That Was Then, This Is Now

Part 6

I woke up with a god awful piercing head ache. The kind you got when you drank yourself so drunk you just black out. Because apparently that's what happened last night. I haven't a clue how I got home. I had the weirdest dream though, Tim was there. That's not the weird part, I always dream about Tim but in my dream he was in this house and the dream didn't feel sad. Whenever I dream about Tim and this house it's always sad. Scotts been away on his 'business trip' for 2 days now so that means I still have 3 more of peaceful solitude. I get up so that I can make myself a coffee and drink some aspirin. While I'm waiting for the coffee I look for my cell phone. It's gone. I can't find it. I ring it. Then i ring it again. Maybe Gary can do that tracker thingy. I quickly call him.
"Faith! Oh my god! Are you alright? Where are you?" He says as soon as he answers the phone.
"Hey, um I'm fine. Very hungover but I'm at home. Why?" I ask concerned.
"Well I just got a call from TMZ asking if the crap cell phone video they got sent of a woman walking in the arms of Tim McGraw last night was you." It's such a ridiculous question I almost laugh. "Then when I called you this morning to ask you about Tim had your phone."
What the hell happened last night. What did I do. Why was I with Tim?
"Gary, I have no idea. I went out last night with some of the girls since scotts away and got a bit drunk." I try to explain.
"Well I'm just glad you're okay. I now have at least 200 PR fires to put out but it's fine." He says.
"And my cellphone?" I ask. I want it back.
"Tims got it. He's gonna be at the studio all day and I told him that I would come it from him." Gary says. I know he's just trying to protect me but Curb is on the other side of town and it would take me 15 minutes to go it.
"No it's fine. I'll go." I say.
"Faith, I don't mind. I can go. It's not a big deal. Please." He pleads. He's a good friend but there's something so alluring about getting to see Tim that I tell him not to bother and that I'll be fine. I down my coffee and aspirin and then get dressed. Everything hurts my head so I pair a big pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap with my cutoffs and a tshirt. I get in my car and make my way to curb records. I park my car, and walk in through the big sliding doors. God I haven't been here since we record 'it's your love' and the interior design still looks exactly the same. I walk to the receptionist a preppy young blonde girl, big eyes that looks a bit to friendly on a day were I would probably kill someone for standing to close to me.
"Hiya maam! How can I help you?" She says cheerily as I approach her desk.
"Hi um I'm looking for Tim McGraw. I think he's in a studio." I say.
"Sure, let me just call through." She says picking up her phone. "Hi Tim," she says slightly flirtatiously, "I've got a lady here who apparently needs to see you." Her tone is sickening. Suddenly she breaks out laughing as if he's just told her the funniest joke of all time. "Okay I'll send her through to you." She hangs up. "Okay so he's in studio 4C, which is on the fifth floor and the you-" I quickly head toward the elevator before she can finish.
I feel like turning around and yelling "I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE STUDIO 4C IS! TIM ONLY WORKS IN STUDIO 4C ITS HIS FAVOURITE! WEVE MADE LOVE IN THAT STUDIO!" But I don't. I click the up button and make my way to studio 4c without another word. I get to the door and suddenly I'm frozen. I mean I saw him last night but I was drunk. This will be the first time in four years, (actually 3 years and 8 months) that we've been alone together. What will I say? What will he say? Before my thoughts become more rampant I knock on the door and let myself in. And there sitting on a couch with a guitar on his knee and papers in front of him is Tim. He's so beautiful. Salt and pepper stubble on a sharp jaw line. Glittery eyes and biceps that just exude "hold me tightly please." He's far more buff now but I remember reading how after rehab he starting working out and now voila, an extra hot Tim McGraw.
"Faith." He says. It's not how he used to say it. It's more a statement. Like "that is Faith."
"Hi" I say. We're both just staring at each other unsure of what to do. "I um... I came for my ahhhh phone, my phone." I stutter.
"Oh, right. Yeah. You're phone." He says getting up and getting it from the table across the room. "You, ah, you left it in my truck." He says handing it to me.
"Yeah, I'm so sorry." I tell him very embarrassed about what happened last night. "I'm sorry for putting you in the position of having to drive your ex home after finding her drunk." It sounds ridiculous but it's what happened, I think.
"Don't worry about it Faith." He says finally looking at me in the eyes. He still makes me melt. "I would rather have me taken you home than someone else." He looks at me, "oh god, i didn't mean it like that, you can take people home. God I hope you do. I'll just stop now" I just want to kiss him.
"I see you're working on some new material?" I gesture to the guitar and paper on the couch behind him.
"Yeah, maybe a single. I don't need anything right now but I just got the first verse stuck in my head." He explains.
I feel the air getting thick with awkwardness, "yeah I get that. Mind if I take a look?" I blurt out reaching for the papers.
"Ah, sure." He says. The lyrics are really good. He's done a great job.
"It's a bit more ballad-y that what I'm used to you." He says.
"No Tim, this is great." I say stunned that he wrote this.
"Thanks Faith." I hand the papers back to him.
"I should go." I say heading to the door.
"Faith! Wait." He stops me. "You don't want to forget your phone again." He says handing it back to me.
"Oh right, thanks Tim. I'll see you." I must've put it down when I read his lyrics. As I'm walking down the corridor toward the elevator I've got Tims song in my head. I think about it all day. You've never looked so good, as you did last night. Gaye is coming round tonight for a girls night and I'm just getting all the junk food in the house ready set so we can snack and gossip and just happy because I really need that right now. Scott and I have been back together for almost 9months now. I mean there had to have been a reason I was going to marry him and he isn't always awful. But I worried that his business dealings might be shady. He's always going on trips, I've never met any of his colleagues or clients and he only gets paid cash. Shady. And on top of that he plays on every single one of my insecurities with every interaction that we have.
"Faith! Hello!" Gaye yells from the front door.
"In the kitchen, come in!" I holler.
She walks in with a deer in the headlights look on her face holding a magazine. "What the hell is this?"