The morning came too soon for Kieran. He had forgotten to close the thick curtains of his hotel room windows. He jerked awake after his dream of falling through the air and into someone's back yard in Memphis. The dream stuck with him, and he thought back to that night. He had been holding the hand of the girl he had planned to bed that night in 1432 in a castle in Scotland. Then he remembered seeing her scream as he was fading away from her. What he felt then was very difficult to describe. He had played it over and over in his mind after he woke on the ground surrounded by some type of wooden fence. Not knowing what was happening, he stood on shakey legs, pulled his harp close to his body and found his way out of the place he had landed. He had wandered around, seeing sights that scared him to death. Was he in hell for all the women he had bedded?
After a few hours he found a place to rest. It was a building with the words Ye ol' English Tavern above the door. England. Figures. He had died and landed in hell. No Scotsman ever wanted to go to England. He sat outside the tavern as people passed him. The cars and trucks scared him. One man asked if he needed food, and gave him some type of food he had never seen before. It was on some type of white trencher that wasn't made of bread. He thanked the man, but his accent was so strong, the man thought he was just some vagrant wandering around the streets of Memphis. A few hours later, a man came to open the tavern.
It was Stan. He wasn't too kind when he saw Kieran sitting in front of his tavern. He said he would call the cops, what ever that had meant, but he saw the harp and asked if Kieran could play the strange instrument. Kieran had nodded yes, and strummed a few chords. Stan helped him up and brought him into his place. Kieran coouldn't explain what happened to him or why he was there, but he and Stan had become very close. Soon, Kieran had trusted Stan with his unbelievable story. Stan just listened, shook his head “yes” and never brought it up again. He was definitely Kieran's best friend, and someone he could never repay for his kindness.
A few minutes later, Selena woke. She jerked awake, not remembering where she was. She had been dreaming of that man of her dreams again. She laid there remembering his face, and thought it would be wonderful if he were real. Then as if she had a glass of water thrown in her face, she opened her eyes and squeeked from fright.
“Selena, it's just me, Kieran. Remember?” he said in a soothing tone. It took Selena a couple of minutes to get her bearings. She was in a hotel room, fully dressed, she checked, and a georgous man was lying right beside her. Yes, Kieran. The night was coming back to her. It had just taken her a minute to get back to reality after the dream.
“Good morning, love. Are you feeling okay this morning? I'm hungry, if you'd like to know. Would you be interested in eating breakfast? I do have to get back on the road today. I have to drive to New orleans for a show tomorrow night. I'm playing at the House of Blues. Wanna come?”
“Well I am on spring break, but I don't have a car here. I flew. I need to be back in Memphis soon,” she hedged. She couldn't believe he was asking her to join him. She should say hell yes, but something was just preventing her from being that easy. “No, I don't think I can."
“That's okay. It's always crazy on the road. I usually have to talk to a ton of people, and I probably would have to leave you alone for long periods of time.” he replied, but he was disappointed. He didn't actually believe she would say yes. Something told him that just wasn't her personality. Hmmm, Memphis. "Guess I'll be heading there in a month when this tour is over," he thought to himself. He smiled at her, and stood up. Then he walked around the bed and reached out his hand for her. She took it and rose. Then they headed out to breakfast.
The morning passed quickly, and Selena called Valery and Rick to pick her up. Kieran had his bags packed, and they went out to wait for her ride. Valery and Rick arrived, and they peered at them with thoughtful expressions. Selena could tell they thought the worst of her. She'd have to tell them all about it on the way back to their house.
Kieran asked Selena to follow him to a corner of the building away from Valery and Rick. He wanted to say goodbye to her without Valery and Rick watching. He was afraid Rick was ready to beat him up or something. She followed. He took her hand and stopped as they rounded the corner of the building.
“I really am glad I met you last night. I want to see you again. I know you can't come to New Orleans. I'll call you later. Thanks for staying the night with me." And then he bent down and kissed her very softly on her lips. Selena had to grab onto his arms, because she was close to fainting. She kissed him back. They broke apart, and she tried to move out of his embrace, but he pulled her close again. He held her for a few minutes, and then heard a distinct “Hph” coming from around the corner. He released her, but kept her hand in his as he guided them back to Valery and Rick. With one last hug and a kiss on her cheek, he helped her into the back seat of Rick's car, turned and walked to his own. He waited until they had driven away before starting his car and heading to the interstate and New Orleans. "This is going to be a long tour," he thoguht.
Selena was quiet in the car on the way back to Valery's house. Valery was talking about the night before, and was hoping Selena would fill them in about what had happened after they had left her with Kieran. Finally, she opened up and told them how the night had progressed. They were both shocked. Rick seemed as if he didn't beleve a word she said. Valery was waiting to get the “real scoop” later, but Selena stuck to her story.
