Learn to Fly

by Heidi Hutchinson

  Luke looked over at Sway who shrugged, “I don’t care, man. You already ruined any chance of seduction on my part. It’s still a better name than what Blake thought up.”

  “Trophy Wives would have been an amazing name, you jag,” Blake Diedrich said from the seat directly in front of Lenny.

  Blake was also a guitarist, but played the grungier side of their songs. He was older than the rest of them and had come from a different band years ago. He was more punk rock than metal rock, but his sound blended nicely with the rest of the group. Blake had turned around a few times during the conversation and Lenny hadn't missed the appraising gaze that came from his green eyes. He was tall and lean with jet black, short, spiky hair and just like all the other band members, he had tattoos and muscles.

  They could easily fit in with the guys Lenny worked out with at her local gym. Or a random biker gang.

  “I always liked Taco Night,” Sway smiled impishly.

  “Anything is better than Taco Night,” Mike interjected, receiving a scowl from Sway.

  “So, you guys just picked a name out of a hat or what?” Lenny was trying to follow along.

  Harrison turned around to face her and Luke again, “Here’s the deal, we grew up in Boston, right?” He waited for Lenny to nod so he knew she was paying attention. “Okay, Sway has always had a…penchant for the ladies.” Lenny looked over at Sway who winked and she resisted another eye roll. “When he was only seventeen he started to sneak onto the campus at Boston University to scam on college chicks.”

  “Why college chicks?” Lenny asked, her mouth ticking up on one side.

  “Because college chicks are experienced and usually pretty easy,” Sway said matter of fact.

  “Dude,” Mike grimaced with disapproval.

  “Anyway,” Harrison continued, “BU does a lot of research, and some girls picked up on the fact that Sway wasn’t a student. They developed an experiment in order to study attraction and how strong a teenage boy’s libido could be. They did a double blind study in which Sway didn’t know he was part of an experiment and neither did the girls he was scamming on. It was going great for them until Sway got caught by campus police. They threw him out and threatened to turn him in on charges of seduction.”

  “Is that real?” Lenny asked, incredulous.

  “Yeah, Frank Sinatra was charged for it too, you know,” Sway said, making a sexy face and blowing Lenny a kiss.

  Lenny shook her head and waited for Harrison to finish.

  “My sister was the one who organized the study, that’s how I found out about it,” Harrison folded his hands together and rested his chin on his knuckles. “We decided that our band was basically that, a double blind study to the public where they didn’t know they were part of it and neither did we. ‘Course we’re more sober now than when we started. So I suppose we’re more aware of our actions.”

  “Yeah, and you really don’t want to have to go to all the trouble of changing your album covers and t-shirts,” Lenny teased.

  “And Blake would have to get that tattoo removed,” Harrison added.

  “You tattooed the name of your own band on yourself?!” Lenny pulled herself up to look at Blake, “Lemme see it.”

  Blake tried to feign annoyance but he clearly liked the attention. He stood up on the plane and yanked his shirt up to expose his impressive six-pack and the large tattoo scrawled in black ink across the width of his chest:

  DOUBLE BLIND STUDY

  “That’s nice and subtle,” Lenny said sarcastically with a grin.

  “I was excited…” Blake tried to defend, putting his shirt back down.

  “Dude, you were drunk,” Harrison corrected. Blake shrugged in confession.

  “Blake came back with the tattoo and we didn’t have much of a choice after that,” Harrison finished his story.

  They spent the entire flight laughing and entertaining Lenny. They talked easily, having no reservations about her seemingly innocent presence. She had built the perfect platform for her next statement. It was time to cast the net.

  “You guys make it sound fun but hard. I wish I could come along to help you out,” her voice light and sweet. This was it.

  They all exchanged glances, momentarily silent. Harrison spoke first, “Actually, we do need an assistant-”

  “Dude!” Blake smacked him.

  “Ow!” Harrison protested, rubbing his arm. ”What?! Maybe it’ll get Carl off our back!”

  They all seemed to consider this for a minute. Luke turned to Lenny and asked, “What do you say Lenny? You wanna join a bunch of ugly, smelly guys for a few months?”

  Lenny smiled. Her plan had worked. She nodded at all of them and kept her tone even as she replied, “What do you mean? Like, work for you?” She tried to look confused.

  “Yeah,” Harrison's face lit up, “then you can hang out with us every day.”

  “That would be amazing,” Lenny smiled but she noticed Luke's eyes shift down and away from hers. The other members were already discussing how they could sell the idea to Carl but Luke remained silent. He'd already given his verbal approval and Lenny got the distinct impression that Luke was the leader in more areas than just lead singer. If he had disagreed with this than the deal would have been off.

  Luke suddenly came back to the conversation and his easy smile returned. Whatever he had been thinking about had been settled and Lenny tried to push his obvious discomfort with her to the back of her mind. She would just have to prove to him that she could do the job.

  Chapter 2

  Times Like These

  Shane: Lenny won't answer her phone or any of my texts

  Cody: so it's over then

  I’d think you'd be happy about this

  Shane: she didn't tell you where she was going?

  Cody: Nope.

  But you know her, she's not big on confrontation

  Shane: do you think she remembers?

