Chapter 6

"Mike?" Mike M. looked up at Maria, who had just come out of the cottage.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Would it be okay if I tried a few group shots tomorrow down by the water? I know it’s not on the schedule, but I need some test shots," she told him. Mike nodded.

"I don’t think that the guys would mind," he said. Maria nodded. She seemed down about something, but Mike didn’t want to pry.

"Thanks," she said as she went back inside. Susan was sitting in the living room. She was talking to someone on her cell phone. Maria went the other way. She didn’t feel like seeing or talking to anyone. It wasn’t that she was moping and feeling like the injured party because of what Geoff had done, she was just mad. After everything that she had done for Geoff, letting him live for free in her loft and feeding him and caring for him, he had the nerve to hurt her this way, to betray her this way. It made her furious. So furious that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, so she didn’t see Jacob coming down the stairs until she was almost on top of him.

"Sorry," she said as she tried to pass him. He frowned.

"What’s wrong?" he asked. Maria looked up at him.

"Nothing. Does your back still hurt?" she asked. He shrugged. ‘Good answer,’ she thought. Jacob made room for her to get by and she continued up the stairs without another word or glance at him. He watched her go. That was strange. Her behavior was more confusing than his was at times.

Jacob made his way down the stairs. His back was still hurting, but not like it had been. He figured these next two days that the group had off would help him. If he had just twisted it, it would get better eventually.

"Jake, do you want to write?" Ashley asked when he saw him. Jacob stood on the porch watching Erik, Trevor, Alex and Dan fooling around in the water. Ashley was sitting on a chair to his right, his feet up on the railing of the porch.

"Have you gotten anymore written down?" Jacob asked. Ashley nodded. They had been working on a song together and it was coming along slowly. "Let me see what you have." Ashley handed his writing book to Jacob, who sat down on another chair, and read what Ashley had come up with, trying to hear the music in his head at the same time. "I need my guitar. I’ll be right back," he said as he went back inside.

Maria stood on the deck, watching the guys and Alex in the water. She had to concentrate on her job right now and forget about everything else. Her personal problems would have to wait until she was done with her assignment. She’d worry about Geoff when she got home. Maria went inside, took out a large notebook of drawing paper, and sat down on her bed. She wanted to do an original drawing, kind of like caricatures of the guys, for the Table Of Contents page in the magazine. It would be fun for her to try and get the guys’ personalities put into one of her drawings.

Staring at the big, blank sheet of paper, Maria thought about how to start it. The middle. She began drawing and after a while realized that she was drawing Jacob first. Her pencil swept over the paper as she expertly drew his face. She was so engrossed that she hadn’t noticed him come into the room.

"Being unsociable today?" Jacob asked. Startled, Maria looked up.

"Do you need something?" she asked, not rudely, just annoyed because she had been interrupted. He glanced at the drawing.

"What’s that for?" he asked. Maria had liked it better when Jacob hadn’t been talking to her. What had changed?

"The magazine. I want to put an original drawing of you guys on the Table Of Contents page," she said. Jacob, carrying his guitar, walked over to get a closer look. Maria pulled the pad of paper up close to her chest.

"Why can’t I see it?" he asked.

"Because I’ve just started it and I don’t want to show you. Why are you being so annoying? Go away," she said with a small smile. Jacob laughed.

"Fine, I’m going. But I want to see that when it’s done," he said as he left the room. Maria rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, he wants to see it so that he can tell me that he hates it,’ she thought. She put the pad back down and smiling, she drew horns on his head and put a villain’s mustache on him. ‘I wonder if he’d like that?’ she thought.

Alex got out of the way as Trevor and Dan flipped Erik up in the air and he came down in the water with a huge splash. There was a lot less wind today and so the waves weren’t as big as they had been the day before. Alex began wading toward the beach.

"Where are you going?" Erik asked, as he tried to pull her back into the deeper water. Alex slipped her arm out of his grip.

"I’m tired, I’m going to go lie on the beach," she said as she started toward the beach again. She then felt herself lifted up and thrown into the deep water. She came up, sputtering. "Erik!" she yelled. Trevor and Dan laughed as Erik swam quickly away from her. Alex might not be a very good volleyball player, but she could swim. She caught up with Erik and jumped on him. Erik grabbed her and pulled her under with him. They both came up laughing and coughing.

