Surrender

by Rachel Ryan

  A couple of times I notice Jeremy and Jo giving each other strange looks, or one staring at the other when they think they’re not looking. I wonder what’s going on there.

  Just as the night sky starts to lighten a little, Jo stands up.

  “I need to get to bed. Good night all. I hope you enjoyed the party and see you all in the morning.” She staggers a little on her heels and Jeremy gets up to help her inside as we all thank her for a wonderful party.

  The door closes behind them and I look over at Ava to find her watching me with a closed lipped smile.

  I grin back at her.

  “What are you smiling at?”

  “I don’t know…I just feel…happy.”

  I gaze into her golden eyes and nod my head.

  “Yeah…me too.”

  We sit and chat for a while longer and then fall into a comfortable silence as we watch the sunrise. She’s staring out at the horizon, her hair swaying gently in the breeze and I find myself watching her.

  “It’s so pretty.”

  “It sure is.”

  She glances at me and I see a slight blush creeping up her cheeks, which makes her look even prettier.

  She suddenly stands and looks down at me.

  “I guess I should be getting home.”

  I stand up and follow her as she enters the living room and we chuckle when we see Jeremy passed out and snoring, the couch obviously too small for him as his legs are hanging over one end.

  Ava quickly calls a cab on her phone and then we make our way outside to wait for it. The street is quiet as we walk down the path to the road, Ava’s high heels clicking on the concrete, making my eyes drift to her slender legs.

  While we wait for the cab to arrive, I ask Ava to tell me about the first time we met.

  Her face lights up in a wide smile as she recounts the elevator ride at the hotel.

  “As soon as the doors opened and I saw your eyes, I knew there was something there. They are the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  She glances down at the sidewalk before slowly lifting her face to look at me. She blushes again and my heart melts. I take a step toward her and just as I’m about to return the compliment the cab pulls up beside us.

  I step back and reach out to open the door for her. Once she is settled in the cab I lean down to ask her a question.

  “Can we maybe get together sometime this week? You know…to look through some photos of the tour. They might help jog some kind of memory.”

  She nods her head and grins.

  “I have some photos on my phone, but the rest are on my computer at work. Maybe you could come in on Monday and have a look at them.”

  “That would be great. I’ll see you on Monday morning?”

  “That sounds good. Do you know where the office is?”

  “I’ll find it.”

  “Okay, see you then.”

  I give her one last smile and her eyes stay on me as I close the door. The cab pulls away and I watch it until it becomes a speck.

  ***

  Monday morning arrives and I’m so freaking anxious I wake at the butt crack of dawn and can’t get back to sleep, so I potter around the house trying to find things to do to make the time pass quicker. I feel nervous every time I check the time and see that I am a little closer to seeing Ava again. She really has made quite an impression and I don’t think I have ever felt this excited at the thought of spending time with someone. There’s something about her that I am just drawn to. After cleaning up the kitchen and living room, I have a quick shower and pick out some clothes. I call a cab and wait anxiously again.

  Sliding into the cab, I instruct the driver to take me to the Treble Magazine office in downtown L.A. The ride only takes ten minutes but it feels life fifty. I pay the fare and make my way through the front door of Ava’s office building. I spot her straight away standing at the reception desk. She has her back to me but I can tell it’s her from her shapely curves and her long dark hair that is flowing in gentle waves down her back. I stop still for a minute and admire the view of her in her work clothes. The black, knee length pencil skirt flatters her curves and her black heels make her legs look long and slender. I overhear a little of her conversation with the receptionist.

  “My b…friend will be arriving soon, he doesn’t have an official appointment, but just let him up to my office.”

  She suddenly tenses and slowly turns to look at the door. Her eyes meet mine and she smiles. Fuck she is gorgeous. I stand rooted to the spot, just admiring her beauty a little longer before I finally snap out of my daze.

  Taking a few more steps toward her, I grin back at her.

  “Hi, Ava.”

  Ava

  Switching on my computer, I motion for Brody to sit down on my office chair and I take the seat beside him.

  He turns to look at me with his beautiful grey eyes.

  “Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to do this Ava.”

  “It’s nothing, really. Besides, seeing these pictures may help bring your memory back. I want to help in any way I can. You’re going to love what I show you."

  "I really hope it triggers some memories. I hate not remembering any of it."

  "Me too. You were on cloud nine the whole time you know."

  Opening up the file for Brody I move my hand away from the mouse.

  "You navigate and take your time looking through them all."

  "What are these interviews?"

  "I sat down with each of you and asked you all questions." Brody doesn't look at me as his eyes are boring into the computer screen reading through the interviews. He moves onto the next file and starts looking intently at the pictures.

  "This was your first show. You guys were amazing, there is also a video attached."

  Brody clicks on the video and I watch him. The sound of the band playing glides through the speakers and his face lights up. The roar of the crowd at the end of the song makes a huge grin appear on his handsome face. Brody turns and looks at me with a beaming smile.

