You Never Said Forever Could Ever Hurt Like This

The Love Song

Chapter 2 – The Love Song

Marilyn frowned across the living room at Ozzy and Jessie. She would sneak a peek at him watching her every now and then, but seemed too shy to ask him about it. Jessie looked worried, and rightly so. Just as Ozzy had predicted, after she’d rescued those two girls, reporters, journalists and paparazzi had swarmed. The two girls had thanked her live on television, and that had made the reporters hungrier for the full story.

Rumours had started to rise concerning why she’d been at a Marilyn Manson concert. Why she associated with Ozzy, Twiggy and Zim. Why she had been on the balcony when the bomb had gone off. Marilyn smiled to himself momentarily as he formed his own theories as to why she had consented to go with Ozzy to the after party that night. He still had yet to find out how the two had met…or how she’d met Twiggy for that matter.

With a curious expression, he finally asked. “So…how do you fit in with the Osborne’s?”

Jessie’s gaze snapped towards him. “Um…” she smiled slightly as Ozzy gave her a shove towards where Marilyn was sitting. “I was part of a student exchange program during my last year at school…I lived with them for a year…” she laughed as she remembered something. “I remember getting off the plane, walking through the terminal, and seeing Ozzy holding a huge sign with my name and a photo of me plastered on it…” she looked at him squarely as she sat across from him on the opposite lounge. “I thought I was being pranked!”

“But she wasn’t.” Sharon smiled in a motherly way as she ruffled Jessie’s hair. “She got a lovely shock when we all came to greet her.” Sharon looked at Marilyn. “Can you imagine a seventeen year old Australian girl living here?” she laughed. “We’re all very glad she came…and very proud of her too! It’s not easy to break into the music industry these days, but Jessie and her band did it!”

Jessie laughed nervously. “Well, it took some work…but we got there in the end…the hard part is staying where people can see you…and want to see you.” She looked at the floor. “That made more sense in my head…”

“It’s true though…” Marilyn nodded, smiling a little as she looked up at him. “Staying at the top is harder than getting there.”

Jessie smirked at him, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “They love you when you’re on all the covers. When you're not then they love another.”

Marilyn quirked a curious brow at her. “You liked ‘Mechanical Animals’?

“Oh, honey, I love your work no matter what album it is!” Jessie replied happily, but looked down again to hide her blush. “Though, on ‘Mechanical Animals’, my favourite has to be ‘Coma White’…it kind of spoke to me…like ‘Lunchbox’ did…but different.” She shrugged. “Ignore me…I’ll go insane silently from now on.”

“It’s fine,” Marilyn grinned. “Going insane loudly is more fun anyway…why do you think I do it for a living?” he was joking, but it made Jessie laugh. It was worth it. Just to hear her laugh again. But was it actually her? Damned well looked like Jessie. Sounded like her too…every gesture…even this girls personality was bang on with the Jessie he’d fallen in love with all those years ago…but how could he be sure?

***

Jessie laughed. She liked Marilyn…but she did feel as if he was paying a little too much attention to the way she did things. The way he was looking at her right now… she looked down, in an attempt to conceal the blush that had crept across her cheeks, a shy smile tip-toeing along her lips. She felt as giddy as a school-girl with her first crush! How on Earth could she explain that?!

She’d told the truth. She loved Marilyn’s music…he’d inspired her as a young adult to be all she could be and damn those who stood between her and what she wanted to achieve. But, Jessie had to admit…that voice of his it just…

“You alright, Jessie?” Ozzy asked from across the room, eyeing her curiously. “You shuddered…”

Jessie’s eyes widened for a second, then she shrugged. “Tad chilly in here…” she paused to look at the time. “Oh my, look at the time!” she stood nervously. “I’d best be getting home.”

Jessie could feel the eyes burning into the back of her skull as she snatched her jacket from the couch and went and hugged Ozzy and Sharon goodbye.

“Maybe you should stay here…” Sharon frowned as she held Jessie at arms-length. “You look a little pale. Are you sure you want to be driving right now?”

“Yes,” Jessie smiled sweetly. “I’ll be fine… I just need sleep…granted, a lot of sleep. But I’m fine.”

Sharon sighed. “Alright…” she hugged Jessie again, whispering into her ear. “I want to know what happened tomorrow.” She pulled back from the hug. “Sleep well!”

Jessie’s smile turned uncomfortable as she turned and waved to everyone else. “Night guys!” she smirked as Twiggy and Zim waved stupidly at her and she shook her head.

“We’re catching up soon!” Twiggy pointed at Jessie and grinned wickedly.

Jessie laughed. “Sure.” She nodded towards the two and made for the door quickly.

“Hey! What about Marilyn?!” Twiggy yelled and she froze.

“Yeah,” Marilyn looked at her, feigning hurt. “What about Marilyn.” He chuckled darkly and Jessie shuddered again.

Shuffling her feet uncomfortably, Jessie finally looked up…right into Marilyn’s eyes. With a ‘deer in the headlights’ look no doubt plastered across her face, she went scarlet. “G… goodnight… Marilyn.”

With a shy, nervous smile, Jessie fled the room. Nothing could explain her behaviour…and nothing could explain away the fact that her ‘goodnight’ to Marilyn had sounded far more sultry than she’d ever deemed herself capable of!

***

Marilyn heard the front door shut with a loud bang, they all heard it, but only Marilyn stared after her as she left and continued to stare long after they’d heard her car pull away. It was her…it had to be. She looked like his Jessie, talked like his Jessie…she even walked like his Jessie! But, he’d seen her die…held her hand and sand to her as she died in a hospital in Canton when he was eighteen! If it were his Jessie, then she would be his age by now. His Jessie would be nearly thirty two by now…this girl was only in her early twenties…

It seemed paradoxical…and it was giving Marilyn a headache. They were exactly alike! But they weren’t the same person. Could he love her again? Would this girl die in another tragedy? Would he be left broken again? The words rolled through his mind mercilessly, ‘What if?! What if?! What if?!’ Marilyn already knew the answer to the first question. He could love her…but did he want that pain again?

Twiggy joined him on the couch, reclining in an intoxicated fashion. “Well, I think it’s safe to say that someone’s got a bit of a crush…and I’m not just talking about Jessie.”

Marilyn looked at Twiggy, his face blank as his best friend gave him a cheeky, knowing wink. He smirked ever so slightly. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do. You like her. Go get her.” Twiggy ordered as he pointed after the recently departed Jessie. “What’s stopping you?”

Marilyn frowned. Damn the ‘What if’s’! He wanted Jessie back in any way he could…he would love her in any way he could. So… what was stopping him?