Page 6 of For Her
“Aw, but Maze, every woman is different. Maybe it won’t be as long for you, hon.”
“Here’s hoping,” I say, very unenthusiastically.
We chat a little while longer and agree to talk next week, and maybe set up a visit. Just as I sign off with her, Jack’s phone goes off on the coffee table beside him, rousing him from his snooze. He reaches over to grab it up and rolls to his back holding it above his face, reading whatever is on his screen.
“Baby, the new video is done,” he informs me.
“Oh yeah?” I call back, as I head over to my laptop.
“Yeah, it’s in our email inbox. Let’s check it out.”
The new album that the band just promoted on tour was recorded earlier this year, and the songStill Heris due to be the next single. I have a thing about not appearing in band videos, even if Jack was inspired by me or our relationship to write some of the lyrics, but he was adamant about me being in this one. He wrote the song after we’d gotten through a tough situation where the band’s PR agent turned out to be a sleaze that dabbled in sexual harassment in his spare time, and decided to target me. Jack and I stuck together until he was taken down, proving our love could beat anything, and an amazing song came out of it.
I agreed to be in the video, but only for a brief appearance at the end. Jack and Ron reluctantly agreed, but the director decided to take that minimal footage I agreed to and milk it. By that, I mean he went for all the steam he could get in the shot.
I bring my laptop into the living room and sit beside Jack, placing it on the coffee table.
We click on the play symbol and we are treated to an ocean view on an overcast day. The water is a dark grey-ish blue, its big waves angry against the bleak sky. The tide rolls in and out with the heavy drum beat, and the song picks up. The first shot is of the guys standing knee deep in the water, instruments and all. It’s extremely dramatic, especially the way water flies off of Chris’s drums when his sticks come down on them. The shots switch between the guys tearing it up in the water and inside the bedroom of a beach house on the same shore, with a shirtless Jack lying on the bed. Clearly they were catering to the female demographic here as his signature cross chain is displayed against the backdrop of his chest and abs, and his dark blue jeans have the button unfastened. His eyes hold a dreamy, bedroom stare as he sings the words that mean so much to him.
The music builds and each of the two scenes rise in energy. The guys yank their guitars around as they stomp through the water, and in the bedroom scene, Jack slowly rises off the bed and struts towards the window where the viewers finally see me standing, staring out at the ocean with a bedsheet wrapped around me, as if we’d just had a romp. His arms come around me and we melt into each other, eyes closed, his lips against the skin of my neck while he sings the last few bars of the song.
As the music fades out, the camera pans away from the beach before the screen fades to black.
“What do you think?” his head tilts to face me, his dark blue eyes searching my face.
“I think it looks amazing. But this is your video, what do you think?”
“Perfect,” he nods. “I like it. It’s not like anything we’ve shot before.”
“Yeah, you guys still have the edge, but with a sexy hint of romance to it,” I smile, getting the tingles at what I just saw. What can I say? My husband is hot AF as they say.
“Well, you brought that to it,” he happily grumbles as he leans over to lock his arms around my shoulders and gently nibble the skin on my neck, making me tingle for a whole different reason. “It definitely didn’t hurt having a gorgeous costar,” he finishes with a chuckle in my ear.
“You’reclearly feeling better,” I point out, as I lazily lean into his affections.
“Yeah, I think whatever it was has passed,” he agrees, straightening up and taking on a more serious look. “The more important question is how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay at the moment, but I’m definitely not looking forward to the next time I get sick. I texted my mom and asked her to pick up some anti-nausea ammo. She’s coming by in a little bit to drop it off.”
“That’s good,” he sighs as he places a more tender kiss to my cheek. “I want you feeling better.”
“Well, I talked to Erin while you were napping, and apparently, her sickness lasted her entire pregnancy with Eloise, so Lord knows when that will be,” I inform him.
“Fuck, I hope that doesn’t happen to you. But if it does, I’m going to do everything in my power to make it as easy on you as I can.”
“I know, Baby,” I murmur back sweetly, knowing with every bone in my body that he means it.
As if on cue, the doorbell rings and the dogs lose their shit running to the door. I walk over to shoo them away and let my parents in. They have the key code to the driveway gate, and I was expecting my mom so I’m not worried.
“Hi, honey,” My mom greets me with a hug, and then I look up to see my dad behind her, and holy shit.
“Dad…” I greet him tentatively as I look curiously at that top of his head. “Your hair…” I’m not sure how to refer to the absence of the salt and pepper that is now an inky black.
“It looks great, doesn’t it?” My mother firmly pleads with widened eyes, urging me to agree.
“Uh… yes! Yeah, you look great! Cool!”
“Thanks, kiddo,” he proudly smirks and adjusts the collar of a black leather jacket that looks like it got dug out of some old box of abandoned mementos of the late eighties in the back corner of the attic. He swaggers into the living room to see Jack; while my mom and I make our way into the kitchen where she sets the plastic bag she’s been carrying on the counter.