Angela looked around and found the cafe her friend had told her about. It was called the Player’s Cafe and her friend June had said that the atmosphere there was great. She saw the silver plaque baring the name of the place by the front door and pulled on the door handles. Oddly enough, they were shaped like hockey sticks. The door opened easily and Angela walked in.

June had visited Sheffield a few months ago and said the cafe was usually quiet during the day, but full of life at night. Especially when there was a soccer match on the TV. She needed some quiet, so she got there at about one o’clock in the afternoon.

Her cousin had invited Angela to spend some time with her in Sheffield to help get over a rough divorce. Her husband had left her for a twenty year old woman who, according to David, “didn’t bitch as much.” In truth, during their ten year relationship, David had been a terror to live with. While he’d never physically abused her and didn’t drink or do drugs, he controlled everything she did. Mentally, he tortured her with constant reminders that she’d never been the ‘love of his life’. That honor had been left to a woman he’d loved and lost two years before he’d met Angela. In the first year together of their marriage, he’d been sweet, taking care of everything for her and sheltering her from her own rough past. She’d been twenty then and looking for just that kind of man. But as she grew older, she grew to hate his constant control. The more she tried to do for herself, the more David tightened his hold over her. He told her what to wear, what to watch on television and what music she could listen to. David liked country, so Angela was forced a steady diet of Willie Nelson and the Judds. She hated it.

When David left her, he’d taken everything. The only thing he’d left her was the clothes she’d rescued from the garbage. So, when Clara’d called with the offer of a visit, Angela’d jumped at the chance and packed her few remaining belongs up to fly out the next day. But Clara had three kids, which wasn’t the most helpful environment to sit and think out the rest of her life. So she’d headed out to this cafe to try and find a little peace of mind.

As it turned out, the place was a cross between the Hard Rock cafe and a sports bar. When she walked in, she spotted a white board that had been signed by what appeared to be a bunch of sports stars. The opposite wall contained autographed photos, including one of what looked to be a bunch of soccer players in Union Jack shirts. She glanced over them quickly, but didn’t recognize anybody.

She walked into the merchandise shop and looked around carefully. She picked up a black t-shirt with the cafe’s logo on it and paid for it at the counter before walking out into the bar. Then she paused to look at some of the memorabilia displayed in cases along the wall. Most of it was sports related, but there were some guitars and clothing from some rock band as well. She glanced over at the wood and brass bar, but opted to sit at a corner table for the moment. The waiter came over and took her order for a Tequila Sunrise and headed off to the bar to get it. When he returned with her drink, she ordered a salad, then sat back and opened a book she’d brought with her. She sat quietly in her corner, looking up occasionally to survey the other patrons of the bar.

She was absorbed in her book when two men took a seat at the table next to her. She couldn’t help but notice as one of them, a tall man with shoulder length blond curls, sat down facing her. He gave her a broad smile before turning back to his companion. The man was asking, “So, she threw you out again, huh?”

“Yeah, and she did it proper like this time! Packed a bunch of my clothes, threw my guitars in their cases and sat the lot on the front porch to wait for me to get home. She even remembered to put my passes to see Wednesday play in there, so I think its finally over. Now my lawyer will have to remind her that its MY house she threw me out of!” the blond man said with a shake of his head.

Intrigued, Angela couldn’t help but listen. Sounded like his wife had done the same thing to him that David had done to her. But she made one adjustment to that thought as the blond continued to speak, “Thank God I couldn’t marry the bloody bitch! That’s the only thing I can honestly thank Dara and her damned Irish divorce for!”

So, he wasn’t married after all! She looked up from the book she was now pretending to read and found him staring at her. He smiled at her again, causing the blood to rush to her face. She buried her nose back in her book and tried to keep reading. But the words kept jumping around on the page because she couldn’t concentrate on them. And every time she glanced up, the blond was looking her way.

Then she heard him continue to speak, “Why else would I be staying here in Sheffield? I mean, I love it here, but I don’t feel like running into her majesty’s tax collectors because I spent too long in England!”

She couldn’t hear what his companion said, but he replied, “I’ve only been here a couple of days, so I should be good for a few more weeks.” She found herself collecting information about him as she eavesdropped on his conversation. That beautiful British accent pegged him as a native of this area, though he was living somewhere else to avoid English income tax. He was either divorced or in the process of it. He thought the relationship he was in at the moment was over. And, as her eyes told her every time she looked up at him, he was drop dead gorgeous!

Angela closed her book slowly, giving up reading as a bad job. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked around the bar again. The waiter appeared, bringing her the food she’d ordered and she dug in hungrily. Trying to avoid looking back at the blond, she spotted a newspaper and went over to purchase one. She opened it carefully and held it between her and the blond as she ate. The dizzy feeling she was getting every time she looked at him couldn’t be healthy.

She saw the blonde's companion get up and walk away from their table, heading back to what looked like the office of the bar. She waited to see if he got up and left too, but after a minute she realized he wasn’t going to. She’d just speared a large chunk of lettuce and put it in her mouth when the corner of her paper seemed to bend down of it’s own will. Peering over it at her was the striking blond man from the next table. “Hello!” he said cheerfully.

Putting a hand up to her face to cover her full mouth, she nodded to acknowledge the greeting. Then she chewed furiously, trying to gulp down the mouthful of lettuce. He gave a laugh that she thought was utterly charming as he waited for her to swallow. “I’m sorry,” he laughed. “I didn’t mean to surprise you! This newspaper was simply interfering with the most lovely view!”

She finally managed to swallow and mumbled, “Thank you!”

“Mind if I sit down?” he asked.

“No, go right ahead,” she said nervously. The last thing she’d expected was for him to ask to join her. He pulled up a chair and asked, almost anxiously, “Are you meeting someone here?”

“No, just trying to get away from my cousin’s kids. They’re darlings, but I can only take so much of them right now!” she said with a laugh.

“I can understand that! My brother’s children are the same way,” he laughed. “What brings you here?”

“A friend of mine said she really liked this place and insisted I check it out while I’m in Sheffield. I have to say, June was definitely right, the atmosphere during the day is quite relaxing,” she smiled.

“That’s good to know. So what brings you to these shores? I don’t quite think you’re British,” he inquired.

“No, actually, I’m from the States,” she admitted.

“I kind of thought that,” he said with a smile. “The States are pretty big. Sounds like you’re from somewhere in the North, by your accent.”

“Yeah, Ohio to be exact,” she said, suddenly shy. Why on earth was she telling him all about herself?

“Lovely country, that. I’ve been through there a few times,” he said.

“Really? I can’t imagine what on earth someone from England would want with my little corner of the world,” she laughed. “There’s not much there. Do you have relatives there or something?”

“Or something. I’ve traveled around the States quite a bit,” he said with a secretive smile. She looked into his lovely blue eyes and wondered just who the hell he was. He looked up and saw his companion returning and shot her a guilty look, saying, “Guess it’s time I get back to business! Are you going to be in town long?”

“Probably another couple of weeks,” she said quietly.

“Come back tomorrow! Maybe we’ll get out of here and I’ll take you to see my town!” he said and smiled down at her. She would have walked fifty miles to see that smile directed at her.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Same time?” she asked.

“Um, that should be fine. See you then,” he said and walked towards the man he’d been sitting with.

Angela stood up and took her bill over to the register. The man behind the counter looked over at the blond, who shook his head at him before turning away. The man turned back to her and said, “It’s taken care of ma’am.”

“Oh, really? Why, thank him for me,” she said with a smile. Then she took her new t-shirt and walked out of the bar. As she got in a cab to head back to her cousin’s house, she realized that she had no idea who the man she’d been talking to was. She hadn’t even gotten his name. She thought about him the whole way to Clara’s house, but as she walked in the door, the normal mayhem of the house took over. She put all thoughts of the beautiful blond stranger out of her mind as one of the children ran over to show her his latest invention.

