A Witness to the Music
Part Two
It felt like the
room was spinning. I could tell that I must have been blushing rather
heartily, because my face felt as if it were on fire. My hands were
clammy, and my knees felt extremely weak. It was then that I heard his
voice saying, “Oh man, I am so sorry! Are you okay?”
I stood there, shaking my
head the way a cartoon character does to snap out of a daze. I was still
standing there in the ice room. Still face to face with him. While I
didn’t think it was possible, I began to blush even harder. Did he
recognize me? Had I said anything out loud while I was out of it?
I quickly realized that I better answer him before he thinks there is something
seriously wrong with me.
“Yes, I am fine. It was
my fault,” I said. “I was daydreaming. Oh, I almost forgot to
introduce myself. Lexy Walker,” I said, extending my hand and nearly
dropping the ice bucket.
He chuckled and shook my
hand. “Hi there, Lexy. That’s a beautiful name. I am - ”
“Kyle Montgomery, I
know. And thank you,” I said in a rather bashful tone. “Now,
while I risk sounding like an irritating groupie, first let me tell you that I
am truly a fan. Second, please know that I am not always this clumsy and
awkward.” With a light laugh, I bent down to pick up what ice hadn’t
already melted. “I’m the one who is sorry.”
“You aren’t the only
one daydreaming around here,” he replied. He came down beside me, and
gave me that smile that I had been watching all night. And those eyes.
Oh, those eyes! Those sexy, enticing, storm blue eyes. Chills ran up
and down my spine. “I have been thinking about you ever since the show
ended, but I had no idea how or if I would ever see you again. Then, when
my manager came into the room and told me that he saw you and you were staying
in this hotel, on this floor, I was ecstatic.” He glimpsed down at the
floor, and then continued. “ I had no idea where I was going when I left
my room. There was just some power telling me that I should get out and
walk. So I did, still thinking of you.” As he lifted his head, our
eyes locked. “And when I rounded the corner, there you were.”
I didn’t know what to
say. He obviously recognized me. And it wasn’t just on-stage
playfulness between the two of us. There had been a connection. But
why me? What makes me so special, so different from anyone else in that
crowd? I couldn’t ask that right now, though. Just hearing that
faint southern drawl of his, I could barely manage to stand upright while he was
talking. It was right about then when I realized that the ice, which had
fallen down my top, was instantaneously melting as it worked its way against my
hot flesh. I quickly turned around, pulling the bottom of my shirt out
from my chest a little, hoping that any remaining ice would fall out.
“I am so sorry!” he
laughed, his eyes wandering over her shirt as he continued. “Here I am
chatting up a storm all the while you have what appears to be an iceberg in your
shirt.”
“Oh this? It’s
nothing! I mean, this is something,” I said gesturing to my chest. “I
mean - oh man! Did I just do that?!” The heat from my face could
have easily dried my shirt in a microsecond! “The ice is nothing!
I am fine.” By this point, I was laughing in a poor attempt
to hide my embarrassment. “Ok, I lied. This is really cold!”
He took off his silky
shirt, leaving him wearing only a tank top. Doing so revealed his not only
his buff chest, but also his exquisitely defined shoulders and arms. He
was the perfect combination of Greek God and reality.
Wrapping his shirt around
my shoulders, I took notice of his hands. They were very masculine,
definitely larger than my own, with a hint of softness and tenderness.
As he was putting his arms down, he lightly touched the skin on the back of my
neck, and at the time I was engulfed in the scent of his cologne. It all
sent chills up and down my spine.
“May I walk you to your
room?”
Now, how could I resist
that?!
While we were walking, he
told me how the band was now on a three-day break, with only one concert
remaining after that before the end of the tour. He didn’t know what he
was going to do with this time off; he just knew that he wanted to do something
real.
“Real?” I asked,
grinning. “Just what do you mean by real? You mean as opposed to
virtual?”
“Ha, ha, ha. Very
funny,” he replied with a smirk. “No. What I mean is something that a
regular person does. The kind of thing that I may have done on a Saturday
night before my career took off.”
“Oh, reeeal. You
mean like the sort of boring, everyday thing us common folk do!” By this
point, I was giggling almost out of control. He was pretty amused as well
. “Well, even though I am not really from this area, I noticed a small
pizzeria and bowling alley just down the road. Think they are having an
all-night bowl tonight, too. You and the boys will love it.”
