**
Amy listened to the entire Fallen Tuesday album twice. She was barely sipping a glass of wine. Her mind was bouncing between Luke, Denny, and the restaurant. Julie had rambled on for an hour straight about her love life. A boyfriend who liked sex but wouldn’t commit. A real shocker. Not.
“Are you going to listen to that all day?” Julie asked.
“Maybe,” Amy said. “I can’t stop.”
“Because you were with the rockstar last night?”
“You say it like you don’t believe me,” Amy said. “Why would I make something like that up? Especially to you?”
“I believe you,” Julie said. “I just think it’s crazy.”
“You’re telling me. I was running down an alley and then next thing I know I’m in a limo.”
“Whoa… wait a second,” Julie said. She put her wine glass down. “Why were you running down an alley?”
Amy looked up at Julie. With wide eyes, she thought, shit… she didn’t mean to slip that kind of detail into her story. For all Julie knew, Amy had walked home without a problem. Along the way, she met Luke, and he offered her a limo ride so she wouldn’t be cold.
“Amy… what happened last night?” Julie asked.
Amy sighed. She touched her laptop and turned the volume down. “Sit down, Julie.” Julie did. “I’m going to tell you something… I have no proof of anything, okay? This has to stay between us.”
“Okay.”
“My car was broken into.”
“I know that.”
“I know who did it. Or I think I do.”
That caught Julie’s full attention. “Really? Who?”
“Denny,” Amy said.
“Denny… your Denny? Your ex?”
Amy nodded. “I can’t prove it and I haven’t said anything to anyone else, but I’m pretty sure it was him. He gets into his jealous fits and… I don’t know.”
“So what does that have to do with last night?”
“I was walking home and I heard a motorcycle,” Amy said. “It freaked me out so I darted down an alley.”
“Wow,” Julie said. “Denny was looking for you?”
“I didn’t say that,” Amy said. “I said I heard a motorcycle and got freaked out. That’s all. So I ran down an alley and hurried to get here. I got into the hotel parking lot and ran into Luke. Literally ran into Luke. I had my head down. I wasn’t paying attention.”
Julie scooted closer. “Before I get to the Luke stuff… this thing with Denny, that’s kind of scary, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know,” Amy said. She played it off in front of Julie, but just talking about the incidents had her heart racing, her mouth running dry, and she had a crazy urge to race to the window and look for any signs of Denny outside. “It’s just Denny. He looks for a reaction. We didn’t have the best relationship. The breakup really wasn’t mutual.”
“But you broke up months ago,” Julie said. “So, what is he going to do? Show up every couple months and do something?”
“I’m kind of hoping if I ignore him this time he’ll just go away.”
Julie slid a hand across the table and gripped Amy’s hand. “Sweetheart, there’s a difference between a drunk dial or a drunk text and someone smashing the window of your car. You know that, right?”
“I know,” Amy said. Her world of denial seemed to be coming down. Piece by piece. All thanks to Luke.
“I just don’t want this to turn into something else.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t want to scare you,” Julie said. “But, come on, if Denny is that crazy… what if he gets mad that you didn’t respond to him? What if he does something else? Something worse?”
“Okay, I get it,” Amy said. “Change the subject. I hate talking about Denny. I hate everything about him…”
“Fine,” Julie said. “Thanks to Denny though, you got to meet a rockstar.”
“Yeah. Some meeting. I was cold, nervous, confused. I didn’t do anything with him, not that I should have.”
“You could have,” Julie said. “Then you’d have a real good story.”
“You know, I didn’t even ask for an autograph or anything. I just wanted to get home and clear my head.”
“Maybe that’s for the better too then,” Julie said. “It’s still a story to tell.”
“That’s where I have to leave it then,” Amy said. “It was just a story.”
The song on the laptop came to an end. Amy looked at the screen. It was the third time listening to the album now. She couldn’t get enough of it. It wasn’t just Luke’s voice either, the band was really good.
