Blissful Tragedy

by Amy L. Gale

  “I hope you know you’re fucking fired! How can you let some drunken asshole attack my girl?” Van slams his hands against the bouncer’s chest, shoving him into the wall. He kneels next to me, looking me over head to toe.

  “I’m fine, just a little shaken up. Sorry, I didn’t even notice that scumbag near me.” I look up at Van, my eyes begin to water.

  His bloody fingers match the hue of his face. “Not your fault. Come on, I’ve had enough for tonight.”

  I’m almost jogging through the parking lot to keep up with Van. The wind wildly blows my hair around my face. A tornado would be a perfect end to this horrid night.

  I grab his arm and jerk him back toward me. “Should you leave? What about the band?”

  He stops and pulls his arm away. “Yeah, what about the band? Everything I do is for the band. Maybe it’s time I do something for me.” His tone is deep as he paces and holds his hands onto his head.

  I wrinkle my eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

  He glares at me and flattens his lips. “You know what I’m talking about. You don’t want to come with me to LA and I don’t want to be without you. Maybe I should just take off and stay with you while you start your life. At least we’ll be together.” He kicks a few stray pebbles and gets into his car.

  My chest tightens. “You don’t mean that. These are your friends; you can’t let them down and ruin their lives.” I open the door and slide into the cold leather.

  His lips press in a slight grimace. “I certainly don’t want mine to be ruined. I think I’ve put up with enough bullshit for one lifetime.” He grips the steering wheel. “You’re starting a job that’s two-thousand miles away. How am I going to protect you when we’re so far apart?”

  My eyes begin to water. “We’ll work it out. I want to be with you, but I can’t have it both ways.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” Van leans in and presses his forehead against mine. He lets out a heavy sigh. “I can’t do this, it just won’t work.

  CHAPTER 15—HOMEWARD BOUND

  I’m suffocating. All the air in my lungs is suddenly gone. My heartbeat thrashes in my ears and a sharp pain radiates in my chest. Everything’s closing in on me. Streams of tears roll down my cheeks. Oh my God, did he say what I think he said? I start to hyperventilate, becoming dizzy. I close my eyes. Please let this be a terrible nightmare. I slowly open them and clear my throat, trying to gather enough energy to speak.

  A few more sobs escape as I struggle to hold myself together. “Are you breaking up with me?” My body trembles and begins to collapse, crushed by emotion. I muster enough energy to turn and look at Van.

  Van looks over at me. His wide eyes search my face. “What? No!”

  He swerves over to the far end of the parking lot where it’s desolate and slams on the brakes. He grabs my face, wiping the tears away. “No baby. I never want to break up with you. I said I can’t do this as in I can’t let us be apart. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep us together. If you can’t be with me, then I’ll be with you.”

  I take a deep breath, leveling my heart rate. The tension releases from my body. “I’d be devastated if I lost you. I need you.” I try to stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks, but I just can’t shut them off.

  Van holds me as close as he can in the cramped sports car. He eases the driver’s seat backward and crawls into the back seat, pulling me with him. “Please stop crying.” He wipes away more tears with his thumbs as he holds my cheeks. He softly kisses my lips, staring into my eyes, he slowly pulls away.

  Finally, I catch my breath and press my forehead against his. “We have to stop trying to plan out our lives. It’s tearing us apart. Your tour ends in October and I start work in September. By that time we’ll know what we need to do to be together, but we will be together, no matter what.”

  Van slowly brushes my hair behind my ear. “I’ll do whatever it takes for us to be together in the end.” He holds my hands, bringing them up to his face and kissing my fingers without breaking eye contact.

  What’s that black residue on his fingers? I look into the rearview mirror. Ugh! I am a complete mess. There’s mascara running down my face, my hair looks like a rat’s nest, and my dress is ripped.

  I try to wipe the black make-up off my face with a piece of my torn dress. “Oh my God! I look like a raccoon that just crawled out of a dumpster.”

