The melody in our hearts (14 page)

“I managed to have the whole day to ourselves,” he said after a while. “But I obviously couldn’t cancel the show, so I made sure you’d have a front row seat and a backstage pass. That is, if you don’t want to go to sleep instead.”

“And miss a show of
The New Jazz Star
? No way! Besides,” she said with a big grin, “I thought I heard something about a spa and a promise to take me there….”

He laughed and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.

“You’re right. Spa, swimming pool, beach: The day’s yours; you decide what you want to do, and I’ll follow you.”

“Really?” she asked, surprised, and he nodded. “This really feels like Christmas !”

He kissed the top of her head and they waited in silence, enjoying each other’s company, until they reached the hotel.

When they got out of the car in front of the hotel, she felt like she was in a dream. She looked up, amazed by the height of the skyscraper and wondering on what floor their room would be. When a valet came to greet them and opened the door for her, she felt like a movie star.

The room was amazing; it was almost the size of Valerie’s apartment, and she couldn’t believe Ryan could afford to pay for a suite in a five-star hotel. It was crazy. She didn’t even want to try and guess how much it had cost him, but it must have been very expensive. She suddenly realized, for the first time since Ryan had become a celebrity, that her friend was probably close to being a millionaire. She had never really seen him as a star, and it felt weird; to her, he was still the guy she used to hang out with, the guy who walked with her around Dublin in worn-out jeans and sneakers.

“This is a dream....” she said, looking around the room in amazement.

He chuckled. “It’s nice, huh? I’ve never stayed in a suite before. So it’s quite cool for me, too.”

She walked to the window and looked out. The view was amazing from the sixteenth floor, and she could see the sea and the beach, something she really missed in Boston.

“This place is awesome. Please tell me I’m not dreaming! I don’t want to wake up and find out I’m supposed to be starting a night shift in five minutes....”

He came close to her and hugged her, resting his chin on the soft area between her neck and her shoulder, but she didn’t flinch. She had wanted to feel his arms around her for weeks, and she was determined to enjoy every single minute of their short vacation together.

She realized they hadn’t been on a vacation together in ages, and the last time they had gone away for a weekend, they had barely been able to afford going as far as New Jersey. It had been nobody’s fault really: He had been busy trying to become famous, she had been busy studying to become a surgeon, and once things had started rolling for both of them, they had always been either too busy or too tired to go anywhere other than either of their apartments.

But even though this vacation would only last a day and a half, she was sure it would be absolutely great.

“Do you like it?” he asked in a whisper, seeing she seemed to be lost in a world of her own.

She nodded, without saying a word. Everything would sound superficial and absolutely unnecessary now.

“There’s only a small catch, though.”

She turned to look at him with a frown and he smiled, letting go of her and shrugging.

“The bigger suite was already taken, so there’s only one king-size bed in this. But I can always sleep on the couch: It’s a pull-out bed, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”

She grinned, folding her arms while staring at him with an amused look.

“Why, are you afraid I’d punch you or something? A king-size bed is big enough for both of us, unless you have trouble sleeping in the same bed with me.”

He shook his head, smiling. “You know I don’t, you silly! As long as you don’t tell Kevin about this: He’d never stop teasing me, if he only knew!”

She laughed, knowing Kevin would surely do it. Just like Karen, he had never really understood the way they felt for each other, not even after all the years he had known them, and she knew he would love to hear they’d not only shared a room, but a bed too.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked, interrupting her train of thought again. “There’s an interesting mini bar selection, and room service is awesome in these hotels.”

“Can we go to the spa first?” she asked, grinning and making him laugh.

“Your wish is my command, miss.”

They laughed and, as they left the room, Valerie felt she was going to have a great time.

~
Twenty-two
~

She hadn’t had this much fun in years. She realized that she had been so busy studying and working hard, she hadn’t had time for a real vacation since she had moved to Boston. The holidays back home in Dublin didn’t really count and, ever since that quick trip to Kevin’s family mansion ages ago, she hadn’t been anywhere.

As she was relaxing by the pool, sipping a wonderful fruit cocktail, and chatting with Ryan, she thought she could really get used to this life, at least after the last few days working double shifts. She wondered what it would feel like, knowing you didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn or to go to bed at eight in the morning after a night shift.

“I can’t believe you’re always complaining about having to travel around the world so much. I would definitely swap lives with you now: You take the long shifts and hard work, and I’ll take the five-star hotels and the afternoons by a swimming pool.”

She had meant it as a joke, but she noticed that he wasn’t smiling, or he was, but it was a sad smile, and she wondered whether he had somehow taken offense.

“It’s not as good as it seems,” he said, fidgeting with the straw in his cocktail. “Today’s a special day; I didn’t have any interviews planned and, because you’re here, I can spend time in a spa or by the pool, but it’s never been like this before. My manager tries to squeeze in as many things as possible, so sometimes we have to run from one place to the other, and then I barely have time to take a shower before I have to be on stage for a show.”

She put down her glass and instinctively took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

“I’m sorry, it was really silly of me to say those things....”

“It’s okay; it’s what they all think. It looks like a perfect life from the outside, but it’s a tough one instead.”

“Ryan....”

He suddenly stood up and turned away, toward the pool.

“Let’s take a swim, shall we? I’m roasting.”

And before she could say anything else, he dived, putting an end to the conversation and leaving her no other option but to dive too.

After a few hours at the spa, a wonderful lunch in the hotel restaurant, and a whole afternoon lying by the pool, Valerie was starting to feel human again. She knew it was only a little break before having to go back to her old life, but she reckoned it had really done her good so far. And, since her flight was at two in the afternoon, she would still have a few hours left the following day to enjoy her short vacation.

