Sad_Girl
Blue Crack Supplier
*Disclaimer: All a figment of my imagination. Fake. Made up. Fictional.
The promises we make pt 2
“Take this more seriously!” Angel told him, fighting the smile which wanted to spread across her face. She was trying to teach him a few self defense techniques. When he’d hired her to be his security manager, it was one of the conditions she had demanded. She wanted to know he had some training, in case someone ever did get close enough to do him harm.
He’d been a little offended, thinking she was calling him weak. The fact was, she knew he wasn’t a weak man, nor was he by any stretch of the imagination a coward. He was one of the bravest men she knew, and that was saying a lot. That bravery scared her, more than anything. Sometimes bravery set people up to get hurt. She just wanted to know he had the skills to defend himself.
“What do you mean? I’m taking this very seriously!” Bono replied, tying a bandana around his forehead and striking a pose reminiscent of every cheesy martial arts movie. She shook her head at him and tried to remain firm and keep her mind on the task. It wasn’t easy to do, especially now that he was stripping off his shirt, making sound effects for each button that slipped loose.
She had only arrived in Ireland the night before, and they’d gone right out to the Kitchen with the rest of the band and Catalina. Today, every time she had tried to get him to set aside a few minutes for training, his phone had rung. Once he answered the phone, she had learned quickly, she would lose him for several minutes. Most likely at least a half hour per phone call.
She wanted to have some ‘alone’ time with him as the man she was dating, but she also wanted to do her job correctly. Right now, she was trying to focus on work and put romance off until later. He didn’t seem to think they needed to be exclusive, separate parts of their relationship.
“Dammit, Bono, I’m serious. Keep your shirt on.” She told him, but the way her eyes were locked on the man’s bare chest beneath his gaping shirt said something different. She fought back the urge to run her fingers through his chest hair, to feel the heat of his body against her palm and his heart beating as he drew close to her.
“You told me to attack you, so I’m attacking you.” He informed her playfully, one corner of his mouth twisting up in a crooked smile. He drew closer to her, each step slow and meaningful, his eyes trained on her as if he were the hunter and she the prey. She took an instinctive step back and fought the insane urge to giggle.
“Bono…” She tried to warn him, but the smile she was fighting had started to win, and the humor was clear in her voice.
“But after you fight me off, are you going to get out the handcuffs?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her and earning a full smile and a playful shake of her head. She was about to tell him to straighten up when he lunged forward to grab one of her wrists, his other arm wrapping around her waist to pull her body flush against his own.
He immediately bent his head and lowered his mouth to her neck; clenching his teeth around a spot just enough so she could feel him biting her but not hard enough to be painful. He growled playfully and she drew in a breath of shock. She was about to complain when he opened his mouth, his soft wet lips and tongue easing the sting of his bite. She felt the warmth rush through her and knew she had lost any hope of keeping this professional.
Her hand slid up the back of his neck and into his soft, shaggy hair as a low moan escaped her throat. Her other hand slid up the bare skin of his back, underneath the shirt which hung loosely from his shoulders. He kissed his way up the curve of her neck to whisper in her ear, his breath hot and wet, sending shivers down her spine as he spoke.
“You’re not fighting very hard.” He teased, and she smiled, thinking even if she wanted to fight she would have a hard time. When he was close enough to be touching her like this, all of her muscles seemed to go soft. Everything about her turned soft and weak and vulnerable, which were things she had never particularly enjoyed being. Until now.
“I was just letting you think you were in control so when I whipped out the handcuffs I would catch you off your guard.” She replied, and she felt his body shake with silent laughter, his lips curling up in a smile against the sensitive flesh of her neck. He drew back to look into her eyes, one hand stroking her cheek tenderly. He had so many thoughts in his head when he looked at her; so many questions he wanted to ask. Now, when he had her close enough to say them, to ask, not a single word came to mind. He leaned in slowly and brushed a whispery kiss over her lips.
She sighed, her eyes drifting shut, and she surrendered completely to the desire he stirred inside of her. She had not known the tenderness of a man’s touch since her fiancée’ had been killed in the line of duty, two years earlier. She had never known the touch of a man like Bono. It was a little overwhelming, but by no means bad. She leaned forward to deepen the kiss and he pulled back playfully, making her look up into those blue eyes.
