A Love Like This by Kahlen Aymes

know you didn’t. She said she saw…”
    “Yes. I’m sure it looked bad, but I didn’t
start it, and I didn’t encourage it. In this life that shit
happens. There are always women around but I don’t ask them to be
there. Some don’t even give a damn what band they follow around or
even know who we are. There are some that think it’s a status thing
to screw a rocker. And, I won’t lie. There are guys in my band that
take full advantage of it, but not me.”
    I walked up to him and rubbed his back
lightly. “I’ve told her the same thing, Harris. It’s very hard for
Ellie to be away from you so much.”
    “But she won’t come with me. Believe me,
I’ve asked.”
    I nodded. “I know. She told me, but to her
it appears you think her job is disposable but it means a lot to
her. She works hard. I wish I had a solution for you.”
    “How do you and Ryan…” he began, but the
bathroom door opened and Ellie emerged in a fluffy pink robe with
her hair wrapped in a towel. Her eyes were red and puffy and she
looked stiff.
    “Hey,” he greeted her.
    “Hey,” she said in return, hanging in the
doorway without really moving toward him.
    I got up and gave her a hug. “Okay, I gotta
go. I love you.”
    Ellie nodded, her eyes filling with
tears.
    “Have faith and listen to his words,” I
whispered into her ear. “He loves you, Ellie. Believe that.”
    Her arms tightened around me as she nodded
without saying a word.
    I turned and put my arms around Harris.
“Thanks, Julia.”
    “I’m waiting patiently for a signed CD as
soon as you get it off the presses.”
    There was an uncomfortable silence behind me
as I left the room and I realized how tightly I was wound. The
muscles in the back of my neck burned and my heart was sick for the
both of them. How in the hell does something like this happen to
two people who love each other so much?
    It was almost ninety minutes since I’d
spoken to my husband and I was hoping he was asleep. I worried
about him so much. The residency was so demanding. He didn’t get
enough rest, didn’t eat right and worked himself silly. It was his
habit to worry more about me than himself.
    I pulled the keycard out of my purse and
inserted it in the door, carefully turning the handle so as not to
make too much noise and then held it as it closed to keep it from
slamming. He’d left a light in the sitting room on for me, but the
light was off in the bedroom. The darkness was visible through the
crack in the door and I could hear his even breathing. It was a
comforting sound and the love I always felt filled my heart to the
point of bursting. I couldn’t wait to slide in between the sheets
next to Ryan and be wrapped in the strong arms that would
unconsciously come around me, even in deep sleep. I went and turned
off the light and immediately; the entire suite was shrouded in
darkness. I let my eyes adjust for a moment so I wouldn’t knock
into anything and make noise that would wake my husband.
    I kicked off my shoes and unzipped my dress,
dropping it in a puddle of fabric at my feet. I continued to peel
off my bra and panties, leaving a trail behind me like Hansel and
Gretel in the forest. Once in the bedroom, I could see Ryan in the
bed. He was lying on his stomach with the sheet dropping low on his
waist, the strong expanse of his back and shoulders visible. His
arms were curled under the pillow he held to his head and his left
leg was bent out to his side.
    I stopped to take off my earrings and
necklace and place them softly on the nightstand before lifting the
sheet on his right side. I slid in and curled up behind him,
touching as much of his body with mine as I possibly could. This
was the last night in a while when we’d get to sleep in each
other’s arms and I wanted to get as much of him as I could. He
moaned slightly as my arm went around him and I nuzzled into the
back of his neck.
    “Hey, you.” I tightened my arm around him as
his came down to cover mine, the fingers