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Author's Chapter Notes:

Hello again

Giving credit where it's due to Citizen Cope: Holding on

love love love that song and man....




Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


    Milo walked through the dark hallway, tugging at the collar of his shirt as he stepped in time with the bass of the house music playing inside the club. Passing by a few familiar faces, he gave an honest nod in acknowledgement, and thanked those who gave him praise. He walked past a few rooms whose doors were left open.

    He saw powder being lined up on a table in one, a group of women laughing with drinks in their hands. He went by unnoticed as the all too familiar sound of a long drawn out sniff filled the hall along with laughter.

   Shaking his head, his pace hastened towards the backdoor where his car was parked incognito.

   Milo realized he didn't relax until the moment he put his keys in the ignition. It was then that he finally was able to smile and celebrate yet another night of his performances gone right. Laying his head back against the seat, he ran his hands down his face in exasperation.

   Looking back towards the dimly lit building, he celebrated once again, this time for a different reason.

   He was able to walk through and refuse every drink and drug offered to him that night. He didn't even drink from the same water bottle whenever he got thirsty from nerves, knowing that most of those who frequented the club thought that sharing was caring applied to slipping the unknown into random drinks.

   From the crowd, he was able to spot listeners who were at least rolling off of a buzz from possibly a joint or few beers. Then of course there were those who seemed to be enjoying themselves in a whole other worldly dimension as he played.

   Whatever.

   They still gave him a standing ovation.

   Milo was okay with starting out from the bottom of the barrel. Eventually, he would move up in the ranks of venues. The right people would spot him, hear him perform, and see his potential.

   It was going to happen. It just had to.

    A faint buzz against his thigh had him digging around in his pockets for the touch screen phone demanding his attention.

   "Yes, mother."

   "Oh, good. I've been trying to get in touch with you all night." Victoria's raspy voice told him that she had stayed up until 2 in the morning worrying herself for no reason.

   "Mom, we've been over this."

    "I know, honey. I just want to make sure you are okay."

   "You can't keep tabs on me every minute." Though she managed to somehow. Milo had been keeping to himself lately; brief conversations that always avoided the nosy questions Victoria threw his way. Slowly, but surely he had begun to live his life like any adult male should be able to. Going out without answering her every text or call, and coming in when he wanted to.

    The distance he placed between them was obviously frustrating the hell out of his mother, but it allowed him enough room to finally maneuver and carry out his own private agenda.

   Milo was moving out.

   He had gotten hooked up with a friend of Blake's who had offered him a good sized apartment at a cost that fit his lifestyle. He had been working and saving up money from the gigs and photo shoots he had done for Blake. Other clothing brands had caught wind of Milo, and had offered him spots as well, bringing in even more money. He could even say that he was becoming somewhat of a semiprofessional model even though he still had no idea about what the hell he was doing.

   Shit, whatever it was it was working.

    Pulling from his thoughts, Victoria began speaking again. She had a slight laugh in her voice, wanting to ease the hostility and appear as least pervasive as possible.

    "Well, now I know that you're safe and in one piece." Milo could only imagine her clutching the phone close." Are you on your way home?"

    Rubbing his beard with a sigh, Milo looked to his backseat at the random bags and boxes he had managed to move unseen. He had planned on stopping by the apartment and dropping them off. They were nearly the last of his things that still remained in his mother's house.

   The place was sparse and nearly empty.

   But it had working electricity, water, and heat. Everything essential was there waiting for him,

   Though he would have to be an asshole and borrow a mattress from one of his mother's many guest rooms. He was sure it wouldn't be missed, but he figured he'd pay her back or at least explain why it was missing should a question ever come up about it.

   "I should be there in no more than an hour, mom. Don't stay up waiting for me, okay? I promise you'll wake up and find me there in the morning."

   "An hour isn't all that bad, I think I can wait it out a little while longer."

   "Mom! Go to bed." He hadn't meant to raise his voice, but he didn't know how to tell Victoria to back off without sending her on some downward spiral into depression. He had caused her enough sadness, and couldn't help but to bear through her overprotectiveness now.

    "Honestly Emilio, yelling at your mother like that. I just want to make sure you're okay." Victoria's bristling tone let him know that he had hurt her feelings.

   "I know-I'm sorry mom. Look, I love you. I'll be there before you know it. Just...just go to bed, please."

   There was a silence that arced between the two ends.

    "I'll see you when you get here."

