By My Side, Always

When they were alone, Dennis looked at Dino. "Well?"

The photographer shook his head in wonder. "I swear she's almost too photogenic. I think the second shot I took of her will work perfectly with the first. She looked a little too happy in the others, you ham!"

Dennis snorted and shrugged. "But you have something." Dino nodded. "Good. Get on it as soon as you can. If possible, I need to get that billboard up by the end of the week. The bus stop ads can be the following week." He glanced at the clock. "I've gotta get changed."

"You've gotta get her out of here before my Bikini Bimbo Bitches arrive. Those sluts can suck the chrome off a trailer hitch, if you get my meaning. They'd be all over you like leeches on a skinny dipper's balls."

"Fuck!" Dennis swore quietly as he rushed away.

-=-

Emma shivered once more as she zipped up her sweater. That studio was ridiculously cold!

She put her outfit back in her gym bag and looked at the flimsy gym wear Dennis had brought. She stuffed this into the bag as well. She'd give it back to him later.

She picked up the clipboard and realized the ballpoint pen had no ink, so she wandered out into the front area. Dennis wasn't there yet. She set the clipboard down and looked for another pen, but no luck.

Her cell binged, and she saw it was a text from her mom. She'd meant to call her, but they were trying to reduce their bills. She let her know she'd call her tonight with news to share.

Rushing into the front office, Dennis grinned at Emma. "Do you have lunch plans?"

Emma knew Gary would be doing his part-time job, and she didn't want to go back to the apartment alone. "No. I'm open."

Dennis took her elbow and led her from the building quickly. When she looked at him oddly, he had to explain the pace he was setting. "Sorry. I know a great place for lunch, but it fills up quickly at lunch, especially on weekends.

He grabbed a cab and took them to a lovely neighborhood with boutique shops and quaint restaurants. Once more, they took a table for two overlooking the shopping district. When he offered her wine, she shook her head. "No, thank you. It went to my head last night, and I felt rough this morning. I'll have water please, with lemon."

She turned her head and watched the beautiful people decked out in their gold and jewels, driving by in their expensive cars, or wandering amongst the lovely shops, collecting their trinkets and beautiful clothes. She had to admit she was a little dazzled by it.

She caught Dennis watching her face with a smile on his. "What?"

"You will soon be comfortable coming to places like this and being pampered as you should."

Emma looked at him with wide eyes. She was surprised he believed she fit in with this crowd. So far removed from her humble beginnings.

She spotted an elegant woman walking out of a shop with her bags. Emma wondered what that might feel like. To be independently wealthy, purchasing things on a whim, fulfilling any momentary need. Would that bring her happiness? More happiness than she felt now with Gary?

-=-

Dennis watched Emma thinking about his words and decided he'd achieved his first goal.

Making her think about having something better would lead to bigger goals.

And one day, his bed.

-=-

Gary got home by four, feeling pretty good about getting the work done a whole hour earlier than normal. He climbed the stairs to his floor, thinking about Emma and hoping she'd enjoyed today's photo shoot. He really was proud of her.

Smiling, he opened his door, but the apartment was empty. She hadn't said anything about being away all day.

He heard a noise in the hall and opened the door quickly. "Emma?"

A pretty blonde and a tall dark-haired man were just passing the door with grocery bags in their hands and stopped to look at him.

The woman smiled. "No, sorry. You must be Gary! I'm Sam, and this is Raphael."

"Ah, sorry. Hello! I was expecting Emma to be home by now, and she's not here."

"Maybe she's out with the mouthbreather again," Raphael offered.

"Raphael!" Sam scolded.

"Mouthbreather? You mean Dennis?" Gary asked cautiously.

Sam snorted in amusement at Gary's accurate guess. "Sorry. I guess she doesn't know too many others who fit that description?"

Gary noticed Raphael was enjoying Sam's smile. "No. Dennis is her boss, and I agree with the description though I know better than to say it in front of Emma. He's doing good things for her career." A wave of unease went through Gary at the notion.

"Like making her drunk on wine?" Raphael added.

"Raphael! Honestly!" Sam exclaimed in surprise.

Gary locked eyes with the tall man. "Is that what happened? She looked a little rough this morning. She doesn't drink." Raphael nodded.

He pulled out his cell and banged off a quick message to her.

