The Flame (A Norman Reedus Story)

Chapter 45--The Vortex

Chapter 45—The Vortex

The drive to The Vortex takes about twenty minutes, Norman and I laughing the whole time.  Just us being goofy, enjoying each other’s company.  I glance over at Norman driving and smile to myself.  This is the Norman I love the most, the one most people don’t get to see.  He catches me looking at him and grins, “Whatcha thinking pretty girl?”  I reach out and run my hand across his jawline, playing with his scruff, “Just thinking how perfect tonight has been.  Thank you for dinner.”  He reaches for my hand bringing it to his lips, kissing my fingers.  He holds my hand and gives it a little squeeze, “You’re welcome, babe.  We need to do this more often.”  I sigh, “That would be nice but our lives are crazy busy, so I’ll be perfectly happy with doing this occasionally.”  He gives me a somber look, “You shouldn’t have to settle for occasionally.”  Norm pulls into the parking lot and parks the Jeep.  He turns off the car and turns to me, “You deserve so much more.”  I lean over, whispering as I put my lips against his, “I have you and that’s all I want.”  I suck on his bottom lip making him groan and pull me in closer.  Our kiss is slow and passionate, leaving us both lightheaded and breathless.  Norman presses his forehead against mine, “You have my heart, girl.  I love you.”  I quietly answer, “You have my heart and soul Norm, you always will.”  He looks into my eyes and I see a flash of nervousness as he starts to speak, “Jenna, Will you….”  His voice trails off and I give him a quizzical look, waiting for him to continue.  He swallows hard and quickly states, “umm, ya wanna go inside?”  I’m sure the look on my face is one of confusion, but I don’t pressure him for an explanation, I just nod.  He lets out a deep breath and opens his door.  I grab my clutch and wait for him to open the passenger’s door.  He comes around the Jeep and quickly opens my door, offering his hand to me.  I take it and get out, looking at him.  I’m not sure why he’s gotten all weird suddenly but I’m not pressing the issue, men can be so confusing.

Once inside we join Aaron, Clifton, and Slash at the bar.  Norman orders our drinks and I make small talk with the guys.  The place is busy and there’s a band playing tonight .  They don’t always have music here, so this is a bit of a treat.  There are plenty of girls trying to get all the boys attention, and I just grin as I watch some of them do their best to be noticed. 

We spent an hour or so talking and listening to the band .  They’ve been playing lots of cover songs from the ‘80’s.  I finish my drink and hear the familiar guitar chords of “Every Rose has its Thorn”. I groan, grabbing my cigarettes off the bar and head for the door.

Norman’s POV

I’m talking to Aaron and Slash when I see Jenna make a bee line for the front door.  She’s walking quickly and I’m about to go after her when Slash grabs my arm, “Let her go man.  She needs some air.”  My dismal look makes him quickly explain, “It’s this song.  She can’t listen to it.”  I’m still confused and he goes on, “You know the story about her and the bottle of Jack?”  I nod, “Yeah she drank a bottle over a break up.”  He shakes his head in agreement, “Yeah, she met a guy right after she got to LA and she fell for him pretty hard.  Everything was going great and then his band hit it big.  He left her in LA and well, ya know how the story always goes; fame, fortune, tours and groupies.  He screwed up and by the time he realized the mistake he made, it was too late.  She was so heartbroken, she couldn’t forgive him.  He wrote this song about her.  I guess she still can’t listen to it.  You never forget getting your heart broken for the first time.  That shit stays with you.”  I start piecing together what he’s telling me and then I get it, “She dated the singer from Poison?”  Slash nods, “Yeah, she was with Brett for a while.  She was young, man like 18, barely.  Right out of high school and fresh to LA, so naïve and sweet.  He wrote another song about her too, “Fallen Angel”.  That song she loves, go figure.  I met her not long before they broke up.” 

