ACE

I stared at the paper with her number on it. HER number. This was it. My one fucking chance. And it was all thanks to my buddy Jax. For all his ribbing me about falling for a dancer, here he was doing the exact same thing with that Aria chick. Although, I had to admit; it had all turned out great. We’d just finished filming the music video that I thought would never happen. At first, Jax had been rejecting every single model and dancer that had auditioned. We were all freaking out that this would never get done, especially since the label was breathing down our necks.

Until Aria. Until we went to the club for me and he found his muse.

Sometimes life just puts you on the right path without you even realizing it. Aria had turned out to be Harley’s best friend. And Harley was none other than my beautiful Candy-girl. How had this even happened? The stars had aligned, that’s how. I was incredulous and fucking scared. I had exactly what I wanted, but I felt terrified. Was I just supposed to call this girl out of the blue? I hadn’t seen her since that one night when I’d played a few drunken notes and noticed her onstage. But now, with her name and number burning a hole in my palm, I was desperate to see her again. Did she really give the okay to Aria? Or had Aria just gone ahead on her own and shared Harley’s number? Had Aria told her I would call? I had far too many questions, and I wasn’t getting any answers. Aria had shoved the paper in my hand and left. I felt like a teenager again. My palms were sweating, my heart racing. After all, calling someone that you’ve never actually spoken to before was pretty awkward. Even for a rock star.

This was a one and done deal. I had one chance to make a good impression and get her to agree to see me. One phone call, one chance. I was already obsessing and Aria had only just exited the building.

As I stood there trying to make sense of it all, Jax busted into the room. “Where the fuck is she?” He bellowed.

“Aria? Sorry dude, she just left.” Rocco said, as he gathered up various items of clothing and shove them into a duffel bag.

“Yeah, sorry, man,” continued Gage. “She seems like she was in a rush too… but at least the video turned out well.”

Jax lost it. “I don’t care about the video!” He began yelling and throwing things around the small dressing room. “I just don’t understand what happened!”

“It didn’t just go well.” I interrupted his rant. “Honestly, I think this is going to be the best video we ever made.”

“I don’t give a damn about the video, Ace!” Jax yelled.

“Alright then.” I turned away. There was no sense in talking to him when he was like that. The video was a success, and whatever he had done to make Aria leave in a huff was his issue, not mine.

Just because things hadn’t gone his way didn’t mean that they weren’t going to go mine. Aria had thrown me a lifeline, and I wasn’t about to waste it. But first, I needed to have a smoke and a moment to think in peace.

“Guys, I’ll be back soon.” I mumbled, grabbing my leather jacket and pack of smokes.

Rocco nodded in my direction, but the other guys didn’t even notice. I headed off to find a quiet spot. Unfortunately, the entire place was still busy. Technical crew and roadies were everywhere, cleaning up after the video. Thank God we had these guys. We might have been the talent, but without the crew, we were nothing. I remembered well the days when we had to do our own set up and take down, before and after every show. Not my idea of fun.

I noticed an emergency exit at the end of a long hallway. As I headed towards it, I repeated in my head the words I planned to say to Harley. I had to let her know I wasn’t just some rock star who wanted to quick lay. It had been obvious to me that the very first time I saw her; she was special, and I wanted to convey that to her.

A small piece of wood had propped the emergency door open. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one having a smoke break here, by the looks of all the cigarette butts on the ground.

“Don’t mind if I do too.” I mumbled to myself as I pulled out my pack and dug my hand into my pocket in search of my lighter. Stepping outside into the sunlight had me squinting in seconds. The sun was shining as I took that first drag off my cigarette and looked up to the sky, letting the warm rays blanket my face. Being outside was revitalizing. We built our career in dark smoky clubs and often spent so many hours indoors that we forgot what time of day it was. It was nice to remember what it was like now and then.

Inhaling again, I enjoyed the feeling of the smoke floating down into my lungs and giving me a head rush. So good. Couldn’t beat that feeling no matter how bad it was for you. The air was warm as I listened to the leaves rustling in the surrounding trees. That was it. Suddenly, I knew exactly what I was going to say to Harley. I pulled out my mobile Motorola phone, raised the antenna, and tried to power it up. No lights, no power. Damn thing was dead. Shit! I cursed under my breath. I knew I should have charged up the bigger battery pack.

I dropped the butt on the ground and stomped it out before turning and practically ran down that cement hallway.