He realized the couple was waiting to hear the response.

When his phone pinged, he quickly read the message and stared at it for a moment. She had three classes on Sunday, too? She wouldn't be getting home until sometime past ten. That meant their ability to spend time together on the weekends had been whittled down to minutes. He sighed in disappointment.

He sent a quick message back. "Proud of you. Love you. See you tonight."

"Well?" Sam asked.

"Oh, uh, Emma now teaches fitness classes on Sundays, too. She won't be home until late," Gary said.

"Does this mean you don't have dinner plans?" Sam asked with a bright smile, and Raphael looked at her in surprise.

Gary saw the interchange and tried to make an excuse. "I'm good. I'll just heat up some leftovers."

"Nonsense! Please have dinner with us. It's the neighborly thing to do," she said with a grin, then fixed a look at Raphael.

"Please join us," he said, though Gary could tell he was only asking to avoid a tongue lashing from Sam.

He grinned. "If it isn't too much of an imposition."

"Not at all, but you'll need to bring your own chair for the table," Sam said with a sweet smile.

Gary nodded. "I just got back from work, so I need to get cleaned up. What time would you like me to come over?"

"How about seven?" Sam suggested, and Gary nodded.

"See you then. Thanks!" he said and watched which door Rachael went to so he knew which one to knock on. Sam grinned and pointed to the door.

Gary waved and went inside.

Sitting in all those tiny little backrooms of the shops all day with the mustiness or strange smells always left him feeling a little funky. At least he felt a sense of accomplishment when he left each place. Most of his clients were getting the hang of tracking their expenses properly, and their books were in better shape than they'd been when he approached them. His philosophy of teaching his clients to be self-sufficient was a double-edged sword. It also meant that some of them would soon no longer need him. That would be problematic for his cash flow.

This returned his thoughts to how he was looking to make money with his music. He was still uncomfortable about potentially ruining his method for decompressing.

But he was out of options.

He took off his jacket and held it up to his nose. It carried multiple scents from the shops he'd been in and Jasmine's perfume. He realized he had time to get a load of laundry in before dinner with his neighbors. He emptied the pockets and felt something stiff in the inside one. He pulled out some folded papers and pressed them flat on the kitchen table. He realized this was the contract Stefan left for him to sign.

Gary frowned as he hadn't put this in his jacket. Thinking about it, he suspected it had been Selina as she was so keen for him to work with her. He recalled Stefano said he'd pick it up in the morning, so he hoped Selina didn't get in trouble.

He began reading it, but it quickly slipped into legalese, so he stuffed it into his backpack to bring to school. He'd show it to one of his profs who had some background in contracts and get his advice on signing it.

Gary took a quick shower and pulled on his sweats to do the laundry. His jacket went into the bag, and off he went to the basement.

Laundry. Yay.

-=-

Selina had been floating on cloud nine all day. She and Greg listened to the jam session recordings, and they knew they were going to have a guaranteed best-selling album on their hands. Her career was going to get a big boost from this!

The tracks she'd selected were already fan favorites, but with Gary's unique and distinct spin on each of them, it was like a full album of new hits.

The idea to add a new track was brilliant, as was the song itself, but now she was waffling on calling it a greatest hits album or a selection of reimagined favorites with a bonus track. She giggled to herself as this was a wonderful problem to have.

She wondered where Greg had gone. When she called out for him, he didn't respond, so she searched the house. She finally spotted him through the glass in the small studio they'd built in their basement. It wasn't big enough for the recording they would do with Gary, but it was fine for her to practice her singing.

She could see Greg talking on his cell phone. No... he was yelling. His face was all red as well. She frowned as she didn't want to lose this wonderful, joyous feeling, but she was worried for Greg. It wasn't healthy to be that angry.

She tried the door, but it was locked! What the hell?

She knocked, then walked back to the window. Greg was talking and looking in her direction and waved. He hung up his cell and left the studio to join her in the hall.

"Baby, you look like you're about to have a stroke! Are you okay? Who was that on the phone?" she asked in concern.

Greg sighed and tried to wave it off, but she wouldn't have it, so he had to answer. "That was just Stefano. You know how he can get."

"What was he upset about now?" she said stiffly.

