Starbright (44 page)

After changing into her own clothes, Beth met Aidan outside her dressing room and followed him down the corridor back to the soundstage, where several crewmembers tidied up. Kazan had retired to his office to work on tomorrow’s scenes, and all of their cast mates had gone home, except one.

Joan lingered by the exit, wearing her own provocative clothing again and checking her lipstick in a handheld mirror. She snapped her compact shut and smiled at Aidan. It was as if Beth wasn’t even there.

“Aidan! What a coincidence, you and I are leaving at the same time. I was just about to catch the bus home, alone, at nighttime. It’s a one hour ride, you know.”

Aidan placed his hand against Beth’s lower back and led her to the door. “Have a nice trip.”

“I’ve finished my work on this film,” Joan called after him. “That means I won’t be back.”

Aidan pushed open the exit door and ushered Beth outside.

“Wait, does this mean you aren’t interested?” The door slammed shut, muffling the rest of Joan’s inquiries.

Beth gave Aidan a curious look as they walked to his Porsche. “Do girls like that bother you?”

“Opportunists bother me,” he said, opening the passenger door.

As Beth was about to sit down, Aidan took her hand and pressed his lips to her cheek. She scanned the parking lot, thrilled to find no one else around so she could share this moment with him without worry.

“What you and I have is the real deal,” he said. “I love you with all of my heart.”

Beth smiled. “I love you, too.”

Aidan assisted her into the car and they set off toward their mystery destination, eventually parking on Melrose Avenue near North Fairfax. Beth couldn’t guess why they stopped there since all the stores in the area were closed at this late hour.

Aidan cut the engine and stared at the road ahead, the hesitancy in his eyes highlighted by the glow of the moon. Beth sensed that whatever they were doing here was very important to him and patiently waited for his readiness. Finally, he exhaled a deep breath and turned to her.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, though he looked no more confident than before.

Aidan escorted her to a darkened storefront with a sign that read
Lou’s Music Shop
and unlocked the front door with a key he pulled from his pocket.

He led her inside. “Wait here a sec, okay?”

“All right.” Beth heard him shuffling about in the darkness, followed by the strike of a match. A solitary flame appeared, illuminating his handsome face. He lit a nearby candle, and another, and another, until the entire perimeter of the room consisted of dancing amber flames.

Pianos and metal stands adorned with sheet music crowded the showroom floor and various smaller instruments hung on the walls alongside portraits of accomplished musicians. Beth placed her purse by the cash register. How had Aidan gained access afterhours?

“The owner, Lou, is a friend of mine,” he said, as though she’d asked the question out loud. He crossed the room toward her, the candlelight flickering in his intense green eyes and turning his brown hair a fiery copper. “I asked him to help me because I wanna play piano for you.”

“Oh, Aidan. Thank you. What an honor!” Beth’s smile widened. “Now that you own a house, perhaps you could buy a piano from him. You have plenty of room…”

Aidan’s frown emerged. “I have a particular piano in mind, but it’s not here. I have to wait until… well, until I can get it back.”

“Oh.” Beth was confused by his words but could tell he didn’t want to explain further right now.

“I guess I should get started.” Aidan tossed his car keys and the store key next to her purse.

Beth gestured to the room. “Please, go ahead. I’ll follow.”

Aidan took her hand. They walked past several beautiful instruments, all of them more than worthy of his talent, but he didn’t acknowledge any of them. Instead, he selected an upright piano in the back that was more scoffed than polished, more neglected than loved.

Dust floated in the air, catching the glow from the candles, as Aidan sat on the bench and lifted the lid. He took a moment to prepare and then finally raised his hands. They trembled… until he pressed down on the keys.

As silence blanketed the room again, Beth wondered if he would continue, when suddenly, his fingers shifted and the most exquisite melody she had ever heard drifted from the instrument—a tune of serenity and contentment underscored by sorrowful memories he would never forget.

While Aidan immersed in the piece, Beth remained perfectly still, afraid of breaking the spell he cast with every chord, every crescendo, until the notes became softer, infrequent, and he brought the song to a close. Then she tentatively sat beside him on the bench.

Aidan retracted his hands and looked to his lap.

“Did you like it?” he asked quietly, timidly.

Beth rested her head on his shoulder. “It was beautiful.”

“I wrote it for you.”

She sat up quickly. “For me?”

“You’re the first thing in years that has inspired me to feel joy when I play.” He shrugged. “Sure, it hurts sometimes, too, but not like it used to. Not by a long shot.”

Beth gazed at him in wonderment. “I inspire you?”

“In every way.” He brushed a reverent hand to her hair. “I composed this song after our conversation in the theater during your
Venus Rising
rehearsal last summer. I couldn’t get you off my mind. It practically wrote itself.”

Aidan drifted his hand to her cheek. “Beth, similar to the candles that adorn this music shop, you ignite a hope in my heart that I can, one day, triumph over my past—although, you’re more like the sun than a small flame. I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”

Tears pooled in Beth’s eyes. “Does the song have a name?”

Aidan frowned and retracted his hand. “No.”

“Is it all right if I name it?” Beth traced her fingers across the keys, lightly enough that they didn’t make a sound.

“Of course, baby. It’s yours.”

“I’d like to call it ‘Awakening.’ And I’d also like to think of it as our song from now on. Did you happen to write sheet music for it?”

Aidan shook his head.

“Can you teach it to me?” Beth looked at him sheepishly. “I won’t be able to learn the entire thing, but perhaps just the basics?”

“Sure.” His reply sounded uncertain, but he slid over on the bench and allowed her to sit in the center. As he placed his hands to the keys, they shook.

Beth touched his shoulder gently. “Are you all right?”

Aidan stared blankly at the instrument. “My mother used to teach me the same way when I was a boy.”

