Rhythm in Blue (35 page)

“That’s good,” she said. “You would be good for her. She’s always so…melancholy.” She smiled, “Just like you always were. Now, I guess I know why.”

Rick didn’t give her the ugly details of their past, just that he’d been in love with her for years, and decided it was time to act on it.

“I never figured you for such a romantic Ricky, to think of you pining away for her all this time.” Morgan looked down and shook her head, but then quickly looked back up at him. “
Haunted Dreams
– it was for her. That’s why you played it last night.”

He nodded. She reached down and patted his hand. “Good luck Ricky, you guys deserve to be happy.”

Before he left her, he told her again, “You really should call Randy. I know he’d call you if he could reach you.”

“Thanks, I’ll think about it.”

At last, it was time to head to the Sirocco to meet Shelby. It occurred to him that it might not be good to be too punctual, he thought it might seem too desperate.
Don’t be stupid. You are desperate and you’ve already made it clear, besides, now is not the time for playing games
.

He followed the narrow streets through the town toward his destination. At one of the main intersections, he turned the corner and came face to face with Takis. Rick stopped in his tracks and stared at the very-much-alive rapist.

~

By the time he entered the Sirocco, it was just after nine. For a Saturday night, the place was moderately busy. He walked through the discotheque slowly, looking for her as he went. Shelby was sitting alone at a back table. She stood as he approached, and hugged him gently before sitting back down.

“You look beautiful,” he said, sitting beside her. She was dressed in the same gypsy-like fashion as the first time he saw her, but with layers to protect from the cold. “You always do,” he added.

She smiled and took his hand. “I’m glad you came. I was starting to worry. I’ve actually been here for a while.”

“Of course I came. How could I not?” He squeezed her hand, “And I haven’t thought of anything else but seeing you all day.”

The waiter came, and they ordered drinks. Rick offered her a cigarette and lit it for her. He decided he would wait for her to speak, to reveal how her thoughts had come together. It became obvious she’d had no breakthrough, because at last she asked, “Rick, can we just
be
together for a bit? Spend some time, maybe getting reacquainted?”

“Sure we can.” He didn’t care. Just
being
with her was what he wanted. “I’d
like
to get to know you again. I feel like I do, but I’m sure that’s not the case.”

So they talked. They talked about their lives, their experiences, their friends. He told her about Keith and Amy. He showed her pictures of Eli and told her funny stories about him.

She told him how she’d spent the last seven years of her life, about her songwriting, and her journeys. Living in the States, she explained, she felt like an outsider all the time. Greece was the only place she felt as though she belonged, even though it was an odd sense of belonging. About once a year, she made the trip back to take care of business and visit her parents.

“I always tried to do it when you guys were on tour, so I could catch at least one show while I was in the country. Who am I supposed to go see now?” She laughed that beautiful laugh, the one Morgan still imitated.

Although many years had passed, it was obvious their bond was still there, maybe battered and bruised, but it was quickly growing strong again. He knew it was unbreakable, but he also knew there had to be trust and truth between them.

“Why did you tell me Takis was dead?” he asked after a pause in the conversation. Shelby eyes grew large, but she didn’t answer. “I ran into him on my way to meet you.”

She looked down and shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want you to know that I still had to face him sometimes.” She looked up at him, “Maybe I was afraid of what you might do if you knew. It was better to leave you knowing I was safe.”

“But you’re not.”

“He would never do anything to me now, he ruined me. That was his goal and he succeeded. It’s over now.”

“You never thought he’d do anything to you to begin with.”

Shelby didn’t reply, so Rick took her hand. The moment her fingers closed around his, she yanked them up for closer inspection. “Oh my God, what did you do to your hand?”

He pulled his fingers loose, wetted his other thumb with his tongue, and wiped at the blood. “I told you, I ran into Takis.”

“You hit him?”

“Just a few times. He won’t remember a thing when he comes to – I don’t even think he saw me.”

“Holy shit,” Shelby sputtered, but she couldn’t hide her grin.

“It’s less than he deserves, but we’ll figure out a way to deal with him. You’ll have to if you ever want to put this behind you, but I’ll help. You’re not alone anymore.” She took his hand again and leaned against him. Beating Takis to a pulp felt good, but it would never be enough. For now, all he wanted to do was be with Shelby.

At last, he stood up. “It’s been a very long time Shelby,” he held out his swollen hand. “Dance with me?”

She took it and stood, smiling, as he led her to the dance floor. There were only a few other dancers on the floor. He watched as she gave herself to the rhythm of the song, her whole body gracefully translating the music into movement. It didn’t bother him that he couldn’t match her fluidity, he was lost in watching her, and he held her gaze as she moved.

When the song ended, the lights went down and a slower song began. Shelby turned to leave the dance floor, but Rick grabbed her hand and shook his head. “Dance with me,” he said as he led her back to him. With one hand, he took hers, and with the other, he pressed his palm against the small of her back, pulling her close. He could feel her breath on him as they danced, their cheeks not quite touching. They barely moved to the tune, and he pulled her hand to his chest and held it there against his racing heart. Soon, the music was gone from his head, and all he could hear was the sound of their pulses pounding together. He felt at once dizzy, yet as grounded as ever. This was where he was meant to be, what he’d been searching and yearning for, and he sensed that Shelby felt it as well. Rick had no idea how long they danced that way – he was completely lost in her, his heart flooding with emotions he never thought he’d feel again.

When Shelby pulled him off the dance floor and out of the club, through his daze, he noticed the rain had stopped and the sky was now clear. He held his jacket in his hands, but couldn’t remember picking it up.

“Where are we going?”

She stopped and kissed him, her lips urging him to drag his head out of the clouds and focus on what she offered. “Home.”

Shelby led him along behind her by the hand, and once they were out of sight of the discotheque, Rick pulled her to a stop and pushed her against a wall. He pressed his body against hers and locked her in a kiss, his lips trembling against hers, their hearts racing together. When he released her, he instinctively looked to the sky to offer thanks to whatever power gave him this chance. He saw a shooting star quickly followed by another. He couldn’t think of any wishes.

The End

About the Author

tfc Parks lives in South Dakota with her three children in an old funeral home. She traveled extensively as a youth, and lived in Greece for many years. That experience colors every aspect of her life, writing, and being.