Clash Of The Rockbands
Photo Album
James’s POV
Sorrow and sadness filled the house that night. We were set to leave early the next morning. Melrose’s parents had left their house and all its furniture and stuff to Daphne in their will. Melrose had asked her what she wanted to do with it, and Daphne decided to just keep it instead of selling it. She was seventeen, and a senior in high school. She just wanted to wait until she graduated and turned eighteen before moving back to Indiana. Until then, Melrose was her guardian, so Daphne was flying back to California with us. She would finish the school year in Huntington Beach.
Rayne, Jen, and AM all sat in the kitchen, talking quietly. Their voices floated into the silent living room where I sat, just staring at the blank television screen. I had never really met Melrose’s parents, but her and Daphne’s grief was infectious and everyone in the house was now sad because of it. Melrose didn’t seem the same. I was so used to her smiling constantly and always being able to make me laugh, and now she was just silent and never smiled and just sat there, staring off into space all the time. I hoped the grief would pass, and soon. I missed Happy Melrose.
At the moment, Melrose was upstairs soaking in the bathtub. Daphne was finishing up packing her stuff up. Kim was outside, talking to Johnny. So, I just sat in the living room, alone with my own thoughts.
And yes, I realize how scary that is.
I shoved myself up off of the couch and headed out into the hall to head up the stairs. I walked up the narrow staircase and onto the dark landing. A sliver of light splashed across the floor from Daphne’s room, but the bathroom light had been turned off. I looked over to see the light of Melrose’s room turned on instead. I strode over to it and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Melrose called. I pushed open the door, stepped into the room, and then closed the door back behind me. Melrose sat on her bed, leafing through a photo album. She beckoned me over, barely glancing up at me. I strode over to the bed and sat down beside her, leaning back against the headboard as well. “My mother was such a beautiful bride. See? This is her and Dad on their wedding day.” She pointed at a picture that I could tell had been taken long ago. The colors weren’t vivid, and the photo itself wasn’t very clear, but you could still see it fine.
“Yeah,” I agreed. Her mother had been a pretty bride, all glowing in youth and happiness. “As I’m sure you’ll be.”
“Here’s Daphne and I when she was a few months old,” Melrose said, ignoring my comment. She pointed at a different picture. She appeared to be around six or seven when it was taken. She sat in a huge recliner chair with Daphne in her arms, grinning away. “I was so excited to have a little sister. I couldn’t wait until she was old enough to have tea parties with me and play with my dolls with me. But, of course, by the time she was old enough to be interested in that stuff, I had grown out of it and wanted nothing to do with her.”
She continued to turn the pages of the photo album. Every once in a while, she paused at a picture and pointed it out to me and explained it to me. I just sat and listened to her, glad to hear her talking. It was interesting to hear more about her childhood because she had never really spoken about it.
“Oh, who’s that sexy beast?” I asked once Melrose had turned the page again about fifteen minutes later. I pointed at a picture that took up a whole page.
“My prom picture,” Melrose answered, blushing slightly. “Good lord, I look like a dork.”
“Nah, you look gorgeous.” I replied, kissing her neck. And she did. She wore a strapless navy blue dress that looked like stars sparkled across it. Her hair was worn down straight, but the ends were curled into ringlets. It looked strange without the different colored streaks and the bright bangs. She smiled gleefully at the camera, her elbow hooked with a dude’s. “And who’s that?” I tapped my finger on the guy.
“Peter Jacklan,” Melrose answered. “I dated him for about two years. I thought he was adorable.” She wrinkled her nose up. “I had horrible taste in men.”
“Believe me: it’s gotten much better.” I reassured her. The corner of her lips curved upward in a subtle smile. “Ah, I got Miss Sorrow to smile.” I wrapped my arms tighter around her waist and pressed my face against her warm neck, placing a kiss on the soft skin there.
I suddenly seized her ticklish spots directly above her hips. She shrieked and tried to scramble away, but I had a death-grip on her.