“Don’t make me get really get those cuffs out.” She warned him with a smile, and he chuckled. He leaned in again, bumping her nose with his own, then retreating each time she tried to meet his lips. Finally, when she was getting frustrated enough to become irritable, ready to walk away, he met her mouth with a ferocity that drove her back a step. Her back was against the wall of the gym, Bono’s body pressed firmly up against her own to pin her there.
“Um… *Ahem* excuse me.” They heard a familiar voice announce itself politely. Bono turned in time to see Adam’s back as he turned and retreated down the hall.
“How’d he get in here?” Angel asked, her eyes narrowing with concern.
“He knows the pass code for the security system.” Bono informed her as he began to follow his friend. He could feel her disapproval without even having to look at her. “All of the guys do.” He added.
“ALL of the guys? As in the band or the band and crew?” Angel called after him, but he pretended not to hear her and hurried down the hall to catch Adam by the shoulder.
“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked, more than a little surprised at his friends visit.
“I didn’t mean to…” Adam started, gesturing back in the direction from which they had come, but Bono waved him off and let him know he wasn’t interrupting anything. Or at least that he didn’t mind.
“I was just looking for someplace to sleep for a few hours.” Adam told him. “My house has been taken by force. Invaded by an unassailable army of women.”
“That bad?” Bono asked, trying not to smirk. He, Edge and Larry had all been wondering just how Adam would adjust to having to share his bachelors home with two younger women.
“I don’t have a moment of privacy anywhere in the blasted house.” Adam informed him, incredulous. He hadn’t brought home just his new bride, but also a teenage daughter. “Nothing is sacred.”
At this, Bono finally had to laugh out loud and pat his friend on the shoulder.
“You’re always welcome. You know where the guest rooms are. Oh, except for the first one off the foyer, Angel’s turning that into a security office, I guess.” He informed his life long friend with a shrug.
“Thanks. And Bono?” Adam told his friend as he turned and walked away. Bono stopped and looked back over one shoulder. “Nice headband.” Bono reached up to touch the headband he’d forgotten her was wearing and smiled crookedly.
*****************************************************************
Tessa stood in the back of the auditorium and closed her eyes to listen as Jolie’s deft fingers flew over the keyboard of the baby grand to transform the very air around them. The emotion she could produce by the simple striking of the correct keys was awe inspiring. Tessa had always envied her gift, a little bit. Music was almost a living, breathing entity in some ways. It had a presence, and energy that was tangible. It elicited emotions and feelings, enhanced memories.
As Jolie immersed the audience in the melancholy beauty of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, even after having heard it so many time before, Tessa could feel the music trying to pull her under. She could be swept away in a rip tide of her own imagination, her own memories, given life again by the wonder of the performance.
She resisted, of course, as she knew she had to. She didn’t have time to allow herself to be swept away into thoughts of a past which she could not change. She could not lose herself in the past, or to explore the life she had foreseen for herself back then.
She opened her eyes and examined the audience, seeing that they were nearly all as enrapt as she so often found herself to be by the passion attached to each note struck on the black and white keys. The audience here was not far different from most; slightly more than half of those gathered to listen were college students, most of them simply looking to fulfill a requirement. The reactions of these audience members varied from boredom to the sheer awe of one who was seeing the ocean for the very first time.
The rest of the audience was older, general considerably older, professors or other musicians. Some retirees searching for a little culture in a world too full, for their taste, of entertainment geared toward the young.
So when her eyes landed on them, she stopped in surprise, even before her mind recognized them as acquaintances. Two men in their forties, both handsome in their own rights, and both looking more like they should be at a party somewhere else on campus than at a piano concerto. Though they were dressed nicely, there were certain aspects of their appearance which made them stand out.
The earrings, for one. Both men wore earrings; although Larry had both ears decorated while Edge had but one lonely earring on his left ear. Still, they both wore more jewelry than Tessa was accustomed to on a man. It looked good, but it definitely drew her attention. That and the skull cap the man who had been introduced to her as The Edge wore.
She hadn’t expected to see them again, after leaving the concert before they had a chance to talk to them after Larry had sent them VIP passes and everything. She had especially not expected to see them at one of Jolie’s concerts. The music they made and the lives they led were about as far removed from Jolie’s life and music as anything Tessa could imagine.
