Christian sighed and scratched his chin, rough with stubble of not shaving
in a few days. He pushed back his wild hair and flipped on the radio,
anything that would take his mind off of his current life.
"All you need is love!" John Lennon and Paul McCartney sang on the oldie station. "All you need is love! All you need is love! Love! Love is all you need. . ."
He angrily pushed another, and the voice of Sir Elton John shook him. "I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words. How wonderful life is now you're in the world!"
He raised his hand to his head, rubbing his temple. The song faded away, and a note from a piano was struck and a woman's weak voice sang a song that made him want to cry.
"If I should die this very moment," she said, "I wouldn't fear. For I've never known completeness like being here. Wrapped in the warmth of you, loving every breath of you. Still my heart this moment or it might burst."
His breath slowed as he continued to speed down the road and the woman continued. "Could we stay right here 'till the end of time until the earth stops turning? Wanna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for. All this time I've loved you, and never known your face. All this time I've missed you and searched this human race. Here is true peace, here my heart knows calm. Safe in your soul, bathed in your sighs. Wanna stay right here 'till the end of time, 'till the earth stops turning. Gonna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for."
He blinked away the tears from his eyes. He had found the one he was waiting for. All his life he dreamed of a love that would overcome all obstacles, withstand every hardship life could slip you. Warm, wonderful confusion filled every fiber of his being and brought a dumb smile to his lips whenever Satine was near. He was so sure that she was the one.
He'd never been in love before, never been with anyone before. But there is just a time in your life when you see someone and you know that you will never find anyone in the entire world more perfect. And he was willing to stay the rest of his life by her side. . . but she wasn't.
Nothing is ever as easy as you think it's going to be. Nothing gold can stay.
He sighed as he parked in Henry's driveway. He had called him over a few minutes ago, and when he reached his destination his friend was waiting on his driveway.
Christian turned off the car and stepped out, pushing back his greasy hair again and forcing a smile at his oldest friend.
"Chwistian, I haven't seen you in a few days," Henry said. "When you didn't come to school I started to wowwy, you never miss school even when you'we sick."
Christian sighed. "Henry. . . I am sick. But it's worse than that."
Henry nodded. "You'we mothew called me. She said she was wowwied about you."
Henry opened the front door, where his mother greeted them. "Hello Christian," she said, shaking Christian's hand. "It's been a long time since I've seen you."
"I know. . . I'm sorry."
"Would you like something to drink, Christian?" Henry's mother asked him.
Christian shook his head. "No, thank you," he whispered.
She nodded and left them alone in the living room. Christian flopped down on the couch, and Henry across from him in a rocking chair.
"I'm so sorry, Henry," Christian said.
"For what?" he asked, surprised.
"We used to do everything together. . . I have hardly seen you these past few months. Graduation's coming up soon. . . You're going to New York to be an artist and I. . . I'm going to be stuck here."
"No colleges have replied back yet?"
"Oh, every community college in the area has. . . I just don't understand why the others won't. I even have the grades, but I still don't know what I want to be. I'm going to be stuck here forever in this measly town drinking my sorrows away, being known as the crazy old man who rocks back and forth on his porch, which is of course a motor home because my job at the gas station doesn't give me much money, crying at the memory of some. . . past love! While she is of course going to be in every magazine in the country, getting millions of dollars for movies. . ."
"Satine?" Henry asked quietly.
Christian closed his eyes and saw her wonderful smile against the darkness. "Yes," he whispered. He opened his eyes slowly and studied his friend. "How did you know?"
"I saw the play, Chwis. There's no mistake you two were in love."
Christian laughed. "We don't even know what love is, Henry."
"Chwistian," he whispered, "you may see me only as a gnome whose friends are just outcasts from the brothels. But I know about art and love, if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being. She loves, I know she loves you."
"Then why is she staying with Robert, huh? Why?" Christian's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Who's Wobewt?"
"Her fiancé." He scoffed, rising from the couch and pacing the floor. "Some. . . son of a movie producer, real rich. Her uncle is forcing her to marry him. She says Robert will kill me if he ever finds out about me, but I don't care." He stopped and looked at his friend. "I asked her to marry me. . . she said yes and I was the most happiest person you ever saw. But now. . ."
"You look a mess," Henry said, trying to get a little humor out of him.
"I can't think straight," he said, never changing his emotions. "I don't eat, wake up in night sweats. Henry, I don't know what to do!"
"Do you love hew?" he asked.
"Yes," Christian said, looking him in the eye. "Yes, I love her."
"Then what's the pwoblem?" he said, smiling. "If she's youw 'one', then don't let hew go. Do what evew you can to show hew she shouldn't give up either."