"Are you trying to drown me?" Erik asked, only half-kidding. Alex smiled.

"Serves you right after what you did," she said. Erik laughed as they looked at each other, treading water to keep them afloat. Alex smiled and turned to go back to the beach. Erik watched her as she gracefully swam to the shallower water.

"Erik? Dan, I think Erik has gone to la-la-land," Trevor said. Dan smiled.

"Awww, that’s so sweet. Erik, if you like her, man, why don’t you ask her out?" he asked. Erik looked at them.

"Who said I like her?" he asked.

"Come on, dude. Look at the way that you two were just flirting. It’s so obvious that she likes you," Trevor told him. Erik swam away from them. He did like Alex, but nothing could happen. The group was too busy and Erik didn’t want the responsibility of having someone that he’d never see and who would never see him. It wasn’t fair to her. Besides, he didn’t even know if Alex really liked him. It was something that he didn’t want to worry about right now.

Jacob and Ashley were working on their song on the porch of the cottage when Susan came out and stood, looking around. She saw the guys in the water and Alex sunbathing on a towel on the beach. Mike M. was on the other side of the porch, his phone to his ear. Mike C. had gone to get lunch for everyone.

"Have you boys seen Maria?" Susan asked them.

"She’s in her room," Jacob answered, without looking up from his guitar. Susan nodded and went back inside.

"Dude, what’s wrong?" Ashley asked.

"This chord doesn’t sound right," Jacob replied as he strummed the guitar.

"No, I mean, you sounded kinda, I don’t know, weird, when you answered Susan," Ashley said. Jacob looked at him and frowned.

"Ash, there’s nothing wrong. Now, let’s just finish this song already," he said. Ashley didn’t want to argue with Jacob, so he turned his attention back to the song.

Maria had three out of five of the guys drawn when Susan came into the room.

"Here you are. Why aren’t you down with everyone else?" Susan asked. Maria shrugged.

"I just wanted to be alone," she said, her eyes on her drawing. She could hear the soothing sound of Jacob’s guitar from down below. She sighed.

"Who was on the phone earlier?" Susan asked, sitting down next to Maria on the bed. Maria didn’t want anyone to know what was going on with Geoff. It was her life and she didn’t want to bother anyone else with her problems.

"Kathleen. She just called to let me know how things are going at home," Maria said. Susan glanced at the drawing. By that time, Maria had erased the horns and the mustache from Jacob’s caricature.

"That’s good. You really get the details in there. Even Jacob’s hair, which must’ve been hard to do," Susan said with a smile. Maria just nodded. "Is everything okay at home?" she asked when Maria kept quiet.

"You know what? Everything is great at home! Heathcliff is fine and my loft is fine. It’s all fine," Maria said with fake enthusiasm. "If everyone wants me to go downstairs, then I will!" Maria jumped up from the bed, leaving the drawing behind, and waited until Susan followed her. Susan frowned as she trailed Maria down the hallway. She wouldn’t bug her. If Maria wanted to talk about what was bothering her, Susan would wait until she was ready to talk.

The day seemed to fly by and before long it was early evening. Susan, Dan and Trevor had grilled hamburgers and they had all eaten out on the grassy/sandy yard area. After dinner, everyone just chilled in various parts of the cottage. Maria had put on her bathing suit and she had wrapped a long scarf-like, black and white skirt around her waist. She wanted to be alone, so she walked down to the beach. The lights from the cottage dimly lit up the yard and the beach. There was a full moon, though, and the clear sky was sprinkled with stars.

Maria wandered down to the water’s edge and stood, watching as the water came up to her feet and slid back down, the sound of the waves soothing her nerves. She couldn’t stop thinking about Geoff. Where had they gone wrong? Maria knew that their relationship wasn’t the most solid or the most conventional, but she didn’t think that he’d ever turn to another woman when things got bad. He had seemingly changed overnight.