They must’ve felt her eyes on them, because first Edge and then Larry turned to peer over their shoulders at her. Edge smiled, a sweet, somewhat shy smile, and gave her a little wave. She returned the gesture and made her way out of the auditorium and back in the door which led backstage. Jolie was used to this, by now, the way men fell all over themselves for her. They followed her around and showered her with presents. Tessa didn’t know why it seemed different this time.
She was actually excited to see them, although she could not reason why that would be the case. Surely it wasn’t because of the fact that there were two of them, and not just Larry. She would be foolish, she decided, to hope the other man was here for any reason other than because he was as enamored of Jolie as all men seemed to be.
Still, as soon as Jolie had finished her finale and Tessa moved out onto the stage to make sure she did not trip or fall off the unfamiliar stage in front of her audience, Tessa’s eyes sought out the men in question. They were standing, leading the audience into a standing ovation.
“You have some serious fans here tonight.” Tessa told Jolie softly as she took her bow. “And you’re getting a standing ovation.” Jolie smiled broadly in the direction of the audience, her beauty as radiant as ever. Tessa waited with her for an extra moment before guiding her off the stage.
“Larry and his friend are here.” She told Jolie as she guided her into the small dressing room.
“Larry?” Jolie asked, seating herself at the dressing table and finding the damp, hot towel waiting there for her to wipe her face with. “Larry who?”
“Mullen. From U2.” Tessa told her long time friend with a sigh.
“Oh right, of course. He was Irish, wasn’t he? Why don’t you go and invite him back? Just give me a few minutes to freshen up a little.” Jolie told her, and Tessa agreed. Not that Jolie needed to do much to freshen up, she didn’t have so much as a hair out of place. Still, Tessa knew by now that she had her routines. She would put on some perfume and moisturize her face and hands. She had already washed off any make up that she’d been wearing so she wouldn’t look washed out on stage.
Tessa hurried out to the entryway wear several students were having their papers marked to prove that they had in fact attended the event to satisfy whatever class credit they needed. The older folks were going about the usual business of shuffling out, little old men helping their wives don their jackets and holding doors for the younger women who would smile and giggle at the gesture.
Then, in the far corner of the room, a crowd was gathering and it wasn’t difficult for Tessa to guess why. They had spotted the special guests and were circling like vultures. She stopped a few feet away and watched as the men smiled and made polite conversation while signing the programs or whatever else the fans produced for them to write their valuable names on.
“Hey.” She greeted them when they noticed her watching. “When you guys get done here, Jolie wanted me to invite you back stage.” She informed them, earning a broad smile from Larry which nearly made two of the college girls who’d been waiting for his autograph swoon.
She smiled when she saw that Larry was carrying a large bouquet of lavender roses for Jolie. Tessa’s first thought was what a shame Jolie could not see them, they were such an unusual color. Then she had caught the scent in her nose, and she knew why he had chosen these roses. They were more beautiful than all the hundreds or thousands of imitations people had tried to create in perfumes and air fresheners. Yet they stopped just short of being cloying, overwhelming.
Edge, after signing a final few autographs, stooped and gathered up the jacket which he had discarded into a chair and a second bouquet of flowers appeared. He carried a smaller bunch, but they were beautiful. The flowers themselves were quite small, delicate, and of the most beautiful pink shade she had ever seen. She felt a twinge of jealousy in her stomach and fought it.
“Those are beautiful. She’s going to love them.” She said, gesturing to both bouquets as she led the men backstage.
“Oh. Well, these ones are for you.” Edge told her, and she blinked up at him in disbelief. He smiled at her, a sort of shy, almost awkward smile that cut right through her and stirred up an unfamiliar emotion buried deep inside her heart. She smiled back, shyly, her eyes falling to look at the floor, and accepted the lovely bouquet timidly.
“Thank you.” She told him quietly, looking back up into his green blue eyes for a split second, her cheeks flushing hot. It had been more than a decade since anyone had bought flowers for her.
**********************************************************************
Simone rushed around her tiny little house, tidying up as best she could.
“Pauley? Are you gonna help me clean up the house for our company or are you going to hide in the closet the whole time?” She asked, tossing several toys into the toy box behind the couch. Pauley was the one thing Simone had ever committed herself to. Not that she felt she’d ever had any choice in that; oh sure she could’ve had an abortion or put him up for adoption. As soon as she’d felt him growing inside of her, she had known that was not something she could ever do.
