I’m Here all Week p.7
Emily stood perfectly still, trying her best to comprehend what James had just told her. Her fingers were laced in to her belt loops as she tried to wrack her brain for a response, but before she could give one, James spoke again.
"Emily, I understand that you may not have realised exactly how I feel about you; but I can't just ignore it anymore. I don't know if you feel the same way, as for now I don't think I want to. Just, please, take some time to think about what I've said. I know for certain how I feel but that shouldn't put any pressure on you. If you want to, I'll be up for most of the night going through the papers I was given today, if you want to talk about maybe seeing where this goes, just knock. Either way, you should know that I do enjoy your company, as a friend above all else. Please don't think that this means you need to make a decision to be with me or lose me entirely. I would never want that to happen."
The two of them shared a silence before Emily pulled James in to a tight hug that, if she weren't half the size of him, would certainly have taken the air from his lungs. James retreated to his room and the two were separated again. Emily flopped down on to her bed as her mind buzzed with the events of the confusing afternoon she had just been through. She looked over at the door that, just moments ago, James was stood by; confessing his feelings towards her. She hadn't expected it. Granted, she and James had flirted in the past, but not to a level she thought had indicated a genuine interest. As for that night at MacKenzie's, Emily could hardly remember it at all. In retrospect, she couldn't have asked for better company that night. For a brief moment, she could have been in real danger. Luckily, James Ashton was not the type of man to take advantage, which, albeit sadly, made him one of the good few.
As she tried to get into a comfortable position, Emily pulled a pillow closer and noticed it smudged with the gothic makeup Kaitlyn had been wearing. Her mind drifted to last night as she held Kaitlyn in her arms. Feeling her ribs move softly with each deep breath while she slept, Emily had spent most of the night in awe of the beautiful girl that had decided to join her. Even if it was just for plutonic company. She let out a heavy sigh as she felt her headache creeping back. With a determined aire, Emily jumped from the bed and started to get ready for the evening. A hard afternoon could be easily forgotten if done right.
Emily made her way downstairs. The dress she was wearing was less classy than the last. The low cut neckline of it was hemmed red over the black dress. It fit her beautifully and hung near her upper thighs. Though it looked as though she was dressed to be seen, Emily sadly just didn't have a lot of options as far as dresses were concerned. She walked to the function room that was already pounding with music, not live but played over the speakers to create the atmosphere before the band took to the stage. Emily walked through the darkened room and it wasn't long before her look caught the attention of a few pairs of eyes. Making a beeline for the bar so she could sit and wait for the band to begin, she was suddenly stopped by a heavy set man who looked as though he was in his mid 40s.
"hi sweetheart..." he slurred."Here alone?" the very sound of the question made Emily's skin crawl.
"No I'm...." she began, defensively.
"Well I don't see anyone with you..." he chuckled, somehow making himself seem even more off-putting."Dance with me. You look like you're a great..." he was interrupted by Emily being lifted off of the ground by a pair of large strong arms.
"Hey Emily, you made it! I ordered you your regular drink at the bar." zig's voice spoke out behind her. Instantly, she felt safer and wrapped her arms around zig's neck in effort to look closer to him.
"Zig, you scared me" she giggled as she planted a small kiss to his cheek.
"I'm sorry baby, did I interrupt your talk with...." he trailed off, signalling to the large man stood in front of them.
"No. I was just about to tell him my boyfriend was coming to meet me here."
"And here I am" he winked slyly.
"Here you are" she said with a warm smile, silently thanking zig for removing her from the other mans interest.
As the two of them walked over to the bar, Emily watched as zig tied the white apron around his waist before taking his place behind the bar. He took a small glass and picked up the bottle of Jameson's, looking at Emily questioningly.
"I think I'll take something sweeter and less pain inducing this time zig" she said, shaking her head slightly at the sight of the green bottle in his hand.
"I've got just the thing..." he turned around and made a show of moving a lot of bottles, shaking a mixer, adding ice and lime zest. Whatever he was doing out of Emily's view looked intricate and complicated. As he turned around, he held a glass of amber liquid that shone under the colored lights of the room. Placing a napkin on the bar and setting the glass on top, he slid it across to Emily who picked it up, looking at it quizzically.
"This looks like whiskey" she laughed.
"Exactly! It's for whiskey drinkers who don't want to drink whiskey but don't want to lose their aesthetic." he smirked.
Emily took a small sip as if to test the strength of the drink. "Zig...."
"Yes Emily?"
"This is apple juice..." she said, trying to contain her smile.
