Author's Note: Just cleaning it up folks, I hate typos. Sorry it's not new but I'm working on a little somethin somethin.
Disclaimer: I own nothing you may or may not recognize. J
Rating: PG13, just in case
Pairing: Travis/Lily
Enlightenment and E Strings
In all the confusion I had wanted to return to a place I felt in control. I could hear the music before going in. I knew it was her. I guess we gain comfort from the same place. Ironic that it was this same place that was the catalyst for our chaos.
Upon entering, I could see she was in the tech booth, in my chair. She was playing her guitar intently. I stayed back in the shadows listening. It was a cover of Sarah McLachlan's Ice Cream song. It was slow and low and mournful but what had me standing silent was that she was using one of my mixes, a slower backbeat. She was keeping time to it while adding a bar or trill of her own. Her fingers flexing gracefully along the frets, seamlessly blending all of it while pacifying her turbulent emotions.
In that moment I knew that even though I could quote Buddha, Confucius, and Emerson, I had been an idiotic, insensitive imbecile. In that moment I realized that the girl before me knew more about peaceful co-existence than I did. I had indeed "lost my way to find my way." Just not in the last few days. I had been lost quite a while and once again found "home" sitting in my chair in my tech booth.
She finished the song, sniffed once, and began to turn the equipment off. I still could not break myself from my epiphany. As she stood, she unplugged her guitar and rounded the corner, heading for her case. It was then she noticed me. Standing in the soft light, she was beautiful. I recognized this soul who had helped me find roots here, who had inspired me to break free and give of myself through RFR, music, or a soft slow kiss.
She eyed me warily, fingers nervously, unconsciously plucking at the guitar still slung across her shoulders, her own zone of comfort and protection between herself and me. She broke the silence with the obvious.
"What are you doing here?"
"Finding my way," I replied.
In two long strides I reached her. I pulled her to me and brought her lips to mine. My detail-focused mind struggled to capture every nuance. Her soft lips moving against mine; and the low reverberating moan that slipped from us both. I could feel the silk of her hair on the backs of my hands as I caressed her back. The strap of her guitar seemed a rough contrast to the soft knit of her T-shirt.
I could hear the strings of the guitar making strange noises like windchimes in the breeze. I deepened the kiss. I simply wanted more and I wanted her to feel it too. She once again interrupted my internal thoughts by pulling away abruptly and breathlessly.
"Let me take it off."
Again I was shocked speechless. She was truly beautiful, flushed and full of life. Her laughter rang through the room and I was filled with want but so incredibly confused once again.
"Travis! The guitar. Let me take it off, your buttons are going to break my E string."
We were both smiling shyly as she gently laid the guitar in its case. She returned to me, reassuring me with a soft kiss. We'd found our way.