I'll Be There

Dj knew the girl was looking at him, but he pretended not to notice. This was a bad idea he just knew it. She was 19 after all, certainly not a minor yet still half his age. Yet he felt an odd attraction to her. Was it because she reminded him of himself at that age, lost in this world with nothing but music and rebellion to lead the way? It was definitely a dark path. After years of writing music with bands that got him nowhere he had finally made something of himself. But here he was, already 39 years old and just now getting somewhere important in his life. But what was it about this girl? This feeling that he had to know her? His sister would know. He made a mental note to call her first thing in the morning. The girl was still staring at him. The song on the radio had changed a while ago, some slow easy-listening song that he hadn’t heard before, but it gave a pleasant atmosphere to the late night drive. She finally looked away, probably feeling bad for staring so long, probably still entranced into thinking this was all a dream, in fact he just noticed her pinch her arm again. He smiled internally and turned onto a side road.
I watched the scenery change from deserted buildings to even more deserted buildings layered with graffiti. The stars grew brighter and the night seemed eerily calm under their gaze. Soon the car stopped, and it was too dark to see clearly. “Where are we?” I asked in a whisper. He looked at me then got out, coming to open my door for me. He held out his hand, which I gladly took. It was cool to touch, just like the night air outside. I smelled salt. After walking a few steps I heard the familiar crash of waves. I wondered what we could possibly be doing at a beach. But then I saw it, and it wasn’t a beach at all, but a small alcove hidden from the sight of the city, where the stars glowed brightly and the moon hung mysteriously in the sky. I inhaled as I took in the scenery.
Dj watched her face light up like a child. In this moment she looked 10 years younger, as though she were seeing the stars for the first time. That is, a star that’s not on the walk of fame. He slowly loosened his grip on her hand, but she held on. Not wanting to seem rude he stayed as she wished. Then he glanced up at the stars, closing his eyes and pretending he was floating high above the ocean somewhere, away from the fame and the glam. “I found this place a long time ago.” He said, quietly so as to not disturb the night. “So far not many people know about it, nobody comes out here. There’s an unspoken agreement among us to keep this place secret and sacred. Will you keep my secret?” He said, looking down at her. She nodded and continued looking around.
We stayed in our little paradise for about a half an hour, the silence shared between us as gratifying as the location itself. When he said it was time to go however, my heart sank. This was it. My 15 minutes of fame with a real guitarist. Now he would take me back to my apartment. I got into his car sadly, looking out the window as streetlights flashed by. He never asked me where I live though. So long as he didn’t ask, I would keep my mouth shut. “So where do you live?” He asked. I jinxed myself. I was quiet for a moment, then told him the address. He drove slower and pulled out his phone. He held onto it for a moment, then handed it to me. “Put your number in if you want to.” I freaked. Eagerly I took the iPhone and inserted my number. I couldn’t help but notice a few of his contacts as I did though, and my heart raced as I realized how many people he knew. “Nikki Sixx.” I breathed. He glanced at me curiously and held out his hand to return the phone. I handed it back and looked down. Watch him delete my number later. Stupid stupid stupid.