The next morning, Angela woke with a smile on her face. It felt like forever before it was time to leave for the cafe. Finally, at twelve o’clock, she couldn’t wait any longer and headed out, book in tow. When she arrived, she sat at the same table and looked around her nervously. There was no sign of the blond anywhere. She was a half hour early, so she dove into her book and tried to get this mystery man out of her mind for a while. The waiter kept the Sunrises coming with barely a nod from Angela. She looked at her watch as he delivered her third drink. It was nearly two o’clock, she noted with dismay. Perhaps he’d thought better of meeting her and decided to stay away. After another half an hour, she rose to go and stopped to pay her check. “Ma’am, weren’t you supposed to wait for the boss?” the teller asked.

“I don’t know. He said to meet him here the same time as yesterday, but that was over an hour and a half ago. Guess he’s not coming,” she sighed. So, she knew he was at least the manager of this place.

“Well, he told me to make sure you didn’t pay for anything while you were here, so guess today’s on him,” he said with a smile. “Would you like to leave a message for him?”

“Just tell him I might stop back sometime later this week, okay?” she said slowly. Then she walked out the door and hailed a cab. At the same time she was getting into the cab, the blond haired man ran into the bar looking quite flustered. He looked around hopefully, then realized Angela wasn’t there. He walked up to the cashier, who immediately said, “You just missed her! She left not three minutes ago.”

Without a word, he sprinted out the front door, hoping she wasn’t having any luck getting a taxi. As he crossed the threshold of the building, he saw her pulling away in the back of a cab. Cursing his bad luck, he wandered back in the bar and headed for the table where he’d first seen her. There, open and faced down, sat the book she’d been reading. A book about Henry VIII and his wives, he picked it up, careful not to lose her place, and marked it with a napkin. Then he took it with him. At least then he was pretty sure he’d have to see her again. Nobody liked giving up a book in the middle.

Angela looked around in the cab as she reached Clara’s house. She couldn’t find her book anywhere. Suddenly she realized that she’d left it at the club. Since she had nothing better to do, she told the cabbie to go back to the Player’s Club to retrieve her book. She walked into the club and headed straight for the table she’d been sitting at. Only her book wasn’t there. Walking up to the cashier, she asked, “Did anyone find a book at my table?”

He motioned over her shoulder as she heard that deep British voice say, “Looking for this, luv?”

She spun around and found herself face to face with the beautiful blond man of the day before. Speechless, she held out her hand to take the book from him. He handed it to her gently, whispering, “What, not even a hello?”

“Oh, hi,” she said breathlessly.

“Forget about our date, luv?” he asked softly.

“Actually, I thought you had,” she replied. “I waited for almost two hours for you to show up.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized quietly. “Business just got the better of me and I lost track of time. Accept my apology and let me take you out to dinner?”

Looking up into those blue eyes, she knew she couldn’t be mad at him. She answered shyly, “Sure, but one thing first.”

“What’s that?” he asked curiously.

“What the hell is your name?” she asked and he laughed. “How rude of me. I’m Rick Savage, but all my mates just call me Sav. Now, your turn to quit being rude and allow me to know your name.”

“Oh, me? I’m Angela Teleri.” She held out her hand and said, “Nice to meet you!”

“The pleasure is all mine, Angela,” he said quietly as a smile spread slowly across his face.

“Are you the manager here?” she inquired.

“Actually, I’m part owner, along with a couple of other people,” he said. That explained why he was here so much, but never seemed to really be working.

She smiled up at him and asked, “So, what would you like to do this afternoon?”

“Do you like soccer?” he asked hopefully.

“Well, remember, in the States, soccer’s not real big. I’ve watched a match or two, but never really gotten into it. Why?” she asked, seeing the disappointment on his face.

“Well, I’ve got season passes to see Sheffield Wednesday play and they have a match this afternoon, so I was wondering if you’d like to go with me?” The look in his eyes pleaded for her to say yes and she couldn’t deny him.

“Well, you’ll have to explain it to me, but I’m up for it,” she said hurriedly.

“That, my dear, will be my pleasure. My mates all think soccer is the only thing I’ve got on my brain nowadays,” he said, smiling down at her. Every time he smiled, her heart melted a little more. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to be nothing but a puddle at his feet. She took the arm he offered and let him lead her out to his car. He opened the door for her and allowed her to slip into the passenger seat of the sleek car before going round and getting into the driver’s seat. The car started with a throaty purr and Sav shifted it into gear. He flipped on the radio and groaned. Angela wondered what he was moaning about, because the song playing was absolutely beautiful. She closed her eyes and listened as the singer sang, “Got the time-got a chance gonna make it-Got my hands on your heart gonna take it -All I know, can't fight this flame”.

Sav looked at her expectantly as she said, “This is a beautiful song. Who sings it?”

Stunned, Sav said, “Def Leppard. You’ve never heard it before?”

“No, my ex-husband hated rock. I haven’t heard anything but country western for ten years. Last thing I remember from Def Leppard was, um, I think ‘Love Bites’, which was another gorgeous song. I used to listen to Hysteria all the time, til...” her voice faded away and Sav looked at her, concerned. Then she said, a bit sadly, “I used to love hard rock, but he never wanted to hear it. After we got married, I was lucky to get in an occasional Journey song without him screaming about it.”

“I like Journey, myself,” Sav said quietly. He’d just realized that she had absolutely no idea what his day job was. He wondered if he should tell her, but it didn’t seem like the right time to spring it on her. She seemed lost in something rather painful and he tried to think of some way to cheer her up as they pulled into the parking lot of the stadium. He opened her car door for her and helped her out, then took her by the hand and led her to their seats.

Once the match started, Sav paid close attention to the field, yet managed to answer every question Angela asked him. He explained what each player’s job was on the field thoroughly. Then he answered her questions about penalty kicks and how it was decided which team got to throw the ball back in. By the time the match was over, he’d described every nuance of the game to her until she thought she might even be able to play a match. And with every question she asked, his eyes had lit up. She could tell he had a real passion for the game. Then she asked, “Do you play?”

“Well, every chance I get when I’m together with my mates. They always let me captain the team, because I, well, um...” He cut off, not wanting to sound like he was bragging. But he knew he wanted her to know more about him, so he said, “Well, I played center forward with a pro team for a couple of years when I was a teenager, before I got on with my real job.”

Fascinated, she asked, “Why’d you quit?”

“Well, I wasn’t near as good as I’d like to think I was. Nothing on the caliber of the guys you saw today. But I still love to play every chance I get.” He paused and said, “I keep a soccer ball in the car at all times, just in case.”

It was still early, so Angela asked, “Hey, is there a park nearby?”

“Yeah, not far from here actually. Want to stop by there?” he asked.

“Sure!” she said enthusiastically.

Sav drove them to the park, only a short distance away. They got out of the car and Angela looked at him playfully. “So, go get your soccer ball! I want to see you move it around here.”

With a broad grin, Sav popped the trunk of his car open and pulled out the ball. They got out on the grass and Sav tossed the ball on the ground. Kicking it around, he moved gracefully over the grass. She watched, amazed, as he hit the ball with almost all of his extremities, even knocking it with his head once or twice. Then he kicked the ball over to her and said, “You try it!”

She gave the ball a soft kick back to him and he passed it back to her. “Oh, come on, you won’t hurt me! Give it a boot!”

As the ball came back to her, she kicked it a good bit harder, right it him. He met it with his shoulder and it bounced right back to her. They passed it back and forth, while Sav occasionally got to show off a bit. She laughed as he bounced the ball off his head back to her. Then he unintentionally kicked it a bit too hard and it caught her in the shoulder, knocking her down. Sav rushed over to her and bent down, saying, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, you just caught me off guard,” she said, struggling to stand up again. He helped her to her feet and they stood face to face for a moment. He put a gentle hand on her cheek and she smiled up at him. Then she turned away quickly and picked up the ball, throwing it to him again. She wasn’t sure she was ready to let those emotions boil to the surface yet. Her wounds from David were still to raw, no matter how sweet Sav was. Confused, Sav passed the ball back to her more carefully, not wanting to hurt her again. He wasn’t sure why she’d just backed away from him. Maybe she just wasn’t as interested in him as he thought. He let it go for a while and they continued to play around with the ball. Finally, he got the ball and dribbled it quickly all around her, spinning her in a circle. After two laps around her, she got dizzy and fell back to the ground. He pulled her up, resolving not to make the same mistake twice. But when she looked up at him, he lost himself in her deep brown eyes. Before he realized what he was doing, his hand was on the back of her neck and he pulled her lips to his, kissing her tenderly.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from him. She gave him a regretful look as she moved back. “Angela, did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“No, it’s not you. It’s me,” she said and he could hear her tears in her voice as she turned away. He laid a soft hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her without knowing what was wrong. Then he pulled away and said quietly, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. Do you want me to take you home?”

