Old Scars (closed)

[DrStein]

Mark held his bass up by the neck, doing a rock star pose that showed off his physique before laughing lightly. After the two of them had a chance to get dressed, they drove down to the music store, a local Guitar Center. The whole store smelled like carved wood and polish, not overly so, but enough to evoke clearly the feeling of a music store.

They were greeted by a rail-thin salesman with multiple facial piercings. "How's it going? Anything you're looking for?"

"Yeah," Mark answered. "I started playing bass again. I was looking for some new equipment. Maybe try out some chorus pedals."

They spent a few minutes wandering the store and looking at different stompbox models when Mark looked over at the wall display and his eyes lit up. "What do we have here?"

The salesman looked up at smiled. "You like the fretless there? Just got it in." He strode ahead of mark and took the fretless bass that Mark was eyeing off the wall and handed it to him.

"This is beautiful," Mark commented. "Can I try it out?" With a nod from the salesman, Mark hooked it up to a demo amp, borrowed a pick and did a quick tune up. He played a few scales first, getting the feel for the fingerboard. He was fortunate enough to have been born with perfect pitch, so getting the feel for the lack of frets took only a few minutes of experimentation. "Always wanted to try out a fretless." The use of a pick gave each note a sharp attack, but the fingerboard created a warm, smooth sound.

Mark took a wide stance then and cut loose. First he played the throbbing bass line from I Don't Wanna Be Me before switching to NIB then making a transition to Scream! and then winding down with the haunting bass melody from Wolf Moon. When he was done he grinned from ear to ear at the salesman. "I really want this. At the risk of making my girlfriend jealous, this is coming home with me."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

If she thought that laying back and letting loose a long sigh wouldn’t make her seem super immature, she would have done it. She was a hop, skip, and a jump away from being totally smitten. Not only could he cook, he could sing, had a killer taste in movies....Man. If they didn’t have somewhere to go....Mm.

“Mm!” she said, shaking her shoulders in a mock shiver. “I can’t let you out of my sight!”

____

Lily was completely lost in the music store.

Despite having some musically inclined siblings, she had no idea what she was really looking at, outside of the obvious things, like pianos. But the vibe of the place - the smell of the instruments, the people! She was completely starry eyed darting from one place to another, reading whatever placard she could find and thumbing through any instructional booklet that was offered.

When Mark’s eyes fell on the bass, she grinned and sidled up close to him. Now it was him and his real love: music. As he played, she rocked back and forth on her heels.

Huh.

Did he actually just call her his “girlfriend”? It didn’t seem real. But that was something they’d talked about, right? Yeah. She was just losing it. Seemed weird, really. She hadn’t been called a “girlfriend” in a long time. It was...nice to have that title again.

 

[DrStein]

Mark and Lily were finalizing the sale of the new bass when a man about their age with long dark hair and an overgrown, pointed goatee came up. "Hey man, I saw you playing earlier. You've got chops." He held out his hand to Mark expectantly.

Mark grinned in response and shook the man's hand, mindful of his grip. "Thanks. I'm Mark, by the way. And this is Lily."

"How you doing?" the man responded. "I'm Chris Hollis. Actually, I came here to put up an ad. I play guitar in a horror rock band and we're looking a for a new bassist. Heard you playing Sabbath and Type-O, thought I'd ask. Something you'd be interested in?"

Mark's eyes lit up. "Fuck yeah!" he replied. "When do you guys practice?"

"I'm actually going to practice right now. If you want to go back to your place, grab your gear, I'll give you the address."

The two men quickly exchanged the information and said their goodbyes. Mark turned back to Lily. "You want to come with me? I could use the moral support."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Lily gave Chris a little wave, and stepped beside Mark, maybe even a bit behind him. It wasn’t that she was shy to meet new people; just that this conversation was obviously geared towards him and not her. As the two men spoke, she gently wound an arm through Mark’s, pulling her little frame close to his.

When he turned back to her, she nodded. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a practice that involved people over the age of 12. I totally don’t know this genre very well, though. So you’ll have to bear with me.” Squeezing him a little tighter to herself, she hoped that he could tell from her body language that she would be there more for him than for anything else. It was still just so nice to be close to him, regardless if they were naked or not.

