Stripes In The Devil
Chaptah 23: "Disarm"
“Kay, what’s his phone number?”
“548-2469” I replied. I was practically giddy with excitement which hasn’t ever been common for me. “Josh, make sure you sound really official” I instructed. Josh was Aaron’s boss at the time. When my cousin played the guys’ demo for him Josh liked them immediately. “Quiet guys” Josh commanded. “Hello may I speak to Mister Ross? I would like to invite you and the members of your band The Summer League to dinner with myself and a couple of colleagues of mine. Yes if you’ll just meet us at the restaurant called the Record Breaker in about twenty minutes that’ll be fantastic. Goodbye.”
“Wow that was really good” I said “how did you manage to make yourself sound so important?” Josh flicked me on the leg in retaliation to my insult. “Very funny, I’d be careful if I were you. I’m only doing this as a personal favor” he told me. “Yeah right” I returned “you know that you would never let these guys get away. They’re too good.” He seemed to decide I was right so he didn’t say anything.
Aaron and I rode with Josh in his car to the restaurant. Once we got there we went in and got a table. As the waitress led the guys in a little later they looked so nervous! When Ryan caught sight of me he let out a breath that looked like he had been holding it since he got off the phone. “You’ve got to be kidding me” he exclaimed “Rache how could you keep this big of a secret from us?!” We all gave a good laugh at my amazing secret keeping skills promptly looked over our menus.
I couldn’t tell you much about what happened that night except that the guys were signed to Fueled By Ramen. To tell you the truth I was thinking about Spencer the whole time. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, examining the way he flicked his long hair out of his eyes every few minutes, watching his gorgeous blue eyes well up with excitement like a small child. Nobody else had ever showed me that I wasn’t tethered down to one guy before he came along and it was something that I appreciated. He waited so patiently for me and his heart was so beautiful and – crap I was staring… shit my mouth was hanging open… damn it Ryan was talking to me. “Wh- yeah I’m going to finish this” – now can I get back to obsessing please.
An official meeting was planned for the next afternoon to work some things out.
When we went our separate ways I already had a plan forming in my mind “Aaron I’m going back out” I told him as soon as we got home, “I’ll… be back.” “Sure” Aaron replied “just please be careful.” Where I was going I knew I would have nothing to worry about.
************************************************
I turned off my headlights at the end of the street and pulled into one of those extra parking spots that are in some sub-divisions. Walking briskly down the center of the road, I lugged a mass of soft fabric down the last block towards my destination. That night there was a faint electric smell in the air like right before a storm though I had grown wise enough not to expect rain. In the distance a siren could barely be heard and right on cue the nearest two street lights flickered out. My fingers led my way around the faint silhouette of the house towards a single lit window in the back. I tilted my head back to see shadowy outlines of a dresser and a bed post through the patch of light above me.
Number five was the correct speed dial number to push so I did. “Do you eve just sleep outside?” I asked the voice on the other line. “Rae, are you alright?” the voice said back. In my pocket was a tiny silver laser pointer that I used to put a thin pin prick of light on his blinds. “Are you still there? Oh hang on a sec” he said. Soon his darkened form came into view in the window above me. I waved a hand at him in greeting. “God Rachel, you freaked me out! I’ll be down a moment” he told me and hung up. When the back door opened I dropped my bundle and paced over to the sliver of light. “Hey doll face, what’s up?”
He had merely put on a pair of loose fitting basketball shorts over his boxers before coming downstairs, I threw my arms around his neck and, toes pointed, put my chin on his shoulder. “I miss love so much” I whispered. “What do you mean?” he asked. The way his lips brushed my ear left a tingling sensation. “Come help me” was my only response. We spread the big black blanket from my bed into a soft square on the ground. “Sleep outside with me tonight” I commanded. “Rachel” he sighed “you know I have to go to school tomorrow and it’s like midnight.”
I spread out on the blanket and looked up at him. “Come on Spencer live on the edge a little. Haven’t you ever skipped school before?” Defensively he replied “Of course I’ve skipped school before” and crouched down next to me. I turned and looked into the bright blue orbs that he called eyes. “Spencer Smith” I said taking his hand in mine “will you give me another chance… chance at love?” “Only if you’ll do the same for me” he answered, kissing my finger tips. His lips found mine in the darkness and I caressed his jaw with my darkened fingers. Our bodies became intertwined so tightly that soon our skin was moist with sweat. I laid my head on Spencer’s bare chest and soon fell asleep to the feeling of him stroking my hair.
***
“Like this” I said “or like this?” I repeated in a slightly deeper one. “Oh yeah definitely the second” Spencer replied. I was getting ready to call Spencer’s school to excuse his absence. We decided that if he didn’t have to get in trouble then we would make sure he didn’t. “So watcha wanna do doll face?” he asked after I finished the call. “Wanna go back to my apartment and watch some movies?” He agreed so we got in my car (my dad drove it out form Chicago and flew back) and drove over to my apartment.