She put her hand to the laptop and considered changing her musical choice to something else. Before she could click a button a pounding knock came at the door. Amy jumped and Julie gasped.
“What the hell…”
“Someone’s at the door,” Amy said. “It echoes so loud in here.”
Amy hesitated as she walked to the door. She couldn’t believe she let herself live in such fear all the time now.
She slowly opened the door and saw nobody standing there. When she looked down, she saw an envelope on the floor. Amy bent down as she scanned the hallway and took the envelope. She stepped back and closed the door.
“What is it?” Julie asked.
“I don’t know,” Amy said.
She turned the envelope around and it wasn’t sealed. When she opened the flap, her jaw dropped. She pulled out a ticket. A ticket to the Fallen Tuesday concert that night.
“No way,” Amy whispered.
“What’s wrong? Is it from Denny?”
“Not at all,” Amy said.
She turned and rushed to the window. She get to the second part of the envelope but she didn’t care. Looking out the window, Amy saw a black car driving away.
“No… way…”
“Amy, you’re starting to scare me,” Julie said.
Amy turned and held out the concert ticket. “It’s a ticket to the Fallen Tuesday show tonight.”
Amy checked the envelope again and saw a piece of paper.
It was a note.
At least I know you’ll be safe tonight.
Call me…
The note was simple, the implications not at all.
“Is it from Luke?” Julie asked.
“It is,” Amy said. “I have to call him. He wants me to call him. He gave me his phone number.”
“You have the phone number for the lead singer of Fallen Tuesday?”
“Yeah, I do,” Amy said.
It felt surreal. Amy stood for a few seconds waiting to wake up. It all had to be a dream. A pretty good dream… if it were a great dream, Luke would be in Amy’s bed waiting for her.
Amy blushed.
“This is amazing,” Julie said.
“This is too much,” Amy said. “Let me go call him.”
Amy rushed from the room, leaving Julie with the concert ticket. As far as Amy was concerned, the phone number was more important. This was such a sweet gesture, but it was just way too much.
As Amy sat on her bed, her phone in one hand, Luke’s number in the other, she had the strange feeling of being much younger. Butterflies flew frantically in her stomac, and a large smile covered her face. The problems of the real world meant nothing in that moment as she dialed Luke. Luke Nolan, lead singer of Fallen Tuesday.
It’s too real… way too real to be true…
The phone rang and after the second ring Amy hung up.
“What am I doing?” she whispered.
She threw the phone to her bed and fell back. Was she really going to call the lead singer of one of the biggest bands in the world… and say what? Tell him thanks for the ride last night. Thanks for the ticket. Tell him he didn’t need to do that. Remind him that he was in a band and wouldn’t be in Syracuse forever. Just because someone wanted to do something nice, did it imply a long term relationship? Amy squeezed her eyes shut and hated herself. She hated that she lo
oked into everything with such depth. None of it mattered. Even if Luke wanted her at the show, wanted her backstage, wanted more, that didn’t mean he would get everything he wanted. Amy had control.
That’s why she had hung up.
To prove she had control.
Her phone rang and Amy groaned. She saw it was the number she had just dialed. Of course Luke would call right back, who wouldn’t? Amy had let the phone ring twice and then hung up.
“I’m a fool,” she grabbed the phone and pressed accept. “Hello?”
“Amy? Is that you?”
“That’s me,” Amy said. “Is this Luke?”
“It’s me,” Luke said.
His voice sounded even hotter on the phone. Now that she could make the full connection between the man who helped her and the man who was a rockstar, it was really sexy.
Really sexy.
“You left something at my door,” Amy said.
“I know. I hope I wasn’t out of line. I felt kind of stupid doing it.”
“Why didn’t you knock and wait?”
“I don’t know,” Luke said. “I thought it would be more interesting this way. Plus, you called me.”
“I sort of called you.”
“Why did you hang up?”