  “We make quite the couple tonight.” Van holds out his hands, black with mascara and covered in blood from his busted knuckles.

  I lunge toward him, sealing our lips together and desperately pulling at the button of his jeans, unable to unfasten it fast enough to satisfy my desire. My heart hammers in my chest. I need to feel him, to be close to him right now. I push the seat as far as it will go to give us more space and I free him from the dense fabric of his jeans. I breathe heavily, my whole body electrified in an array of tingles. I hike up what’s left of my dress, exposing some of the silk lingerie and slip out a leg out of my panties. I want to feel him inside of me. I slam myself onto him as quickly as I can. I gasp as he fills me.

  He lets out a loud groan as he guides my hips, meeting my thrust with his. Our bodies move in a perfect choreographed rhythm. I need to please him after this trying night. Pure adrenaline surges through my body as we both find our release in unison.

  I collapse onto Van, panting heavily, and wrap my arms around his neck. I lay my head on his shoulder, still keeping him inside of me. My pounding heart begins to slow as we catch our breaths. We have such a unique physical connection. What was I thinking? We can’t have a long distance relationship for a lengthy period of time. Six weeks is going to be pure torture.

  Van kisses me softly as he eases himself out of me. He tucks my hair behind my ears. “We better get home before security shows up.”

  Dark shadows bounce off the fogged up windows. “I feel like we’re sixteen years-old in my parents’ car.” I wipe the window with my hand. “Please take me home. I’ve had enough of the real world for tonight.”

  Van helps me back up to the front seat of the car and we drive back to his house.

  I’m afraid to walk past a mirror. I follow Van like a duckling. He heads to the kitchen, pours two glasses of wine, and then continues up to the bedroom. At least the whole night isn’t ruined. Romance is still in the air.

  He leads me into the bathroom and starts the water, adding some musky body wash to make bubbles. “I think we need to relax.” He sets the wine on the tiles and takes off his clothes.

  I remove what’s left of my dress and drop it to the floor.

  His eyes travel along the silk green lingerie. He runs his tongue along his lips. “Damn, you’re beautiful. Make sure you save that.”

  I look down at my tattered nightie, then back up at Van. He holds out his hand, taking me into the sea of bubbles. We let the warm water wash away all the negativity of the day.

  ∞

  No rest for the weary. We wake up and start packing our things. Time to get back on the road. Van still has another two months on tour. I head downstairs and pour a glass of orange juice while he makes a quick phone call to check in with Marcus and the guys.

  I can’t believe it’s already the middle of August. Sydney’s bachelorette party is next week. I better give Brooke a quick call to finalize our plans.

  “Hey Brooke, is everything ready for the party?”

  “I double checked and we’re all set with the hall, the limo, and most importantly the stripper.” She meows into the phone. “It’s going to be a blast. How are you and the rock god?”

  “We’re awesome,” I pause, “Better than awesome actually. I’m really excited to see you. Life isn’t the same when you are minus your best friend.”

  “Aw, I miss you too. I’ve got to get back to work. See you Saturday.”

  I hang up the phone and sink into the couch. Finally, some time with my favorite girls. I’m sure there’ll be an extensive inquisition from both my family and Brooke. Ugh, Van’
s going to have to meet my family soon. How long can I procrastinate? It’s going to go as smoothly as a train wreck, but if we plan to be together in the long term, they need to at least talk to him. Soft lips brush against the back of my neck.

  “All set for the big bachelorette party?” Van raises his eyebrows.

  I raise my eyes and lift my chin. I managed to plan the whole party while on the road. “All we have to do is show up.”

  Van plays with my fingers. “I’m not thrilled about some greased up stripper having his hands all over you. In case you didn’t notice, I get jealous.”

  “Well I’m not thrilled about skanky groupies hanging all over you, but you do what you got to do, right?” I smirk and fold my arms. There’s no way he can ever win this argument. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m insanely jealous all the time.”

