Chapter Three
Loud, beating music rang in Melissa’s ears, as she stepped out of her friend’s car. However, beneath that violent mash, lingered something much calmer. Its source was no loudspeaker. It was too faint and too melodic to come from the bar. For a moment, Melissa wished it was just a notch louder, so that she could hear it better. However, when she did discover its origin, disappointment unfurled in her chest. The sound came from a house, more than fifty yards across from her. Luckily for her, there were no other properties in the way. A single building could have easily blocked that melody. Three people were in the front yard, playing music under the moonlight. One of them was playing the violin, the other was singing, while the third held the instrument that would torment her ears, should she get closer: a guitar.
“Oh, man, what are the chances?” One more of Julia’s squeaky remarks forced her to tear her gaze away from the musicians. “Remember ‘Dust in the wind’? They’re playing it.”
“That’s ‘Dust in the wind’?” Surprise crept into Melissa’s voice, pitching it higher, as she pointed down at the yard. “Are you kidding me?”
“Listen,” Julia urged, leaning her elbows on the roof of her car. “It’s just before the first chorus.”
“All my dreams
Pass before my eyes a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind”
A passionate, feminine voice raised every fine hair on Melissa’s body, as the melodious lyrics proved Julia’s point. Before she knew it, a sweet, violin solo inspired her to close her eyes. Never in her life had she immersed herself into music; yet, that night, Melissa Bradford was doing precisely that. The fine tune stole her will and her ability to speak or to even move a muscle. She was savoring each and every second of this experience, losing all of her in the power of melody and lyrics alike. At the same time, however, the words that were sending her heart through this emotional journey made Joe’s pain all the more clear to her. Melissa could feel agony and angst, as it drove through her bones. Tears rose up in her eyes, as the ballad reached Julia’s favorite quote. A massive wave of chills swept over her, leaving her body shivering in its wake. One last, downward strum concluded the song, along with her trip in this uncharted realm of emotion and sensation.
“Are you still with me over there?” Julia’s teasing tone acted like a call to reality. Melissa slid her eyelids open, her pulse racing, as she noticed her friend standing on her left out of the corner of her eye.
“I’ve never felt like this in my whole life,” Melissa whispered, her breath coming out heavy, as she gazed out at the yard.
“Wait; because of a song?” Julia asked, reaching her hand up to Melissa’s shoulder. “You weren’t kidding. You’re shaking,” Julia continued in a surprised tone, squeezing Melissa’s skin in her hand. “Ok, let’s go get drunk,” Julia’s words passed by her unheard. Melissa was just not listening. Instead, all of her concentration had locked her gaze on the property. It was a little dark for her to make out figures, but she could tell by the voices that there were two women and a man in that yard. Spirits were not at all high. As a matter of fact, they all seemed to be whispering, rather than talking. “Girl, are you coming?”
“I, um…” Melissa faltered, biting her lower lip. “I don’t know about that.”
Julia glanced out at the building, parting her lips, and then back up at her.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she replied in an emphatic tone, furrowing her brow, as she leaned over her. “This is probably the only reason I regret being turned. I tried to listen to Paco De Lucia the other day. He was a world-famous guitarist. Ray warned me about it, but I thought he was exaggerating. It felt like needles piercing my skull. Also, what the hell are we going to tell those people? ‘Hi, we like your music. Can we stay and enjoy the show?’”
“I just want to get a little closer,” Melissa lazily shrugged her shoulders, her voice picking up volume. “If it’s too much, we’ll leave.”
“Closer…” Julia huffed in exasperation. “Look around you, Mel. It’s wide open.”
“You can come along, if you like,” Melissa calmly responded, trotting off towards the house in question. “If they ask, I’ll just pretend to be lost.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Julia grumbled, following right behind her. Of course, Melissa knew about the pain that guitar strings could inflict upon her. She had experienced it a number of times in the past; yet, it was not going to deter her. She desired to hear some more of that music; if possible, to hear that beautiful song again. But, a few paces later, she froze to her spot. The only man in the yard was standing, holding an acoustic guitar in his left hand, as he stared down at a piece of paper in the other. He was tall, at least 6’3”. His white tee was leaving his long, masculine arms exposed. The moonlight was bouncing off his tanned skin. He eased the paper down on the music stand in front of him, and raised his eyes. A tremendous shockwave shot through her, taking her breath away, as their eyes met. For a second, Melissa believed she was hallucinating. Still, the strong, pointy face, the chiseled jaw, and his high cheekbones could leave her no doubt. It was none other than Joe Stanton, the man who had captured her imagination that afternoon in the cemetery.
“Oh, my God…” she whispered, her features twisting into an expression of confusion and disbelief, as she turned to face her friend. “It’s him: the guy from the cemetery.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Julia snorted in derision, dragging her gaze away from him to look out at the yard. “Oh, crap!” she exclaimed, opening her eyes wide. “It is him!”
“What is he doing here?” Melissa was unable to keep panic from storming into her voice, as she swallowed hard. “Why did he come here?”
“I don’t know,” Julia shrugged her shoulders, a smile of mischief spreading across her face, as she turned to face her friend. “But, what I do know is that you’re going there. Talk to him.”
“I can’t do that,” Melissa claimed, shyly shaking her head, as she dropped her gaze from him.
“Now’s not the time to be coy,” Julia raised her tone of voice, wrapping her fingers around her friend’s wrist, as she leaned closer. “Shy gets you nothing in this life. Go. Good hunting. Let me know how it went. I’m going to the bar.”
“Ok, here goes nothing,” Melissa thought to herself, sucking in a deep breath, as she once again started towards the house. By then, Joe had already put his guitar down on a chair, and had shoved his hands into his pockets. His attitude somewhat puzzled her. There he was, standing just a few feet behind the property gate, and he wouldn’t even move towards it. He merely stared at her, with a blank expression on his face, as she closed the distance between them.
“Um, hi,” she raised her hand to wave at him, halting a few inches away from the gate. “I heard you guys playing. You were pretty amazing.”
“Thanks,” he murmured, tipping his head down.
“My name’s Melissa Bradford,” she introduced herself, her voice coming out hesitant, as she felt her heart pounding against her chest.
“Joe Stanton,” he used a blunt tone, as his face hardened even further. “Now, turn around and walk away.”
“What?” Melissa shrieked, unable to believe her ears.
“I’m not interested in making new friends…” Joe declared, taking a short step closer to her, “…especially not in a hick town like this. Don’t make me ask twice.”
“Or what?” She would love to say these words to Joe’s face. His rudeness had made her blood boil in her veins. The beast within couldn’t wait to shed her human skin, and teach him some manners. Still, Melissa would do no such thing. Joe had proved to her that he was nothing close to the man who might prove himself worthy to be of interest to her. If he couldn’t address a lady properly, he wasn’t even worthy of her rage. Why should she risk exposing her true nature? Why should she attack him, knowing that two witnesses could storm outside at any second? No. Exploding on him was not an option. With hardly any thought, Melissa turned on her heel, regretting her decision to ignore Julia’s advice.
“So much for the grieving widower: go back to New York, you loser. Don’t ever come back to this ‘hick town.’ You’d better not go anywhere near the forest, either. I won’t be as forgiving as I was tonight.”