“I’m gonna hide in the closet!” He replied, his little voice muffled from underneath the blanket which he had draped over the laundry basket in which he was laying. Simone smiled to herself, unable to be annoyed with him. He was too cute for words. Four years old and all arms, legs and a mop of blonde hair, her son was the only man she needed in her life.
“Well just don’t let me forget you’re there and go into the city without you. I’d hate to have to eat your ice cream all by myself.” She teased, and she could see the blanket pull back and two big green eyes peeking out from underneath it.
“I won’t.” he assured her seriously. If he had one weakness, it was ice cream. The doorbell rang and Simone hurried to answer it, greeting Catalina and the young woman whom she introduced as Trine. Trine had dyed black hair and wore black lipstick and eyeliner, as well as all black clothes. Simone could see Pauley watching them from inside the laundry basket in the closet. His green eyes grew wide at the sight of the girl, and Simone had to stifle a chuckle.
“Ok, Pauley. We’re going out now. Come get your shoes on!” She called, and the boy slowly climbed out of his hiding place, his eyes locked on this strange new girl. He inched slowly along the wall, always cautiously watching her until he reached Simone and could hide behind her legs.
“Cat, Trine, this is my son, Pauley.” Simone told them.
“He’s adorable!” Trine cooed, squatting to eye level with the boy.
“You wouldn’t happen to baby-sit, would you?” Simone asked. “I have had the hardest time finding someone to watch him with the hours I work at the bar.”
“Wow, how great is this!” Catalina exclaimed, patting Trine on the shoulder. “You were just complaining how bored you were, and now you have something to do!” Trine scowled at her, and Simone looked down to see a similar look on her sons face. It was hard to tell who was less excited about the idea.
Ok, here is where it gets really complicated. So I'm going to break it into sub-titles accordingly, four story lines all with this background/history: I'll try to remember to label them accordingly; Larry, Edge, Adam, or Bono since each will have his own individual story going on. Bear with me while I give this a try... it may turn out like absolute crap and I'll learn to write about just one of them at a time!
The promises we make pt 2
“Take this more seriously!” Angel told him, fighting the smile which wanted to spread across her face. She was trying to teach him a few self defense techniques. When he’d hired her to be his security manager, it was one of the conditions she had demanded. She wanted to know he had some training, in case someone ever did get close enough to do him harm.
He’d been a little offended, thinking she was calling him weak. The fact was, she knew he wasn’t a weak man, nor was he by any stretch of the imagination a coward. He was one of the bravest men she knew, and that was saying a lot. That bravery scared her, more than anything. Sometimes bravery set people up to get hurt. She just wanted to know he had the skills to defend himself.
“What do you mean? I’m taking this very seriously!” Bono replied, tying a bandana around his forehead and striking a pose reminiscent of every cheesy martial arts movie. She shook her head at him and tried to remain firm and keep her mind on the task. It wasn’t easy to do, especially now that he was stripping off his shirt, making sound effects for each button that slipped loose.
She had only arrived in Ireland the night before, and they’d gone right out to the Kitchen with the rest of the band and Catalina. Today, every time she had tried to get him to set aside a few minutes for training, his phone had rung. Once he answered the phone, she had learned quickly, she would lose him for several minutes. Most likely at least a half hour per phone call.
She wanted to have some ‘alone’ time with him as the man she was dating, but she also wanted to do her job correctly. Right now, she was trying to focus on work and put romance off until later. He didn’t seem to think they needed to be exclusive, separate parts of their relationship.
“Dammit, Bono, I’m serious. Keep your shirt on.” She told him, but the way her eyes were locked on the man’s bare chest beneath his gaping shirt said something different. She fought back the urge to run her fingers through his chest hair, to feel the heat of his body against her palm and his heart beating as he drew close to her.
“You told me to attack you, so I’m attacking you.” He informed her playfully, one corner of his mouth twisting up in a crooked smile. He drew closer to her, each step slow and meaningful, his eyes trained on her as if he were the hunter and she the prey. She took an instinctive step back and fought the insane urge to giggle.