Right as we walked in the door Aaron was getting ready to walk out. “Hey so you decided to come home after all” Aaron said in a slightly irritable tone. “Sorry cousin dearest. I didn’t worry you did I?” I said in a sugar soaked voice. “Well only when I woke up at eight and you were still gone” he replied matter-of-factly. “Don’t worry” Spencer said wrapping his protective arms around me and putting his chin on top of my head “I took good care of her.” Aaron’s eyes darted back and forth a couple of times before he walked out the door shaking his head and muttering.
I pushed myself backwards into Spencer’s body and we both toppled over onto the couch. “Movie time?” I asked into his shirt as I buried my face in his chest. “Sure what do you want to watch?” he replied. I got up and led him by the hand into my room. “Here hold this and these” I said handing him a quilt and two pillows. I turned down the thermostat in the apartment and felt a rush of cold air from the vents. “So” I said “do you want to Halloween or The Exorcist?” Spencer replied “definitely Halloween.” So after closing the shades on the windows and arranging the pillows on the couch we put in the movie and got comfortable under the blanket.
Within twenty minutes I had my face hidden in Spencer’s unzipped hoodie and I was covering my ears. “If this movie freaks you out so much then why did you want to watch it?” he asked me. I just shook my head quickly and pressed my face harder against his chest. “Doll face, your glasses are hurting me” he said “come on relax, it’s just a movie.” After a few seconds I giggled and bit him on the shoulder. “Ow what was tat for” he exclaimed. “I’m sorry” I replied “I’m a vampire and I just couldn’t control myself.” Immediately Spencer grabbed my boob. “Hey now” I cried. “Sorry girly I’m a guy, I can’t help myself” he returned. We both just cracked up laughing.
“Think fast!” I warned and pushed him off the couch. I rolled off and landed on top of him making him go “oof!” I pulled the blanket down over us and whispered “kiss me” against his lips. We kissed and onto each other for dear life. “I love you” Spencer murmured. “No” I answered “no you don’t- at least not yet. Spencer I’ve only know you for two months and most of that time you had a girlfriend. Don’t say that.” He let out a sigh that made my head sink on his chest. “Okay” he said and stroked my hair “alright I can wait.”
“548-2469” I replied. I was practically giddy with excitement which hasn’t ever been common for me. “Josh, make sure you sound really official” I instructed. Josh was Aaron’s boss at the time. When my cousin played the guys’ demo for him Josh liked them immediately. “Quiet guys” Josh commanded. “Hello may I speak to Mister Ross? I would like to invite you and the members of your band The Summer League to dinner with myself and a couple of colleagues of mine. Yes if you’ll just meet us at the restaurant called the Record Breaker in about twenty minutes that’ll be fantastic. Goodbye.”
“Wow that was really good” I said “how did you manage to make yourself sound so important?” Josh flicked me on the leg in retaliation to my insult. “Very funny, I’d be careful if I were you. I’m only doing this as a personal favor” he told me. “Yeah right” I returned “you know that you would never let these guys get away. They’re too good.” He seemed to decide I was right so he didn’t say anything.
Aaron and I rode with Josh in his car to the restaurant. Once we got there we went in and got a table. As the waitress led the guys in a little later they looked so nervous! When Ryan caught sight of me he let out a breath that looked like he had been holding it since he got off the phone. “You’ve got to be kidding me” he exclaimed “Rache how could you keep this big of a secret from us?!” We all gave a good laugh at my amazing secret keeping skills promptly looked over our menus.
I couldn’t tell you much about what happened that night except that the guys were signed to Fueled By Ramen. To tell you the truth I was thinking about Spencer the whole time. I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, examining the way he flicked his long hair out of his eyes every few minutes, watching his gorgeous blue eyes well up with excitement like a small child. Nobody else had ever showed me that I wasn’t tethered down to one guy before he came along and it was something that I appreciated. He waited so patiently for me and his heart was so beautiful and – crap I was staring… shit my mouth was hanging open… damn it Ryan was talking to me. “Wh- yeah I’m going to finish this” – now can I get back to obsessing please.
An official meeting was planned for the next afternoon to work some things out.
When we went our separate ways I already had a plan forming in my mind “Aaron I’m going back out” I told him as soon as we got home, “I’ll… be back.” “Sure” Aaron replied “just please be careful.” Where I was going I knew I would have nothing to worry about.
