The Gods of Rock 'n' Roll

A Gift: Allison

He watched until she stopped playing. They shared a loaded moment when the music stopped. Something about this man gave her pause. His aura held a ton of power despite the casual way he was dressed. He oozed influence, but didn't act like he felt he needed to use it on her. He studied her as though she were a nude model for a drawing class, bared to him body and soul. It should have made her uneasy, but it didn't. She just knew she needed to be cautious around him.

"That melody was like a sunrise after the darkest night," he said, sincerity in the deep tone of his voice. "Where did you learn to play like that?"

Allison shrugged and fussed with her strings, attempting to tune what was not even out of tune. "Just felt it."

He regarded her with more interest, taking a step closer. "To feel something that incredible is a true gift. How did a little thing such as yourself come to possess such a gift?"

Why was this stranger asking such bizarre questions? Allison couldn't quite figure him out. His appearance didn't quite match with the persona. He was exotically handsome, seeming out of place on a crappy hotel balcony. He looked as though he belonged on an island somewhere...with a lot less clothes. That thought made her cheeks flush.

The man chuckled knowingly. "Please. Don't let me keep you from playing."

He crossed his ankles and sat down gracefully, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers as though he was settling in for a private performance. His full lips pursed together in a smirk that had Allison trying to come up with an intelligent comeback. And his eyes... It was as if a light reflected in them, but there was no source of light to explain the way they seemed to change from light golden to dark amber.

She could let him irritate her into closing the door and going to bed to avoid further conversation. Or...she could go about her business as though he wasn't there.

Why let him win? Who cared if he was incredibly distracting with his gigantic shoulders that belonged on an NFL player? Or if his thighs might just burst through the worn denim of his faded jeans? Besides he seemed harmless.

No. That wasn't true in the slightest. There was something about him... Like he was yin and yang personified; the light and dark contained in one being. He was beyond handsome, yet something screamed at her to scram.

She hoped Sal was okay. Should she go check on him? This whole situation was so bizarre, so out of her frame of reference.

Allison cleared her throat and moved her guitar back into playing position. She strummed it a few times absently before letting the melody flow through her limbs again, taking her over. She stared out into the night sky and before too long she'd forgotten about her visitor. Words began to pour from her heart and out through her lips as though they were being sucked out in some vortex, words about being lost in a sea of darkness and ambiguity. Her soul was out of place and out of sync with time and those feelings flowed from her, bringing tears to her eyes.

She played it out and then stopped, resting her forearms on the guitar body. She took a deep breath, feeling a chill all of a sudden. She missed her baby brother...

His voice startled her.

"Where did you come from?" he asked softly, his voice a little hoarse.

She frowned, thinking it a strange question. "San Bernardino? I just finished up a summer tour. Why?" She wiped at her eyes discreetly, hoping he didn't notice.

The man tucked his long, curly brown hair behind an ear and chuckled, but his gaze made her jumpy. "That's today, but where are you from? Where do you call home?"

"Oh. Originally? Wow, um, you've probably never even heard of it."

"What does that matter? Most stars come from a no-place and make it a someplace."