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The night was hot and humid. Perhaps it was not as bad as he imagined it, but the temperature and discomfort were magnified by the close confines of the tour bus. Kevin sighed and rolled over in his bunk for the hundredth time that evening. For some reason -or more aptly, someone- he was unable to fall asleep. She clouded his mind, occasionally interrupted by a new face. A stranger. It was the same as always, his thoughts dwelling on Miranda. But every so often, Miranda’s face became Bethany’s, and guilt washed over him. Bethany was a pretty girl, and most likely nice as well. But she could not compare to Miranda. No one could. Kevin’s thoughts returned to the last time he and Miranda had made love. Closing his eyes tightly, Kevin could still envision her beautiful body. In his mind, he reached out and touched her. Her gentle curves.....tender touch.....soft skin.....black hair....NO! Miranda had red hair. Long, luxurious, firey, curls. Red. Not black. Kevin stifled a groan with his pillow, and squeezed his eyes shut willing the tears not to escape. It took some time, but eventually, he gathered himself back into control. Taking a deep breath, Kevin began to focus on a vision of Miranda’s large blue gray eyes. Of all the things he remembered most about her, it was this feature. To fall asleep, over the past several years, Kevin had developed the habit of picturing her shining orbs and letting himself become lost in them. Soon, sleep would claim him, carrying him off in it’s soft current. Until then, he would sink slowly into the pools of gray that possessed his mind. *****
The next day dawned bright and early, the cheerfullness of the morning sharply contrasting with the dark burn Miranda felt within her chest. Irritatedly, she rubbed at her eyes, willing them to stop watering.
“What’s wrong?” Amy asked, as she walked into the wardrobe room. They were setting everything up anew, having arrived at their destination the night before.
“Nothing. Why?”
“It looked like you were crying, that’s all.”
“Probably because I have been....all morning. Though not the kind of tears you think.” Miranda muttered.
“Explain.” Amy demanded, plunking down the box she had been carrying.
“It’s these damn contacts! I’m not sure what’s wrong, but they’ve been buggin’ my eyes alot lately. They just won’t stop watering and it looks as though I’ve been drinking because they’re all red and puffy!”
“Hmmm. You know, sometimes, people’s eyes refuse to cooperate with the contacts anymore. You may have become allergic to them. Are you sure you’ve been washing them well?”
“Positive. I keep hoping that if I cleanse them more, I won’t have this problem.” Miranda replied with a frustrated sigh.
“Alright....”Amy considered slowly. “Take them out. We’ve only been here two days so far, so I think you should be fine. No one should notice anything amiss, and if they do, they probably won’t be able to place their finger on it. Besides, you haven’t used your real eye color since Chicago.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well, we can’t have you getting fired for alcohol consumption on the job, now can we?” Amy’ eyes sparkled with humor. Miranda slipped the offending contacts from her eyes, wrapped them in a tissue, and tossed them into the wastecan.
“Thanks. You have no idea how good this feels.”
*****
“Hello?” he called hesitantly. “Hel-lo?”
“Just a second!” came the harried reply. Kevin stepped inside the wardrobe department, and glanced around, becoming familiar once again with the layout. Things had been reshuffled a bit, but nothing had been drastically changed. Just then, the blond from the day before stepped out from amid the racks of clothing. She offered him a friendly smile.
“Hi there. Ready to go?”
“Yeah. The others should be here in just a few seconds.” As he spoke, thunderous footsteps sounded. Brian and Nick burst upon the scene.
“The B-rok checks left...checks right.....can’t get an opening, so he risks it.....AW! He dribbles past the opposing offense and drowns the ball! Whewaaaaaahhhhh!” Brian cried, cupping his hands around his mouth simulating the noise of a cheering crowd of spectators. Switching to an announcer’s voice, “The B-rok does it again this evening, ladies and gentlemen. Stay tuned for the replay.”
“That was totally NOT fair!” Nick protested, as usual. “Kevin! Was that legal?”
The older man gave an amused chuckle and cocked an eyebrow. “Seeing as the basket was a trashcan, how can you even think of talking logicstics?” Nick cocked his head for a moment, then shrugged. He glanced around the wardrobe room.
“Hey! Amy? Where’s Bethany?” he asked curiously. Amy opened her mouth to reply when the topic of conversation walked in. A smile which radiated warmth painted her lips as she recognized Brian and Nick, the latter of which quickly approached her, striking up conversation. It was obvious to all that he was a bit smitten with the raven haired woman. Making her way toward the makeup counter, Bethany stopped short. Kevin sat perched on the counter, his eyes upon her. Agonizingly, she trained her eyes downward, and came up hesitantly beside him.
“Hello.” his deep voice washed over her, sending tremors up and down her spine.
“Hi.” she responded softly, feigning concentration on what she was doing. Really, how much brain power did unloading a box of cosmetics require?
