Approaching thestructure, she could hear voices amidst music of some sort, muffledsounds of drumbeats and the unmistakable sound of a screamingelectric guitar. To the side of the large carriage house, she founda door. Pressing her ear against it, she heard singing, thenswearing, followed by the sound of someone kicking something madeof tin, more shouting and then suddenly the sound of fastapproaching footsteps.
“Fuck this shit! I can’t sing and play guitar at the sametime.”
Before shecould register what had happened, the door was suddenly jerkedopen, causing her to fall forward and crash right into Crispin’sunmistakable form.
“What the fuck?” he gasped, catching her before she fellbackwards with the force of the impact.
“S-sorry,” she said, wide-eyed, looking into the unrelentingglare of his angry grey eyes.
“Not as sorry as I am,” he hissed, firmly moving her asidebefore taking off into the dark.
“Damn…” Dorian said, throwing his drumsticks to the floor.“We’re getting nowhere.”
“Never mind all that now,” Kell said, carefully pulling hisbass guitar strap over his head and placing the instrument down inits stand. “We’ll figure something out.”
“I don’t know anymore,” Dorian said, standing up and making hisway out the door, too upset to acknowledge Becky.
“S-sorry,” she said again when it was just her and Kelley leftin the garage. She’d gone and done it now, she thought with adesolate sigh. She’d interrupted their practice. Surely, he wasregretting his decision to let her stay.
Becky watchedhim through her lashes as he turned towards her and placed hishands on his trim hips. The man was truly mesmerizing. He wasdressed in head-to-toe black, dark pinstriped trousers and tallmilitary style boots. Despite the chill in the air, he wore only athin black cotton t-shirt, and leather bands adorned his wrists.His long hair, highlighted with those devilish red streaks, cloakedhis broad shoulders like a dark shroud.
He stared backat her with an expression that conveyed something akin to not quiteknowing what to do with her. His features were hardened yet hiseyes, his fathomless black eyes, held nothing but concern in theirbottomless depths.
“Love, what are you doing out here?” he asked, making his waytowards her.
This had tostop, he thought to himself. He had avoided her all day. Yet it didnothing to abate his growing fondness for this curious littlecreature before him. Even now, he couldn’t get the image of hershaky little form out of his head as he’d laid her in his bed thatone night while he tended to her bedsheets. It had been hell’stemptation not to crawl in after her. Then when he’d dressed her inhis very own shirt, she’d looked so… so his for the taking. Lord,this had to stop.
“I saw the light from the kitchen,” she said with an apologeticshrug. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t,” he said, cocking his head to the side. “We weredone, anyway.”
“So, you’re in a band?” She took in her surroundings. The spacewas amazing. Dorian’s extensive drum kit took up most of it. Thewalls were covered in carpet for soundproofing purposes, she daredto guess. Wooden crates used as stools were strewn around in frontof the band’s playing area. Taking a wide circle around Kelley, shemade her way towards one of them and sat down. “This is where youpractise?” she said, looking from him to his bassguitar.
“Yes.” He suppressed a smile at her enthusiasm.
“Play something for me,” she said, pointing at his big blackbass. The sound of his slow approaching footsteps on the woodenfloor, both frightened and thrilled her at the sametime.
“Becky…” He loomed over her, hands on his slender hips. “I playbass.”
“So… play for me,” she insisted, obviously clueless to hismeaning. Becky could think of nothing more exciting than to befront and centre, watching him play that incredibly sexyinstrument.
He rolled hishead back and took a deep calming breath. Here he was, doing justfine all alone. He was the toughest, meanest looking Goth around.Everyone steered clear of him, and he liked it that way. Then theone day he chooses to be gallant, to show his human side, he findshimself somehow beholden to this silly little squeak of a girl whojust won’t leave him be.
“Perhaps another time,” he said, steeling himself against theobvious disappointed reflected back on her sweet little face.Whatever this was, it had to stop. If they were to reside in thesame house for the remainder of the school year, nothing couldhappen between them. Nothing!
“Okay,” she said, finally getting the hint. Sliding off thecrate, she wiped at her bottom and waited awkwardly while hepowered everything down, turned off the overhead lightbulb, and ledher out of the garage. She waited just outside the door as helocked it up.
He turned then,guiding her ahead of him, his hand at the small of her back. It didsomething to his insides, the realization of how little andvulnerable she truly was. “I don’t like the thought of you walkingaround out here in the dark,” he quietly confessed.
The very ideathat she had somehow wound up on his front porch the other nightwithout any thought to her safety still rankled him.
“Oh… well, me neither,” she said, liking the feel of his warmhand on her back.
“Next time, wait for me.” He paused awkwardly. “Or one of theother guys to walk with you,” he said, clearing his throat,correcting himself.
“Okay, but sometimes it’s hard,” she said with a frown, barelyvisible in the moonlight. “I can’t always have you at my beck andcall. As much as I’d like that.”
“No, I suppose not,” he said, furrowing his brow as theyreached the house. “Still, you should be more careful.”
“Well, at least, I’m safer here than at the dorms,” she saidwith a reassuring smile.
“Yes…” his voice nearly broke. Here she would stay, safe andsound for as long as she needed. He sighed deeply as she steppedinside. Lord, he was lost already.
***
Becky hesitatedwhen she stepped into the kitchen and found
