My fingers wrapped around the steering wheel as I took the right turn, seeing the contours of a stately building in the distance. I released a long breath when I realized I hadn’t gotten lost.

I had tons of things to take care of and a million problems to solve. We had to start rehearsing for the show, and I needed to write the lyrics for the song my bandmates composed. Yet, here I was, driving to see an old man I knew nothing about with Cute Little Thing and birth control on my mind.

I kept her trapped in bed until it got too late for both her and me. Ava fidgeted and blushed, and I kissed the hell out of her, making her promise she would call me and tell me whatever she decided to do.

It was very hard not to get hopeful, and it was even harder to come up with the words I needed to say to her to explain who I was.

Ava, I’m a superstar.

Ava, I’m a freaking celebrity. A small-town guy who became mega-famous overnight.

Ava, I’m Jim O’Brien. Don’t freak out if a random weirdo starts snapping pictures of you on one of the streets downtown. It’s because you’re my girlfriend, but don’t you worry. It’s amazing. The attention, the hype, the hoopla, the lack of privacy is fantastic. Awesome. Twenty out of ten would recommend.

You’ll get used to looking over your shoulder and seeing your name in tabloids just because you’re with me.

My heart rate spiked. “Fuck,” I cursed under my breath and drove into the almost vacant parking lot outside the nursing home.

I locked my car and strolled to the entrance of the building,  lost in thought. 

As I pushed the heavy door open and stepped inside, I saw a woman sitting at the desk in what must have been the reception area. She was perusing some papers with her brow furrowed and her lips pursed.

"Good morning," I said.

Her surprised eyes landed on me. The woman's expression changed, and a genuine smile lit up her features. "Good morning. How can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Alfie. Alfred." As soon as the words tumbled out of my mouth, I realized I had no idea about the old man's last name.

"Alfie," the woman repeated. "Of course. He barely gets visitors, you know? Are you his family?"

"Just someone looking after his house." I settled on an innocent lie.

"Sign in here and then come with me. He must be in the garden." 

I put my name on the visitors' list. The woman rose from the chair and rubbed her neck as we took the first couple of steps toward a wide hallway.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Cora."

"Jim."

Cora smiled, pointing a hand ahead of us. "Nice to meet you, Jim. The door that leads to the garden is over there. I'll show you around in case you're going to visit more times."

"Likewise. The place looks nice," I said, taking in the homey decoration. 

"Thank you." 

Cora looked pleased with my compliment as we walked the remaining distance to the doors that gave access to a big garden. 

Several benches were occupied. I glanced around, trying to figure out which of the men was Alfred. Cora saved me by approaching a man sitting on a bench under one of the trees. "Alfie. Jim's here."

Alfred looked at me. The lack of recognition on his face made me fear he would blow my cover. But then, his lips stretched in a grin. "Jim! Finally!"

Cora smiled at me. "I'll leave you two alone. I'll be at the reception if you need me."

"May I?" I pointed at the vacant space on the bench next to the man as soon as Cora was out of earshot.

"Please," he said, his surprisingly youthful eyes twinkling. "So, who are you, Jim?"

I chuckled at the humor in Alfred's tone. "My name is Jim. I'm twenty-two years old. I live in the city and have a habit of driving to clear my head. During one of those drives, I ended up next to a house. A man told me it belonged to you."

"Was the house alright? Nobody broke in, did they?"

"It was okay," I rushed to reassure Alfred when panic flashed across his face. "The back door was open, but I locked it and took the key. I wanted to find the owner. It was strange to see a house like that without one."

"I didn't want to leave," Alfred said. "But I'm better here. The girls are nice, and so are other folks. I'm Alfred, but call me Alfie. That's how my Melody called me, and I guess it stuck."

"Is Melody your wife?" I asked.

Alfie smiled. "Was. She passed away five years ago. Nothing was the same after."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I, but there was this quote…" Alfie paused, trying to remember. "Got it. 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. The poet is my namesake."

"It's true. It's absolutely worth it."

"Do you have a wife, Jim?" 

Alfie's question made me smile. "No, I don't. I have a girl, but we're not there yet."

"What are you waiting for?" 

Thinking that the whole story about my secret identity and rockstar life was too difficult to explain, I settled on a simple, "It's recent."