“Bono…” She tried to warn him, but the smile she was fighting had started to win, and the humor was clear in her voice.
“But after you fight me off, are you going to get out the handcuffs?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her and earning a full smile and a playful shake of her head. She was about to tell him to straighten up when he lunged forward to grab one of her wrists, his other arm wrapping around her waist to pull her body flush against his own.
He immediately bent his head and lowered his mouth to her neck; clenching his teeth around a spot just enough so she could feel him biting her but not hard enough to be painful. He growled playfully and she drew in a breath of shock. She was about to complain when he opened his mouth, his soft wet lips and tongue easing the sting of his bite. She felt the warmth rush through her and knew she had lost any hope of keeping this professional.
Her hand slid up the back of his neck and into his soft, shaggy hair as a low moan escaped her throat. Her other hand slid up the bare skin of his back, underneath the shirt which hung loosely from his shoulders. He kissed his way up the curve of her neck to whisper in her ear, his breath hot and wet, sending shivers down her spine as he spoke.
“You’re not fighting very hard.” He teased, and she smiled, thinking even if she wanted to fight she would have a hard time. When he was close enough to be touching her like this, all of her muscles seemed to go soft. Everything about her turned soft and weak and vulnerable, which were things she had never particularly enjoyed being. Until now.
“I was just letting you think you were in control so when I whipped out the handcuffs I would catch you off your guard.” She replied, and she felt his body shake with silent laughter, his lips curling up in a smile against the sensitive flesh of her neck. He drew back to look into her eyes, one hand stroking her cheek tenderly. He had so many thoughts in his head when he looked at her; so many questions he wanted to ask. Now, when he had her close enough to say them, to ask, not a single word came to mind. He leaned in slowly and brushed a whispery kiss over her lips.
She sighed, her eyes drifting shut, and she surrendered completely to the desire he stirred inside of her. She had not known the tenderness of a man’s touch since her fiancée’ had been killed in the line of duty, two years earlier. She had never known the touch of a man like Bono. It was a little overwhelming, but by no means bad. She leaned forward to deepen the kiss and he pulled back playfully, making her look up into those blue eyes.
“Don’t make me get really get those cuffs out.” She warned him with a smile, and he chuckled. He leaned in again, bumping her nose with his own, then retreating each time she tried to meet his lips. Finally, when she was getting frustrated enough to become irritable, ready to walk away, he met her mouth with a ferocity that drove her back a step. Her back was against the wall of the gym, Bono’s body pressed firmly up against her own to pin her there.
“Um… *Ahem* excuse me.” They heard a familiar voice announce itself politely. Bono turned in time to see Adam’s back as he turned and retreated down the hall.
“How’d he get in here?” Angel asked, her eyes narrowing with concern.
“He knows the pass code for the security system.” Bono informed her as he began to follow his friend. He could feel her disapproval without even having to look at her. “All of the guys do.” He added.
“ALL of the guys? As in the band or the band and crew?” Angel called after him, but he pretended not to hear her and hurried down the hall to catch Adam by the shoulder.
“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked, more than a little surprised at his friends visit.
“I didn’t mean to…” Adam started, gesturing back in the direction from which they had come, but Bono waved him off and let him know he wasn’t interrupting anything. Or at least that he didn’t mind.
“I was just looking for someplace to sleep for a few hours.” Adam told him. “My house has been taken by force. Invaded by an unassailable army of women.”
“That bad?” Bono asked, trying not to smirk. He, Edge and Larry had all been wondering just how Adam would adjust to having to share his bachelors home with two younger women.
“I don’t have a moment of privacy anywhere in the blasted house.” Adam informed him, incredulous. He hadn’t brought home just his new bride, but also a teenage daughter. “Nothing is sacred.”
At this, Bono finally had to laugh out loud and pat his friend on the shoulder.
“You’re always welcome. You know where the guest rooms are. Oh, except for the first one off the foyer, Angel’s turning that into a security office, I guess.” He informed his life long friend with a shrug.
“Thanks. And Bono?” Adam told his friend as he turned and walked away. Bono stopped and looked back over one shoulder. “Nice headband.” Bono reached up to touch the headband he’d forgotten her was wearing and smiled crookedly.
