't fuck up again. He'll never cry for the rest of his life. I'll make sure of that! he said emphatically, relief showing on his face. Then he frowned. "Em, Blue? How do you know my parents' names?"

"Dickhead, didn't you just come into my house? What? Did you think we were playing around here?" she looked at him scornfully. "Now piss off, you have a man to woo." she turned away from him, obviously finished with the conversation. The door immediately opened, the old man standing gesturing for him to leave.

To say that he was glad to get away from that house was an understatement. If he wasn't before, he was now very sure that Blue could do every one of those things she said. Another shiver went down his spine. It felt like a scene out a mob movie. Shaking off the cold fear he had just experienced, he drove back home, planning a million things in his head.