"Okay, but text me. I might be with a patient. I'll call you back."

"All right."

I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. To my horror, I found a fat tear squeezing its way out of my eye. Damn it!

"Oh, Kenna," he breathed. His angry face descended. "This is such bullshit!"

"I-I'm sorry!" I sniffled. I didn't want to make him mad.

He cupped my face in his hands, thumbing off the tear. "Naw, Baby Girl, I ain't mad at you. I'm just mad I have to go."

"Don't be. I love who you are, and this is a part-"

We both froze, our eyes growing wide, as we stared at each other.

Phil sucked in a deep breath.

Did I just tell him- Oh, shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!

"I mean, uh...th-that's, um..."

I just closed my eyes because he was holding my face, and I didn't think he'd let me turn my head to look away. Instead of pitching a little bitch fit, he tightly hauled me into his arms and crushed my mouth with his. Sucking on my tongue, he moaned deep in his chest. He was like a man dying of thirst, and there I was, a tall glass of cool water.

Catcalls started projecting from the van, but we were impervious to them.

Against my chest, his heart hammered madly.

When we broke the kiss, he moaned, "Oh God..."

He pressed his Third Eye to mine.

Love and love and love...

"Hey, man! We gotta go!" Jason shouted, sounding irritated.

Reluctantly, Phil pulled back, his eyes shining suspiciously bright in the gray dawn light. He was breathing heavily, and I could see him struggling to swallow, as though he was fighting back tears.

"Go," I said softly, giving him a big smile.

"Kenna, I-"

"Go, you big baby!" I laughed, giving him a playful shove. "I'll see you at the airport on Friday, okay?"

I could see it in his eyes, right at the surface. He wanted to tell me, but it really wasn't the time nor the place, and if I hadn't been half asleep, I'd never have said it myself.

It doesn't really count.

Yes, it did. Of course it did. I was feeling it. When I hadn't been controlling my thoughts, it'd popped out so naturally.

He shrugged his bag up onto his shoulder, kissed my Third Eye, and then turned and headed for the van. He looked back one last time, giving me the Lady Killer, and then he hopped in before sliding the door shut.

The vibrant colors of the world faded into gray fog again.

Friday felt like an eternity away.

Talk about the days dragging ass.

Monday had sucked. Phil had arrived in New York at noon, and since I had been on my lunch break, I had talked to him for a bit. But he'd had to go into the studio pretty much immediately, and I hadn't gotten to hear from him until late that night.

Tuesday had sucked. He'd called me before I headed to work, but they had been filming for Metal Madness hour and had gone straight back into the studio, so we'd hardly gotten to speak to each other at all that day.

So far, Wednesday was a little better, but it still sucked.

On my lunch break, my phone chimed with a text message.

Your Phil: I'm in New York, missing the fuck out of my Baby Girl. I'm trying not to be miserable. I want to hear your voice. Call me.

So I did.

He picked up after the first ring. "Hey, Baby Girl."

"Hey, yourself. I got about forty-five minutes. What are you up to?"

"We're gonna be heading back into the studio. A film crew is takin' footage to make a video of 'Louisiana Baby.' I think they're gonna edit it with clips from our shows."

"Cool! Will they be playing it on Metal Madness Hour tomorrow?"

I could practically hear the smile in his voice at my naivete.

"No, it won't be ready in time."

"Damn."

"What do you have planned for tonight?"

"Me and my bitches are going to go out for dinner. We're thinking it might be fun to pick up some hairy bikers at a bar. You know, break up the monotony of the typical Wednesday. I tried to get laid with this guy on Sunday, but it didn't really pan out, so...still got the urge going."

Oh, damn, he's going to reach through the phone and strangle me.

I was trying so hard not to laugh.

He was awfully silent.

"Hello?"

"Baby Girl."

Oh, good.

It was his angry voice, and it made me insta-wet. I wasn't sure if it was an unhealthy sign on my part, or if it was just that his already ridiculously deep voice had pitched itself even deeper, but I simply loved the sound of it.

"Yes?" I innocently inquired.

"That pussy is mine. I ain't sharin' it with anyone, and neither are you."

"Well-"

"Baby Girl!" he barked.

I jumped in my seat even though I was a thousand miles away from him.

"There's only one man who I'll share it with, and that's you," I assured him.

"Too fuckin' right."

"The same goes for you, mister. You keep that monster dick of yours clean-and no blow jobs from groupies either!"

"Baby Girl, you've ruined all other blow jobs for me."

"Too fuckin' right," I retorted.

He busted out laughing. "I miss you, Kenna. This really sucks. And you know what the worst is?"

"What's that?"

"I'm gonna be a walkin' hard-on for two more days. I got a case of blue balls that would bring a lesser man to his knees. It even fuckin' hurts to sit."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I could kick your ass for being such a gentleman and not wanting to fuck and leave. I've been touching myself way more than what would be considered normal."

He groaned and said, "I wanted to so bad. I've never wanted anything more."

"I know," I said softly.

"It's just the beginning, I promise." His voice sounded raw.

"That was one hell of a beginning." My voice sounded pretty raw as well. I started laughing.

"What?"

"I just think it's funny how the tables are flipped. You wanted to wait, and I had no qualms about fucking you and watching you leave. I guess we know who's the debauched one in this relationship."

"You know, I think you're right."

"Ass."

"Pervert."

Alys, Lili, and I ended up going to The Bony Fish, a local seafood and steakhouse for dinner. So far, I'd been a little nervous about broaching the subject of Phil coming and staying the night on Friday, but after a pitcher of strawberry margaritas, the liquid courage calmed my nerves.

"So, I asked Phil to have dinner with us on Friday. I'll be picking him up at the airport, and I thought that...well, he really wants to know where we live."

"Sounds good," said Alys, nodding.

"I've also asked him if he'd like to stay the night."

"Okay." Alys replied.

"And I was hoping you two would go somewhere else."

Lili shot a mean glare my way while Alys busted out laughing.

"Why do we have to leave?" huffed Lili.

"So, they can have wild sex, Lili. Remember what that was like?" said Alys.

"It's been a while," grumbled Lili. "Why don't you just stay at his place again? Wasn't Sunday wild enough?"

My face blazed red. Actually, it might have been giving off a slight glow.

"Oh my God! You guys didn't have sex on Sunday?" Lili asked, incredulous.

"We wanted to wait," I muttered lamely. "He didn't want to throw it in and then leave."

"How noble of him," said Alys, meaning it.

"I still don't see why we have to leave-"

"For God's sake, Lili!" said Alys. "She wants to have some privacy, and she wants to be home so she can feel comfortable!"

"It's our home, too-"

Alys turned to me, holding up her hand in front of Lili's face. "It's no problem, Kenna. We'll stay at my parents' house. They won't mind."

"Thanks," I said.

Lili asked, "What do you plan on making for dinner?"

"What would you like to have, Lili?" I asked, mentally kicking myself for doing so.

She'd make a diabolical request just because she'd have to leave the house.

"Chicken and steak fajitas with homemade tortillas."

"Jeez, Lili, way to fucking milk the situation," bristled Alys.

"Hey, I'm being kicked out of my home! I should at least get a decent dinner for it!"

"It's fine. We can have that," I said.