In These Arms

They lay in bed, simply staring into each other’s eyes.

She pulled away much too soon for his liking and went to the closet.

“Babe, you need to get ready to go.”

“I am ready,” he said, wanting her to lie back down.

When she couldn’t find what she was looking for in the closet, she looked at the floor, then bent to pick up a pale pink t-shirt. She began to change. Though they didn’t live together, she spent nearly every night at his place. When he was home, that is. She kept quite a bit of her things there.

“Your bus leaves in half an hour,” she told him after glancing at the alarm clock. With a sigh, he threw back the covers and grabbed his favorite pair of jeans off the back of a chair. They were both artistic personalities, and neither of them were very neat. They didn’t mind.

She grabbed her purse, which contained the few things she was never without – a small notebook, a few pencils and pens, her cell phone, her keys, and her wallet – and headed toward the door. He followed her reluctantly. She turned in the front doorway to kiss him goodbye.

He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, not wanting her to go. Eventually, she squirmed out of his grasp. “Have fun, call me tonight. Break a leg!” she called as she bounded down the driveway to her car. He watched her drive away.

That night on the tour bus, he lay staring at the ceiling. He missed her, as always. He rolled over, flipped his cell phone open, and hit the number for her speed dial.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jay.”

“Hi, hon. How are you?”

It felt so good to hear her voice.

You want commitment
Take a look into these eyes
They burn with fire, yeah
Until the end of time
And I would do anything
I'd beg, I'd steal, I'd die
To have you in these arms tonight

The band boarded their bus after a show.

“Hey, Brian, great show, man,” one of his band mates said as they gave him a high-five.

“Yeah,” he said absently. He wished she could have seen them perform.

It was far too late to call her, even though she probably wasn’t asleep yet. She was a night person, as was he, but she did get some sleep now and then. He didn’t want to disrupt her if she was actually dozing. He lay in bed, not tired at all. The patter of rain began to sound on the roof of the bus. Brian pulled the curtains at his small window aside and watched a rosebush under a streetlight get battered by the rain. He wondered what his Jamie would think of the scene… what words would jump into her head? They’d be beautiful, of course, they always were. She was an aspiring poet, and very good at what she did.

He missed her voice, the feel of her in his arms. He missed her.

Baby I want you
Like the roses want the rain
You know I need you
Like a poet needs the pain
And I would give anything
My blood, my love, my life
If you were in these arms tonight

What if she just came with us? he thought. What if she could quit her waitressing gig and do something backstage? What if we were together all the time? What if… What if… What if I asked her to marry me?

The thought had never occurred to him before. Maybe… And he fell to sleep.

I'd hold you, I'd need you
I'd get down on my knees for you
And make everything alright
If you were in these arms

The next afternoon, he called her. Her phone rang four times before the voice message greeted him.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m probably at work. If you leave a message, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

“Hi, Baby, it’s just me. I’m missin’ ya. I just wanted to hear your voice. I love you.” He hung up and stared at the phone as the idea of marriage hit him again. He sighed.

I'd love you, I'd please you
I'd tell you that I'd never leave you
And love you till the end of time
If you were in these arms tonight

They met for the first time at the diner she worked at. When he looked into her smiling eyes, he felt something click. She brought him his breakfast and they had fun and casual conversations. When he finally had to leave, he left a large tip. Later that day, he came back for lunch. Miracle of miracles, she was his waitress once more. Feeling like a creep, he finally asked for her number.

She smiled and told him to come back for dinner and she’d think about it. Dinner turned out to be their first date. She was there, but not waitressing. They ate and got to know each other. He picked up the tab and she gave him her number.

Three months later, they cuddled on a bluff, looking out at the ocean below and the beautiful sunset at the horizon. That was when he told her he loved her for the first time. She looked away from the sunset and into his eyes, and gave him the slowest kiss he could imagine. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

“I think I’ll love you forever,” he said thoughtfully.

She giggled and asked, “Promise?”

He didn’t answer right away. “Yes,” he said.

“Then I’ll love you forever, too. Whatever happens.”

He could hear her words, just as clear and sweet as that day, whenever he wanted to. “Forever,” he would whisper to himself. “Forever…” And he never doubted it.

We stared at the sun
And we made a promise
A promise this world
Would never blind us
And these were our words
Our words were our songs
Our songs are our prayers
These prayers keep me strong
And I still believe
If you were in these arms

When he arrived home, he hoped she’d be there. She did have her own place, but he’d given her a key, since she kept half her wardrobe in his room - not to mention the other belongings of hers strewn about. Well, if she moved in, it wouldn’t be much of a leap, would it?

I'd hold you, I'd need you
I'd get down on my knees for you
And make everything alright
If you were in these arms
I'd love you, I'd please you
I'd tell you that I'd never leave you
And love you till the end of time
If you were in these arms tonight

But when he opened the door and inhaled the familiar scent of home, he was disappointed. He respected that she had her own life, but he missed her.

He trudged to the bedroom and flung himself across the mussed sheets. He tried not to look at her belongings on the floor and the furniture, but he couldn’t ignore her perfume on the air. With every passing second, he wanted to see her more.

Your clothes are still scattered
All over our room
This whole place still smells like
Your cheap perfume
Everything here reminds me of you
There's nothing I wouldn't do

Minutes later, he was driving to the diner she still worked at. He parked the car and strode up to the door, more nervous than he’d ever been in his life of show-business. He sat at his regular table, and he got his regular waitress.

Her face lit up when she saw him. They kissed and he hugged her close.

“Now, what would you like babe?”

“Just water, right now.”

She nodded and walked back to the kitchen. He smiled at her retreating figure. Just seeing her made him feel whole again.

When she returned with his water, he took a sip then stood.

“Brian?”

He took her hands in his, then kneeled.

“Jamie. I love you. And I promised I’d love you forever.”

And these were our words
They keep me strong
Baby

“And I will.” He could see tears in her eyes. “If you remember, you promised me the same.” She nodded vigorously. “So I want to make it official. Will you marry me?”

She pulled him up and flung her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she sobbed into his shoulder. “Yes.” The diner burst into applause. He hadn’t even notice they’d been watching. He’d only had eyes for her.

I'd hold you, I'd need you
I'd get down on my knees for you
And make everything alright
If you were in these arms
I'd love you, I'd please you
I'd tell you that I'd never leave you
And love you till the end of time
If you were in these arms tonight

That night, she composed a poem and read it to him. He felt as if he could have written it for her. But she was much, much better with words than he was. Later, as they lay in the bed, his arms around her and her back tucked into him, her breathing soft and even in her slumber, he was perfectly content. She said yes, he thought. We’ll be together forever.

If you were in these arms tonight
If you were in these arms tonight
If you were in these arms, baby

Just like we promised.

Like the roses need the rain
Like the seasons need to change
Like the poet needs the pain
I need you
In these arms tonight