Lonely People

If I Fell

Aubergine Studios had begun to feel like a second home to me, even though I had only ever been there five times, and only for a few hours each. Mitch made it feel like a home in itself, making every visitor who walked in instantly feel relaxed. She claimed it helped the artists record. At first, I didn't believe her, but, as time progressed, I realized she was correct. We made our greatest music in that studio.

Some of our greatest memories were made there too. One such memory was no more than a moment. A single slice of time that lasted for barely a second, but its effects lasted a lifetime.

"No matter what life, what love, or what strife," Molly sang, "I'll find you, my love, in every phase and every gaze."

Molly sat on the floor just inches from me. She kept looking up at me as if asking something, but I couldn't figure out what. I simply smiled at her in an effort to encourage her.

"Brilliant, girls, simply brilliant," Mitch's voice rang over the stereo system, "How about we take a twenty-minute break and we'll record the next one after?"

Molly, Janice, and I all heaved sighs of relief. We had been working for hours on end. Ellen wanted our next album out before the world tour, and that was barely a month away. With recording, production, and everything in between, we would be lucky to get it out in a month.

I dropped the drumsticks and wiggled my fingers. They had bandages on them from the blisters I received from the constant drumming. Mitch had expressed concern about it, but I told her it was nothing I hadn't dealt with before. Hamburg had been a terrible trip, but it prepared me for many things in my career.

"I'm going to the loo. Be back in a jiff," Janice stated before vanishing.

Molly chuckled, "I don't see why she announces it."

"I dunno why she does a lot of things."

Molly laughed. I took to wrapping my bandages tighter. My fingers were stinging a bit, but it wasn't terrible. I had to make sure the bandages were in place before I made everything worse.

"Need some help?" Molly asked.

"I can't get the bloody things tight enough."

Molly came and knelt in front of me. She took my dry hand in her soft one. Her fingers ran down the back of my hand, sending shivers down my spine. I felt a longing deep in my heart, one I had worked to suppress for nearly a year. Most of the time, I could keep it under control, until she touched me or looked at me differently. Then, I felt like I might snap at any second.

She pulled at the bandages to tighten them. My focus was on her hand, and how she kept stroking the back of my hand. I couldn't tell if she was doing it on purpose or not, but I didn't care. All I cared about was the feeling it gave me. I felt warm like I was a fire and she was the match. My skin tingled with electricity.

"Melly?" Molly asked.

I shook myself, "Wh-what?"

"Is that tight enough?"

She looked up at me with a concerned gaze. I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat and awkwardly smiled, "Yeah, yes, thanks, Mols."

"Of course."

She stood up, but her toes caught in the hem of her pants. Her leg wasn't where she thought it was, causing her to tumble over, directly into my lap. She landed with a hard thud, nearly sending us both over. I managed to steady us with my legs as I flung two protective arms around her middle.

For a moment, just a moment, she was sitting in my lap and holding eye contact with me. For barely a second, I was holding her just like a lover. For a single breath, we were connected.