"Henry. . ." Christian smiled suddenly, removing all the despair and anger on his face. "Thank you." He started out the door.
"Oh, Chwistian?" Henry called to him.
"Yeah?" he asked, grabbing his keys.
"Take a showew fiwst. Ladies like good higene."
Christian laughed and ran out the door.
Satine sighed as she walked past the mirror, looking at her slim form, a shiny black costume hugging it tightly. She stopped and walked closer to it, looking at her face covered with heaps of makeup. She blinked her eyes and tears started to fall, washing back down her face. She looked away from the mirror and brushed the tears away. "You silly girl," she whispered. "I thought you would be used to this all by now."
She slowly turned back to the mirror. She could almost feel where the customers touched her, reached out to kiss her. She wished she could just take a shower and wash away all of the shame away. The past few months, she had forgotten. She finally got that shower.
But anymore. The drunks' hands slid across her, their eyes stared at her barely covered form and she felt disgusted with herself.
She hid herself from the mirror and washed off her makeup, and watched the small stream of ivory-colored water now drip down the drain.
She reached over and turned on her radio, and had to sit down as a woman's weak voice sang a song that matched her bleak heart.
"If I should die this very moment," she said, "I wouldn't fear. For I've never known completeness like being here. Wrapped in the warmth of you, loving every breath of you. Still my heart this moment or it might burst. Could we stay right here 'till the end of time until the earth stops turning? Wanna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for."
She looked up at the ceiling, begging the tears not to come, but as she closed her eyes they began to fall. "All this time I've loved you, and never known your face. All this time I've missed you and searched this human race. Here is true peace, here my heart knows calm. Safe in your soul, bathed in your sighs. Wanna stay right here 'till the end of time, 'till the earth stops turning. Gonna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for."
"I've found the one I've waited for," she whispered, raising her hand to her mouth with one hand and flicking off the radio with the other.
She knew the decision she had made was horrible, but there was nothing left to do. She refused to see him die because of her. He was the most wonderful person she had ever met, so understanding and kind and warm. He didn't deserve to be buried 6 feet under before his time. Yes, she knew it was the right thing to do. Nothing would change her mind that this was wrong. . . but she regretted every moment of it.
"This is the moment when God expect me to beg for help, but I won't even try," she sang. "I want nothing in this world but myself to protect me. But I won't lie down, roll over and die. All I have to do is to forget how much I love him. All I have to do is put my longing to one side, tell myself that love's an ever-changing situation. Passion would have cooled and all the magic would have died." She forced a smile, even though she knew the words she sang weren't true. "It's easy, it's easy."
She rose and began to change out of her costume. "All I have to do is to pretend I never knew him. On those very rare occasions when he steals into my heart. Better to have lost him when the ties were barely binding. Better the contempt of the familiar cannot start. It's easy, It's easy." She slowly drew her robe around her and sat down.
"Until I think about him as he was when I last touched him. And how he would have been were I to be with him today. Those very rare occasions don't let up, they keep on coming. All I ever wanted, and I'm throwing it away." She sighed. "It's easy, it's easy as life. And though I'll think about him 'til the earth draws in around me. And though I choose to leave him for another kind of love, there is no denial, no betrayal but redemption redeemed in my own eyes and in heaven above. It's easy. It's easy. . ."
She turned around and looked at the mirror, seeing a face that she wanted to destroy. "It's easy as a lie," she cried, lying her head down.
She sobbed into the silk of her Japanese robe, turning it from red to crimson.
"Why are you crying?" a voice said behind her.
She straightened up and in the mirror she saw that it was Robert. 'Oh God. . .' her mind whispered. Right now she wanted no more human connection than a breif report that Robert had been miraculously killed, followed by Christian. . .
'Christian. . . Robert will surly kill him if he ever finds out. You have to save his life.'
She turned around slowly and smiled. "Hello darling," she forced out, hoping it sounded sincere.
"I asked you 'why were you crying'?" he said, angrily, crossing his arms in front of him.
"Oh, please forgive me. You startled me. I. . . was just thinking to myself. . . how I haven't seen you in such a long time and it. . . made me upset."
"And who's fault is it that we haven't seen each other?" he asked again in the same tone.
"I. . . it's my fault entirely, darling," she said, rising, not even thinking that she was wearing a robe. She pulled it around her tightly. "Please, don't be angry."
He looked down at where the robe didn't cover her legs. "That's. . . all right. . . darling. . ."
