Cover Me
Chapter 3
While April thought about his suggestion, Jonathan watched her. Her dark brown hair that curled just above her shoulders, full pink lips and her body that had already been hard to miss at the club where they’d met for the first time. She wasn’t thin, rather “soft in all the right places”. The most prominent thing about her were her eyes though. They were light green now, the night before they had been darker.
She was younger than him. Probably around twenty-two. That would make her two years younger than him. He’d been up half the night to think about a way to help her. He couldn’t just do nothing. He [i]wanted[/i] to help her out. Getting away from Chicago was one thing, but for that she needed money. And he could really use someone to help him around the house. Be here when he was out of town, tidy up a bit and maybe even cook, so that he didn’t have to do that himself when he got home from training or a different city. It could all go horribly wrong and April could steal all his belongings to get some money out of them, but he didn’t think that she’d do something like that.
“Okay”, April whispered and brushed the tear away before Jonathan could see it. “But I don’t know how you can trust me.”
“Everyone deserves a chance, April.” He slowly got up to get another cup of coffee. “And we can both benefit from that.”
“Then I won’t let you down.” Suddenly she felt like a child again, only that her family had never really cared that much about her. They hadn’t been horrible, and they’d paid for her school and everything, but when she’d come home with a guitar because she’d wanted to learn to play this instrument, they’d taken it away from her and locked it away. She’d always been most passionate about music in her life. Maybe that was one reason why she’d ended up with a musician. And in that relationship she’d stopped thinking about her own career again. Working in the store while Dan was on tour had been enough for her at that time. Now she realized what she’d missed out on. She was the person who should come first in her own life. Not somebody else.
“I know that you won’t.” Jonathan put his mug back down on the table. “How about we finish breakfast and then I’ll show you around the apartment, okay? You’ll have enough time to get acquainted with everything, because I have to leave in a few hours to get ready for the game tonight.”
“Detroit, right?”
“Yes. It’s gonna be a tough game.”
“I think you’ll manage just fine.”
Hours later when the Blackhawks had won against the Red Wings, Jonathan stayed a little longer in the locker room. He had to tell his teammate and best friend what had happened the night before. Patrick Kane would find out one way or another and it was best if Jonathan told him straight away. Otherwise Patrick would probably assume that he was trying to hide something.
“So, what did you want to tell me?” Patrick asked when everyone else was gone. They decided to walk to their cars while talking.
“You remember our night at the SPOT where you talked to that blonde girl who was more interested in women in the end.”
“How can I forget the last night we’ve actually been somewhere together? What about it?”
Patrick was right, but Jonathan wasn’t a big fan of clubs. Bars were okay, but he much preferred enjoying a beer with friends at home.
“Do you remember the girl I talked to while you were gone?”
“The one with the big rack?” Of course he had to remember that. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to her, but yes, I remember her.” He put his stuff in the trunk of his car before he leant against it, curious about what Jonny would tell him now.
“She tried to steal my car yesterday when I left your place.”
“What?”
“I’m serious. And I let her stay at my place for the night. Actually she’ll be staying as long as she wants and take care of my place.”
“Whoawhoawhoa. Stop! You’ve got to be kidding me. How about you tell me the whole things from the start. From the moment you left my apartment on, please.”
And so he did. He told his friend the whole story and asked him in the end whether he was doing the right thing. Letting her stay in his apartment, working for him.
“I don’t know, man.” Patrick shook his head. “You already chose to take the risk. I hope it will work out in the end. And in addition you have a good looking girl in your apartment.”
“Yeah,” Jonathan admitted a little irritated. It was time to go home. He’d see Patrick the following day and he was tired. He just wanted to grab something to eat and lie down on the couch for some TV before he headed to bed.
He wasn’t sure what to expect when he got home. Would April still be there? Would she be awake or asleep? Or would she have taken everything that she could sell and run away?
Quickly he unlocked the door to his apartment and put his bag next to the door. The lights were on, a delicious smell was in the air and it was tidy. Apparently April was still there. If this wasn’t indication enough it was the soft sound of a guitar that came from her room. He knew the melody. Slowly he walked up to her room. The door was ajar so that he could just see her sitting on the bed, guitar in her lap. Then she started singing very quietly.
“There’s a blood red circle on the cold dark ground and the rain is falling down. The church door’s thrown open I can hear the organ’s song, but the congregation’s gone. My city of ruins… My city of ruins…”
Springsteen. Yes, he definitely knew this song. Her voice was even softer than the sound of the guitar and suddenly he felt weird watching her like this. He didn’t want her to know that he’d watched or heard her, so he went back to the apartment door, opened it and closed it so loud that she could probably hear it.
“April?” He called from the door as the sound of the guitar stopped. Immediately she appeared in the living room and smiled at him, but winced right away because of the cut in her lip. The swelling had gone back, but the color remained.
“Good game, captain.” She walked past him towards the kitchen. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Well, he’d said that she could help him cook or maybe cook for him. Sometime! He hadn’t expected her to cook for him right this evening. But he had to say that he was grateful.
“It’s nothing fancy, just chicken and vegetable stir-fry, but I thought that you could maybe use some food after that game.”
“I’m actually really hungry. Thank you, April.” She took the plate and put it in the microwave. “And how are you feeling?”
“A lot better, thank you. But I think I can use some more sleep. I feel exhausted.”
He knew that feeling. “Thanks for dinner, April.”
