Chapter Nine, Sparkles
Posted by DiF on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Title: Don’t Look Away: Chapter Nine, Sparkles
Rating: PG-13 [language, nightmares]
Summary: Cady opens up to Pete...
Silence. He hated silence. But that’s all he was greeted with as they sat in the restaurant a block from their new home. Cady perused the menu but said nothing. He couldn’t make out any of the words at all, his eyes kept darting to her. Giving up, he set the menu down and turned to address her. Before he could speak, their waitress returned.
“What fancy to lashing?” she asked.
For a moment Cady paused, trying to figure out the answer to the odd question. As Pete was speechless, for reasons she didn’t know, she was on her own. Figuring the waitress meant what she would like to drink, her eyes went to the older woman and she ordered a whiskey sour. The woman’s eyes turned to Pete next who mumbled something, but all Cady could understand was ‘rocks.’ Her attention returned to the menu as soon as the woman walked away.
Pete snapped the menu from her fingers, “Talk to me.”
Her eyes darted to his, “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Why not?”
She sighed, “Because you don’t trust me.”
“That’s not true at all,” Pete instantly refuted.
“Of course it is. You freaked out when I was having coffee with Jimmy,” Cady countered.
“Because Jimmy Page is–”
“Not the man I’m in love with. Not the man I came all the way across the ocean with. Not the man I–”
“Doh you, one's old bean, knoh what you, one's old bean, would fancy to ordah?” the waitress interrupted, setting their drinks in front of them.
“Uh,” Cady looked at the menu Pete still held, “whatever the special is, is fine.”
“And what about you, sir? Absolutely top hole - I have to say,” her eyes went to Pete.
Cady’s brows knitted as she looked at the waitress. She really did not understand British dialects.
“How is the beef wellington here?”
“The Wellingtohn is most topp totty, certainly dishy for ah king. Goodness me!”
Pete nodded, “I’ll take that then. Thank you.”
“One will have that roysh out for you. Don't you know?” she gathered the menus from Pete and left the table.
Unable to help herself, Cady covered her mouth and chuckled. Pete’s eyes went to hers, trying to figure out what she thought was so funny. But as he looked at her, he realized he didn’t really care. Her smiling was more than enough cause for him.
Biting her bottom lip and dropping her hand, she muttered, “I don’t think I’ve everheard anyone speak like her.”
He glanced towards the kitchen as the waitress disappeared into it, “She has more of a Queen’s English accent. You’ll get used to all of them.”
“I would hope so, since I’m suspecting I’ll be here a long time.”
His eyes went back to hers, “I… I’m not sure how to interpret that.”
“Well I have no intentions of leaving without you and I do not get the feeling you want to live anywhere but here,” Cady responded, sipping her drink. “So thusly I expect to live here for a long time.”
“You do?”
“Pete, I don’t like the fact that you’re jealous of… well no one really, because Jimmy Page is a no one in my mind. But I can understand it. You see though, I love you. Yes, we’ve moved fairly quickly, but that doesn’t lessen how much I love you,” she explained.
“Cady, I would move anywhere in the world to be with you,” Pete countered. “If you don’t want to be here then, we’ll leave. Simple as that.”
She set down her drink and covered his hand with her own, “It is not as simple as that. You have responsibilities here, Pete. I have none except to love you. So here is where we are.”
His thumb rubbed the back of her hand, “I love you so very much, Cady.”
Smiling she leaned over and kissed him, “Trust me, Pete. I will never take another man in your place. You are the one I love. You are the one I belong with. Never will anyone else step on your territory. No one.”
Following Cady into the flat, Pete frowned. After the altercation brought on by finding her with Jimmy, they hadn’t returned to the shops she wanted to. He instantly felt horrible, especially when she flipped on the overhead light, illuminating the various boxes in the otherwise empty space. In fact they had absolutely nothing; no dishes, no glasses, no towels, no anything. Just a bed and his boxes of books, albums, and instruments occupied their home. He shouldn’t have brought her back there for the night. It was–
“Darling?” she turned to him, concern in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“We don’t have… anything,” he commented sadly.
“What are you talking about? We have plenty,” Cady stepped closer to him.
“We don’t have sheets for the bed or glasses to drink out of. Fuck, the phone hasn’t even been turned on. We shouldn’t be staying here tonight,” he declared.
She touched his cheek softly, “Not true. We have a lot of those items already. Though you’re right, the phone has not been turned on yet because I was uncertain if you wanted it in your name.”
“What? How can we have all those things already? We didn’t go back to those stores you mentioned because I was being an ass,” Pete replied.
Cady leaned forward and kissed him softly, “I made arrangements with a few of them that if they did not see us by six thirty to just send the items I had already picked out.”
“But–”
She lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch, “And they should be here shortly. Stop worrying, Pete.”
Dropping his wrist, she turned around and headed into the galley kitchen, flicking on that light as well. For a long minute, Pete watched her open the cupboards, seemingly looking for something, or perhaps looking to assure herself there was nothing inside of them. She left each of them open and the light on, turning to head into their bedroom where the double bed waited. He heard the closet doors open before she returned to his side. Her mouth opened to say something but the bell ringing in their flat interrupted her.
Answering it, Pete was surprised to be informed of a delivery. Just as she said, household items were on their way up to the flat. He stepped aside as she answered the door and directed the deliverymen where to leave everything. It never occurred to him to have these kinds of things delivered to his home, but then again he never had money before. Cady was from a completely different world from him.
Stepping up to Pete as the men went down for the last load, Cady kissed his ear, “Be sure to tip them, Pete. I’m going to unpack the kitchen items and get to washing.”
Fishing out his wallet, he watched the two men carry four more boxes into the bedroom before returning to his side. Pete thanked them, quickly digging out a few notes to tip them with. Closing the door and locking it behind the deliverymen, he stashed his wallet before heading into the kitchen where Cady was piling dishes on the counter near the sink. Not about to let her do everything, Pete quickly rolled up his sleeves and found dish soap in one of the boxes to get to washing their dishes. Smiling Cady moved to his right side as soon as she was done unpacking to dry the dishes after he washed them. As he reached to unstop the sink, Cady’s fingers went to his chin after setting down the last glass, turning his face towards hers. Eyes briefly meeting his, she kissed him deeply.
“You’re such a beautiful homemaker, Pete,” she complimented and kissed him again before he could argue with her words.
Wrapping his hands with her towel, Cady quickly dried his hands. Chuckling, Pete surrounded her face with his hands once dry and kissed her. He knew right then there was no one else he would rather have in his life for always than her. This was perfect, absolutely perfect.
“I presume since you put your guitars back together that you’re handy with tools,” Cady said.
“I suppose so. Why?” his eyes looked into hers.
“Because you need to hang up the curtains in our bedroom,” she declared, pulling free from his grasp and heading into the room.