Beth brought her hand to her mouth. “Oh, goodness, I’m sorry. I forgot.”

“It’s okay. I’m honored you asked me to teach you how to play. It’s difficult, but I mustn’t taint my love for music, my mother, and my love for you with painful recollections.” He took her hands and kissed them before placing them to the piano. “Do you know the names of each key?”

Beth shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Okay, so this one here is middle C.” He touched the proper key. “Outward from there to the right is CDEFGAB, CDEFGAB. It repeats like that. I’ll leave out the left hand component and we can just work on the right.”

Beth nodded.

“This one is also C.” Aidan pressed his thumb down on a key. “Just not middle C. So copy the notes I play, but from the keys in front of you that correspond with the same letter.” He pressed three fingers down on three different keys, two white ones and one black.

Beth copied him.

“That’s excellent.” Aidan pitched her a generous grin.

He shifted his hand to the right and pressed down on three keys. Beth did the same, and they delved into the first verse together. Whenever she hit the wrong notes, Aidan stopped and waited patiently for her to try again. He was a wonderful teacher. It was obvious his mother had used the same kindness with him when he was a boy.

Beth smiled triumphantly as they finished the song together for the first time. Her contribution didn’t sound nearly as good as his did, and they progressed slowly due to her inexperience, but she was still proud of her accomplishment.

“I wish I could’ve met your mother.” Beth studied their hands resting near each other on the keys corresponding to the final notes. “From everything you’ve told me about her, it sounds like she was a magnificent woman.”

A smile reached the corners of Aidan’s lips. “She would’ve loved you, without a doubt.”

Beth sighed. “I’d like to learn the left hand component, too, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to master the left and right together.”

Aidan stood from the bench. “Sure you can.”

He moved behind her and leaned over her shoulder, directing her fingers to the correct keys and pressing them down. They played only the first verse before he began trailing kisses along the side of her face and her jaw, posing an incredible distraction.

As their lips met, their hands fell from the piano, creating a jumble of notes. Beth turned in her seat and linked her arms around Aidan’s neck. He eased between her legs and bent down, trailing sweet kisses along her throat, his hands roaming her body as lovingly as they had danced across the keys.

Surrounded by flickering candlelight, Beth stood from the bench and swayed with him in an ardent embrace to the memory of their song, which replayed in her mind as vividly as if they performed it now. With Aidan’s love, she felt certain life would always be this harmonious.

Aidan fired a combination punch at the pads Rocky held up for him in soundstage eleven on the studio lot, which was set up to look like a professional boxing arena. Today, he was filming Joe’s return to the ring—his character’s first bout since giving up boxing five years earlier. Rocky had arranged an early morning training session to get him ready for it, so he arrived at the studio two hours before Beth’s call time. She offered to get up early, too, but he knew she needed the extra sleep and convinced her to arrive later with Nathan and Olivia.

The situation cemented Aidan’s decision to buy Beth a car for Valentine’s Day to accompany the more sentimental gift he was giving her. He didn’t like the idea of her asking Mr. Mertz for a studio car if no one else was available to drive her.

“Hey, Evans.” Rocky lowered his hands and Aidan stopped punching. “What’s going on?”

Aidan wiped his sweaty brow with his forearm. “What do you mean, Rocky?”

“The toughness has left your face.” Rocky flashed a sly grin. “You thinkin’ about that broad again?”

Aidan chuckled. “Aw, hell, is it that obvious?”

“Nah, I just threw it out there and you confirmed it. In a real match, that would get you KO’d in no time.” Rocky shook the pads to the floor and slapped Aidan on the back. “Come on, that’s enough. You’ve been working nonstop since five thirty.”

Aidan sat on a stool in the corner of the ring to remove his gloves and the tape wrapped around his hands. The crew continued setting up the arena in preparation for the shoot. Hundreds of extras lined up outside, which took care of the spectators. Kazan ran around sorting out all the last minute details. But Aidan wouldn’t feel ready until Beth arrived.

Rocky handed him a cup of water and he took a long drink. The match today wasn’t a real fight. The actor playing his opponent had about as much training as he did, but with all the work he put into learning the sport, he felt like a true professional boxer and was dedicated to giving the scene his all.

“Excuse me, Mr. Evans?” A blond-haired woman approached him, smiling in a friendly manner that seemed genuine.

He grabbed a towel hanging over the ropes and wiped his face. “Do me a favor—call me Aidan.”

“Aidan, my name is Trudy.” They shook hands. “I’ll be your makeup artist today. If you don’t mind, I’d like to apply your foundation now.”

Kazan told Aidan about Trudy several days ago. She was a veteran in the industry, specializing in blood and trauma, so he hired her for all the fight scenes. In the scenes today, Joe won the fight, but he took a few good hits along the way. With the picture filmed in Technicolor, it was imperative that he looked as though his opponent actually clocked him.

“Foundation?” Aidan crinkled his nose. “I understand the black and blue marks later on, but that stuff for my face doesn’t make any sense. It’s just gonna melt off during the fight.”

Trudy laughed. “This type is waterproof. And if it does need touching up, I’ll be standing nearby to assist you.”

“There’s no getting out of it, huh?” Aidan flashed his most charming grin.

She shook her head. “Sorry, no can do.”

Aidan tossed the towel over the ropes and followed Trudy to his dressing room. She instructed him to stand in front of the mirror and began applying the foundation.

“You’re lucky you have such great muscle definition,” she said while adding the final touches. “Or else I’d have to draw lines on your stomach to give you that rippled abdominal effect.”

“Yeah, I’ve been working out pretty hard.” Aidan eyed his reflection in the mirror, satisfied with his physical transformation over the last few weeks. His assessment didn’t come from arrogance or ego, but pride over his ability to quit smoking, stick to a regular exercise regime, and do his character justice.