He looked rather
confused. Okay, I thought, maybe bowling wasn’t his thing. I was
about to suggest something else, when he ever so tenderly took both of my hands
in his and said, “I don’t think you understand. I want to do something
real tonight, but not just with the band. I would really love it if you
would join me.”
Alright, now I was the
one with the look of confusion. Me? Go with them…with HIM?
Kyle Montgomery. How could I? Better yet, how could I not go!
I graciously accepted, but asked him if he was completely sure that this would
be fine with everyone else.
“You know, they have
been after me for a long time to go out on a date,” he said, getting a little
pink in the cheeks. “They couldn’t understand that I was tired of just
grabbing any girl that looked at me. I want something real. Someone
who could look past all the glitz, and the glamour, and the “rock-n-roll”
lifestyle, and just see me for who I am. When I saw you tonight at the
edge of the stage, my heart stopped. For the first time, somebody looked
into me and saw who I really am. I mean, I may be wrong, but it felt like
when you looked at me tonight, you were able to see not just this guitarist on
the stage, but further. It felt as if you simply saw me for me.” I
blushed and nodded in agreement. “Quite honestly, as much as I wanted
that to happen, I was a little embarrassed. In case you didn’t notice, I
couldn’t even finish the encore.”
“Yeah, I did notice
that,” I interrupted. “What happened?”
With a sweetness that I
could tell wasn’t revealed to just anyone, he continued. “What
happened? You happened! Even though all I have ever wanted was for
people to see me for the person that I really am, when you were able to do that
I didn’t feel worthy of it. There is no possible way that someone like
myself could ever deserve someone as wonderful as you.”
He paused, looking into
my eyes, as if searching for just the right words to say. I just smiled,
still rather lost in the amazement of the moment. Taking a deep breath, he
spoke softly. “Even though we may have just met, I feel like our souls
have been familiar with one another for some time. I feel comfortable with
you, like I can let down my guard and be myself. That’s a feeling that I
haven’t had in quite a while. So please, come with us tonight. I
know the guys won’t mind, and you would make me eternally happy.”
The passion and raw
emotion with which he spoke most certainly appealed to me. “Well,” I
replied, “after sentiment like that, how could I dare say no? I mean, I
am a little hungry, and my bowling isn’t too bad, either.” Of course,
I was joking. Yes, I was hungry, but I would be lucky to break fifty in a
full game!
He laughed, seeing
straight through my playful banter. “Just do one little thing for me,”
he requested, gently caressing my wrists and hands.
“Sure. What’s
that?”
“Put on something a
little…drier,” he said, laughing heavily. “I don’t think I could
explain that to them back in the room!!”
Oh man! It had
momentarily slipped my mind about the ice and water. While we had been
standing in the hallway, a nice huge watermark had managed to take over almost
the entire center of my sports top.
“Not a problem at
all,” I said opening my door with a bit of playfulness mixed with sensuality.
“If you can wait here, I won’t be long.” I then took his shirt off
of my shoulders, and held it out for him as if dangling a toy in front of a
kitten. He reached for it, but before he could grab it I pulled myself
back, winked at him, and slipped into my room.
My heart was pounding, knowing
that he was waiting out there. Waiting for me so we can go out, together.
Me. Lexy Walker. Every thought and every dream I have ever had about
him stood a chance of coming true tonight. Or not. But who cares!
The man of my dreams was standing right outside the door, and I needed to regain
my composure and get back out there.
With lightning speed, I changed
into my favorite black baby-tee, ran a brush through my hair and pulled it back
into a ponytail, and freshened up my face. In a matter of minutes I even
made myself think I looked good! One final glance in the mirror on my way
to the door satisfied me. I picked up his shirt, and as I placed one hand
on the doorknob, I raised the shirt to my face with the other. Slowly, I
inhaled. Doing so, I immersed myself into a scent made up of the sweetness
of his sweat, a hint of his cologne, and the basic fragrance of him. Once
again, my heartbeat raced and my palms went moist. I took in one more
breath, lowered the shirt and opened the door. One look at his wondrous
appearance, and I knew this night was going to be intense.
©C.M.Bolyard, 2002
