Page 39 of Revived

She finished chewing, swallowed, and then turned to me. “I haven’t gone anywhere.”

I cocked my head to the side, taking her in as I did so. “Okay, maybe we’ve both just been pretty busy the past week or so,” I conceded, even though I didn’t think that was why we’d been missing one another the past few days.

She huffed and then set her fork down. There were still a few bites left on her plate and I wanted to kick myself in my own dick for not letting her finish the meal before I started down this path. “You know what? That’s not it. I don’t want to lie to you or myself. I have been busy with work, Calista, and trying to figure out what’s going to become of my life once this tour is over, but I’ve also been avoiding you. What happened with Wen and Cal-” she started, but I cut her off immediately.

“Wen and Calista are their own people, with entirely different issues than most others,” I explained.

“I get that. It’s just that I don’t have the best experience to pull from in my past, and you live in an entirely different and unfamiliar world to me. I’ve seen the fans going crazy before and after your concerts. You forget, I watched how they threw themselves at you, even as you sat beside me and held my hand.”

“And how did I react to them?”

She blushed again. “You ignored them,” she admitted.

“Right. So, are you judging me and our potential relationship based on everyone else’s actions or mine?”

Another long sigh from her. “You’re right. I haven’t been fair, but please understand that after what I went through, with my ex-husband and sister, I worry.”

“I do understand and I’m sorry that they did that to you and put that weight on your shoulders, but I’m not him. You’re not her. We’re not them or any other couple out there who have their own issues. We are just Mel and Gabe. I enjoy spending my time with you, and hope you feel the same and want to continue.”

Mel nodded and then smiled at me. I couldn’t resist any longer. I leaned in and kissed those sweet lips as her smile grew wider under my touch. We didn’t take it much further, just a quick exploration of one another, lips brushing, noses bumping, and a quick caress of her face with my palm. “I need to get going so I can set some things in place for later this evening. Meet me for lunch on my bus?”

“As long as no medical emergencies pop up, I’ll be there,” she told me.

“Good. Can’t wait.” I got up and tossed the paper plate and plasticware from my breakfast in the trash on my way. “And Mel?” I called out.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t forget, the only people that matter in this scenario are you and me. We make it happen, not what anyone else does or says. Okay?”

“I understand.”

Leaving her to contemplate things, I went to go make arrangements for our night out. I didn’t think there was a chance anyone would recognize me at the place I planned to take Mel that night, but neither would I take any chances. I hadn’t said it officially, but this night out would be like a first real date for us and I couldn’t wait. She’d said yes, we had eaten together, and talked a bit. It was more than I had bothered to hope for when setting out that morning.

~*~

Lunch never happened because one of the road crew cut his finger down to the bone and Mel had to end up riding with him to the hospital to make sure he got the proper treatment and a Tetanus shot that she didn’t have access to. While disappointing, it was still okay. She would be with me for our date night, and hopefully the rest of the night beyond if everything worked out well. Since we were going to be in Gainesville for three nights, hotel rooms had been doled out just after breakfast. Originally, we were supposed to be leaving directly after the concert the following night, but there was something wrong with one of the buses that needed a specific part and a little extra time to repair.

When eight o’clock rolled around, I made my way to the hotel room that Mel was supposed to be sharing with Ev, the tour manager’s assistant. Knocking on the door became a moot point when Ev opened the door to step out and startled to see me there.

She clutched at her chest and gasped. “Jesus, Gabe. You just scared the shit out of me.”

Chuckling, I offered a brief apology. “Sorry, if it helps, you startled me too. I was just about to knock. Mel in?”

Ev nodded, then smiled broadly. “Yep, and you’re not going to want to take her out in public looking like that.”

Worry creased my brow at that very unexpected response. “Looking like what?”

“Go on in, you’ll see.” The infuriating woman winked at me then took off down the hallway while whistling the latest song her boyfriend had written for her. “Mel?” I called out so as not to scare her with my presence. She rounded the corner, where I assumed the bathroom was, and immediately, I understood Ev’s warning. “Damn,” I hissed out, unable to move a muscle as I took her in. Those auburn locks of hers were drawn up in a way that some of her curls hung loose, framing her face, while the majority of her thick hair was scooped and pinned in place in the back. She wore a rhinestone tank top, that ironically enough had the stones in the shape of a cowboy boot. The jeans she wore were painted onto her body, hugging the curve of her hips and her ass, making her look like a work of art.

Mel grinned at me. “I didn’t have actual boots,” she told me, but this was on a tank top Ev had, so she let me borrow it.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “That works, I guess.” She was wearing her classic, black Vans on her feet, and while it should have detracted from the sexy as fuck ensemble, it was so Mel. There was no detracting from any part of her beauty or her overall presence.

“Let’s go,” I offered my arm to her, a gentlemanly thing I’d grown up watching better men in my hometown do for their women. It was something I’d always wanted to test out, to see how it felt, why they did it, and now I knew. The moment Mel’s arm linked with mine, her hand resting on my arm, I understood. They were offering their escort, their protection, and by her accepting, she was entrusting them with that honor. To care for her. My heart swelled a bit that Mel felt able to trust me, considering I knew what her baggage was. Granted, I may have been reading too much into the gesture, but it didn’t feel as though I was.

“I can’t wait to see where we end up tonight,” she told me, to which I just smiled and led her down to the car that was waiting to sweep us away to a night out on the town.

When we pulled up outside of what was basically the local honkytonk, Mel laughed so heartily I didn’t think I’d be able to get her out of the car. “Knockin’ Boots Saloon?” She laughed, amidst her giggle fit.

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