CH 19 ~ In These Arms

Jon outwardly grinned at his friend, inwardly dying to see the expression on Rachel’s face.  She’d never been to one of his shows.  Would the fans going apeshit over his little Elvis diddy be enough to let her know it wasn’t a regular occurrence?  Did she realize that it was for her?

She’s blonde, not stupid.

She would know – and he hoped that he’d made enough eye contact so that she knew ninety percent of tonight’s setlist was chosen specifically with her in mind.  Songs that he’d never performed for anyone were being performed for her. 

If she doesn’t get the significance of it now, she will.  Someday down the road.

Because there was no doubt in Jon’s mind that the road ahead included life with Rachel.  She was here this evening by her own choice and her own free will – that was all he’d really required from her.  Everything else was on him and he was confident that he could make it work this time.  He had just needed to get them in the same physical location so they could talk some things out.  So that he could assure her that ….

Jon belted out the familiar, “Two, three, FOUR….” of one of their most popular songs.  Yes, they did this one nearly every show, but tonight he planned to sing the lyrics with intention, sincerity and conviction.

He would be there for her. 

Pushing his tongue between dry lips, he focused on the movement of his fingers through the familiar guitar chords as though he’d never executed them before.  Tonight, he wanted this one to be spot-on perfect.

“I guess this time you’re… really lea- vin’.  I heard your suitcase sa-ay goodbye.”

He scrunched his eyes closed, squinting away the mental picture of Rachel climbing those airplane steps as he delivered the lines he could sing in his sleep.  She wasn’t leaving again.  Not if he could help it.

Jon stepped to the right side of the mic stand and looked back over his shoulder.  With the glare of the spotlight and the mass of people, he did his best to find her face in the crowd as he made his offer and apology. 

“I can promise you tomor-row… but I can’t buyy back yesterdaa-ay.” 

If they had a birthday cake backstage, like he suspected they did, he already had his wish picked out.  When he blew out the candle – because they weren’t stupid enough to present him with almost fifty individually flaming candles, considering that he preferred not to have even one – it was his fondest desire that she could see that’s what it was really all about.  There was nothing he could do about the way things had gone between them before.  He couldn’t change the past, but he could promise a future that was brighter than the shadows that might be lingering between them. 

He executed the final strum with a pensive smile on his face before nodding and Richie and giving him a fist bump.  Wiping the “sweat” from his eyes, he pushed his smile to go bigger while waiting for Dave and Tico to join them on the circle. 

She sees it.  She has to.  In this, like the rest of my life, I’ll be successful or die trying. 

Rachel shook her head as the show progressed from the circle back to the main stage.  He was amazing.  Simply amazing.   It wasn’t just her that was captivated by him, either.  He had thousands of people hanging onto his every word, motion and smile.  They were all but eating out of his hand.

And why wouldn’t they?  He covered both sides of the stage and the pit area with equal fervor and zeal, paying everyone “special” attention.  No doubt, half of the arena would leave with the idea that they’d had a moment with Jon Bon Jovi. 

Rachel included. 

It might be his birthday, but I feel like I’m the one being gifted.

And the gifts kept arriving when he came to the side of the stage closest to her and sang, “You’ve got your sins and I’ve got mine... but love’s the only rule”. The room was warm – almost unbearably so – but chills zinged down her spine and goosebumps the size of Canadian geese lifted up on her on her arms to do the hokey pokey. 

The way the sweat was rolling down his face and his shirt was sticking to his body warmed up the place – Rachel – even more.  Apparently, she wasn’t the only one suffering from the man-made heatwave, either.

“Lookin’ hot, Johnny baby!!  My teeth are sweatin’ over here!  Come closer so I can get a good crotch shot!”

Distracted from her own fiery libido, Rachel’s head snapped to the right and she laughed out loud.  The woman with the seat next to hers had been vocal about her appreciation throughout the show and Rachel had found it to be pretty amusing.  With a camera slung around her neck, you would think the classically pretty, forty-something redhead was a mom set to take pictures at her kid’s soccer game – not a boisterously rabid Bon Jovi fan.  

The woman’s camera shutter clicked and, as he walked away, the growing lens zoomed in.

“What an ass!”  She nudged Rachel with her elbow and raised her eyebrows over striking green eyes.  “Have you ever seen a better ass in your life?!  Can you imagine what it would look like naked?”