“I don’t know why,” Amy said. “Is that an answer?”
“It can be. Are you coming tonight?”
Amy blushed. Did she really just think something sexual over a simple question?
“You want me to come see your band?”
“We’re a really good band,” Luke said. “You’d have fun.”
“You sent one ticket. What about my friend?”
“Friend?”
Amy sensed worry in Luke’s voice. For all he knew, Amy could have a boyfriend.
“I have friends. Am I supposed to come alone tonight?”
“That was sort of my plan. You get to sit in the very best seat, and when the show’s over, I’ll come get you and we can hang out.”
“Hang out?” Amy asked.
“I was thinking of celebrating the show with dinner.”
“Dinner with me?”
“Dinner with you… the band… know any good restaurants?”
Amy laughed. The butterfly feeling returned to her stomach. “I know a couple decent ones.”
“Can you get a big table at your restaurant?”
“Well, it’s not my restaurant. My uncle was supposed to retire, but he… why am I telling you this?”
“I don’t know,” Luke said, laughing. “But I’m listening.”
“I’m sorry,” Amy said. “I’m kind of nervous right now.”
Amy closed her eyes and slapped her forehead.
Did I just admit that?
“No need to be nervous,” Luke said. “Just be at the show. You need a ride? I’ll send a car for you.”
“I got my car back this morning,” Amy said. “All fixed.”
“I’d rather send you a car,” Luke said.
“Why?”
“Well, Amy, I was hoping that after the show we can ride together to your restaurant. Talk. Be alone. I haven’t stopped thinking or worrying about you.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Amy said. “I’m taken care of.”
“That’s good. I’m interested. I want to know if I can help… and if I can’t, at least we can have some fun for one night, right?”
Amy opened her mouth. She looked forward and saw the reflection of herself in the mirror at the other end of the room. Here she was in a position that so many women would kill for. A chance to go to a rock concert in a way that nobody else would experience. A free ticket. A free ride to the show. A chance to meet the band backstage and hang out.
Everything Amy had done with her life played through her mind. She had always been a good girl. She never stepped over any lines or got into trouble. The worst thing she did was get involved with Denny. She never did anything crazy, wild, or fun. Uncle Tom had warned her to enjoy her day off.
“I’ll be there,” Amy said.
“I’ll send a car for five. Be ready.”
The call ended and Amy stood from the bed. She was shaking. She was stuck between excited and nervous. Part of her still thought she was going to wake up from the dream she must have been stuck in.
A thought came to her.
I don’t have a Fallen Tuesday shirt to wear…
Amy laughed and then dialed the restaurant. One of the hostesses, Becky, picked up.
“Hey Becky, it’s Amy. Uncle Tom there?”
“Hold on a second, let me get him.”
Uncle Tom came on the line upset. “It’s your day off…”
“I need to make a reservation for tonight.”
“What?”
“I’m coming in for dinner. A late dinner. I’ll need the kitchen open for a little while longer.”
“What is this, Amy?” Uncle Tom asked.
“I’m enjoying my day and night off. Just make sure there’s a big table available and some food ready. Love you.”
Amy hung up the phone and tossed it to the bed. Her bedroom door opened and Julie stood in the doorway.
“So…?”
Amy looked at Julie. “I think I have a date with a rockstar tonight.”
(7)
Luke was on his third bottle of water. Sound check had been brutal. Simply brutal. The sound in the arena just didn’t feel right, no matter what Luke did to fix it. He walked the entire arena three times, trying to get the sound to fill it the way he wanted. When it came time to run through a few songs, his throat felt like there was a golf ball stuck there. It didn’t hurt so much to swallow, but it was hard to sing. He struggled to hit some notes and after just two songs, he called the sound check done and went for a bottle of water.
Mack chased after him and grabbed his shoulder.
“Dude…”
“I just need some water,” Luke said. “I’m going to walk the arena again. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Go play so I can hear it.”