Greg rolled his eyes, but she held her ground. "Stefano was supposed to pick up the contract this morning, and I've been looking for it for hours. We think... we think Gary might have taken it."

Selina looked at Greg in confusion. "He needs to sign it. He wanted to read it. Why shouldn't he have it until he can sign it?"

"So, he did take it?" Greg asked with a stern look.

"No, I put it in the pocket of his coat so he couldn't forget to take it and sign it--what's that look for? I ask again, what's the harm in him having the document so he can read and sign it?"

Greg was pinching his eyes closed like she'd done something stupid. Her back went up. She wasn't going to take any shit from either Greg or Stefano on this unless they clearly explained the mistake, if there even was one.

"It's a legal document with Stefano's corporate seal on it. It should have remained either with him or me."

Selina crossed her arms before her. "Why?"

"I just said why!" Greg barked.

"No, you said what. What you wanted to happen. You didn't explain why Gary shouldn't be allowed to take the document with him to review and sign. This is what we asked of him," Selina insisted.

"You know what? I'm done with this today. First, I have Stefano yelling at me, and now you. Fuck it! I'm going out." Greg snapped and marched upstairs. Selina rushed after him.

"You didn't answer my question!" she complained.

He glared at her, grabbed his jacket and keys, and stormed out of their home.

Selina gaped at the closed door. She rushed into the living room and grabbed her cell phone to call Greg, but he refused to answer.

Then she dialed Stefano to get an answer from him, but it went directly to voice mail. He never responded to her messages, so she didn't bother leaving one.

Selina dropped her butt on the couch, flopped back, and stared at the ceiling in frustration.

So much for her positive feeling of joy.

-=-

Gary knocked on his neighbor's door while carrying a kitchen chair in one hand and his guitar case in the other.

Raphael opened the door, and his eyes widened in surprise. "You brought your guitar?"

Gary's face heated up. "I-I was told not to come empty-handed. So, I bring the gift of music?"

Sam suddenly appeared at Raphael's elbow.

"Yes!" she exclaimed suddenly, clapping her hands together, startling both men.

She laughed at the expressions on their faces. "Come in, Gary. So sorry to spook you." She pushed Raphael away from the door with an impatient look and grinned at their guest. Gary handed the chair in the door first, which Raphael reached for and carried to the kitchen while Sam led Gary to the living room.

"Who told you to bring your guitar?" she asked.

Gary shook his head gently. "This is the first time I've accepted an invitation to a neighbor's place for dinner. Emma is my expert in social conventions, but she's working, so I texted my mom. She said I should bring something, like a bottle of wine, flowers, or dessert." He saw a small bouquet of flowers on the table already. "We don't drink. We don't eat dessert. So music is all I have to offer."

Sam's smile was brilliant, but Raphael gave him a concerned look. "We're not expecting you to sing for your supper."

Gary chuckled. "Thank god, because my singing voice is terrible." He patted the guitar case. "Have guitar, will travel."

He froze as an odd expression of pain and anger quickly crossed Raphael's face for a second before he locked it away.

"Please excuse me for a moment," the tall man said, then walked into the next room as Gary watched him in concern. He looked at Sam contritely.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong," Gary said earnestly.

Sam shook her head. "No, Raphael will be fine. He just needs a moment."

She gestured for him to sit on the couch, so they did.

"You have a lovely home," Gary said, and Sam smiled gratefully.

"Emma tells us you're studying to be an accountant," Sam said to keep the conversation going.

Raphael returned wearing a different shirt and joined them. "How does playing guitar with famous singers fit into the accountancy world?"

Gary laughed with a self-conscious smile, defusing Sam's sudden flare of outrage. "They seem as far apart as can be, don't they?" He shook his head. "I'm good with math, and I enjoy the structure of accounting, but music relaxes me. I had some lessons early on, but we couldn't afford to keep them going, so I taught myself."

"Emma told me you were the one accompanying Selina Moreno on her recently released song," Sam said, and Gary nodded. "You're that good and self-taught?"

Gary shook his head with a grin. "You could say I learned from the masters by watching their videos in the library at school. I had good teachers and a deep passion for music. It really does relax me."

"And now you're going to make money with it," Raphael said.

Gary looked at him and nodded. "It's so expensive to live here compared to the small hick town I grew up. I can't afford not to."