Quickly following her, Pete stopped in the doorway and watched her pull bed linens and curtains out of the boxes. She tossed the curtains over her shoulder at Pete, causing him to laugh as he caught them. Setting them down on the floor as there was no other place to do so; he headed back into the living room to find his tools in the boxes packed by Karen. The first box he checked in contained just shoes, making him wonder how it was he had so many shoes to begin with. Moving to the next one, he peeled the tape off and flipped open the cardboard box. Shuffling through the various cords, figuring this was the box that would have some tools, Pete froze. His fingers grazed something that was most certainly not tools. In fact he did not think it even belonged in that box, but Karen likely had not been packing his things with any particular organization in mind. Pulling the cords from the box so that his fingers could wrap around the object and pull it out as well, Pete continued to frown.
“Pete?” Cady leaned out of the bedroom. “Babe?”
His eyes went to hers and he nearly slammed the box close so she wouldn’t have to see what was in it, “I’ll be back in a minute. I’m still looking for my tools.”
“All right,” she smiled and returned to the bedroom.
Staring down into the box, he figured he could just throw it all away. And yet he couldn’t. Throwing it away could mean that someone else could find it. And that would be unfair, though it would not chafe him much if someone else took credit for it. He did not think Karen’s father would remember the silly little composition should it surface, but he could be wrong. But how could he destroy the sheet music permanently? He certainly felt no reason to keep anything related to his former fiancée, not even music he was composing with the man who could have been his father-in-law. But what could he – he could burn it. Yes. That would make it disappear forever, no risk of someone else finding and passing it off as their own.
Getting to his feet, he ducked into the bedroom, “Baby, do you know where my lighter is?”
“I thought you weren’t smoking anymore,” she responded, flattening the curtains on top of the bed in preparation for hanging.
“I’m not. I just… need to burn something,” he admitted.
“What?”
“Sheet music.”
“Why?”
“Really, Cady? Just tell me where my lighter is.”
She paused before nodding, “Top drawer in the kitchen next to the stove. If you’re burning paper, you should do it in the sink just to be safe.”
Leaving the bedroom, he snatched the sheets of musical notations and headed into the kitchen. Tossing the papers in the sink, Pete quickly pulled the drawer open and retrieved the lighter. Flicking it, his eyes focused on the flame for a moment. Slowly he reached for the small stack of papers and moved the lighter beneath them. There was something rather cathartic about burning the composition, almost like he was ridding himself of another link to Karen – the musical one forged through her musical family. Dropping it into the sink as it fully caught fire, Pete watched it quickly reduce to ash. With little thought, he turned on the water and flushed the ash down the drain. He only hoped to not come across anything like that again.
Returning back to the boxes, he ripped a couple more open before finding his tools. With the implements in hand, Pete headed into the bedroom. Cady was standing on the bed, stretching over to the windows, curtains in hand, though no hardware was up. Worry instantly filled Pete and he tossed the tools onto the bed, hurrying to support her. His hands went to her ribcage as he stood underneath her.
“There you are,” she smiled down at him.
“What are you doing?”
“Well I figured while you were be destructive I would check and make sure they were big enough for the windows since I didn’t have measurements when I was shopping,” Cady answered.
“And what’s your prognosis?” he questioned, remaining exactly where he was.
“I think they’ll work,” she glanced around him to see where the bottom edge hung. “So how do you suggest we do this? We haven’t a chair or step ladder for you to stand on and I don’t think you can reach it any better than me.”
“Well,” he pulled her down off the bed before glancing around, “I would recommend moving the bed but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I suppose we can wait to put them up. I was just hoping to not have the sun wake us in the morning.”
Pete chuckled, “Baby, it doesn’t get that sunny here in London.”
“You never know what tomorrow might bring,” she responded.
“True,” he glanced at the window. “Well as long as you promise to not drop anything on my head, you could sit on my shoulders, maybe?”
Cady looked at his eyes, “Are you serious?”
His gaze went to hers, “Of course. It should work.”
“Well okay. If you don’t drop me, I won’t drop tools on you,” she vowed.
The couple quickly figured out the logistics. Pete would hold onto the curtain rod which was already threaded with the curtain, while Cady screwed the brackets into the wall. Squatting in front of the bed, leaving the curtain rod on the bed until Cady was in position, Pete held onto her left leg as she threw her right leg over his other shoulder. For a moment he remained squatting as she plucked the tools off the bed and kissed the top of his head. Slowly he stood, focusing on keeping his balance so as to not dump and hurt his lover. With his balance regained, he cautiously picked up the curtain rod and slowly made his way to the window.
Carefully Pete focused on maintaining balance while Cady struggled to get the first screw to bite into the wall. A few minutes later, she tossed the screwdriver on the bed behind them and reached down for the curtain rod. Holding it up for her, Pete watched as Cady guide it in place.
“Do you want me to let you down or just grab the things for the other window?” Pete asked, a bit of strain in his voice.
“Let me down, love,” Cady instructed. “Give yourself a break for a few minutes.”
“I’m fine.”
“I know you are, baby. But let me down for a few minutes.”
Slowly he sank back into a squat and helped Cady from his shoulders. She quickly turned him around and kissed his mouth, causing him to smile.
“You are by far the best ladder I have ever known,” she commented and kissed him again. “Whatever would I do without you?”
“Well you probably wouldn’t be in London decorating a flat, that’s for sure.”
Cady frowned slightly, “I would be sad and incomplete without you. So luckily that is not an issue. Shall we hang the other curtain and then call it good for tonight?”
Waking with a gasp, Cady’s eyes flew open. Her fingers instantly reached out blindly for Pete. Waking as her hand flailed about above him, his hand snapped up and caught hers. He quickly lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them gently.
“Baby?” he muttered softly.
“Oh, Pete,” she shifted closer to him in the bed, not that they had been very far apart as it were. “It was worse than I remembered. Oh… don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me, Pete.”
“Cady, why would I ever leave you? You are the perfect one for me.”
“I’ve done some bad, bad things,” she murmured.
Frowning, though he knew she couldn’t see it in the darkness of their bedroom, Pete responded, “Cady, tell me what is on your mind, what bothers you so much?”
“Oh, it was bad, Pete, so bad.”
“What was, baby?”
Cady sighed, “Remember when you asked if Jimi was my first?”
“Yes,” he responded carefully.
“When I was in… high school… I had a math teacher,” she began. “And he… he… I hated my parents. I hated my family. I hated being the rich girl. And I was failing math…”
Pete tensed, “Cady, you don’t have to te–”
“Yes, I do, Pete,” Cady interrupted. “I went to see the teacher after school. I knew full well what I was doing. Everyone talked about how he was a pervert and tried to look up girls’ skirts in class. That day… that day I had already decided what was going to happen… I had even taken my panties off during lunch…”
“Cady, you…”
“I went to his classroom and waited until the jocks left, who made fun of me as they exited the room. He asked how he could help me. I didn’t… I didn’t even hesitate and took my shirt off. He reached around me and locked the door…”
“Baby, you don’t need to–”
“The first time he fucked me hard up against the door. It hurt, a lot. I had a door knob-shaped bruise on my back as well. I suppose in part to not raise suspicion, he slowly increased my grade over the weeks he fucked me. He wanted me to only come in twice a week for my special tutoring; again I think to hide what was happening. And I obeyed. Oh god, Pete, I obeyed.”