 

[DrStein]

Mark drove the two of them back to his apartment where he picked up his Virgo bass, and amp. It took a few minutes of trying to figure out how he would carry the two of them and his equipment on his motorcycle, but they eventually worked out a solution.

They arrived at the house Chris described, a fairly unassuming looking townhouse with a garage that Mark could already here the sounds of a tune-up coming out of. He knocked on the door with Lily beside him. Chris answered the door and invited them in, taking them straight to the garage. "Glad to see you took me up on the offer. Let me introduce you to the guys."

The guys in question all looked like stereotypical rockers. The second guitarist had long dark hair with a single braid hanging on the side of his face and a soul patch. The keyboardist had hair that couldn't decide whether or not it wanted to be a white guy 'fro as well as a scar on his cheek and about a dozen bracelets and wrist cuffs. The drummer was the only one without long hair. In fact, his head was shaved and he sported a mustache/soul patch combo. All of them were pale and skinny, meaning Mark stood out automatically just for his sheer size.

"Hey, guys!" Chris called to get their attention. "This is the bassist I was telling you about!"

"What's up?" Mark said with a wave and a smile. "I'm Mark Matheson."

They all looked up and had a surprised reaction to the towering man coming into the room. The drummer in fact did a double take while tuning his snare drum. "Jesus Christ, man. That's not a bassist, that's a golem!"

Mark laughed at that. He'd been called a lot of things, but that was new. "If I make the audition, then I already have a great stage name: The Golem."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She had helped him load everything on the motorcycle, but it proved to be a bit of a tight fit. Not that she was complaining; she used the opportunity to cling tighter to him as they drove off.

As they pulled up, she found herself wishing that she had earplugs. Not that she didn’t want to hear; but more because she wanted to protect her hearing. She hadn’t been exposed to this kind of music, but she figured it would be loud as all get out. There was no mistaking what kind of music that they’d be playing - although, she mused, she could be horribly wrong and they’d suddenly prove themselves to be a masterful chamber orchestra.

Not wanting to seem rude, she gave the guys a slight wave. “Hi, I’m Lily.” She didn’t feel like there was anything else really TO say; it was Mark’s time. Glancing around, she pulled up an upside down milk carton to sit down on. It was a bit...awkward, but maybe it’d get better once the music started.

 

[DrStein]

Mark noticed that Lily felt a bit out of place. He'd wanted her to be here. She made him feel more confident, but a situation like this was probably out of her comfort zone. He made a promise to do something for her tonight to make up for it.

"We'll start with a couple of covers," Chris explained as Mark tuned his bass. "If you do well, we'll give you our demo tape and tabs and schedule you to come in to play."

"Sounds good," Mark said. They stared with a cover of NIB by Black Sabbath before doing Poison by Alice Cooper, Where Eagles Dare by The Misfits, and God of Thunder by KISS. By the end of it, Chris put it up to a vote with a show of hands and the band unanimously agreed to give Mark a second audition playing the band's original material next week.

Mark and Lily went back to his apartment and as soon as he put his instrument and amp aside, he pulled Lily into a warm embrace. "Thanks for coming out with me today. I know rock and metal aren't your thing exactly, but I really appreciate this."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Snuggling into his arms, she reached up to wind a bit of his blonde hair around her fingertips. “I think I could learn to like that genre. Just sayin. You sounded great. I’m glad they voted you in. I bet this’ll be good for you. Just promise me one thing, though? No bringing home strange girl’s panties when they throw ‘em at you on stage. And don’t even act like they won’t do that. They so will. And I won’t always be there to reassert my claim.”

Grinning up at him, she stood on her tiptoes. Gesturing for him to bend down a little to her level, she gently kissed his cheek. “You’ll have to keep me posted to when your first show is. I’ll make sure I’ll be there, front and center.”

 

[DrStein]

Mark smiled softly at Lily's reassurance and encouragement. "Still, I want to do something for you... or maybe to you a little later." The last part was added with a naughty grin. "Until then, how about I make us some dinner and we watch another movie?" He liked the idea of her spending another night at his place, though she probably had work to get done back home. The end of the school year was so close, so if he really wanted her to himself he had to be patient more than anything else.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Leaning back in his arms, she smiled as she looked up at him.