Raphael nodded as he was aware of the extra expense of living in the city. "We came from a small city, and we noticed the bump in expenses too."

"Emma and I are from a farming community, and the town gets a little smaller every year. I grew up on a farm which was a lot of tough manual labor, and my parent struggled against forces they had no control over. We had some tough times, and I watched the strain that put on my mother. I discovered I was good at math and helped my mom track our finances. I could never be a farmer, but accounting is a solid and dependable occupation. Once I get established, I intend to send money back to my mother to help them out," he said with conviction.

Gary's words seemed to strike a chord with Raphael as a smile appeared on his face. He nodded to his guest in approval.

The stove timer binged, and Sam jumped up to check on dinner. "It's just a simple spaghetti with meat sauce. Oh! I should have asked if you're vegan!" she gasped.

"Not vegan!" Gary said with a grin.

Sam smiled in relief. "Great! Take a seat. It's ready."

Raphael and Gary took seats at the table, and Sam brought them plates of spaghetti with meat sauce poured over top. Gary smiled as it smelled very good.

"Water to drink?" Sam asked, and Gary nodded.

"We also don't drink alcohol," Raphael said.

Once Sam joined the table, they dug in and enjoyed the wonderful meal.

Their conversation revolved around living in the building, the different courses they were in, and Gary's and Raphael's part-time jobs.

Finally, they finished and eased back from the table.

"That was delicious! Thank you so much for the meal! Can I help tidy up?" Gary asked.

Sam smiled and curtsied. "You are most welcome. Raphael has clean-up duty, so please have a seat in the living room and relax. More water?"

"Yes, please," Gary said and handed her his glass. When she handed it back full, he carried it to the living room and put it on a coaster on the table next to the couch.

Sam joined him and sat on the couch with a wide smile. "How did you meet Selina?"

Gary smiled self-consciously. "I've been going to Rocky's on Thursdays as they have open mic nights then. I just wanted to get over my stage fright."

"You have stage fright?" Sam exclaimed.

Gary looked at her surprised expression and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm pretty shy. I don't like being the center of attention." Raphael joined them, sitting in an old armchair next to the sofa. He nodded to Gary.

"Did going up on stage help?" Sam asked.

He smiled gently. "Yes, and no. It took some time to get used to playing before the usual small group of regulars. I think the most people I'd seen in the place before the night with Selina was eighteen, and that night there was a group in the bar for a birthday party. On the night Selina came, the place was packed, maybe sixty people. It totally unnerved me, but Emma got me through it."

"Can you play something for us?" Sam asked hopefully.

Gary smiled and nodded. "I'd be delighted."

He took his guitar from the case and ensured it was in tune. "What would you like to hear?" he asked once he was ready.

"What do you know best?" Sam asked with a wide grin.

"I've been practicing Flamenco pieces as they are complex and push my skills. Asturias by Isaac Albéniz is my current go-to piece." He glanced over at Raphael as he seemed to be stiffening up. He seemed to have a Hispanic background, but maybe Flamenco wasn't his favorite kind of music.

"Or... I could play something a little more contemporary." He suddenly grinned. "I know! I played this one in front of the entire school. They seemed to like it. Of course, I used an electric guitar when I played it."

He began to play Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, and Sam clapped her hands happily. Even Raphael seemed to relax and smiled.

When he was done, Gary tilted his head. "Yeah, that one was better on the electric guitar." He looked expectantly at Sam. "Any requests?"

Several songs later, Raphael made a request.

"Gary, would you play Asturias for Sam?"

He looked to the man, who seemed more relaxed now. "Sure."

Gary took some deep breaths and closed his eyes. He would need to fully open himself up to this piece because of its complexity, but this became a little easier each time he played it.

Sam held her breath as the music began and released it slowly as she let the music transport her to distant lands. She glanced at Raphael, and his eyes were closed too, but the stiffness in his body was gone. She smiled and allowed her cares to float away.

When the music came to an end, Sam sighed.

"That was so lovely, Gary. Thank you so much for playing for us."

"It was my pleasure. Thank you for a great evening. I should go home and get some rest as I have an exam tomorrow," he said as he carefully placed his guitar back in its case and secured it.

Sam looked at him in surprise. "Shouldn't you have been studying tonight?"