His arms tightened about her, his lips touching her forehead, “It’s okay now, baby. I’m going to take care of you. No one is ever going to hurt you again. I swear to you, Cady. No one is ever going to hurt you.”
“I can… I can still feel him, Pete. Why can’t he leave me? Why must he haunt me in my dreams even now? It’s been… years now. Why does he still haunt me?”
He kissed her again, “You are safe from harm. I will never let anyone touch or hurt you again, Cadence. I promise you. No one is ever going to hurt you. No one is ever going to fuck you like that again. It is all over.”
She sighed, “If I had stayed in Philadelphia… if I hadn’t stayed in New York with Jimi, he would have… he would have… even when I wasn’t in his class, he…”
“Shhh. He’s not going to hurt you again, Cady. I’m here now. You are safe from him,” Pete declared. “Always and forever.”
“You’re not disgusted with me?”
“Not in the least, baby. Not in the least. He’s the one who disgusts me. Not you at all.”
“But I went to him knowing it would happen.”
“Did you feel if you told him no or to stop that he would ruin you?”
“Oh god, yes.”
“It was rape, Cady. Plain and simple. I do not think any differently of you, baby. Not in the least,” Pete assured her. “You are the strongest, most beautiful woman I have ever known. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing. Not some fuck who haunts your nightmares. Nothing.”
She squeezed him, “I love you, Pete. I love you so much.”
His arms held her tightly, “I am so hopelessly in love with you. Forever, Cady. Forever.”
Cady remained silent for a moment, trying to settle her nerves by focusing on the fact Pete knew something no one else did and still claimed to love her, still held her tightly. If she hadn’t dreamt the horrible episode that evening, she probably would not have told him what she had; even if she had promised to one day do so. She loved Pete, that would always be true, but she honestly expected him to think of her differently with her confession. Perhaps he did, but he still loved her right then. She would take what she could and remain the strong woman on the outside she had always been.
But oh how afraid she was of losing Pete right then.
Though they had a set of dishes and glasses, they did not have anything to cook in, nor any food to cook in said pots and pans. That alone meant heading to the market as soon as possible. If he thought she would sleep heavily enough, long enough, Pete would have slipped out of the flat and fetched breakfast. But after her waking in a panic during the night, he would not risk it. Instead he sat on the floor in the living room, sipping water, and unpacking boxes. Home studio items were quickly placed in the smaller room, knowing he would convert the other bedroom into a studio without question. Many of the other items he was unsure of what to do with. Clothes went in the bedroom, or would once Cady was up. Pictures of him and Karen would be tossed as well as any of the little memorabilia things she gave him. It did not take him too long to get through his boxes and decide they really needed to go shopping – even if he didn’t have the money for them to do so just yet. But they needed cooking utensils, furniture for the living and dining room, and most importantly food. Where was his Cady?
Getting to his feet and narrowly avoiding kicking over his glass of water, Pete headed to the bedroom. He cracked the door open and peered in. His eyes barely adjusted to the dim light as she inhaled deeply and rolled over. He hadn’t the chance to dart into the room before she realized she was in bed alone and sat up quickly.
“I’m right here, baby,” he declared, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching for her.
Without hesitation, Cady leaned into his embrace, “I thought you left me because of what I told you last night.”
He smoothed her bed-worn hair down, “I am never walking out on you, Cady.”
“I just… but Pete, I’m not the girl you thought I was. I’m defiled and–”
“You most certainly are the girl I think you are. Your past makes up who you are in the present. And guess what? I love who you are presently. I love you, Cady,” he stated. “Now let’s get dressed and go get some breakfast and decide where to go shopping first.”
Her eyes went to his, “Shopping?”
“We need pots and pans and furniture and food. And we’re not going to get any of that if we sit around here,” Pete said. “So let’s get dressed and get moving.”
While she wanted to ask what money he was going to use to pay for such things, Cady kept her mouth shut. If he had finally accepted her paying for things for now, she was not about to plant doubt by asking about it. Nodding, she slipped out of his arms and headed to the bathroom. Looking at her reflection a few minutes later as she brushed her hair from her face, she was not entirely sure what she saw. Was there relief from his acceptance of what happened to her or was she just still weary? Somehow though, her shoulders felt a bit lighter, like she was no longer carrying all of her burdens alone. Perhaps that was what love was really about.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she smiled at Pete and followed him out of the flat. They didn’t really chat on their way to breakfast, their clasped hands enough of a channel of communication. He said nothing as he led her into a restaurant and they were ushered to a table in the corner. Cady did not even bother looking at a menu, informing Pete he would have to order for her. With a smile he did just that and promptly stole a kiss after the waitress left to place their order.
“So do you have any ideas of what places to go to today for all the things we need?” he asked.
“Well if you can take me back to where you left me yesterday, I have a number of things already picked out,” Cady responded. “Just need to get your okay on them.”
“I’m certain whatever you’ve picked out is perfect.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “We need to get a phone too.”
“I rather like being unreachable,” Pete commented.
Cady smiled crookedly, “It’s not a bad thing. My only worry is if we need to call out to someone. Like for a cab, since you don’t have a car, right?”
His eyes brightened, “Actually…”
“Actually what?” her eyes flicked to the waitress as she set a plate in front of Cady.
“I do. We just need to go and get it,” Pete declared, smiling his thanks to the waitress. “I paid for it before I left, well some of it at least. So we should swing by and get it before we go shopping.”
“Of course, Pete. Whatever you say.”
“I have to go to the studio tomorrow. Will you be okay alone?” he asked before sipping his coffee.
“Of course I will. I can either work on settling in our flat or something. I know we haven’t spent hardly any time apart since we got together, but I can make it through the day without you, Pete,” she chided playfully.
Pete pouted, “You make me sad.”
“Oh come on.”
His eyes flicked to hers, “Will you at least miss me?”
“Of course I will,” she reached over and touched his hand gently. “And they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“I would rather not tempt the saying.”
She rolled her eyes, “You’re just going to the studio, Pete. You’re not going on some worldwide tour without me. Just the studio. I’m certain you’ll be home in time for supper.”
“Do you want to tour with me should I stay in the band?”
“Wait. You’re considering leaving the band?” Cady set down her silverware.
“Well, yeah. If I have to make the choice between them and you, the answer is easily you.”
“You are not quitting The Who because I am in your life now. No way, Pete.”
“But–”
“You are not quitting the band. Stop considering it.”
His eyes held hers for a minute before he nodded and gave in, “So you want to come on tour with me?”
“Of course I do. I went everywhere with Jimi and I wasn’t even in love with him.”
Pete’s thoughts arrested on her bringing up Jimi, “Why did you… go and stay with him if you didn’t love him?”
“That’s a far more complicated answer than what’s worthy of breakfast,” she declared as the waitress returned with plates.
“Thank you,” he smiled at the waitress before she walked away, his attention returning to his girlfriend. “Well, when would be a more appropriate time?”
“Since I’m supposing the answer of ‘never’ is not going to suffice,” Cady’s eyes went to his, “later. Just not here at breakfast.”