‘Maybe it was my fault,’ she thought. ‘I have been working a lot. Maybe I should’ve paid more attention to him.’ All of the missed dinners, the broken dates and the late nights that she was at work must have finally gotten to Geoff. And she had just shrugged it off like it had been no big deal. Well, it obviously had been to him. Maria looked at her bandaged hand. Geoff had always had a temper, but he had never hurt her physically. He had always left during one of their fights before touching her in any way. That, she had been thankful for, but then when Kathleen had told her that he had threatened her, Maria had been afraid for her friend. That didn’t sound like Geoff at all and the first thought that Maria had had was, ‘Would he hurt her physically?’ He had threatened her, so why wouldn’t he hurt her? It scared Maria to think that Geoff was acting so irrationally.

Suddenly, Maria heard the sound of a guitar. She turned to see Jacob sitting on the sand, playing softly, his eyes on her.

Jacob hadn’t wanted Maria to know that he was sitting there as she had walked to the edge of the water. He watched her as she just stood there, looking intensely at the water, which was lapping at her bare feet. A breeze blew her skirt and her hair that was twisted atop her head, loose strands blowing around her face. It was unfair of him to be watching her like this, though, with her not knowing that he was there, so he began to play his guitar. It had gotten her attention, as he had hoped it would.

"Where did you come from?" Maria asked. Jacob shrugged.

"The cottage. I was here first," he said with a smile. Maria walked over to him and sat down on the sand beside him, facing the water.

"Do you mind me sitting here?" she asked.

"No. It’s not my beach. You can sit wherever you want," he replied as he continued to play. They sat, just the sound of Jacob’s guitar and the waves filling the silence.

"Why don’t you play something of yours?" Maria asked. Jacob looked at her. "Dan told me that you guys think that I’m going to write a bad article because I don’t know you or your music. Well, I know some of you now and I know the three songs that you’ve been doing at your performances, but that’s it. So, why don’t you play something different for me?" Jacob thought about it. He began to play ‘Love Should Be A Crime.’

"This is my favorite song on the album. Ashley and I get to actually play our guitars while performing it," he said right before he began singing it. He sung the whole song and Maria watched him, mesmerized by his voice and his playing. He seemed to get lost in the music, forgetting that she was even there. When he was done, she smiled.

"Wow, that was great," she said. She didn’t sound too excited, though.

"You’re not just saying that, are you?" Jacob asked.

"No, I’m not. Look, I know that we’ve gotten off to a rough start, but…" Maria started, but another voice interrupted her.

"Are you guys singing karaoke out here?" Ashley asked, smiling, as he came up behind them. Jacob turned to him.

"No, Ashley, we’re not," he said, looking at Maria, who was staring out at the water again.

"I could get my guitar and we could play together," Ashley said as he ran back up the beach. Jacob was still looking at Maria’s profile. She looked so…fragile, but Jacob knew that she was anything but fragile. She was tough and stubborn and determined. He admired those things, but he sensed that she had a soft side too. He had yet to see it, though.

Maria turned and made eye contact with Jacob. She had felt him staring at her. What was he thinking, though? She had no clue.

"Did you really write that song that you guys have been performing?" she asked, hoping that talking about the band’s music would be a safe topic.

"’Take Me Under?’ Yeah, I wrote that," Jacob answered. Maria nodded.

"I like it," she said. Jacob nodded, his eyes still on her.

"I take it pop music isn’t your favorite," he said. Maria smiled as she looked at him.

"I like all kinds of music. I’ve met some great up-and-coming musicians, so I’m open to listening to anything," she said.

"What’s your favorite kind of music?" Jacob asked, figuring that now was a good chance to satisfy his curiosity about some things that he wanted to know about her.

"Um…I love anything with a piano. Billy Joel is one of my favorites. I like odd bands, some popular, some not. Vertical Horizon is cool. ‘Everything She Wants’ is one of my favorite songs. I also like Michael W. Smith. He’s a Christian artist and sounds kinda like Richard Marx. I don’t know. It’s hard to pick just one because I like so many different kinds of music. If I like a song, I like it. I mean, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to go out and buy the artist’s album. That’s the way I am," Maria told him. "Who are your influences?"

"Michael Jackson is my main one," he said. "I like edgier, harder stuff. P.O.D., Creed, Papa Roach, stuff like that."

"Oh. No pop stuff?" she asked with a half-smile.