    "Sleep, mom. Alright?" With his final words, Milo quickly hung up and began to pull out of the parking lot, headed in the direction of the new home he would soon be able to officially call his own.

oOo

    Stepping into the entryway, Milo took in the smell of an old and unused apartment as he turned on his lights, illuminating the subpar place.

   Maybe a little bit of cleaning could make it a bit more welcoming. And some decorating.

   Both things he wasn't very fond of.

   Closing the door with his foot, he looked around with a self-satisfied grin at the dingy place which belonged to him. Dropping the things he carried, he went and sat down on the lawn chair he had found out on the balcony, propping his feet up on the makeshift cardboard table before him.

    It was in him to pass out right there. Screw going back to his mother's when he would just be leaving in a few hours anyway.

    But to ease her mind...he would.

   After a few moments of silence, he began roaming around the one bedroom apartment until he ended up in his bedroom. There, scattered on the floor were papers filled with his handwriting and slashes, showing his creative process as he worked out the melodies in his head. Picking up on of the wrinkled pieces, he unfolded it, smiling at its contents immediately.

   It was yet another failed song about her.

   It had been three months since the last time he heard from her, and yet she was still his muse.

  "Fucking creep." He laughed to himself, tossing the paper back down.

   It was safe to say that Roddrick still took up space in his mind in places where he should have flushed her out by now. The hookups he had with Alex and other random women didn't work as a remedy against her. He would think he satisfied himself until an irritating feeling would wash over him.

   He figured the only way to work this all out was to meet her again.

   That same thought had been around all of this time, and it apparently wasn't going to magically poof her up out of the blue.

    A slight knocking on the wall opposite him began to increase with speed, as well as the moans of a woman beyond...

   Yeah.

    Milo was definitely doing well for himself.

oOo

      Glancing over the glass of water she held in her hands, Victoria flipped through the pages of the novel she had busied herself with all morning. When Milo had come in, he had said but three words to her. And the silence seemed to have lasted through the majority of the day. She wasn't as conspicuous as she thought with her chair strategically placed just inside the doorframe of the den, watching the blur that was her son as he went up and down the stairs periodically.

   It was grating her curiosity as to why he moved so quickly, and had so many things with him.

   The thump of a large object hitting the wooden stairs caught her attention, finally putting down the book she had barely even read. The glasses on the end of her nose were pushed up as she got a better look as Milo back pedaled his way down the stairs with a mattress in tow.

    "Milo? What in the world are you doing?"

   Concentrating on not falling backwards, Milo slowly made his way to the bottom step, wiping his brow of the light perspiration that had gathered there.

    "This? Didn't I tell you?" He pointed at the mattress with a look of confusion." I'm moving out."

    He should have known better than to shock his mother like that. Her theatrics went into full force as she clutched the fabric by her stomach, stumbling back as her mouth fell open in surprise.

    "Since when was this decided? You've told me nothing about moving out."

   "This is kinda the reason why. What good would it have done me only to just have you rant and rave about it?"

   "I'm your mother! You can tell me anything." Victoria shook her head vigorously as she clutched the mattress from his grip.

   "No I can't, mom." Pulling it back towards him, Milo sighed as his mother's eyes filled with tears.

   "You are not leaving, Milo. I need you here. I need to-"

    "Control my every damn move." Proceeding through the front room, Milo watched as his mother walked after him.

   "What do you expect from me? I almost lost you once Milo. You need to be where I can take care of you."

   "I am not the same person now as I was then." This time the mattress went crashing into a side table as Milo halted his movements. "I am fully capable of living on my own now. "

   "Next time you're passed out from drugging yourself up, who will be there to save you? You'll end up killing yourself, Milo! You want me to sit idle and watch it happen this time?" The moment she screamed, she instantly regretted it. Milo's back straightened, hands curled tightly at his sides.  

   "Milo...I didn't mean to say that." Victoria waited in silence as her son went into the impenetrable place that had taken years for her to break through.

      "Yes. Yes you did. I don't know what you want me to do for you, but I sure as hell know what I want to do for me now, mom. Shouldn't that be my first concern? Not if I've checked in with my fucking parole officer every damn hour."

     "I'm trying to help you adjust back to life..."

    "What kind of life do you think you're preparing me for? If you consider this to be help, then that's a pretty sorry excuse. It took me almost dying for you to start acting like a mother that cared about anyone other than herself."

    His face did not hide the disgust behind his words, digging into the childhood that remained sparse in his mind. All of the familial bonding he never felt, the lack of love or interest for one another that ran rampant in their family.

   "Honestly, I can deal without that mother."