“I… okay. Okay. I’ll agree to a temporary stay in the explanation,” Pete stated.
“Wow. Thank you, Your Honor,” she teased.
He cocked his head to the side, trying to discern her meaning.
“You sounded very judicial,” Cady explained.
“Oh. Heh,” he smirked. “Not intentionally.”
“I could tell,” her eyes turned to her plate. “So let’s look for furniture first – after we go get your car of course.”
His eyes were beginning to glaze; he was certain of it. He could only look at these kinds of things for so long. And two hours was pretty much his limit. He was beyond bored, could not even fake excitement for Cady any more. He truly hated shopping.
“Pete?”
Turning to Cady, he forced a smile, “Cady?”
“Come on, babe. We’re done for the day,” she slipped her arm into his, guiding him towards the door.
“We are?”
Her lips touched his cheek, “I placed our last order for the day. Let’s go do something fun. Show me something neat in London.”
“I… uh… like what?”
“I don’t know. Is there some park you like more than others? Or maybe some place that the tourists don’t get to? I didn’t see much when I was here last.”
While he was about to take the opportunity to ask about Jimi once more, Pete stepped around such and quickly considered her question, “I think I know just the place.”
After returning their smaller purchases to their flat and leaving the vehicle there and hopping in the tube, Pete led Cady from the Notting Hill gate. They silently moved through the busy Londoners, her brilliant blue eyes eagerly taking everything in. When she mentioned Jimi never took her anywhere, she meant it. They visited his venues in day before returning at night. Even when she wandered by herself, she never went far, not certain Jimi would take kindly to her not being there when he wanted her. The mere thought of that made her smirk, drawing Pete’s eyes to her.
“Something wrong?”
“Not at all. Not any more at least,” Cady commented, glancing around and realizing they had entered a garden when she was lost in thought.
Her eyes went to the archway of canopied trees arching over the walkway. Smiling her eyes sparkled, finding magic in the entrance to Holland Park alone. Pete strolled silently, leaving the pathway to walk through the lush North Lawn. Cady’s fingers wiggled in his hand, bringing his eyes to her as she stopped in the center of the grassy area.
“Oh, Pete,” she breathed, “this is beautiful.”
Grinning briefly, he leaned forward and kissed her gently, “Wait, baby. You haven’t seen it all yet.”
Once they crossed the lawn and stepped back onto the path, Pete found it increasingly difficult to get Cady to continue to walk. Her eyes were drawn to the azaleas lining the walk, absorbing their rich, cool pink colors. Giving in, at least momentarily, he located a bench and headed towards it. Before they reached it, a young mother with toddler slipped onto it. Not about to fight that, Pete guided Cady to the shaded grass instead, sitting and pulling her into his lap.
She kissed him sweetly, “It is beautiful here.”
“All the more so because of your presence.”
“You don’t have to woo me, Mr. Townshend. I am already yours,” she rubbed her nose with his.
Though the gesture was certainly noticed, he tried to ignore his own insecurities about his nose and responded, “I shall keep that in mind in the event I actually do start to woo you.”
Cady giggled and hugged him tightly for a moment before letting her eyes wander about their surroundings for a moment, “I would like to paint you here.”
Instantly knowing that was a good sign, Pete responded, “Then we shall get you paints and all of that as soon as possible.”
“There is no rush,” her eyes went back to his. “You will always be beautiful to me and I have a feeling so will this park.”
A slight flush filled Pete’s cheeks, “Whatever did I do to deserve you?”
“I don’t know. But we have years and years to figure out.”
Pete quickly kissed her, “If at any moment the light in your eyes ever fades, please kick me in the shins or somewhere else appropriate. I want you to always look at me like that.”
Rolling her eyes slightly, she leaned forward, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. Rather than remain in his lap like that, Cady crawled out after a few breaths and lay down with her head in his lap. Smiling down at her, Pete’s fingers easily found notes and songs in the curls of her hair. It was such a simple action, but felt like it was imbued with so much more. Pete knew even in that moment that this was going to be one of his most treasured memories, especially if he managed to not break the mood.
Her eyes closed, focusing on the pleasant shivers he sent sparkling through her body. His simple touch spoke more to her than anything had before. He loved her… more than she thought anyone ever would. And their relationship was so young. Was it going to grow? Or would he push her aside and find another before long? Jimi had and she thought he worshipped her.
“I thought he was going to be the one to take me and make me someone,” Cady blurted out.
“Jimi?” he asked softly, hoping his question didn’t derail her story.
She nodded, “I was this rich little girl who despite all the bad things I did for attention, no one paid any attention to me at all. Or maybe no one paid me the right kind of attention is a better way to phrase it. I certainly never wanted to be like them to fit in though. And then… a few classmates and I went to New York to supposedly check out the art scene. After all we were art students so we were supposed to be studying those kinds of things.
“We snuck into Café Wha? one night. Jimi was playing, not that I knew who he was. All I knew is that I felt his eyes on me the moment we entered. When his set was done, he came through the small crowd of worshippers and approached me. The moment he touched me, I was entranced,” Cady explained. “I… you don’t need to hear all about it.”
“No no. Tell me. Please,” Pete quickly countered. “I want to hear it.”
“Are you sure, Pete?”
His fingers danced across her forehead, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but yes, I am intrigued by how someone as beautiful and artistic and caring would end up with someone who clearly did not value what he had right in his hand.”
“Oh, but I think he did. I think he valued me a little too much.”
Though she wasn’t dressed in anything he would consider high fashion, the young woman certainly stood out in his vision the moment she stepped into the club. She was taller than most girls, certainly taller than her friends, and carried herself carefully. Even as he stumbled over lyrics and his fingers fumbled on the strings, he knew there was something special about the brunette. Had she tossed a golden net over him right then and dragged him from the club, Jimi would not have screamed, argued, or even dug in his heels. From the moment he saw her, he was taken.
It was not just the fact she wore bright rainbow colors when those around her favored solid black, white, or pale shades. Her long rainbow striped dress was slit nearly up to her waist and normally would have revealed too much skin but instead revealed sheer fabric in the same rainbow stripes. He caught glimpses of her shapely legs as she moved about the Café with her friends, grooving to his music more often than not. He knew that night he played for her and probably always would. She was it for him. His end and beginning, all rolled into one beautiful woman.
He almost ended his set early just to make certain he spoke with her before she disappeared from his life.
“Hey, Jimi, you wanna–”
“Not now,” he brushed off whomever it was speaking to him so that he could hurry to her.
Weaving his way through the crowd, his eyes trained on her, Jimi had no doubt at all. She was his muse, his goddess, his Holy Grail. Now he just had to obtain her.
“Good evening,” he greeted softly, slipping behind her and purring in her ear.
The young woman glanced over her shoulder at the voice, her eyes meeting his, and she smiled, “Good evening.”
His fingers reached up and brushed her shoulder-length chocolate hair to the side, revealing her neck. Without hesitation or even permission, he kissed the exposed flesh. A shock of magic shot through his body and from the way she leaned into him, she felt something too. Oh yes. This was going to be the beginning of a perfect partnership.