"It depends," he replied. Maria laughed.

"I like rock stuff, too, actually, like P.O.D., Green Day, Blink-182, Linkin Park and Creed. I have to be in the mood to listen to that though," she said and laughed lightly again. Jacob found himself liking her laugh…and her smile. He found himself staring, but couldn’t seem to peel his eyes off of her.

Maria noticed him staring and she was starting to feel a little too comfortable sitting there with him, so she suddenly stood up. "I have to go interview Trevor," she said. Jacob nodded and turned his attention back to his guitar. Maria left and smiled when he began to play again. She saw Ashley come running out of the cottage with his guitar and back down to the beach where Jacob was sitting. ‘Music to them is like my photography is to me,’ she thought, as she made her way up the steps and into the cottage.

"Trevor? Are you ready for your interview?" Maria asked when she saw him sitting in the living room watching TV. He smiled at her and jumped up.

"I’m ready when you are," he said.

Back on the beach, Ashley had made himself comfortable beside Jacob. "So, what’s up with you and Maria? Are you guys actually becoming friendly?" Ashley asked. Jacob shrugged.

"A little. She’s not that bad," he said. Ashley smiled.

"Good. You had us all worried that you would keep being a jerk for no reason," he said. Jacob looked at him.

"I had my reasons. I thought that keeping my distance would be better. You know that I hate interviews and photo shoots and all that PR stuff. Having her around is like having a microphone in our faces 24/7 and we’ve done that enough already. I hate being watched as it is," he said.

"But you got through the tapings for the show. And Maria isn’t, like, watching us 24/7. It’s not like she’s walking around with a notebook and writing every single little thing down that we do or say," Ashley told him. Jacob nodded.

"I know, Ash, and I’m making an effort to be nice to her, okay? There have just been a lot of things going on that I’m not too happy with, but I’ll deal," he said. Ashley didn’t push anymore. He tuned his guitar. Jacob yawned and looked out at the water. He was feeling a little more comfortable with Maria, but he didn’t know how long it would last.

It turned out that it didn’t last long. The next day, Maria had the guys down by the water to take some group photos. The wind had returned and it was overcast, so Maria had a lot of trouble with the lighting.

"Dammit," Maria swore as the sun disappeared behind some clouds. The guys were being good sports…as well as being very patient. Alex and Susan were close by watching. "Alex, come here," Maria beckoned.

"What’s up?" she asked, trying to ignore Maria’s foul mood.

"I don’t like Jacob’s hat. Get rid of it," she told her. Alex sighed. Jacob had specifically told Alex that he had wanted to wear the knit cap that was now on his head. Alex liked it, too. The wind was blowing his unruly hair all over the place and the hat was serving the purpose of keeping it under control.

"He wants to wear the hat," Alex said to Maria. Maria looked at her.

"Get rid of it," she said. Alex rolled her eyes and walked over to where the guys were standing at the water’s edge.

"Jacob, Maria doesn’t like the hat. Do you think…?" Alex started to ask.

"No," he said.

"Please? She’s in a bad mood and I don’t want to argue with her," Alex said.

"No," Jacob said again. Erik shifted his feet.

"Come on, Jake. If you cooperate, we might finish this today," he said. Alex looked at him gratefully.

"If I get rid of the hat, my hair will blow all over the damn place. I’m keeping it," Jacob said firmly. Alex walked back to Maria.

"No go," she said. Maria looked over the camera at Jacob. "Maria, it’s cool. Just let him wear it."

"No," she said as she walked around the camera and stalked over to Jacob. "Take it off." He glared at her.

"I want to wear it," he said. Maria reached up and yanked if off of his head. Jacob grabbed it out of her hand. "We’re done here." With that, he headed for the cottage. Maria felt like screaming.

"Fine, I don’t have time to put up with spoiled wannabe rock stars anyway!" she called after him. He didn’t acknowledge her and just kept walking.

"You know, the conditions aren’t really good for this anyway. Maria, they’re just test shots. Boys, you can go now," Susan told them. "Go," she said when they hesitated. The guys went.

Susan watched as Maria stood, looking out at the water. She walked up behind her. "Do you want to talk about whatever’s bothering you?" she asked. Maria shook her head.