The melody in our hearts (15 page)

Now, as she was staring at the people in the venue, she took her seat next to some excited girls and realized how lucky she was and how half of the girls in there would have killed to be in her shoes. She was the closest person to “
America’s Jazz Star
,” and she hadn’t even worked hard to get there: They had met by chance and had become inseparable without much effort on either side, and now she was the most envied girl in the United States. It felt weird, but it also made her feel special to know that, even though he could have all the girls he wanted, she was still the one he wanted to be with whenever he had some free time.

When the lights went out and a spotlight was directed on the stage, the crowd went hysterical, and she felt almost nervous, thinking Ryan would have to play in front of such a big crowd. The band started to play the first few notes of a Sinatra song, and she remembered the days at the Club, the days when things were easier and nobody cared whether they were holding hands or spending time with each other. It was much more difficult now, with his fans chasing him everywhere and paparazzi ready to snap pictures of him with a woman, no matter who she was.

Ryan walked out after a few seconds, and the screams were deafening; Valerie thought the girl next to her was going to pass out any minute, but she could understand the feeling. She was so excited she could barely remain seated, and she had to admit that Ryan looked pretty handsome in that black suit and tie, with the bright spotlight shining on his face. He waved at the crowd, then started to sing and, from that moment on, he turned from her best friend, Ryan, into Jazz Star Ryan Wyler.

He spent most of the time at the piano, either supported by the band or playing solo, and she noticed he had become much more confident on stage than the last time she had seen him in Boston. He had really turned into a star – there was no denying it. His first album had been mostly composed of covers of their teenage heroes: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett, but in his second and third albums he had been allowed to include his own music and songs, and he had quickly become not only a famous jazz performer, but a great young composer as well.

When the first notes of “
My lucky charm
” echoed in the venue, she felt her heart leap: This was the song he had written for her only a few months before, thinking of their special friendship and how important she was to him. Nobody really knew she was the person he was referring to. He had always been very protective of her and had never wanted paparazzi to start digging into her past, following her around, or interfering with her life and career.

She remembered the first time she had listened to it, when he had played it on his grand piano in his apartment. He had just finished writing it, and she had been the very first person to listen to it. She had loved every single note, every single word, and while he had played it, she had cried, feeling special and loved.

The last part was the one she loved the most, because it was where Ryan had poured out his heart to her and had thanked her for being there for him for all those years. He always joked about Valerie being his “lucky charm,” and she would shake her head, feeling self-conscious, and say that he had achieved all that because he was talented and had worked hard to be successful. But Ryan didn’t agree, and he had written the song for her, knowing she would understand it was dedicated to her just by its title.

Now, as Ryan’s soft voice was echoing in the venue and people were singing along, thinking of their special someone, she couldn’t help but feel flattered and special to have such a beautiful song dedicated to her. She also felt extremely, undeniably lucky to have him in her life.

Years have gone by, things have changed,

But I still feel the same way I did back then.

You’re my shining star in the darkest sky;

You’re the sun my life revolves around;

You’re a melody, a song I love to sing;

You’re the place I can always call home;

You’re my strength, my hope,

When things around me get crazy.

I’ll always be thankful for having you in my life,

Everything I have, girl, I owe it to you

Because I know you were, you are, you’ll always be

My lucky charm.

Ryan turned to look at her, his fingers flowing on the keyboard just like they used to when they were in the Club in Dublin, and he winked at her and gave her a sweet smile, which made the girl next to her start to shriek, thinking he had winked at her.

Valerie felt tears well in her eyes, but she smiled back, knowing they didn’t need words to say how much they cared for each other; they simply knew it, they felt it, in the way they felt complete when they were together and how they always managed to think alike, almost finishing each other sentences. There was nothing Valerie didn’t know about him, and he knew her better than anyone else in the world. Their friendship had lasted the distance, her crazy shifts, and his sudden success, and it had only got stronger. She was sure nothing would ever come between them, and this only filled her heart with more joy than she had ever thought possible.

She closed her eyes, leaning back on her seat, enjoying the last few notes of her special song, and while the people around her screamed and sang along, she felt as if there was nobody there but Ryan and her, just like on her twenty-first birthday when he had played the piano only for her.

~
Twenty-four
~

The show was great, just like she had expected. She had been to his shows before whenever he had played in Boston, and she had obviously been his number one fan, but as time passed, Ryan seemed to become more and more confident on stage. Valerie wondered how far he would go; he already was a star in the States, and she was sure it wouldn’t be long until he’d become an internationally renowned artist.

When it was over and she managed to reach him in the backstage area, she saw he looked different: He was happy, excited, and satisfied, and she knew it was because everything else, every problem, every doubt, every difficulty, always seemed to disappear once he was sitting at a piano playing his music. It had always been his “feel better” therapy, the way chocolate was for her.

“Hey! Here’s my groupie at last!” he said, wiping his brow with a towel and loosening his tie. He always wore a suit and a tie in his shows, even if it meant he would be covered in sweat afterwards: He used to say it would give him more credibility and, although she thought that he would have been successful even if he had worn a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, she had to admit he looked gorgeous in a suit.

“I’m not your groupie, you eejit!” She punched his shoulder mockingly while glaring at him, and he laughed.