He had found her.
Rating: PG-13 [language, nightmares]
Summary: Cady opens up to Pete...
Silence. He hated silence. But that’s all he was greeted with as they sat in the restaurant a block from their new home. Cady perused the menu but said nothing. He couldn’t make out any of the words at all, his eyes kept darting to her. Giving up, he set the menu down and turned to address her. Before he could speak, their waitress returned.
“What fancy to lashing?” she asked.
For a moment Cady paused, trying to figure out the answer to the odd question. As Pete was speechless, for reasons she didn’t know, she was on her own. Figuring the waitress meant what she would like to drink, her eyes went to the older woman and she ordered a whiskey sour. The woman’s eyes turned to Pete next who mumbled something, but all Cady could understand was ‘rocks.’ Her attention returned to the menu as soon as the woman walked away.
Pete snapped the menu from her fingers, “Talk to me.”
Her eyes darted to his, “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Why not?”
She sighed, “Because you don’t trust me.”
“That’s not true at all,” Pete instantly refuted.
“Of course it is. You freaked out when I was having coffee with Jimmy,” Cady countered.
“Because Jimmy Page is–”
“Not the man I’m in love with. Not the man I came all the way across the ocean with. Not the man I–”
“Doh you, one's old bean, knoh what you, one's old bean, would fancy to ordah?” the waitress interrupted, setting their drinks in front of them.
“Uh,” Cady looked at the menu Pete still held, “whatever the special is, is fine.”
“And what about you, sir? Absolutely top hole - I have to say,” her eyes went to Pete.
Cady’s brows knitted as she looked at the waitress. She really did not understand British dialects.
“How is the beef wellington here?”
“The Wellingtohn is most topp totty, certainly dishy for ah king. Goodness me!”
Pete nodded, “I’ll take that then. Thank you.”
“One will have that roysh out for you. Don't you know?” she gathered the menus from Pete and left the table.
Unable to help herself, Cady covered her mouth and chuckled. Pete’s eyes went to hers, trying to figure out what she thought was so funny. But as he looked at her, he realized he didn’t really care. Her smiling was more than enough cause for him.
Biting her bottom lip and dropping her hand, she muttered, “I don’t think I’ve everheard anyone speak like her.”
He glanced towards the kitchen as the waitress disappeared into it, “She has more of a Queen’s English accent. You’ll get used to all of them.”
“I would hope so, since I’m suspecting I’ll be here a long time.”
His eyes went back to hers, “I… I’m not sure how to interpret that.”
“Well I have no intentions of leaving without you and I do not get the feeling you want to live anywhere but here,” Cady responded, sipping her drink. “So thusly I expect to live here for a long time.”
“You do?”
“Pete, I don’t like the fact that you’re jealous of… well no one really, because Jimmy Page is a no one in my mind. But I can understand it. You see though, I love you. Yes, we’ve moved fairly quickly, but that doesn’t lessen how much I love you,” she explained.
“Cady, I would move anywhere in the world to be with you,” Pete countered. “If you don’t want to be here then, we’ll leave. Simple as that.”
She set down her drink and covered his hand with her own, “It is not as simple as that. You have responsibilities here, Pete. I have none except to love you. So here is where we are.”
His thumb rubbed the back of her hand, “I love you so very much, Cady.”
Smiling she leaned over and kissed him, “Trust me, Pete. I will never take another man in your place. You are the one I love. You are the one I belong with. Never will anyone else step on your territory. No one.”
Following Cady into the flat, Pete frowned. After the altercation brought on by finding her with Jimmy, they hadn’t returned to the shops she wanted to. He instantly felt horrible, especially when she flipped on the overhead light, illuminating the various boxes in the otherwise empty space. In fact they had absolutely nothing; no dishes, no glasses, no towels, no anything. Just a bed and his boxes of books, albums, and instruments occupied their home. He shouldn’t have brought her back there for the night. It was–
“Darling?” she turned to him, concern in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“We don’t have… anything,” he commented sadly.
“What are you talking about? We have plenty,” Cady stepped closer to him.
“We don’t have sheets for the bed or glasses to drink out of. Fuck, the phone hasn’t even been turned on. We shouldn’t be staying here tonight,” he declared.
She touched his cheek softly, “Not true. We have a lot of those items already. Though you’re right, the phone has not been turned on yet because I was uncertain if you wanted it in your name.”
“What? How can we have all those things already? We didn’t go back to those stores you mentioned because I was being an ass,” Pete replied.
Cady leaned forward and kissed him softly, “I made arrangements with a few of them that if they did not see us by six thirty to just send the items I had already picked out.”
“But–”
She lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch, “And they should be here shortly. Stop worrying, Pete.”
Dropping his wrist, she turned around and headed into the galley kitchen, flicking on that light as well. For a long minute, Pete watched her open the cupboards, seemingly looking for something, or perhaps looking to assure herself there was nothing inside of them. She left each of them open and the light on, turning to head into their bedroom where the double bed waited. He heard the closet doors open before she returned to his side. Her mouth opened to say something but the bell ringing in their flat interrupted her.
Answering it, Pete was surprised to be informed of a delivery. Just as she said, household items were on their way up to the flat. He stepped aside as she answered the door and directed the deliverymen where to leave everything. It never occurred to him to have these kinds of things delivered to his home, but then again he never had money before. Cady was from a completely different world from him.
Stepping up to Pete as the men went down for the last load, Cady kissed his ear, “Be sure to tip them, Pete. I’m going to unpack the kitchen items and get to washing.”
Fishing out his wallet, he watched the two men carry four more boxes into the bedroom before returning to his side. Pete thanked them, quickly digging out a few notes to tip them with. Closing the door and locking it behind the deliverymen, he stashed his wallet before heading into the kitchen where Cady was piling dishes on the counter near the sink. Not about to let her do everything, Pete quickly rolled up his sleeves and found dish soap in one of the boxes to get to washing their dishes. Smiling Cady moved to his right side as soon as she was done unpacking to dry the dishes after he washed them. As he reached to unstop the sink, Cady’s fingers went to his chin after setting down the last glass, turning his face towards hers. Eyes briefly meeting his, she kissed him deeply.
“You’re such a beautiful homemaker, Pete,” she complimented and kissed him again before he could argue with her words.
Wrapping his hands with her towel, Cady quickly dried his hands. Chuckling, Pete surrounded her face with his hands once dry and kissed her. He knew right then there was no one else he would rather have in his life for always than her. This was perfect, absolutely perfect.
“I presume since you put your guitars back together that you’re handy with tools,” Cady said.
“I suppose so. Why?” his eyes looked into hers.
“Because you need to hang up the curtains in our bedroom,” she declared, pulling free from his grasp and heading into the room.
