Dark as the Night

31

James was sitting on his bed, quietly strumming his guitar when a familiar knock sounded on his door. "Yeah," he called out. There was a pause as a key turned in the lock, then the door opened and Tai stepped in.

"Mind if I crash here tonight? I'm bored of being alone in the Woodshop day in and day out."

"Nah, I don't mind." James didn't even look up from the guitar.

Tai took his shoes off and plopped down on the couch, across the room from the bed. He looked around the familiar room at the all the memories they shared on display. James was something of a closet decorator and it made him smile. "Damn, I don't think I've stayed here since I got my own room. It feels nostalgic." He lay on his side and looked at James, who was focused on the song he was playing. "What song is that? It sounds old."

James nodded. "It's over a hundred years old, but to some people it was considered the best song ever written. It was culturally influential; one of those songs that was so great, only a few people covered it, and none of them could even hold a candle to the original."

"So why are you butchering it now?" Tai asked with a cheeky smirk.

"Shut up." James's voice was distracted as he got to an intricate part of the song. Then he transitioned into a set of soft, soothing chords. "You want me to play you a lullaby?" He asked, not even looking up. Then without waiting for an answer, he began to sing 'Rock-a-Bye Baby' in a soulful, throaty voice. He finished with a grin and looked up to a pillow smacking him in the face.

"What the fuck?" Tai burst out laughing. "That was the creepiest thing I've ever heard! Thanks for the nightmare I'm going to have, asshole." He chuckled some more then schooled his face into mock seriousness. "I bet all the ladies love it when you sing to them like that, huh?"

James snorted as he threw the pillow back. "Nah, you're the only one who knows I can sing. I plan to keep it that way."

"Not even Mina?" Tai asked as he adjusted the pillow and laid back down.

James leaned back against the wall. "Nope." He went back to strumming and after a few minutes, broke the verbal silence, "Taiomah."

"Yeah?" Tai answered without opening his eyes.

"Do you ever think about your mom?" He and Odessa hadn't told anyone about her dream that afternoon. She wasn't ready to tell Tai about something she didn't herself fully understand, and James just considered it Odessa's business to share or not. So it had remained a private moment between two teenagers who had witnessed their parents' violent deaths.

There was a pause while Tai considered his question. "Sometimes, but her face is really blurry to me now. I don't remember much about her other than her smile, and her eyes," he said simply, having healed from the pain of her loss long ago.

James chuckled. "That's just because you see those eyes in the mirror every day."

"It's better than what you see in the mirror," Tai retorted with a smirk.

"I see a sexy, sexy man beast," James vaunted.

Tai shook his head. "You're an idiot."

"A sexy, sexy idiot."

"God, I hate you," Tai replied with a snort-laugh.

James grinned. "I hear that a lot."

Tai rolled on his other side, facing the wall. "Goodnight, you sexy beast," he said, still smiling. James grunted, his own smile still in place, and began playing the "best song ever written" again, this time singing softly along with it.

"On a dark desert highway..." Tai closed his eyes. James had a good voice. It was a husky baritone, the kind good for crooning ballads or heartfelt rock songs. But he only sang when playing his guitar, and he did that mostly when something was bothering him.

I wonder why he's thinking so much about our parents lately, he wondered lazily as he drifted off, lulled to sleep by the slow chords and his friend's softly sung words drifting across the room.

"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell..."

Surprisingly, James was good at lullabies.

**********
Author's note: Who doesn't love "Hotel California"? Truth though: I haven't found a decent cover yet. If you know of one, share it in a comment!

I won't be posting anything next week because my parents have come from out of state to visit.  I'll keep up with comments and messages though!

-Evie