“No, I’m really enjoying myself. I just, well, I’ve got a lot of private demons to get over,” she tried to explain. She looked up at him and saw the hurt in his eyes. “Please, let’s just enjoy ourselves? I really like you. A lot.”

“Well, I like you too,” he said quietly. “Hey, let me take you to dinner, okay? I know a good Indian place close by.”

“Hmm, I’ve never had Indian food before. Guess it’s a day for new experiences for me, huh?” she said, giving him a smile.

He picked up the soccer ball and took her hand gently. “Let’s go!”

He drove her to a restaurant called Delhi Junction. As they walked past the stone lions out front he said, “Well, it’s not all authentic Indian, but it’s pretty good.”

“You’ll have to order for me, because I have no idea what’s what here. Just don’t kill me with the spices, okay?” she said, smiling up at him. He stared down at her, enjoying the look of trust on her face after the way she’d back away from him in the park. Maybe there was still some hope yet.

“Okay, but you’ve got to at least try what I order, promise?” he said with a grin.

She gulped and said, “Um, okay.”

The waiter seated them and Sav looked over the menu. “Um, how little spice is going to be too much?”

“Well,” she said thoughtfully, “I’ve just never really eaten spicy food before, so I just don’t want to end up in pain, all right?”

“Okay.” The waiter returned to their table and Sav ordered for them. He started her off with Zalatta and then Tandoori Masala. Then he ordered his own meal and they each ordered a Scotch to drink while they waited.

“So, I should probably asked you about this before we’re around each other too long. Are you married, divorced or just in a serious relationship?” Angela asked.

“My, you get straight to the point, don’t you,” Sav said with a smile. “Yes, I am married, but she and I separated two years ago and the only reason I’m not already divorced is that it’s hung up in Irish courts for another two years. And as for the serious relationship thing, well, until a few days ago I was in one, but she threw me out five days ago and I’m not setting foot back in that house until she’s moved out. I think that covers me, now what about you?”

Caught off guard by his honesty, she gave a nervous laugh. “Me? My husband threw me out rather unexpectedly, hmm, six months ago. I didn’t fight the divorce, so it went through last month.”

“What happened?” he asked softly.

“Well, he found a twenty year old who didn’t bitch as much as I did,” she said, looking away from him to conceal the tears that sprang to her eyes. “I was getting a bit too, what’d he say, independent for him.”

“Sounds like he was a real sweetheart,” Sav said quietly.

“He was a bastard,” she said vehemently. “He controlled everything about my life!” Sav sat silently, listening to her vent her anger. He could see there was a great deal more under the surface, but he didn’t want to pressure her. She fought for control and gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry, those personal demons like to try to surface occasionally. Well, since you asked me about David, does that mean I get to ask you about the women in your life?”

“Sure,” he said softly. “Dara was a total bitch. She was only ever interested in me for my money and my looks. When the looks went, she thought I was washed up. As it turns out, Janine, the latest woman to try to ruin my life, had the some of same problem. She looked at me and saw nothing but dollar signs.”

Angela interrupted and asked, “What do you mean, your looks went? My God, you’re gorgeous!” Then she blushed furiously, not having meant to say that.

“Thank you, but no, I don’t look the same as I did when Dara and I got married. I’ve got a condition called Bell’s Palsy, that causes part of your face to become paralyzed. I’m sure you can see it sometimes. I know I can,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper. “It’s kind of noticeable around my mouth. My smile gets all lopsided and my mouth doesn’t quite work the same as it used to,” he said with a sad smile.

“I think your smile is absolutely charming!” Angela said, the blush returning to her cheeks.

“Thank you,” he said, showing his brilliant smile again. Only now that he’d said something about it could she even notice it. She shook her head with a laugh and looked down at the floor. Puzzled, Sav asked, “What’s so funny?”

“It’s too embarrassing,” she said in a small voice.

“Ah, come on, what is it,” he asked.

“Okay, I’ve already managed to stick my foot in my mouth a couple of times anyway. As good as you look now, I can’t imagine what you looked like before!” she said, unable to look directly at him.

“Not near as beautiful as you, that’s for sure,” he said with another smile.

“Oh, please, no flattery! I’m not much to look at!” she grimaced.

“Jesus, you don’t look in a mirror much, do you?” he said roughly. “You really are beautiful! You’ve got those pretty puppy dog eyes that just make a man...” He paused, afraid he might scare her again if he told her what he wanted to do. “Your hair looks soft enough to get lost in! And if I say anything else, I’ll be the one that gets embarrassed.”

She gave him a shy smile and said, “Well, thank you.”

Just then, the waiter arrived with their food. Angela started with the Zalatta, which turned out to be a cucumber salad. It was quite good and Angela smiled up to let Sav know she was enjoying it. As she took her first bite of the Tandoori Masala, she felt the bite of the chili and flinched. Sav looked up at her in concern and asked, “Is it too much?”

She chewed slowly, getting used to the taste of the chicken dish. Then she looked up and said, “You know, no it’s not. It’s really good!” Sav gave her a broad smile and said, “Okay, well, mine’s a bit hotter, but would you like to try it?”

“I’ll try anything once,” she said with a smile. Sav picked up a fork full and leaned over next to her, feeding it too her carefully. Almost as soon as it hit her mouth, she was reaching for her water glass. Sav chuckled and said, “Um, that would be too much, now wouldn’t it?”

She finally released her breath after drinking half the glass of water and gasped, “You could say that! Oh, shit, that was hot!”

“I’m sorry,” Sav said sheepishly. “I shouldn’t have asked you to try it.”

“Hey, it’s not like you forced it on me. My ex would have made me try it!” She said with a tight smile. “And then gotten pissed when I didn’t like it!”

The more Angela talked about her ex, the less Sav liked the guy. He really did sound like a total bastard and Sav was starting to understand why she was so gun shy around men. They finished their meal in silence and then Sav offered to take her home.

“Yeah, I’d better head back. Clara’s got to be wondering where I am,” she said with a look at her watch. Then she grinned up at him, saying, “I didn’t tell her I was meeting anybody today.”

Sav pulled her chair out for her and took her hand gently as they walked to his car. He helped her into the car and they drove quietly back to her cousin’s place. She smiled over at him as he pulled into the driveway. “So,” he said quietly, “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“Not much,” she said honestly. “Just bumming around here I guess.”

“You want to go to a club tomorrow? There’s a place called Deep End that usually has some right good live music, if you’d like,” he said, almost shyly.

“That sounds like a lot of fun!” she said, smiling broadly at him.

“I’ll pick you up around six? We can go out to dinner first, some place a bit less spicy, then hit the club,” he said finally.

“That’ll be fine. I’ll see you then,” she said as she got out of the car. Then, on impulse, she leaned over and kissed him goodnight. She’d only planned on a quick peck, but before she knew what she was doing her tongue darted out and tasted the spice still in his mouth. Her hand rested on his shoulder as she pulled away. “Damn, you still taste spicy!” she laughed.

“Hmm, don’t know if that’s a compliment or not,” he said with a grin.

“Well, it was kinda nice! I’ll see you tomorrow!” she said as she backed out of the car. She walked up the side walk and turned to wave as he pulled out of the driveway.

The next day, Clara practically had to sit on Angela to keep her calmed down. She thought it was wonderful to see Angela this happy about a man after the things David had put her through. This guy Sav seemed like the perfect one to make Angela forget David ever existed. And Clara made sure she was dressed to kill before he arrived. Angela had originally come down in a conservative pants suit that Clara immediately vetoed. She drug Angela back upstairs and grabbed a black mini skirt and white blouse with billowing sleeves that looked incredibly romantic on Angela. The tails of the shirt left the mini barely visible, which Clara thought was a nice effect, emphasizing Angela’s long legs.