   With no struggle, Milo finally made it out to his car, strapping the mattress on the roof as Victoria watched with lead in the pit of her stomach weighing her down in place as she followed his car as it backed out of the drive way, and rode off down the street.

     Leaving this way hadn't been a part of his plan. All he wanted was to slip away with as few questions as possible from his mother, but knew that would be nearly impossible the moment she set up station in front of the door.

    Knowing that she would wallow around in guilt and gloom until he spoke to her again, Milo made a mental note to make sure to at least give her a call later that night, letting her know that he was safe and sound to ease her mind.

   Always putting her worries before himself-he had become used to that. He knew how this game would go. She'd cry and sob about the good intentions she had, he would coddle and tell her that he understood and she would take that as permission to continue on trying to raise him with both hands wound tightly around his neck.

     If he didn't get them off now, he didn't see any kind of positive outcome for himself anytime soon.

oOo

     Roddrick climbed down the stairs of the city bus, lifting her bike from the convenient front rack; quickly moving out of the way as the brakes could be heard being released. She had gone on a usual run for her mother's medicine, biking to the local pharmacy. Halfway back, she had found that putting in effort on the bike left her breathless and ready to sit in the middle of the street calling it quits.

    Even now she walked beside the bike, cursing her suddenly low stamina as she lugged it down the sidewalk. The sun shone down on the town, with a light breeze ruffling her hair about. Through her whipping strands, she caught sight of a man pulled over, pushing a sliding mattress onto the roof of his car.

   Her eyes followed the movement of his back as he jimmy rigged the tie down straps across it. Just as he patted his creation, his eyes met with hers.

     Roddrick's heart began to thump strongly against her chest, feeling it in her throat as she recognized Milo's face. She hadn't even realized her face was stretched into a smile until she noticed the bleak look lining his features.

   Instinctually, she began to walk towards him.

    Milo froze in his spot, wondering if seeing Roddrick walking towards him was a part of some fantasy now blurring the lines of reality. Shoving his hands in his pockets, his eyebrows drew together even more as if it was possible, staring her down until the moment she came to a stop right before him.

    Roddrick's mouth became dry as she stood toe to toe with Milo.

    Was she going to speak first? She had initiated this meeting. She was the one to come to him. Not the other way around. She had every opportunity to walk away as if she had not seen him at all.

   But she didn't.

    "They've got moving trucks for things like this." Peering into the back windshield, Roddrick went with the first thought that came to mind as she saw the boxes stacked beyond capacity in the small car.

    She tucked her hair behind her ear, twirling the ends of it like she was 16.

    Milo smiled.

    "Why waste money when I can do it for free?" Crossing his arms in front of him, Milo took a step closer to Roddrick." I'm sorry but, it's been awhile, so could you remind me of your name?"

   The eagerness she had been feeling to finally see him again vanished as she snarled.

     "Hey, hey. I'm joking. It's a joke. Roddrick...." She found his hand wrapped gently around her bar handle, right over her own hand. It was enough for her to stop.

    "That's not how I planned this."  Running a hand through his hair, Milo stood awkwardly as Roddrick simply stared at him.

    "What had you expected?" The curiosity in her voice was quiet as she side eyed him.

   "Expected? I didn't have any expectations. Like? No...nothing like that." His hands went up to his chest in an innocent gesture.

   "You can calm down now, "It was her turn to smile," I wasn't insinuating that."

    "I just didn't want you to think---"

    "Yeah, it's okay."

     "I mean because the first time we met it had been-"

    "Yeah, I remember." Holding up her hand, she stopped him from blubbering any farther. "No need to refresh my memory."

    It did that every other hour on its own anyways...

    The flushed red look on his face slowly began to fade away as he let out a breath of relief.

    "You know, I don't think this is going to hold." Nodding to the mattress. Pulling at a cord, she gasped as it snapped off, nearly slapping her as she jumped backwards into her bike.

   Standing with his mouth slightly open, Milo went to grab her hand and help Roddrick out of the tangled mess she had fallen in. A car beeped nearby as it dodged the fallen mattress that now blocked half of a lane.

     "Get that piece of shit out of the road."

     "Are you okay?" He ignored the yelling driver as they continued beeping their horn.

      "Yeah, I'm fine." Roddrick stood so fast that she hadn't had time for the pain in her hip and hands to register until she began to cringe. Trying her best not to let it show on her face, she pointed to the obstruction she had caused and the line of angry cars.

