Music of the Soul 1, 2, & 3 Starter Bundle

by Erik Schubach

  She released the hug and Riley smiled at her and replied, “I've been hearing that a lot lately,” then she reclaimed my hand... and my heart... for her own again. I blushed at Riley and bit my lower lip, and started playing with my ponytail with my other hand. Then I turned to Leanna. “So, would it be possible to... You know...”

  Leanna just smiled and unclipped the thick velvet rope blocking the stairwell, “Shoo! Up with you! You only get five minutes, the next tour starts in ten.” I smiled my thanks to her and dragged Riley up the stairs to the lens room.

  Just before I got to the top with a giggling Riley in tow, I got lost in a memory. “I had tripped on the stairs here and skinned my knee back then. I started to cry and my dad had picked me up and carried me the rest of the way. Then sat me here.” I pointed at the bench by the window overlooking the Sound, with a wistful smile.

  “My tears stopped immediately when I saw the majesty of Puget Sound from this vantage point, with Whidbey Island raising from the water on the horizon like a leviathan. It was then that I knew that my dad was sharing something more with me than just a tourist attraction.” I confessed.

  I sat down with her on the bench and I loved the childlike amazement in her eyes as she looked back to the lens then out across the waters. I let go of her hand and instead snuggled into her, my head resting in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. She put an arm around me and we just sat there, being with each other, watching the horizon until I heard a voice being cleared at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Time's up Riley,” I whispered.

  She looked down and kissed my lips gently, our lip gloss sticking a bit as she pulled back. “Yup.” She smiled.

  We walked back down the stairs to a smiling Leanna. She hugged each of us saying, “Don't be a stranger... either of you.”

  I grinned. “Thank you, Lea. It meant a lot.”

  Riley chimed in, “Yes, thank you so much. It was great to meet you.”

  We wandered back to the car and hopped in. I fired a childlike smile at her. “Okay, next stop, the horizon!” This rewarded me with a grinning eye roll and a cute response, “Lead on oh cryptic one.” I started up the car and drove us down the block and into the line for the Clinton/South Whidbey Island ferry.

  I shot Riley a mischievous smile to which she snorted and we put on some loud music to sing along with as we waited. A girl band of course. The ferry arrived and I fished out a pass from a stack of them in my purse as we drove on, getting a snicker from my brunette beauty and a 'you know a guy' look from her. Then we drove onto the ferry's car deck and parked in our line. I reminded her to put on her jacket then we got out and I ran around to grab her hand and drag her smiling self up the stairs onto the observation deck.

  As the ferry started moving away from the dock I released her hand and put my arm around her waist and leaned my head into the crook of her neck as I spoke wistfully, pointing at the island in the distance. “When my mom and dad first took me on this ferry, my mother pointed at the island and said, 'The horizon is our gift, see how the island seems to grow right out of it as we approach? That's just for us, it is greeting us, opening its arms to us, excited to show us the wonders it holds. You ready to see what it has to offer?' As a child, I remember being filled with awe, as I nodded at her. So now I gift it to you Riley.”

  I looked up into her twinkling eyes and she leaned down to kiss my forehead with a soft, butterfly inducing smile, saying, “You are certainly something else, Cryster. Thanks for sharing this with me. I've never thought of my destination that way whenever I took the ferries in the past. It's a new perspective. Now it feels like flying for me.” I bit my lower lip and twirled my ponytail as she said that.

  We hugged then I spotted something in the water shadowing beside the ferry and pointed excitedly as an Orca whale breached the water's surface.

  “OMG! I love when the whales follow!” Riley chittered with a broad grin. We spent the short trip watching the whales play as we approached the island's embrace, smiling and pointing like we were little kids.

  We spent the next hour driving the length of the island, talking about my childhood and the things my family did on the island. We took in the spectacular views of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I relayed the story of the Saratoga Passage as we drove through it.

  Then I was getting excited as we approached Deception Pass Park and she picked up on it and asked, “What's up Crys-munk?”

