Ruby Rooms

"So are we going to hang out after the show?"

The Reverend cringed as The Girl pressed her body up to his. For the first time since he could remember, he wasn't in the mood for playing kiss-chase. But he tried his best to stifle a yawn as he forced himself to stare into the shallow blue pools that stood before him. "Sure thing babydoll. I'll keep my eye out for you. But you shouldn't be hard to miss seeing as you're the most delectable person in here tonight---" He hoped he sounded less bored than he felt.

Unable to keep concentration, he broke his gaze away from hers as he spoke, and scanned the room. His heart flipped when he saw her at the bar.

"No fucking way," he whispered, abruptly pushing The Girl away from him and leaping down off the stage to make his way over to her.

"Hey!" a whiny voice called after him, clearly hurt at being shunned. But he couldn't dwell on it seeing as truthfully, he didn't really give two fucks about her at all. There was one person and one person only whom he now wanted to direct all his attention to.

---

She cursed herself when he looked over and caught her staring. Her heart raced when she saw him give The Toothpick the brush off and jump down off stage to push his way through the crowd, his eyes fixed on her. She tried to pretend like she hadn't seen him and ordered herself two more drinks.

"I hope one of those is for me?"

She was surprised at how she welcomed the sound of his voice, rather than be irritated by it as she had been the previous night. Inhaling deeply, she turned to face him.

He was waistcoat-less tonight; his white shirt was open at the chest and Adrienne couldn't tear her eyes away from the 'V' of his smooth, tanned skin.

"Couldn't keep away from me, could you?"

At hearing him speak again, she unwillingly lifted her gaze to meet his. "It's got nothing to do with you. I'm a music journalist. I'm here to review the band."

"MY band." His cocky grin reminded her of why she thought he was annoying.

"I didn't know it was YOUR band until about five minutes ago. So like I said---I'm not here because of you."

The Reverend watched as she necked both of her drinks in quick succession, then as she turned to walk away from him, he caught her elbow and pulled her back.

"I really would like to talk you after the show---"

His tone was honest and it surprised Adrienne. She actually felt like she was talking to a real person and not a walking bank of chat up lines. But she didn't want to let herself fall into his charms as she had done the night before.

She shook her head. "I'll be leaving as soon as the set finishes."

He reached up and pulled down his glasses so he could glance over the top of them. "Please," he whispered. "There'll be no bravado, no chat up lines---I just want to talk to you."

Because she was able to see into his eyes, Adrienne knew he was being honest. His gaze was firm and sincere.

"I'll give you ten minutes."

She tried to make her tone as serious as possible, hoping that it didn't betray the hurricane of emotions that were raging inside of her.

He laughed and bent his head towards her ear. "You should know that working to a timescale excites me---I'll see you after the show."

Quick as a flash, his lips touched her cheek and then he was gone; leaving Adrienne's mouth agape while she scowled after him.

---

Adrienne had given up all hope of him actually managing to get to her after the show. The band's set had ended half an hour ago and he was still being attacked by enthusiastic fans on the dance floor. Sighing, she put her notebook in her purse and made to head for the door---only to be caught at the elbow at the last minute.

"I'm here," he panted. "Don't leave."

"Give me one good reason why I should stay?"

"Because I've been fighting through all those people for the last half an hour to get to you. If I didn't REALLY want to talk to you, I'd have taken my time. "

Adrienne blinked in surprise. "What can be so important for you to REALLY want to---"

The arrival of The Toothpick made Adrienne trail off. The girl wasn't happy, Adrienne could tell. Her lips were set in a pout and her arms were folded defiantly over her surgically enhanced chest.

"I thought you were going to look for me?" she whined.

"Well better things came up," the Rev replied, coolly; never taking his eyes off Adrienne.

"But I thought you said I was the most detectable person in here tonight!"

Adrienne scoffed.

"And what are you laughing at, fatty?" The girl hadn't realised her error.