She bit her lip. This was certainly a situation she wanted to get out of. "I am certainly exhausted, my dear." She forced a smile, but he was still looking at her legs, walking closer and closer to her. She yawned. "I'm afraid that I'm going to fall asleep at any moment. . . like a narcoleptic."
He nodded, not really listening to her. She moved away from him, careful to not get to close because she thought he was going to grab her. "We shall see each other tomorrow, I promise." She reached for the door. "Now, if you will excuse yourself-"
He crept up behind her and grabbed her waist, kissing her neck harshly. She winced at the pain.
"Darling, please," she started trying to push him off her, but despite what he looked like, he was strong. Powerfully strong. There was a power in him that scared her.
"Please. . . please. . ."
He clapped a hand over her mouth. "Shut up!" he said. "You are my fiancée, practically my wife! A wife is supposed to do everything her husband asks." He held her tightly.
"No, no please," she said again, pushing him again.
This time he raised his hand and struck her hard against the cheek. Dazed, she fell to the floor, tears falling.
"I've heard about you. You and that. . . that boy," he spat. "Your uncle told me. . . told me everything. You whore, how could you do that to me?!" he screamed.
She slowly looked up at him, her hand still on her cheek. Her chin quivered. "I. . . I. . ."
"Silence!" he roared, picking her up from the floor and throwing her against a framed painting on the wall. The glass shattered and she screamed as she felt the shards cut into her skin. "I told you to be quiet!" he yelled.
He slapped her again and she fell on a heap onto the glass. She could feel the wet blood on the smooth glass underneath her fingers.
Satine did her best to keep her crying in check. He was so crazy right now. . . Who knew what he might do.
"You belong to me!" he yelled, picking her off of the floor again. Her vision was hazy with tears, but she saw his face, full of burning rage. "You. . . are. . . mine!"
The door swung wide open, knocking Robert in the back of the head. He fell against her, and then to the floor, unconscious.
Satine backed up with wobbling legs and leaned against the wall, wincing with pain from the glass in her skin and fell to the floor beside Robert.
------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: All characters belong to me and my good friend Baz. And, um. Robert Duken is not the real son of a producer, I just made him up.
A/N: My muse is escaping me. . . these are getting worse and worse. . . maybe I'll have to do a rewrite later, but now it won't get much better.
Songs used: 'All You Need Is Love' by Lennon and McCartney, 'Your Song' by Elton John, 'Gorecki' by Lamb, 'Easy as Life' from Aida.
"All you need is love!" John Lennon and Paul McCartney sang on the oldie station. "All you need is love! All you need is love! Love! Love is all you need. . ."
He angrily pushed another, and the voice of Sir Elton John shook him. "I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words. How wonderful life is now you're in the world!"
He raised his hand to his head, rubbing his temple. The song faded away, and a note from a piano was struck and a woman's weak voice sang a song that made him want to cry.
"If I should die this very moment," she said, "I wouldn't fear. For I've never known completeness like being here. Wrapped in the warmth of you, loving every breath of you. Still my heart this moment or it might burst."
His breath slowed as he continued to speed down the road and the woman continued. "Could we stay right here 'till the end of time until the earth stops turning? Wanna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for. All this time I've loved you, and never known your face. All this time I've missed you and searched this human race. Here is true peace, here my heart knows calm. Safe in your soul, bathed in your sighs. Wanna stay right here 'till the end of time, 'till the earth stops turning. Gonna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for."
He blinked away the tears from his eyes. He had found the one he was waiting for. All his life he dreamed of a love that would overcome all obstacles, withstand every hardship life could slip you. Warm, wonderful confusion filled every fiber of his being and brought a dumb smile to his lips whenever Satine was near. He was so sure that she was the one.
He'd never been in love before, never been with anyone before. But there is just a time in your life when you see someone and you know that you will never find anyone in the entire world more perfect. And he was willing to stay the rest of his life by her side. . . but she wasn't.
Nothing is ever as easy as you think it's going to be. Nothing gold can stay.
He sighed as he parked in Henry's driveway. He had called him over a few minutes ago, and when he reached his destination his friend was waiting on his driveway.
Christian turned off the car and stepped out, pushing back his greasy hair again and forcing a smile at his oldest friend.
"Chwistian, I haven't seen you in a few days," Henry said. "When you didn't come to school I started to wowwy, you never miss school even when you'we sick."
Christian sighed. "Henry. . . I am sick. But it's worse than that."
Henry nodded. "You'we mothew called me. She said she was wowwied about you."
Henry opened the front door, where his mother greeted them. "Hello Christian," she said, shaking Christian's hand. "It's been a long time since I've seen you."
"I know. . . I'm sorry."
"Would you like something to drink, Christian?" Henry's mother asked him.
