New story! This part is PG. But it will have NC-17 parts to be sure. Another AU Since this story will have lots of music in it, I'll try and add info to the music involved.
The song at the end that Tony is playing is 3 Libras from A Perfect Circle.
It had all happened so fast
It had all happened so fast. One minute she was living a perfectly normal life, the next she was swept up into a whirlwind of excitement, fame and fortune.
Michelle Dessler had always been a fairly level headed kind of woman. She'd always loved music, ever since she was little. She'd studied it on her own and in school as much as she could. She was brought up in a well to do household and they encouraged her. She was attracted to the cello and the piano, much to her family's delight. She attended Julliard right after high school choosing not to wait for any vacation. She always knew exactly what she wanted to do; play with a professional orchestra. She'd achieved that goal by the age of 26.
And then 3 years later she accepted a proposal that had changed her life forever.
She had met him while shopping for a book on Spanish. He had been looking for a book on German. It was an odd coincidence; one that led to her having coffee and then dinner with him. It wasn't like her at all, to meet a stranger and just suddenly "date" him. But there was something about Carlos Almeida that drew her in so she gave him the benefit of the doubt. She learned he was in a band, a very successful band since he wanted a book on German for their upcoming tour. It was a rock band and she wasn't familiar with that type of music. He told her he found it refreshing to find someone who didn't immediately faint at the sight of him. They had started seeing each other regularly after that. It had been six months into their relationship when he'd asked her the life changing question. He wanted her to go on tour with them. They were looking to introduce a new sound into their music and with her classical background, she would be perfect.
At first, she was thrilled. It sounded exciting and fun. Working at the Los Angeles Philharmonic was a life dream but it wasn't exactly a happening place. But after some thought, she wasn't sure it would be a good idea. They were having problems. Dating a rock star had not been what she was expecting. Carlos was not the same person from day to day. She had a feeling he had cheated on her, several times. But he had seemed so sincere when he asked. He wanted her with him and it would give them a chance to try and make it work. So, she had accepted.
And then she met him.
In the six months she'd been dating Carlos, he'd hardly ever spoken of his band mates. He always said he worked with them, why bring them up when they were together. She sensed a tension there but left it alone. She had no idea the brother he rarely spoke of was in the band with him. How could he work day to day with him and not bring him up? She learned quickly that the Almeida brothers did not get along. They basically tolerated each other.
Where Carlos was calm and collected with an air about him that screamed he was not showing all his cards, Tony was emotional and arrogant. Carlos was younger and didn't take well to being told what to do, especially by his older brother. Tony was the creative brains behind their band. They were popular because they were unique. No one was a "lead singer." They each had the ability to sing and they all had their own talents with multiple instruments. There were times Tony sang and Carlos played guitar and vice versa. But, it was easy to see to anyone who watched them together that Carlos was jealous of his brother. When Carlos sang and Tony played the guitar, all eyes were still on Tony. He was amazing.
Carlos was attractive to be sure. He had an easy way about him. He was the high school quarterback type. He had slightly curly hair and light brown eyes with a smile any salesman would kill for. But Tony, he was the dark horse mothers warn daughters about. Carlos moved with a comfortable gait, like he would get anything he asked for. Tony moved with an arrogance that told you he wouldn't need to ask for what he wanted, he would just take it. Tony had extremely short dark hair and dark brown eyes. The eyes were what she noticed first. He looked so lost, almost desperate. He was looking for something he never could find. If Carlos was the quarterback, Tony was the kid in black that sat in the back just watching and waiting.
They were playing a cover of "Comfortably Numb" when she first saw them. They were damn good and she was surprised she hadn't heard them before. Carlos was entertaining to watch. He had a good stage presence and kept the crowd engaged. But it was Tony she couldn't stop watching. He wasn't just playing; he was encompassing the music they made. He was beautiful and he made the guitar sing. She instantly felt a connection with him. He understood. He had the same look on his face that she did when she played. They were more than the instrument, more than the music.
She had been on the tour with them about 2 months when she found out Tony was dating a woman named Nina Myers. She was a model and wasn't able to be around much. Not that it looked like he missed her. The only exposure she'd had to Nina Myers so far were the few songs he'd written about her and they weren't love songs. Things had been relatively quiet. She hadn't had time to talk to Carlos much. Actually, he seemed to not even care she was there. She did her consulting with them and then was sent on her way back to her hotel room. That was fine with her. She was starting to believe she had made a huge mistake.
And that brings her to where she is now, sitting alone in the hotel bar watching Tony play an acoustic version of "3 Libras." He hadn't seen her come in. She'd watched as he asked the cleaning staff to leave him. He'd poured himself a drink, sat down on the edge of the small stage and started to play anything that seemed to come to him.
Michelle watched his fingers move across the guitar gracefully. She didn't know what she was going to do. She was dating one of the most popular musicians to come about in the past 10 years. Any woman would kill to trade places with her.
If only she wasn't in love with his brother.