Chapter Twelve
Pressley
That was one hell of a week. I was so damn proud of Bowie for not only handling Claude the way he did but also for not hiding behind his hair.
I think seeing Bowie’s scars gave Claude enough pause to second-guess his showboating nature.
Everyone has their own demons to fight, but seeing Bowie’s firsthand, I believe, may have been a turning point for him.
By the end of the week, the guys were feeding off each other and really vibing as a solid unit.
I’d fired off a few videos of them playing to the Social guys.
Joey and Stoli popped in a couple of times but said they’d be here next week to work with them on the new material.
Claude had a session with Diamond and Shadow scheduled for this weekend.
And me, I had plans to take Bowie out on our first official date. At least, I hoped so.
Probably better start off with asking him out first.
“You were quiet on the drive home,” Bowie said as we stepped inside the house. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, I was just trying to figure out a way to ask you out.”
Tony threw his head back and laughed as he walked by us. As soon as he reached the hallway, he hollered, “It’s about damn time!” Poor Bowie’s face turned a frightful shade of red.
“I kinda think you just did.”
Random unfiltered blurts for the win? Quite possibly.
“Oh, yeah, sorry about that, but I want to do this right.” Deep breath, Pressley. You’ve basically already asked. “Bowie,” I took his hand in mine and gazed into his eyes, “would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” he grinned. “That’d be cool.”
“Yes? Great.” Now to figure out where to take him. I had a few ideas but had to narrow it down, or I’d overwhelm both of us with too much crammed into a single day.
“So, are you ever gonna kiss me again?”
Bowie’s question completely erased my brain.
“Huh?”
“All week I waited for you to kiss me again, and you never did. What gives?”
Guess breaking the seal last weekend brought out Bowie’s snarky side, a sweet addition to his ever-changing personality, even if it did throw me under the bus.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to push. All week I’ve been hoping to get some alone time to ask you out. Being an overthinker,” I slid my fingers through the belt loop on his jeans and pulled him toward me. “Is hard work.”
“I bet. So is waiting for something or, in this case, someone you want to come around.” Was Bowie afraid I had rejected him? What a fool I’ve been.
One attempt at a quick kiss only led to several others. “A single kiss is never enough with you. I promise to be more cognizant of your feelings. Can you ever forgive me?” The last of that statement, purposely laid on rather thick, was met with the exact response I’d hoped for.
“Maybe. Why don’t you try that apology thing again?” Sly boy toyed with the buttons on my shirt, purposely avoiding eye contact. Was he playing me? Hell yeah, he was, and I fucking loved it.
There we stood in the middle of the kitchen, making out like teenagers.
I missed those new relationship periods of never getting enough of your new person of interest. I’d buried myself in building my career, only allowing for casual flings and hookups, so it’d been forever since I’d felt this.
This was like my first crush all over again.
Making out for hours in my parent’s basement under the guise of doing homework.
Shaky hand jobs, worrying you were doing it wrong, only to remember how you liked it, and in a last-minute shift, managed to get yourself and them off.
What do they call it now? Oh yeah, the honeymoon phase.
“We, um,” Bowie stepped back. “Need to stop. It’s been a while for me.”
Had he too been busy trying to make a name for himself, or had it been the scars that kept him from being with anyone?
“Gotcha. We take it at your pace. But just for the record, I enjoy kissing you.” I reached down and adjusted myself so the words really sunk in.
“Yeah, um, yeah. I’m just gonna,” he grinned and hooked a thumb toward the hallway. “Take a cold shower.”
How could I not smile at his blatant honesty?
“You go right on ahead. Bowie?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope you’re thinking of me while you’re in there.”
“I can promise you that.”
He disappeared around the corner, and I took a moment to collect myself.
Bowie was really getting to me. Like in an it would break me if he ever decided to move out way.
They’d both been here for a couple of weeks, and as far as roommate situations go, this was at the top of the list. They cleaned up after themselves, did their own laundry, and chipped in for groceries even though I hadn’t asked them to, and the conversations were enlightening.