She would have loved to visit Miami, but after the treatments at the spa, she had felt too tired and in need of relaxing. The swimming pool had looked so inviting that she hadn’t felt like getting dressed and checking out the city. Besides, Ryan had looked in desperate need of a bit of relaxing too, although he had tried to hide it, and she had known this would probably be the only time he’d be able to take a break, at least until he was back in Boston.

So after sunbathing, swimming, and a long, warm shower in the amazing bathroom in their suite, Valerie felt renewed and ready to enjoy his show from a front row seat.

They called room service and enjoyed an early dinner in their bathrobes, just like people do in movies, and they never stopped talking or laughing, just like they used to do when they were younger.

Ryan had seemed tired and distant during the past couple of weeks, and she had been scared that his job (and most of all, being a celebrity) was slowly taking him away from her. Although she had tried to prepare herself to lose him to show-biz, she felt her heart breaking a little more every time she thought of that possibility. Ryan had always been there for her – he had always supported her, cared for her, and protected her – and she wasn’t sure she was ready to lose him or that she would be able to go on living without him.

But after that day, everything had gone back to normal, and she felt she shouldn’t worry anymore because Ryan hadn’t changed at all, no matter how much money he made now.

He had told her about how hard it was for him to go around the cities he was staying in without being assaulted by fans or stopped by reporters, and this had been another reason why she had wanted to stay in the hotel rather than going to the beach or visiting the city. She had wanted him to take a break from his hectic life too, feeling he needed it, and she had been right: He was back to the old Ryan, totally different from the tired and distant guy he had been in the past weeks.

When it was time for the show, they were picked up at the hotel door by the same car they had been in earlier that day, and Ryan’s manager was there too. He started giving Ryan updates on things and what they would be doing the following day, and when Ryan tried to object, saying he wanted to have the morning off, Valerie thought she saw the man glare at him.

“You’ve already had a whole day off, Ryan. We’ll be flying to Atlanta tomorrow night, and you can’t leave Miami without going to the local radio station. You know how things work.”

“They always ask the same things – people don’t care about it anymore. I’ve been on ten different networks, and I doubt this would be much different from the previous interviews.”

He shrugged, looking tired again, and for the first time since he had become a celebrity, Valerie wondered if this was really what he wanted. Lately it seemed as if he didn’t put as much passion into it as he used to: Even when he used to play at the jazz club in Boston, he had seemed more passionate about it than he did now. She thought maybe this might have become too big a burden to carry. But she had never said anything about it, not wanting to spoil it all for him. Still, if he hadn’t changed, she knew this wasn’t how he had wanted it to be, and she wished she could do something to help.

His manager went on talking about where they would go and what they would do the following day, but Ryan had stopped listening, and he simply stared out of the dark windows at the city lights passing by.

~
Twenty-three
~

“Are you all right?” Valerie asked, once they were alone in his dressing room. He had been quiet ever since the conversation with his manager, and she knew it meant he was upset.

He shrugged, slumping down on an armchair and fidgeting with his watch.

“You see how I never have a say in anything? He decides, and I have to do it. That’s it.” He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and leaning back. “It’s annoying, you know: It’s my life, but I can never make a single decision.”

She sat on the armrest and took his hand, holding it in both of hers.

“I know the feeling. I never get to have a say most of the time either,” she smiled when he opened his eyes and looked at her. “And I know it sucks, but it’s just the way it is. You just can’t let it spoil the good parts of your job, like writing your own music and playing it.”

“I just wanted to spend some time with you tomorrow; I don’t want to have another interview!”

She put her arm around him, and he let her hold him like a baby needing comfort. He had felt so alone during the past couple of weeks, and feeling the familiar warmth of her embrace was the best cure for homesickness.

“Don’t talk like a spoiled child, now!” she scolded, giving him a squeeze. “I didn’t feel like working double shifts either, but it’s my job and I had to do it. And so do you now. We can spend some time together when you come back next week. It’s not such a big deal.”

“You sound like my mother now – it’s creepy!” He laughed and gave her a big hug, then he got up and reached for his suit in the closet. “I think you’d better go now; I’ll be out there in a minute.”

She nodded and gave him one last hug, then she kissed him good luck; when she left, he put on his suit and looked at his reflection in the mirror, trying to think only of the good things about his job, like Valerie had said: Playing his music was one of them, so he straightened his shoulders and walked out, ready to start.

Valerie went outside and was truly shocked by the crowd of people waiting for her best friend to come on stage; it was still hard for her to come to terms with the fact that he was a celebrity, that there were hundreds, thousands of people out there in the US and in Europe who loved him and his music. She got to hang out with him whenever she wanted to, and when he was abroad, she could call him and talk to him whenever she missed him. When he was in town, she could go to his apartment and watch a movie, snuggled up on the couch next to him. These were normal things she had always been doing with him and, now that he was famous, it didn’t really feel any different than before. He was a celebrity, okay, but he was her best friend too. He was still the same, although he could afford a beautiful apartment in downtown Boston and buy her nice gifts. However, in spite of all the nice and expensive gifts he had bought to her after he’d become famous, the thing she loved the most was still the ring they had bought in Dublin when they were teenagers. It was a simple ring with a Celtic design they had bought in the St. Stephen’s Green shopping center a few days before his departure, and they had appointed it as the symbol of their friendship. She couldn’t wear it at work, so she always kept it on a chain around her neck when she was at the hospital and put it on only when she was off. He always wore his too, and she had never seen him without it. This meant everything to her because, even though he was a star, it proved that their friendship was still as important to him as it was back then.