  I grinned at her as I pulled into the car park before Deception Pass Bridge and replied cheerily, “This!” I hopped out of the car before she could say anything and ran around to her side and opened the door for her.

  I don't think she could have got rid of her grin if she wanted to, before she could get out I murmured, “You're so beautiful,” and leaned into the car to give her a passionate, but short kiss, laughing at her stunned look as I grabbed her hands and dragged her out of the car.

  I was dragging her behind me as we made our way to the bridge. I stopped at the walkway onto it and released her hand. “Lunch awaits, my lady.” I bowed and gestured toward the bridge. She smiled and bowed her head slightly and regally started the march across the steel trestle bridge, one hundred and eighty feet above the water, me hustling to her side. She looked around as we walked. “Now I DO feel like I'm flying. This is spectacular, I've never thought to do this.”

  We held hands and just marveled at the view in a comfortable silence, just soaking everything in, just soaking each other in. As we approached the end of the quarter mile stretch to Pass Island, I spoke up, “This is where my parents told me, 'You can now tell people that you walked across the ocean from one island to another.' I was amazed and in a little bit of awe, kids see things like that with a little more wonder than adults. So now... you can say the same. Welcome to Pass Island!”

  She looked at me with twinkling eyes as she spoke softly, “I feel as though I am seeing all of this through your eyes as a little girl.” I smiled and grabbed her hand as we reached the small car park and dragged her off to the side, making our way into the trees past the observation point. “Where are we going?” she giggled to me.

  “Here!” I said bouncing on my heels and looking into her eyes as we arrived at a checkered blanket with a picnic basket on it. I gestured grandly with my hands, “Lunch your highness!”

  She chuckled, “Stealing a page from my book I see.”

  I grinned and started twirling my ponytail end and biting my lower lip as I replied, “I told you I got some ideas from our last date.”

  We had a fun time with our picnic lunch. Talking, chatting, laughing and feeding each other. We just enjoyed being close to one another. Somehow it ended with me in her arms in a steamy make out session that I didn't ever want to end. Her lips were so soft and talented, her arms so possessive. Her tongue owned mine when we deepened the kissing, I happily ceded dominance to her.

  But then she broke us out of it, not making eye contact and said softly, “Maybe we better get back to the car.”

  What did I do wrong? I looked at my shoes and nodded. We cleaned up and made our way back to the bridge with the basket. Riley didn't say anything the whole way back to the car, and I was too scared to say the wrong thing. She looked deep in thought.

  After stowing the basket in the trunk, we got into the car and I hesitated with the key in the ignition then said softly, scared to make eye contact, “Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”

  I chanced a glance at her as she exhaled, looking at the ceiling of the car and running her hands through her hair and saying, “No, I'm sorry. You are sharing your childhood memories with me and here I am ruining things. I'm thinking too much.”

  I placed my hand on her's and felt her tense for a second like she was debating on pulling it away, but then she laced our fingers.

  She looked over at me and raised my chin with a finger so our eyes met. I missed those sparkling browns since the picnic. Then like a switch was flipped, her mood changed and she w
as smiling again. “This has to be the weirdest 'date' I have ever been on, but surprisingly one of the best.”

  This brought my smile back out of its temporary storage spot and back onto my face as I released her hand for a moment to start the car.

  She asked, “What's next?”

  “Home,” I stated, taking a deep breath as I pulled out onto Highway 2 and across the bridge toward the Interstate 5 interchange. “That was what I wanted to share with you, Riley. Only Bevi knows about these trips with my parents; she was on them enough as we were growing up. But there is just something about you that makes me WANT to share.”

  She bit her lower lip then replied, “That means a great deal to me. Thanks, Cryster.” Then she squeezed my hand and reached for the iPod, cuing up, to my surprise, some girl bands. Sparking off another hour and a half of improve karaoke and laughter with us on the ride back.

  I pulled up to her loft at 3:00 and stopped at the curb. She leaned over and gave me quick peck on the lips. I could still feel her lips on mine as she started typing something on her phone then said, “Thanks! This was really fun and I loved the memories you shared. They made me look at things I normally take for granted in a different light.”

