Same Time Next Week (Ch 61)
Obviously, she still had her key. Obviously, Jackson hadn't changed the locks. Subconsciously, perhaps, he'd been waiting for this moment. The moment that Kim returned.
Time spent in the studio was always therapeutic, no matter what else was going on. Once Jackson entered the dark, closed off room with the flashing lights and expansive control board, he was in another world, on another planet, a part of another universe.
Hours passed quickly, songs piled up, ideas flowed. This space, this zone was the only place where Jackson felt like he knew anything or had any kind of expertise. It was the only place where, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he had it together. He knew every inch of every song, every nuance of every note. He knew what it was supposed to sound like...it would be his job to push the engineer to make those sounds happen. It was Rod's job to agree with him.
A few hours into the mixing session, Jackson called a break. His thoughts traveled back to Rod's comment about being up to his old tricks. Jackson was determined to not be the same guy, to not hole himself up in a soundproof booth and stare off into space and think about how he'd fucked up his life this time. He was determined to learn something this time. To move on, but be smart about it. Maybe he'd take a break from women altogether. Focus on his music.
Jackson sat across from Rod, who was telling a hysterically funny story about his last date-gone-wrong. Rod either had great dates or terrible dates. He'd never had a mediocre evening in his life. Jackson half listened, laughing at the appropriate moments, but his mind was elsewhere. For all his bravado and new goals about getting over Shelby and moving on, he sort of hoped she'd call. Or text. Or instant message. Or send a carrier pigeon. Or fly to LA and tell him she wanted him and she wanted to be with him…and by the way, would he like to hear her life story?
But no call came. No text messages, nor instant messages. There was an intense, incredibly loud, painful silence from Shelby. That hurt the most.