Christian shook his head. "No, thank you," he whispered.
She nodded and left them alone in the living room. Christian flopped down on the couch, and Henry across from him in a rocking chair.
"I'm so sorry, Henry," Christian said.
"For what?" he asked, surprised.
"We used to do everything together. . . I have hardly seen you these past few months. Graduation's coming up soon. . . You're going to New York to be an artist and I. . . I'm going to be stuck here."
"No colleges have replied back yet?"
"Oh, every community college in the area has. . . I just don't understand why the others won't. I even have the grades, but I still don't know what I want to be. I'm going to be stuck here forever in this measly town drinking my sorrows away, being known as the crazy old man who rocks back and forth on his porch, which is of course a motor home because my job at the gas station doesn't give me much money, crying at the memory of some. . . past love! While she is of course going to be in every magazine in the country, getting millions of dollars for movies. . ."
"Satine?" Henry asked quietly.
Christian closed his eyes and saw her wonderful smile against the darkness. "Yes," he whispered. He opened his eyes slowly and studied his friend. "How did you know?"
"I saw the play, Chwis. There's no mistake you two were in love."
Christian laughed. "We don't even know what love is, Henry."
"Chwistian," he whispered, "you may see me only as a gnome whose friends are just outcasts from the brothels. But I know about art and love, if only because I long for it with every fiber of my being. She loves, I know she loves you."
"Then why is she staying with Robert, huh? Why?" Christian's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Who's Wobewt?"
"Her fiancé." He scoffed, rising from the couch and pacing the floor. "Some. . . son of a movie producer, real rich. Her uncle is forcing her to marry him. She says Robert will kill me if he ever finds out about me, but I don't care." He stopped and looked at his friend. "I asked her to marry me. . . she said yes and I was the most happiest person you ever saw. But now. . ."
"You look a mess," Henry said, trying to get a little humor out of him.
"I can't think straight," he said, never changing his emotions. "I don't eat, wake up in night sweats. Henry, I don't know what to do!"
"Do you love hew?" he asked.
"Yes," Christian said, looking him in the eye. "Yes, I love her."
"Then what's the pwoblem?" he said, smiling. "If she's youw 'one', then don't let hew go. Do what evew you can to show hew she shouldn't give up either."
"Henry. . ." Christian smiled suddenly, removing all the despair and anger on his face. "Thank you." He started out the door.
"Oh, Chwistian?" Henry called to him.
"Yeah?" he asked, grabbing his keys.
"Take a showew fiwst. Ladies like good higene."
Christian laughed and ran out the door.
Satine sighed as she walked past the mirror, looking at her slim form, a shiny black costume hugging it tightly. She stopped and walked closer to it, looking at her face covered with heaps of makeup. She blinked her eyes and tears started to fall, washing back down her face. She looked away from the mirror and brushed the tears away. "You silly girl," she whispered. "I thought you would be used to this all by now."
She slowly turned back to the mirror. She could almost feel where the customers touched her, reached out to kiss her. She wished she could just take a shower and wash away all of the shame away. The past few months, she had forgotten. She finally got that shower.
But anymore. The drunks' hands slid across her, their eyes stared at her barely covered form and she felt disgusted with herself.
She hid herself from the mirror and washed off her makeup, and watched the small stream of ivory-colored water now drip down the drain.
She reached over and turned on her radio, and had to sit down as a woman's weak voice sang a song that matched her bleak heart.
"If I should die this very moment," she said, "I wouldn't fear. For I've never known completeness like being here. Wrapped in the warmth of you, loving every breath of you. Still my heart this moment or it might burst. Could we stay right here 'till the end of time until the earth stops turning? Wanna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for."
She looked up at the ceiling, begging the tears not to come, but as she closed her eyes they began to fall. "All this time I've loved you, and never known your face. All this time I've missed you and searched this human race. Here is true peace, here my heart knows calm. Safe in your soul, bathed in your sighs. Wanna stay right here 'till the end of time, 'till the earth stops turning. Gonna love you until the seas run dry. I've found the one I've waited for."
"I've found the one I've waited for," she whispered, raising her hand to her mouth with one hand and flicking off the radio with the other.
She knew the decision she had made was horrible, but there was nothing left to do. She refused to see him die because of her. He was the most wonderful person she had ever met, so understanding and kind and warm. He didn't deserve to be buried 6 feet under before his time. Yes, she knew it was the right thing to do. Nothing would change her mind that this was wrong. . . but she regretted every moment of it.
