Someone rekindled my old flame again. *sigh* I just had to give into it. Will just be a short fluffy feel-good story.
Year in year out it was always the same. When he was on the boat he wanted to get off but now that he was lying in a queen-sized bed in a hotel of a town that he didn't even know the name off, he really wished he was back on the boat again. If anything the boat offered some form of rhythm, a structure and certainty of knowing what you were doing for at least a couple of months at the time. Haul gear, string after string, pushing your body and mind on and on through the physical and mental barriers that after a while you just didn't feel anything anymore. It came close to the feeling that he craved for when he was still an addict and sometimes he wondered if there even was a difference. When he wasn't drinking he was craving it and when he was drinking he wanted to quit. The Northwestern had been both his devil and his blue sea keeping him bang in the middle.
Edgar groaned when he looked at the clock, in an hour Sig would knock on his door to go to another event. They had been in several states over the last couple of weeks showing up at both commercial and non-commercial events and most of them had been fun but right now he had enough of it. He was always expected to play a certain roll and even though he never tried to be someone he was not, the people he often met on such events just weren't his crowd. Not talking about the fans, they were great - well most of them were- and if his appearance on one of those charity events made difference in only one person's life it was worth the forced smiles and handshakes with event organizers and sponsors.
He jumped out of bed and walked into the shower. No use lying around in bed staling time and letting his thoughts drag him into the dark depths of his mind.
Lindsey, their personal assistant or whatever she was called, the person who did the bookings and controlled the schedule of their public appearances had promised him that this was their last event and that this one would be totally different from all the others. He grinned, she had made one hell of a sales pitch and eventually he had caved and agreed to attend, if only to shut her up.
He carefully adjusted the temperature to create the perfect mix of hot and cold water. He sighed in relief as the water came out of the showerhead, most showers in the hotels had a soft spray but he rather had some pressure behind it. He let the warm water roll off his back and shoulders kneading and massaging the permanent kinks and knots in his muscles. The Bering Sea began asking its toll after all the years of hard labor. He closed his eyes as he felt the tension leave his body and allowed himself to relax. He really needed a woman in his life that would let her hands work their magic on him. Rolling his head from left to right he felt his neck loosen up freeing him up from his aching muscles. The thought of some petite blond thing letting her hands roam freely over his back caused his body to shudder slightly and sent a different kind of tension to another body part.
He quickly squirted some body wash into his hand and rubbed it on his scalp before letting his hands slide down his neck and shoulders using the body wash to rub over the sore spots to achieve even a greater sense of relaxation. He turned around facing the wall and leant forward, just standing there enjoying the heat warming him outside and in. After a few minutes he broke out of his zone and grabbed the body wash again to lather up before rinsing off and turning off the water.
He stepped out of the shower cabin, grabbing a towel and quickly dried his face and his hair before wrapping it around his waist leaving the little drops of water to find their own way down over his body. He cleaned the mist of the mirror with the palm of his hand and stared at his own reflection. Tilting his head from left to right he assessed his appearance. He clearly had caught up on some sleep over the last couple of weeks and looked more rested. He grinned when he thought to himself that that he was definitely the one blessed with the looks. Sig and Norm were pretty good prototypes proving they got better along the way but mom and dad had saved the best for last. He ran a hand over his face and decided that there was no need for a proper shave, a bit of a trim was in order but the women loved his scruffy looks, so he was told. Another thought that tugged on the corners of his lips.
He walked back into the room, dropped the towel from his waist and dug out a pair of boxers and socks before pulling a crispy white and blue Northwestern shirt over his head. Throwing a navy blue hooded sweatshirt on the bed to take with him he looked for his jeans and trainers.
Edgar was just about dressed as he heard a knock on the door. "Edgar!" Sig shouted on the other side. If anyone on this floor of the hotel had planned on sleeping in they certainly were awake now.
He looked over his shoulder to see if he had forgotten anything and went to open the door.
"I need a coffee and a smoke and I need it now. Fucking nonsmoking rooms, even the balcony door didn't open."
"Morning to you too Sig." Edgar mumbled while grabbing his keys and wallet.