When six o’clock rolled around, Sav showed up on the dot. Clara found herself staring at him, wondering where she’d seen him before. He looked so familiar!

Sav took one look at Angela and gave a low whistle. “Wow!” was all he could say.

“Does this look okay?” she asked uncertainly.

“It looks fabulous, luv!” Sav said quietly. “Listen, I brought you something,” he said, handing her a package with a red rose on top. She handed the rose to Clara, who put it straight into a vase of water. Angela carefully opened the small package and took out it’s contents. There were three CD’s enclosed. Journey’s Greatest Hits along with Def Leppard’s Hysteria and Slang. She looked them over quickly, but not carefully and said a shy “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. I know you said you used to listen to Def Leppard and Journey, so I thought you might like them,” he said, though he seemed to want to say more. In truth, he wanted her to look more carefully at the inside cover of Slang, so he would have an opening to tell her what he really did for a living. But she sat the CD’s down carefully on the table and said, “Ready to go?”

“Um, sure,” he said quietly, still trying to will her to pick up Slang and look at it. When she didn’t, he took her hand and led her out to the car. She asked curiously, “So, where did you want to go to eat?”

“I don’t really have a preference,” he said slowly. “I chose last night, so now it’s your turn.”

“Do you like Italian?” she asked cautiously. David had hated it, but Angela’s family was Italian, so it was the food she’d grown up on.

“Sure, there’s a nice place called Barbarella's Ristorante Bar Italiano that’s pretty good,” he said with a smile. God, she already loved that smile!

“Wait, isn’t the group Duran Duran named after a character from the movie Barbarella?” she asked.

“Let me guess, you listened to them too!” he chuckled.

“Yeah, well, for a while,” she said timidly.

“I’ve been known to play them once in a while myself,” he said.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, even though my mates think I’m crazy for it!” he smiled as they pulled into the restaurant. They were seated after waiting a few minutes and Angela was surprised to see other people being turned away because they didn’t have a reservation. Sav didn’t seem to have a problem getting in anywhere in Sheffield. They looked over the menu quietly. Once they ordered, Angela commented on how easily they got in.

“Eh, professional courtesy, actually. They let me into the better restaurants without any problem and they get into the VIP lounge at my club,” he said with a smile. He was about to say more when she asked, “VIP lounge? I didn’t even know there was one at the Player’s Cafe!”

“Yeah, well, it’s almost a requirement if you’re going to run any kind of upscale club here,” Sav said with a smile.

“So what’s this club we’re going to tonight?” she asked curiously.

“It’s a place that has live music every night. Some of it is pretty good,” he said.

“I dabbled with the piano for a while, but...” she stopped, not wanting to mention David again. She felt really bad bending Sav’s ear about him all the time.

“I play bass guitar mostly, but sometimes I get out a regular guitar or play keyboards,” Sav said, ready to finally broach the subject of his day job. But Angela said, “Hmm, a man of many talents then! You’re a musician, a business man, a soccer wiz and what else?”

“That about sums it up,” he said with a laugh. “So, what do you do most of the time?”

“Oh, play on the computer, dabbled in painting and read a lot. That’s about it,” she said humbly. In truth, Angela was quite good with her paints and had sold a few paintings in the early years of her marriage. Yet David’s derogatory comments had finally driven her to put down her paint brush for several years. She’d only just begun to paint again after the divorce.

“Can I see some of your paintings someday?” he asked softly.

“Um, sure, but they’re really not much to look at,” she replied. She dug back into her food, avoiding his eyes. She’d just started a new painting and really wasn’t sure she wanted him to see it, because he was in it. That could get messy, especially if he didn’t like it. She didn’t know if she could handle that kind of criticism again just yet. She changed the subject abruptly, asking, “So, do you live around here?”

“No, though I did grow up here. I live in Ireland now, though I’m glad I was here when you passed through town!” he said, smiling at her.

“Really?” she asked incredulously. “I would have thought you were completely a local boy, er, man.”

“Oh, I lived here til I was, I don’t remember exactly but I think I was twenty four or twenty five,” he laughed, “but I needed to get out of here. My mum still lives here in Sheffield and so do my brothers.”

“So, you’ve got brothers, huh? Younger or older?” she questioned.

“Both older. I got to be the baby of the family. Brian’s a doctor and John’s a chef,” he laughed and said, “They usually complain how spoiled I got coming up behind them!”

“Try being an only child! Everybody automatically thinks you’re spoiled rotten,” she said in disgust. “My parents went out of their way to make sure that I didn’t get spoiled. Dad could be really strict, which wasn’t bad til I hit sixteen. Then I decided I wasn’t gonna take it anymore and started running wild. I did a lot of shit in those two years!”

“What two years?” Sav asked, suddenly confused.

“Oh, the two between turning sixteen and meeting my husband. He was determined that he could tame the wild child, so he did just that,” she said, looking away from Sav. Her inner voice told her to shut her mouth right that second and for once she listened. Sav could see the struggle on her face and probed gently, “David was a good bit older than you, wasn’t he?”

Her head snapped around and she asked in surprise, “How’d you know that?”

“Logic, I guess. We old geezers tend to try to slow down the women we love unless we’re just as wild,” he said, thinking of Janine’s complaints when he wouldn’t want to constantly take her out every night. Hell, he’d just wanted to stay home once in a while for something more than sleep or sex. Not that he’d gotten a lot of the latter from her lately anyway.

“Oh, come on, you’re not that old!” she laughed. “You can’t be more than, what, thirty five, forty absolute tops!”

“Actually, I’m right between those. Thirty seven,” he said with a smile. Her face fell for a second before she gave him a bright smile and he wondered just how old her ex-husband had been. From that look, he’d guess they were the same age. “So, little girl, now just how far am I robbing the cradle here?”

“Oh, me? I’m twenty eight, so you’re safe,” she chuckled.

“Well, my wild child years lasted a good bit longer than yours! They started at sixteen and didn’t end til, oh, just before I got married,” he said.

“When did that happen?” she asked playfully.

“Um, let’s see, it was so long ago,” he laughed. “1994, so I was thirty four.”

“Holy cow! You’ve had a pretty wild life then, haven’t you?” she laughed.

“You could say that!” he said, shaking his head.

They finished their meal in relative quiet and left quickly for the Deep End. When they arrived, several people recognized Sav right away and they were shown to a table in the corner that Sav requested. Angela excused herself to go to the restroom, but when she returned Sav wasn’t there. She looked around and found him onstage with a bass guitar over his shoulder. The band had just begun to play and Angela recognized it as one of the Def Leppard songs she’d just discussed with Sav the night before, ‘Love Bites’. She sat down and watched him, totally spellbound as he moved across the stage. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as he played. The wave of desire that Angela felt took her completely by surprise and hidden in her corner, she blushed a furious red as she thought about him. Then he opened his eyes and looked right at her. His smile made her melt and his eyes set her on fire. Then he stepped to the microphone and sang the backing vocals. His voice was even more beautiful as he sang. It was already something she’d found incredibly sexy and now it was more so. She watch intently as the band finished the song and moved on to another she didn’t recognize. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he played. They did three more songs before Sav begged off to go back to his date.

“My God, you’re fantastic!” Angela gushed.

“Thanks,” he said breathlessly. He sat down beside her and took her hand gently. Another band stepped out on the stage, but were met with complete silence from the crowd. They soon found out why. The guitarist was out of tune, as was the lead singer. The singer howled along through several songs while the crowd tried their best to boo them off the stage. Sav seemed to be the only one not booing and Angela wondered why. He actually looked like he pitied them. She squeezed his hand just as his cell phone rang. He answered it and paused to listen to the other party on the line. She saw his face tense almost immediately. Then he growled into the phone, “Janine, I don’t want to talk about this. Listen, just pack your stuff and get out, okay? No, I’m not coming back for you. Listen, I just want you to move out of my house. Yes, now! Oh, Jesus, fine, I’ll fly out tomorrow, but you’re not going to change my mind! GOODBYE, Janine!”