Alfie shrugged. "If you know, you know. So, what does a handsome fella like you do for a living?"

"My job has to do with music," I gave an evasive answer. 

"Do you like it?"

"Love it, although it has its challenges."

Alfie looked at me intently. "Music? What are you, a musician?"

"Something like that," I said. 

"I used to play the accordion," said Alfie. "What's your instrument?"

"The guitar. I've never played the accordion."

"It's not that hard. I can show you next time."

Alfie's eyes paused on my face, asking me a silent question.  He wanted to know if there would be a next time.

"Of course. You'll play for me, and I'll play for you if you'd like me to."

Laughing, Alfie shook his head. "I'd love to, but you have to bring me my instrument. It's at home."

"Ah, the key," I said, reaching into my pocket. I had no intention of keeping something that wasn't mine.

Alfie's wizened hand grasped my wrist in a surprisingly tight grip. "Keep it. I don't know why you decided to visit me, but I'm glad you did. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

"Make sure the house is okay. I don't have high hopes; I don't think I will ever return there, but it was our home, Melody's and mine."

"I get that, and I will."

"Thank you. The accordion is in the closet in my bedroom upstairs. Bring it next time."

"I will. Does the day after tomorrow work for you?" I asked.

Alfie smiled. "It does. It's time for lunch now. I have to head back. See you the day after tomorrow, Jim."

"See you," I said, watching Alfie get up from the bench and walk toward the building. He halted midway and looked back at me, smiling brightly after I gave him a smile of my own.

***

As soon as I'd left the nursing home, I drove to the venue where we were going to play in less than two months. 

My bandmates and Andre were already there, talking to the manager of the arena, Dave.

"Jim," Andre said as soon as I joined everyone in the now vacant concert area. "Looks amazing, doesn't it?"

"It does."

It was hard to believe that a bunch of guys like us would perform in front of so many people in no time.
Fifty-five thousand fans. Fifty-five thousand hearts we hoped to touch with our music.

"Am I the only one excited?" Andre asked, swiping his gaze over the four of us.

"We are," said Jason. "I'm just freaking out. It was twenty thousand in Paris, and how many was it at our last show?"

"Twenty-five," said Fin. "Insane."

"I might have a drink or two before the show to get rid of the nerves." Nick sighed. "Stage fright is real."

"Will it ever go away?" asked Finlay. "I mean, I just zone out and focus on my drums, but my hands always shake before a concert."

"Those hands had better not shake in front of fifty-five thousand, man." Jason chuckled. "Cause the drums are loud as fuck."

"No more than your guitars." Fin rolled his blue eyes. "You know I won't fail you guys."

"We know," I told the guy. "You did great every time you played with us. No worries. No worries, everyone. We'll nail it."

Jay fist-bumped me. "A drink?"

"I'm going home. I just wanted to see the venue. Thank you for everything, Dave." I looked at the manager of the arena, who was engrossed in a conversation with Andre.  

"Anytime," said Dave. "It will be an honor to have you guys playing here. I can't wait. My daughters are big fans."

"How old are they?" asked Jay.

Nick smacked the back of his head. "Too young for you, grandpa."

I smiled at the guys' banter and nodded toward the exit. "I'll be going. See you later, everyone."

The guys waved goodbye to me. I exited the arena and drove to a mall. Luckily, it wasn't crowded. I managed to buy some scented candles unnoticed. 

Remembering Ava and the few clothes she had at my place, I popped into one of the clothes stores and got her some beautiful homewear and a bathrobe.

Then, I called her, hoping she would want to spend the night with me. She didn't pick up the phone. I frowned, inevitably thinking about something that could have gone wrong at her appointment.

Darkness descended upon the city by the time I sat behind the wheel of my Audi and drove home.

After parking my car, I got the shopping bags from the back seat, locked the vehicle, and took the elevator to my floor.

My heart started to race as soon as I unlocked the door of my condo. Ava's scent was everywhere. She was at my place, probably waiting for me.

Eager to see her, I kicked off my shoes in the hallway and went to the living room.

Ava was there as I already knew. What I didn't expect was to see her cry, sitting on my couch and  inspecting her bloodied knees.