Cherish

Feels Like Home (25)

"Feels Like Home" --  Chantal Kreviazuk

Somethin' in your eyes makes me wanna lose myself

Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms

There's somethin' in your voice makes my heart beat fast

Hope this feeling lasts the rest of my life...

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June of 1996

Although she was under the legal drinking age, there wasn't any reason for her to show the fake I.D. that she had acquired early last year at Lucky's insistence. The bartender happened to be a fan of Beat Brigade, so when she ordered a beer, all he did was smile while pouring the cold liquid from a tap. The moment he set a glass mug in front of her on a cocktail napkin, a redhead who looked to be in her late twenties slipped into the barstool next to Jaden's. Once she ordered a martini, she sent the teenager an interested smile.

"You probably hear this all the time, but I love to hear you sing." Her barstool produced a screeching sound as she inched closer to Jaden. "I haven't decided what takes my breath away more--your voice or that beautiful face."

"Thanks either way." A timid smile on her lips, Jaden deeply drank from her mug. When the foam tickled her upper lip, she licked it away. Unbeknownst to Jaden, that caught her admirer's attention.

"How skilled is that tongue of yours, Jaden? It's Jaden right?" The redhead grinned, twirling a thick lock of hair around her index finger as she studied the young girl like she was a fascinating painting displayed on the wall within the confines of a museum.

Nodding, Jaden swiveled on her barstool searching the crowd for her band mates or Lucky. She spotted J.T. sandwiched between two women on the dance floor. Jaden would have called out to him to come over, but he was too enthralled with those women grinding against his front and back. She couldn't have begged the drummer on her hands and knees to rescue her.

"Are you looking for someone?" the older woman asked while seductively rolling her tongue around the small green olive that came with her drink. "The manager of your band is your girlfriend, right?" She didn't wait for confirmation before adding, "You could do so much better. She's not right for you."

"I happen to think that she's perfect for me." She jumped when a warm palm touched her knee. Her protest was stifled when the redhead kissed her on the lips without invitation. She raised her hands to push the other woman away from her, but Lucky pulled the redhead away instead. If she hadn't quickly grabbed onto the bar for stability, she would have fallen on the floor.

Three seconds later, she ended up there anyway when Lucky punched her in the jaw. Although the forceful blow didn't knock her out, the redhead forgot who and where she was for a couple of seconds. As a patron helped her to her feet, Jaden stared at her seething girlfriend. Others around them stared as well, wondering what was going on.

"Lucky, you shouldn't--"

Teeth clenched, Lucky informed her to shut up as she kept her eyes on the woman she caught kissing her girlfriend. Pulling the cocktail napkin from underneath the martini, the redhead wiped at the trickle of blood that had collected in the corner of her mouth. Despite the short assault, she didn't quaver under Lucky's murderous glare. "Keep your lips off of my girlfriend."

"Sure thing, although I'm not so sure that she minded." While crumbling the cocktail napkin, she audaciously grinned. "In return, make sure that you keep your hands off of me. I'm going to let this go, because if I were in your position I would have wanted to hit me too because," brown eyes trailed to a terrified Jaden, "that is one amazing girl you have." She tossed the soiled napkin at Lucky's boots. "Of course, I'm not too certain that you realize that." Reaching into her purse, she dropped a ten-dollar bill on the bar top, blew Jaden a kiss and then turned to leave.