“Mark, I’d love to, but it’s getting to the end of the school year and I’ve got a ton of work to catch up on.” She ran her fingers through his hair, curling one blonde tress around her finger again. “I’ve got two more weeks and then I’m done for the summer. Well, relatively done - I still have meetings and things to do, you know?”

Slipping from his grasp, her face lit up. “Hey, since I’m going to be busy for a while, why don’t you come to my place for dinner at some point? I’d say you can bring stuff to work on as well, but I’m not sure what you have that’s portable?”

 

[DrStein]

Mark laughed at the suggestion. "I don't think rebuilding an engine in your living room would be good for the property values." He leaned down to give Lily another kiss. "But coming over for dinner does sound good." There wasn't much else to do at this point. They both had work tomorrow dinner would almost inevitably lead to more sex. Not that Mark was surprised by his libido. It had been 7 years since he last got laid.

"Do you want a ride home?" he asked.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“Oh, fair enough. I just wanted to let you know that you’re welcome to come over any time that you want.” She stood on her tiptoes to meet him half-way to share in the kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him lower and closer for a moment before she let him go. “I’d love a ride home.” The idea of snuggling up to him and feeling him for a bit longer was undeniably appealing. “And keep me posted when you want to come over for dinner....hey, you know, what do you like to eat? Do you like sweet things? I figured you liked spicy things, too, but yeah, let me know and I’ll make you something awesome.”

 

[DrStein]

"Spicy is good," Mark said as he got his keys out. A quick ride on the Horror Express back to Lily's place and Mark's hand lingered holding her own as she got off the bike. He just spent a moment staring into her eyes with a soft smile. For the first time in a long time he didn't feel so lonely. Waiting another few days or so to see her would be a chore, but he'd keep his head down, soldier on through the week, and give her a call when the time was right.

He made a mental note to do a Google search for some local jazz clubs and surprise her with a night out. "I guess I'll see you next weekend when we're both not swamped with work." Not the smoothest thing he ever said, but he wasn't really worried right now about trying to act cool. He just wanted to prolong the moment a little bit longer.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“Or sooner, if you’d like.” She gave him a small smile, running her fingers through his long hair. Of course - they’d still be going to the same gym.

_______

Thank God - it was the last week of school. Of course Lily was present at the graduation for the 5th graders, there to cheer them on and meet parents and shake hands and smile and be generally pleasant. Not that it was hard for her - she was, after all, chipper by nature. But it had been a while since she last saw Mark and it was getting her...antsy, for lack of a better word. She’d kept in touch with him through the occasional call and wave at the gym, but because of how insane this last week was, she really didn’t have the time to talk long.

Still, as she rushed home, kicking off her heels as soon as she got in the door, she was dialing his number on her phone. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you at all because I totally wasn’t, but school’s out and I totally want to see you, can you come over or I can take the bus there either way it’d be really great!” She didn’t pause for breath as her words tumbled over one another as she struggled to juggle the phone as she got undressed and combed through her home for comfy clothing.

 

[DrStein]

Throughout the week, Mark managed to stay focused on work. Mostly. On Thursday he ended up sanding the same spot on a bumper for twenty minutes. It needed new paint anyway... His uncle was happy to learn that Mark was dating again, though he suggested that perhaps the young man needed to get out a little more of it was having this much of an effect on him. Probably true.

He was sitting at his apartment when he got the call from Lily. He blinked at the deluge of words before collecting his thoughts and answering, "No, it's cool. I'll be over in a few minutes." He checked his outfit and made a snap decision. He had found a jazz club downtown and decided to take her there that night. He had seen what the dress code was and was glad he had decided to keep of dressier outfits. Jeans were still allowed, thankfully, but he put on a pair of driving moccasins, and a solid black button-down shirt. He remembered the first time she reacted to seeing his hair down so he decided to leave it loose.

He climbed onto the Horror Express and roared down the streets. He had gone into town to get her one other surprise. Since he saw them going out together lot in the next few months, he bought an extra helmet for her. It was pink and covered with butterflies and just seemed appropriate.

Mark finally pulled in at her apartment building and buzzed. "It's me, beautiful." There would be no mistaking that deep, rumbling voice, even through a tinny speaker.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Of course, his voice always made her a little...gooey. It wasn’t quite the sonorous beauty that she had grown up with. It was real and earthy; warm in its sincerity. Truth be told, it really was just everything about the man. She felt like she was living in a dream. After all, she’d watched him for so long in the gym and it took her long enough to work up the courage to actually say anything to him.