  I just gave her a tiny wave, still cooling down from her quick kiss as she got out.

  She made a grand gesture hitting her phone's screen with a finger. My cell buzzed [ bored ] She was grinning at me through the windshield as I typed back [ get in ]. I heard her laugh as she hopped back in.

  “What took you so long?” she giggled out to me as we made our way back to my place.

  Chapter 8 – It all goes to Hell

  We hit a movie rental kiosk on the way to my condo, and paid with some free rental coupons I just happened to have. This of course gaining the prerequisite smiling eye roll from Riley. Then it was off to the market for some wine. I don't think we spent more than five minutes not laughing and gossiping.

  At one point I asked about Silent Bob's geeky call sign, and found out that it wasn't what I was thinking at all.

  Riley had laughed and said, “Her name is Roberta Valentine but she likes to be called Bobbi. She had worked with her uncle Stuart's outdoor outfitters and mountain tours and guide shop since she was like twelve. When she grew up, her business chops were second to none right out of college and she was a whiz at investing and was already accumulating quite a tidy nest egg.”

  She smiled in reflection. “When Stu's business was on the brink of bankruptcy a few years back, Bobbi stepped up to fund it and lent financial and business advice. Everyone in the industry knew that she was the silent partner that saved the business, and all the regulars at the shop did too. They all started calling her Silent Bob.”

  Then Riley's face fell, it made me want to hug her as she continued. “When Stuart passed away all the regulars urged her to take over the business, since she had helped resurrect it and made it better than ever. She changed the name to Silent Bob's Cascade Experience and the rest is history.”

  Then she tilted her head at me and smiled. “Her skills kind of compliment yours. Where you excel in networking and coordinating things to go smoothly, she is on the execution end. She can pull some rabbits out of her hat and get things set up in the mountains on next to no notice.”

  I grinned, “Like a picnic in the woods.” She nodded with a conspiratorial look.

  Then my smile faltered as I asked, playing with my ponytail nervously, “So why did you guys break up?”

  She looked contemplative. “I think it came down to the fact that I was more of a hookup and have fun kind of girl, and she wanted something more substantial, a relationship. At that time I wasn't ready for that. But the past few months I've been seeing a change in myself. Like maybe I'm tired of the disposable relationships and want something more myself.”

  “With her?” I almost whispered hoarsely. Was I jealous?

  She quickly replied, like she was worried about my response, “No. No, we had our time together. It's not like that anymore. We've moved beyond that and are great friends and help each others business out. Kind of making our own mini Cryster-network.” She winked at me, proud of herself for coining a new term for my marker system. I couldn't help but laugh and smile at her child-like grin.

  We made our way back to the condo and parked the car, then walked hand in hand into the lobby and up to my place. Just as I was opening the door, she leaned in playfully and pecked me on my lips and pushed her way past me. My automatic response was to curl my toes and bite my lower lip to fight the heat inside me as I watched her sway her way to the kitchen to put the wine down on the counter.

  We had just got settled in on the couch under a blanket with our glasses of wine, some chips and cheese cubes, and cued up the first movie when the condo door swung open. Bevi trudged in like she was exhausted and deflated mumbling, “Work sucks! Must... shower... day's... stink... away...” stripping clothing off between words as she walked to her room, totally naked by the time she closed her door.

  Riley and I shared a blush and a laugh. I shrugged, “That's Bevi for you.”

  Riley crinkled her nose as she laughed out, “I never really thought there were people in the world who had no modesty until I met her.”

  I grinned as we turned back to the movie and replied, “That's all part of her... unique... charm.”

  For the next half hour I spent more time snuggled up against Riley tracing little circles on the exposed skin of her abs below her shirt's hem and studying her eyes than watching the movie. She spent most of that same time rubbing the back of my other hand with her thumb and staring back into my eyes.

