THE GUITARIST

BURNIN' FOR YOU

ANGELIQUE

What a wonderful night. Even embarrassed, when I remember the details, I think about how pleasurable and a little strange it was. I mean, I had sex with someone whose face was never revealed to me.
I'm still curious about it, and when I travel back to Claremont, I'll look through Brian's old photos. It will be a secret and fascinating discovery at the same time. I will finally discover a part of the identity he struggles to hide! Or maybe there's a greater purpose on top of it...
He never wanted to be that kind of celebrity that attracts paparazzi and tabloids speculating about his life. I feel that the character he created is the main armor to support this side of the fame, while he himself remains anonymous, working "behind the scenes".
I wonder what he would be doing at that moment... We were barely apart and I wanted him close... As I thought about him, a huge worry took over my body.
Damn it! I needed to buy a morning after pill... We had sex without any protection... Oh, no... I couldn't get pregnant, least of all him.
Gripped by the fear of getting pregnant, I grabbed a blue dress from my suitcase and ran to the nearest drugstore.
As I searched the shelves for what I wanted, Nancy was right behind me, putting condoms in a basket.
We ended up bumping into each other and I dropped the medicine box on the floor.
-Sorry! - she exclaimed, as we both crouched down to get the medicine.
- Angelique! What a surprise!
-Nancy! - I exclaimed, smiling shyly.
-Pill of the next day? – She laughed – Who were you having fun with, you little naughty? Don't tell me it was Buckethead.
-No! - I exclaimed a little loudly, startled.
Nancy smiled when she saw me scared.
-It was with a guy I met at the amusement park... - I replied, laughing to dissipate the tension in my body.
- As for me, I'm looking to protect myself, as usual. - She pointed to the basket with at least 20 condoms.
-All this? - I asked, startled.
-Yes... you know how Thomas is...
I smiled sheepishly, realizing that detail was astonishing.
We got back to the hotel and it was almost time for lunch. I was hungry as I hadn't had breakfast. This would be my last day at the hotel and my flight would be around 7 pm.
Nancy and I walked into the hotel's restaurant and Jape and Jenni were at a table with the whole band, waving at us.
-Hello, girls! - Aelden said smiling.
I greeted everyone and decided to serve myself at the buffet to join them.
As I sat down at the table, the conversation soon took an unexpected turn:
-Angelique, do you already know the news? - asked Stela, with a mischievous smile on her face.
-What? - I asked, surprised.
She signaled to Jape, who soon filled his chest with air to quickly speak the same story for the thousandth time:
-Buckethead is sleeping with someone.
I choked on the juice I was drinking and started coughing.
-Really? - I asked, trying to look startled.
They analyzed my reaction and Jenni already interrupted:
-If you talk about the woman's breasts again, I'll change tables!
-Breasts? - I asked, laughing and feeling a glacier on my back.
Rebuked, Jape signaled to Aelden, who continued:
-Jape said the woman was sleeping with her breasts out and a cap covering half her face. -He showed his beautiful smile with perfect teeth.
Wait... Boobs!? Boobs out!? Had he seen me!? In fact, he saw me naked! Another stranger who sees me naked in such a short space of time.
I laughed to hide it, thinking they were playing with me and that they actually knew I was the one in that bed. However, I realized that they really didn't know the identity of this woman and I needed to get into their game.
-Now I'm curious! - I gaped at Jape. - And do you know who it is?
Jape denied.
-I was crazy to know who it was! - said Thomas, emphasizing the "I".
-Stupid! You should have looked straight to know who it was! - Aelden said, dissatisfied, clapping Jape on the back.
-Dude, imagine if I would get into a fight with a seven feet tall guy for watching the woman who was sleeping in his bed!? - Jape was outraged, cutting the huge piece of steak on the plate.
And continued with the drama:
-You think that I'm dealing with who? One kick from that big toe and I could end up in the hospital!
Everyone laughed and I laughed too, finding those words funny, because they even made sense.
-I didn't feel jealous on your part, Angelique. - Stela said, taking a sip of juice.
Everyone looked at me waiting for an answer.
-But why would I be jealous? He's just a friend! - I replied, trying to sound as natural as possible.
She looked at me suspiciously with those eyes full of eyeliner and eyeliner, but I tried to ignore it.
-What if the woman in the bed were you, Angelique? - asked Aelden, laughing.
I tried to laugh to lighten the mood, as I needed to think fast and not let on what had happened and, above all, not expose Buckethead.
-I wanted to see who's behind that mask, but the person in his bed wasn't me... I was with someone else. - I replied, pouring more juice into my glass.
-Who were you with? - asked Stela, a little incredulously.
-Oh, it was a guy I met at the amusement park.
-And where is he? - she questioned, arching an eyebrow.
-Love, stop interrogating Angelique. - Aelden said, taking her hand.
Everyone laughed and, probably assuming I was innocent in that story, changed the subject.
I managed to eat lunch, but feeling a rope around my neck, afraid of being discovered. They were smart... if they decided to investigate this story on their own, they would see that I was lying.
I was embarrassed to bother Brian in his room and after taking the morning after pill, I decided to go back to my room. At least I'd pack my bag and time would pass a little faster.
Being in that hotel made me a little sad. I was in love again and the immensity of that hotel compressed my chest, because I knew that reality didn't belong to me... I didn't have a fortune to stay in luxury hotels always.
As I was looking for the card inside my bag, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a figure was walking down the hall and I looked. It was him, wearing gray sweatpants, the white mask and a black cap.
-Hey! – I said shyly.
-Hey. – He also replied shyly.
I invited him into the room.
-Are you leaving? - he asked, looking at my suitcase on the bed.
-My flight is tonight... there wasn't one for Monday.
I felt my heart squeezing, but it was my reality.
He approached me, leaning me against the wall. I lifted my neck a little to see his blue eyes.
-Brian... - I tried to say, but he silenced me with one of his fingers.
-Please don't go... - he whispered.
-I need to go... I need to get back to my work and finish my projects...