“All righty, lemme getcha!” She skipped down to buzz him in. When she finally saw him, she practically leapt on him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She’d had a running start, so it was easier to get the height that she needed for the “attack.” She was dressed in a very baggy tank top and equally baggy sweat pants that her small form was nearly swallowed by. Her lips next to his ear, he was able to hear her faint sigh as she tangled her fingers in his hair. “I missed you,” she said softly, before letting her hands come free from the grip they had on his neck.

As if to dispel the heavy emotion that had come with her admitting that she missed him, she laughed lightly. Her feet on the ground, she stroked the feathered hair cropped short against the back of her neck. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.” True, it still felt “strange” to think of herself as being his girl, she sometimes wondered if her personal inexperience was exhausting or childish to him. It had taken a lot of willpower for her to keep as aloof as she had been when she waved to say hello at the gym or the occasional quick call. After all, her girlfriends said she shouldn’t seem too desperate. That’s probably what chased the others away. Not like there’d been a lot of “others.”

“So, school’s out for the summer, so that means I’m actually unemployed for the next few months,” and she gave him a big grin. “I don’t have to start cracking down again until the first part of August, maybe the late part of July.” Now why had she told him that? Her cheeks flushed, hardly visible under her dark skin. Now she sounded desperate. “Just as an fyi, you know.”

 

[DrStein]

Mark smiled at the deluge of affection. She blushed in the most adorable way. He thought it odd that she was still so self-conscious around him. After all, hadn't he repeatedly told her how happy he was just to have her in his life at all? He glanced at her outfit and caught himself fantasizing about taking it off of her. "Good to know."

He took her and as he stepped all the way into the apartment, half-expecting her to jump up and wrap her legs around his waist right then and there. When she didn't, he sat down on the couch and pulled her down into his lap. He held her in his big, powerful arms with a firm but loving embrace. "I've got a surprise for you, kitten. Have you ever been down to The Sound and Light Club? Because there's a live swing band playing there tonight. I thought we could go there together. On me."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

As she settled comfortably in his lap, she stretched out her legs and pillowed her head against his chest. Listening to the slow thrum of his heart and the echo of his deep voice, she let her hand rest against her cheek. Cupping her palm against his chest, she lightly stroked it while he spoke to her.

When he mentioned the club, she pulled back a little to look up into his face. “Seriously? I’ve always wanted to go but something always came up!” Last minute papers, cancelled dates, girlfriends backing out on her - you name it, it happened. And then whenever she had the time off, she felt, well, awkward about going by herself. Though she often travelled alone, she luxuriated in the company of others. “I’d love to go with you! I just...uh, need to get cleaned up,” and she pulled playfully at the loose straps of her tank top. “I was really just planning to stay in today and get caught up on art. There’s a gallery here that’s taking submissions, so I thought it might be nice to get some work in...”

Ah, the dream of every artist! Well, sort of. The idea was to be active in gallery shows. Not that she didn’t love teaching - maybe one day she’d do it on a college level. Who knows? “Actually, you know, now that I mention it, maybe I can do a few nice drawings of you for entry. That is, if you don’t mind?” She looked up at him shyly.

 

[DrStein]

"How could I say no to that face?" Mark joked. "Though if you're going to get cleaned up, you should do it fast. You keep sitting here and we're not going to be going anywhere except maybe your bedroom." To punctuate that he gave her breast a little, teasing squeeze. "What can I say? I missed you."

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She grinned and playfully swatted his hand away. “Time for that later,” she teased. Not that she didn’t want to do it right then and there: seeing him after so long did something to her. Raised her heart rate, made her flush. Just being able to touch him, smell him, brought back all of those memories. She shook her head lightly. The last thing she wanted to seem like was that she was super hard up and desperate and wanting nothing more than a physical relationship with him. In the short time that she’d known him, his thoughtfulness continued to amaze her. Just look – she had no real plans, but he’d listened to her enough to pick up on what she might be interested in. That, she thought, was a big deal.

