Note from the Author: This is a love story- there are sexy elements to it (especially in later parts to be posted soon), but the focus is a love story. So, if you were hoping for something incredibly steamy here, it isn't in this part, but it will be in the second part and part 3 (if there is one.)
Ark stood at the giant digital screen of flight info in the middle of Terminal One at O'Hare International Airport. Every flight with a destination west of St. Louis was flashing "DELAYED" with various anticipated flight times- including his flight that was headed to California with a stop in Denver. He chuckled and silently scolded himself for trying to fly commercial on December 23rd. Not only was it ridiculously expensive and he could have just planned better and flown private or maybe even driven, but now, he might just have earned himself a multi-day stay at one of the busiest airports in the world. According to the display, his flight to Denver would leave from gate C29 in about 6 hours. He laughed to himself again, grabbed his backpack and started walking that way. Worst case scenario, he had an apartment in Chicago that he could go to, instead of sitting in an airport terminal, but he had really wanted to be in California by the morning. He checked his watch. It was currently 4pm, he was optimistic the flight to Denver would be on time, but as he glanced at TV monitors showing the national forecasts, he saw the problem. A giant storm was moving from the west. It was huge and spanned from the Dakotas, through Colorado- where his connecting flight was- and then into Texas. The giant storm front marched further and further east, shutting down cities as it moved. The meteorologists were saying it would start with rain, then temperatures would drop rapidly and then it would all turn to snow and ice. 'Well, fuck' he thought. As he walked through the giant hallway, several people gave him second glances, a couple outright recognized him and a few people even called out his name, but he just pretended the earbuds in his ears were turned on and walked through the hallway without giving anyone a reaction.
It wasn't that he didn't like his fans, they were everything to him and he would be absolutely nothing without them, but the middle of an airport was not the time to start being recognized in mass numbers. He needed to find a place to duck out for a while. He stopped at another information screen that told him his flight to Denver was delayed again in just the last few minutes and was now expected to take off at 10pm, that meant that they would board at 9:30. He could live with that. That would put him in Denver at about midnight and, hopefully Denver wasn't covered under 6 feet of snow, and he might be able to get out of there and make it to California by Christmas Eve afternoon. He sighed and kept walking through the halls, looking for somewhere to duck into, where maybe he wouldn't be recognized by everyone. He found a VIP lounge for the airline that he was flying and immediately ducked into it. He walked down the long hallway and arrived at a small podium where a younger gentleman looked up and was suddenly star struck.
"Mr... Mr. Axel?" He asked through a stammering, cracking voice.
"Uh, yes." He replied, in an uncomfortable tone. He retrieved his wallet from his bag and flipped through it to find the rewards ID card that would let him in the door.
"Wow, it's so great to meet you." He held up his hands to stop Ark from presenting the card. "Please, I don't need to see any ID, sir. I would recognize you anywhere. Please come in." He opened the frosted glass door and Ark smiled at him, gave a little wave, put his wallet away and walked inside. He stepped into the lounge and felt like he could breathe for the first time since his flight landed a few hours ago. Plush, reclining chairs lined the giant glass walls that overlooked the tarmac. Dining tables with candles and sitting chairs with throw pillows were artfully arranged everywhere. A giant fish tank took up the entire middle of the lounge, it was the focal point, no matter where you stood. The floor was carpeted and he could hear Christmas music being played on a piano very softly in the background. On the closest wall, there was a huge, well-stocked bar. It screamed expensive luxury. The stools were really chairs complete with arm rests and ample padding, the tabletop was a sparkly marble and it was immaculately clean. He made his way to the bar by following the black carpeted trail that was on the floor. He immediately noticed the only other person sitting there.
She sat at the bar wearing jeans, an oversized black sweater that hung off one shoulder and black, heeled boots that came up to her knees. Her blond hair was long and she had highlights of just about every color streaked throughout it. She watched the Christmas movie that was playing on one of the TV screens behind the bar as she sipped her drink. He walked to the bar and took a seat. He left an empty seat between them. She looked at him and time stopped for both of them. The Christmas music, the noise from the tv, the clinks of glass and the sound of planes taking off in the background all vanished for the second she looked at him. Her big, expressive blue eyes glittered and it drew him deeper instantly. She gave a little smile, pulled her gaze away from his silvery gray eyes and looked back to her drink and went back to minding her own business.
"Merry Christmas." He said, trying to be friendly, but also, he wanted to see her face again. She turned around, set her drink down and smiled at him. He wasn't usually the type to smile at strangers, but he did with her.
"Merry Christmas to you too!" She chimed. She had a slight southern accent and a pretty smile. He looked at the drink in her hands. He didn't drink, but he could admit when a drink looked a little strange.
"What are you drinking?" He asked, gesturing to the almost empty green drink she was sipping. She had her hands wrapped around the glass and he took the second to notice her well-manicured nails.
"They called it a Grinch." She laughed. "I have no idea what is in it, but its delightful." She said and took another sip.