“No! No! Stop!” she yelled through her laughter. I relentlessly continued to tickle her, savoring her laughter. “James!”
“Nope!” I said back as she still attempted to shove or kick herself away from me. “I figured out how to make you laugh, and I am not taking it for granted!” Melrose suddenly twisted her head really fast, and her wet hair slapped across my cheek. “OW!” I pulled away, releasing her to raise a hand to my cheek. Melrose looked over at me, trying to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry.” she peeped, reaching over to rub my cheek.
“That actually hurt.” I told her, sort of shocked.
“I’m sorry.” she repeated, leaning over to kiss my cheek. I turned my head at the last second, and her lips crashed against mine instead of my cheek. She didn’t pull out of the kiss, but just scooted herself closer. I wrapped one of my arms around her waist as my other hand fisted itself within her damp hair. I turned over onto my back so that Melrose now lay on top of me. Melrose barely noticed as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
The photo album now lay abandoned on the bed next to us. Neither of us really paid any attention to it anymore. We were more focused on the present at the moment, and not the past.
“My parents are probably in Heaven, looking down on me, saying, ‘Damn, our daughter’s a total dumbass.’.” Melrose said after our lips broke apart. She rested her forehead against mine, her eyes closed, her body completely relaxed. “Kissing that psychotic drummer guy. What did we do wrong in raising her?”
“Gave the child a pair of drumsticks,” I answered. “That’s where every parent goes wrong with their child. When they give them a pair of drumsticks.”
“True, true,” Melrose replied quietly. She pressed her lips briefly against mine. “Where would you be right now if I had never been handed a pair of drumsticks and you had never met me?”
“Probably drunk, at a bar, heading over to hit on some random chick,” I answered.
“Oh, and where you are now is so much better,” Melrose replied. “You have a random chick laying on you in her parents’ house, kissing you at random times and probably suffocating you while she’s at it.”
“None of those are bad things,” I told her. “And you aren’t suffocating me. It’s like a blanket is laying on me. A very beautiful blanket with lips and eyes and a nose and a brain and a wonderful body.”
“You make me blush.” Melrose said sheepishly. Indeed, her cheeks began to glow bright pink. She pulled her forehead away from mine and instead nuzzled her face into my neck. “I’m hiding. You can’t see me.”
“Nope,” I agreed. “I wonder where Melrose went.” I felt her soft lips press against my neck.
“Here I am,” she whispered. She abruptly pulled completely away, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “God damn, I’m tired.” I looked up at her. She sat with her back to the light so that she blocked it from my view. It sent her face into shadows framed with damp, limp hair. I reached up and grazed my thumb against her cheek. She seized my hand and kissed my knuckles silently before releasing my hand.
“I love you.” I told her.
“I love you too.” she replied. She rolled off of me completely and flopped down on her back beside me, staring up at the ceiling. She then sat up and closed the photo album and placed it on her suitcase. She burrowed under the covers, looking over at me out of tired, sad, grieving green eyes. I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before standing up off of the bed and grabbing my toothpaste and toothbrush to go brush my teeth. I left the room and went into the bathroom.
When I walked back into Melrose’s bedroom, she still stared at the door. Her eyes flittered to my face as I walked in. I dragged my shirt off and changed into loose sweatpants before flicking the light off and climbing into bed next to Melrose. She instantly snuggled against me with her head right next to mine so that her damp hair pressed against my cheek. She dragged the covers up over my chest, kissing my bare shoulder.
“Don’t worry.” she murmured as I gave an involuntary shiver against the slight coolness of the room against my bare skin. “We’ll be back in sunny California tomorrow.” I nodded, wrapping my arm around her.
“But a change of scenery is always nice.” I replied.
“Yeah,” she agreed. She snuggled even closer, curling her arm across my chest. Within minutes, her steady breathing filled my ear and became the lullaby that I myself fell asleep to.
