Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story

The bedroom was in darkness when Michael opened the door.  As quietly as he could manage, he made his way toward the bathroom to undress.  He showered quickly and made his way across the room to the bed.

“How’d the meeting go?” Annie asked when she felt the sheets pull back.

“Did I wake you?” he answered, sliding in beside her.

“No, I wasn’t really sleeping.”

He pulled her up close to his body and inhaled the scent of her skin.  She had an instant calming effect over him.  “Brian wants me to head back to the west coast and resume recording,” he said flatly.  He felt Annie stiffen in his arms.

“What did you tell him?” she asked.

“I told him I wouldn’t go, and he didn’t like it.  In fact, he threatened to hire another guitarist to finish the tracks.  Can you believe that?”

“Michael, that doesn’t sound good.”

“He’ll get over it.  Point is, there are plenty of studios right in this area we could use.  He’s just throwing his weight around.”

“Did you want to go?” she asked quietly.

“Would you have come with me?”

“No.  The west coast holds nothing but bad memories for me.”

“And, I wouldn’t have gone without you.” Annie rolled over and fell into a tight spoon position with him.  She could feel his breath deepen against the nape of her neck.

“Michael?”

“Hmmm,” he replied lazily.

“You’re getting hard,” she smiled.

“I know.  You should be used to that by now,” he answered.  “Don’t worry.  It doesn’t bite and I promise not to let him out of his cage.”

Her smile grew wider as she listened to him drift off to sleep.

Five days later, the envelope they had both been expecting arrived.  Annie left it on the kitchen counter for Michael to open when he returned from his manager’s office.  She was working in the music room when he drifted into the kitchen.  She watched him sift through the mail, take the envelope from the lab and slide it into the back pocket of his jeans.  Then he came to her and sat beside her on the piano bench.

“Working the ivories?” he asked with a smile, then kissed her lightly on the cheek.

“I love the sound of this piano.  It makes the material sound better.”

“Did you see what came in the mail today?” he asked, pulling the envelope from his pants.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why didn’t you open it?” he questioned, ripping through the seal.

“It was addressed to you.”

He unfolded the letter and handed it to Annie.  “Here, you read it.  I already know what it says.”

She was nervous, more than she expected, as she took the paper from his hand.  Then she scanned through the information and digested what she could.  When she reached the bottom, she neatly re-folded the paper and handed it back to him.  Emotion overwhelmed her and she began to cry.  It wasn’t the reaction he anticipated and for a moment he allowed himself to think the worst.

He took the letter and quickly read the results.  Every test was negative.  Then he looked at her.  “Everything is negative, babe.  Doesn’t that make you happy?”

“Tremendously.”

“Then, why are you crying?”

“It’s bittersweet.”

“Why?”

“Because it reminds me of why you had to have the tests taken in the first place and that makes me sad.”

He stroked her back.  “Please, Annie.  Somehow we’ve got to try and put all this behind us.  This paper proves it.”

“I know, and sometimes even I think I can move past it, but then something happens to stir a memory and it all comes rushing back to me.”  She looked at his face and tried to smile.  “I’m sorry.  You’ve been so patient but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be able to put it behind me.”  She looked away from him.  “You could be waiting for nothing, only to have me leave in the end.”

He pressed his face close to her ear.  “Don’t say things like that.  If you think it will help, we can go to counseling, whatever it takes to make this work.  I want it to work.”

Annie dropped her head to his shoulder, and he circled her with his arms.

Suddenly, Bonita appeared in the doorway of the music room with the telephone in her hand.

“What is it, Bonita?” Michael asked.

“It is Mr. Brian.  He’s asking to speak with you.”

“Tell him I’m busy and I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

Bonita mumbled her instructions into the receiver then pressed the phone against her stomach.  “He says he will not wait.”

Michael pulled away from Annie and released a never ending sentence of curse words as he crossed the room.

“I said I was fucking busy!  What the hell do you want now?” he shouted into the phone.

Michael paced the music room with the phone pressed to his ear.  “I just saw you!  Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”