Zenith Falling (9 page)

Nick didn’t know why he decided to go to that club. He was on-line, reading a local website on hot events of the area, when he came across the name, Rob Williams, lead singer of
Zenith
, who was playing all month at a local haunt. The reviews were strong and their popularity with the locals seemed to be growing exponentially by the week. Nick merely went because he wanted to see what Rob was like. He expected to find a mediocre singer who screamed more than sang, and a band that was louder than it was talented.

He was wrong
. Rob was unlike any other singer he had heard live before. He was that good, that engaging, with a charisma that Nick failed to notice off stage, but nearly radiated from him on stage. He was the center of the world in there, and appeared comfortable being so. He wore leather and makeup, and somehow made it look sexy to the women who were nearly swooning over him.
Zenith
could probably play any song ever written. They were incredible, not only engaging, but almost endlessly talented. They certainly weren’t what he was expecting. He wrote Rob off as a lazy loser who let his wife shoulder everything, despite the obvious toll it was taking on her. Rob might be all that, but he was a hell of a musician, and a star performer. Rob was as good at his job as Nick was at his, and that revelation left him dumbfounded. This was what Joelle was working so hard for. What she was nearly making herself sick at in her efforts to succeed: Rob’s talent. And after hearing it for himself, Nick could almost see why.

It took an hour for Nick to spot Joelle in the crowd. He didn’t really expect to find her there, but he saw her sitting at a table with a crowd of six or so. Joelle seemed at ease, involved, and having fun, a demeanor like nothing he ever witnessed with her. With
him, she was invariably nervous, quiet, and serious. Not now, she was smiling, talking, drinking, and for all appearances, at ease.

Wearing a skimpy tank top, black and very small, with a black leather skirt, leggings and her black boots, her hair was wildly twisted into a knot on her head, with random strands trailing down. Her makeup was thick and dark again, like well… the normal Joelle.
But there was something about her that was too delicate to allow all the black, goth heaviness to look as dramatic and weird as he guessed she intended it to be.

All at once, the entire mood of the place changed. The lights quit bouncing around,
and became lower, dimmer, and softer. Rob sat on a stool, pulling his guitar in front of him before he began to play. Then, he added his best musical instrument: his voice in a quiet, but steady, crescendo. The words were soft and sweet, and all about Joelle. The entire song was about Joelle, and by the time the chorus confirmed it, Nick was what? What was he? Surprised the man could sing so sweetly to and about his own wife? Joelle was visibly rapt. Her eyes closed, and then opened as her gaze locked onto her husband’s. Nick didn’t really believe that she was married. He knew she was, but it seemed like more of an abstract condition she was afflicted with. Everything she said and did was about her: the jobs
she
had to do, the bills
she
had to pay, the money
she
needed. It was never about
them
, or
we
or
our
. It wasn’t like Rob was even a part of her daily struggle to survive.

But at that moment, he
finally saw it: Joelle was very much in love with her husband, and this man was indeed her husband. Even if he couldn’t or wouldn’t help her, in the bigger picture kind of way, they seemed to love each other. Why did that so surprise him? Why did it… what? Bother him? Yeah, maybe it did. Maybe it bothered him a lot. There was no explanation for it, at least, none that he could find to enlighten him as to why that would be. Joelle shut her eyes, took a long, deep breath, and, unexpectedly looked up… directly at him. Her eyes widened with shock. Her neck jerked back and she turned her head away from him. She instantly got up and pushed through the crowd until she disappeared. What could have upset her so much about seeing him there? Was it something else? The song? Was the love song so touching, she couldn’t listen to it in a public place like this? He didn’t try to go after her. Too personal. Too much like he came here specifically for her. When the real reason he came here was… why again? Oh yeah. To check out her husband and see what he was like, so it was not entirely because of her.

“Nick?”

Nick turned when he heard her voice behind him. “Hey
, Joelle,” he said, keeping his tone easy.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just out.”

“Here?”

“Yeah, here,” Nick said, nodding towards a table where some of his friends sat. “Those are my friends. Like to meet them?”

“You’re here with your friends?”

He almost smiled at her tone. Did she not believe he actually had friends? Or was she convinced he was waiting for her? Or seeking her out? Or something equally as lecherous?

“Yeah
, friends. I do have them, you know. That song, must be your favorite, I’d guess?”

“It’s new. This is the first time I’
ve ever heard it.”

“Amazing. He’s great, you know.”