    Running past a still concerned Milo, Roddrick began to pull the mattress across the street.  Not wanting to rip it on the pavement, she tried her best to pick it up before Milo easily took it out of her hands, leaning it back against the side of his car. He waved at those who still rode past with obscenities rolling off of their tongues.

    "Shit, there's a hole in it now. I'm so sorry Milo, I don't know how the hell that even happened." As Roddrick reached for the mattress, Milo caught her hand in passing, turning it over to inspect the bloodied palm that was decorated with debris from the ground.

   Roddrick pulled back her hand to rub it on her jeans before Milo let out a sound, like a parent would to a child, to stop her from doing so. She watched as he opened his trunk, digging around in old gym bags sniffing the shirts to find a semi clean one.

   When one met his approval, he turned back to Roddrick who still held her hand in midair as if it was still off limits to move. Slowly, Milo pulled it close to his face, dusting off the rocks and dirt not plastered in blood.

   "No, no, no. You shouldn't touch it." Roddrick's head bent in, coming close enough to feel his breath against her face.

  "Relax."  Sizing up the shirt in his hand, Milo tore along the seam without a second thought as he began to wrap it around her hand.

   "Was that necessary?" Roddrick asked in shock.

    "You have to hold those bars to ride, right?" His brow quirked as if she was the one seeming insane.

     "I could have managed." When he finished, Roddrick brought her hand to her body again, holding it before her stomach with the other.

   "Well, now you don't have to.Let me check the other one." Milo insisted.

    "It is perfectly fine." She stopped him. Shrugging, he turned to dig around in his trunk as Roddrick flexed her injured hand. She could clearly hear him whispering about her being messy.

    As she began to make suggestions on how she would make up for the ruined mattress, Milo casually picked up her bike, situating it with the extra ties he managed to find.

  "Wait, what do you think you're doing?"

   "I'm going to give you a ride." Grabbing the purse that had fallen at her feet long ago, Milo handed it to her as he began leading her to the passenger side. Opening the door, he waited for her to get in. Her protests had since stopped, and Roddrick found herself sitting in without a second thought.

oOo

     Roddrick looked at her hands as she played with the bracelet around her wrist.

     "I guess I kind of added to an already stressful moving day." She recalled the first distraught look she had seen on his face when she spotted him in the street.

   "Yeah, you know it doesn't help when a strange woman from off the streets comes and trashes your shit..." He said sarcastically.

   "I made an offer..." She  gently grinned as she shook her head at him. The entire ride to her mother's was quiet, a few stolen glances here and there was the extent of their communication.

    "Do you mind if I make you one?" Leaning against his window, Milo looked down at her through his lashes, the dimple in his cheek once again blurring her judgment as she shook her head yes.

   "Come see me play tonight."

   "Play what?"

    "You'll find out once you're there. It's not too far from here."

   "How am I supposed to agree to going somewhere if you won't tell me why?" Her Louisiana drawl strongly made its debut as she rolled her neck playfully.

    "I mean it's the least you could do for destroying my would be bed. I'll be sleeping on a holey mattress now." Lightly slapping her shoulder, Milo waited as she contemplated her next reply.

   "What if I said I'm busy later on?" With her tongue in her cheek, Roddrick found herself venturing out on a limb. All of the scenarios she had imagined with Milo played at the forefront of her mind.

   Would it be considered sleazy if she had one goal in mind?

   "Then I'm sure that would mean you will be busy with me." Either Milo had meant it, or Roddrick had imagined the emphasis on the last word.

   "With you, huh?"

   "I promise you won't be disappointed. You might even enjoy yourself."

   Her mind took every word he said-words that were probably innocent in nature-and flipped them.

   "Hmm." She tapped her fingers on her knee as she climbed out of the car. Milo watched her through the rear view mirror as he called out to her in a muffled sound.

    "Can I take that as conformation?" He smiled as she lifted her eyes to his between the small space that wasn't blocked by boxes. Closing the trunk, she wheeled over to the side of the car. Leaning over she tapped on the window as he rolled it down.

    "Where did you say you'll be playing again?" Roddrick nodded thoughtfully as he told her the time she should show and name of the small bar she had gone to before.

   "I'll make sure that there's a front row seat for you."

    "I'll think about it." Smirking, Roddrick wasn't going to let him loophole her into going.

    "Well, how will I know when you've thought about it?"

    "I don't know." Standing to her full height she tilted her head." Maybe you'll find out once you're there."

   When Milo caught the joke, he began to chuckle, shifting gears as Roddrick began to walk away. Beeping the horn, She looked over her shoulder to find him nearly leaning out the opposite window.

