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Why We're Here
The guys in Silvia’s group joined the girls by the fence as the band played Weight of the World, their hard-rock hearts leaning to approving nods, even though No Return was much softer than anything they liked. And from the stage, Jim smiled when the girls danced, watching Silvia dance and sing as she’d done at the North Dakota inn, just for fun and just for him.
“Okay, now let’s take it one by one,” Sam said from the tower.
Jim handed the guitar to his assistant and jumped down from the stage with his microphone, just in case. Somebody gave him a bottle of water as he sneaked past the fence to join Silvia’s group. He shook hands and kissed cheeks as she introduced them, with that professional charming smile he usually wore for the meet & greet occasions. But he turned to her as soon as the introductions were over, forgetting about the others not a step away.
“I think your friends know my songs better than y
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No Return The Heart of the Storm
“Sorry to water the mood, guys, but I’d like something to finish the keys,” said Sam.Walt looked up at Jim, who tilted his head with a little smile, looking at Silvia.She would’ve liked to fear for herself, but she was already all in for Jim’s game, so she just waited. She didn’t understand what he said to Walt and the others, but saw his sign when he met her eyes again, pointing at his ear.Pay attention? She did, and she only needed a couple of seconds to recognize Save Your Soul and join him, feeling like a child in Christmas as she sang the background vocals, making Tom chuckle and throw up his hands."Save your soul‘Cause I don’t need it anymoreMy devil eyes see better when they’reNot open, that’s for sure.You were my heart My saving grace
No Return Presidential Suite
A shaken silence followed the end of the song. Everybody kept staring blankly at the stage, not registering that Jim jumped down from it and hurried to the fence to help Silvia down, take her by the hand and lead her away.All of them quivered, like jolting awake from a gripping but muddled dream. They seemed to remember to empty their lungs or fill them again. Their eyes met as they glanced around, questioning, still puzzled, wondering what had just really happened, why they were all so moved, when had Jim made that song.They all looked relieved to see the others were just as shaken. They tried a few steps to remember what was supposed to come next. And the two people that had shaken them like that came to the rescue, as Silvia’s voice echoed all over the stadium.“Son of a bitch! If you ever do this to me again—!”Jim’s laughter replaced her on every speaker. “Everybody heard that, y’know?”“
No Return Live
The space behind the stage was a fevered buzz of techs, assistants, security staff, reporters, VIP guests. The band had retreated to the dressing room to get ready for the meet & greet before playing.Jo rescued Silvia from the trailer steps and took her to join Claudia at a dark corner of the stageside, from where they could watch the show. But the other two refused to stay there. Their friends had taken the best spot against the fence, right in front of Jim’s microphone, and they intended to join them. Jo argued it could get rough in the pit sometimes, and they could get bruised out there.“Yeah, well, it’s a rock concert, not an opera,” Silvia replied.They made her confess she’d never watched the band from the audience since they’d released their first album, and they ended up convincing her to join them.Five minutes before No Return took the stage, Deborah saw Ron come running, pale as if he’d just seen
No Return Push
Keeping in mind they were playing again the next day, Deborah didn’t let the after party go on for more than two hours, and she was relieved when everybody voted to go back to the hotel.On the bus, Jim noticed Silvia was oddly silent. She’d spent the after party with Jo and Claudia, away from the people buzzing around the musicians and the rivers of alcohol that usually flowed after a concert. Now she rested against his side, quiet and still. He felt her draw in a deep, shaky breath and kissed her hair. She was exhausted.She actually regretted declining all the drinks she’d been offered. She wished she’d had some beers, or a couple of tequila shots. Or all of that together, so now fear wouldn’t be clutching at her belly with those sharp icy claws. Still shaken by so many emotions since she’d opened her eyes to Jim’s smile, her survival instinct had finally rioted, demanding that she did something about it. And it was
No Return The Red Shoes
The day was breaking when Silvia found herself awake. Jim was sound asleep, flat on his back, one arm under her neck and the other stretched across the bed. She lay still against his side, his profile a dark line against the window opening to the receding night.Nothing made sense anymore.Waking up to such a man, loving him so much.Her head was a mess of flashing thoughts and feelings and sensations that had no way to come together in any coherent idea.The way he’d made love to her. Nobody had ever made love to her like that. It had nothing to do with his legendary skills as a lover, that she’d already been introduced to when she didn’t even know who he was. His gentleness and attention, the emotions sparkling in those eyes of ice and stars, the way he’d given himself to her.Her chill brought his arm to bend around her shoulders and hold her closer.If over the last two days she’d been flowing from one momen
No Return The Green Shoes
Silvia had just finished getting dressed, and Jim was still in the shower, when the room phone rang. She hesitated, but the thing kept ringing as to wake the dead, so she picked up.“You fucking asshole! You took my green tennis last night? Again? I ain’t giving them up! If you like them, go buy yourself a pair!”Silvia blinked. Okay, that was some way to say good morning. She wasn’t sure which musician was screaming on the phone, so she asked softly, “Good morning, sir, how can I help you?”“Err… Sorry… Isn’t it Jim Robinson’s room?”She swallowed a chuckle. It was Tom. “Yes, it is. Did you say green tennis?” She looked around. “Give me a minute, please.”Jim’s duffel bag was where he’d dropped it the night before, just before she’d pretty much assaulted him. She opened it and saw a pair of green sneakers.“I’ll br
No Return Shoot the Alien
It was one of those gorgeous days of May, a distant sun shimmering in a bright blue sky, a soft cool breeze. And Buenos Aires pandemonium all around. All of them took a moment to deplore they were in the middle of the city, instead of a beach by the lake or camping in the woods.“But at least we’re all together,” said Miyen, raising his beer.They all toasted to it, and then to Juan again.A zillion people strolled down the park lanes among the stands offering crafts, clothing, food, books. The Cultural Center had some interesting expositions they meant to check on later. A couple of bands were getting ready to play at different corners of the park.They’d picked a nice spot on the grass to lay Mika’s tablecloth, where they set all the food they’d brought to share. They were near the secondary gates of the Cultural Center, the traffic up and down Alvear Avenue roaring only forty feet away.Silvia sat down between
No Return Try Me
Jim got on the bus and went to his usual seat, two rows behind the driver, by the window. He dropped his duffel bag on the seat by his and waited. Silvia got on with Jo, almost the last ones, and they stayed at the first seat. Jo held her small camera, and they looked completely absorbed in their conversation. Like they’d been since they’d gotten back from the park, talking about the best places to visit in the city.He tilted his head with a mild frown, studying her. How much longer would it take her to get over the night before? He knew it was as absurd as logical, but she was still trying to stomach that he hadn’t rejected her. So she’d retreated to some inner corner, trying to find a little balance to keep going.And in the meantime, she was being evasive to a cold extent. She’d gotten in the shower when he was still trying to get up, and had pretty much jumped out of it when he’d joined her. To leave the room without even lettin
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