Turning to Angela, he said with a sigh, “I’m going to have to go back to Ireland tomorrow. Janine says she won’t move out until she sees me in person.”

“Oh,” she said in disappointment, “You’re going to leave that soon?”

“Yeah, she just won’t leave til I do,” he said, still frustrated. Janine had thrown him out and now she wanted to beg him to come back. Not a chance in bloody hell! “She seems to have put a real damper on the evening, hasn’t she?”

“Well, now that you mention it...” Angela said, her voice trailing off regretfully.

“I’ll take you home, then,” he said and she could hear unhappiness in his voice as well. He helped her up and they walked slowly to the car. The drive to Clara’s house was quiet as they listened to the radio. When he pulled up in the driveway, he shut off the engine and jumped up to open her door. When she stood up, he took her hand and looked her in the eyes hopefully. Then he asked, “You’ll still be here in a couple of days, right?”

“Yeah, I‘m supposed to fly home in four days,” she said, looking back into his eyes. They were the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen and for a moment she didn’t know what to say.

“Wait for me to get back?” he asked softly.

“Oh, God, yes!” she whispered. He bent his head down and gave her a gentle kiss, yet one filled with promise. Her hand slid to the back of his neck and slowly his body pinned her against the car. He whispered in a voice barely audible, “I’ll hurry back, I promise!”

“Please, I’m going to miss you!” she said urgently. Then the porch light flared on and Sav pulled slowly away from her, though his eyes couldn’t leave hers. She reached up and gave him another slow kiss before heading into the house. She turned back and said, “I’ll see you when you get back!”

“Soon as I fly back in, I’ll stop and see you!” he assured her. He slipped behind the wheel of his car and was gone. When she walked into the house, Clara was the only one awake. She sat in the living room waiting to hear how things had gone that evening. Looking at her watch, she said curiously, “Little early, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, his ex called and now he has to go back to Ireland,” Angela said sadly.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry Ang,” Clara said quietly. “Does this mean you’re not going to get to see him again?”

“Oh, no, he said he’d come straight here when he gets back,” she said, a smile crossing her face. She sat down in a chair facing Clara and said, “My God, Clara, he’s wonderful! I mean, yesterday, we went to a soccer match and then went and played soccer in the park. Tonight we went to the Deep End and Sav got up onstage and played bass for the band! He’s so incredible!”

“Oh, man, sounds like you’ve found the perfect guy!” Clara said enthusiastically.

“He’s terrific! I can’t believe he’s for real!” Angela said.

“Well, you know what they say,” Clara said cautiously. “If he’s too good to be true, he probably isn’t.”

“I know,” Angela said in a small voice. “But I can hope, can’t I?”

Clara crossed the room and put her arm around Angela, saying, “Yeah, hon, you can always hope. Now, the kids will be up early, so let’s head for bed!”

When Angela crawled into bed, she lay thinking about Sav for a long time before she drifted off to sleep. And across town in his hotel room, Sav thought of Angela and wondered how the hell he was going to convince Janine to give in gracefully and just leave him alone.

The next morning, Angela woke early and set straight to work on her painting of Sav. It was coming along quite well and Sav’s image was unmistakable on the canvas as she worked. Clara came in several times and commented on how well it was going. “You know,” Clara said quietly, “you paint him like you’re in love with him already.”

“Oh, come on, Clara,” Angela said in an exasperated voice. “I barely even know him. I just met him a couple of days ago!”

“Just an observation!” Clara said perkily. “Hey, you’ve been up here for hours! Why don’t you take a break and actually come out of your bedroom for a while?”

“Okay, you’re probably right. I could really use a break,” she laughed and held up her hand, crimping it like an old woman. “Don’t know how much longer I can hang on to my brush anyway!”

She followed Clara downstairs and plopped down on the couch while Clara headed for the kitchen to make them lunch. The kids were upstairs playing in their room quietly for once, so Angela started channel surfing. As she went through the channels, she flew right by MTV and VH1 out of habit. Then, mentally defying David, she flipped back to VH1. A program called ’Where Are They Now: The Bad Boys’ was on and Angela realized it featured a lot of bands she’d listened to before David had forbidden her to listen to hard rock. She settled back and started watching just as they were discussing Motley Crue. They went into Poison after that, another of Angela’s favorites. She went into the kitchen when Clara called her in for lunch and took her food back in the living room just as they finished talking about David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. When she saw that Def Leppard was coming up next, she got excited. She’d listened to Hysteria today as she painted and it was still as great as she’d remembered it. Slang was next on her playlist when she went back to her easel. Clara got the kids sat down at the table, then brought her lunch in to join Angela as a snippet about Ike Turner played. Then they went into Def Leppard. The announcer talked about the beginning of the band, saying it was started when Joe Elliott and Rick Savage joined forces with Pete Willis and Tony Kenning. Angela almost choked on her food, saying, “Oh my God, there’s a guy in Def Leppard named Rick Savage, too! How strange is that!”

Clara said, “Oh, Sav’s name is Rick Savage, too? That is weird!”

Angela watched fascinated, until the ’Where are they now’ symbol flashed again and the announcer asked “so where are the remaining members of Def Leppard now?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Angela said, “they were one of my favorites!” The man on television started by talking about their follow up album for Hysteria, called Adrenalize and then went on to talk about a business venture Joe Elliott and Rick Savage had taken. Angela gasped as he named the Player’s Cafe in Sheffield.

“Jesus,” she gasped. “What’s the chances there are two Rick Savage’s involved in the Player’s Cafe?”

“Not too good, hon,” Clara said as she watched the television closely. Then photos flashed on the screen and Angela went dead white. She heard his voice and knew before they actually cut to him speaking that the man on the screen and the man she’d spend the last couple of days with were one and the same. Her eyes wouldn’t come off the screen as she said to Clara, “Go get the Slang CD, please?”

Clara bolted out of the room as the segment ended and grabbed the CD. Angela tore it from her hands and looked it over. Inside, there was a picture of the group where Sav was leaning his head against a wall and Angela burst into tears. Just then, a commercial came on, announcing that the Def Leppard Behind the Music was playing next. She looked at Clara and said through her tears, “Get me a tape.”

Clara put a tape in the VCR, then turned to Angela and asked, “Why are you crying, honey?”

“What the hell would he want with someone like me?” she cried. “He can’t really be interested in me!”

“Why not?” Clara asked, starting to get a bit upset with her cousin.

“Jesus, Clara, he can have any woman he wants!” Angela sobbed. “I was probably just something to pass the time with until he worked things out with Janine! Why didn’t he tell me who he was?”

“He tried to, ya know,” Clara said quietly. “Look at the CD’s he gave you. If he didn’t want you to know, he wouldn’t have given you two Def Leppard CD’s. With his picture on them!” Clara’s voice rose as she said, “And as for all those other women he could have, maybe he realizes they’re all money grubbing whores who don’t really want him, just his fame and money!”

Angela hit record as the Behind the Music episode started. As they started talking about the band’s ‘stadium sized excesses’ she closed her eyes and said quietly, “Maybe I shouldn’t watch this.”

“No,” Clara said cynically, “watch it. Don’t you know they never do a Behind the Music unless they’ve had some kind of trouble in their life? See what I mean?” she said as they mentioned Pete Willis’ departure, Steve Clark’s death and Rick Allen’s accident.

“I’ve never watched this show before, Clara,” Angela said quietly.

“I’m sorry, I forgot about David,” Clara apologized.

A picture of a very young Sav flashed on the screen and Clara heard a sharp intake of breath from her cousin. Then Angela whispered, “Dear God, he was too beautiful to be a man!” Then she chuckled as Sav came on the screen, saying they’d been young and naive enough to use that as an excuse for everything they did then. “Didn’t we all at that age?” she laughed, remembering their conversation of the day before.

