Author's Corner:

I got a few emails and PM's about continuing Kasia's story. Depending on how this takes off I'll decide whether or not to leave it a one-shot…your votes count. It took me a while to come up for the names for my characters so I want you to pronounce them right, first female lead, Kasia; pronounced Kay-zha, and male: Arion, pronounced, Ah-rye-on. Now, might I suggest new readers read "The Roof" first and hop on youtube and look up "Harlem Blues" so you can get a feel for this song. The song used here is "Harlem Blues" Okay, enjoy.

Torque

"Arion," Kasia cried, "Arion, why?"

"Because Kasia, you're always on tour, I never see you." He continued to pack, "What am I supposed to do now that you're going on tour?" he mimicked the word "tour" using his fingers as quotations, "yet again?"

"What do you mean what are you supposed to do?" Kasia looked up, her cat eyes staring daggers, "You can do whatever the hell you wanted to do."

"Right,"

"Arion, I have to continue to promote my albums," she reasoned, "And the only way I know how to do that is with promotional tours,"

"Right and I'm supposed to sit here while my woman is touring the world being fondled by God only knows who."

"Arion, I'm not being fondled by anyone," Kasia looked at him, "Why can't you trust me?"

"Because I know the music industry Kasia," he told her truthfully, "I've been it way longer than you have."

"You have a point coming here or what?" Kasia asked.

"Kasia,"

"This is my career Arion," Kasia wiped the tears with the back of her hand, "This is what I do. You knew that this was going to happen when we met."

"Oh no I didn't, trust me I didn't." Arion snorted. "This was never supposed to go this far,"

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kasia asked angrily, "My voice is my bread and butter; you knew that. It always had been, nothing has changed."

"There's only one reason why you're successful Kasia," he said looking at her rear in her "talk to me" shorts, "And guess what honey, it's not your voice."

"You bastard," she whispered, "You bastard."

"Kasia, facts is facts honey. Stop acting so surprised. You're 5 feet 4 inches tall all of a hundred and forty pounds," he mimicked a coke bottle with his hands, "with a body that women pay for," Arion shrugged, "Do you really think you sell out venues because you can sing?"

"Stupid me for thinking that," Kasia walked up so they were face to face. She could smell the cologne that he just had to wear at two hundred dollars a bottle, Remember. Remember this motherfucker, your career is dying, and mine is just getting started. She looked him dead in the eye, "Get out."

Arion was about to speak but stopped short, this was only supposed to be a scare tactic, she was supposed to weep and cry. She was supposed to want to sit home and support his career. Just what in the name of hell and high water did she mean, "Get out"?

"I beg your pardon?"

Kasia's irises narrowed, "Are you deaf my dear Arion?"

"Kasia,"

"Get out," she hissed.

-

Layla El-Copeland combed Kasia's hair as she cried softly to herself, "Kay,"

Kasia had called her the night it all happened, screaming hysterically about how she and Arion had had an enormous fight and that he was gone forever.

"Calm down Kasia," Layla had told her. "He'll be back."

"No he won't," Kasia sniffled, "He'll never be back."

Layla sighed, "Yes he will Kasia,"

Kasia wailed, "No," she said, "he won't."

"Why do you keep saying that Kasia?" Layla asked.

Layla's voice cracked, it barely held a whisper, "Because he told me that the only reason I was popular was because of my ass," she sniffed delicately. "It's over, I know it is."

Layla saw worse than red, she saw orange. "He told you what?!"

Kasia sighed, "It doesn't even matter any more LaLa, it doesn't even matter."

"I loved him Layla," she sniffled, "I loved him."

Layla had been Kasia's stylist since the young diva first entered the scene six years ago. When people talk about how stunning Kasia looked it was her work they were complimenting. When she first came onto the scene, Layla had known that Arion was going to be trouble. She could tell by the look in those onyx eyes.

"I know you did Kasia," Layla pulled Kasia's hair back, "I know."

"What did I do so wrong?" she sniffled.

"You didn't do anything wrong Kasia," Layla said pulling back her ponytail, "He was probably jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Kasia asked. "He had nothing to be jealous of. He was in the world of Rock, so much more popular than Jazz."

"Yeah but Jazz Joint went platinum, or did you forget?"

"No I didn't forget." Kasia sniffled, "I just don't understand the problem is all."

"Well honey, I hate to be the one to break this to you but men are morons," Layla said.

"Layla, that's a little harsh," said Adam Copeland, owner of Copeland's. Copeland's was the club where Kasia made her debut, "What's the matter Kasia?"