  “Oh, I’ve noticed.” Van pulls me close, kissing my lips. “Too bad you’re wasting your time. I only want you and no one else even remotely compares.”

  My heart is about to beat out of my chest. An overabundance of electrical impulses drifts from my head to my toes. I jump up and tackle him onto the couch. Alone time is hard to come by on the road so these last few minutes need to be used wisely.

  ∞

  We’re on the road again. Devil’s Garden is pulling in larger crowds with each passing show. The concert in Oklahoma saw the largest crowd that the band brought in on their own to date. Our next stop is Texas, where two shows are scheduled. After the second one, I fly back to Cherry Falls for the party.

  Van holds on to me every free moment we have. I love the extra attention, but we’re both being overly dramatic. I’ll only be gone for a few days.

  ∞

  Time passes quickly once again. It’s early Saturday morning and we’re on our way to the airport. My maid of honor duties are calling. Jeeze, am I in a romance movie? I stand with Van until the last possible minute, holding him close and hugging him tightly. I weave my fingers through his hair and plant a long passionate kiss on his perfect soft lips.

  ∞

  I trudge through the aisle of the plane, launch my carry on into the overhead compartment, and plop into my seat. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to hold back my tears. What’s wrong with me? We’ll only be away from each other for a few days. I rub my face with my hands and let my head fall back against the headrest. At least the other passengers at the gate got a show. We must have looked like star crossed lovers to the rest of the crowd.

  ∞

  I land in Cherry Falls and shoot Van a quick text, telling him I’ve arrived. I glance around the crowded airport. Where are Sydney and Brooke? They spot me and run toward the gate, frantically waving their hands in the air. I’m crushed into a three way hug. Maybe I have an affinity for cheesy airport scenes.

  ∞

  Sharing a bathroom with four women is quite a challenge. Time is of the essence. I fling my bag onto my old bed and start getting myself ready. Brooke and I ordered black tank tops customized with neon pink martini glasses on the front and the phrase Sydney’s bachelorette party underneath. On the back of Sydney’s shirt we added the word BRIDE. The required uniform for the evening is the tank top paired with jean shorts. Sydney sports a silly veil and a sash which reads bachelorette. Even my mom is ready for a wild night.

  ∞

  The Cherry Falls Community Hall looks like a flashback to the 70’s. A huge silver disco ball hangs from the ceiling, casting various hues and patterns as it spins. The floor blocks are each a different color. Sydney does the hustle over to me and pulls me into a hug. “Oh my God, you did an awesome job! I love it.”

  I hope she doesn’t cry. “You deserve it! It’s your last time to party as a single woman.” I hug her back tightly.

  “Let’s have a shot to celebrate Sydney tying the knot!” Brooke exclaims, holding a tray of shot glasses she took from the bar.

  I smile as we all raise our glasses and down our shots. “To a lifetime of love and happiness and a night to remember!”

  We continue to drink and dance as a small buffet of pizza, hoagies, chips, and crackers are brought out by the wait staff. I’m starving. It’s been a long day. Of course, I overindulge and stuff myself.

  Screaming sirens echo through the room. I cover my ears with my hands and raise my shoulders. The head waiter comes over, talking loud enough to drown out the noise but trying not to yell. “Sorry for the inconvenience folks. There’s a small grease fire in the kitchen which triggered the fire alarm. We need to wait for the fire company to come and shut it off. They should be here shortly.”

  Wow, that was quick. The alarm is silenced by two firemen who walk into the hall. They stop in front of Sydney. She’s trying to hide her frown.

  “Are you girls alright? There’s a fire burning pretty hot.”

  “Yes, we’re fine. Thank you for checking on us,” Sydney says.

  “I’m afraid it’s going to get even hotter in here ma’am,” the fireman says as they both tug on their outfits, ripping them off at the same instant the D.J. hits the music.

