Sorry for the HUGE break between chapters. Uni work got a bit crazy for a while and then I was on holidays...ya, finally got to visit the AWESOME city of Nashville (arriving the day it was announced it was cancelled!). But thank goodness that CMT has picked it up, so we have another season of epic drama to look forward, until then I hopefully will add some drama to the Nashville storyline. This story will touch on the existing story from the show while I add some touches of my own. I certainly hope there are people out there still reading, even if there isn't I enjoy creating this story so will continue while it entertains me.
Markus smiled at the cute barista as he picked his coffee up and made his way over to a window seat. It had turned into a beautiful sunny day in Nashville and he had decided to use his time away from the studio enjoying the charms of his newly adopted city. Rayna had called early telling him that she wouldn't be able to make it into the studio today and encouraged him to also take the day off. He thought for a moment of going in so he could work on some of the perceived rough edges that existed on the album. But he quickly dismissed that idea. Without Rayna there, time spent in the studio didn't hold much appeal. He had spent the afternoon exploring some local bars, before escaping to his favourite café. Previously an afternoon spent surrounded by beautiful women would have resulted in Markus being in his element, but ever since he had met Rayna that no longer appealed to him. Markus smiled to himself as he reminisced back over the time he has been spending with Rayna.
If he was being honest with himself, he initially encouraged Rayna to become his producer because he had been dazzled by her. From the moment he sat down next to her on the plane right up to the moment she called him out on his uncertainty about going out on his own, Markus had been enthralled by her. No doubt that she was attractive, made even more so by her own unawareness of it but seeing her passion for the music that made her famous had reeled Markus in. She had painted a wonderful picture for him. She had spoken the words he longed to hear. After the breakup of Boulevard, he had floundered around, trying to work out his place in the music industry. He had known that he had some talent as a songwriter, but as a performer he felt he needed the security of a band. Rayna had seen into his heart and recognised that tiny flicker of a flame that ached to stand on his own. She had fed that flame until it engulfed him, creating a desire to succeed in the country arena.
Sipping his coffee, Markus flicked his eyes over the sparse crowd of the café. It was one of the great things about Nashville, no matter how big a star you are, the locals treated you as one of them. It was rare for him to be openly recognised when he ventured out to local bars and clubs in Nashville. It was vastly different from LA, where everyone was trying to be a celebrity and you had to be seen in the right clubs and openings. It was exhausting. Nashville and by extension Rayna were a welcomed breath of fresh of air. She had given him a glimpse of the life he had never realised he wanted, a life he was planning on getting.
Markus grabbed the barista's attention and ordered another coffee. While waiting for it to arrive, he snatched an abandoned magazine off the next table. Plastered across the cover was the headline: "Is it over already for the Queen of Country?" accompanied with a photo of him and Rayna hugging outside the studio. Tracing his fingers over the image, Markus remembered the photographer taking the photo. One of the advantages of spending a great deal of time in LA, he had become good at spotting the paparazzi. He was sure that Rayna still had no idea that they had been photographed in such an intimate fashion. He knew for sure that she hadn't seen this magazine otherwise she wouldn't have been so vulnerable yesterday.
Previous day:
Their day had started had as usual, Rayna had called to say she was running late as she had to do the school run. He had picked up on some tension in her voice, but thought nothing of it. He knew that she was juggling a lot, with Highway 65 and the girls. She had come rushing in like a hurricane, apologizing profusely for holding him up.
"Rayna, since I didn't expect to see you until later on today you have nothing to apologize for. That's not to say that I'm not happy to see you. But it's all good. Why don't you take a moment: sit…relax Do you want me to grab you something?"
Taking a deep breath, Rayna shook her head as she forced herself to calm down. She couldn't believe she was back in the studio again. She had been looking forward to having the day to herself. She had tried to cover her disappointment when Deacon had told her that he couldn't do the school run. Add into the mix the outburst from Maddie, it had thrown her off balance. It felt like her life was unravelling bit by bit. She could feel it and it scared her. She had fought so hard to get the life she wanted, given so much of herself to finally get her happiness. Rayna knew logically that Deacon focusing so intently on The Beverley was part of the grieving process but she couldn't escape the pit of terror that had taken up permanent home in her stomach. Deacon was trying, and she loved him even more because of that, but it still hurt to see him pulling away, even if it was unintentional.
"So what's the plan for the day boss?"
Forcing a smile on her face, Rayna turned her attention back to the moment, pushing all thoughts of the dramas of her home life out of her mind.
Three hours later:
Markus watched Rayna in the booth as he sang, he could tell that she was distracted even though she thought she was hiding it. After the fifth time of her forcing them to re-sing, Markus called her bluff. Giving the band a break, he watched them leave the studio before turning towards Rayna. He could see an apology forming on her lips, shaking his head he wordless told her that it wasn't necessary. Grabbing two beers from the fridge, he motioned for her to take a seat on the couch. They sat together in compatible silence for a good five minutes before Rayna turned to face him and asked,
"When did you first get into this business? I mean at what age?"