“Of course you’re not, I was kidding. You’re my number one fan, does that sound better?”

She nodded. “Much better.”

“So? How was it?” he asked, turning serious, and she rolled her eyes.

“Aww, come on, you know you were great. You don’t really need to hear it from me!”

“I do, actually. You’re the only person who would be willing to tell me the show sucked if it did. You’re the only one I can trust, so yes, I do need to hear it from you.”

She smiled, feeling flattered. “If you put it that way, well…I’ll be glad to say I loved it, especially ‘My lucky charm,’ but you already know that. It’ll always be my favorite.”

He smiled and nodded, taking a step closer and hugging her.

“You really are my lucky charm, Val. It’s not simply a song; you know it’s exactly how I feel about you. I don’t think I’d ever have gotten this far if you hadn’t been by my side.”

“How sweet,” she said with a funny mocking tone. “But let go of me now and don’t get close until you’ve had a shower; you need one really bad, man!”

“Well, it was pretty hot out there on that stage, wearing a suit under all the spotlights, you know?” he said, feigning offense, but he was smiling, knowing this was another wonderful thing about their friendship: They had always been able to be completely honest with each other, just like real siblings, and without worrying too much about sounding rude. “Do you see what I mean when I say I can always count on your opinion? My fans would have never told me I needed a shower! They would have drooled over me, and they would’ve probably taken my sweat-stained towel as a token!”

“Yeah, well, I might be a fan of yours, but I won’t get close to you until you’ve had a shower and start smelling human again.”

“You’re a friend, Val!” He laughed, shaking his head in feigned resignation.

“You can say it out loud, buddy. Just think of what would happen if you walked out there and bumped into the woman of your dreams, and would miss the chance to get to her heart because you’re soaked in sweat.” She looked up and saw he was about to say something, so she raised her hand in front of his face, stopping him before he could say a word. “And don’t start babbling about pheromones and stuff. I don’t care if other women like men’s sweat –I don’t, and if you’re gonna share a room with me tonight, you’d better be smelling of soap, musk, or whatever smells clean.”

He bowed his head and laughed, realizing he hadn’t laughed like that since he had left Boston. No matter where life would take him, no matter who he would meet, who he would date, not even who he would marry, Valerie would always be an important part of his life.

“I promise I’ll take a
long
, hot shower, and I’ll smell as clean as a baby.”

“You’d better, or you’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight, Mr. Jazz Star.”

The door opened, interrupting their funny banter, and his manager walked in, telling them the car was waiting outside and they could go back to the hotel.

Ryan nodded and picked up the top of his suit, which he had left on the armchair, then he followed his manager and Valerie outside and into the car.

As soon as they walked out, a few flashes went off, but Valerie didn’t think much of it, knowing they were probably fans who wanted to take pictures of Ryan, so she got in the car, and they remained silent until they reached the hotel.

While Ryan was taking a long shower as promised, Valerie lay in the huge bed, feeling like a queen. She still found it hard to believe that this was the life her best friend led, that he got to stay in five-star hotels, get escorted everywhere he went, and have everyone at his beck and call. What had happened to the teenager she used to love hanging out with, who could barely afford to buy a CD, and who had to play in a jazz club in Boston to make extra money to buy food?

For the first time, she realized that they had grown up, that things had changed, and that he would never be that guy again. It was inevitable. Although he didn’t act like a spoiled star, he was a celebrity now, and he belonged to a different world, a world where she would never be able to fit in. She should start to understand that sooner or later things between them would change: The more successful he became, the further apart they would grow. Soon enough he would meet a woman who would make him lose his head and who would probably belong to his new world, and Valerie would have to take a step back and leave him the space he needed. They would slowly become strangers, they would not be able to find time for even just a coffee, and this would mark the end of their wonderful friendship.

No, it didn’t have to be like that, she told herself. They had been able to make it work thus far, in spite of their crazy schedules, and she was sure they’d be able to make it work even when another person would step in between them.

She closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath, enjoying the softness of the pillow and trying to push those thoughts to the back of her mind. Although she had meant to wait until Ryan came out of the bathroom to wish him good night, a minute later she was asleep.

~
Twenty-five
~

Valerie turned off the alarm with a groan and rolled in her bed for a minute. The night shift had been tough, but she had spent the whole time thinking about her short getaway in Miami, and that had given her the strength she needed to cope until her shift was over.

She had slept like a log, and when she turned to check if Karen was back, she noticed her bed was empty. Valerie thought she could smell toast, so she realized Karen must be back and was probably having a late breakfast. She had been on a night shift too, but she seemed like she never really needed much sleep to recover from a long shift. Valerie envied her.

She stretched and sat up, scratched the back of her head, and she finally stood up, yawning as she headed for the bathroom.

When she came out wearing her tracksuit and went into the kitchen, she was still half asleep and she felt in desperate need for a cup of coffee. Karen was sitting at the table, with a half-eaten slice of toast on a plate and a mug of black coffee in her hand, and she looked up from a magazine she was reading as soon as she saw Valerie.

“Well, good morning, secret lover of America’s Jazz Star!” She greeted her with a grin on her face, and Valerie stared at her, bewildered. “How does it feel to be on the front cover of America’s most-read tabloid?”