Sure, Tony will find his special person or want to branch out and move into his own place, but selfish as it may sound, I hoped Bowie never wanted to leave.
I had to tread lightly with him, which was why I hadn’t pushed anything personal between us all week.
Now I saw the error in that decision, but still, unknown boundaries were a scary line to tread, and a skittish love interest left me with more questions than answers.
Building Bowie’s self-esteem and making him see the same beautiful man that I did was my number one priority for our hopeful relationship.
Now, back to where to take him tomorrow…
A-ha! Got it!
I woke up the next morning, excited for the date plan I’d come up with.
“Someone’s in a good mood today,” Tony smiled as he wandered through the kitchen. I sat at the table, sipping coffee and catching up on emails on my iPad.
“It’s a beautiful Saturday morning and another day of no rain. Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” he set up the machine to brew his cup. “That mattress is amazing. I’ll have to get one when I find a place of my own.”
Would he take Bowie with him? Not the words I hoped to hear today, and there's no denying it shot my mood down.
“So, where are you taking Bowie on your date?”
“Wait! Don’t say anything until I leave.” Bowie barked as he walked past us and headed straight for the coffee. “I want to be surprised.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. Leave about eleven?”
“Works for me. Just need to do some laundry first. Dress code?”
“Comfortable and be prepared to do some walking.”
“I’m always down for a hike,” he smirked at me over the rim of his coffee mug. “I’ll be ready.”
Was he flirting or being sassy?
Did it matter which?
Nope. In fact, I’d enjoy a combo deal, to be quite honest. Who knew the artist formerly known as the scowly guitarist had so many sides to him?
Elated didn’t even cover how I felt about Bowie emerging from his shell.
Every day brought forth a sneak peek, and I looked forward to learning the many facets that made up Bowie James.
While they were both busy with their own stuff, I made a quick trip to the market.
One thing I never imagined purchasing was a picnic basket.
Yet here I was, buying one and thankfully already had freezer packs frozen at home and ready to load.
I was pulling out all the romantic stops, it would seem.
Should I buy flowers too, or was that too much?
My mind and heart once again warred, and in the end it won out over my heart.
No flowers.
Where was Pressley Darren, and what have you done with him? I snickered to myself. The lady beside me shot me a look like I’d lost my mind. Who knows, maybe I had, but I was having a great time entertaining myself.
“Someone’s set to enjoy our beautiful weather,” the cashier smiled as she rang me up.
“Indeed I am.” Dad and I used to camp and fish every chance we got when the weather permitted. Man, how many years has it been since we did that? I wonder if Bowie would enjoy a guy’s weekend away with us.
Jesus, here I was already planning to introduce him to my parents, and we hadn’t even completed our first date yet. Yup, that cart was wayyyy ahead of the horse. But the fact that I even thought about it said a lot, especially considering I never introduced anyone to them.
I pulled into the garage and quickly tucked the food away in the spare refrigerator I kept out here. Picnic basket hidden away in the back seat of the truck, and now it was time to get a few honey-do’s knocked off my list before it was time to head out.
When it was time to roll, I found Bowie waiting in the kitchen. “I take it you’re ready?”
“Yeah, I was a little excited, so I’ve been ready for a while.” His hair was down, but the elastic around his wrist wasn’t missed by me. At least he had a secondary plan if at any point he felt uncomfortable.
Tony came out and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “You two, kids, have fun. Don’t forget, curfew is midnight.” Bowie flipped him off as we headed out the door.
“So, a hike, huh?”
“Kind of, a little one really. You still okay with that?” This date wasn’t anything that couldn’t easily be changed. “Would you prefer dinner and a movie?”
Bowie chuckled. “Nah, man. I’m not that kind of guy. I mean, if it’s just a general kind of grab a quick bite before seeing a movie, then sure. But the whole wine and dine thing isn’t my scene. Outdoor stuff I’m great with. Concerts, hell ya. I’m actually looking forward to this.”