“Where can I find a phone?” I asked a roadie as I passed him carrying an enormous box.

“Main office!” He called back to me.

My eyes zeroed in on the staircase that would take me back up to the main office. I took the stairs to by two, my brain only focused on my upcoming conversation with Harley. I was panting when I busted through the door only to find myself in a quiet office. The space was all-white except for the records framed on the wall behind the receptionist. Ours was dead center and damn, did it make me smile.

“Hey, can I use your phone?” I asked the girl behind the desk.

“Of course, Mr. Novak!” she responded with a smile. The people who worked here knew to treat us like everyone else, but that didn’t stop her from suppressing a small giggle. Just another fan.

I took the phone from her hand and passed her the paper to dial the number.

“Mind if I have some privacy?” I asked, but it wasn’t a question.

“Absolutely, sir.” She nodded and quickly exited the room.

Sweat pooled everywhere on my body as I listened to her phone ring one, two and finally three times, with still no answer. Shit. Then, just as I was about to hang up, a groggy voice came to the phone.

“Hello?”

This was my moment. The moment that could change everything.

“Hi there, can I speak to Harley, please?” I asked in my most professional voice.

Who had answered the phone? Did she have a roommate? Maybe that was her mom, maybe… why the fuck was I trying to be professional? I was a musician, not an accountant, for fuck’s sake! Jesus, I was sweating.

“That’s me.” She mumbled. “And this better be good. I was sleeping.”

Great timing, Ace. I rolled my eyes as I looked up at the ceiling.

“Harley, my name is Ace Novak. Apologies for waking you up but I got your number from your friend Aria.” My lungs burned from holding my breath.

I paused.

Silence on the other end.

“Hello?” I exhaled shakily. “Are you still there?”

Finally, she spoke.

“Yes… uh, yeah, I’m here.” She repeated a few times, sputtering and as she cleared her throat.

“Okay, so listen…” I began. “I know this is really weird and I’m sorry to just call you right out of blue like this, but I…”

And just like that, it was like I was speaking to a different person.

“Of course, thanks for calling!” I could hear the smile in her voice. “I didn’t realize it was you and well… it just took me for it by surprise.” Harley continued. “I’m really glad Aria gave you my number.”

“You are?” I asked.

“Yes, absolutely!”

“Okay good, I didn’t want to be too forward, but I’ve, uh… been trying to meet you for the past few weeks.” I began, tentatively. “I’ve, uh… dropped in at your work and…”

“Yeah, I’ve missed a bunch of days at work lately.” She cut me off quickly.

“Well look, I was wondering if we might see each other sometime?” No point dragging this out. Being direct was always better.

I heard her suck in air. Had to be a good sign. I could only hope.

“Um, yeah, I guess so. I’d like that. Maybe I could come with Aria next time she’s working with you guys,” she answered, her smile instantly audible in every syllable. “I’m not a professional like Aria, of course, but if you need something a little simpler, then I’m your girl.”

“Well… I was thinking of something different, just you and me.” I offered slowly. Did she get that I was asking her out or did she think this was a work thing, like it was for Aria?

“Oh… just us?” Harley repeated.

“Yeah… like a date.” I mumbled. Crumbling inside.

Silence crackled on the other end of the line.

“A date?”

“Great!” I answered. “Are you free tomorrow? I could come pick you up and we could go spend some time together.”

“Uh…” She hesitated.

Was that disappointment in her voice? No, it wasn’t because she didn’t actually say anything, you idiot. I silently berated myself. She hadn’t said yes… yet… I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

I tried to cover up my desperation. “Or is tomorrow too soon?”

What the fuck was I doing? I sounded ridiculous. Like some teenager trying to ask his crush to prom.

“No, actually tomorrow is okay.” Harley responded. “I don’t have to work tomorrow.”

Thank fucking god.

“Perfect. What’s your address? I’ll come by around 2 o’clock.” I was locking this shit down immediately.

Hesitation again. “Where do you want to go?” she sighed. “I’ll meet you there.”

“No, that’s not how I roll, Harley. I’ll pick you up. What’s your address?” I asked again.

“Okay, fine.” She relented. “It’s 55 Willow Tree, apartment 10,” she answered. “Just buzz me and I’ll come down.”

“Will do. Looking forward to it.”

“Same. I’ll see you tomorrow… Ace.”

Click.

And just like that, she was gone. I stood there holding the receiver, grinning like an idiot. Finally, I was making progress. This was going to be epic.