Chapter 48 - Milo
Milo
“Do you think she suspects anything?” Cash asked me.
I shook my head. “Not a thing. She just ordered another beer.” We were standing at the back of the bar, and I pointed to where she sat up near the stage.
“So?”
“So,” I said, “if she knew we were here, she’d get up and run out the door. She’s pissed, dude.”
“She’s upset,” Cash corrected. “Slight difference.”
“Whatever. Point is, she’s got no idea what’s coming.”
Cash let out a long sigh. I could tell my buddy was nervous. Hell, so was I. But I felt pretty confident that this was going to work.
Whatever reason she had for being in a funk these past weeks, I knew that Riot serenading her would make everything better again.
Because I couldn’t think about what would happen if it didn’t work.
The other singer was making his introduction: “Please welcome to the stage, the lead singer and guitarist for Cherry Midnight… Riot Kane!”
In her chair by the stage, Roxie’s entire body jerked like a gunshot had gone off.
Riot strode out from the back, an acoustic guitar slung across his chest rather than an electric one.
The crowd was surprised, then elated to see the now-famous Riot Kane playing in a room normally reserved for no-name bands.
We’d all written this song together over the past two months, tweaking and editing until it was perfect.
But it was made to be played with a full band, and an electric guitar.
We had no idea how the acoustic version would sound.
Or if it could stand on its own without other instruments.
Time to find out.
Our job was to make sure Roxie didn’t leave. Fortunately, she remained in her seat. Frozen while she stared up at Riot.
“Wish I could see her face.”
“Shh,” Cash said.
“Thanks for that warm welcome,” Riot said, which drew a few more screams—mostly from two women by the bar.
One of them flashed her tits, but Riot’s gaze was locked onto the woman sitting by herself in front of the stage.
“This song… isn’t like our other songs. It has a purpose.
I wrote it to put into words something that I feel very deeply, something I haven’t been able to express the way normal people express their love.
It’s never been played before, so I hope you guys enjoy it. It’s called My Muse in the Flame.”
He took a seat on a stool, then lowered the microphone to his mouth. His fingers went to their normal places on the guitar automatically. A master at his craft, whether for an audience of ten thousand or an audience of one.
I could tell, here in this bar, that it was the latter.
Riot struck a chord, letting it ring through the bar, and everyone went quiet. In a voice that was as smooth as silk yet as strong as leather, Riot began to sing the first verse.
You walked in like a match in the dark,
Leather boots, gasoline heart,
The ink on my skin lit up your name,
I was smoke, baby, and you were the flame.
His guitar pick flashed faster, picking up the speed, and a cheer went up among the fans. The song lived in that sweaty borderland between a hard rock power ballad and modern alternative rock, and it really shined with just an acoustic guitar.
“It’s good,” Cash whispered, somewhere between awe and relief. “It works.”
“Can’t wait to hear it with drums and bass,” I said.
Down in front, Roxie remained perfectly still. I wondered if that was because she was entranced, or because she was too upset to move.
You touched me and Atlanta fell quiet,
All of the chaos, and none of the Riot,
I’d been lost in the noise for days,
Then your lips pulled me out of the haze.
He strummed faster, picking up the beat as he leaned into the microphone, and the crowd began swaying as he hit the chorus.
Yeah, you got that dangerous glow,
Kiss me like you already know…
Ohh! You’re my muse in the flame, my beautiful fire,
Every caress of your lips drives me higher,
Your body’s a spark on my skin,
I’m burning and I never wanna give in,
You’re the song I’ll play forever,
Every word, every note, every letter,
If the world goes dark like the sun’s blown a fuse,
I’ll still be yours…
You’re my forever muse.
He kicked back the stool and stood, pausing to adjust the microphone to his level. New patrons were pouring into the bar, coaxed in from the street, pressing inside until it was almost too crowded to move.
Roxie’s hands were pressed to her mouth, but she still didn’t moved. I started to wonder if this was going to work, or if it was a mistake.
Riot was now singing with enthusiasm, his lips pressed right up against the mic, his dark hair matted to his temple with sweat as he began the second verse.
Your hips move like a loaded gun,
Yeah, you’re a slow-motion setting sun,
Every gaze makes the sinners pray,
Makes the saints want to run away.
You taste like midnight and cherry and truth,
Like every reckless dream of my youth,
When you gasp my name, I come undone,
You’re the moon and my trigger and my only one.
Yeah. You got that heat in your veins,
I’d crawl through hell just to feel you again…
The bar was pandemonium now, and I could barely see Roxie through the press of bodies. But then someone shifted, and there she was, standing on her feet and moving to the music as Riot hit the chorus like a sledgehammer.
You’re my muse in the flame, my beautiful fire,
Every caress of your lips drives me higher!
Your body’s a spark on my skin,
I’m burning and I never wanna give in!
You’re the song I’ll play forever,
Every word, every note, every letter!
If the world goes dark like the sun’s blown a fuse,
I’ll still be yours…
You’re my foreveeeeeer muse.
I threw my arm around Cash and kissed him on the cheek. For once, he didn’t groan and shove me away—he just grinned as we watched our bandmate, our best friend, win back the woman that we didn’t realize we were close to losing.
When my voice goes cracked and the crowds fade away,
When the amps go silent and the skies turn gray,
I’ll still find you in the quiet and the truth,
Every melody leads me right back to you.
He pointed his guitar pick down at Roxie.
Let the whole damn world try to take what’s mine,
They can’t still the spark you’ve left in my spine,
You’re the reason these broken chords still choose…
You, Roxie. It’s all for you.
Yeah! You’re my muse in the flame, my beautiful fire!
My last dying breath and my only desire!
Your love’s tattooed under my skin!
Where you end baby, that’s where I begin!
You’re the song I’ll play forever!
Through the fall and bleeding weather!
When they carve my name in the rock and roll blues,
It’ll say I lived only… for my forever muse.
Cash and I screamed and cheered as loud as anyone in the bar. Riot seemed to hear none of it. His eyes were locked onto Roxie as he unslung his guitar and let it fall heavily to the floor, then hopped off the stage.
“Come on,” I said, pulling Cash toward the front.
People in the crowd started recognizing us as we moved closer. One woman grabbed my arm and showed me the Cherry Midnight tattoo on her cleavage, and begged me to sign it. But I smiled and waved her off while making my way to the woman I loved.
Because it was true. I did love Roxie. I loved her with a passion that I’d never allowed myself to feel in my life, a life full of abandonment and disappointment.
I’d guarded my heart up to this point, shielding myself with laughter and jokes, never taking anything too seriously—because that’s how you got hurt.
Roxie had pierced that armor. She’d shown me that if I opened up and allowed myself to be vulnerable, I could have something amazing. Something worth maybe getting hurt for.
That’s what love was. And for the first time in my life, I knew it.
And when I glanced at Cash? I saw the same look in his eyes, too.