  Then Bev's door opened and she wandered out, clean and fresh, and stood in front of us and struck a pose. Looking at Riley and grinning like an idiot. “Look Jane! Clothes!” Motioning down to the oversized t-shirt and boxer shorts she was sporting.

  This got a snort from Riley. “Very good Beverly. And Cryster here didn't think you could be trained!”

  We all shared a laugh and Bev laid down on the couch with her head in our laps. “Cheese me, daahlings!” She opened her mouth and Riley smiled in mirth as she dropped a cheese cube into Bev's waiting mouth.

  Bev grinned and sat up then stood to head to the kitchen, calling back, “So what are we watching?” I spoke loudly over my shoulder toward the kitchen, “We have an assortment of chick flicks and action films.” This got the expected reply I cringed and waited for, “Ooooo nice! Boobs and booms!” This elicited a giggle from Riley.

  A moment later Bev returned with a full glass of wine and sat at the far end of the couch, giving us a little space. I smiled a thank you to her for that to which she winked back and took a huge gulp of her wine. I was about to say something when my mind went blank as Riley started cupping and gently stoking my breast over my shirt under the blanket. My hand finding its way into her pocket.

  By the end of the first movie, we were starting to get into some heavier petting... with me trying hard to breath normally so Bev didn't catch on. Riley knew she was in full control and I gladly ceded it to her, she pretty much owned me on that couch.

  When Bevi got up to switch the DVDs out, Riley took her hand out from under the blanket, and looked at me with an unreadable expression as thought processes finally started up again in my head. “How much longer till the first movie is done?” I whispered.

  She leaned down and kissed my lips quickly with a smirk, “It's already over. Bev is cuing up the next one now.”

  Then as Beverly was coming back to the couch, Riley reached over to my ponytail, tilting her head at me for permission.

  Bev chirped, “Sorry Jane, She's kind of 'crazy lady' about her hair. Only three people have ever seen her without her ponytail since we were like five. Her parents and me.” I looked down at the floor.

  Riley gently moved my gaze back to her eyes with a single guiding finger, then reached for my ponytail again. “May I?” I bit my lower lip and gave her a tiny nod, swallowing. I don't know why I'm so scare
d.

  “No way.” Bevi murmured, her eyes wide with surprise that I'd allow it.

  Riley slid the scrunchie out of my hair and ran her fingers through my long chestnut locks and fanned my hair out across my shoulders. Her pupils dilated as her eyes darkened, she bit her lower lip then whispered in a husky voice, “Holy shit! I thought you were beautiful before... but Cryster... wow!”

  I looked shyly down then started to tie my hair back up but she stopped me with a gentle hand on mine saying, “No please. Leave it down. Why do you hide it away like that?”

  I glanced nervously between her and a stunned Bev as I quietly answered, “It's stupid. – When I was really young, my hair was thin and wispy and kind of stuck out everywhere, all static like. The kids in kindergarten teased me about it. Beverly had punched one of the boys in the face who had laughed at me. Then walked over and gathered my hair into a ponytail and used a little string bracelet I had made her to tie it up.”

  I grinned over at Bev, I had never told her this. “Then she said to me, 'There! This looks much better on my best friend!' Even back then I thought she was amazing for protecting me like a sister. If she said it looked better, well... then it must. So since then, I sorta never left the house without my ponytail... I guess it just became an obsessive habit, a safety net of sorts.” I shrugged, feeling self conscious with my hair down like this.

  “You never told me that was the reason, sis,” Bevi said softly. I shrugged again and buried my face in Riley's neck to hide.

  Riley said, “Well, I love your hair down. You should come out of hiding more often.”

  I looked up at her, frightened but amazed, “Really?”

  She nodded down to me and kissed the top of my head and whispered, “Really.”

  Bev added a “Really,” too.

  “God, why do I feel so self conscious like this? And why does it feel like something heavy just went down? It's just hair right?” I whispered to the girls. I reached up to play with my non-existent ponytail just to drop my hand into my lap. They were both just smiling at me, so I grabbed the remote and started the movie so they'd stop looking at me. Bev helped herself to another large glass of wine.