Hello, I hope you're all doing great. Here is the chapter three of my story Bodyguard. I'm sorry by advance for the mistakes… English isn't my first language and I do my best. I hope you will enjoy this chapter :)

Meetings

- Richard, did you call back Maggie to clarify the practical questions about the room?
Amelia's eyebrows crease listening to Richard's answer through the phone as I watch her through the inside rearview mirror of the taxi. Sitting, in front, in the passenger seat, I had the opportunity to monitor the surroundings on our way while keeping an eye on Amelia.
- I know Richard, but they're waiting for me, you know for this concert…
Ok, I'll let you do it, I count on you…
See you later.
I see her end the conversation and put her phone in the pocket of her leather jacket. But despite the last words she had addressed to his manager, her anxious look had not left her face.
- We arrived, suddenly declare the driver to my left.
I realize indeed that we are a tour destination… surprised at not being attentive enough to the journey we had traveled, visibly too focused on the singer.
I take out a few bills from my jacket and give them to the driver with a slight smile.
I then turn to Amelia, noting that she has placed her sunglasses on her face and she already has her guitar in her hand, ready to go out.
- Wait for me to open…
I leave the car, scan the surroundings for a few seconds and finally open the door to Amelia. She gives me a smile before finally getting out the vehicle after a polite « Thanks Sir » addressed to the taxi driver.
She stands on the side in front of me, installs her guitar on her back and walks towards the building.
I walk on the side with her, a hand propped against the guitar behind her back, to walk the few meters separating us from the entrance.
I open the door and let her slip inside, as she instantly removes her sunglasses and enters with a secure step in this place that I discovered myself, for the first time.
Realizing also that it was a first in the absolute for me because I had never set foot in a recording studio… the people I had protected in the past could have been part of the artistic environment but not in the music world.

I follow Amelia inside the corridors of the building, noting that this place is a familiar place for her given the ease with which she finds herself… as we walk along several rooms and mysterious doors for me.
She suddenly stops in front of a door on which I furtively read « Abbey Road room », then turns the handle without hesitation and rushes into the room.
- Hello, beauty!
I go right behind Amelia and find a man getting up from the couch on the side of the room while another man in the front of the mixer turns on his chair to face us.
The man on the couch walks up to Amelia and gives him two long kisses then looks at me suspiciously, staring at me from head to toe.
- Hi Andrew… Hello, Cross, Ameliaanswers in front of me.
The man at Amelia's side still stares at me and I hold his gaze.
- Andrew… stop your bad manners if you want…
- Can I know who this penguin is?
My eyes harden in a few seconds after this remark… This man allowed himself to make a remark on my appearance (black suit on white shirt) while he tackled a rather neglected look with a striped sweater and jeans visibly too big.
- Andrew… you can relax for two minutes… I present you Owen Hunt and I will ask you to lower a tone because it will be by my side from now on… Owen, here is Andrew, my guitarist.
- Nice to meet you, I reply, reaching out this famous Andrew.
- By your side?
He looks at my hand without reacting.
- I'm in charge of Amelia's safety, nice to meet you…
I repeat my polite formul, a little more leaning while pointing to my hand again. He looks at my hand and finally accepts him and I shake his hand a little more firmly than I usually do.
- And since when do you need someone to protect you? He asks in an almost condescending tone.
- It's an idea of Richard, Andrew…
- And it's Richard who chooses him? Because I do not see how this guy will be able to protect you.
I sigh slightly before speaking again.
- With a past of special units officer, mastery of five martial arts, probably better than you.
Amelia laughs lightly by our side while putting a hand on the arm of her guitarist.
- Andrew, you can stop your little game… we're here to work.
- Ha, finally sensible words, thank you, Amelia!
We turn to the voice that has just risen in the room, realizing again that a fourth person was present.
- Cross, I see you're in shape… it's nice because we have a lot of work… I would like that we can finalize a first acoustic version of "On your knees"… Andrew, you settle? I'll meet you.
The last look of this Andrew in my direction then it ends up passing on the order side of the room: in the studio part where a standing microphone was installed as well a guitar on this stand…
- Cross, I want something sweet for this version, I'm counting on you to do wonders…
Amelia gives a kiss to the sound engineer, removes her jacket and joins her guitarist in the airlock.
I move a few steps towards the mixer while Cross operates different buttons in front of him.
I observe Amelia through the window: she blows a few words to Andrew then settles in front of the microphone and gets the headphones.
- You work recently for Amelia, am I wrong?
It takes me a few seconds to understand that the sound engineer is talking to me while he remains fixed to his control panel.
- Yes, it's very recent…
- I hope you're good… I don't want anything to happen to this little woman… artist, simple and sincere like her, are so rare… and I know what I'm talking about, seeing that everyone I see here.
I look at him in the corner, surprised bu this warming that he launches me.
- Ok Cross, we're going to go… you focus on Andrew and the melody, it will allow me to make the first pass and stall my voice, okay?
Cross raised his thumb to Amelia and the first notes of a sweet melody resound in the room.
And then after a few minutes, an angel voice joins these notes of guitars… and I remain captivated by realizing that this beautiful voice, which gives me instantly goosebumps is that of Amelia.
I had already heard her humming but it has nothing to do with the effect of her voice at full strength, so she puts all her heart and her application for recording.
I watch her sing her song, her eyes close, her hands propped up against the helmet while noticing the attentive and admiring look of her guitarist by his side.
A look where I detect a particular spark, a spark that intrigues me.
- We resume, please… it's not okay…
I realize that the song had just ended and it's Amelia's remark that suddenly makes me aware.
- Andrew, you must be less jerky in the binding of chords, it did not flow enough for my taste on what you just did… Cross, for the voice, what do you think? I may have to go more gradually to the « without you », right?
- It was already very pretty Amelia, but actually, you can rise little by little on this part, and maybe try to finish just on whispers to mark the end of the song…
- Okay, really great idea, let's go back!
Amelia in work mode, it was an experience to live in its own right: it was quite impressive to see her at work, to direct every detail, to take back every element that did not seem perfect…
She knew what she wanted and she led things in a safe way or even a bit authoritarian.
This is how it is chained three hours hard work… for a simple piece.
A discovery for me, to do all the work behind a song.