Quickly following her, Pete stopped in the doorway and watched her pull bed linens and curtains out of the boxes. She tossed the curtains over her shoulder at Pete, causing him to laugh as he caught them. Setting them down on the floor as there was no other place to do so; he headed back into the living room to find his tools in the boxes packed by Karen. The first box he checked in contained just shoes, making him wonder how it was he had so many shoes to begin with. Moving to the next one, he peeled the tape off and flipped open the cardboard box. Shuffling through the various cords, figuring this was the box that would have some tools, Pete froze. His fingers grazed something that was most certainly not tools. In fact he did not think it even belonged in that box, but Karen likely had not been packing his things with any particular organization in mind. Pulling the cords from the box so that his fingers could wrap around the object and pull it out as well, Pete continued to frown.
“Pete?” Cady leaned out of the bedroom. “Babe?”
His eyes went to hers and he nearly slammed the box close so she wouldn’t have to see what was in it, “I’ll be back in a minute. I’m still looking for my tools.”
“All right,” she smiled and returned to the bedroom.
Staring down into the box, he figured he could just throw it all away. And yet he couldn’t. Throwing it away could mean that someone else could find it. And that would be unfair, though it would not chafe him much if someone else took credit for it. He did not think Karen’s father would remember the silly little composition should it surface, but he could be wrong. But how could he destroy the sheet music permanently? He certainly felt no reason to keep anything related to his former fiancée, not even music he was composing with the man who could have been his father-in-law. But what could he – he could burn it. Yes. That would make it disappear forever, no risk of someone else finding and passing it off as their own.
Getting to his feet, he ducked into the bedroom, “Baby, do you know where my lighter is?”
“I thought you weren’t smoking anymore,” she responded, flattening the curtains on top of the bed in preparation for hanging.
“I’m not. I just… need to burn something,” he admitted.
“What?”
“Sheet music.”
“Why?”
“Really, Cady? Just tell me where my lighter is.”
She paused before nodding, “Top drawer in the kitchen next to the stove. If you’re burning paper, you should do it in the sink just to be safe.”
Leaving the bedroom, he snatched the sheets of musical notations and headed into the kitchen. Tossing the papers in the sink, Pete quickly pulled the drawer open and retrieved the lighter. Flicking it, his eyes focused on the flame for a moment. Slowly he reached for the small stack of papers and moved the lighter beneath them. There was something rather cathartic about burning the composition, almost like he was ridding himself of another link to Karen – the musical one forged through her musical family. Dropping it into the sink as it fully caught fire, Pete watched it quickly reduce to ash. With little thought, he turned on the water and flushed the ash down the drain. He only hoped to not come across anything like that again.
Returning back to the boxes, he ripped a couple more open before finding his tools. With the implements in hand, Pete headed into the bedroom. Cady was standing on the bed, stretching over to the windows, curtains in hand, though no hardware was up. Worry instantly filled Pete and he tossed the tools onto the bed, hurrying to support her. His hands went to her ribcage as he stood underneath her.
“There you are,” she smiled down at him.
“What are you doing?”
“Well I figured while you were be destructive I would check and make sure they were big enough for the windows since I didn’t have measurements when I was shopping,” Cady answered.
“And what’s your prognosis?” he questioned, remaining exactly where he was.
“I think they’ll work,” she glanced around him to see where the bottom edge hung. “So how do you suggest we do this? We haven’t a chair or step ladder for you to stand on and I don’t think you can reach it any better than me.”
“Well,” he pulled her down off the bed before glancing around, “I would recommend moving the bed but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I suppose we can wait to put them up. I was just hoping to not have the sun wake us in the morning.”
Pete chuckled, “Baby, it doesn’t get that sunny here in London.”
“You never know what tomorrow might bring,” she responded.
“True,” he glanced at the window. “Well as long as you promise to not drop anything on my head, you could sit on my shoulders, maybe?”
Cady looked at his eyes, “Are you serious?”
His gaze went to hers, “Of course. It should work.”
“Well okay. If you don’t drop me, I won’t drop tools on you,” she vowed.
The couple quickly figured out the logistics. Pete would hold onto the curtain rod which was already threaded with the curtain, while Cady screwed the brackets into the wall. Squatting in front of the bed, leaving the curtain rod on the bed until Cady was in position, Pete held onto her left leg as she threw her right leg over his other shoulder. For a moment he remained squatting as she plucked the tools off the bed and kissed the top of his head. Slowly he stood, focusing on keeping his balance so as to not dump and hurt his lover. With his balance regained, he cautiously picked up the curtain rod and slowly made his way to the window.
Carefully Pete focused on maintaining balance while Cady struggled to get the first screw to bite into the wall. A few minutes later, she tossed the screwdriver on the bed behind them and reached down for the curtain rod. Holding it up for her, Pete watched as Cady guide it in place.
“Do you want me to let you down or just grab the things for the other window?” Pete asked, a bit of strain in his voice.
“Let me down, love,” Cady instructed. “Give yourself a break for a few minutes.”
“I’m fine.”
“I know you are, baby. But let me down for a few minutes.”
Slowly he sank back into a squat and helped Cady from his shoulders. She quickly turned him around and kissed his mouth, causing him to smile.
“You are by far the best ladder I have ever known,” she commented and kissed him again. “Whatever would I do without you?”
“Well you probably wouldn’t be in London decorating a flat, that’s for sure.”
Cady frowned slightly, “I would be sad and incomplete without you. So luckily that is not an issue. Shall we hang the other curtain and then call it good for tonight?”
Waking with a gasp, Cady’s eyes flew open. Her fingers instantly reached out blindly for Pete. Waking as her hand flailed about above him, his hand snapped up and caught hers. He quickly lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them gently.
“Baby?” he muttered softly.
“Oh, Pete,” she shifted closer to him in the bed, not that they had been very far apart as it were. “It was worse than I remembered. Oh… don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me, Pete.”
“Cady, why would I ever leave you? You are the perfect one for me.”
“I’ve done some bad, bad things,” she murmured.
Frowning, though he knew she couldn’t see it in the darkness of their bedroom, Pete responded, “Cady, tell me what is on your mind, what bothers you so much?”
“Oh, it was bad, Pete, so bad.”
“What was, baby?”
Cady sighed, “Remember when you asked if Jimi was my first?”
“Yes,” he responded carefully.
“When I was in… high school… I had a math teacher,” she began. “And he… he… I hated my parents. I hated my family. I hated being the rich girl. And I was failing math…”
Pete tensed, “Cady, you don’t have to te–”
“Yes, I do, Pete,” Cady interrupted. “I went to see the teacher after school. I knew full well what I was doing. Everyone talked about how he was a pervert and tried to look up girls’ skirts in class. That day… that day I had already decided what was going to happen… I had even taken my panties off during lunch…”
“Cady, you…”
“I went to his classroom and waited until the jocks left, who made fun of me as they exited the room. He asked how he could help me. I didn’t… I didn’t even hesitate and took my shirt off. He reached around me and locked the door…”
“Baby, you don’t need to–”
“The first time he fucked me hard up against the door. It hurt, a lot. I had a door knob-shaped bruise on my back as well. I suppose in part to not raise suspicion, he slowly increased my grade over the weeks he fucked me. He wanted me to only come in twice a week for my special tutoring; again I think to hide what was happening. And I obeyed. Oh god, Pete, I obeyed.”