Luke went to the last row at the highest point of the arena. From the vantage point, the rest of Fallen Tuesday looked like small toy figures on stage. The sound was good, finally. It was Luke that had the sound problems… with himself.
Luke sat down and thought about Dr. Hornsbury’s warning. He thought about Amy too. Part of him couldn’t believe she was going along with all this. Getting that ticket, leaving the note, waiting for the call, it all felt strange to do, but Luke wasn’t sure how else to do it. He didn’t want to just show up at Amy’s door with a ticket. It would seem like he was stalking her or something of the like. It was bad enough that he had met Amy when she was scared of whatever situation that had been following her.
The band continued to play and Luke continued to think. He touched his throat and knew he had to get through the tour. When the tour ends, he’d go see Dr. Hornsbury. He’d take everything to the band and to Frank. They could still go into the studio and write. Luke could still write lyrics and prepare himself for vocal sessions. That would be the smartest thing to do. He just had to get through the rest of the tour.
Luke coughed and it hurt. He closed his eyes. He swallowed the rest of the cough down, but that wasn’t cutting it. He coughed again. The pain so bad. Luke made a fist and punched the seat in front of him. He leaned forward and stared at the concrete.
“Damn,” he whispered.
He licked his lips and tried to let his throat calm. The urge to cough hit him again and Luke had to let it go. He coughed as hard as his body needed. He expected a lung to come out of his mouth, but when he stopped coughing, he felt a little better. When he opened his eyes though there were three small droplets of blood on the ground. Luke hurried and wiped his lips and saw a small trace of blood. He wiped the blood off his hand and stared at the blood on the ground. He slowly moved his shoe over the droplets and twisted his foot, smearing and dissipating the blood a
s though it was never there.
If he didn’t see blood then it wasn’t there.
“Just a few more shows,” he whispered.
Luke made it back down on the floor, where the Fallen Tuesday fans would stand, push, raise their hands, sing songs, and sweat together. He watched the band on stage. They were done playing and they were all looking to Luke for his thoughts on the sound. For a moment Luke felt like he could cry.
“Sounds good,” he yelled, instantly regretting it.
He winced and hung his head. He drank more water as he walked to the side of the stage. Mack was there waiting for him, concerned.
“You don’t look right, my man,” he said. “You look worried. Tired. Sick. I don’t know.”
“I’m fine,” Luke said. “I invited that woman here tonight. I gave her a ticket and I’m having a car pick her up.”
“You’re nervous about that?” Mack asked. “There’s going to be thousands of women here that would do twice as much for half your effort.”
“I know,” Luke said. He looked to the stage. “Sounds good now.”
“Yeah, it does. It’ll be a good show.”
“Great show.”
Gray, Trent, and Jake came over, Jake with a guitar hanging from his back.
“What do we think?” Trent asked.
“All set,” Luke said. “Let’s go rest before the show.”
“I need a drink,” Gray said. “A stiff one.”
“I second that,” Mack said. “To the bus, my friends.”
Everyone started walking, Luke cut into the bathroom. He had the urge to cough but was afraid to do so in front of the band in case blood came out again. He didn’t want to imagine that scene.
In the bathroom, Luke hung over the sink for a few seconds. He took deep breaths, hoping the coughing feeling would go away. It did, for about two seconds. Luke closed his eyes and coughed. He hesitated to open his eyes, but then he heard knocking at the door. It opened and Mack’s voice rang out.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” Luke said. He turned, and as he did, he saw blood in the sink. “I was just washing my hands. I touched something up on one of those seats. Kind of gross, man.”
“Okay then. Let’s get going.”
Luke left the bathroom as Mack held the door. Luke ran to catch up to the rest of the band. He needed to shake it all away. Nothing mattered more than the band and the show. The high of rock n’ roll, and the passion from the fans, it would lift him beyond the pain and blood.
He also had a feeling that Amy would help ease the pain…