At the end of three hours, Amelia leaves her helmet, abandons the microphone and joins us, Cross and myself while Andrew arranges his guitar.
- You pass me the version on CD Cross, I'd like to listen to it at home.
- No problem, my beautiful, it's ready, I suspected you were going to ask me that, resumes Cross tending a CD to Amelia who hastens to slip into her bag.
She puts on her leather jacket as Andrew returns to the room, his guitar in his hand.
- Are you leaving Amelia right away? You don't want us to take a little time to review some songs?
I watch her guitarist and I feel an insistence that doesn't seem to relate only to melodies to resume… as if he wanted to spend more time with her interpreter…
- Andrew, I booked a taxi that must wait for us with Owen and I have to go home… we meet again for rehearsals anyway… Thank you for everything to both!
Amelia greets her two accomplices and I open the door to leave the recording room.
She passes before me in a breath, with her attitude always determined in her approach.
- Are you sure you want to go right away? We can leave later if necessary…
- No, we've already worked a good three hours… beyond that, I know that Andrew picks up quickly and that it's often useless…
Her remark intrigues me while her guitarist tried to propose her to continue the work session, but the singer seems apparently perfectly lucid about the abilities of her musician.
She arrives at the entrance of the studio and I press the pace to pass her in front of.
- Wait… let me go before.
She stops without comment and I open the door, staying on the side, protecting her in part, keeping a hand against the guitar propped on her back.
I directly see the taxi parked a few meters and directs Amelia towards the vehicle by pressing it with my left arm. Arrived in front of the car, I opened the door, letting her settle inside before sitting down for me in the passenger seat and giving Amelia's address to the driver.
The journey goes silently.
Amelia observes the landscape through the window, an almost lost look on her face.
I dare not break the silence, feel pensive and I remain focused on our journey to Madison Park.