She watched in morbid fascination as they discussed the band’s descent into the pitfalls of rock stardom. It seemed they’d primarily gotten into booze, but there were a few mentions of cocaine that made Angela wince. Then she watched with eyes full of sympathy as they talked about the accident that had taken Rick Allen’s arm. Every time Sav came on the screen, Angela cringed, knowing deep inside that no matter how nice he’d seemed there was no way to make anything permanent out of the time they’d had. He was probably making up to his beautiful girlfriend right at that moment and wondering why he’d wasted time on Angela.

Tears came to her eyes as she listened to Sav speak about Steve Clark. It was obvious, though time had healed some of the pain, that Steve had been someone Sav was close to. She felt bad that anyone should go through watching someone destroy themselves. As they moved on to Rick Allen’s arrest in 1995, Angela tuned out a bit, wondering why there was so little about Sav in the program. Sure, he talked, but not about himself. And there was no mention of his Bell’s Palsy, which was surely a traumatic event in his life.

As the show ended, Clara looked at Angela and said, “See, nobody in rock and roll has that great a life.”

“Yeah, well it’s better than mine!” she said quietly. She headed straight for the computer and started looking up information on Def Leppard. Site after site gave her mostly the same information as the Behind the Music had. Then she stumbled onto one called The Rick Savage Website and read every word of it. By the time she went to bed that night, she knew as much about Sav as anyone other than Sav himself and his family. She went to bed that night and had nightmares all night about being with Sav as women chased him everywhere.

“Jesus, I need to get back to Sheffield and this bloody bitch is dragging her fucking feet about moving out!” Sav said vehemently.

“Mate, didn’t we damn near kill ourselves trying to get out of Sheffield? What’s the bloody fucking urgency to get back there?” Joe Elliott asked his friend as they stood in the living room of Joe’s house. Sav was staying with Joe until he could persuade Janine to give up and move out. So far, he’d been there two days and wasn’t making any progress.

“Because, well, I left someone behind when I came back here this time, mate,” Sav sighed. He hadn’t told Joe about Angela yet, afraid he might jinks what he honestly thought had a chance of being the real thing for once.

“Really, mate, you work quick!” Joe laughed. “Find a fan who just loves your work on the bass?”

“No, it’s not like that, Joe,” Sav said quickly. “She doesn’t even know who I am yet.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Joe asked. “Where’d you meet this bird, anyway?”

“Our club,” Sav said quietly. “She was sitting there reading a book and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The next day, we took in a soccer match...”

“Don’t tell me you took her to see bloody Wednesday play?” Joe laughed. “So she still hasn’t been to a real soccer match, eh?”

“Shut the fuck up and listen! On the way there, ‘When Love and Hate Collide’ came on and I groaned, figuring she’d bring up me being in the band. She’d never heard the fucking thing before! Turns out, her husband was a major control freak and hated rock. One of the last things she remembers listening to is ‘Love Bites’. So, anyway, we watched the match, then what does she suggest we do?”

“Go home for a quickie?” Joe inserted, only to have to dodge Sav’s slap.

“No, you ass, she wanted to go to the park and we kicked a ball around for a couple of hours!” Sav slumped down into a chair and looked up at Joe. “I haven’t had that much fun with a woman in years!”

“Except horizontally, I’m sure!” Joe snickered.

“Damn it, Joe, you really aren’t listening to me, are you!” Sav finally yelled. “I’ve never even slept with her! We just met a few days ago.”

Joe sat down and really looked at his friend. Sav looked ready to explode with tension. He was desperate to get Janine to leave, but when he spoke of this mystery woman, a different look all together came over him. He seemed, well, almost peaceful. There was no denying he found her fascinating. Curious now, Joe asked, “So what else have you done with her?”

“God, we went to an Indian restaurant, which was something else she’d never done before. And she seemed to like that as well. Then the following day we went to Barbarella’s for dinner before I took her over to Deep End,” Sav went on. “And that’s when the bitch called!”

“Wait, when did you take her to Deep End?” Joe asked.

“Tuesday night,” Sav answered quickly.

“Did you get up and play?” Joe asked.

“Yes, of course!” Sav laughed. “Have you ever known me to go there and not get up and jam?”

“And she didn’t figure out you were in a bloody band at that?” Joe asked incredulously.

“Well, I told her I played bass, so that kind of explained me getting up there,” Sav said quietly.

“But you didn’t tell her you were in a band?” Joe asked, still not figuring out what was going on.

“Well, we started talking about something else right after that,” Sav said, shaking his head in frustration.

“So, are you going to tell her? If you don’t, she might think you were up to something when she finds out,” Joe said.

“Of course I’m gonna tell her, as soon as I get back!”

“Um, you know, we’re all kind of famous, especially at home. Maybe you should call her now,” Joe suggested.

“I would if I’d remembered to get her bloody phone number! I always went to her house, so I forgot it!” Sav said.

“That’s one for the ‘duh file’, Savage. You always get a phone number!” Joe laughed. “So, what’s going on with Janine, anyway?”

“She keeps insisting I still love her because she still loves me, the same old bullshit. She’s convinced I’m going to come back to her,” he said, still completely frustrated.

“Did you tell her about this new girl?” Joe asked.

“Not yet,” Sav sighed.

“That should do the trick!” Joe laughed.

“I don’t want to drag her into this. Janine is nasty enough as it is,” Sav said.

“Well, I did try to warn you...” Joe started, but Sav cut him off. “You know, Elliott, I didn’t come here for ‘I told you so’s’.”

“Okay, okay, well, let’s think about this. Have you contacted your solicitor yet?” he asked.

“Yeah, and he says it will take a while to do it that way. But Angie’s only gonna be in Sheffield for two more weeks!” Sav said, his voice going up a level.

“Well, let your solicitor do his job. Maybe once he gets to work, she’ll know you’re serious and move out on her own,” Joe recommended.

“But that still leaves me here while Angie’s going back to the States!”

“No, because while he’s working, you’re free to go wherever you want to,” Joe laughed at his brilliant idea . “You don’t have to watch over him.”

“Great idea!” Sav said and gave a stunned Joe a quick hug before diving for the phone. He was punching in numbers before Joe could say, “You’re welcome, mate.”

Angela was sitting in the living room watching the Def Leppard Behind the Music for the second time that day when Clara heard a knock on the door. Angela didn’t even notice her get up. Ross Halfin was describing the scenes under the stage, saying “There were sixty naked girls...” by the time Clara made it to the door.

“It was like Caligula,” Ross Halfin said as a tall form leaned against the doorway into the living room. Onscreen, Ross continue to describe the debauchery under the stage as Sav watched the expression on Angela’s face. Much to his dismay, there were tears running down her cheeks. He walked over to the VCR and hit the stop button as she finally looked up at him. She turned wordlessly and started to stare out the window.

Kneeling in front of her, he said softly, “Um, there’s something I should tell you about my day job, huh?”

“No, I’ve heard all about it,” she whispered. “I don’t want to know anymore, Sav.”

“Shit,” he thought “she’s really upset about those girls!” To her he said, “Those girls under the stage, they really didn’t mean anything.”

“I’m sure. It wouldn’t mean anything to a rock star,” she said sadly. “I’m sure you have girls falling all over you all the time. Occupational hazard and all.”

“Yeah, well, at the time it was all good and fun, but I was a stupid kid then,” he sighed.

“Bullshit, Sav,” she whispered. “You were nearly fucking thirty years old!”

“Come on, Ang, give me a break! I grew up in this fucking business! I didn’t know any better,” he said quietly. “I was only seventeen when we started out. And that kind of stuff was just what they expected us to do.” He reached over and put a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to his. “Trust me, I learned the hard way what that shit leads to.”

She turned away again and whispered, “You’ve lived out every man’s dream. I don’t blame you. But...” Her voice trailed away as tears fell faster from her eyes.

“What, Ang. Tell me!” he said urgently.

“I wish you’d told me so that I knew you didn’t want anything serious between us,” she whispered, so softly he could barely hear her.

“Oh, Angie, you’ve got it all wrong,” he said softly.

“Please, don’t insult me, Sav. I’m hardly the type of girl you usually date!” she said.

“Yeah, well I’ve been dating the wrong type all along,” he said, trying to get her to look at him. She glanced up at him and found him looking down at her, tears glistening unshed in his eyes. She couldn’t understand why he was nearly crying. He was the rock star here. He could get any woman he wanted. She just didn’t believe he could want her.