*****************************************************************
Tessa stood in the back of the auditorium and closed her eyes to listen as Jolie’s deft fingers flew over the keyboard of the baby grand to transform the very air around them. The emotion she could produce by the simple striking of the correct keys was awe inspiring. Tessa had always envied her gift, a little bit. Music was almost a living, breathing entity in some ways. It had a presence, and energy that was tangible. It elicited emotions and feelings, enhanced memories.
As Jolie immersed the audience in the melancholy beauty of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, even after having heard it so many time before, Tessa could feel the music trying to pull her under. She could be swept away in a rip tide of her own imagination, her own memories, given life again by the wonder of the performance.
She resisted, of course, as she knew she had to. She didn’t have time to allow herself to be swept away into thoughts of a past which she could not change. She could not lose herself in the past, or to explore the life she had foreseen for herself back then.
She opened her eyes and examined the audience, seeing that they were nearly all as enrapt as she so often found herself to be by the passion attached to each note struck on the black and white keys. The audience here was not far different from most; slightly more than half of those gathered to listen were college students, most of them simply looking to fulfill a requirement. The reactions of these audience members varied from boredom to the sheer awe of one who was seeing the ocean for the very first time.
The rest of the audience was older, general considerably older, professors or other musicians. Some retirees searching for a little culture in a world too full, for their taste, of entertainment geared toward the young.
So when her eyes landed on them, she stopped in surprise, even before her mind recognized them as acquaintances. Two men in their forties, both handsome in their own rights, and both looking more like they should be at a party somewhere else on campus than at a piano concerto. Though they were dressed nicely, there were certain aspects of their appearance which made them stand out.
The earrings, for one. Both men wore earrings; although Larry had both ears decorated while Edge had but one lonely earring on his left ear. Still, they both wore more jewelry than Tessa was accustomed to on a man. It looked good, but it definitely drew her attention. That and the skull cap the man who had been introduced to her as The Edge wore.
She hadn’t expected to see them again, after leaving the concert before they had a chance to talk to them after Larry had sent them VIP passes and everything. She had especially not expected to see them at one of Jolie’s concerts. The music they made and the lives they led were about as far removed from Jolie’s life and music as anything Tessa could imagine.
They must’ve felt her eyes on them, because first Edge and then Larry turned to peer over their shoulders at her. Edge smiled, a sweet, somewhat shy smile, and gave her a little wave. She returned the gesture and made her way out of the auditorium and back in the door which led backstage. Jolie was used to this, by now, the way men fell all over themselves for her. They followed her around and showered her with presents. Tessa didn’t know why it seemed different this time.
She was actually excited to see them, although she could not reason why that would be the case. Surely it wasn’t because of the fact that there were two of them, and not just Larry. She would be foolish, she decided, to hope the other man was here for any reason other than because he was as enamored of Jolie as all men seemed to be.
Still, as soon as Jolie had finished her finale and Tessa moved out onto the stage to make sure she did not trip or fall off the unfamiliar stage in front of her audience, Tessa’s eyes sought out the men in question. They were standing, leading the audience into a standing ovation.
“You have some serious fans here tonight.” Tessa told Jolie softly as she took her bow. “And you’re getting a standing ovation.” Jolie smiled broadly in the direction of the audience, her beauty as radiant as ever. Tessa waited with her for an extra moment before guiding her off the stage.
“Larry and his friend are here.” She told Jolie as she guided her into the small dressing room.
“Larry?” Jolie asked, seating herself at the dressing table and finding the damp, hot towel waiting there for her to wipe her face with. “Larry who?”
“Mullen. From U2.” Tessa told her long time friend with a sigh.
“Oh right, of course. He was Irish, wasn’t he? Why don’t you go and invite him back? Just give me a few minutes to freshen up a little.” Jolie told her, and Tessa agreed. Not that Jolie needed to do much to freshen up, she didn’t have so much as a hair out of place. Still, Tessa knew by now that she had her routines. She would put on some perfume and moisturize her face and hands. She had already washed off any make up that she’d been wearing so she wouldn’t look washed out on stage.
Tessa hurried out to the entryway wear several students were having their papers marked to prove that they had in fact attended the event to satisfy whatever class credit they needed. The older folks were going about the usual business of shuffling out, little old men helping their wives don their jackets and holding doors for the younger women who would smile and giggle at the gesture.
