"Jude, I can't."
"Why the hell not?! You just said…"
"I know what I said, but--"
"But what? Huh? What is keeping you from being with me?"
"It's… nothing," he mumbled.
"Then what--?"
"I'M AFRAID! Okay? I'm scared."
She stood back, shocked by the admission.
He started to pace. "All of my experiences with this 'love' thing have ended in disaster." He turned to her desperatey. "I don't want to hurt you anymore, Jude. You're my best friend! What… what if I mess up?"
She softened. "Well then we'll fix it."
He started to pace again. "They all say that and they all leave."
"You just finished saying that I'm not like the rest of them."
He sighed in defeat. "Look, I'm going home. Forget we had this conversation."
"You're a coward, Tommy," she called after him.
From the door, he shrugged. "Maybe. But it keeps me safe."
"That's no way to live."
"It's the only way I know how." And the door clicked shut.
***
The silence was thick and tense when she walked into studio A. "I have a new song. It's called 'The Rose.'" With that, she silently grabbed the keyboard and set it up.
"You ready?" Kwest asked when Tommy just sat there staring into space. She nodded. "The Rose, Take 1."
Some say love, it
is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a
razor
that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a
hunger,
an endless, aching need.
I say love, it is a
flower,
and new, it's only seed.
It's the heart
afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance;
It's the
dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance;
It's the
one who won't be taken
who cannot seem to give,
And the soul
afraid of dying
that never learns to live.
And the night has
been too lonely
and the road has been too long;
And you think
that love is only
for the lucky and the strong.
just remember:
in the winter,
far beneath the bitter snow
lies the seed that
with the sun's warmth
in the spring becomes The Rose.
"I'm going to, uh—make a sandwich." Kwest fled the studio.
Tommy watched her wipe her face and practice the song, editing a few notes in the piano and melody. Then she sang it again, with much more emotion, silently crying again. He secretly pressed record. When she was done, Tommy leaned toward the intercom button. "Jude," he said softly, "That was amazing. It's--"
"Thank you, Tommy." And she ran.
"Hey! Wait!" he ran after her, finally catching up with her in the alleyway. "Jude, wait up."
"Why? You can't live with or without me and it's confusing the hell out of me! What the heck do you want--?" he cut her off by placing a sweet kiss on her lips. "Oh," she breathed.
He ran a finger down her jaw. "You never cease to amaze me, do you know that? You really are wise beyond your years." She looked away. He used his finger to make her look back at him. "You know why this thing scares me, Jude."
"I'm not going to give up on you," she whispered. "You just aren't trying to find out."
He chuckled dryly. "Honestly, I'm really not. But this song… Girl, you just… how do you--? I mean, everything it described was exactly about me. How?"
"I just…"
"You're so right; day comes after night. Maybe all of the things I've been through… they're just so that I can see you for what you truly are… my saving grace, the one that always helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel… or helps me know that there even is a light at the end of the tunnel. I always have you to lean on."
"That will never change."
He kissed her tenderly. "I love you," he said, sort of tentatively.
"I love you too," she whispered back.
He grinned happily and took her hand, leading her toward the door. "Come on, Harrison. That take was perfect. Now it jut needs some tweaking and mixing."
She smiled up at him. "Okay."
He kissed her again. "You're beautiful."
She blushed. "Um, thanks. Love you."
"You too." They shared a smile. "Let's go."
FIN
A/N-- disclaimer: the song is 'the rose' by Bette Midler. The characters are obviously not mine… or else Instant Star would have been very different. Particularly the ending. Hope you enjoyed.
ttyl,
~ sazon latino