  Cody: it's been 2 years

  pretty sure it would've come up by now

  relax, you're finally off the hook

  we both are

  ***

  Luke was uneasy. Again. Hiring Lenny excited him and he knew it shouldn't. She was gorgeous, and that would present a whole set of issues. But, she was also smart and seemed to genuinely fit into the dynamic of the group. It had been a long time since Luke had gotten this flustered over the presence of the opposite sex, it was like being a teenager all over again, hence the unease.

  Luke wasn’t the oldest, but he felt the most responsibility for the rest of the guys. The band had always looked to him to be the leader, in more ways than simply musically. Luke took it all in stride. He had no problem being the one everyone else expected to make the hard decisions, the one to lead by example. After what had happened in Germany two years ago to Mike…well, he couldn’t let anything like that happen again.

  Luke was aware of Carl's apprehension in regards to the tour and what obstacles could potentially arise. He couldn’t see that they had grown up and things were different now. At least, they all hoped they were different.

  Their opening show in Chicago went smoothly. They had gone directly from the airport to the venue, meeting Carl backstage and presenting Lenny to him. Carl had been annoyed, not unexpectedly. They were always coming up with new ways to make his job harder than it needed to be. Most of the time Carl's veto held solid, but he had caved under Harrison's pleas and Blake's outright promise of defiance. The band did need an assistant, and Lenny had been the most decent candidate to come along in a while.

  “Decent candidate,” Luke rolled his eyes as he recalled Sway's description of the newest member of their entourage. They had each driven away a number of women in the past, be it from heartbreak, exhaustion or restraining order. Luke felt his gut clench at the thought that Lenny would eventually be another casualty of their fame.

  But maybe not. She didn't seem nearly as naive as most women he'd known over the years. She was audacious and self-aware. If she had
any insecurities or illusions about what her job would be, it wasn't obvious. And with the guys new commitment to being straight laced and sober for the first time in their lives, she just might have a chance of leaving this tour emotionally intact.

  Luke raked his fingers through his hair and let out a sigh. He shouldn't be having so many thoughts about the new girl. It was a dangerous path to start down. Luke found it unusual that the rest of the group was so taken with her, they barely knew her. However, he couldn't judge, as he was the one standing on his hotel balcony devoting every stray thought to her. He sighed again and tried to shake some new thoughts into his distracted brain.

  He truly felt like the only one who was apprehensive about adding a female into the mix this early in the tour. It had turned out so badly last time. But then again, that wasn't the fault of the women around them; that had been their own poor choices.

  His hotel room was on the top floor; and just below he could see the buses getting loaded. They would travel by bus for the tour through the States, and then fly overseas for a few shows in Europe. Departure was to be early in the morning, about twelve hours from now. This was probably the only night they would get a hotel, at least for a while. He and Mike would share a bus while Sway, Harrison and Blake would share another. They had five sleeper buses to accommodate the large crew that their show required which is where Lenny would ride.

  Things were sure different than when they started out ten years ago.

  Luke returned to the interior of the room and closed the sliding glass door.

  Mike came in from the hallway and crashed face first onto one of the beds, “Holy shit, I’m tired.”

  Luke chuckled, “Maybe you should’ve slept last night instead of practicing your bluff so late.”

  “Practice makes perfect…or something like that.” Mike closed his eyes, “I’m gonna sleep now. Go away or be quiet.”

  Luke left the room quietly, thinking that a walk might do him some good. Maybe he could help with something. He hated sitting around anyway.

  His nerves were more than likely in direct correlation to the huge tour they were embarking on at dawn and had nothing to do with the chick who seemed to be at the forefront of his thoughts. He had to keep his head clear. He had to stay alert. If he wanted this band to not only survive the industry but their own past mistakes, he needed to focus on the music. Not on Lenny's thousand watt smile.

  Easier said than done.

  “Carl put you to work already?” He asked as he came up beside her. The wind was tossing loose strands from her tied back hair around her face. She turned to smile at him and his stomach tightened. She was crazy beautiful.

  “I like to stay busy,” Lenny noticed Luke’s frown as he chastised himself internally and she misunderstood its meaning, “I can’t justify being your assistant if I’m not actually assisting.

  “Carl gave me the low down on what's allowed on the buses and what's not,” she gestured to the checklist in her hand and motioned for him to follow her inside the bus. She pointed out the items as she listed them, “You have all your gear and favorite foods on board. A fully stocked fridge with soda and water,” she emphasized, “and not the cheap kinds, mind you, but the good stuff.” Luke followed her through the interior of the bus as she showed him where the sheets and and towels were located. “And I went ahead and programmed my number in your phone.”

  Luke looked down at her hand and saw her extending his iPhone towards him. He took it and his thumb slid across the face as he tried to figure out what to say. Why did her presence muddle his thoughts?

  “So you can call me when you need anything,” she smiled at his blank face and bit her bottom lip. Probably to keep from laughing at his total lack of cool.

  “You didn’t have to do all this for me.” This was the first time they had really been alone and Luke was aware of the close proximity they were in, standing in the main lounge of the bus. It was unnerving. And intoxicating.