She pulled back away from him, looking down at the floor. He was so confused now. Pulling her around to face him, he said, “What do I have to say to convince you I’m serious? Just give me a chance!”

“But why?” she asked, tears still dancing in her brown eyes.

“Because I enjoy being with you. I like you a lot and I want to get to know you better. And you can kick a mean soccer ball,” he said with a soft laugh.

He heard a soft giggle as she looked up at him again. He looked into her eyes and said, “Please?”

“Okay,” she said quietly. He pulled her in and gave her a quick hug, then said, “You wanna get out of here for a while?”

“Sure,” she whispered. Clara looked Sav over and said, “I thought I recognized you from somewhere! I was at Don Valley back in 1993 and saw you guys playing. You were fantastic!”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Sav said with a broad smile. “Mind if I borrow your cousin for a few hours?”

“No, God, get her out of here before she heads back up to her easel!” Clara laughed. “She’s been painting like a fiend the past few days!”

“Oh, really?” Sav asked curiously. “Can I see what you’re working on?”

“Um, ah, I don’t think...” Angela started, but Clara motioned to him and said, “Up this way, lad! I think you’ll be impressed with it.” Angela swung out at Clara, who dodged her swipe and led Sav up to Angela’s room. With a heart full of dread, Angela followed slowly behind them and waited for Sav’s disapproval. His jaw nearly hit the floor as he recognized his own face staring back at him. Then he turned to Angela and said, “Wow! You’re incredible!” With a wink at Clara that Angela didn’t see, he said, “Who’s the lucky bloke that caught your eye?”

Angela cringed until she saw the smile on both their faces. Sav walked over and took her hand as he said, “I’m honored you decided to paint me, luv. It’s fantastic!”

“Thank you, Sav,” she answered softly. “Now, can we get out of here?”

“Certainly,” he said, realizing she wasn’t terribly comfortable all of the sudden. He led her out to the car and said, “So, what would you like to do?”

“Hmm, you promised me you’d show me your town. How bout you show me some of those places that were mentioned in the show?” she answered quietly. Sav nodded quietly, knowing exactly where he wanted to take her first. She saw a large building looming ahead as Sav pulled onto Attercliffe Road. The parking lot was empty, so he pulled right up to the doors and stopped the car. Without a word, he got out and went round to open her door. Taking her hand back into his, he said quietly, “This is Don Valley Stadium. We were the first rock band to ever play here and I have to tell you, it was bloody brilliant to be out there.” They walked up slowly and one of the groundskeepers recognized Sav a moment later.

“Mr. Savage! Hello! Haven’t seen you here in a while!” the older man said with a smile.

“Hi, Bert!” Sav said quickly. “Any possibility of letting us have a look around inside?”

“Certainly, sir!” Bert said, throwing the gate open wide. “Take your time and enjoy the place!” Grabbing Angela’s hand, he headed out to the middle of the field and started telling her about the day they’d played there.

“The stage was down at that end,” he said, pointing to the far end of the stadium. “It was so amazing! Knowing all those people were here just to see us play, when fifteen years before we were playing the Wapentake and getting paid fifteen pounds for it.” Angela smiled, listening to him talk. Then he said softly, “I just wish Steve could have been here for it. It would have blown him away.”

“Steve Clark, right?” Angela asked quietly.

“Yeah, he was with us right up til he died in 1991,” Sav answered. She turned to him and saw a tear laying unshed in his eye. Without thinking, Angela ran a hand over his cheek trying to soothe away the old pain of Steve’s death. He smiled gently down at her and changed the subject, saying, “God, the sound of the crowd that day was just bloody amazing. None of us knew what to think after that.”

“Home town boys make good, huh?” she said with a smile.

“God, yes,” he sighed. Taking her hand, they walked to the area where the stage had been and Angela looked around, wondering what it felt like to have thousands of people cheering for you while you did something you loved. Then she turned to Sav and realized he knew exactly what that felt like. She was really in awe of him at that moment. Then he looked down at her and smiled and she realized he was really just a man, not some kind of god. Just a very lucky man.

They walked around the stadium for a long while as he told her all about that first concert. But eventually, Bert said the grounds crew was leaving, so they would have to as well. So Sav led her back out to the car and point it towards another place full of memories. She recognized the name Bramall Lane immediately from the Behind the Music show. He stopped the car in front of a new looking building and pointed to it, saying, “There used to be a spoon factory on that spot. It’s were we really started out at.”

“How long ago did they tear it down?” she asked quietly.

“I’m not really sure,” he answered. “I just came back here one day and it was gone. But I have a lot of fond memories, and some not so fond as well. But every time I smell sour milk, I think of this place.”

“Sour milk?” she laughed. “Why that?”

“We used to bring milk in for tea and such, but we never would remember to throw it out,” he chuckled. “Damn place always smelled like it!” Angela couldn’t help but laugh at the look on his face as he wrinkled his nose. Then he looked at her with a broad grin and said, “Okay, where else can I take you?”

“I think I’ve hit the highlights of the Def Leppard history tour,” she laughed. “I’ve seen the very beginning and the heroes’ homecoming! Anything else I should know?”

“You know, I can’t think of a damn thing,” he smiled. He suddenly got serious as he asked, “When are you supposed to go home, luv?”

She turned to stare out the window as she whispered, “Tomorrow night.”

“Damn,” he sighed. “Any chance I could get you to stay a bit longer?”

“I’ve got a job interview in two days, so I’ve got to go back,” she said quietly. “I’m going to miss you, Sav.”

“God, Ang, I’m going to miss you too,” he said as he turned her face to his. “I may just have to make a special trip to the States...”

“Oh, no, that’s too much to ask,” she demurred. “I’m sure you’re busy with your work and everything. Maybe we’ll see each other again some time.”

“I don’t want to wait for sometime, Angela,” he said as he looked deep into her eyes.

“Sav, I think it’s time for you to take me home,” she said as she choked back her tears.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to lose her even though he knew he was about to. Without another word, he turned the car back on and drove to her cousin’s house. She got out of the car slowly and gave him one last regret filled look before walking slowly up to the door. Sitting there, watching her walk out of his life was one of the hardest things Sav had ever had to do. Tears pricked at his eyes as he drove off into the night.

Angela flew back to the States the next day with a heavy heart. She stared out the window for the whole flight, not wanting to let the pain of losing Sav come to the surface. When her parents picked her up at the airport, her mother notice how sad she was but Angela just didn’t want to talk about it.

The following day, she went in for a job interview but it didn’t go very well. Her experience was outdated by eight years, so the employer just wasn’t interested in her. When she got home, she went to her room and just cried. In the space of the last few months, she’d lost her husband, her sole means of support and now she’d lost the man of her dreams. Laying down on the bed, Angela cried herself to sleep as her mind tried to find some way to go.

Two hours later, there was a knock on her bedroom door. Her mother’s voice called out, “Angela? You just got a phone call, sweetie!”

“Who was it, Mom?” Angela answered groggily.

“I’m not sure, but he asked you to meet him at the Sheraton Inn,” her mother said through the door. “Something about it being important to your future!”

“Okay, did he give you a time?” Angela asked.

“Yeah, honey, he said five o’clock in room 210.”

“Okay, I’ll get up and moving,” Angela answered, though her heart wasn’t in it. Glancing at the clock, she realized she only had an hour to make it to the hotel. She flew around her room and threw herself together, then headed off to the hotel. She pulled on to the parking lot at 4:55 and flew up the stairs to room 210. She knocked on the door and ran a hand over her hair as she caught her breath.

The door opened and Angela’s breath caught in her throat. There, gorgeous as ever in black jeans and a sweater, stood Sav. He smiled at her nervously and said, “Want to come in, luv?”

“Sav!” she cried as she flew into his arms. He hugged her close as she stared up at him in disbelief. Kissing her roughly, his fingers twined through her hair.

“I hope you’re not mad at me for showing up like this,” he whispered into her ear.

“Oh, no!” she said with a broad smile. “How long can you stay?”