He hugged me warmly and I hugged him back, feeling my emotions crumbling.
-What do you think about going out?
He agreed and I immediately thought of something I had wanted to do for a long time:
-So... I want to play pool!
-In a casino? - he asked.
-No... we would be stuck and addicted to those games.
He laughed through the mask.
-Don't tell me you frequent casinos - I said, looking at him and smiling.
-No... I prefer video games.
He touched my face and I felt his slightly sweaty hands caress me.
-Brian... They talked about you... - I said, trying to break the silence of the environment.
-I was hoping for that. - he replied calmly.
-But I think they don't know who was with you.
-Please... No one can know... - he said, exposing the reasons why he always insisted on keeping his private life a secret.
As I packed my things, trying not to forget anything, as I had a bad habit of always forgetting something on trips, Brian looked out the window at the view.
-This room is not like yours, luxurious.
-I don't care about these things - he said, adjusting the mask on his face. - Anything is fine.
We took the elevator down and asked reception for the closest place we could play snooker. Luckily it wasn't in a casino and it was in a nearby neighborhood.
-I need to go to a store first. - he said, pointing to the end of the avenue.
We walked up there and it was a cell phone store. Brian came in and I stood outside waiting. He soon came out with a cell phone in a box and a SIM card.
-Your cell phone broke?
-No... I only have my work cell phone. I bought this one just to talk to you, my family and my closest friends.
I gave him a wide smile and we waited for a taxi to pull up on that avenue.
Across the street from the cell phone store was a famous leather jacket store. Aelden and Stela were at that store and she soon spotted us getting into the taxi.
-I'm sure the woman in the bed is Angelique! - she exclaimed, pouring poison into her boyfriend's ears.
-Why do you think that? - He looked at her, not understanding the sudden resumption of that subject.
-If so, it's ridiculous! She was at the table with us and lying! - Stela raised her voice a little.
-Hey, calm down! If it really is her, she's probably getting into this mystery thing. After all, Buckethead is a mysterious guy.
-It's just that I can't stand liars! You know it!
-It can be a fetish too. - He shrugged and took the bags, while the two walked and talked about it.
Brian and I arrived at the pool bar. It was a simple place, with a green area and pool tables scattered around the covered area. In a more secluded corner, there was a single table, set back from the others. There were also some sofas with tables for people to relax and order snacks and also a small showcase with different pool cues.
We bought some snooker chips from an elderly, drunk man who was at the cashier and, because of the time, the bar was practically empty. A couple of drunks were sorry about something, babbling.
I took the triangle from the next table and arranged all the balls except for the cue ball and the number 1 ball.
Brian asked me to make the first move and I recommended he do it as he had more strength. We saw that he would have to hit the odd-numbered balls and I would have to hit the even-numbered ones.
Seeing his tall figure holding a pool cue in his hand made me see him as a person and not a machine, which was the way some people saw him.
When it was my turn to play, he approached me.
-Angelique... you're holding the bat wrong... That's how it is.
He arched his body over mine and I felt his hands on top of mine. His mask was next to my ear and I could hear his calm breathing.
His hair brushed my shoulders and gave me goosebumps. I would look at those huge hands and remember the way he was squeezing my breasts hard...
-You direct the bat to the ball and...
I couldn't hear his words. Having him there, close to my body, distracted me, made me want him again... the memories of the night before swirled through my mind, bringing back memories of our sex.
Damn... we were basically alone in that area where there was only one pool table...
My mind started to wander... I started to imagine that place would be completely deserted and that he would lean my body over the pool table, ready to fuck me again...
-You got it? - he asked, pulling away from me and interrupting my erotic thoughts.
-Oh, of course! - I replied, smiling sheepishly and feeling guilty for not paying attention to anything.
I even pocketed a few balls, but in the end, he beat me.
-Is not fair! Your arms are bigger! - I protested.
He laughed behind the mask and we started a new game. In all, we played six games and I only won one!
-I was defeated! - I said, laughing.
He laughed too and we sat at a reserved table to talk.
-I need to tell you something. - I said, a little embarrassed.
He looked away from behind that white mask.
-Whenever I see you... my heart races.
-Mine... too... - he replied, in a low voice, as if several ears were around us.
-Hum... Well... about last night... - I started the subject, shyly - sorry for having induced you... I know you're shy... please forgive me...
-I... I want it again... - he said softly, looking down.
I was stunned... I didn't know what to say, just feel. Feeling like I wanted to get him out of there just so we could go back to the hotel and do it all over again...
He took a little piece of paper out of his pants pocket.
-Well... this... this is my phone number. You can... um... call whenever... you need to. If I can't answer, I can call later. - He joined both hands behind his head, as if he was going to tie his hair and I could see how thin and long his arms were.
I took the paper and, looking at the clock on the wall, and noticing that it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.
-Oh... we have to go back.
Brian was slightly agitated but nodded.
Close to my flight time, I grabbed my bags and Brian offered to go with me. We went to the airport and every meter we walked towards the airport, I wished time would go back just so I couldn't travel.
-I'm not sure. Today I have to play at the Halloween event and tomorrow I have to travel to Chicago.
-When are you coming back? - I asked hopefully.
-A little more than a week and then I go back to Claremont.
-I know it's your job, but come back soon... - I said, hopefully.
He hesitated for a brief moment but answered, caressing my face.
-I'll be back.
The boarding of the flight was announced and it was time to say goodbye.
I hugged his slender body for a long time, while he responded to my embrace. Our hearts were afflicted, in unison.
I waved at him and, with a sinking heart, walked away.