"Ummm, guess l was always tempted by music but I was never serious about it until, I guess 22, 23. Why? What about you? "
"I knew at 16 that this is what l wanted to do, much to the horror of my father. Nothing could have distracted me from music. I know what I was like, which is why…." She chewed on her lip as she contemplated how much to tell him.
"Ray, what's going on?"
"Umm, Maddie got an offer from Sony and it terrifies me."
It was like the flood gates opened for her. Markus listened silently as Rayna unburdened herself of the worries she had regarding Maddie's headstrong determination to enter the music industry. Leaning her arms against her knees, she ran her hands through her hair. Sighing deeply, she pushed down the guilt that was rising in her. She knew she should be talking to Deacon instead of someone who was a stranger up until a month ago, but it felt cathartic to finally be able to express her concerns with someone.
Rayna wormed her fingernail under the label on the bottle, shredding the paper into tiny pieces as she contemplated how much to share with him. Flicking her eyes in his direction, she frowned slightly as she took in his confused look. She could tell he was struggling to understand why she was so against her daughter from following in her footsteps. It was hard to explain to people who weren't there, what she had gone through as she struggled to get recognition in the industry. Deacon knew without her having to explain herself, after all he had been by her side for most of it. Shaking her head, she took a swig of her beer.
She reminded herself that Markus entered the industry during a different time but more importantly, the difference in gender gave them both a different perspective of the industry. Markus never had to prove to anyone that he was more than his good looks. He never had to fight off the unwanted advances, the sexual innuendos and the blatant sexual discrimination that Rayna had fought against her entire career. She knew first-hand what Maddie would be facing and she wanted to protect her oldest daughter from that. It was one of the reasons why she was so passionate about Highway 65. She wanted to create a space where artists felt safe to be themselves while creating music they cared about. Rayna wanted to protect her artists from being exploited by an industry that sadly had a reputation of caring more about money than the artist.
Twisting slightly on the couch to face Markus, Rayna smiled weakly at him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump this on you." Tilting her head towards the recording studio, "We should get back to it. That record won't produce itself."
Markus laughed softly at her attempt to get back to business. It felt good, knowing that Rayna felt comfortable enough with him to share her concerns for her family. His eyes scanned her face, taking in the look of worry still etched there. Reaching out, he placed his hand over hers and gently squeezed it. The jolt of electricity he felt surprised him. It had been a long time since a woman had had that effect on him. Rubbing his thumb slowly over her skin on the back of her hand, his eyes conveyed his attraction to her. He watched as she looked up from their hands to his eyes. Her eyes widened as she drew in a shallow breath. Pulling her hand sharply from underneath his, she quickly stood up.
Stammering, she apologised that she had to go home, before grabbing her bag. Markus sat back on the couch, resting his hands against his head. He knew Rayna had felt the same spark he had. He had felt the chemistry between them from the start, but he had sensed some hesitation from Rayna. Given her very public breakup with Luke Wheeler, he could understand her reluctance to have her public life exposed. That combined with her history with Deacon Claybourne, no wonder she tried to smother the spark she felt between them.
Markus blinked as his mind focused back on the present. He allowed the image of a flustered Rayna linger in his mind as he turned the pages to the magazine article. The paparazzi had managed to get a few shots of them laughing together, before they hugged goodbye. The article briefly outlined the complicated relationship her and Deacon had, complete with photos of them arguing. Markus knew that Rayna was an incredibly private person, it touched him that she had opened up to him. He knew without being told that things were strained between her and Deacon. She was spending the majority of time with him in the studio, and he had also been told that Deacon was spending all his time at the bar he had recently bought.
There was a sense of ease between him and Rayna, if he didn't know better he would have said they had known each other for longer than a month. He had felt his attraction to her the moment he met her and they both had been teasing the edges of their attraction ever since. He knew Rayna felt it as well, why else would she bolt out of the studio? Picking his phone up, he scrolled to her name. Smiling as he typed out a message, he knew he would need to sensitive to her situation. She was a loyal person who wouldn't deliberately hurt those she loved. But he knew, even Rayna couldn't deny the attraction between them anymore. Running his finger across the photo of Rayna in front of him, he glanced one last time at the message before he pushed send. Nodding goodbye to the barista who he had been flirting with earlier, he slipped his phone in his pocket and humming to himself he headed towards his car.
Thanks for reading. Felt like we needed a bit of background to why Markus thought it was ok to put the moves on Rayna. Hopefully the next chapter won't take me so long to write. Stay tuned for some more Rayna and Deacon moments before we tackle the rebellious Maddie episodes!