  "Oh my god that's amazing. I wish I could remember it all."

  "I know. You were fantastic."

  The camera angle changes and then my face is taking up the screen.

  "How amazing were they just now. Relentless Soul has the crowd going crazy here tonight."

  Brody glances over at me and smiles.

  "You seem really happy to be there."

  "I was. I loved every minute of it. There's another video I want you to see."

  Reaching over to get the mouse I place my hand down and it brushes against Brody's. I let it linger for a moment and look up to his face to see him staring back at me.

  Staring into his warm eyes I feel the same magnetic pull I always have. His hand moves closer to mine and rubs it with his thumb. I feel my pulse quicken and my skin tingling where his hand is touching mine. He gently pulls his hand away.

  "Sorry, what were you showing me?"

  "It's fine. I was just going to play a video of you."

  "Me?"

  "Yes, you singing."

  "I…what?"

  "Yes, it’s a video of you singing ‘Escape’."

  "Oh shit."

  "You were fantastic, it's my favorite."

  "What the song."

  "Yes and my favorite part of the tour."

  "Are you just saying that?"

  "No I would never say something just to please you. But you on the other hand, now that's a different story." I smile so he realizes I am joking.

  "Why."

  "You said you would take me to get a cat and you never did."

  "Did I really? You want to get a cat?"

  "Yes."

  "Well then I better take you, I would hate to be seen as a liar. Where do you want to get one from?"

  "The shelter of course."

  "So you have a thing for poor abandoned creatures."

  Looking down at him, I see his smile has faltered slightly.

  "No. I
just believe in helping those in need Brody."

  As we make arrangements to meet up the following Saturday to find me a new friend, I can’t help but feel excited about spending more time with Brody.

  Chapter 12

  Brody

  “What about this one?”

  I point out the small ball of light grey fluff curled up in the corner of the pen. There are three other kittens bouncing around competing for a toy mouse, but the one in the corner is just quietly watching the others, his sad little face calling out for someone to love him.

  “Oh. Brody, he looks so sad. He’s the one.”

  As the shelter carer enters the pen to retrieve the kitten, I watch the expression on Ava’s face. Her look of happiness makes me smile and deep down inside, I feel like I need to see more of that look.

  The kitten is placed into her hands and as she brings it close to her chest it nuzzles into her neck. I stroke the soft fur on his back and Ava smiles up at me before turning to the carer.

  “We’ll take him.”

  Ava walks ahead of me and unlocks her front door before stepping to the side and gesturing for me to enter.

  I step inside and walk through to the living room, placing down the shopping bags full of supplies and cat food. I went a little overboard in the pet store, but I figured if I just bought one of everything they had in stock for cats, we’d be fine.

  As I scan the room, I feel a little awkward knowing that I’ve been here before, but I don’t remember one little thing about the place. On the way here in the cab, Ava had explained to me that I had actually gone with her to look at apartments and then eventually found this one for her with the help of Travis.

  She places Ash the kitten, named because of his color, on the living room floor and we watch him wander around the room, exploring the different pieces of furniture before making his way back to Ava.

  She scoops him up and sits down on the sofa that isn’t covered with shopping bags and I sit down beside her.

  “Would you like a drink or anything?”

  “No thanks, I’m fine.”

  “Okay.”

  We fall into an awkward silence and I try, unsuccessfully, not to stare at her as she strokes Ash’s back. Her delicate fingers caress the cat as my eyes drift upward and land on her smiling face. She’s looking at Ash with so much love and devotion and I admire her caring nature.

  “Ava. Can you…would you mind telling me how we actually got together? You’ve mentioned a couple of details but I want to hear the whole story.”

  Over the next hour I listen to her recall the details of the time we spent together while on tour and then the night of the final party. However, my favorite part of the story is when she starts telling me about the time we spent together in Australia. At one stage, she describes it as romantic, and I don’t want to embarrass her, but I need to know something.

  “Ava, were we ever…I mean did we…?”

  She blushes and glances down at Ash, before looking up into my eyes.

  “Yeah. We did. Our first time was in Sydney.”

  “I know this sounds silly, but when did you realize you were in love with me?”

  She smiles sadly as she tucks a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

  “Like I told you before, as soon as I saw you in the elevator I felt an intense connection. But I think the moment I actually realized it could be more than just friendship between us was when you took me to get my tattoo.”

  My brows rise as I shake my head.

  “I took you to get a tattoo?”

  “Yep. Jeremy was supposed to take me but he was too hung over so you offered. You were really sweet to me that day and as I was lying on the chair getting jabbed over and over again with a tiny needle, all I could focus on was your eyes. Thinking back on it now, your eyes and your hand in mine were such a comfort for me.”

  “Can I see it?”

  “What? The tattoo? Um…sure.”

