Synergy (8 page)

“
Dude, you got it bad”

“
Shut up man,” Jason protested. “I just don’t want that
awkward moment if we bump into each other.”

“Please! You’re dying to bump into her.”
 
Tom laughed again and this
time Jason laughed along with him.

“
She’s just so
damn hot
” Jason finally said, as he
swigged on his beer and watched her move. She wasn’t particularly
tall, in fact, she was pretty short, but her legs seemed to go on
for days, especially in the tiny mini skirt she had on. As she
gripped onto the pole with her legs and turned upside down, her
breasts pushed up in her bra, and he wondered how they managed to
stay contained. For someone of quite small stature, she had curves
and bumps in all the right places.

“
You should go say
hi, tell her you’ve got champagne at your hotel
.” Tom laughed again at his own comment, and Jason wished he
was closer so he could smack him. He knew he’d come to regret
telling Tom the finer details of that first night. Nevertheless, he
was now thinking of ways he could approach and talk to Dee without
the mention of champagne.

After Dee had left the stage, Jason and Tom sat talking for a
while. They reminisced about the last time they were home. Though
it was only months ago, it felt like years. Tom was missing his
little girl, and was excited to spend some time with her, while
Jason couldn’t wait to taste his grandmother’s home cooking. He was
almost salivating at the mention of her homemade cobbler. Still,
Jason was excited to return once the album was released and get
straight to work. He knew the promotion was hard work but the
things came after that were the reason he was in this business; the
shows, the tour, the fans.

He truly
did love what he did, even if it did mean hardly seeing his family.
The men sat for another hour or so chatting about home before Tom
suggested getting back to the hotel to get some sleep. Jason agreed
it was probably a good idea  and got up to use the bathroom
before they left. As he approached the bar in front of the toilets,
he saw her, sitting on a bar stool, texting on her phone. He
wondered if he should approach her, at least say hi, but as she
wasn’t even looking in his direction, he reluctantly walked on by
to use the bathroom first.

His mind
worked in overdrive as he did his business, wondering whether he
should approach her, wondering whether he should at least make
small talk, or maybe get her number, but the more he thought about
it, the more he felt like a fool. He slept with this girl once and
suddenly he was acting like she was his one true love, he needed to
chill. Nevertheless, as he left the bathroom and spotted her
putting on a coat, his body ignored his mind and before he knew it,
he was walking over to her. Halfway through his walk, she looked up
from zipping up her coat and her eyes caught his. Her chocolate
brown irises met his stare for longer than they needed to, before
she looked down at the floor and then back up to him again. Was she
embarrassed?

“
Hey. Dee,
right?”
 
he
managed, as he stopped in front of her. He was trying to play it
cool, but of course he knew what her name was.

“
Yeah”
 she said, as she smiled
awkwardly
.
“Jason,”
she replied, more a
statement than a question.

He
nodded.

“
How’ve you
been?
” he asked, like they were old
friends reunited.

“
Yeah, I’m good. You?”

“
Yeah, great. You
finished your shift?
” he gestured to her
coat, making the connection.

“Yeah, I’m finished early tonight.”

“This is early?”

“
Trust me. This is
early.”
She said matter-of-factly as she
picked up her bag from the chair and put it over her
shoulder.

“
Do you need
walking to your car?”
 
he asked politely, noticing
she was on her own and about to leave the club. He knew there
wasn’t any parking at the club so assumed she would be a little way
away.

“
Oh, I don’t
drive. I walk.”
She said, as she pulled
her hair from out of her coat.

“
Do you live
far?
” he questioned.

“
Takes me about twenty
minutes”

“On your own?
” he asked, wondering
if she would really do that at this time of night alone.

“
Yeah, it’s
cool”
 she said, like she was trying
to reassure him.

“
That doesn’t
sound too safe”
he stated.
“
Let me walk you
.”

“
No, for real,
it’s cool
.” She said once
again.

“
Please, I’d feel
a lot better
.” He said.
“
I’ll just walk you close by if you
prefer.
”

Dee

Some girls might be a little freaked if someone they had
slept with once had offered to walk them home, but this guy was
genuine, she knew it. He was far too polite and what not to
suddenly turn into a serial killer or something. Plus, even if he
was a little dodgy, she knew how to handle herself, thought
Dee. 
He’d 
be the one in trouble if he did try anything. She did wonder
what his friend must have thought when he ditched him for the
second night in the same club.

She
remembered him going home alone without Jason when they’d hooked up
last time. It made her wonder whether he was trying to hook up
again, but she shrugged off that thought. Either way, she didn’t
really mind. She wasn’t trying to fuck, but if it happened, it
happened. She did find it slightly funny that this rich white dude
thought he would be more protection for her on her walk home when
he wasn’t even from this area. She knew the streets, she knew the
people, and she knew how to fight. She knew he didn’t know the area
or the people and as far as fighting was concerned, she could only
imagine rich white boy wouldn’t have the first clue. He didn’t look
the type. However, he was cute, and polite, and frankly, there
weren’t a lot of people with those qualities around her, so she let
him walk her home.