Sorrow and sadness filled the house that night. We were set to leave early the next morning. Melrose’s parents had left their house and all its furniture and stuff to Daphne in their will. Melrose had asked her what she wanted to do with it, and Daphne decided to just keep it instead of selling it. She was seventeen, and a senior in high school. She just wanted to wait until she graduated and turned eighteen before moving back to Indiana. Until then, Melrose was her guardian, so Daphne was flying back to California with us. She would finish the school year in Huntington Beach.
Rayne, Jen, and AM all sat in the kitchen, talking quietly. Their voices floated into the silent living room where I sat, just staring at the blank television screen. I had never really met Melrose’s parents, but her and Daphne’s grief was infectious and everyone in the house was now sad because of it. Melrose didn’t seem the same. I was so used to her smiling constantly and always being able to make me laugh, and now she was just silent and never smiled and just sat there, staring off into space all the time. I hoped the grief would pass, and soon. I missed Happy Melrose.
At the moment, Melrose was upstairs soaking in the bathtub. Daphne was finishing up packing her stuff up. Kim was outside, talking to Johnny. So, I just sat in the living room, alone with my own thoughts.
And yes, I realize how scary that is.
I shoved myself up off of the couch and headed out into the hall to head up the stairs. I walked up the narrow staircase and onto the dark landing. A sliver of light splashed across the floor from Daphne’s room, but the bathroom light had been turned off. I looked over to see the light of Melrose’s room turned on instead. I strode over to it and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Melrose called. I pushed open the door, stepped into the room, and then closed the door back behind me. Melrose sat on her bed, leafing through a photo album. She beckoned me over, barely glancing up at me. I strode over to the bed and sat down beside her, leaning back against the headboard as well. “My mother was such a beautiful bride. See? This is her and Dad on their wedding day.” She pointed at a picture that I could tell had been taken long ago. The colors weren’t vivid, and the photo itself wasn’t very clear, but you could still see it fine.
“Yeah,” I agreed. Her mother had been a pretty bride, all glowing in youth and happiness. “As I’m sure you’ll be.”
“Here’s Daphne and I when she was a few months old,” Melrose said, ignoring my comment. She pointed at a different picture. She appeared to be around six or seven when it was taken. She sat in a huge recliner chair with Daphne in her arms, grinning away. “I was so excited to have a little sister. I couldn’t wait until she was old enough to have tea parties with me and play with my dolls with me. But, of course, by the time she was old enough to be interested in that stuff, I had grown out of it and wanted nothing to do with her.”
She continued to turn the pages of the photo album. Every once in a while, she paused at a picture and pointed it out to me and explained it to me. I just sat and listened to her, glad to hear her talking. It was interesting to hear more about her childhood because she had never really spoken about it.
“Oh, who’s that sexy beast?” I asked once Melrose had turned the page again about fifteen minutes later. I pointed at a picture that took up a whole page.
“My prom picture,” Melrose answered, blushing slightly. “Good lord, I look like a dork.”
“Nah, you look gorgeous.” I replied, kissing her neck. And she did. She wore a strapless navy blue dress that looked like stars sparkled across it. Her hair was worn down straight, but the ends were curled into ringlets. It looked strange without the different colored streaks and the bright bangs. She smiled gleefully at the camera, her elbow hooked with a dude’s. “And who’s that?” I tapped my finger on the guy.
“Peter Jacklan,” Melrose answered. “I dated him for about two years. I thought he was adorable.” She wrinkled her nose up. “I had horrible taste in men.”
“Believe me: it’s gotten much better.” I reassured her. The corner of her lips curved upward in a subtle smile. “Ah, I got Miss Sorrow to smile.” I wrapped my arms tighter around her waist and pressed my face against her warm neck, placing a kiss on the soft skin there.
I suddenly seized her ticklish spots directly above her hips. She shrieked and tried to scramble away, but I had a death-grip on her.