  Lenny laughed, “Not just you, all the guys,” she shook her head slightly at his expression, “I already gave the others their phones. You're just the last one to finally wander down here.”

  Luke stared at her, realizing she was only doing her job. Taking care of him, of them, was her job. He looked down at the phone in his hand. They had a working relationship. She wasn't a groupie. She wasn't flirting with him. She wasn't treating him like a rock star.

  “And I already gave the big speech to everyone else so I might as well give it to you too,” Lenny continued, her blue eyes taking on a serious glint, “Carl told me that there is to be no booze or babes allowed on board.”

  Luke felt a smirk beginning on his face and he tried to repress it. He wanted to make a joke about how that meant she was already breaking the rules, but he figured she probably didn't place herself in the 'babes' category.

  “Don't make that face,” Lenny took on a scolding tone. “I'll be around to inspect regularly and I have no problem being the bad guy.”

  “You're really taking this job seriously, aren't you?” Luke tried to keep his statement from sounding condescending.

  Lenny arched an eyebrow at him as if she was expecting a challenge.

  “You have my full support,” Luke tipped his head towards her and he thought he detected the hint of a blush starting low on her neck. But maybe he was wrong about that too.

  She gave a small, sideways smile that nearly melted Luke on the spot. When she turned to leave the bus, he automatically followed her.

  As they stepped down into the humid July evening, Lenny turned and pursed her lips. She narrowed her eyes and Luke braced himself for what he thought was going to be an admonishment for him looking at her butt as they had exited the vehicle. He thought he'd diverted his eyes before she'd noticed, but now he wasn't so sure.

  “What?” Luke asked innocently.

  Lenny sucked in a breath and hesitated before taking a step closer to him. Luke reflexively inhaled her scent and hoped she didn't notice. If she did, she didn't say. She held his eyes for a beat.

  “I know I don't know the whole story about what happened with Mike...” she spoke slowly and Luke could tell she was trying to find the right words, “but I really admire how you all are supporting his sobriety by keeping alcohol off the buses.”

  “We're a family, and family's support each other,” he explained simply. It really was that simple and he was thankful that she had reminded him of that. Of the real reason they were embarking on this possibly disaster-filled adventure once again.

  “I don't have parents or siblings or anything like that,” Luke had no idea why he felt the compulsory need to spill his life secrets to her, he didn't even know her. He could say it was something in her eyes that he trusted. Or the way she turned her head slightly when she was listening to him that signaled his words were safe in the space that existed between them. “These guys are more than friends to me. They are my family.”

  She reached up to touch her lips, like she wanted to ask a question but had to stop herself. He was curious what she would ask; what direction her questions would take them in this impromptu albeit personal conversation.

  Lenny's eyes drifted to something over his shoulder and Luke knew she was suddenly very far away.

  “Yeah,” she agreed, her voice rough. And then, as if realizing where she was, her eyes snapped back to his and she pulled the clipboard to her chest protectively. “Well, I'm pretty much done here for the day,” she began to back away from him and forced a smile. “You better get some rest tonight, you have to be amazing tomorrow.”

  Luke gave her a nod as she departed quickly, heading for the hotel. He wondered what had spooked her. Maybe that was in his head, but it seemed like something was on her mind, and damn if he didn't want to follow her and ask her what it was. He didn't understand the impulsive need he felt to keep talking to her. Figure her out, let her figure him out.

  “Ah, hell,” he muttered to himself. Sticking his phone in his back pocket, he watched Len
ny's blonde hair disappear through the entrance. He thought about trying to catch up to her but he waited a few extra minutes to let her get ahead. He didn’t need to know where she was going. Probably to her room. He didn’t need to know which room was hers. He didn’t need to think about her at all. In fact, he should probably try to stay as far away from her as possible. She worked for them now, and sleeping with her, while that would probably get her out of his head, wasn’t a good idea. Not to mention the fact that he'd be starting out the tour with the same bad decisions that had plagued him all during the last one.

  Besides, she didn’t seem like the kind of girl to crawl in bed with a rock star. She was better than that.

  And that's exactly why he wanted to explore that gorgeous chaos he could see behind her blue eyes.

  Luke made it up back to the top floor without seeing Lenny again. He quietly changed his clothes and headed to the hotel weight room. Maybe an hour of intense sweating would help sort out his confused desires.

  An hour accidentally turned into two. Even though he kept repeating to himself to stop thinking about her, Lenny was all that filled his thoughts. Where had she come from? What was her story? As he burned out his bodies reserves on another dropset, he realized he knew very little about this woman they had so readily invited into their lives. That was going to have to change.

  ***

  Lenny showered and dressed quickly, opting to skip pajamas and wear her jeans and grey V-neck tee to bed. It would save time in the morning. Sleeping fully clothed wasn’t anything new for her anyway; it was practically a way of life living at higher elevations. She combed her long, wet hair and twisted it into her standard braid. Just as she was finishing brushing her teeth, she heard a knock at her hotel room door.

  She crossed the room and looked through the peep hole. It was Carl, pacing in the hallway. She grimaced and unlocked the door to let him in. As he entered, she could smell cigarette smoke mixed with his aftershave.