Music Monday - Love Don't Live Here Anymore

Hello My Blog Readers,
I have been inspired. Yay! I am going to start a new thing. It may not go every Monday but I am hoping for at least twice a month. BUT, I need your help!!! I have always enjoyed listening to music and often those songs spin stories out in my head but I never get around to writing them down. Usually because I mostly listen to music while I am driving and fifteen songs later I have forgotten whatever story inspiration hit me. So, what I am doing is Music Monday. Music Monday will be ficbits inspired by songs! Now, to make it a little more fun, I wan't y'all to tell me what your favorite songs, most inspiring songs, most story worthy songs are. Post song title and artist (and link to a youtube video of that song if possible) in the comments. Depending on how many songs get posted I will work my way through the list posting a short ficbit inspired by each song. I am pretty excited about this so PLEASE PLEASE leave comments! Just so you know, this won't impact the True Love's Kiss schedule at all.

For today, I picked a song and wrote a ficbit to go with it - just as an example. Hope you enjoy it!

Love Don't Live Here Anymore

“Real Adventures Travel Agency – Where we can make your dreams come true. This is Aiden. How may I help you?” I spoke with a falsely cheerful voice into my headset. It had been a crazy day. No one just wanted to go parasailing in the rain forest or to lie on a beach somewhere. No, today people were asking for nudist kayaking and African Safari petting zoos.

My mind wandered as I listened to this customer describe long lost fraternity days and a bet made and could I help him find a place he and his buddies could swim with the sharks. That, at least, I could do. I was almost through with my formulaic “Good-bye and thank you for choosing Real Adventures Travel Agency” when I heard the bell over the door ring.

I hung up the phone, plastered a smile on my face and prepared to greet the next in a long line of customers. When I saw who was framed in the doorway, I squeezed my eyes shut, shook my head and prayed I was hallucinating. I opened them again and, unfortunately, I was not hallucinating.

Jeremy Jensen, ex-boyfriend and heart breaker extraordinaire was standing in front of me with one of his stupid arrogant smirks painted across his features. He was supposed to be working in Europe with his young pretty twink of a “research assistant” – not here, ruining my day.

“What, no warm welcome?”

I closed my eyes, braced myself on my desk for a moment, and pushed myself up out of my chair. Just before I let my hands rise with me I quickly pressed the two buttons needed to send Nick our pre-planned text for this situation. He’s here.

Now, Jeremy had never hit me. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t terrified of him. Somehow he wormed his way into my thoughts and managed to twist them all about without me even realizing it. It wasn’t until he was gone and my newly found best friend, Nick, shook some sense into me that I was even able to see how toxic Jeremy had been for me.

Somehow I always knew he would be back for me. It was what terrified me the most. Even knowing how he worked, somewhere deep inside the darkest parts of my heart I liked that someone, anyone, wanted me. That’s what the text was for – accountability. And Nick was probably already on his way over here. He worked in a building about five blocks away.

I shook myself back into the present and looked Jeremy square in the eyes. “No. No warm welcome. You lost that right when you ran off with Graham.”

A cloud passed over Jeremy’s features and he took an angry jerking step forward. I stood my ground behind my desk. This was no time to show weakness. Almost frighteningly quickly, his features changed. No longer was he radiating anger. Instead he had turned on the charm.

“Come on, baby. You know I love you. I’m sorry I made a mistake. I’m home now.”

My heart jumped painfully when I heard him call me baby. I heard Nick’s voice sternly inside my head. He doesn’t love you. He never did. He just wants to own you. I repeated it to myself one more time before I said, out loud, “No. I am not your baby anymore. I am sorry if you think you love me but I don’t love you anymore. Please leave.”

I head the bell over the door ring again. Over Jeremy’s shoulder, I saw Nick’s towering form. I almost let a sigh of relief escape but blocked it off at the last second.

Jeremy glanced over his shoulder, saw Nick, and turned back to me. “This isn’t over yet,” he hissed.

“Yes, it is.” I said in a cold voice. I stared at him, unwavering for another few seconds before he turned and stormed out of the door.

As soon as he was out of sight around the corner, I collapsed into my chair. I was startled by Nick’s loud whoop from closer than I realized he was.

He had a smile on his face and nearly shouted, “You were fantastic!”

I nodded shakily and tried to smile back at him but I was still a little off balance. Then he pulled me out of my chair and into his arms. My arms snapped to hold him tight, almost out of reflex. As he held me tight, supporting me, he whispered in my ear, “I am so proud of you.”

All of the sudden an awareness shot through me. I figured out what that tension that had been just under the surface these past few months had been. He had been waiting – waiting to make sure I was over Jeremy, waiting to make sure I was ready before he made his move.

With a surety I had never felt about any part of my relationship with Jeremy, I lead back, threaded my hands through Nick’s hair and pulled him forward so I could press my lips to his.

For a moment, he didn’t react – probably from the shock. Then his arms tightened and his lips moved and a moan escaped from somewhere deep inside him. Then it didn’t matter because we had melted into each other and it was perfect.

It was almost the end of the day so I broke the kiss for just long enough to lock the door, flip the sign to closed and drag Nick into the back room. He proceeded to shove me up against the wall and kiss me like his depended on it.

For the first time in a long time, I felt truly happy.

The Beginning.