  We all hoot and holler at the sexy men grinding against Sydney. Her cheeks flush and she covers her face with her hands. Oh boy, she’s going to kill me. The two hot guys are wearing nothing but G-strings with flames on the front. They sandwich Sydney. A bead of sweat forms at the base of my neck. I look down at the floor. Please don’t let her kill me. I raise my eyes, at about the pace of a snail, and look up at her face. Her huge smile lights up the make-shift disco hall. Thank God she’s a great sport. She downs another shot and starts dancing and laughing along with the rest of us. These guys don’t have half the sex appeal of Van. He, however, is only allowed to strip for me. I guess I am pretty jealous and possessive.

  Enough embarrassment for Sydney tonight! We jump into the limo to start our night of bar hopping. Ugh! My mother enjoyed the strippers more than Sydney; did she have to let them lick whipped cream off her neck? I really need to drink that image out of my mind.

  The first stop is called Cherry Hollow. Tonight they are featuring a local band playing classic rock. Emptiness forms in my chest, forming an empty pit. I miss Van. The band is good, but they don’t compare to Devil’s Garden. Of course, they notice our bachelorette party. Time for round two. Sydney is called onto the stage to dance while the band plays Foxy Lady. Thank God I remembered to bring my camera. Sydney may only remember bits and pieces of the night.

  The next few bars don’t offer any entertainment, so we make our own. Dancing like drunken sorority girls, we commandeer the jukeboxes while Sydney tries to accomplish a list of quests we gave her earlier. She has to get two guys’ phone numbers, get someone to buy her a shot, get three kisses on the cheek, and lastly dance with five random guys. Wow, she really can’t ignore a challenge. The guys she’s flirting with have to be at least sixty. Brooke and I are so hysterical, we can barely breathe.

  The limo takes us all to my mom’s house after a full night of bar hopping. Sydney passes out in the back seat. Great! I had my fill of cardio from all the dancing. Brooke takes her legs and I take her head. We lug her out of the limo and into her bedroom. I leave two Advil and a glass of water on her nightstand. She’ll thank me in the morning.

  Brooke camps out in my room. Thankfully, she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. I’m way too drunk and exhausted to talk anyway, plus I could use a good night’s sleep. I cringe and curl up in my bed. How long will the inquisition last tomorrow morning? I stretch, relax my muscles, and burrow my head into the pillow. Van’s right. Even though I haven’t lived here in years, there’s nothing better than sleeping in your own bed.

  ∞

  The sun peeks through the window, blaring through my eyelids. I squint and glance at the clock. No way, it’s noon? A slight throbbing pulsates in my temple. I sit up and grimace. Brooke must be downstairs already. I snatch my cell phone from the nightstand. Ooh, a new text from Van.

  Hope you’re feeling alright this morning. The st
rippers better not have been too frisky.

  I chuckle. Is he really jealous of a stripper?

  I think they were just frisky enough.

  My phone chimes.

  Yeah, not funny. I miss you!

  Flames shoot through my body.

  I miss you too. I wish you were here with me.

  I press send and pull on shorts and a T-shirt. My phone chimes again.

  Me too. We’ll be together soon.

  I can’t wait to see Van again. The very second he’s in my field of vision I’m launching myself into his arms. Long live the cheesy airport scenes! I put my cell phone in my pocket and make my way downstairs. Mom, Sydney, and Brooke are having coffee at the kitchen table.

  “You’re the last one up. I guess you’re used to rocker’s hours.” Brooke smirks at me.

  “Van texted me, so he was technically up first.” I rub my temple. “I haven’t been bar hopping in a while. I must be out of practice.” I go over to the coffee pot and pour myself a cup. The aroma of the fresh grind alone helps perk me up.

  Sydney looks up at me. “Thanks for the Advil sis. It was a God-send. Was that a trick you learned on the road?”

  I lower my eyebrows. “No, that’s a trick I learned from rooming with Brooke for the last four years.” I add some sugar and stir.

  Brooke and I look at each other and start laughing. I take a seat next to her.