"Excuse me? I'll have you know its apple juice that was lightly heated with brown sugar stirred in to it and combated with lime zest."
"Ohhh. Fancy apple juice." she said, trying not to laugh hysterically.
"Damn straight it is" he winked. As he went to speak again, he was cut off by the feedback of the microphone. Emily looked over to the stage to see Rachel, Amara and Annisa setting up their equipment and adjusting the microphone stand. Her eyes searched the stage for Kaitlyn but she couldn't see her among the girls.
"Hey zig...." Emily began. Zig put his hands up and shook his head with a smile.
"I may be stuck behind the bar but I can see pretty well from here Emily..." she looked at him questioningly."What I mean is, go find her. It's the singer you're looking for, right?"
Emily gave a weak laugh before reaching over to gently brush zig's arm. "Thank you zig. For everything."
"Don't mention it Emily... I'm serious, don't go spreading around that I'm the kind and caring type. I have a reputation to uphold." he winked before sending her off in to the crowd that was now starting to clump around the stage. She made her way through the sea of people who were bouncing excitedly in anticipation of the band starting. Emily had made it to the front and had a great view of the stage; but still, Kaitlyn was nowhere to be seen. Her view was obstructed again when a pair of hands slipped over her eyes. Emily froze in place, nervous to say a word to the stranger behind her.
"Hi Milly. Guess who." her accent was like warm honey as Emily drank in the sound of the soft voice being spoken less than an inch from her ear.
"Hmmmm... no idea" she said nonchalantly. The hands moved from Emily's face and down to her hip, quickly spinning her around. "Oh my god..." Emily said with mock surprise. "Kaitlyn! Who'd have thought it could be you?!" she winked.
"What gave me away?" she asked as she stared in to Emily's eyes.
"You mean besides everything?" she giggled.
"Yeah besides that"
"I guess I was just hoping it was you" Emily said softly into Kaitlin's ear. Kaitlyn stammered, unsure of what to say back. Before she had a chance, the two of them caught sight of Annisa waving Kaitlyn to join them on stage.
"I've got to go... wait here for me ok?" she said with a timid expression.
"Sure thing" Emily beamed at her.
As with the night before, the band was amazing. Song after song gaining more cheers than the last. The crowd loved them and it was easy to see why. As Emily danced she locked eyes with Kaitlyn who seemed to only be singing to her. The air between them was electric. Emily could feel the fire in Kaitlin's look as she danced in front of her. The red and black dress moving fluidly as her hand moved over her body. She was sure for just a moment that she heard Kaitlyn stutter a word or two as she watched.
In what seemed like no time at all the band were playing their last song. Emily looked up at Kaitlyn who was moving to the slower melody as she sang. She leaned on the barricade that separated her from the stage and looked up at the beautiful girl in front of her. The last few lines of the song made Emily smile as she had a feeling that they were meant only for her.
"What's the point in love if it's just heartache?
What's the point of happy when it makes you ache?
But still there's still those ten words that I can't shake...
You'll miss all of the shots that you don't take."
With that she winked at Emily before leaning back into the mic. "Thank you everyone who came out tonight! We're Suicide Notes and we're here all week."
Practically jumping down from the stage, Kaitlyn bounded through the fans the gushed as she passed them. Within seconds she was face to face with Emily, taking her hand and holding it to her lips as she pressed a small kiss to her knuckles.
"So... shows over..." Kaitlyn said with a wry smile.
"So it is..." Emily said, trying her best to mask her obvious blush.
"You... wanna get out of here?" Kaitlyn asked nervously.
"As it so happens, I do" Emily said back giddily.
"Music to my ears" Kaitlyn winked, causing Emily to roll her eyes heavily. The two of them ran through the lobby and up the stairs, not even bothering to take the time to wait for the elevator. As they made it to her floor, Emily pulled Kaitlyn along by her arm. They passed James' door first and Emily noticed the thin line of warm light that was shining underneath it. Moving a few more step towards her room, she slipped the key card in to the door and opened it slightly before turning back to face Kaitlyn. The thoughts of what James had said earlier resonated in her mind. She searched Kaitlin's eyes and said in a soft tone; "Kaitlyn... are you sure... about this? About us?" She hadn't expected to sound so nervous, but something about Kaitlyn was cutting right through her, taking down every defence that she had set up around herself.
Kaitlyn gripped the handle of the door and pushed it open, leading Emily in to the dark room.
"Come on..." she said flirtatiously."I'll show you how a rockstar trashes a hotel room."
The door closed behind them as they were enveloped by the darkness.