    "Get a real ride. My guest of honor can't roll up on that piece of shit." He yelled before driving away.

    "Smartass." Roddrick scoffed as she made her way to the house.

    When she entered, she found Roderica quickly moving away from the front window.

     "Nosy ass." She murmured.

    "Who was he?" Her little sister popped off of the couch, following Roddrick through the house as she dropped off the bag of medicine for her mother, which was the only reason she had ventured outside that day.

    "Nonya damn business."

    "Tell me! You rolling up with a white boy and stuff... I wanna know!"

    "Rodey, really?" She said exasperated, whirling around with her hand on her hip.

    "What! I didn't know it was like that." Roderica slurred her words together with an exaggerated expression before receiving a slap to the stomach. "Hey!"

      "Where did you get all of this mouth from?" Roddrick asked. Roderica returned the slap back, pinching the extra weight at Roddrick's side.

    "The same place you got this." Dodging Roddrick's flailing arms, Roderica ran through the house laughing just as Rockelle emerged from her room.

    Roddrick froze in the tight headlock she held Roderica as their mother approached. Pushing her sister away, Roddrick breathed heavily as she greeted her.

   "Hey, mama. I got your stuff in there on the table."

    "Thank you for that, baby. What are you two in here doing?"  Their tones were light and conversational, just like people who were trying to keep the peace amongst themselves.

    "Roddrick's taking rides from strange men now mama. Obviously the bike isn't working out for her.She's riding other things now." Dramatically rolling her eyes, Roderica smiled until the back of Roddrick's hand met her shoulder. Ready to deliver the blow back, she was stopped by the warning in Roddrick's eyes.

    "I know you better watch your mouth and mind your business." Rockelle's face said that all joking was to come to an end as Roderica scurried out of the way, hiding behind Roddrick who shrugged her off.

   "Sorry." She squeaked.

   Not wanting to be the buffer between the two, Roddrick walked into the kitchen, searching the cabinets and refrigerator for food.

    She had been craving salty things lately, the bag of chips in her hands as proof.

   Standing against the counter, she began munching on them as her mother took notice of the state of her hand.

    "Fell off that bike?" She asked pointedly.

     "Fell off of it...into it...something like that." She dismissed the questioning. "Nothing major."

      Taking the snack she had to the living room, Roddrick sat as she listened to her mother continue on.

    "I told you I would help you get a little car to get around in. You don't need to be on that thing all of the time."

   "Hey, if she won't take the offer I will." She could hear Roderica interjecting.

     Stepping out of the kitchen, Rockelle ignored the youngest as she spoke to Roddrick.

   "Seriously, Roddrick. "

   Not feeling up to making things complicated, Roddrick heard the genuineness behind her mother's words.

    "Thanks, mama. Maybe if I find something, I'll let you know." With a smile, Rockelle left again, preparing to cook an early dinner.

  As time passed, Roddrick realized that she had gotten through more than half of the bag of chips in her lap before she could stop herself. The smells wafting from the kitchen didn't help any as she thought of the tastes mingling on her tongue later.

   Mentally rummaging through her wardrobe, she wondered what would accommodate her growing body and still have some remnants of looking even halfway attractive later on when she went to see Milo.

    I guess I've made up my mind.

   "The food will be done in a few y'all." Her mother called through the house.

    "Damn." She knew she wouldn't be able to pass up the food tonight.

   Maybe it wouldn't be as bad if she had just a few bites...

oOo

   Two plates and a lot of squeezing and sucking later Roddrick arrived at the bar. She had her hands in her coat pocket as she looked around the dimly lit place. She had managed to find a decent dress that didn't seem to cling to her rapidly increasing curves like the others. What did show was hidden by the handy jacket she managed to through on. It was probably cool enough to where she didn't need it, but it provided her with a comfort zone and didn't shoot down her confidence which would have made her back out of this whole thing.

   Her once wild and abundant hair was now pulled back gently into a side ponytail, linger over on shoulder.

   Gazing around the room, she looked for a familiar face that wasn't too far away. When she had seen Milo talking to a small group of people, she admired the crinkles by his eyes as he laughed, the way his face seemed to warm up as he spoke passionately to the strangers.  She also saw the way his arm had drifted over the shoulders of a dark haired woman just as she encircled his waist.

       As the petite hand rubbed lines up and down his back while the conversation went on, Roddrick could see that it was a very familiar touch.

    She should have known better.

    "Roddrick!" A man called towards her, not able to get through the haze she was entering as she pulled out her phone, ready to call back the cab driver early.