The Reverend swiftly reached out and grabbed the girl by the jaw, not too forcefully, but hard enough for her to squeal in surprise.

"First of all sweetheart, it's DELECTABLE. Not detectable---which you clearly aren't now that I've sobered up. And second of all---you do NOT speak to her like that! Now fucking apologise---"

"I don't need an apology. Coming from someone like her, it would mean shit to me," Adrienne said, reaching to push the door to leave. "Goodnight."

"Well it would mean something to me," The Rev replied, using his other arm to pull her back again. "Now slut, apologise---"

"Sorry," the girl whispered, with a look that couldn't care less.

"Like you fucking mean it!" The Reverend squeezed her jaw.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry, really!"

The Rev nodded, satisfied, and then threw her away. "Now get out of my sight."

Toothpick didn't need telling twice.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Sure I did. I wasn't going to stand by and let the most beautiful woman in the room be insulted!"

Adrienne shook her head. "So much for no bravado."

"It wasn't. I'm being serious. Now if you don't want to stay and talk, you could at least let me walk you home so we can do it then?"

"Ummm---do IT?" Adrienne cocked an eyebrow. "I don't know what kind of person you think I am but---"

He lifted his hand to silence her. "Calm down, I simply meant to walk you home so we could talk!" He opened the door and gestured for her to walk out ahead of him.

Adrienne blushed as she exited. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't apologise for having sex on your mind! All my sluts come back begging for more."

The Reverend was surprised when Adrienne stopped walking. When he turned to face her, her stance was similar to the girl to whom he had just given the brush off.

"Don't speak to me like that." Her voice was hard, annoyed. "I'm not a slut."

He cursed. "I know, honey---"

"I'm being serious. I'm not a whore---so don't treat me like one."

He nodded solemnly. "Well I'm being serious---I know you're not. I wouldn't have given you the time of day if I thought for a second you were like the rest of THEM. Please---carry on walking with me."

He smiled as Adrienne slowly made her way up to him.

"I find it hard to know where my boundaries are sometime," he continued when she was back at his side. "Like---it's hard to differentiate between what's real and what's fake---I never know what I'm supposed to be?"

"Well---who are you, really?"

He laughed lightly. "Me? I guess I'm music. I'm all music. It's the air that I breath, you know, it's blood that pumps through my veins, that keeps me alive---and without it, I don't know what I would do."

Adrienne's head was reeling. She had never expected him to have such a capacity for a speech so passionate. While the words were still hung in the air, Adrienne quickly got out her note book and began to scribble in it.

"You're never writing that down?" He sounded shocked.

"A quote like that will make me a fortune!" She laughed. "But seriously---that was beautiful. You just perfectly articulated the way I feel about sharing good music. If I like a song, then I want everyone to hear said song because I want them to feel as alive as I do when they hear it."

The Reverend smiled knowingly.

At this point of the conversation, Adrienne stopped walking again and nodded towards the building in front of them. "This is me. Thanks for walking me back---"

"It's not a problem---you never did say if you enjoyed the show, though!"

"On a journalistic level, you guys are on to something special. And on a personal level---I thought you were something else---amazing. You should be very proud of yourselves."

"Yeah---we're not bad for shitty old men!"

His laughter was infectious.

"Well---goodnight---Reverend." Adrienne placed a delicate kiss on his cheek and stepped back to unlock the door to her building.

"Yeah---goodnight, Adie Baby."

When she was out of sight, his hand reached up to touch the spot where she had kissed. He felt like a dazed schoolboy. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he silently made his way back to the Ruby Room; only to change his mind once he got to the doors, and decided to head home instead. There was a melody in his head that was annoying him. He needed silence so he could pull out the golden thread of an idea and weave it into something recognisable.

It was only when he was engulfed in the darkness of his bedroom that he realised that he'd heard the melody somewhere before. And the melody had lyrics:

Adie, please keep taking me away.

"Shit!" His curse rang out into the night.