She gave him a little smile before she turned around to go to her room again. Now, she seemed a lot more comfortable around him than this morning. Good. That meant that she felt comfortable in the apartment. She had cleaned up and the food proved to be delicious. Yes, Jonathan was sure that he’d made the right decision. So far.
She was younger than him. Probably around twenty-two. That would make her two years younger than him. He’d been up half the night to think about a way to help her. He couldn’t just do nothing. He [i]wanted[/i] to help her out. Getting away from Chicago was one thing, but for that she needed money. And he could really use someone to help him around the house. Be here when he was out of town, tidy up a bit and maybe even cook, so that he didn’t have to do that himself when he got home from training or a different city. It could all go horribly wrong and April could steal all his belongings to get some money out of them, but he didn’t think that she’d do something like that.
“Okay”, April whispered and brushed the tear away before Jonathan could see it. “But I don’t know how you can trust me.”
“Everyone deserves a chance, April.” He slowly got up to get another cup of coffee. “And we can both benefit from that.”
“Then I won’t let you down.” Suddenly she felt like a child again, only that her family had never really cared that much about her. They hadn’t been horrible, and they’d paid for her school and everything, but when she’d come home with a guitar because she’d wanted to learn to play this instrument, they’d taken it away from her and locked it away. She’d always been most passionate about music in her life. Maybe that was one reason why she’d ended up with a musician. And in that relationship she’d stopped thinking about her own career again. Working in the store while Dan was on tour had been enough for her at that time. Now she realized what she’d missed out on. She was the person who should come first in her own life. Not somebody else.
“I know that you won’t.” Jonathan put his mug back down on the table. “How about we finish breakfast and then I’ll show you around the apartment, okay? You’ll have enough time to get acquainted with everything, because I have to leave in a few hours to get ready for the game tonight.”
“Detroit, right?”
“Yes. It’s gonna be a tough game.”
“I think you’ll manage just fine.”
Hours later when the Blackhawks had won against the Red Wings, Jonathan stayed a little longer in the locker room. He had to tell his teammate and best friend what had happened the night before. Patrick Kane would find out one way or another and it was best if Jonathan told him straight away. Otherwise Patrick would probably assume that he was trying to hide something.
“So, what did you want to tell me?” Patrick asked when everyone else was gone. They decided to walk to their cars while talking.
“You remember our night at the SPOT where you talked to that blonde girl who was more interested in women in the end.”
“How can I forget the last night we’ve actually been somewhere together? What about it?”
Patrick was right, but Jonathan wasn’t a big fan of clubs. Bars were okay, but he much preferred enjoying a beer with friends at home.
“Do you remember the girl I talked to while you were gone?”
“The one with the big rack?” Of course he had to remember that. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to her, but yes, I remember her.” He put his stuff in the trunk of his car before he leant against it, curious about what Jonny would tell him now.
“She tried to steal my car yesterday when I left your place.”
“What?”
“I’m serious. And I let her stay at my place for the night. Actually she’ll be staying as long as she wants and take care of my place.”
“Whoawhoawhoa. Stop! You’ve got to be kidding me. How about you tell me the whole things from the start. From the moment you left my apartment on, please.”
And so he did. He told his friend the whole story and asked him in the end whether he was doing the right thing. Letting her stay in his apartment, working for him.
“I don’t know, man.” Patrick shook his head. “You already chose to take the risk. I hope it will work out in the end. And in addition you have a good looking girl in your apartment.”
“Yeah,” Jonathan admitted a little irritated. It was time to go home. He’d see Patrick the following day and he was tired. He just wanted to grab something to eat and lie down on the couch for some TV before he headed to bed.
He wasn’t sure what to expect when he got home. Would April still be there? Would she be awake or asleep? Or would she have taken everything that she could sell and run away?
Quickly he unlocked the door to his apartment and put his bag next to the door. The lights were on, a delicious smell was in the air and it was tidy. Apparently April was still there. If this wasn’t indication enough it was the soft sound of a guitar that came from her room. He knew the melody. Slowly he walked up to her room. The door was ajar so that he could just see her sitting on the bed, guitar in her lap. Then she started singing very quietly.
“There’s a blood red circle on the cold dark ground and the rain is falling down. The church door’s thrown open I can hear the organ’s song, but the congregation’s gone. My city of ruins… My city of ruins…”
Springsteen. Yes, he definitely knew this song. Her voice was even softer than the sound of the guitar and suddenly he felt weird watching her like this. He didn’t want her to know that he’d watched or heard her, so he went back to the apartment door, opened it and closed it so loud that she could probably hear it.
“April?” He called from the door as the sound of the guitar stopped. Immediately she appeared in the living room and smiled at him, but winced right away because of the cut in her lip. The swelling had gone back, but the color remained.
“Good game, captain.” She walked past him towards the kitchen. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Well, he’d said that she could help him cook or maybe cook for him. Sometime! He hadn’t expected her to cook for him right this evening. But he had to say that he was grateful.
“It’s nothing fancy, just chicken and vegetable stir-fry, but I thought that you could maybe use some food after that game.”
“I’m actually really hungry. Thank you, April.” She took the plate and put it in the microwave. “And how are you feeling?”
“A lot better, thank you. But I think I can use some more sleep. I feel exhausted.”
He knew that feeling. “Thanks for dinner, April.”
She gave him a little smile before she turned around to go to her room again. Now, she seemed a lot more comfortable around him than this morning. Good. That meant that she felt comfortable in the apartment. She had cleaned up and the food proved to be delicious. Yes, Jonathan was sure that he’d made the right decision. So far.
2/5/13