PART ELEVEN

*Melody*

I hopped around my living room with my arms flying around wildly and beams of sweat falling into my eyes, as I sang along to the blaring stereo off the top of my lungs.

"Do you remember the time, when we fell in love, do you remember the time, when we first met?"

I suppose what I was doing could be called dancing. I called it in-door exercising, one of my favorite things to do at night after work. It was a great way to release all the stress of the day and let out all my frustrations.

And today I had plenty of them. It had been a day from hell. I thought my heart would jump out of my throat when I saw Fletcher in my office building, especially since he had never bothered to show up before. The lunch had been tense and he'd been angry and insulted by everything I'd said. And it didn't help much when I got back to work. Everyone were sweet to me, but their silence was just as suffocating as if they had bombarded me with their questions.

I gritted my teeth as my hopping around became more fierce and aggressive. Like I didn't know what they had been thinking. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for the way they'd stood up for me, but if they had something on their minds, they should've told me. I saw the way they had all looked like they would explode with anger when Fletcher lashed out at me, and I knew they all had the same question for me. The same question most people asked me after meeting Fletcher.

'Why are you with that man?'

"Like I even know myself," I said softly and stopped abruptly when the song ended. I decided to call it a night and turned off the stereo in a swift movement. Still panting, I grabbed my water bottle and gulped down half the content in a matter of a few seconds. Then I headed for the bathroom as I changed into my pj's and brushed my teeth. Just before I exited the room, I hopped up on the scale to see how much I had lost since yesterday.

"Two pounds," I said to myself and my smile grew wider. "7 pounds in total. Way to go."

Thank goodness I was still as determined as when I'd started my little project. I had only broken my diet on a few occasions, but it had been nothing of real significance. I just had to make sure to keep up the healthy food and occasional candy in controlled doses. And of course, exercising. Not only did I exercise almost every day, I had come to enjoy it as well.

Who would've known? I thought and chuckled as I shook my head to myself. But then again, how could I not love everything about this? My pants were getting loser around my thighs and my face was getting thinner. There definitely came a great reward with all the sacrifices.

Suddenly, the sound of the phone ringing broke my line of thought and I sped for the living room as I grabbed the cordless and quickly pressed the 'talk' button.

"Hello?"

"So what did they say?"

I smacked a hand over my mouth in utter surprise. I had completely forgotten to call Lorna in all my frustration. "Girl, I'm so sorry," I apologized as I stepped out on the balcony. "I completely forgot to call you."

"I figured that by now," she chuckled. "But come on, tell me, I'm dying here."

I grinned cheekily and decided to draw out the anticipation a while longer. "I thought you weren't too fond of their music," I said and sat down in my outdoor chair.

"I never said that," she objected. "And besides, they're one of the biggest bands in the world, so I'm not gonna be picky. But what did they say?"

"Well," I smiled. "You're coming to work with me tomorrow to meet them."

"So that means yes?"

I chuckled. "That means yes."

Seconds went by where I had to hold the phone several inches away from my ear to not go deaf from her screaming. "If I didn't know you so well, I'd be tempted to say you just had a teeny-bopper moment," I grinned when her excitement had died down a little.

"Girl, don't even joke about that stuff," she chuckled. "But I can't believe this. I'm gonna make a duet with the Backstreet Boys. Just listen to that sentence! Do you think this will help my career?"

"Without a doubt," I nodded. "If the sales go as well on this album as I'm expecting, your voice will be heard by millions of fans all over the world."

"I think I'm gonna faint," Lorna said breathlessly and I once again had to laugh at her enthusiasm. "So tell me, are these guys nice to work with?" she asked.

"The best," I said honestly. "In all the time I've been doing this, I've never enjoyed going to work so much as I do right now."

"Not even when you were working with me?"

"All right, not including the time I worked with you."

"That's more like it."

I smiled softly and leaned back to look up at the stars that now shone brightly across the sky. "But seriously, you'll have a blast working with them. They're the nicest guys in the world."