I’m floored, she never mentioned any of this.  I take a sip of my beer and admit, “I had no idea.  She never said anything.”  Slash laughs, “Dude she can be a mystery.  She has never been one to name drop or brag about who she knows.  She’s always been a sweet girl and a head turner.  All of us musicians loved her and she was friends with a lot of people.  We all looked out for her, making sure she was safe.  She treated us all like normal guys, never asking for anything other than friendship.  She wasn’t like all those gold-digging groupie girls.  She was happy to be in the shadows, never interested in the fame.”  I ponder everything he’s said and smile, “She’s one of a kind, that’s for sure.”  Slash slaps me on the back, “That’s the truth, they’ll never be another like her.  Don’t be upset over the whole Brett thing.  She’s long over him, it’s just the song that she hates.  She’s in love with you, don’t you worry.”  I sigh, “Yeah I know.  I almost asked her tonight, ya know.”  He gives me a surprised look, “Almost popped the question?  What happened?”  I shrug, “I chickened out.  I don’t know why.  I wasn’t planning on asking.  It was just that the moment seemed right and then, well, let’s just say I didn’t finish my sentence.  I guess it’s fine, I don’t even have a ring.  Though she probably thinks I’m a blabbering idiot.”  Slash grins, “It will all fall into place, Norm.  You may want to start ring shopping if you think you can’t wait until Christmas.”  I give him a faint smile and raise my glass, “I’ll drink to that.”  Slash just grins and holds up his beer.

Jenna’s POV

I stand outside and smoke a cigarette.  I know I can smoke inside but I hate this song and I can’t listen to it.  I guess I should be flattered that he wrote this song about me, but even after all these years I can’t get past the anger.  It’s funny because I don’t hate Brett, just the song.  In fact I made peace with Brett years ago and we were back on good terms the last time I saw him.  I finish my cigarette and crush it out on the sidewalk.  I take a deep breath and head back inside.  I see Slash talking to Norman at the bar.  That explains why he didn’t follow me out.  I guess Slash told him the reason I walked outside.  I’m sure Norman will have questions about my past.  I’m not hiding anything, I’ve just always been a private person.

I walk up to Norm and Slash flashing a flirtatious smile, “Hey guys, miss me?”  Norm puts his arm around me and gives me an alluring grin, “Always.”  Slash nods, “I’ve been missing you for 20 years.”  I give him a pouty look, “That’s not playing fair!  Now I feel bad.”  He laughs, “Yeah, baby girl, I know.  You can make it up to me by joining the group of us at the Def Leppard and Kiss concert on Friday night.”  I look at Norm who nods in agreement and yell, “Oh Hell Yeah!”  We spend the next hour relaxing with Aaron and Clifton.

It’s about midnight when Norman and I decide to head back to Senioa.  We say goodbye to Slash, Aaron, and Clifton, exiting the Vortex and walking to the Jeep.  Norm opens the door for me and I get in.  He gets in the driver’s side and starts the car.  We drive out of Atlanta and head home.  We listen to the radio and talk a little.  Norman finally asks me what I’ve been expecting him to ask all evening, “Slash told me why you went outside tonight.   You’re pretty tight lipped about your past huh?”  I twirl my hair with my fingers, “It’s not a secret.  I just don’t see the point of telling my life story.  My life isn’t that interesting.”  I hear him snicker, “It doesn’t sound that boring either.”  I roll my eyes and grin, “I don’t know everything about you either.  You are pretty quiet about your life before you started acting.”  He looks over at me pondering what I said before replying, “You are right.  My life wasn’t easy or glamorous for a long time.  I’ve worked hard for what I have.”  I respond, “Mine was the same way.  I left Jersey a week after I graduated and it was a struggle.  I don’t regret anything because I learned a lot about myself but it wasn’t easy.”  He reaches out for my hand and entwines his fingers in mine.  He reassures me, “You can tell me what you want when you want.  I won’t pry.  You can ask me anything about my past if you’d like.”  I give him a pleased look, “That’s fair.  I’ll let you know if I have any questions.” 

The rest of the ride back to Senioa is relaxed.  We pull into my driveway, both of us glad to be home but still a bit sad realizing our date is over.  Norm lets me out of the Jeep and tells me, “I had a wonderful evening with you.  We should do this again soon.”  We walk up onto the front porch as I answer him, “I had a great time, thank you.  Now I’m looking forward to cuddling with you in bed.”  He chuckles, “Sounds good to me babe.”  I open the front door and head inside.