“Yes. He is. Surprised?”

“Yes. Was I that obvious?”

“Yes. You surprised me, showing up here.”

“Like I said. Out.”

“Of course. Out,” Joelle said, finally glancing up into his eyes.

Before he could answer, the band was leaving the stage amidst loud cheers and ovations. Joelle looked past Nick before her band found her and immediately surrounded her. The entire band was smiling, nodding, and graciously accepting compliments. Nick was surprised at how famous they seemed already in th
e small club. People automatically sensed the band was special, that it was going somewhere, and they treated them like it had already.

Rob found Joelle, blind to the blonde bombshell who was trying to get his autograph, because his eyes were zeroed in on and only seemed to see Joelle.

“So, baby, what do you think of your song?”

Nick was close and had no choice, but to overhear them. He wished right then that he couldn’t.

“I had no idea. Is that why you were so insistent I come here tonight?”

“Yeah, we finally got it right. I think it’s the one, baby, the one that’ll take us to the top. And it’s for you, baby; what was it?”

“It was us.”

“Exactly. It took me four years to write us perfectly.”

“We haven’t been so perfect lately; we need to talk about some things.”

“I know,
baby, I do,” he said before kissing his wife as deeply and soundly as the song claimed he felt about her. Apparently, Nick was completely wrong about Joelle, Rob, and her drowning with too much responsibility. He found it hard to believe he could’ve read her so completely and utterly wrong. It sure looked to him like she wasn’t as vulnerable as he previously thought. She was just fine, it seemed.

Nick
wished to be anywhere, but standing within only a few feet of Joelle and Rob Williams. Although his back was turned on them, it was still impossible not to follow their conversation with them in such close proximity, despite the crowd and the noise. Great, Rob managed to win back his wife. Maybe now he might notice Joelle is about to pass out from exhaustion and stress. What exactly did they have to discuss? Rob’s drinking problem? Or the reliance that Rob and his band burdened her with in every aspect of their physical and monetary needs?

Finally, th
ey parted company, or rather, Rob let Joelle go. She was well aware Nick was standing there, still waiting on her. He gathered she was reluctant to display as much ardor as Rob did in Nick’s presence. For all her dark makeup and clothes, she wasn’t really the rebel or deviant miscreant she tried to personify.

S
he was always on time, even early to work every day. She wore more conservative clothes, and filled her days at work with diligence and a proficiency that had her manager, Steve, raving about her in no time. He knew for certain, from the regular updates he requested, that she caught her own mistakes, as well as others. She was intelligent, polite, and reliable. And already excelling in the tasks of her job. Steve had already made the recommendation that she’d be far better off doing something beyond the secretarial work she was originally hired to do.

Rock star wife she tried to look outside Nick’s office, but at heart,
he couldn’t see it. He saw a scared, little girl drowning in a lifestyle that she was completely ill-suited for. A lifestyle that completely stressed her out, and was running her ragged.

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet, Rob.”

At hearing Joelle’s voice, Nick took it as his cue to finally turn back towards them.

“This is Nick Lassiter. Remember I told you about him? He’s Trina’s older brother.”
Her statement was more for Nick than for Rob. Why? To make sure Nick clearly understood that she did tell Rob about him? Ergo, there was nothing secret or clandestine about their relationship.

“Hey, Lassiter. Nice to meet you. Enjoying the show?” Rob said, holding his hand out.

“
Yeah. Sure. Nice to meet you,” Nick said, shaking his hand. Why did he feel so loath to be polite? Even to just shake the man’s hand? Rob hadn’t done anything to him. But for some reason, Nick felt like Rob had somehow personally affronted him. He decided he intensely disliked Rob Williams, just as Rob turned away from him and started mingling with the throngs of people milling all around them.

Eventually,
Nick was standing near Joelle, as they watched Rob. “So, how have things been going for you?”

Her eyebrows lowered and her mouth tightened. She didn’t like answering his questions.
“Fine. Better. The job made a big difference.”

“I was referring to more personal matters. I never see you on Wednesdays anymore.”

“I can’t, I work at the salon until nine each night.”

He
sighed. He didn’t realize she had to continue working evenings. He hoped she made enough from just one full time job. “I wasn’t aware of that. Are things okay there?”

She
glanced at her husband several paces away, holding a drink, and taking a quick shot, as he laughed with the weirdly dressed guy who played the keyboard.

“Things are not so okay there,” she finally said after a long pause. Her voice was so low he had to lean down to hear her.