“Excellent.” And my mind was back to that whole potential futuristic fishing and camping with my dad. “So, camping? Fishing?”
“Yeah. My dad and uncle took me and my brothers whenever they could. They were mostly on the road. Sometimes we went with them, but other times we stayed behind. Like when we had school and shit.”
“Makes sense.” I often wondered how that worked. It couldn’t be easy to leave your family behind even though your job required it. “Your mom travels a lot too, you’d mentioned.”
“She does. My family is filled with nomads,” Bowie smiled. “It’s all good. We had grandparents and aunts that watched out for us. And our folks always called and checked in. Sometimes too much.”
“I get it. Eagle eyes everywhere.” I exited the 90 and merged onto the 203, Bowie’s head darted in every direction, taking in the scenery.
“Sometimes it’s hard to remember we live in one of the prettiest areas of the country.”
“True. It’s hard to remember when you’re busy bitching about the rain.” We laughed at that. “We’re almost there.”
“Whoa, Snoqualmie Falls. All the times I’ve been to Seattle, yet I never got to stop here.”
“It’s my go-to when I need to clear my head.
The city can be a bit much, so I’ll take off for a drive, and most of the time I find myself here.
It’s a great place to chill and just enjoy the peace and quiet.
” Though given it was summer and school was out, we might not get the peace I’d hoped to find today, but at least we’d be together.
Bowie hopped out as soon as I had the truck in park and shouted over his shoulder, “Come on, slowpoke!” As he made his way over to the rim overlooking the waterfall. By the time I caught up to him, he’d easily taken a dozen pictures already. “Here, stand next to me so we can do a selfie together.”
“I don’t think it’s a selfie with two people in it.”
“Alright, smart guy. Do you want to be in the pic with me or not?”
He had me there. Right before Mr. Bossy Pants's finger hit the button on his phone, I turned and kissed his cheek.
“That was perfect!” Bowie cheered. “Check it out.”
Perfect it was, and the smiles on both our faces said it all. “Send me that one, please.”
We headed down the trail that led to the bottom of the falls. The walk took longer than normal given the numerous times Bowie stopped to take more pictures, many of which I ended up in, but I loved this joyful side of him. “You’re gonna get sick of seeing my mug.”
“Never,” he smiled fondly at his phone screen. “Already made it my screensaver.”
As much as I’d like to say Bowie had me at the word screensaver, it would be a lie.
Without a doubt that man had me the first night we went to dinner.
Unknowingly, he drew me in, and now I was his for as long as he’d have me.
If there weren’t so damn many families around I’d have pinned him to a tree and kissed him until we were both breathless.
Goddess, don’t let him break my heart.
Bowie’s eyes widened as we reached the base and walked along the side of the mountain. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“One thing I loved about hiking in Oregon was running across natural surprises such as this. I mean, this isn’t much of a surprise, but Mother Nature never failed to dazzle me with random falls and amazing flora and fauna.”
“Flora and fauna, huh?”
He nudged me with his shoulder, a slight blush tinted his cheeks.
“You know what I mean. I miss the summers when my dad and uncle were home and we’d go camping.
Singing beside the bonfire, cooking hot dogs over an open flame and making smores.
I loved the sounds outside the tent at night.
Owl’s hooting, the crunch of branches beneath the deer’s hooves.
You say you find your peace here, mine was always out in the wilderness.
It had a way of shutting my brain down.”
People came and went as we stared at the wonder before us. Bowie filled his photo library with pictures and together we posed for several more.
“You getting hungry?”
“I could eat.” I loved that general response he and Tony both used. “What’s for lunch?”
“If we can find a picnic table, you’ll find out. Otherwise, we’re eating in the back of the truck.”
“I’m good either way.”
So was I. As long as I had Bowie by my side I’d be happy no matter where I was.