Then, in the far corner of the room, a crowd was gathering and it wasn’t difficult for Tessa to guess why. They had spotted the special guests and were circling like vultures. She stopped a few feet away and watched as the men smiled and made polite conversation while signing the programs or whatever else the fans produced for them to write their valuable names on.
“Hey.” She greeted them when they noticed her watching. “When you guys get done here, Jolie wanted me to invite you back stage.” She informed them, earning a broad smile from Larry which nearly made two of the college girls who’d been waiting for his autograph swoon.
She smiled when she saw that Larry was carrying a large bouquet of lavender roses for Jolie. Tessa’s first thought was what a shame Jolie could not see them, they were such an unusual color. Then she had caught the scent in her nose, and she knew why he had chosen these roses. They were more beautiful than all the hundreds or thousands of imitations people had tried to create in perfumes and air fresheners. Yet they stopped just short of being cloying, overwhelming.
Edge, after signing a final few autographs, stooped and gathered up the jacket which he had discarded into a chair and a second bouquet of flowers appeared. He carried a smaller bunch, but they were beautiful. The flowers themselves were quite small, delicate, and of the most beautiful pink shade she had ever seen. She felt a twinge of jealousy in her stomach and fought it.
“Those are beautiful. She’s going to love them.” She said, gesturing to both bouquets as she led the men backstage.
“Oh. Well, these ones are for you.” Edge told her, and she blinked up at him in disbelief. He smiled at her, a sort of shy, almost awkward smile that cut right through her and stirred up an unfamiliar emotion buried deep inside her heart. She smiled back, shyly, her eyes falling to look at the floor, and accepted the lovely bouquet timidly.
“Thank you.” She told him quietly, looking back up into his green blue eyes for a split second, her cheeks flushing hot. It had been more than a decade since anyone had bought flowers for her.
**********************************************************************
Simone rushed around her tiny little house, tidying up as best she could.
“Pauley? Are you gonna help me clean up the house for our company or are you going to hide in the closet the whole time?” She asked, tossing several toys into the toy box behind the couch. Pauley was the one thing Simone had ever committed herself to. Not that she felt she’d ever had any choice in that; oh sure she could’ve had an abortion or put him up for adoption. As soon as she’d felt him growing inside of her, she had known that was not something she could ever do.
“I’m gonna hide in the closet!” He replied, his little voice muffled from underneath the blanket which he had draped over the laundry basket in which he was laying. Simone smiled to herself, unable to be annoyed with him. He was too cute for words. Four years old and all arms, legs and a mop of blonde hair, her son was the only man she needed in her life.
“Well just don’t let me forget you’re there and go into the city without you. I’d hate to have to eat your ice cream all by myself.” She teased, and she could see the blanket pull back and two big green eyes peeking out from underneath it.
“I won’t.” he assured her seriously. If he had one weakness, it was ice cream. The doorbell rang and Simone hurried to answer it, greeting Catalina and the young woman whom she introduced as Trine. Trine had dyed black hair and wore black lipstick and eyeliner, as well as all black clothes. Simone could see Pauley watching them from inside the laundry basket in the closet. His green eyes grew wide at the sight of the girl, and Simone had to stifle a chuckle.
“Ok, Pauley. We’re going out now. Come get your shoes on!” She called, and the boy slowly climbed out of his hiding place, his eyes locked on this strange new girl. He inched slowly along the wall, always cautiously watching her until he reached Simone and could hide behind her legs.
“Cat, Trine, this is my son, Pauley.” Simone told them.
“He’s adorable!” Trine cooed, squatting to eye level with the boy.
“You wouldn’t happen to baby-sit, would you?” Simone asked. “I have had the hardest time finding someone to watch him with the hours I work at the bar.”
“Wow, how great is this!” Catalina exclaimed, patting Trine on the shoulder. “You were just complaining how bored you were, and now you have something to do!” Trine scowled at her, and Simone looked down to see a similar look on her sons face. It was hard to tell who was less excited about the idea.
Ok, here is where it gets really complicated. So I'm going to break it into sub-titles accordingly, four story lines all with this background/history: I'll try to remember to label them accordingly; Larry, Edge, Adam, or Bono since each will have his own individual story going on. Bear with me while I give this a try... it may turn out like absolute crap and I'll learn to write about just one of them at a time!
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