“Then you should find another time that works for you; find another meeting, Joelle.”

Her gaze sought his out. “Why? What’s it doing for me?”

“Wasn’t hurting you, was it?”

“Rob just needs to be discovered, things will get better then. He won’t be so frustrated.”

“It’s not for his sake. And that sounds like a pretty weak excuse to me.”

“Easy for you to be judgmental when you’re a success in your chosen profession! So please don’t think you understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand. I really don’t understand how a day job would be the end of the world for Rob. I don’t understand why you do everything, and he gets to do whatever he wants.”

“Stop it
! You don’t get it. Us. You really don’t.”

“No
, I don’t get it,” he agreed. He shook his head, casually taking a drink. “I don’t get why you put up with being taken so much for granted.”

“He’s my husband
, Nick. Not my boss. Not my friend. My husband. And I love him.”

“No need to keep repeating it. I know.”

“Do you? Then what are you doing here?”

“Nothing to do with you, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

She looked away. Her shoulders hunched forward, making her appear more thin and slender against the narrow straps of her flimsy tank top. He doubted she wore a bra; her breasts were so small, like quarters on her chest. “I’m just confused why you know so much about me, and my life. More than my own husband sometimes.”

“I know more about you th
an he does because he’d have to get past himself for five minutes to see you. It doesn’t take a genius to see how stressed out you are. It took me two seconds to notice that things were bad for you. But Rob doesn’t want to see that, does he? Or deal with you? Or help you. You made the decision to let that go on. Half of that is on you. As for us, you’re married, and I’m your boss. That’s our relationship, nothing more. So you can quit worrying I’m trying to be anything beyond that to you.”

Nick
spun on his heel and left before she could respond. He strode out of the smoky, too hot club. His pace was purposeful. He became furious with Joelle, her continued stupidity towards her husband, and her constant inferences that he… what? Wanted her? What a laugh. Wanting a girl who not only dressed stupid, but didn’t have the first clue how to handle her life. Like he would ever ask for or want the kind of drama, no, the total train wreck, that Joelle Williams represented. No, thank you.

“Nick, wait!
”

Joelle’s voice
called after him. He was outside on the sidewalk, where it was much less crowded. Cool air hit his face and the streetlights shone on the bare streets. She had to run to catch him. She touched his arm to finally stop him.

He
spun around. “What do you want?”

“Rob and the band plan to go party somewhere, and I don’t want to. I can take the bus home, but I thought maybe you could you give me a ride.”

He stared at her before shaking his head. “You have some nerve. Accusing me of trying to come between you and your husband in one breath, and asking me for a ride in the next?”

“I’m sorry. I’m not used to people like you. I made it a bigger deal than it is because you aren’t like anyone else in my life.”

He shook his head, looking confused. “Then what am I?”

“Nice to me
, Nick. You’re just so damn nice to me.”

He was quiet for a long moment as he pondered her statement. She thought he was nice to her? Jesus, he was only being courteous. No more courteous or polite than he was to everyone else he encountered. How could she think he was giving her some kind of special treatment? God, she really needed to get out more often in normal society if only to see what being around decent people was all about. He narrowed his eyes at her.
“He loves you; your husband, I mean. I saw it in there. I’m glad for you. Go be with him.”

“He does. He does love me, and he doesn’t cheat on me, and he sings beautiful songs to me, and about me. And yet, when I’ve worked all day, and my feet hurt and I want to go home, I can’t depend on him to be there for me.”

Nick stared into her black eyes. “What do you want from me?”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly, looking away, and down the street past him.
Her shoulders hunched as she tucked her hands into the pockets of her skirt. “But I’d like to go home. And yet I hate my home. But I have nowhere else to go. I have no family, and all the friends in the world I have are in there right now with Rob, getting high and drunk. Except for you. You’re not.”

He let out a jagged breath.
Damn her
. She could easily, way too easily draw him into her twisted psyche and unhappy life. “Except for me. Because we’re what now, Joelle? What is it you think we are?”

“Does it matter? You’ll give me a ride home because I asked. And because you’re the only one I can ask.”

“Fine.” Nick emitted a long, weary sigh. Joelle was definitely trouble. She would be nothing, but confusion, stress and heartache. All of which he didn’t need, want or deserve. And yet, she looked so weary, so tired, and so alone.
So in need of him.
And she was right: he was the only one she could ask, and know he’d never turn her down. What that meant he had yet to learn.