Clash Of The Rockbands
Anniversary
James’s POV
I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed what day it was, but I sure did. Therefore, I completely understood what was up with Melrose.
It was January 17th. The one-year anniversary of Melrose’s parents’ deaths.
She’d been sad and silent all day. I hadn’t seen her smile all day; she hadn’t spoken one word. No one asked about it, clearly thinking that she didn’t want to explain it.
That afternoon, we all sat in the living room watching Fuse. Melrose, Rayne, Syn, and I sat on the couch; everyone else either sat on the floor or in an armchair. My arm was curled around Melrose’s shoulders; her head leaned against my shoulder as she stared blankly at the television. The music video for Seize The Day came on.
I glanced over at Melrose. This music video had a car crash in it...and her parents died in a car crash...and it was the anniversary of her parents’ deaths. That would be an equation for possible disaster. She didn’t seem to notice the problem here. She just continued to stare at the television. Maybe she wasn’t even aware that the song was on; for all I knew, she could be off in her own little world, not even aware of the world around her.
I looked back at the television. Matt had just gotten caught by the police.
“Oh, damn!” Jen exclaimed a few moments later, her eyes wide. It was the part where Matt was standing stark naked, and all the prisoners were laughing at him. Matt laughed and shrugged.
It came to the part with the car crash. Melrose’s eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter, and she inhaled a sharp intake of breath. Her emerald eyes switched off of the television, staring steadily towards the wall. She shrugged my arm away from her shoulder before rising to her feet. Before she turned away, I saw that her cheeks glittered with sudden tears.
I felt Rayne begin to rise from beside me. She knew the date and what it meant. I got to my feet before her and pressed a hand against her shoulder, pushing her back down onto the couch. Rayne looked up at me, and I just shook my head slightly before following where Melrose had disappeared into the bunk room.
I looked around as I entered the bunk room. Melrose sat in the corner of the room against the wall, her knees curled to her chest and her face buried in her trembling hands. I walked over and crouched down in front of her. I gently curled my fingers around her wrists and dragged her hands away from her face. She blinked up at me, looking pained and innocent, like a little girl who’d just learned that Santa Claus didn’t exist. The tears trotted swiftly down her cheeks, smearing her makeup.
I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek right below her left eye. Her tears transferred across to my lips, but I didn’t care. I pulled away, staring into her green eyes that glittered with unshed tears. She blinked, and the tears escaped gleefully from her eyes to sprint down her cheeks and join their friends in the cloth of her jeans. She wasn’t sobbing, but she looked like she really wanted to.
I gently framed her face in my hands, not saying one word. Her tears now pooled up against my hands before somehow seeping their way down her face. She delicately placed her hands over mine, staring back into my eyes. I didn’t have a clue what to say to comfort her.
“I wish my parents were here.” Melrose whispered, her voice wavering. “I would give anything just to see them one last time. I never got to say good-bye. They left too soon.” She gasped in a shuddering breath choked with sadness.
“That happens to everyone.” I whispered back. “A family member always leaves too soon.”
“I didn’t want them to leave at all,” Melrose said. “They need to see me now...They never met you. My dad won’t walk me down the aisle; my mom won’t spoil my kids. I’ll never see—”
“Shhh,” I shushed Melrose before she provoked any sobs. Tears welled up in her eyes, dangling on the edge of her eyelids teasingly before slipping down her face.
“I’ll never see them on their 50th anniversary and think, ‘Man, I can’t wait until me and my husband get to that stage in life’!” Melrose continued angrily, dragging her face out of my hands. Her eyes narrowed, but the tears still flowed. “I won’t be able to laugh and smile when my kids roll around on the ground with my dad! I won’t have conversations with my mom about husbands and kids while I help cook Christmas dinner! I don’t have parents anymore, James, and no matter how much anyone tries to comfort me, that’ll never change anything! It’ll always stay the same! My parents are rotting in coffins in a cemetery in Indiana, and that’ll never change!”
I felt myself leaning back from Melrose. She pressed her back against the wall as much as she could, still glaring at me over her knees. Her eyes looked angry and sad at the exact same time: narrowed but still sprouting out tears. Her cheeks flamed a faint, angry pink.
Suddenly, all the color drained out of her face. Her angry look collapsed, and she launched herself against me, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. She buried her face in my chest, and I could already feel the warm tears seeping through my shirt to the skin on my chest. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, sinking down into a sitting position and pulling her into my lap.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, her voice choked with tears.
“Don’t be,” I replied, stroking her hair gently. “There’s nothing you should be sorry for.”
“You’re too good to me.” Melrose told me a few minutes later after her tears subsided.
“That must be why my last girlfriend broke up with me: I treated her too good.” I replied. She laughed shakily before pulling her face out of my chest. I loosened my arms around her, looking down at her. She blinked back up at me. Her face was dry now, and her eyes didn’t look all glittery with tears.
“I love you,” she said with a smile. It wasn’t a weak smile either; it was pretty damn brilliant given that she’d just been crying a few minutes ago.
I smiled back.
“I love you, too,” I replied. Melrose leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my lips before pulling herself out of my lap. She clambered to her feet, wiping away any stray tears still hanging out on her cheeks. I rose to my feet as well, and Melrose slipped her fingers into mine. She shot me one more smile and pressed another kiss to my lips before pulling me out of the bunk room.
I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed what day it was, but I sure did. Therefore, I completely understood what was up with Melrose.
