Treat you better

Part 37- The party

SHAWN

It was the third time Shawn rehearsed the same song, but he didn't care, because his fans always deserved the best, so he would rehearse as many times as necessary until he reached perfection.

He massaged the sore temples, and he knew what would come next. Headaches were frequent in these periods of tension, as were anxiety crises and growing panic that left him bewildered. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to mentalize something that would take him away from that principle of despair, and almost immediately Rosaly's face came to his mind. He thought of her smile, her bright green-brown eyes, and her lips so sweet that got him drunk with their kisses.

Thinking of her always cast a serene light on him, which made that pressure on his chest disappear. Rosaly was his strength, his energy, his muse. How he wish she could be there with him, so that he could run his fingers through her soft hair, hold her tight until everything inside him was back to normal.

The last few days had been quite intense. As the tour approached, his life was so busy that he barely had time to see Rosaly during the day, reserving only a few hours of the night to stay with her.

He was practically living at her apartment, staying very little in his own home. His mother had complained about his absence, but she seemed quite pleased to learn that the nights he didn't show up at home were because he was with Rosaly.

And he was loving being with her. It was like they were a newly married couple, sharing their first apartment. She brought normality into his life, cared for him, and loved him like he'd never been loved before, and all of Rosaly's affection for him made the intricacies of his career lighter, and Shawn could even smile even when the situation was complicated like it was at that moment, when technical problems delayed the work of that day.

Shawn opened his eyes and felt a little calmer, although the headache threatened his brains with small stabs that looked like sharp spears reaching the most sensitive points of his head.

He needed some fresh air, maybe he could go out for a walk and relax a little, but the dial on his wristwatch made him realize he barely had time for lunch. He paused for ten minutes, went to the tiny kitchen they kept in the studio, served himself a glass of pineapple juice and a ham and cheese sandwich, while checking his cell phone messages.

He would have many hours of rehearsal ahead of him and had no idea what time he would be able to leave the studio. If they could fix the faulty devices that day in a short time, he would be able to pick up Rosaly at work. He missed her already, so He sent two messages to see how she was doing. Shawn cared about her, too, and hated the idea of Rosaly walking the streets alone. He didn't know her ex-fiancé, but he felt a deadly hatred in his gut for that man who had made Rosaly's life hell, and Shawn would do anything to protect her from the evil that scoundrel had poured on her.

Shawn consulted his wristwatch and found that his ten-minute rest was over. He took another deep breath, psychologically preparing for another rehearsal marathon. He sighed with relief as he remembered they were already at the end of the week, and the next day would be Friday. He had agreed with his manager that he would work only in the morning, because in the afternoon he had promised his mother that he would help her with the preparations for her birthday party on Saturday.

She had hired a company that had been organizing her parties for years, but there were certain details that she preferred to check personally, and which she always trusted Shawn to help her with.

His mother inspected all the food that was to be served, as she would not admit any flaws in this particular item. She believed that one of the hits of a party, as simple as it was, was the fact that the guests would have abundant and good quality food on their table, besides of course good music, for which Shawn was always responsible, and the friendliness and good manners of the hosts.

Karen couldn't stand a bad mood or an ugly face at her husband's or her children's parties. Shawn remembered  as a teenager the various sermons she had received because of his ruthlessness with some guest. He had not been a troubled teenager, but he had had his rebellious phases without a cause, hating the world, and dressing in black. But all this had changed when music had come into his life, and in spite of everything, music had freed him from becoming a bitter adult.

He loved the emotion that a note on the piano could cause people, or how a song fingered on the guitar would lead an entire audience to tears. That was the power that music had and that enchanted him, despite the limited life that fame gave him.

Shawn resumed rehearsals and worked exhaustively until 8:30 p.m. He sent a message to his mother saying not to wait for him, as he would spend the night in Rosaly's apartment.

He arrived at the dance studio ten minutes before Rosaly finished her class, and when he saw her coming out towards him, his heart failed a beat as if it were the first time he saw her. And when she smiled, he remembered again why he was in love with her. That light on her face reminded him of a sunny day on the beach, where the beauty of the sea brought him the same calmness he could feel with Rosaly at that moment. And then, she was in his arms and the warmth of her body gave him back some of the energy that had run out in his own body after a full day of intense activities

- I missed you.- he said

- Me, too. How was your day? - She asked with her soft, satin voice.

- My day was quite productive. -He answered by wrapping her whole body in his arms.

-You look tired. - He felt her soft hands on his face and sighed in wonder. Her touch was magical, relieving all the tension she was feeling on his shoulders.

Then he had  explained to her that he had had to rehearse the same song several times because of a technical problem they had, but that fortunately, everything ended well. So  Rosaly invited him home, which he readily agreed with. He was exhausted. He just wanted to take a shower, fall in bed and sleep with Rosaly in his arms until the next day.

When they arrived at her apartment fifteen minutes later, they both went straight to the bath together. They  had pizza for dinner and decided to watch one of the old movies Rosaly liked the most.

But just as he settled down on the couch and rested his head on Rosaly's lap, his eyes began to grieve, and although he bravely tried to keep them open, he couldn't and fell asleep before the movie really started. He awoke moments later, feeling Rosaly's fairy lips gliding across his face, and touching his mouth softly. Shawn was so tired that he couldn't even react when Rosaly took him by the hand and guided him to her room. The last thing he remembered before falling into a heavy sleep was Rosaly's beautiful face looking at him with concern and affection with those eyes he loved, and which rocked his dreams until dawn.

Hi, guys. I hope you'll enjoy this part and send me your comments. Kisses.