They
chatted idly about his trip home on the walk, and the family and
friends he was looking forward to seeing when he got there. She
thought his family sounded like real down-to-earth southern people;
they probably had a dog and a white picket fence and a pool. She
was kind of intrigued by it all, and she wondered why someone with
this good life was taking an interest in her. She wondered why he
was even bothering walking her home when he was leaving for his
perfect family tomorrow, but then she remembered she’d put out the
first time they’d met and no matter how polite or nice he seemed,
he was a guy, and he was probably after one thing. Men were still
men no matter what background they had, and she knew she wasn’t
going to be a catch to someone like him. She wasn’t even trying to
be.

As he
talked, she looked up every now and then to see his face, and every
time she looked, she saw those bright blue eyes shining in the glow
of the streetlights. She had to admit they were beautiful. She
hadn’t known a lot of people with blue eyes, so this was something
new to her. She thought they looked honest, like he probably gave a
lot away through his eyes. People hold a lot of emotion in their
eyes, not just tears but everything they’re thinking. You can often
tell someone’s lying by what they do with their eyes, and over the
years she’d learnt to spot the signs. Nothing about his eyes made
her feel uneasy or unsure, and that was always a good
sign.

Usually,
on her walk home from the club, Dee put her earphones in and
listened to her music to pass the time. However, tonight, she
didn’t need it, she had conversation, and while some of it was
small talk, she didn’t feel it was forced. As they made their way
around the corner, a group of four men sat on a porch step drinking
and smoking, while another two played dice games against the wall
at the side of the house. While those playing were rowdy, the ones
on the porch sat quietly, probably baked out of their minds. One
man in particular, a thin skinhead, watched Jason and Dee walking
past. While Dee was used to the stares she sometimes got, Jason
looked slightly uncomfortable until the man stood up slowly before
saluting in the air.

“
Ey, respect
man
!” he shouted across the street. Dee
didn’t understand his meaning, but then he shouted
again.

“
Ey Jason! Respect
man
!”

Startled, Dee wondered how the man knew Jason’s name. Was his
music industry status better than she was aware of? Maybe he was a
really good producer; maybe he’d done some work for the guy in
question. Jason didn’t say much but smiled and thanked the man
before they moved on swiftly.

As they
moved out of sight of the group, Dee turned to Jason.

“
What was that
about
?” she asked. “
You know him
?”

“
No,
” he laughed.

“
So, you like, a
little bit famous or something
?” she
joked.

Jason took a breath before answering. “
Something like that
.”

“
Really
famous
?”

He laughed again. “
Do you have to
know
?”

“
What do you
mean
?”

“
You’re like, one
of the rare people that didn’t know my life story before they met
me. I liked that
.”

“
Oh shit. So you
are really famous
!”

“
Doesn’t change
who I am – I’m still a normal guy
.”

Dee
stopped in her tracks and pulled gently on his arm to make him. He
stopped and once again he looked at her with his twinkling blue
eyes.

“
What’s your last
name
?” Dee asked, wondering now whether
she was supposed to know this guy. Now she looked at him, and
studied his face, she started to wonder whether she did recognise
him.

“
Taylor,
” he replied, waiting for her
reaction.

“
Jason
Taylor,
” she repeated.

Jason
waited, slightly embarrassed, to gage her reaction, kind of afraid
of what she would say.

“
Shit
.” She said, as he saw the penny
drop.

“
Fuck, I’m like,
walking home with a famous dude. That’s fucked
up
.”

At that,
she started to walk once again. Jason burst into
laughter.

“
That wasn’t the
reaction I was expecting.
”

“
Do girls usually
fall at your feet
?”

“
No...”
 He began, knowing it was
a slight lie, but he didn’t want to sound
conceited.

“
Yeah they
do
.” She smiled, before she turned to him
and added “
But not this
one.
”

Before
Dee realised it, they were already on her street and almost at her
house. They’d already passed her brother’s Chevy parked on the road
a few doors away before she could think of a way to ask Jason to
leave her right here. She stopped and gestured toward her
house.

“
This is
me,
” she stated.

Jason
looked toward the door.

“Oh. 
It was nice to see you
again
,
” he said,
sticking his hands in his pockets like a teenager. For some reason,
it made her smile.

“
You wanna come in
for a beer
?” she asked with spontaneity,
her words surprising even her. As she watched him hesitate, she
added, “
My brother will probably be home
but he don’t care
.”

She
realised then that inviting him in after the way they met the first
time could be misleading.

“
Sure, one
beer
.” He agreed.