The week passed and Selena went back to Memphis. She put herself into her work, so she wouldn't dwell too much on Kieran. He was true to his word and called her. It wasn't every night, but she knew he really wanted to talk when he had the chance. Some nights he'd call after his show and talk. Selena had to get to work early, so those calls were usually breif. On weekend nights, they'd talk for hours. Selena knew she had it bad for him.
The biggest problem had been Chad. He had come to her condo when he returned from LA only to find she was out of town. She hadn't answered his calls, so he was worried, he'd said. Actually, Selena could tell he was angry. She finally had to deal with him the day after she returned from Atlanta. It wasn't pretty. When she had explained she didn't think they should see each other again, he had walked away looking very dejected. She didn't hear from him for a few days, but one afternoon he showed up at her house with a piece of paper which had a list of all things he needed to say to her. First, she felt badly for him, and then she just felt he was pathetic. She stuck to her guns, though, and told him she felt it was over between them. And that was that. Not easy, but it had to be done, she thoguht after he had left.
The month went by rather slowly for Selena. And then one day she received a call from Kieran. She had been at work, so it went to voicemail. He would be in Memphis in a week, he'd said. He couldn't wait to get the tour over so he could see her. He had made plans to stay with his friends, Stan and Jill. He wanted to see her. He'd call when he got into town. All lof a sudden, Selena had an urge to go shopping. Something told her she needed some great looking new clothes. A few dresses, some new pants, a few new tops. She hadn't bought anything new, since she mainly wore work clothes anyway. She didn't go out very often, especially now that she no longer dated Chad, but even then she hadn't dressed nicely for him. As soon as she got off work that day, she ran to the mall. She was full of nervous energy, and shopping helped calm her. Usually it just bored her to tears. But today she had a goal. She had a feeling her regular undergarments needed a little updating too.
Selena decided that she needed to take Friday off from work. She slept later than she usually did. She needed her beauty sleep, of course that only included a couple of extra hours because she really didn't sleep well in general. She went to get her hair cut at a walk in place and had her fingernails and toes painted. She wanted to look her best for Kieran. She was so excited she was almost breathless. Then she went home to wait for his call.
Kieran drove into Memphis down 1-40 and crossed the Hernado DeSoto bridge. It was shaped like an “M” and lit with yellow lights at night. He had often come to the Mississioppi River to gaze at the bridge and let his thoughts wander where they would while he had lived in there. Now he looked at the lights of downtown Memphis and felt a longing he couldn't explain.
He had decided to wait to call Selena with their plans until after he arrived at Stan and Jill's. He wasn't positive where they would decide to go, but he didn't really care. He just wanted to get to their place. Thank goodness, Midtown was not much farther. He arrived at Stan and Jill's fifteen minutes later. They were very excited to see him.
Jill was watching from the window of their bar, and ran out to greet him as he parked his car behind the building. She hugged him, and said,”Hey, Kieran! Welcome back! How was the rest of your tour?”
“It was great, but I'm glad it's over now. Is Stan inside?”
“Yes, come on. He's tending the bar and couldn't come out. He knows you're here. We are just so glad you decided to come to Memphis!”
Stan had a Guinness ready for him when he had walked into the bar. Jill took him to his room after an hour of catching up with each other. He thanked her and sat on the edge of his bed and called Selena.
The phone rang a few times. Selena picked up her phone and her heart started to race. It was him! 'Hello.” she said breathlessly. “Hey, Selena. I'm in town at Stan and Jill's. Do you think you can head this way soon?
“Yes, do you want me to meet you at the bar?”
“Yes, I'll be waiting. I can't wait to see you, so hurry, okay.”
“It'll take me about thirty minutes, but I'll leave now. See you in a few minutes!” then they said goodbye.
Once he was back in the bar, Kieran couldn't sit still. He finally decided to stand up and pace. He didn't know what type of car she drove. Every time a car passed the bar, he would look to see if it was her.
“Sit down, Kieran. You're making me nervous!” Stan laughed.
“Yeah, man. Just watching ya is making me dizzy. It's too early for me to feel that way tonight.” a guy at the bar chimed in.
Finally Kieran gave up and sat back down. He and Stan starting talking of what they would do that night, so he wasn't looking when Selena walked into the bar. Stan saw her first and stared at her. Kieran turned around and his mouth dropped open.
She was standing in the middle of the bar, wearing a gorgeous dress, her hair was up and she was wearing make up. He didn't remember her wearing much the night they'd met. It was a good thing, because he probably would have keeled over instead of staring at her like he'd lost his mind. Kieran jumped out of his chair, and it scraped across the brick floor.
The guy beside him said,”Oh, now I know why he's been so wound up. If I was waiting for her, I'd have been pacing the place too.”
It took Kieran only a few steps to make it from the bar to her. He grabbed her and pulled her to him never taking his eyes from hers. He then put his mouth near her ear and said, “I've missed you.” His warm breath made her shiver.