“Bethany, right?”
Weakly, Miranda told herself not to look up at him. “Yes. And you’re Kevin.”
“How are you today, Bethany?” he inquired, hoping she’d do what she’d just mentally told herself not to.
“Fine, thanks.” she continued to empty the box. Unable to stop herself, she asked, “You?”
“Great. So, where are you from?”
Having prepped with Amy the night before, Miranda had her entire manufactured biography down pat. “Portland Oregon, born and raised.”
“Interesting. A west coast girl.”
“Hmm.”
“Beth! Can you help me with this?” Amy broke into their conversation, recognizing Miranda’s discomfort.
“Sure, no problem.” came the grateful reply. As she strode off to assist her counterpart, Kevin released the sigh which had pent up inside of him. She seemed to refuse to make eye contact with him. It was almost unbearable that he should have to sit by as she gave him the cold shoulder. He couldn’t have offened her, they had hardly just met. More importantly, why did he feel a pang of hurt when she was uncommunicative? Why did he care?
Soon, it could be avoided no longer. Kevin had to get dressed for the show, and Amy was busy helping Howie. Figuratively, he fell into Miranda’s hands. Wordlessly, she led him to the rack of clothes marked ‘K’, and hesitantly handed him a pair of black pants which he disappeared behind a curtain with. Emerging moments later, Miranda couldn’t help herself. Her gaze wandered over the broad expanse of his bare chest, even more muscular than she remembered it. His shoulders were wide and strong, tapering down to a trim waist and fit abdominal muscles. Blushing slightly, Miranda hoped he hadn’t caught her starring, and handed him the clingy black shirt which fit beneath the dirtbike attire in which the boys appeared on stage.
“Thanks.” she could feel his soft smile focused on the top of her bowed head, and she longed to simply reach up, wrap her arms around his neck, and bury her face in his shoulder. Instead, she acknowledged him with a nod. “Uh oh....”
“What happened?” she wondered quietly.
“It’s caught. I’m not sure on what......” he trailed off. The back of the shirt refused to pull down, having become hooked on the clasp at his shoulder which held some of his gear in place.
“Relax.” she croaked as much for herself as for him. “I’ll get it.” Stepping behind him, Miranda reached up trembling fingers to pry at the tangle. His scent enveloped her, and she tried desparately to keep her breath even. The smooth, tanned skin of his back was exposed, tempting her to reach out and run her hands along the muscles. Closing her eyes briefly, Miranda inhaled deeply, and gave the shirt a little tug. It came free easily, and settled into place. Kevin turned around.
“Thanks.”
This time, Miranda couldn’t stop herself from raising her head to look into his face. “Your welcome.” Kevin’s eyes widened, as he tried to speak. He stood starrring down, hardly believeing what he saw. Her eyes......they weren’t crystal blue, they were......blue gray. The same blue gray as the pair of orbs he pictured in his dreams. His jaw worked, and Miranda seemed to realize he saw something in her appearance that was perhaps, bringing back a memory......her gaze skipped away from his, as she whirled away to face AJ. “Need any help with that?” she asked hoarsely. AJ muttered something about the straps on his gear being knotted.
Kevin watched as Bethany worked, his mind still dwelling on the pair of gorgeous eyes which had gazed back at him. Not only did her eyes look familiar, but her jawline as well...... “Naw, now you’re just seeing things.....” he admonished himself. “Concentrate, Richardson.” *****
He knew, she was positive. Even if it was only for a fleeting moment, he had recognized her, and that meant more to her than anything in the world. The Boys were long gone, the sounds of their concert wafting through the curtains to her ears. Periodically, they would return backstage for costume changes, but the guys were in, out, and performing again in no time. There wasn’t a free second for chit chat. A fact which was Miranda’s salvation, to be sure.
Briefly, Miranda wondered whether or not Kevin had dated over the past two years. Had be been seriously involved with anyone? For that matter, was he involved now? Was there a woman in his life, someone he came home to....someone who would wrap their arms around him after a hard day?......Quickly, Miranda realized the frustration this line of questioning was leaving behind. It didn’t matter whether Kevin had been social with the ladies since her disappearance. Vividly, her own words on the pier came back to her, ringing in her ears......
“I’ll wait for you.” he had said.
“No. Don’t. I want you to be happy, Kevin.”
Happy. Was he? Had he recovered from the pain her loss had surely inflicted upon him? How long had it taken him? A week....a month...a year? Kevin had never been fickle, but one could only expect another to wait so long before.......
Miranda sighed as Brian appeared, breaking her out of her reverie. Another set of costumes were required, and there was little time for contemplating. “In, out, and back on stage.” she muttered to herself before attending Brian. It was the story of her life for the past two years. In, out, and moving on.
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