In a little less than twenty minutes, I recognize the surroundings of Amelia's house, despite the daylight gradually weakening.
The driver drops us a few meters from the house, I thank him, noting that Amelia has her eyes closed, her head turned against her seat.
I get out of the car and open the back door.
I catch the guitar at the foot of Amelia and my gesture brings her back to her mind as she suddenly opens her eyes.
- We have arrived…
She smiles at me shyly then leaves the car by tightening her jacket.
She then extends her hand to me as if to claim her favorite instrument.
- You look tired, I'm taking it to you.
- Thanks…
She reaches the front steps of her house and opens her front door after taking a few seconds to get her hands on her keys.
As she gets ready to open the door, I hold her hand and drag her behind me.
- I enter the first…
- It's a new rule?
- You'll have to get used to it…
I go back a few steps in the entrance… remain attentive for several seconds at the least suspicious noise that I can identify and I finally turn to Amelia who was waiting quietly on the front steps of the house.
- You can come in…
- You know, I'm still at home here I don't really see what all these ways mean…
- We are never too careful… and I take my work to heart…
She hangs her jacket on the coat rack of her entrance and goes into the kitchen.
I put down his guitar in the living room and climbed into the room reserved for me to leave my jacket. I also undo my tie and the first two buttons of my shirt to be more comfortable and join the kitchen.
I discover Amelia face a glass of water, a tube of an effervescent tablet in hand: it deposits a pill that dissolves quickly in contact with water.
- Are you okay?
She raises her head, apparently surprised to see me in front of her.
- Yeah, I just have a bad headache that has been installed since we left the studio.
- You should rest, you have not stopped the day.
- It would be a great idea, but I'm afraid this plan is difficult to follow.
She engulfed a sip of the mixture that formed in the glass when suddenly, the ringing of her entry door sounded.
- Impossible to follow… she resumes.
- Are you waiting for someone?
I go to the videophone in the entrance to discover the person who is announced: a young redhead with a large smile on his face.
I turn to Amelia who joined me.
- Do you know her?
- Yes… it was completely out of my head but her text reminded me to order… it's my best friend…
- It's her, are you sure?
She looks at me and ends up smiling.
- Yes Owen, I'm sure…I'll be able to recognize her even without seeing her, just by rinding the bell.
She walks toward the door and ends up opening it to actually reveal the young woman I had just discovered on the videophone screen, a purse and a suitcase completing the image.
- Hello sweetie!
The young redhead jumps Amelia's neck and my ears are slightly tense to listen to the volume of these few words.
I recognize this young woman realizing that I had already seen on photos in the house. One thing had intrigued me in the house of Amelia, it was the little photo dressing this place: maybe five in all out of the scene photos… and only three people were there: a man I had not met yet but who looked suspiciously like Amelia, Richard Webber, and this young woman.
- Hi April… slowly, you're going to choke me, Amelia answers weakly in the arms of her friend.
- Sorry sweetie, but I'm so glad to see you… it's been a while since I'm waiting for this day… and I…
The eyes of the young woman cross mine and she suddenly loses the use of speech… which is quite destabilizing given the speed she had just demonstrated in a few seconds.
She stands out slightly from her friend and then observes me, looking at me from head to toe… with an amused, even intrigued look.
- I did well to come to tell me… you forgot to tell me something, it looks like?
- April…
The young woman walks towards me.
- Even more hot close-up… what a nice surprise to see that my best friend has finally ended this curses single life and a very nice way and more!
- In fact…
- Where did you meet? Are you a musician? Artist? Your face doesn't tell me anything… and between us, a face like yours, I'll remember
- April, you allow me to explain to you two minutes!
I feel almost embarrassed by the misunderstanding of Amelia's friend… and uncomfortable listening to these remarks.
- You don't explain anything to me, sweetie. I would have done like you if I had seen his first, and I don't blame you for not having told me!
- April! Amelia resumes a little louder.
Her friend is watching me.
- April?
- Yes? finally responds to the young woman turning to Amelia.
- I present to you, Owen Hunt… my bodyguard…
- That's what you call it? She replies laughing.
- April, I'm not kidding, Owen was hired by Richard to protect me.
- Wait, so it's really your… bodyguard?
- Yes… if you didn't leave in your delusions alone, I could have explained it directly to you…
- So, it's not your boyfriend?
Amelia sighs as April redirects her attention to me.
- As Amelia told you, I'm responsible for her safety… I finish by clarifying.
- Interesting… replies April looking at me with a sparkle in the eyes.
- Excuse me April, with the preparation of the concerts, I have a little forgotten that you arrived… you remind me how long you wanted to stay?
- A few days… but I can change my mind… obviously…
April had a different personality than Amelia: extrovert at first. I felt that my presence seemed to amuse her.
- I let you enjoy your reunion. Nice to meet you April!
- Not as much as me, she answers smiling.
I turn around and walk away and commit myself to the stair to reach my lair upstairs while perceiving distinctly voices behind me, barely veiled.
- My god, he's hot… and he lives here, suddenly? You will remind me to thank Richard.
- April, you will calm yourself…
- Stop, tell me you did not notice…
I don't hear an answer from Amelia as I arrive near my room.
I take my phone, slipped inside my jacket that I had deposited on my bed to discover two missed calls.
I don't hesitate to call him who tried twice to reach me, hearing him drop out at the end of the third ring.
- Hi… thank you for calling back me: I have a job to offer you.