************************************************
I turned off my headlights at the end of the street and pulled into one of those extra parking spots that are in some sub-divisions. Walking briskly down the center of the road, I lugged a mass of soft fabric down the last block towards my destination. That night there was a faint electric smell in the air like right before a storm though I had grown wise enough not to expect rain. In the distance a siren could barely be heard and right on cue the nearest two street lights flickered out. My fingers led my way around the faint silhouette of the house towards a single lit window in the back. I tilted my head back to see shadowy outlines of a dresser and a bed post through the patch of light above me.
Number five was the correct speed dial number to push so I did. “Do you eve just sleep outside?” I asked the voice on the other line. “Rae, are you alright?” the voice said back. In my pocket was a tiny silver laser pointer that I used to put a thin pin prick of light on his blinds. “Are you still there? Oh hang on a sec” he said. Soon his darkened form came into view in the window above me. I waved a hand at him in greeting. “God Rachel, you freaked me out! I’ll be down a moment” he told me and hung up. When the back door opened I dropped my bundle and paced over to the sliver of light. “Hey doll face, what’s up?”
He had merely put on a pair of loose fitting basketball shorts over his boxers before coming downstairs, I threw my arms around his neck and, toes pointed, put my chin on his shoulder. “I miss love so much” I whispered. “What do you mean?” he asked. The way his lips brushed my ear left a tingling sensation. “Come help me” was my only response. We spread the big black blanket from my bed into a soft square on the ground. “Sleep outside with me tonight” I commanded. “Rachel” he sighed “you know I have to go to school tomorrow and it’s like midnight.”
I spread out on the blanket and looked up at him. “Come on Spencer live on the edge a little. Haven’t you ever skipped school before?” Defensively he replied “Of course I’ve skipped school before” and crouched down next to me. I turned and looked into the bright blue orbs that he called eyes. “Spencer Smith” I said taking his hand in mine “will you give me another chance… chance at love?” “Only if you’ll do the same for me” he answered, kissing my finger tips. His lips found mine in the darkness and I caressed his jaw with my darkened fingers. Our bodies became intertwined so tightly that soon our skin was moist with sweat. I laid my head on Spencer’s bare chest and soon fell asleep to the feeling of him stroking my hair.
***
“Like this” I said “or like this?” I repeated in a slightly deeper one. “Oh yeah definitely the second” Spencer replied. I was getting ready to call Spencer’s school to excuse his absence. We decided that if he didn’t have to get in trouble then we would make sure he didn’t. “So watcha wanna do doll face?” he asked after I finished the call. “Wanna go back to my apartment and watch some movies?” He agreed so we got in my car (my dad drove it out form Chicago and flew back) and drove over to my apartment.
Right as we walked in the door Aaron was getting ready to walk out. “Hey so you decided to come home after all” Aaron said in a slightly irritable tone. “Sorry cousin dearest. I didn’t worry you did I?” I said in a sugar soaked voice. “Well only when I woke up at eight and you were still gone” he replied matter-of-factly. “Don’t worry” Spencer said wrapping his protective arms around me and putting his chin on top of my head “I took good care of her.” Aaron’s eyes darted back and forth a couple of times before he walked out the door shaking his head and muttering.
I pushed myself backwards into Spencer’s body and we both toppled over onto the couch. “Movie time?” I asked into his shirt as I buried my face in his chest. “Sure what do you want to watch?” he replied. I got up and led him by the hand into my room. “Here hold this and these” I said handing him a quilt and two pillows. I turned down the thermostat in the apartment and felt a rush of cold air from the vents. “So” I said “do you want to Halloween or The Exorcist?” Spencer replied “definitely Halloween.” So after closing the shades on the windows and arranging the pillows on the couch we put in the movie and got comfortable under the blanket.
Within twenty minutes I had my face hidden in Spencer’s unzipped hoodie and I was covering my ears. “If this movie freaks you out so much then why did you want to watch it?” he asked me. I just shook my head quickly and pressed my face harder against his chest. “Doll face, your glasses are hurting me” he said “come on relax, it’s just a movie.” After a few seconds I giggled and bit him on the shoulder. “Ow what was tat for” he exclaimed. “I’m sorry” I replied “I’m a vampire and I just couldn’t control myself.” Immediately Spencer grabbed my boob. “Hey now” I cried. “Sorry girly I’m a guy, I can’t help myself” he returned. We both just cracked up laughing.
“Think fast!” I warned and pushed him off the couch. I rolled off and landed on top of him making him go “oof!” I pulled the blanket down over us and whispered “kiss me” against his lips. We kissed and onto each other for dear life. “I love you” Spencer murmured. “No” I answered “no you don’t- at least not yet. Spencer I’ve only know you for two months and most of that time you had a girlfriend. Don’t say that.” He let out a sigh that made my head sink on his chest. “Okay” he said and stroked my hair “alright I can wait.”