"This is the moment when God expect me to beg for help, but I won't even try," she sang. "I want nothing in this world but myself to protect me. But I won't lie down, roll over and die. All I have to do is to forget how much I love him. All I have to do is put my longing to one side, tell myself that love's an ever-changing situation. Passion would have cooled and all the magic would have died." She forced a smile, even though she knew the words she sang weren't true. "It's easy, it's easy."
She rose and began to change out of her costume. "All I have to do is to pretend I never knew him. On those very rare occasions when he steals into my heart. Better to have lost him when the ties were barely binding. Better the contempt of the familiar cannot start. It's easy, It's easy." She slowly drew her robe around her and sat down.
"Until I think about him as he was when I last touched him. And how he would have been were I to be with him today. Those very rare occasions don't let up, they keep on coming. All I ever wanted, and I'm throwing it away." She sighed. "It's easy, it's easy as life. And though I'll think about him 'til the earth draws in around me. And though I choose to leave him for another kind of love, there is no denial, no betrayal but redemption redeemed in my own eyes and in heaven above. It's easy. It's easy. . ."
She turned around and looked at the mirror, seeing a face that she wanted to destroy. "It's easy as a lie," she cried, lying her head down.
She sobbed into the silk of her Japanese robe, turning it from red to crimson.
"Why are you crying?" a voice said behind her.
She straightened up and in the mirror she saw that it was Robert. 'Oh God. . .' her mind whispered. Right now she wanted no more human connection than a breif report that Robert had been miraculously killed, followed by Christian. . .
'Christian. . . Robert will surly kill him if he ever finds out. You have to save his life.'
She turned around slowly and smiled. "Hello darling," she forced out, hoping it sounded sincere.
"I asked you 'why were you crying'?" he said, angrily, crossing his arms in front of him.
"Oh, please forgive me. You startled me. I. . . was just thinking to myself. . . how I haven't seen you in such a long time and it. . . made me upset."
"And who's fault is it that we haven't seen each other?" he asked again in the same tone.
"I. . . it's my fault entirely, darling," she said, rising, not even thinking that she was wearing a robe. She pulled it around her tightly. "Please, don't be angry."
He looked down at where the robe didn't cover her legs. "That's. . . all right. . . darling. . ."
She bit her lip. This was certainly a situation she wanted to get out of. "I am certainly exhausted, my dear." She forced a smile, but he was still looking at her legs, walking closer and closer to her. She yawned. "I'm afraid that I'm going to fall asleep at any moment. . . like a narcoleptic."
He nodded, not really listening to her. She moved away from him, careful to not get to close because she thought he was going to grab her. "We shall see each other tomorrow, I promise." She reached for the door. "Now, if you will excuse yourself-"
He crept up behind her and grabbed her waist, kissing her neck harshly. She winced at the pain.
"Darling, please," she started trying to push him off her, but despite what he looked like, he was strong. Powerfully strong. There was a power in him that scared her.
"Please. . . please. . ."
He clapped a hand over her mouth. "Shut up!" he said. "You are my fiancée, practically my wife! A wife is supposed to do everything her husband asks." He held her tightly.
"No, no please," she said again, pushing him again.
This time he raised his hand and struck her hard against the cheek. Dazed, she fell to the floor, tears falling.
"I've heard about you. You and that. . . that boy," he spat. "Your uncle told me. . . told me everything. You whore, how could you do that to me?!" he screamed.
She slowly looked up at him, her hand still on her cheek. Her chin quivered. "I. . . I. . ."
"Silence!" he roared, picking her up from the floor and throwing her against a framed painting on the wall. The glass shattered and she screamed as she felt the shards cut into her skin. "I told you to be quiet!" he yelled.
He slapped her again and she fell on a heap onto the glass. She could feel the wet blood on the smooth glass underneath her fingers.
Satine did her best to keep her crying in check. He was so crazy right now. . . Who knew what he might do.
"You belong to me!" he yelled, picking her off of the floor again. Her vision was hazy with tears, but she saw his face, full of burning rage. "You. . . are. . . mine!"
The door swung wide open, knocking Robert in the back of the head. He fell against her, and then to the floor, unconscious.
Satine backed up with wobbling legs and leaned against the wall, wincing with pain from the glass in her skin and fell to the floor beside Robert.
------------------------------------------ Disclaimer: All characters belong to me and my good friend Baz. And, um. Robert Duken is not the real son of a producer, I just made him up.
A/N: My muse is escaping me. . . these are getting worse and worse. . . maybe I'll have to do a rewrite later, but now it won't get much better.
Songs used: 'All You Need Is Love' by Lennon and McCartney, 'Your Song' by Elton John, 'Gorecki' by Lamb, 'Easy as Life' from Aida.