-=DC=-
Edgar had decided to ride to the venue himself, he didn't want to hang around after their appearance. Sig always stayed to talk to anyone and you really had to drag him away. He liked making time for the fans but Edgar thought that he loved the attention probably just as much if not more. Sig was all about opportunities and making money. It was the business side of him, Sig was always aware of where they came from and realized like no other how quickly fame could come and go. That's why he wanted to make the most out of this crazy rollercoaster ride, for his family and for their family. So at the end of the events when the fans took their unforgettable moments with them on their way home, Sig would talk to the sponsors and organizers to expend his network. He was good at it even though Edgar still hadn't figured out why the hell they started to sell Captain's sauce. No one on the Northwestern liked horseradish sauce but hell they were selling it now in the Northwestern webshop Captain Sig's Sea Horseradish sauce.
The two Hansen brothers walked through the hotel lobby when Edgar stopped and padded himself down. "I gotta run back up, forgot my phone and cigarettes."
Sig groaned and gave his younger brother an impatient look. "Take your time." He drawled the words out with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Edgar shook his head, when Sig wanted to leave he wanted to leave. He turned around and started a slow jog back towards the elevators. "Back before Christmas."
"I ain't waiting here, meet you at the venue."
-=DC=-
Edgar pulled out of the hotel parking in his Chrysler rental. He put the address in the navigation system and cranked up some tunes. Listening to and singing along with an old Johnny Cash song on a nitwit radio station he opened the window and lit a cigarette. The sun was out and maybe just maybe today wouldn't be that bad. He leant back in the seat relaxing when a sudden jerk on the steering wheel made him sit up straight. His heart skipped a beat from the sudden movement. Edgar maneuvered the rental to the side of the road turning the hazard light's on. Coming to a stop he banged his fists on the steering wheel. Just his fucking luck.
He opened the door and looked at the flat tire. With a sigh he leant back in the car and lifted the handle for the boot to pop. Checking underneath the carpeted interior he found an empty space where the spare wheel should have been stashed. You got to be shitting me. He rolled his eyes and kicked the car for good measure.
"Doubt that'll do it any good dude." A female voice sang behind him.
Edgar turned around and caught sight of a very cute looking petite blond hanging out of the window of a SUV that looked way too big on her. Big brown eyes with a little twinkle in them captivated him and made his heart skip a beat for the second time. If this was going on he had to go see a cardiologist soon. She was stunning, her hair seemed like she came straight out of bed but he suspected that she probably had spent a lot of time to make it look like that. It was all ruffled and framed her face. Her make-up was subtle but noticeable and her eyes …
She cleared her throat. "Let me try that again." She mumbled to herself before speaking very loud and clear in an antagonizing slow manner. "You speak English? Do. You. Need. Help?"
"Hva?" Edgar said trying to catch up on what she said.
"DO. YOU. NEED. HELP?"
Edgar smirked at her. "You know that talking louder doesn't help people understand it better right?"
He watched her tilt her head, she was cute when she did that. "But it sure helps to make them fucking listen doesn't it?"
Her straight forward comeback made him laugh and shake his head. "Can't argue with that sweetheart."
"Still the question remains, do you need help?"
"Nah I got it. Got to call the rental company to have it towed, no spare in the back."
She shrugged. "Never is, scared people will nick 'em. Makes you wonder who the hell would want to nick the spare out of the back of a rental but fair enough. Right I am off then … unless you need a ride somewhere?"
"I am good, thanks sweetheart."
She nodded and started the engine of the SUV and drove off.
-=DC=-
Edgar leant against the side of the Chrysler and inwardly cursed himself. He phoned the rental company but halfway through the conversation the line had cut off. Trying to redial the number he noticed that the battery was flat. Flat-astic. He didn't know what angered him most, the flat tire, the flat battery or the fact that he hadn't taken the little blonde's offer to give him a ride. She really had beautiful eyes. He hadn't seen a lot of her, only the part that had been leaning out of the window but he couldn't deny that he was curious what the rest of her looked like. He always had a thing for blondes, must be the Norwegian DNA in his blood but this one really had spiked his interest and he didn't even ask her name. It had been roughly ten minutes and no car had come past. He was about to start walking when he saw another SUV coming his way on the opposite side of the road. He waved to draw the driver's attention in the hopes that he would notice and pull over. A sigh of relief escaped his chest when he saw the SUV make a U-turn and slowly pull up to him.
Yay? Nay?