|
|
Chapter 22
I sighed as I put the novel I was reading down beside me. It was 10:00pm. The house was quiet. Everyone had gone our. Nick and AJ had taken Stacie and Deb on their first real dates as couples. Howie had dragged Kevin clubbing, and I didn't know where Brian was. He left earlier and hadn't come back yet.
We'd been living with the guys for almost a week. Although Kevin and Howie had invited me to go clubbing with them, I decided to stay home, even though it was a Saturday night. I needed some "alone time" which is extremely hard to get when you live in a house with seven other people, five of which are guys. Don't get me wrong, I loved living with them. I started thinking about the day we moved here.
"The first thing we did when we got to the guys' house on Monday was to call our families. No doubt, they'd heard about the hurricane. After we convinced our families that we were fine and gave them the guys' phone number, (specifically leaving out the fact that we were living with five guys) the guys showed us the empty rooms and let us pick for ourselves." Deb and I chose the rooms that opened to the same bathroom. Stacie chose the room directly across the hall from mine and had her own tiny bathroom. This was just as well considering she was such a neat freak. Anyone who shared a bathroom with her would be driven mad within a week! (Take it from me, I know. I shared a bathroom with her for 17 years!) The guys rooms are in the same hall with AJ's across from Deb, Brian next door to me, Nick next to Stacie, and Howie and Kevin at the end of the all next to Deb and AJ………" "THUD!"
I jumped knocking my book off the couch, making another loud thud. I had been startled by a sound that had come from directly over my head, interrupting my thoughts. "What could that be I wondered. "I'm the only one home." I listened for another few seconds and didn't hear anything.
"It's probably just my imagination," I rationalized, but I tensed as I heard footsteps on the stars. In my bare feet I crept down the length of the room without making a sound. I peaked around the corner into the hall. No one was there. "OK, no more murder mysteries for you after dark," I said to myself silently, trying to ease my own tension. Taking a shaky breath I stepped into the hallway and silently crept towards the stairs. Reaching the open area by the front door I looked up the stairs in apprehension. Seeing nothing, I began to turn in a slow circle.
Suddenly, I was tackled from behind and pinned to the ground. Immediately I began to struggle as my heart raced faster and my adrenaline pumped harder. Waves of fear washed over me the events of that first night out in Florida flashed though my mind. I struggled even harder. "No! Not again!" I choked. "Lis?" I continued my struggle, the sound of my name not even penetrating my panicking brain. "No, no, no!" I cried.
"Lis! It's me! Brian!" my assailant shouted, shaking me.
This time my fear faded. "Bri? Is that you?" I questioned, my voice shaky.
"Oh G-d, Lis! I'm so sorry!" Brian said helping me to my feet and embracing me. "I thought you were out with Kev and Howie! I thought there was no one home when I came in ten minutes ago!"
"I stayed home tonight. I didn't even hear you come in and when I heard a thud from upstairs I came to check, and I didn't see anything, and then you jumped out, and………" "Shh……it's OK. Calm down," he said cutting me off in an attempt to quiet me. I took a few deep breaths and pulled away, looking up at him.
"I'm sorry Bri. I must've scared you too. You probably thought I was a burglar or something, creeping around down here," I apologized. "It's OK. We both scared each other. I guess next time we should make it obvious that someone's home." I nodded in agreement. We stood in silence for a few minutes. "Now what?" he questioned. I shrugged. "How about watching a movie of TV?" he suggested trying to lighten the mood. I nodded. "I'll make popcorn!" I offered as Brian smiled.
****2 hours later***
As the ending credits of the late night movie began to roll, Brian flicked
off the TV. Picking up the now empty popcorn bowl, I walked into the kitchen
and chucked it in the sink. "I'll wash it later," I thought.
When I returned to the TV room, I found Brian stretching and yawning. "That
was quick," he said between yawns. "You didn't wash it, did you?" I just
grinned sheepishly. "You know Kevin and Howie are gonna have a fit when they
get home," he warned. Then he laughed as my grin widened at the thought.
"Do you enjoy being evil?" Brian asked as I laughed.
Now I yawned and looked at my watch. It was around 12:30am. "We need some
wake up music," I said.
"I agree. I bet Nick's got something good!" I followed Brian upstairs to
Nick's room.
As I stood in the middle of the room I looked around me. It looked as though
a tornado had gone through there! I laughed as I said, "This is worse than
Deb and I combined and we're pretty bad!"
Brian laughed too and then held up a CD. "How about this?" he asked.
"The new Metallica? Yes!" I shouted excitedly.
"Whoa! Looks like you're awake now!" he said, seeming very amused, as I dragged
him out of Nick's room and across the hall to his.
As Brian fiddled with the CD player I looked around. The room was filled
with NBA memorabilia. I noticed a guitar leaning against the bed. Compulsively
I picked it up and placed the fingers of my left hand on random strings.
Then I strummed the guitar with my other hand.
"What was that?" Brian asked as he whirled around to face me.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have played with your guitar," I apologized realizing
he was probably very protective of it. I know I'm protective of my instruments.
"That's OK," he said distractedly. "Just do that again!" Confused, I strummed
the guitar again.
"Yes!" Brian shouted. "That's the chord I need!"
"Huh?"
"Do you play?"
"No."
"How did you know that chord then?"
"I dunno. I picked it up with random fingerings, and played."
"Well, thank you anyway!" said Brian excitedly. He looked like a three-year-old
on his birthday.
"What for?" I asked getting more confused by the second.
"I'm writing a song and there was a chord that was missing from the harmonies.
I've been working on it for weeks and I couldn't get it, but that was it!
You played it!"
I laughed. "First time I pick up a guitar and I play a chord that's right?"
I asked in disbelief.
Brian just nodded absorbed in thought. "Do you play an instrument?"
"Yeah. Piano, sax, and clarinet. Playing is my second love after art. Pretty
much give me an instrument and if I don't know how to play it I'll teach
myself," I rambled. "Oh! Here's your guitar," I said offering it to him.
I had forgotten I was still holding it.
"No, hold on to that for a minute," said Brian as he disappeared into what
was supposed to be a closet but looked more like an avalanche waiting to
happen. He struggled out a minute later with another guitar.
"How'd you like to learn to play?" he questioned.
I just grinned. I had always wanted to learn to play guitar. "I guess that
was a yes? OK then, let's get started."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~