“Long enough to convince you to come home with me,” he said softly as he looked into her eyes. “I don’t want to live without you, Ang!”

She put her head down on his shoulder and whispered, “I don’t want to live without you either, Sav.”

“Stay with me tonight?” he asked quietly. Her head shot up, not believing what she’d just heard. Then she nodded slowly. He swept her up in his arms and carried her over to his bed, kissing her all the while.

“Angie, I’ve got something I’ve got to tell you,” he whispered into her hair.

“What’s that, Sav?” she asked curiously.

“I love you, Angie,” he murmured into her ear. “I think I have since the day I met you.”

“Oh, Rick, I love you too,” she cried. “I wasn’t sure about it before, but I know now! I love you so much it hurts!”

“Let me make it feel better then,” he said with a soft smile. His hands ran over her shoulders and down to her breasts, teasing her through the fabric of her blouse. He could feel her nipples rising to hard peaks under his fingertips, so he pinched them lightly and heard her moan against him. She tugged at his sweater, desperate for the first feel of his skin against hers. Moving back from her, he slipped the sweater off over his head and laid back down next to her. His fingers undid the buttons of her blouse slowly, exposing inch after inch of flesh he wanted to taste. Shifting slightly, he moved on top of her and let his tongue trail down into the valley between her breasts. He opened the fasteners in the front of her bra, brushing the material back and closing his lips down on her sensitive nipple. Her back arched up into him as her fingers wound through his hair. “Mmm, Sav!” she whispered roughly.

“Yes, luv?” he asked softly as he looked up into her passion soaked eyes.

“Please, don’t stop!” she begged. His hands pulled at the button of her pants, opening them quickly and skinning her pants down her legs along with her underwear. He knelt between her soft white thighs, his hands parting them gently as he lowered his head to her waiting sex. She trembled under him as his mouth closed on her hard clit, sucking it gently in. His hands held onto her hips as his tongue ran lightly over the tip, sending a shudder through her. Wrapping her legs around his torso, she arched back as she felt an orgasm run through her limbs. Collapsing back into the bed, she smiled up at him as he moved back up to her side and asked softly, “Enjoy yourself, luv?”

“OH God yes,” she gasped. Turning in his body, Angela’s hands went down over his chest, then over the hard lump she could feel through the soft denim of his jeans. Her fingertips teased him as he pulled her down to his lips again. Climbing on to him, she let her fingers cradle his hard member as she kissed her way down his chest. When she reached the waistband of his jeans, she undid the first button on his button flies and kicked the skin she had just exposed. He shivered as the next button opened and her lips closed on the underlying skin. Moving down with each button, she licked and sucked at the tender flesh she exposed until his manhood was free from the imprisoning cloth. She heard the sharp intake of his breath as her mouth slipped down the length of his shaft until her lips wrapped around its base. He let out a harsh moan as he hit the back of her throat.

“OH fuck, Ang, I don’t want to cum yet,” he rasped. Pulling her back up on top of him, he settled her over his member and watched as she lowered herself onto him. Her breath caught in her throat as she ground down onto him, the sensation almost to much for her already aroused body. Her hips moved in slow circles, pleasing them both as the feeling built between them. They held hands as their bodies moved together, both of them slowly feeling the tension build as their climaxes approached. Angela let out a breathless cry as another orgasm claimed her, then collapsed down onto his chest. Sav rolled them over, needing his own release as he held her. His strokes became frantic, his desire to finally possess her taking over as his seed spilled into her body. Then he cradled her to his chest as he whispered, “Angela Teleri, will you come back to Ireland with me?”

“Yes, Rick!” she said with a broad loving smile. “I want nothing more than to stay with you.”

“Good,” he whispered as he lay back down beside her. Pulling her into his arms, he said, “I love you, Angela.”

“I love you too, Sav.” Angela laid her head down on his chest and snuggled in close to him, breathing in his scent for the first time as she fell asleep in his arms.

The next morning, Sav took her back to her parents’ place and let her gather up what she needed for the trip while he tried to allay her mother’s fears. Mrs. Teleri was worried Angela wasn’t ready for something like this, that she might be rushing into something she’d regret. But the more she talked to Sav, the more the older woman liked him. Eventually, just as Angela was coming down the stairs, he won her over with a promise to always look out for Angela. She gave her mother a long hug before letting Sav help her out to the car with her bags.

When they landed in Ireland, Sav was in a rush to get Angela home so he could be alone with her again. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten one very important thing that was standing in his way. Janine.

Angela looked around the house in disbelief. She’d never seen such a gorgeous place before. Putting her bags on the floor, Sav pulled her into his arms and said, “Welcome home, my love.”

“Wow,” she said, looking around. “This place is amazing, Rick.”

“Well, get used to it,” he smiled as he kissed her. “You’re here to stay now. Forever.”

“Sav, you finally came home to me!” Janine called, running and throwing herself into his arms before he could push her away.

“My solicitor said you’d moved out, Janine,” Sav said flatly.

“Yeah, I told him I was out so you would come back,” she answered as he disengaged himself from her. Then she looked over Angela and said, “Oh, you hired a new maid for me, how sweet!”

Stung, Angela turned and walked back out of the room, leaving Sav alone with Janine. The woman was so beautiful, how did Angela ever hope to compete, she wondered. Maybe I should just get my things and get out of here, she thought. No sense waiting for him to throw her out, that was for sure. Hopefully he’d at least pay for her to get back home again. Taking a deep breath, she headed back into the room just in time to see Janine wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him passionately. Her breath hissed as she took in a harsh lungful and started to back away. She was just about to turn and run away when Sav pushed Janine away and sent her sprawling back on her ass.

“I told you it was over, Janine,” Sav said angrily. “I want you out of my house. TODAY!”

“I know you still love me, Sav,” Janine said quietly. “Why are you fighting this so much? Just come home to me, baby!”

“This is my home, not yours,” he said quickly. “And I’m telling you to leave it, now!”

“Jesus, it was just a little fight, why all the fuss?” Janine asked finally.

“Because I don’t love you, Janine,” Sav answered. “I’m in love with someone else and I’m not going to lose her over a leech like you.”

“WHO?” she screeched. “It can’t be that little rag mop you just brought in here!”

“The LADY I just brought with me happens to be exactly who it is,” Sav answered crossly.

“OH puhleeze!” Janine laughed. “Okay, Sav, you’ve had your little joke. Now send that ugly little thing packing so we can get on with our lives.”

Tears pricked Angela’s eyes at the insult as Sav shouted, “You’ll apologize to her this minute, you snobby fucking bitch, and then you leave!” He grabbed Janine by the arm and dragged her up in front of Angela, then hissed, “Say you’re sorry, then say goodbye!”

“Fuck you, Sav,” Janine growled.

“Maybe I should leave,” Angela whispered tearfully.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Janine laughed.

“NO!” Sav said urgently. “Janine will be the one leaving, right this instant.” Janine shook off his restraining hand and turned on him, yelling, “You’re insane, Richard! Would you really rather be with that *thing* than me?”

Grabbing her by a handful of her luxurious long hair, Sav pulled Janine to the door and opened it, hissing, “I don’t ever want to see you again, Janine!” Then he slammed the door closed behind her and turned back to Angela, who was crying on the couch. Rushing to her side, Sav took her hands in his and whispered, “Please, don’t listen to that hag, baby.”

“But she’s right Rick,” Angela cried. “What am I compared to someone as gorgeous as she is?”

“Luv, someone like her may have a beautiful exterior, but inside she’s nothing but dirt under your feet,” Sav pleaded. “And you’re so beautiful to me, baby. I love you, Angela. Not the body you’re in, but the woman you are inside. You’ve got to believe me, Ang, please!”

Looking into his eyes, Angela could see the honesty there and felt Janine’s hostile words start to fade away from her. The sting of her angry words seemed to dissipate as Angela let him pull her into his arms. Nestling down into his chest, Angela let out a sigh and said, “I do believe you, Rick. I love you, too.”

After a brief kiss, Sav pulled her to the feet and said, “Well, my love, shall I show you around your new home?”

“Is this my home now, Rick?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead gently. “Welcome home, baby.”