“I've missed you too.” Selena said,and smiled.
He bent his head and kissed her. And then something happened. He seemed to be fading. He couldn't feel her hand. He couldn't hear her anymore, but he could tell she was beginning to scream. And then he didn't feel anything.
After a few hours he found a place to rest. It was a building with the words Ye ol' English Tavern above the door. England. Figures. He had died and landed in hell. No Scotsman ever wanted to go to England. He sat outside the tavern as people passed him. The cars and trucks scared him. One man asked if he needed food, and gave him some type of food he had never seen before. It was on some type of white trencher that wasn't made of bread. He thanked the man, but his accent was so strong, the man thought he was just some vagrant wandering around the streets of Memphis. A few hours later, a man came to open the tavern.
It was Stan. He wasn't too kind when he saw Kieran sitting in front of his tavern. He said he would call the cops, what ever that had meant, but he saw the harp and asked if Kieran could play the strange instrument. Kieran had nodded yes, and strummed a few chords. Stan helped him up and brought him into his place. Kieran coouldn't explain what happened to him or why he was there, but he and Stan had become very close. Soon, Kieran had trusted Stan with his unbelievable story. Stan just listened, shook his head “yes” and never brought it up again. He was definitely Kieran's best friend, and someone he could never repay for his kindness.
A few minutes later, Selena woke. She jerked awake, not remembering where she was. She had been dreaming of that man of her dreams again. She laid there remembering his face, and thought it would be wonderful if he were real. Then as if she had a glass of water thrown in her face, she opened her eyes and squeeked from fright.
“Selena, it's just me, Kieran. Remember?” he said in a soothing tone. It took Selena a couple of minutes to get her bearings. She was in a hotel room, fully dressed, she checked, and a georgous man was lying right beside her. Yes, Kieran. The night was coming back to her. It had just taken her a minute to get back to reality after the dream.
“Good morning, love. Are you feeling okay this morning? I'm hungry, if you'd like to know. Would you be interested in eating breakfast? I do have to get back on the road today. I have to drive to New orleans for a show tomorrow night. I'm playing at the House of Blues. Wanna come?”
“Well I am on spring break, but I don't have a car here. I flew. I need to be back in Memphis soon,” she hedged. She couldn't believe he was asking her to join him. She should say hell yes, but something was just preventing her from being that easy. “No, I don't think I can."
“That's okay. It's always crazy on the road. I usually have to talk to a ton of people, and I probably would have to leave you alone for long periods of time.” he replied, but he was disappointed. He didn't actually believe she would say yes. Something told him that just wasn't her personality. Hmmm, Memphis. "Guess I'll be heading there in a month when this tour is over," he thought to himself. He smiled at her, and stood up. Then he walked around the bed and reached out his hand for her. She took it and rose. Then they headed out to breakfast.
The morning passed quickly, and Selena called Valery and Rick to pick her up. Kieran had his bags packed, and they went out to wait for her ride. Valery and Rick arrived, and they peered at them with thoughtful expressions. Selena could tell they thought the worst of her. She'd have to tell them all about it on the way back to their house.
Kieran asked Selena to follow him to a corner of the building away from Valery and Rick. He wanted to say goodbye to her without Valery and Rick watching. He was afraid Rick was ready to beat him up or something. She followed. He took her hand and stopped as they rounded the corner of the building.
“I really am glad I met you last night. I want to see you again. I know you can't come to New Orleans. I'll call you later. Thanks for staying the night with me." And then he bent down and kissed her very softly on her lips. Selena had to grab onto his arms, because she was close to fainting. She kissed him back. They broke apart, and she tried to move out of his embrace, but he pulled her close again. He held her for a few minutes, and then heard a distinct “Hph” coming from around the corner. He released her, but kept her hand in his as he guided them back to Valery and Rick. With one last hug and a kiss on her cheek, he helped her into the back seat of Rick's car, turned and walked to his own. He waited until they had driven away before starting his car and heading to the interstate and New Orleans. "This is going to be a long tour," he thoguht.
Selena was quiet in the car on the way back to Valery's house. Valery was talking about the night before, and was hoping Selena would fill them in about what had happened after they had left her with Kieran. Finally, she opened up and told them how the night had progressed. They were both shocked. Rick seemed as if he didn't beleve a word she said. Valery was waiting to get the “real scoop” later, but Selena stuck to her story.
The week passed and Selena went back to Memphis. She put herself into her work, so she wouldn't dwell too much on Kieran. He was true to his word and called her. It wasn't every night, but she knew he really wanted to talk when he had the chance. Some nights he'd call after his show and talk. Selena had to get to work early, so those calls were usually breif. On weekend nights, they'd talk for hours. Selena knew she had it bad for him.