    Instantly, Milo's arms dropped from the other woman as he searched the room wide-eyed. When they locked on hers, she hoped that she could muster up enough strength to walk away as quickly as possible.

    Milo was confused as she began to retreat to the exit.

    "That was her, right?" Blake asked, now not sure if he had been correct in seeing her.

    Removing himself from Alex's hold, he went after Roddrick.

    When he found her through the others entering the bar, she had her phone up to her ear, impatiently tapping her foot against the concrete. Waving his hand near her, he silently asked for her attention before she narrowed her eyes and turned away.

     Moving to her other side, he simply took hold of the phone, lifting it from her grasp as he pressed the end button.

    "I see you showed up."

     "Well, now you see me leaving. Give me that." Holding out her hand, Roddrick waited for him to place her phone in it. When he did, he was able to stop her before she called whoever was on the other line back.

    He studied her irritated demeanor as she stared at him as if she was ready to be out of his presence.

   "You only just got here, Roddrick. I think you're supposed to stay until the night is actually over." He tried to incorporate some lightheartedness into the situation, but she seemed unmoved.

   "You know, I decided -"Stopping, she realized that she was ready to lash out in jealousy before reeling it in. "I was just coming out for some air. Too much smoke in there."

   Milo picked up on her lie, as the bar was one of few in a smoke free zone.

   "Well, I think coming out here wasn't the best bet." He indicated the small groups of smokers lining the walls as they took a break in the only designated areas.

     Turning red in the face, Roddrick closed her eyes with a harsh sigh.

     "I don't think me coming here was such a good idea." She admitted. She had come in on false pretenses of her own, thinking that there was something special behind his personal invitation.

    It obviously wasn't the kind of personal she had been hoping for.

    "Coming was a great idea." He answered.

     "I don't think you understand what I mean..."

     "Then what do you mean?"

      Roddrick paused, unable to place her thoughts into coherent words. As she stood there silently, she felt Milo clasp his hand over hers.

    "Can I promise you that there's something worth staying for?" Pulling her closer to his side, he spoke softly. "C'mon."

oOo

     As Roddrick sat clapping for the latest act, she was glad that Milo had been there to stop her from leaving. She had been seated at a table of some of Milo's friends, Blake and a few others that she could barely remember the names of.

   Except for Alex.

     She remembered her name.

    When Milo had walked her to the group she had previously seen him with, he introduced her to them happily. She hadn't really cared about the others as he told her Alex's name. The woman had stunning blue eyes that dominated and brought allure to her face. They were clear, and left nothing to imagine about her relationship with Milo as she continuously grabbed or touched him.

    He seemed to pay it no mind, as if it was a normal occurrence.

    It had moved Roddrick to ask, "Alex, your girlfriend?" as she shook hands with her. Without hesitation, Milo told her that she was just a friend, a flicker of emotion passed through Alex's eyes barely unnoticed.

   Now as she sat opposite of the woman, she was glad to know that the warm smile on her lips as Milo walked onto the stage wasn't shared mutually as he made direct eye contact with Roddrick during his introduction.

    "This week, I've come to play an original song for you guys. It's pretty dear to me; I've been waiting for it all to come to me at the right time...in the right way. Today, it finally did."

    The tables quieted down as they waited for Milo to get adjusted with his guitar before him.

I have been wanting you

For so long.

...

I been down

I been down a different road.

I been out

I have been out of control

    Roddrick was paralyzed as she sat, lulled by his soft melody. His voice had a gruffness to it that made the words more endearing as he sang.

So now I'm feeling alright

‘Cause nothing feels like

When you're holdin' on

    Every nerve ending on her body was engaged in the performance. She could feel an intense tingling sensation washing over her skin: from her arms, to her face, to the small of her back making her slump in the seat. His eyes shimmered in the distance, enticing her as he made them the only ones who existed in the room.

   She was being soothed by his every word, and couldn't find the strength to gather herself.

I wanna treat you

Like you wanna be treated, yeah

I wanna see you

As you wanna be seen, yeah

...

Said I feel alright

‘Cause nothing feels right

When you're holding on


          When his song came to an end, Roddrick failed to clap in time with the others as they whistled and talked enthusiastically. Blinking to wet her dried eyes, she watched him show gratitude before looking at her with the same meaningful gaze.

     Milo made a beeline straight for Roddrick, even though others vied for his attention. Pulling up a chair within knee distance from her, he smiled mischievously.


   "So, was I right, or was I wrong about this being worth your while?" 






Chapter End Notes:

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