It was January 17th. The one-year anniversary of Melrose’s parents’ deaths.
She’d been sad and silent all day. I hadn’t seen her smile all day; she hadn’t spoken one word. No one asked about it, clearly thinking that she didn’t want to explain it.
That afternoon, we all sat in the living room watching Fuse. Melrose, Rayne, Syn, and I sat on the couch; everyone else either sat on the floor or in an armchair. My arm was curled around Melrose’s shoulders; her head leaned against my shoulder as she stared blankly at the television. The music video for Seize The Day came on.
I glanced over at Melrose. This music video had a car crash in it...and her parents died in a car crash...and it was the anniversary of her parents’ deaths. That would be an equation for possible disaster. She didn’t seem to notice the problem here. She just continued to stare at the television. Maybe she wasn’t even aware that the song was on; for all I knew, she could be off in her own little world, not even aware of the world around her.
I looked back at the television. Matt had just gotten caught by the police.
“Oh, damn!” Jen exclaimed a few moments later, her eyes wide. It was the part where Matt was standing stark naked, and all the prisoners were laughing at him. Matt laughed and shrugged.
It came to the part with the car crash. Melrose’s eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter, and she inhaled a sharp intake of breath. Her emerald eyes switched off of the television, staring steadily towards the wall. She shrugged my arm away from her shoulder before rising to her feet. Before she turned away, I saw that her cheeks glittered with sudden tears.
I felt Rayne begin to rise from beside me. She knew the date and what it meant. I got to my feet before her and pressed a hand against her shoulder, pushing her back down onto the couch. Rayne looked up at me, and I just shook my head slightly before following where Melrose had disappeared into the bunk room.
I looked around as I entered the bunk room. Melrose sat in the corner of the room against the wall, her knees curled to her chest and her face buried in her trembling hands. I walked over and crouched down in front of her. I gently curled my fingers around her wrists and dragged her hands away from her face. She blinked up at me, looking pained and innocent, like a little girl who’d just learned that Santa Claus didn’t exist. The tears trotted swiftly down her cheeks, smearing her makeup.
I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek right below her left eye. Her tears transferred across to my lips, but I didn’t care. I pulled away, staring into her green eyes that glittered with unshed tears. She blinked, and the tears escaped gleefully from her eyes to sprint down her cheeks and join their friends in the cloth of her jeans. She wasn’t sobbing, but she looked like she really wanted to.
I gently framed her face in my hands, not saying one word. Her tears now pooled up against my hands before somehow seeping their way down her face. She delicately placed her hands over mine, staring back into my eyes. I didn’t have a clue what to say to comfort her.
“I wish my parents were here.” Melrose whispered, her voice wavering. “I would give anything just to see them one last time. I never got to say good-bye. They left too soon.” She gasped in a shuddering breath choked with sadness.
“That happens to everyone.” I whispered back. “A family member always leaves too soon.”
“I didn’t want them to leave at all,” Melrose said. “They need to see me now...They never met you. My dad won’t walk me down the aisle; my mom won’t spoil my kids. I’ll never see—”
“Shhh,” I shushed Melrose before she provoked any sobs. Tears welled up in her eyes, dangling on the edge of her eyelids teasingly before slipping down her face.
“I’ll never see them on their 50th anniversary and think, ‘Man, I can’t wait until me and my husband get to that stage in life’!” Melrose continued angrily, dragging her face out of my hands. Her eyes narrowed, but the tears still flowed. “I won’t be able to laugh and smile when my kids roll around on the ground with my dad! I won’t have conversations with my mom about husbands and kids while I help cook Christmas dinner! I don’t have parents anymore, James, and no matter how much anyone tries to comfort me, that’ll never change anything! It’ll always stay the same! My parents are rotting in coffins in a cemetery in Indiana, and that’ll never change!”
I felt myself leaning back from Melrose. She pressed her back against the wall as much as she could, still glaring at me over her knees. Her eyes looked angry and sad at the exact same time: narrowed but still sprouting out tears. Her cheeks flamed a faint, angry pink.
Suddenly, all the color drained out of her face. Her angry look collapsed, and she launched herself against me, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. She buried her face in my chest, and I could already feel the warm tears seeping through my shirt to the skin on my chest. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, sinking down into a sitting position and pulling her into my lap.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, her voice choked with tears.
“Don’t be,” I replied, stroking her hair gently. “There’s nothing you should be sorry for.”
“You’re too good to me.” Melrose told me a few minutes later after her tears subsided.
“That must be why my last girlfriend broke up with me: I treated her too good.” I replied. She laughed shakily before pulling her face out of my chest. I loosened my arms around her, looking down at her. She blinked back up at me. Her face was dry now, and her eyes didn’t look all glittery with tears.
“I love you,” she said with a smile. It wasn’t a weak smile either; it was pretty damn brilliant given that she’d just been crying a few minutes ago.
I smiled back.
“I love you, too,” I replied. Melrose leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my lips before pulling herself out of my lap. She clambered to her feet, wiping away any stray tears still hanging out on her cheeks. I rose to my feet as well, and Melrose slipped her fingers into mine. She shot me one more smile and pressed another kiss to my lips before pulling me out of the bunk room.
♠ ♠ ♠
Next chapter, the drama really begins.This is the drama that will slap you in the face.
I'll let you stew in that for a bit.
Comments? I might consider posting the next two chapters sooner if you do.