  She places Ash on the floor and he bounces out of the room to explore. She stands up and slowly lifts her shirt to reveal a patch of smooth, golden skin. I lean closer looking for the tattoo, but can’t see anything until she gently pulls the waistline of her pants and pink panties down to reveal a small tattoo.

  My eyes run over the swirl of the infinity symbol and the word ‘family’ and I feel like I’m looking at a tattoo I have seen before. I suddenly see an image of her standing before me and me running my hands over her soft skin. I lift my hand and gently run my finger along the outline of the tattoo.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  She gasps and I don’t know if it’s from my words or my touch. I glance up at her and see her eyes welling with tears.

  “What’s wrong?” I stand so that I am in front of her, my hand still on her hip.

  “That’s exactly what you said to me the night of the final show.”

  “I think I remember, Ava. I remember seeing it before…touching it.”

  Her eyes widen and a lone tear runs down her cheek.

  “Brody, the night of the final show we were standing in the corridor outside the party room and you asked me how my tattoo was healing. I showed you and you ran your fingers over it and told me it was beautiful. Jeremy walked out and caught us and accused us of sneaking around behind his back.”

  Suddenly, another image flashes in my mind of Jeremy on a couch with two women all over him and me grabbing him and punching him.

  “He cheated on you that night didn’t he?”

  “Oh my God, Brody. You remember that?”

  “I’m seeing flashes of memories I think could be from that night.”

  Ava smiles and rests her hands on my upper arms.

  “Brody, it’s working. We need to keep giving you details to trigger your memories.”

  As she gazes up at me with hope in her eyes I think of another way to jog my memory.

  I slowly lean in and place my lips on hers. My eyes drift closed as my arms circle her waist. She sighs softly and leans into my embrace as she winds her arms around my neck. She tastes so good and I feel like I don’t want this kiss to end. I feel her body tremble as I rub small circles on her lower back.

  Just as I am about to let my tongue explore her mouth, I realize that this is all a bit too soon. I still feel like I don’t really know this girl that well, but at the same time there is just something so familiar about her and my feelings toward her.

  I gently tear my mouth away from hers and gaze down into her beautiful eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Ava. I just needed to do that.”

  She gently unwraps her slender arms from around my neck and places the palm of her hands on my chest.

  “That’s okay. I’ve wanted you to do that so bad from the second you woke up. Brody, I know we need to go slow, because, let’s face it, I’m practically still a stranger to you. But I’m hoping that the more time we spend together, the greater the chance of us getting back what we had before the accident.”

  “Ava, I feel so drawn to you. I know my mind doesn’t really remember a thing, but I feel like my heart remembers every little piece of you. I want to get to know you again, I want to try and remember why I fell in love with you. I think we should take it slow and see what happens.”

  She rises on her tiptoes and places a soft kiss on my lips.

  “Brody, will you go out with me?”

  “Out where?”

  A sexy smile spreads across her pink lips, swollen from our kiss.

  “To dinner. With me.”

  “Are you asking me out on a date?”

  “What better way for you to get to know me again?”

  Now, I’m grinning.

  “I would love to go on a date with you.”

  Chapter 13

  Jeremy

  “So what’s this meeting with Travis about?” Brody is sitting in the passenger seat of my Mustang as we head downtown to meet up with Travis and the guys.

  “He just said he had something important he wanted to discus
s with us.”

  I don’t know what he wants to talk to us about, but I assume it’s something to do with the media and the reports that have been starting to circulate recently. Brody doesn’t really watch the news or read the tabloids, so I know he wouldn’t have seen anything yet. But, somehow, the media have learned about Brody’s amnesia and have been publishing bogus stories about him leaving the band among many other lies. I don’t have the heart to tell him though; it could just create unnecessary stress and slow his recovery.

  As we enter Travis’ office I see Hunter and Luke have already arrived and are occupying a couple of chairs beside the desk. We greet them all and take a seat.

  Travis jumps straight into it.

  “So, as you all have probably seen, the media have jumped on the bandwagon and are really interested in Brody’s accident and recovery.”

  Brody glances at me and I shrug my shoulders.

  “Somehow, they discovered that Brody has amnesia and for some reason think the band is splitting up. The record company sees this as the perfect opportunity to go with all the publicity and turn it in our favor. You know what I always say, ‘any publicity is good publicity’. I have scheduled a press conference so we can get this story out and tell them the truth, that the band is still very much together and that we are all helping Brody through his recovery. We will reveal the extent of the amnesia and express clearly that this doesn’t mean the end of ‘Relentless Soul’. Any questions?”

  We all glance at each other and then shake our heads.

  Travis grabs a pile of papers off his desk and starts handing them out to us all.

  “These are the details about the time and place of the press conference. There are also a couple of interviews scheduled with a few daytime talk shows and a couple of radio stations. All the details you need to know are there.”