After taking a quick shower, she darted to her room to get dressed. After all, she wanted to pick something nice. She emerged not too much later, in black skinny jeans and a black off the shoulder sweater. It emphasized the slightness of her curves and gave her an Audrey Hepburn look.

 

[DrStein]

Mark smiled when Lily came out. He took her hand and gave her a little twirl. "You're going to be popular tonight. Assuming not everyone is scared off by having your own personal golem in tow."

They stepped out together, locked up the apartment and went over to the motorcycle. "I have another surprise for you." He reached into the side bags and pulled out the helmet he had picked out for her. "If we're going to be going out more often, you'll need this." The bright colors of the helmet clashed with her dark clothes, but he still hoped that he had made the right choice.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Spinning under his guidance, she smiled and lightly pushed a stray wisp of hair from her eyes. “I doubt it. You’re the one that all eyes are going to be on tonight, you know. And no, I don’t mean that because you’re tall,” and she took the opportunity to move closer to him. Her hands moving up his chest, she stood on her tiptoes and did her best to wrap him in a hug. “I mean that because you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. ‘Golem’ or not,” she added, with a small wink. Rubbing her cheek against his chest, she grinned.

After making sure the apartment was locked up, she dashed after him. That was one thing she always appreciated about Mark; he never was unaware of how close she was to him. In the few times she’d dated before, she always got a little miffed at getting left behind, being told, “Oh, I thought you were right behind me.” Even though she knew it had to be a bother for him, he never said anything about it. Standing beside him, she waited with her hands childishly behind her back - before he lifted out the sparkling pink helmet. Her hands flew to her mouth, barely containing the huge grin that shone behind her fingers.

“That is...totally....the best thing ever!” She carefully took it from his hands, set it down on the ground, and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and peppering his face with kisses.

 

[DrStein]

Mark thrust one leg back to balance himself when Lily leaped onto him. He silently congratulated himself on his good taste. The clerk had given him this priceless look when he came to the counter with what was undoubtedly the loudest, gaudiest helmet in the store. Lily's reaction made that brief awkward moment worth it.

His arms went around her small frame in return and managed to peel her from around his neck into a bridal style pose in his arms. He gave her a long, passionate kiss and smiled at her. "You needed something to match that joyful personality I love so much." He set her back down on her feet gently. "But we should probably get going. I wasn't kidding earlier." With that he spared a glance down toward the bulge in his pants. Even though it wasn't a full hard-on it was still pretty clear what effect she was having on him.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

It was difficult to want to do anything when he held her like that. Even in such a short time, she felt comfortable and guarded when she was in his arms. That no one could hurt her. Maybe it was something on a primal level. Whatever it was, she enjoyed it immensely. Snuggling closer to him, she returned his kiss with gusto.

When her feet touched the ground, she slowly let her arms slip from his neck. "Thank you. Although, truth be told, I have to be cheery. I teach art," and she gave him a small wink. Then, her eyes followed his, down to his crotch, and she flushed a little, the skin on her cheeks darkening. She cleared her throat, looked up at him, and grinned shyly. "I guess you're right...but can I...." Hm. It was always hard to get to...well, really, for her to ask. She knew what she wanted, but...it was still hard. They'd fallen into it pretty quickly, and they were both adults, true, but still...might as well blurt it out, right? "Can we do that later?"

 

[DrStein]

Mark smiled at her request. He lifted her chin up and winked at her. "Of course." The ride to the club was uneventful, but Mark felt a lot more secure knowing both of them had helmets on. It might have been just a little bit chauvinist but Lily's frame was so slight he worried about breaking her. He still drove cautiously all the same.

The facade was a brick front with picture windows showing off the interior. Neon signs showed several beers on tap. A sign in the window glowed in dark and pale blue light, spelling out the name "Sound and Light Club" in a distinctive scrawl as the neon tubes snaked around to form the letters. Through the windows one could see a swing band already playing. They were all wearing grey pinstripe suits and fedoras and the lead singer was dancing behind the microphone as the pianist took a solo.

Mark took Lily's hand and stepped through the door. The music blasted through immediately, the bass shaking them both down to the core. The walls were decorated with paintings evoking the Harlem Renaissance and blue lights directed attention to the bar standing as an island in the middle of the room. "Do you want to sit at a table or at the bar?"