Broken Sound (5 page)

“Debbie, what the hell are you doing?”

“Do you have some perfume?” Debbie asked.

“No.  Seriously.  Stop.”

“Did you bring a change of clothes?”

“Well, yeah.  I always have some in my car.  In case I get messy here.”

“Good.  You’re all set I guess.”

“For what?”

“Bill sat one last table for you.”

Anna sighed.  She needed the money... but come on...

“This one,” Debbie said, “was by request.”

“Request?  Someone requested me?  Who?”

Debbie smiled.  “That cute rockstar from before.”

(7)

Davey walked into the restaurant and when the man standing at the podium saw him, he damn near knocked the thing over to get to him.  The man adjusted his tie, licked his lips, then retreated back to grab a clipboard.

“Mr... uh...”

“Call me Davey,” Davey said. 

The man put a hand out.  “Of course.  Yes.  Mr. Davey.  How are you?”

“Fine.”

“I hope your meal before was satisfactory.  I hope you’re not here to complain.  But if so, that’s quite fine...”

“Relax, the meal was great.  I’m here for a few drinks.”

“Of course,” the man said.  “Yes.  I’ll make room at the bar.”

“No, don’t do that.  I’m not looking to sit at the bar.  I want a table.”

“Oh.  Well, we stopped seating...”

“Damn,” Davey said.  He looked beyond the man, hoping to catch sight of the waitress. 
Anna.

“But for you, we have room.  We always have room.”

“No.  I’m not going to be treated like that.”

“I insist,” the man said.  “Please.  I’ll get you a drink.  On me.”

“Nobody has to buy or give me anything,” Davey said. 

“As a fan,” the man whispered, “it would be an honor to buy you a drink.”

“You listen to Chasing Cross?”

“Have been since you guys came out.  Seen you four times in concert.”

“Well then,” Davey said, laughing, “thank you.”

It touched Davey to meet someone who really didn’t seem like a hardcore fan.  Not that he liked to stereotype people, but it just showed how far of a reach Chasing Cross music had.  Men, women, all walks of life, and everything in between.  Not to mention that now that the band was older, a lot of their fans were introducing the music to their children or young relatives, bringing in new fans.

The true power of music and all its great force made Davey feel so alive.

“Come, have a seat,” the man said.  “I insist.”

“Well, the waitress I had before...”

“Anna.”

“Yes.  Anna.  Is she still here?”

“She might have punched out.  But she’s here.”

“Good.  Punched out is good.  I’ll sit if she can come talk to me.”

The man nodded and led Davey to a table.  He knew the only reason he got a table was because of his status and celebrity.  This was the second time in a day he used it to get something he wanted.  Only this time, he didn’t mind using it. 

He had to see Anna again.

Something inside him just burned.

When he got back to the hotel room and sat down on the couch, alone, he grabbed a guitar and tried to strum something new.  Nothing new really came to him and anything lyrical basically revolved around singing Anna’s name.  He called Johnnie but Johnnie was taking Jess back to his cabin for another day or two.  Davey couldn’t blame Johnnie one bit.  He went to Johnnie’s room and found the rest of the band there, all playing guitar, sitting around a half emptied bottle of whiskey.  It was tempting, very tempting, but the second he put the bottle to his lips, he thought of Anna.  He knew that one sip wasn’t going to chase her out of his mind... and it wouldn’t chase Cassy away either.

That’s when he decided to go back to the restaurant.  To stay away from reality for as long as he could.  He would have to face the band, sober, about Cassy and her baby.  And he would have to face Peter about the situation.  But that was for tomorrow.  He had given Cassy his cell phone number and taken hers, promising they would make plans and sort everything out.

Anna came around the corner and all those thoughts fell from Davey’s mind. 

“Hey there,” Davey said, smiling.

Anna froze at the table, her hands at her sides.  Davey noticed she wore her apron.

“Thought you were punched out,” he said.

“I sort of am,” Anna said.  “But my boss said you asked for me.”

“That’s right.”

“Is it about your tip?  I noticed it was kind of big... I ran it through though.  If there was a mistake...”

“No, no.  That’s yours.  That’s fine.”

“Oh,” Anna said. 

Davey loved the way she looked right then.  Innocent and confused.  But even still, she had a flicker in her eyes.  A flicker that she was capable of having a little wild fun. 

Like Davey needed that.

A little wild fun allegedly waited for Davey half an hour away.  He shivered for a second, thinking about actually being a father.  What a strange feeling...

“Well, what did you need then?” Anna asked.  “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I kind of just wanted to come see you.  Buy you a drink maybe.”

Davey saw Anna’s cheeks turn red.  He smiled and put his hand out. 

“Here, come here.”

She stepped towards him and he reached behind her.  She gasped and jumped.  Davey opened his hand.

“Don’t be afraid.  I’m not going to hurt you.”

He smiled again and wondered if that’s what he said to Cassy the night they slept together.  He didn’t intend to hurt Cassy, but he put himself into a position that allowed it to happen.

But I won’t do that with Anna
, he thought.

The way he felt, it wouldn’t just be a one night stand.  Maybe not even any kind of stand.  Why couldn’t it just be a couple drinks?  And conversation.

Davey found the knot at the back of Anna’s apron.  He pulled and untied it, then took the apron from her.  He rolled it up delicately and placed it on the table.

“There,” he said.  “You’re off duty.”

“But if we want drinks...”

Davey stood up and whistled, pointing at the bar.  Anna watched as both Jeff and the man from the podium with the clipboard - along with half the bar - looked at Davey.  Davey waved a hand and pointed at the clipboard man.

