My Way Home Is Through You

When the desk phone rang it was 4:00 am. Jay ignored the squealing sound and Larken the pointed, it's your turn look. She sighed and picked it up with a still cheerful, "Liberty reception desk, my name is Larken. How may I be of assistance?"

"Damn, you sound sexy on the phone. Has anyone ever told you that?" a husky male voice asked.

"Gerard?" She asked but she already knew the answer.

"You got it - Larken," he said her name slowly and then commented, "What a strange name for such a normal girl. What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing that's any of your business," she replied as sweetly as she could. Jay was only sitting a few feet away. He wasn't paying attention, but she didn't want him thinking that she was being inappropriate.

"Cool down, Sunshine. I didn't ask what color you panties are. Though it you wanted to tell me I wouldn't mind. Are they lacy or maybe a thong so you don't have lines on the backside of your slacks? At least tell me what color they are so I can have a little something to fantasize about," Gerard all but growled in her ear.

Larken couldn't decide of she was angry or really turned on. She felt her temperature rise and suddenly the room felt very warm. Clearing her throat in embarrassment, Larken shuffled a few feet further away from Jay.

"Gerard, I don't understand why you are awake right now or why you feel the need to harass the staff of the Liberty -"

He interrupted her by saying, " Trust me I wish I wasn't awake right now. I can't fucking sleep. I've been laying in bed since you left just staring at the ceiling. Have you ever been tired, Larken? The kind of tired that goes past a few missed hours of sleep and creeps into your soul. I'm tired - No I'm weary. That's the word. I'm beaten down by the life I'm leading. I'd drink more, but I've been an alcoholic already. I've showed up to shows wasted and puked my guts on the street. I can't go back there. I can't return to that way of life, but I can't seem to move forward either. I'm just skipping from city to city and meeting an endless stream of people who don't know the real me."

Larken's fingers tapped nervously on the desk. She looked at Jay and then back at the phone. When she opened her mouth to speak it felt dry and words seemed useless. What could she say to that? He'd just unloaded something deeply personal on her and she had nothing to offer. No comfort or sage advice to give because she knew exactly what it felt like to be weary.

"I don't think there is anything I can do for you," she said as gently as she could while her heart constricted in her chest.

"You could listen," he breathed through the wires that separated them. "You could keep me company for the next few hours. I have to go to the airport at 8:00. We have a show in New York tomorrow. Well, it's actually today now."

"I work until 7:00," Larken protested quietly. She was still praying that Jay wasn't listening. He looked too wrapped up in the latest gossip in People to care about her conversation though.

"I'm sure you can think of an excuse to get away," he insisted. "C'mon, Larken. I just need some company right now. Frank and the other guys are asleep. I don't know who else to call."

She paused for several seconds and then said, "Jay, would you excuse me? I have a client that needs me for a .... rather delicate matter."

He looked curious, but saw that Larken was still cradling a live phone and just mouthed, "What?"

She grabbed a pen and scribbled, " puking rock star" on the steno pad that sat between them. He wrote, "Housekeeping?" She wrote," Princess, doesn't want the gossip."

Larken rolled her eyes hard and said, "What room, Sir?" She was curious if his friend had stolen the suite with the view.

She could tell he was smiling on the other end when he replied, "Third floor and all the way down the hall on the right."