It looks just as good as you think it does.

The giggle that spilled out of Rachel’s slack-jawed mouth was lost in the music, so she just shook her head from side to side. 

Unaware – or used to – the unabashed behavior, Jon carried on with the song and made his way through the pit area before circling back around to the main stage.  His voice got quieter and quieter with the last repetitive words of the song and the stage went black. 

The crowd screamed for more as he and the band slipped down the stairs at the back of the stage.  It was almost a relief to see them disappear.  Between touching her heart with his thoughtfulness and his “rock god” demeanor, she couldn’t wait to see Jon.  She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck and plaster herself against his body until they gave the appearance of being one person. 

Picking up her purse, she anxiously awaited for whomever would come take her to him now that the show was over.

Except the show wasn’t over. 

The bleachers vibrated with stomping feet and the blackness was pierced with bright cell phones and the occasional lighter until dark shadows moved on the stage once again.  Then, the screams split the air to celebrate the reappearance of the band. 

The tune that found its way through the darkness wasn’t familiar to her, but when the lights went up, she saw that Jon had changed clothes, or at least shirts.  She couldn’t be sure about the nondescript black pants. 

It took a moment for him to sing the first words, but when “You want commitment…” filled the air, the woman standing next to her let out the most ear splitting shriek Rachel had ever heard in her life.  The shriek was quickly followed with an equally deafening scream of “HOLY SHIT!” 

I guess this song is a good one.

Rachel put her purse back in her seat with a chuckle, and the woman’s screeches carried on, drowning out the entire first verse of the song.

She didn’t have a prayer of catching the lyrics, so she took the time to survey the sea of men, women and children whose arms were pumping in the air as their hips swayed.  It astounded her the powerful impact Jon had on this crowd of people.  The women, in particular, were completely enamored and transfixed on his every breath and a quick glance around her immediate area left little doubt that panties were melting left and right.

Maybe I should concentrate a little harder on trying to understand the words.  It’s obviously good foreplay…

Rachel giggled to herself, really focusing as Jon made his way back to her side of the stage when she began to pay close attention to the song.  She liked it.  A lot, actually.  It had an almost Beatle-esque quality, she thought.  Beyond that, it was a flowery version of many a late-night phone call between she and Jon when one or the other of them had been travelling.  They’d often teased of the wicked things they’d do to one another if they were together.

The closer he got to Rachel, the louder the woman next to her screamed “I LOVE YOU, JON!”.  At this point, Rachel was more entertained by the fan than she was the band and laughed out loud again while bopping along to the music.  The squeals and adoration continued as Jon played first to the crowd in the pit, and then to those behind her and Super Fan, before finally walking right up to the edge of the stage. 

With a little effort Rachel could’ve reached out and touched him, but she didn’t.  Still bopping along, she just grinned at him, her heart overflowing as he found her eyes.  He looked happy – God knew Super Fan was happy – but neither one of them had a thing on Rachel.  In that moment, his eyes connecting to hers with a hot blue sizzle…  She was happier than the both of them.  Combined!

“Like the poets need the pain, like the roses need the rain…”

“HOLY SHIT!  HE’S RIGHT THERE!”  The woman clutched at her flushed cheeks, bending at the knees and keening at the top of her lungs, “JOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!” 

Jesus!  For her sake, I hope she’s wearing a panty liner.

Mr. Rock Star didn’t even notice the effect he was having on his Super Fan, because his attention was focused elsewhere.  He gave a playful wiggle of his hips before pointing right at Rachel and singing, “How can I explain… why I need you… in these arms… tonight.”

Rachel’s neighbor grabbed her arm with both hands and screamed right into her face “HE LIKES YOU!  DID YOU SEE THAT?  HE POINTED RIGHT.  AT.  YOU!”

Her face going as flushed as her neighbor, Rachel didn’t even turn her head.  The magnetism in Jon’s eyes was too much to tear away from as he sang to her, and her alone.

I’d hold ya, I’d need ya…

I’d get down on my knees for you…

 and make everything alright…

If you were in these arms….

I’d love ya, I’d please ya…

I’d tell you that I never leave ya

And love you till the end of time…

If you were in these arms tonight….

Rachel now had a favorite Bon Jovi song.