Chapter 16
Melody
Y ou’ve got to be kidding me.
I looked up and down between my phone and the place that Hound told me to meet him at for my “first lesson”. A lesson I had no idea what to expect.
He had the desire to teach me the ways to be brave on stage and “fulfill my pretty little dreams”. Honestly, I still wondered if he was delusional to think that he could teach me.
Hound texted me the address, after he finally got my number weeks later. But the address he sent me to was outside of the city, almost what felt like a warehouse district. Did I dare move into the building?
I’d seen too many suspense and horror movies to know you never go in a dark, spooky building. You get in your car, and leave.
“And yet I’m about to be the stereotypical woman wanting to go check it out.” I gathered as much courage as I could as I walked closer to the building with my guitar in hand. As much as I didn’t want to, a hit from the guitar would aid in my escape if this went sideways.
I looked at the message he sent.
Hound Dog
Time for your first lesson or two. Meet me here at 7pm. I want to hear you, little songbird.
I had to admit that the nickname was growing on me. He had more of an admiring tone rather than a mocking one.
My heart raced as the darkened area was only lit by the warehouse lights inside. This abandoned warehouse was barren, I couldn’t tell if there was once something there or something was being built.
I had blindly trusted Hound, growing from suspension and miscommunication to sincerity. We moved past the part where he was pushing me away or keeping his distances but his own foolishness had ended that.
I kept my mind from wandering into dangerous territory, not thinking about the way he could just touch me and I’d lose control. The way his words sparked a motivation to prove him right that I could do it, that my dreams could come true.
My steps echoed with each stride. My boots clacked on the cold concrete floor. The pure wonderment of the space and what it would be, the openings and the structures sent a chill down my spine.
I waited to see if Hound would come around the corner, perhaps with a small smirk on his face. But he didn’t come. I walked further in the building, weaving in and out of the room barriers. It almost started to feel like a metal maze.
“What the fuck kind of deal did I make?” I whispered to myself.
“One with an outlaw that has some kind of beating heart for a certain woman,” a deep voice rumbled behind me.
The small joke of being an outlaw reminded me of just that, that he was the president of the club. One that had eyes and ears on every street, they were one to behold. I turned to see the giant of a man invade the personal space bubble. He smelled like vanilla and bourbon, no wonder one could get drunk off of him.
“I feel like this was a test to see if I’d show up to a place that not even a cartoon crime fighting dog would enter.” My nerves started up again, my hands were even trembling.
“No tests, but shows that you really want to do this, shows dedication,” he replied, and with that my cheeks heated up. “Hi, songbird.”
I gulped. “Hi Hound.”
In that light, he eyes weren’t just blue, it was like a midnight blue, darkened under everything around us.
It’s amazing what can be felt when words are rarely spoken. It was somewhat skin crawling, wanting to fill the silence.
I cleared my throat. “As much as you look like you like what you see, it is a bit chilly. Could we get on with the lesson?”
I wasn’t lying, the warehouse was feeling like a cold trap, even with the amount of layers I tried to put on. But the way he was looking was one that felt like he wasn’t hungry for food.
He just smiled at me, “Yeah, we’re gonna start tonight.”
I looked down at the floor, “Okay, teach.” I swung my arms out, “First, what the hell is this building? Is this where you lure all your obsessions and chain them to the wall until they beg you to take them?” I laughed.
He cocked his head, and in that moment I felt the heat rise again to my cheeks.
“Maybe.” He cracked a smile at me, reaching to take my guitar and put it on the ground. “Maybe you’re not wrong about an obsession.”
“How can you be so intense then say such things that make a woman weak?” I looked at him, squaring up to his presence.
He chuckled as he smiled while biting his lower lip. “This is a new development. A legal development. B.B thought about a place for people to rent like additional art or creative spaces. It’s in the early stages but for now, it will serve as our classroom. The acoustics right now make it feel like you’re singing for a theater.” He trailed a finger down my cheek, “A place where you could be in the spotlight.”
I leaned into his touch, trying to imagine this place filled with the creative souls he was talking about. Private spaces away from prying eyes or people judging you before you’re ready to give it to the world.
“That’s kinda beautiful,” I admitted, walking away from him exploring the area. Mostly because if I stood in front of him any longer, the results would definitely have varied. “Will I ever get to meet this infamous B.B?”
He had grown quiet. “You sort of have.”
“Apart from the Blue Sax. I wouldn’t be able to point him out in a line up,” I joked, but I got no response from him. I wasn’t going to push.
“We’re safe, right? Nothing is gonna come crashing down on me?” I laughed.
“Nothing’s gonna happen. As long as there’s no fire or something and we don’t have to call the fire department, honey.” He laughed alongside me.
You could say that I was like a cartoon character when their eyes widened when something drastic happened. But when I looked back at him, there was something that caught my eye, that small smirk. Like a memory waking up that was buried deep inside.
“You some kind of fire bug or something?” I cocked an eyebrow, nervous about the answer.
He shrugged. “Nothing too big, at least I think.”
“Please tell me you’re kidding.”
It was like a memory had woken up and hit me over the side of the head. There was no way he… couldn’t be.
“You gonna keep talking or you want to learn something tonight.” he changed the subject.
But there was something. I wasn’t blind.
He does something to me. I felt like I'd known him before. Something about his smile or his eyes when they lit up. The way he tried to make it easy to talk to me, like he was trying to fix something that was fixable.
Why would he want to help me?
I was a nobody.
I wasn’t meant to stay in the light for long. I didn’t fit into his world. And I wasn’t going to change myself just to fit into his world.
He would have to take me as I was. I was somewhat strong. At least, I had to be.
He studied me for a moment. “I can hear your thoughts.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“An outlaw and a mind reader,” I joked.
“I asked if you were ready for your lesson,” he said, stepping closer to me. I took a step back. “You keep looking at me like I’m kidding, like I’m going back on a promise.”
“Well, can you blame me? The whole beginning of this has been the rockiest thing I have ever been through. And yeah, you made a promise. But I wouldn’t blame you for taking it back.” There I went rambling again.
His eyes darkened, “I beg your pardon?” He challenged me to finish my thought. The more I stood there, the more I couldn’t take Sadie’s advice anymore and a rush of reality hit hard.
“I’m sorry. I ramble like an idiot, not knowing how to shut up or accept help. Call it feeling like a burden. My problems are my problems and no one else's. Just like my music is my music, my path is my path. Things I called mine, and I can’t let anyone take it away again.”
There it was, a smidge of the truth. My own problem, I felt like I was the one that needed to get over it. Internally, I was a ball of self-doubt from the people that told me that I wasn’t enough, that I was only good for one thing. Or even tried to turn me into something that wasn’t me.
I was afraid of people helping me.
“I know what that feels like. Melody, you don’t need to be afraid. You let go of the self-doubt. In fact, I have an idea.”
He gently pressed a kiss to my forehead and dragged me further into the warehouse.