The biggest problem had been Chad. He had come to her condo when he returned from LA only to find she was out of town. She hadn't answered his calls, so he was worried, he'd said. Actually, Selena could tell he was angry. She finally had to deal with him the day after she returned from Atlanta. It wasn't pretty. When she had explained she didn't think they should see each other again, he had walked away looking very dejected. She didn't hear from him for a few days, but one afternoon he showed up at her house with a piece of paper which had a list of all things he needed to say to her. First, she felt badly for him, and then she just felt he was pathetic. She stuck to her guns, though, and told him she felt it was over between them. And that was that. Not easy, but it had to be done, she thoguht after he had left.
The month went by rather slowly for Selena. And then one day she received a call from Kieran. She had been at work, so it went to voicemail. He would be in Memphis in a week, he'd said. He couldn't wait to get the tour over so he could see her. He had made plans to stay with his friends, Stan and Jill. He wanted to see her. He'd call when he got into town. All lof a sudden, Selena had an urge to go shopping. Something told her she needed some great looking new clothes. A few dresses, some new pants, a few new tops. She hadn't bought anything new, since she mainly wore work clothes anyway. She didn't go out very often, especially now that she no longer dated Chad, but even then she hadn't dressed nicely for him. As soon as she got off work that day, she ran to the mall. She was full of nervous energy, and shopping helped calm her. Usually it just bored her to tears. But today she had a goal. She had a feeling her regular undergarments needed a little updating too.
Selena decided that she needed to take Friday off from work. She slept later than she usually did. She needed her beauty sleep, of course that only included a couple of extra hours because she really didn't sleep well in general. She went to get her hair cut at a walk in place and had her fingernails and toes painted. She wanted to look her best for Kieran. She was so excited she was almost breathless. Then she went home to wait for his call.
Kieran drove into Memphis down 1-40 and crossed the Hernado DeSoto bridge. It was shaped like an “M” and lit with yellow lights at night. He had often come to the Mississioppi River to gaze at the bridge and let his thoughts wander where they would while he had lived in there. Now he looked at the lights of downtown Memphis and felt a longing he couldn't explain.
He had decided to wait to call Selena with their plans until after he arrived at Stan and Jill's. He wasn't positive where they would decide to go, but he didn't really care. He just wanted to get to their place. Thank goodness, Midtown was not much farther. He arrived at Stan and Jill's fifteen minutes later. They were very excited to see him.
Jill was watching from the window of their bar, and ran out to greet him as he parked his car behind the building. She hugged him, and said,”Hey, Kieran! Welcome back! How was the rest of your tour?”
“It was great, but I'm glad it's over now. Is Stan inside?”
“Yes, come on. He's tending the bar and couldn't come out. He knows you're here. We are just so glad you decided to come to Memphis!”
Stan had a Guinness ready for him when he had walked into the bar. Jill took him to his room after an hour of catching up with each other. He thanked her and sat on the edge of his bed and called Selena.
The phone rang a few times. Selena picked up her phone and her heart started to race. It was him! 'Hello.” she said breathlessly. “Hey, Selena. I'm in town at Stan and Jill's. Do you think you can head this way soon?
“Yes, do you want me to meet you at the bar?”
“Yes, I'll be waiting. I can't wait to see you, so hurry, okay.”
“It'll take me about thirty minutes, but I'll leave now. See you in a few minutes!” then they said goodbye.
Once he was back in the bar, Kieran couldn't sit still. He finally decided to stand up and pace. He didn't know what type of car she drove. Every time a car passed the bar, he would look to see if it was her.
“Sit down, Kieran. You're making me nervous!” Stan laughed.
“Yeah, man. Just watching ya is making me dizzy. It's too early for me to feel that way tonight.” a guy at the bar chimed in.
Finally Kieran gave up and sat back down. He and Stan starting talking of what they would do that night, so he wasn't looking when Selena walked into the bar. Stan saw her first and stared at her. Kieran turned around and his mouth dropped open.
She was standing in the middle of the bar, wearing a gorgeous dress, her hair was up and she was wearing make up. He didn't remember her wearing much the night they'd met. It was a good thing, because he probably would have keeled over instead of staring at her like he'd lost his mind. Kieran jumped out of his chair, and it scraped across the brick floor.
The guy beside him said,”Oh, now I know why he's been so wound up. If I was waiting for her, I'd have been pacing the place too.”
It took Kieran only a few steps to make it from the bar to her. He grabbed her and pulled her to him never taking his eyes from hers. He then put his mouth near her ear and said, “I've missed you.” His warm breath made her shiver.
“I've missed you too.” Selena said,and smiled.
He bent his head and kissed her. And then something happened. He seemed to be fading. He couldn't feel her hand. He couldn't hear her anymore, but he could tell she was beginning to scream. And then he didn't feel anything.
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