His arms tightened about her, his lips touching her forehead, “It’s okay now, baby. I’m going to take care of you. No one is ever going to hurt you again. I swear to you, Cady. No one is ever going to hurt you.”
“I can… I can still feel him, Pete. Why can’t he leave me? Why must he haunt me in my dreams even now? It’s been… years now. Why does he still haunt me?”
He kissed her again, “You are safe from harm. I will never let anyone touch or hurt you again, Cadence. I promise you. No one is ever going to hurt you. No one is ever going to fuck you like that again. It is all over.”
She sighed, “If I had stayed in Philadelphia… if I hadn’t stayed in New York with Jimi, he would have… he would have… even when I wasn’t in his class, he…”
“Shhh. He’s not going to hurt you again, Cady. I’m here now. You are safe from him,” Pete declared. “Always and forever.”
“You’re not disgusted with me?”
“Not in the least, baby. Not in the least. He’s the one who disgusts me. Not you at all.”
“But I went to him knowing it would happen.”
“Did you feel if you told him no or to stop that he would ruin you?”
“Oh god, yes.”
“It was rape, Cady. Plain and simple. I do not think any differently of you, baby. Not in the least,” Pete assured her. “You are the strongest, most beautiful woman I have ever known. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing. Not some fuck who haunts your nightmares. Nothing.”
She squeezed him, “I love you, Pete. I love you so much.”
His arms held her tightly, “I am so hopelessly in love with you. Forever, Cady. Forever.”
Cady remained silent for a moment, trying to settle her nerves by focusing on the fact Pete knew something no one else did and still claimed to love her, still held her tightly. If she hadn’t dreamt the horrible episode that evening, she probably would not have told him what she had; even if she had promised to one day do so. She loved Pete, that would always be true, but she honestly expected him to think of her differently with her confession. Perhaps he did, but he still loved her right then. She would take what she could and remain the strong woman on the outside she had always been.
But oh how afraid she was of losing Pete right then.
Though they had a set of dishes and glasses, they did not have anything to cook in, nor any food to cook in said pots and pans. That alone meant heading to the market as soon as possible. If he thought she would sleep heavily enough, long enough, Pete would have slipped out of the flat and fetched breakfast. But after her waking in a panic during the night, he would not risk it. Instead he sat on the floor in the living room, sipping water, and unpacking boxes. Home studio items were quickly placed in the smaller room, knowing he would convert the other bedroom into a studio without question. Many of the other items he was unsure of what to do with. Clothes went in the bedroom, or would once Cady was up. Pictures of him and Karen would be tossed as well as any of the little memorabilia things she gave him. It did not take him too long to get through his boxes and decide they really needed to go shopping – even if he didn’t have the money for them to do so just yet. But they needed cooking utensils, furniture for the living and dining room, and most importantly food. Where was his Cady?
Getting to his feet and narrowly avoiding kicking over his glass of water, Pete headed to the bedroom. He cracked the door open and peered in. His eyes barely adjusted to the dim light as she inhaled deeply and rolled over. He hadn’t the chance to dart into the room before she realized she was in bed alone and sat up quickly.
“I’m right here, baby,” he declared, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching for her.
Without hesitation, Cady leaned into his embrace, “I thought you left me because of what I told you last night.”
He smoothed her bed-worn hair down, “I am never walking out on you, Cady.”
“I just… but Pete, I’m not the girl you thought I was. I’m defiled and–”
“You most certainly are the girl I think you are. Your past makes up who you are in the present. And guess what? I love who you are presently. I love you, Cady,” he stated. “Now let’s get dressed and go get some breakfast and decide where to go shopping first.”
Her eyes went to his, “Shopping?”
“We need pots and pans and furniture and food. And we’re not going to get any of that if we sit around here,” Pete said. “So let’s get dressed and get moving.”
While she wanted to ask what money he was going to use to pay for such things, Cady kept her mouth shut. If he had finally accepted her paying for things for now, she was not about to plant doubt by asking about it. Nodding, she slipped out of his arms and headed to the bathroom. Looking at her reflection a few minutes later as she brushed her hair from her face, she was not entirely sure what she saw. Was there relief from his acceptance of what happened to her or was she just still weary? Somehow though, her shoulders felt a bit lighter, like she was no longer carrying all of her burdens alone. Perhaps that was what love was really about.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she smiled at Pete and followed him out of the flat. They didn’t really chat on their way to breakfast, their clasped hands enough of a channel of communication. He said nothing as he led her into a restaurant and they were ushered to a table in the corner. Cady did not even bother looking at a menu, informing Pete he would have to order for her. With a smile he did just that and promptly stole a kiss after the waitress left to place their order.
“So do you have any ideas of what places to go to today for all the things we need?” he asked.
“Well if you can take me back to where you left me yesterday, I have a number of things already picked out,” Cady responded. “Just need to get your okay on them.”
“I’m certain whatever you’ve picked out is perfect.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “We need to get a phone too.”
“I rather like being unreachable,” Pete commented.
Cady smiled crookedly, “It’s not a bad thing. My only worry is if we need to call out to someone. Like for a cab, since you don’t have a car, right?”
His eyes brightened, “Actually…”
“Actually what?” her eyes flicked to the waitress as she set a plate in front of Cady.
“I do. We just need to go and get it,” Pete declared, smiling his thanks to the waitress. “I paid for it before I left, well some of it at least. So we should swing by and get it before we go shopping.”
“Of course, Pete. Whatever you say.”
“I have to go to the studio tomorrow. Will you be okay alone?” he asked before sipping his coffee.
“Of course I will. I can either work on settling in our flat or something. I know we haven’t spent hardly any time apart since we got together, but I can make it through the day without you, Pete,” she chided playfully.
Pete pouted, “You make me sad.”
“Oh come on.”
His eyes flicked to hers, “Will you at least miss me?”
“Of course I will,” she reached over and touched his hand gently. “And they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“I would rather not tempt the saying.”
She rolled her eyes, “You’re just going to the studio, Pete. You’re not going on some worldwide tour without me. Just the studio. I’m certain you’ll be home in time for supper.”
“Do you want to tour with me should I stay in the band?”
“Wait. You’re considering leaving the band?” Cady set down her silverware.
“Well, yeah. If I have to make the choice between them and you, the answer is easily you.”
“You are not quitting The Who because I am in your life now. No way, Pete.”
“But–”
“You are not quitting the band. Stop considering it.”
His eyes held hers for a minute before he nodded and gave in, “So you want to come on tour with me?”
“Of course I do. I went everywhere with Jimi and I wasn’t even in love with him.”
Pete’s thoughts arrested on her bringing up Jimi, “Why did you… go and stay with him if you didn’t love him?”
“That’s a far more complicated answer than what’s worthy of breakfast,” she declared as the waitress returned with plates.
“Thank you,” he smiled at the waitress before she walked away, his attention returning to his girlfriend. “Well, when would be a more appropriate time?”
“Since I’m supposing the answer of ‘never’ is not going to suffice,” Cady’s eyes went to his, “later. Just not here at breakfast.”