"Arion left Kasia," Layla whispered.

"You okay kid?" Adam put his arm around her.

"Yeah," Kasia wiped her eyes, "I'm fine."

She stared down at the magazine she held in her hands. It was one of the first pictures of them as a celebrity couple. The picture of Arion and Kasia was taken at the JJA Jazz Awards where she won best female Jazz album for her debut, Jazz it up. They looked so good together, he with his Puerto Rican and British background. He was about five foot ten inches tall with a French Vanilla skin tone, shoulder length onyx hair which he left bouncing at his shoulders at her request. Both wearing black and smiling, his arm around her waist, her waving for the photographers beneath the picture was the caption: What a jazzy couple!

"Rey will be here shortly as will Shawn,"

"For what?" Kasia asked. Rey was her manager and Shawn was her producer. She didn't see a need for either of them to be there.

"Aren't you going to perform?" Adam looked at her as if there was fire shooting out of nose.

Kasia shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs, "Yeah, I'm just,"

"Go lie down," Adam said, "Go on."

Dressed in just a tee shirt, jeans and sneakers, far from the dazzling Kasia they were used to, she trudged her way down the hall to Adam's office. She loved his office; it had cushy couch that she'd love to crash on since she was 21 years old. Since Arion walked out on her three days ago she's been dying inside. He was her heart and now her heart was gone and she felt as if the world had ceased spinning. What was she going to do without him?

"Just how bad is it Layla?" Adam asked after Kasia had left.

"Well I can't lie to you,"

"I'd prefer that you didn't."

Layla hugged her husband, "Honey, she's in bad shape."

Adam let out an irritated sigh, "I told her Arion was a fucking tool," Adam sighed running his fingers through his blonde hair, "What happened?"

"She came home and he was packing. He told her he was not going to sit at home while she "toured" the world,"

"He's an ass,"

"Oh I'm not done, he told Kasia there was only one reason she was popular," Adam looked at her, "Oh he didn't think her voice was it."

Adam studied his wife hard, "You're serious, aren't you?"

"As death," Layla said gravely.

"Shit,"

Just then Rey Mysterio walked into the club, "What's the verdict Copeland?" Rey asked slapping Adam's hand.

"Not good Rey, not good at all."

"What's not good?" Shawn Michaels asked walking in behind him.

"Have a seat gentleman," Layla said, "We have a problem.

-

It had been two months since Arion had left her. She had written a song in his honor that she was arguing to be apart of her performance for the NY Jazz Festival.

"I don't know Kasia," Rey said, "Are you sure?"

"Trust me Rey, trust me please." Kasia pleaded, "This is going to be a hit, trust me."

Shawn spoke next, "Why don't you perform 'First Love'? Save this song for another concert."

Kasia continued to speak calmly, "Or I can perform Arion's song."

"You have 'If You Asked Me To'," Shawn said.

"Still not sure why I can't do the song I wrote."

"Because the show is in two weeks, that's why. You do not have enough time to make this song perfect and neither do we."

"What's wrong with it as is?"

Shawn sighed; he wasn't sure how to say this. For one thing you just don't attack an artist's work, no matter how good your intentions, "It's choppy for one thing. It's not consistent."

Kasia opened her mouth to speak but was too stunned to. He just flat out called it junk. Granted that isn't what he said but he didn't really have to come out and say it. It was written all over his face.

Shawn knew he had hurt Kasia, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about that right now. His job was to make sure that good music was put out when his name was attached to it. That song needed big time work and there was simply not enough time to do it.

"So, 'If you ask me to'?" Rey asked. He, like Shawn, wasn't sure about this song; he thought Shawn was right in saying the melody was kind of risky. For such a big audience they wanted, no needed her to go safe. After the public revealing of her failed relationship, this was so not the time to take a risk.

Kasia took a deep breath, "Okay Shawn, okay."

"Good," Rey and Shawn stood up, "Set up rehearsals."

There was no need; her band knew 'First Love' forward and backward. But she would set up rehearsals at their request. She still had to have some sort of control of her career. She called her drummer Franklin Lashley.

"Lash,"

"What's up Kasia?"

"I need you to get me that up and coming soprano saxophonist, Shelton Benjamin is his name?"

"Yeah,"

"Yeah, get him, get the band together and meet me at my house. We have big time work to do and not a lot of time to do it with."

A/N: Tell you what, I'll put up the first two chapters and see what happens. Let me know something people.

Torque