“No, not him,” Anna whispered.

Bill nodded and rushed towards them.

“That’s my boss, Bill,” Anna said.

“And he’s going to get us our drinks.”

The man stopped at the table, sweating almost as much as Peter did.  “Is everything okay?”

“Bill, listen, can you grab Anna and I some drinks?”

“Sure.  Of course.”

Davey nodded and ordered himself a beer and a scotch, then let Anna order.  His jaw almost hit the table when she ordered the same thing.  Now he was even more intrigued.

“Nice order,” he said.

“Might as well,” Anna replied.  “After all, how often do I get to drink with someone from Chasing Cross.”

“Ah, another fan.”

“Sort of.”

“Just sort of?”

“Eh.  You guys are okay.”

Anna smiled as her cheeks burned red.  Davey watched as she played with a napkin, nervous as anything, trying to pretend to be cool. 

Davey slid towards her with speed, sliding his left hand over her right hand, stopping her from playing with the napkin.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to convince you as to how good we really are.”

Anna swallowed.  “Yeah...”

Davey smiled.  “Yeah.”

He had the urge to kiss her.  He could see it in his mind.  His lips against hers.  Tasting her thin lips.  Sampling her tongue.  Her mouth, her breath, her body...  This was certainly a first for Davey.  He never pictured doing something, he always just did it.  He let the moment dictate the action and the pace.  He never held onto the moment and savored it.

“You’re something special, Anna,” he said. 

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t know.  You seem so... calm and honest.”

“If I can be so honest, I’m nervous as hell right now.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re from Chasing Cross.”

“Well, what if I said I was nervous too?”

“I’d ask why...”

“Because you make me think before I act,” Davey said.  “And that’s something I don’t do.”

“So am I keeping you from doing something bad?”

Anna smiled and batted her eyes.

“No, but thinking about it just makes me want it more.”

Davey started to move towards Anna.  His lips readying to touch hers.  His mind screamed at him, reminding him that he had something waiting. 
Cassy.  Donald.  A potential family...

“Okay, here you go...”

Davey turned his head and saw Bill struggling to hold a tray with drinks on it.  His focus was on the drinks, not realizing what he had just interrupted. 

Davey leaned back and enjoyed a few sips from his drink.  He saw Anna doing the same, only she didn’t appear quite as relaxed and in control. 

“You don’t seem too happy,” Davey said.

“I think I’m dreaming,” Anna replied. 

“Dreaming?  Of what?”

“That I’m sitting at a table with you.  Having a drink or two.”

“Two drinks?” Davey asked.  “I have to buy another round of this?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that...”

“Well, if that’s what you want,” Davey winked.  “Then we can drink the night away.”

“I don’t know about that,” Anna said.  “My car’s out back and I do need to get home sometime tonight.”

Davey nodded.  “Ah.  Boyfriend?”

“Excuse me?”

“You have to get home to your boyfriend?”

Anna smiled.  “No boyfriend, no thank you.”

“No thank you?  Bad breakup I take it.”

“Why are you here right now?” Anna asked.

“Having a drink with you.”

“You had someone else here before.”

Davey tapped the table with his fingers as he stared at his beer.  Being in Chasing Cross always brought a sense of power, even if none really existed.  The sense of power truly existed through the music itself, but once the music stopped, the power lingered in the form of fantasy.  The fantasy of being the rockstar, living the life.  And for others around, the fantasy of being near the rockstar and licking the edge of the life. 
The life
, of course, being the indulgences. 

Now Davey found himself in a situation very different. 

Very different.

He was the one with enough baggage to send someone running.  Even someone as beautiful as Anna. 

“Shit,” he whispered.

“Sorry, did I touch on something?” Anna asked.  “I shouldn’t have...”

“No, it’s okay,” Davey said.  “Just a touchy situation.  That’s all.”

Davey watched as Anna started to move, sliding her way around the other side of the table.  She had her beer in her hand and Davey tried reaching for her but she was too far away.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You know what, I really should be going.  I’ve been here since the early afternoon.  I don’t want... anyone to get hurt.”

“Nobody is going to get hurt,” Davey said.  “Anna, come sit back down.”

He watched more of her curls fall and bounce when Anna shook her head.  She looked like a messy hell but it was the sexiest messy hell he’d ever seen.  She was a natural beauty.  After working all those hours and being so tired, she still had the complexion of an angel.  And her eyes were going to haunt Davey for the rest of the night if she left. 

“Anna... I’m sorry if I’m being pushy here,” Davey said.  “I’m just sort of used to... whatever...”  Davey laughed, realizing how nervous he actually felt at that moment. 

He didn’t want Anna to walk away.  He didn’t want to be alone.  And while he loved the band, his brothers in music, he didn’t want to face them tonight either.  The only person worth facing was Anna. 

“I’m not just a waitress,” Anna said.  “Not that there’s anything wrong with being a waitress, but this isn’t all of me.”

“I never said it was.  I never thought that.  Did you think I was going to just pick up some waitress?”

Davey smiled and he saw Anna struggling to fight her own smile.  She finally sighed, shook her head, and touched her hair.  Before, her shirt had been tucked in and she wore an apron.  Now, when she touched her hair, her shirt pulled up, showing a sweet sliver of skin.  Davey had a grip so tight on his beer bottle he thought it was going to explode in his hand.  His eyes memorized that thin line of skin.  The top of Anna’s pants.  Her black belt.  But mostly her creamy complexion.  He couldn’t help but wonder if he kissed her, right there, right above her pants, would it tickle her?  Pleasure her?  A combination of both?