“I… okay. Okay. I’ll agree to a temporary stay in the explanation,” Pete stated.
“Wow. Thank you, Your Honor,” she teased.
He cocked his head to the side, trying to discern her meaning.
“You sounded very judicial,” Cady explained.
“Oh. Heh,” he smirked. “Not intentionally.”
“I could tell,” her eyes turned to her plate. “So let’s look for furniture first – after we go get your car of course.”
His eyes were beginning to glaze; he was certain of it. He could only look at these kinds of things for so long. And two hours was pretty much his limit. He was beyond bored, could not even fake excitement for Cady any more. He truly hated shopping.
“Pete?”
Turning to Cady, he forced a smile, “Cady?”
“Come on, babe. We’re done for the day,” she slipped her arm into his, guiding him towards the door.
“We are?”
Her lips touched his cheek, “I placed our last order for the day. Let’s go do something fun. Show me something neat in London.”
“I… uh… like what?”
“I don’t know. Is there some park you like more than others? Or maybe some place that the tourists don’t get to? I didn’t see much when I was here last.”
While he was about to take the opportunity to ask about Jimi once more, Pete stepped around such and quickly considered her question, “I think I know just the place.”
After returning their smaller purchases to their flat and leaving the vehicle there and hopping in the tube, Pete led Cady from the Notting Hill gate. They silently moved through the busy Londoners, her brilliant blue eyes eagerly taking everything in. When she mentioned Jimi never took her anywhere, she meant it. They visited his venues in day before returning at night. Even when she wandered by herself, she never went far, not certain Jimi would take kindly to her not being there when he wanted her. The mere thought of that made her smirk, drawing Pete’s eyes to her.
“Something wrong?”
“Not at all. Not any more at least,” Cady commented, glancing around and realizing they had entered a garden when she was lost in thought.
Her eyes went to the archway of canopied trees arching over the walkway. Smiling her eyes sparkled, finding magic in the entrance to Holland Park alone. Pete strolled silently, leaving the pathway to walk through the lush North Lawn. Cady’s fingers wiggled in his hand, bringing his eyes to her as she stopped in the center of the grassy area.
“Oh, Pete,” she breathed, “this is beautiful.”
Grinning briefly, he leaned forward and kissed her gently, “Wait, baby. You haven’t seen it all yet.”
Once they crossed the lawn and stepped back onto the path, Pete found it increasingly difficult to get Cady to continue to walk. Her eyes were drawn to the azaleas lining the walk, absorbing their rich, cool pink colors. Giving in, at least momentarily, he located a bench and headed towards it. Before they reached it, a young mother with toddler slipped onto it. Not about to fight that, Pete guided Cady to the shaded grass instead, sitting and pulling her into his lap.
She kissed him sweetly, “It is beautiful here.”
“All the more so because of your presence.”
“You don’t have to woo me, Mr. Townshend. I am already yours,” she rubbed her nose with his.
Though the gesture was certainly noticed, he tried to ignore his own insecurities about his nose and responded, “I shall keep that in mind in the event I actually do start to woo you.”
Cady giggled and hugged him tightly for a moment before letting her eyes wander about their surroundings for a moment, “I would like to paint you here.”
Instantly knowing that was a good sign, Pete responded, “Then we shall get you paints and all of that as soon as possible.”
“There is no rush,” her eyes went back to his. “You will always be beautiful to me and I have a feeling so will this park.”
A slight flush filled Pete’s cheeks, “Whatever did I do to deserve you?”
“I don’t know. But we have years and years to figure out.”
Pete quickly kissed her, “If at any moment the light in your eyes ever fades, please kick me in the shins or somewhere else appropriate. I want you to always look at me like that.”
Rolling her eyes slightly, she leaned forward, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. Rather than remain in his lap like that, Cady crawled out after a few breaths and lay down with her head in his lap. Smiling down at her, Pete’s fingers easily found notes and songs in the curls of her hair. It was such a simple action, but felt like it was imbued with so much more. Pete knew even in that moment that this was going to be one of his most treasured memories, especially if he managed to not break the mood.
Her eyes closed, focusing on the pleasant shivers he sent sparkling through her body. His simple touch spoke more to her than anything had before. He loved her… more than she thought anyone ever would. And their relationship was so young. Was it going to grow? Or would he push her aside and find another before long? Jimi had and she thought he worshipped her.
“I thought he was going to be the one to take me and make me someone,” Cady blurted out.
“Jimi?” he asked softly, hoping his question didn’t derail her story.
She nodded, “I was this rich little girl who despite all the bad things I did for attention, no one paid any attention to me at all. Or maybe no one paid me the right kind of attention is a better way to phrase it. I certainly never wanted to be like them to fit in though. And then… a few classmates and I went to New York to supposedly check out the art scene. After all we were art students so we were supposed to be studying those kinds of things.
“We snuck into Café Wha? one night. Jimi was playing, not that I knew who he was. All I knew is that I felt his eyes on me the moment we entered. When his set was done, he came through the small crowd of worshippers and approached me. The moment he touched me, I was entranced,” Cady explained. “I… you don’t need to hear all about it.”
“No no. Tell me. Please,” Pete quickly countered. “I want to hear it.”
“Are you sure, Pete?”
His fingers danced across her forehead, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but yes, I am intrigued by how someone as beautiful and artistic and caring would end up with someone who clearly did not value what he had right in his hand.”
“Oh, but I think he did. I think he valued me a little too much.”
Though she wasn’t dressed in anything he would consider high fashion, the young woman certainly stood out in his vision the moment she stepped into the club. She was taller than most girls, certainly taller than her friends, and carried herself carefully. Even as he stumbled over lyrics and his fingers fumbled on the strings, he knew there was something special about the brunette. Had she tossed a golden net over him right then and dragged him from the club, Jimi would not have screamed, argued, or even dug in his heels. From the moment he saw her, he was taken.
It was not just the fact she wore bright rainbow colors when those around her favored solid black, white, or pale shades. Her long rainbow striped dress was slit nearly up to her waist and normally would have revealed too much skin but instead revealed sheer fabric in the same rainbow stripes. He caught glimpses of her shapely legs as she moved about the Café with her friends, grooving to his music more often than not. He knew that night he played for her and probably always would. She was it for him. His end and beginning, all rolled into one beautiful woman.
He almost ended his set early just to make certain he spoke with her before she disappeared from his life.
“Hey, Jimi, you wanna–”
“Not now,” he brushed off whomever it was speaking to him so that he could hurry to her.
Weaving his way through the crowd, his eyes trained on her, Jimi had no doubt at all. She was his muse, his goddess, his Holy Grail. Now he just had to obtain her.
“Good evening,” he greeted softly, slipping behind her and purring in her ear.
The young woman glanced over her shoulder at the voice, her eyes meeting his, and she smiled, “Good evening.”
His fingers reached up and brushed her shoulder-length chocolate hair to the side, revealing her neck. Without hesitation or even permission, he kissed the exposed flesh. A shock of magic shot through his body and from the way she leaned into him, she felt something too. Oh yes. This was going to be the beginning of a perfect partnership.
He had found her.
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