"It's basically a Midori Sour with strawberries in it." The bartender said and he tossed a clean towel onto his shoulder. He looked to Ark and pleasantly set out a cocktail napkin in front of him. "What can I get you?" he asked.
"I'll just take an iced tea- not the alcoholic kind." The bartender nodded, but he recognized the disappointment. Bar tenders made money from their drinks, not iced teas. "But if she wants another Grinch, you can throw it on my tab." Ark gestured at her. The bartender looked at the girl and she nodded excitedly. He and the bartender laughed and he started preparing the drinks.
"Well, thanks. That sure is nice of you." She said and set her drink down. She turned her chair and held her hand out. "I'm Allie." He took her hand and immediately felt something. It was a spark, shock, or static or something in the ether that fizzled when he touched her. The sensation raced from his hand to his stomach and gave him a shiver. She felt it too, but for her, it was like a rolling wave of heat and chills that started where he touched her and raced all over her body. She hadn't ever felt anything like it before.
"You are welcome, I'm Arkyn, but my friends call me Ark."
"Can I call you Ark?" She asked and sat up a little straighter.
"Please do." He kicked up one side of his mouth in a grin.
"You don't drink?" She asked as she turned her chair back to facing the bar.
"No, it's not really my thing anymore." He shrugged and grabbed a cocktail straw to fiddle with it. He debated how much to tell her about that.
"Anymore?" she cocked and eyebrow and looked at him.
"I've been sober for 7 years." It wasn't something he normally talked about. His bandmates knew and his family knew, and his manager and agent knew, but that was it. He had never mentioned it in an interview or to any fans. So, he couldn't figure out why on earth he just told a perfect stranger in an airport one of his deepest, darkest secrets. He was so stunned he had said it, he almost missed her reaction.
"Well congratulations." She said it like she really meant it. She was actually proud of him and he was a complete stranger. When he had told his bandmates, they didn't even congratulate him on is 30, 60, 90 even his 1000th day of sobriety. "That is a really big deal." She said in a whispered tone. "But you shouldn't be sitting at a bar. Why on earth are you sitting at a bar? Are you okay?" Her cute, pixielike face was suddenly filled with concern for him.
"I'm okay." He held up his hand to try and put her at ease. In the 7 years he had been sober, no one had ever expressed concern for him around liquor. He hadn't realized that until right this very moment. He treated his sobriety like it was his burden and his secret to keep. But, she recognized the danger. "I promise, I am totally fine. I'm around this stuff all the time, I've gotten pretty good at handling it now" She narrowed her eyes at him for just a second trying to figure him out. She had been around enough addicts to know no one was 'good at handling' being around their addiction. She knew, without a doubt, he didn't normally hang out in bars. So, she was confused by what he meant when he said he was 'around it all the time.'
"Why are you around it all the time?" She bounced her crossed leg as she talked to him. The snaps and laces on her boots caught his eye and forced him to follow them all the way up her legs and then his eyes picked up the seam of her jeans and he followed that all the way up the rest of her leg.
"I own bars in Atlanta, Boston, St. Louis and here in Chicago, but I don't go to them very often. I'm a performer for my actual job and this stuff is just sort of always around." He shrugged.
"What kind of entertaining do you do?" She asked as she bit the straw in her glass.
"I play drums in a rock band." He said it quietly, so anyone who was around wouldn't hear him. His low voice was something between a growl and a roll of thunder. She felt it on her skin and she felt it in the pit of her stomach. Something about his man connected with her and her body let it happen.
"I wonder if I've heard of your band..." She asked, but she already knew she hadn't. She was not into Rock and she couldn't name a single modern rock song or band.
"Well, we're called RAISE YOUR COLORS." He said that part quietly as well. She gave him a blank stare and then shrugged.
"Well, it's a cool name, but I've never heard of you, or them or whatever. I'm sorry." She winced as if saying that would hurt him. "It's just, I don't really listen to modern music, everything on my iTunes is from 20 years ago- most of it is a lot older than that." He smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. She would never know how relieved he was to hear that. She ran her eyes over him and analyzed what she saw "You don't look like you are in a rock band." She said in a cheerful tone. He looked at himself and understood why she said that. Today, he wore jeans and a buttoned flannel. His trademark super-long beard was braided, but not elaborately decorated like it usually was. His dreads and braids on his head were tied up in a top knot. He did look more country than rock and roll today.
"Well, I usually wear a lot of black and more eyeliner." He chuckled, but he told the truth. His rock persona was not at all what was sitting next to her at the bar. His rock persona was wild, feral and dangerous. Sometimes he looked scary and he always looked a little dark and sinister.
The bartender came back with the drinks and set them down in front of them. "Is there anything else I can get you?" He asked them and then looked directly at Ark. "By the way, I'm a big fan. I know you probably get that a lot, but its so cool to serve you." Ark was polite and thanked him for his support and the bartender disappeared behind the liquor shelf. Allie narrowed her eyes at Ark and it as so cute, he almost laughed at her. She was calculating and trying to connect dots in her mind.