“No! No! Stop!” she yelled through her laughter. I relentlessly continued to tickle her, savoring her laughter. “James!”
“Nope!” I said back as she still attempted to shove or kick herself away from me. “I figured out how to make you laugh, and I am not taking it for granted!” Melrose suddenly twisted her head really fast, and her wet hair slapped across my cheek. “OW!” I pulled away, releasing her to raise a hand to my cheek. Melrose looked over at me, trying to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry.” she peeped, reaching over to rub my cheek.
“That actually hurt.” I told her, sort of shocked.
“I’m sorry.” she repeated, leaning over to kiss my cheek. I turned my head at the last second, and her lips crashed against mine instead of my cheek. She didn’t pull out of the kiss, but just scooted herself closer. I wrapped one of my arms around her waist as my other hand fisted itself within her damp hair. I turned over onto my back so that Melrose now lay on top of me. Melrose barely noticed as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
The photo album now lay abandoned on the bed next to us. Neither of us really paid any attention to it anymore. We were more focused on the present at the moment, and not the past.
“My parents are probably in Heaven, looking down on me, saying, ‘Damn, our daughter’s a total dumbass.’.” Melrose said after our lips broke apart. She rested her forehead against mine, her eyes closed, her body completely relaxed. “Kissing that psychotic drummer guy. What did we do wrong in raising her?”
“Gave the child a pair of drumsticks,” I answered. “That’s where every parent goes wrong with their child. When they give them a pair of drumsticks.”
“True, true,” Melrose replied quietly. She pressed her lips briefly against mine. “Where would you be right now if I had never been handed a pair of drumsticks and you had never met me?”
“Probably drunk, at a bar, heading over to hit on some random chick,” I answered.
“Oh, and where you are now is so much better,” Melrose replied. “You have a random chick laying on you in her parents’ house, kissing you at random times and probably suffocating you while she’s at it.”
“None of those are bad things,” I told her. “And you aren’t suffocating me. It’s like a blanket is laying on me. A very beautiful blanket with lips and eyes and a nose and a brain and a wonderful body.”
“You make me blush.” Melrose said sheepishly. Indeed, her cheeks began to glow bright pink. She pulled her forehead away from mine and instead nuzzled her face into my neck. “I’m hiding. You can’t see me.”
“Nope,” I agreed. “I wonder where Melrose went.” I felt her soft lips press against my neck.
“Here I am,” she whispered. She abruptly pulled completely away, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “God damn, I’m tired.” I looked up at her. She sat with her back to the light so that she blocked it from my view. It sent her face into shadows framed with damp, limp hair. I reached up and grazed my thumb against her cheek. She seized my hand and kissed my knuckles silently before releasing my hand.
“I love you.” I told her.
“I love you too.” she replied. She rolled off of me completely and flopped down on her back beside me, staring up at the ceiling. She then sat up and closed the photo album and placed it on her suitcase. She burrowed under the covers, looking over at me out of tired, sad, grieving green eyes. I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before standing up off of the bed and grabbing my toothpaste and toothbrush to go brush my teeth. I left the room and went into the bathroom.
When I walked back into Melrose’s bedroom, she still stared at the door. Her eyes flittered to my face as I walked in. I dragged my shirt off and changed into loose sweatpants before flicking the light off and climbing into bed next to Melrose. She instantly snuggled against me with her head right next to mine so that her damp hair pressed against my cheek. She dragged the covers up over my chest, kissing my bare shoulder.
“Don’t worry.” she murmured as I gave an involuntary shiver against the slight coolness of the room against my bare skin. “We’ll be back in sunny California tomorrow.” I nodded, wrapping my arm around her.
“But a change of scenery is always nice.” I replied.
“Yeah,” she agreed. She snuggled even closer, curling her arm across my chest. Within minutes, her steady breathing filled my ear and became the lullaby that I myself fell asleep to.
♠ ♠ ♠
Heyloo.I think this chapter is adorable. =}
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