Sometimes I wish I could see her outside of the club but that just isn't possible, what with Andrew and all. The same lights, the same roads and street signs glittered past us as we drove to the infamous place where she was. As I sat there, I was flipping through my books on my phone, trying to find something to occupy the time.
I don't read often, I mean hell, I'm famous, have to contend with fans and my band-brothers, I drink,I party, I do all the normal fame-acquired-hoopla, but occasionally, and I mean occasionally will I read. Tonight was one of those nights. As I flipped through my online library ( I only had like two books by the way), I saw the recommendations on the side. Percy Jackson, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower... lame lame lame. I thought to myself. Then one came up, one that peaked my interest.
The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst.
I tapped it and immediately began reading. Almost instantly did it grab my attention.
"Zach's reading?" someone asked.
"Yeah yeah shh." I waved whoever they were off. I found where I left off and continued reading. I was completely enveloped all the way to the end. And when I did read the final pages, I felt something in me twing.
""Doodle, Doodle." There was no answer but the ropy rain. I began to weep, and the tear-blurred vision in red before me looked very familiar. "Doodle!" I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis."
"Zach." Jesse said to me from the front. I looked up to see we had arrived. "Come on. We're here."
I shut the app and slid out of the SUV, walking with everyone. The same routine ensued as always then we were in. I looked around at the people and felt only a little irritation rising in me. Stop the music, make it quiet, everyone go home, just leave me, Koda, and The Scarlet Ibis to rest in solitude. I gripped my fists then relaxed as I saw Koda's smiling face at the bar.
"Hey! Nice to see you all again. Haven't in a while." she said to all of us. "Hey Zach." she patted my palm. Talk about butterflies.
"Two days needn't we need a reminder." Bryan rolled his head toward me. She glanced between him and me, trying to piece it together.
"We had a big spew earlier in the car because he wanted to come but we had studio work to do." Mikey explained. "He expressed the point, oh, I don't know, ten-thousand times about 'we haven't seen her in two days!'" Mikey raised his octaves and twirled his wrists around, mocking me.
Koda was laughing. "So we decided to come today ease Zach's dehydration"
I blushed to hard as they all looked at me. I gave Koda a sideways glance, biting my lip, obviously embarrased, trying to see her reaction. She had this huge grin on her face like she was waiting for the punch line of a joke. She then laughed and said,
"Well, regardless of how dehydrated you are, we can fix that."
"YOU can fix that."
"Jesse," I whispered harshly under my breath, turning my head.
"Hey dude, you're making it worse. Making it clear that you're not wanting a drink of the kind here."
"Okay, well, what would you like anyway?' Koda stopped the conversation.
"Anything. Surprise me." Jes answered.
"Same." Mikey answered, nodding.
"Both of us too." Jer and Bry commented.
"And you?" I looked finally into her glistening orbs. i couldn't answer, only open and close my mouth.
"Surprise you too, gotcha." She turned to scan the contents behind her and I dropped my head on the table kind of hard. I felt her eyes on me, knowing she heard me drop my skull on the glass, but I denied the chance to make eye-contact. Not now, this is too embarrasing. Combine that with the need for silence and servitude and you've got me right now. A wreck in need of darkness, comfortable settings, and the bartender to make me feel alright.
"Here each of you are." Koda slid us different color drinks. I didn't raise my head until a glass hit me.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" She said. Before I knew what was happening, she was cupping my face in her hands, holding me there; her eyes scanning all over me.
"I'm-I'm.." i stammered. Her lips were so tantalizing, right there in front of my own. I could taste her now as I had the other evening with my dream; her taste, the sweetness of her petal-pink lips. I looked from her eyes, glistening dark in the light, to her mouth and back. Her lips were half ajar as if... as if...
No, don't entertain that thought!
I pulled away. "No no, you-you're fine. Really. It didn't hurt." I was looking at my legs, my jacket, anything to keep my eyes from hers. I tugged my clothes, trying to straighten them. I couldn't face seeing her right now, not after that. Oh gawd I wanted her lips, wanted her to kiss me. I begged, I knew it, with my eyes. I felt it. But what was I to do? I couldn't kiss her, what with her having a boyfriend and all. I sighed, then looked back up.
She was cleaning something below the counter, her head down. Her hair fell over parts of her face under her headband. I stared at her, with no regard because I was captivated. Even when she looked at me, I didn't turn away. I felt the zing in my stomach that comes with eye-contact, but let it rumble even more as I held her eyes with my own. A slow smile crept across her smooth face and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt,
she felt it too.