"How can I believe someone as biased as you?" she asked. "You're in love with one of them."

"In love?" I questioned and sat back up straight. Those words had crossed my mind a few times before, but to hear them said out loud made it seem questionable. "I never said I was in love with him," I objected.

"But aren't you?" Lorna asked softly. "Sweetheart, you think about him all the time, just like you talk about him whenever you can. I'm not trying to put words in your mouth here, but doesn't this sound even a little bit familiar?"

"I ... I don't know," I said and closed my eyes as I sighed. Did I know AJ well enough to be in love with him? The way the thought of him always made me smile and the fact that just a look from him could brighten up an entire day, could that be described as ... love? "Wouldn't it just make things more complicated if I was?" I asked.

"Quite the opposite," she said. "I think it'll make things seem clearer."

"Maybe," I whispered. With quick fingers, I found a cigarette and lit it as I inhaled with a deep sigh.

"Melody, you really should quit."

"I know," I smiled as I took another puff. "I'm working on it."

I sat in silence for a short moment as I watched the clouds of smoke fly into the sky and disappear into nothing. "Did I tell you Fletcher came by the office today?" I asked.

"No," Lorna said in a gasp. "Did you introduce him?"

"I had to."

"And was he his usual charming self?"

"Lorna," I said accusingly. "He was ... not in a good mood, I can say that at least. He said some offensive stuff and the tension in the room was so thick you could cut right through it. But AJ actually defended me."

"He did?" she asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I was so surprised I could barely tell where I was for a few minutes. But I just don't understand him. Normally he barely knows I'm alive, and only makes eyecontact once or twice a day. But he stood up for me, and he meant every word he said, I could tell."

"Sweetie, that's wonderful," she exclaimed. "That's a step forward, right?"

"I suppose so," I shrugged. "But when I came back from lunch, he still barely spoke two words to me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"I'm sure it's not you," Lorna reassured. "Maybe he's just got a lot of things on his mind."

"Yeah, maybe," I sighed and turned out my cigarette again. The frustration seemed to rise with full force. "But he's been like this for weeks now."

"So ask him."

"I just might."

"Good," she said. "Listen, I really have to go if I wanna get a decent sleep for tomorrow. Do you think you could give me a ride?"

"Sure," I said. "Just be here by 8 and we'll go together. You can take the car home if you want, then I can run home."

"All right, sounds like a plan. Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup, see you tomorrow."

"Oh, and Melody?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. And keep faith, okay?"

I smiled softly. "You're welcome. And I will. Love you."

"Love you more."

I clicked the 'off' button and walked back inside. I shivered slightly as I wrapped my arms around myself and walked over to sit by the piano. I glanced at it and bit my lower lip nervously.

For quite some time now. I'd been working on a song in my head. When I sat in the car on the way home or went for one of my runs, I would think up words and notes for it to display my feelings perfectly. But did I actually dare to put it all into music?

"Keep faith," I whispered as my fingers slid across the keys without pressing them down. Then I turned around to fully face the piano and used both hands to play a few notes till I found my intro.

"I'm standing three feet away from you," I hummed without looking away from the work my fingers created. "But I'm still missing you."

I quickly grabbed a notesheet from a built-in drawer on the piano and jotted down the notes and words. Then my fingers seeked the keys again, constantly attempting new things with the music. The beauty of a simple creation never failed to amaze me.

"Your embrace, I will never feel, and your heart, I will never steal."

A tear trickled down my cheek and I sniffled, but shook my head. This was not the time. Instead I concentrated on the words that had been burned into my mind for so long. Ever since AJ had walked into my life.

"'Cause like the stars, you are out of reach, and your lips, I will never kiss, but your smile, I will never miss."

When I looked up at the clock again, it read 3AM. But I now held a new piece of work in my hands. "This one's for you, AJ," I whispered as I walked over to my briefcase and let it fall inside. "I wish I could tell you." I wiped a fresh tear off my cheek as I walked into the bedroom with a new sense of relief inside of me.

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Chapter 10 » Chapter 12