Romance nearly over

Maybe the last Rob and Maddy entry. Although, I might need to add a bit more.

Rob and Maddy: 9
Tim Harvey


Rob sat on the warm lawn with his legs crossed. Maddy's legs were draped across his and she sprawled out on her back staring up at the sky. The crowds in the main stage area were focussed on the band playing on the left stage, and Rob and Maddy sat towards the back of the right area. A few other people sat scattered around them, but they still had room to spread out.
Rob knew that once it got closer to nine, more people would crowd into the area directly in front of the right stage, causing them to move. Although, by that time they would be standing and waiting for Arcade Fire to come on the stage. It was almost eight when Rob checked his phone. He rested his hands on Maddy's knees and gently rubbed her legs back and forth.
When he tickled her under the knee she violently kicked her legs with a shrill laugh, 'Cut it out!'
Rob did it again, but her violent kicks came dangerously close to putting him in a world of pain, and he stopped. He liked the feel of her soft legs. As he ran his hand over her calf, he watched it flex as she moved her foot around in circles. The rhythm of Maddy's flexing muscles caused Rob to feel an exciting warmth shoot through his body.
Her sweet skin felt delicate under his caress and he ran the tips of his fingers up and down her calf. With each sweep of her leg, Rob moved his fingers further in each direction. He brushed closer to her ankles and then up to her knee. With the next sweep he ran his hand over her ankle and then dusted her thigh as he went in the opposite direction.
Rob looked over to Maddy, who was resting on her elbows watching him. She had a warm smile on her face. He returned the smile and watched her face closely as he moved his hand higher on her thigh. Her smile flickered briefly and Rob moved his hand back down her leg.
Maddy pulled her legs off of Rob's lap and moved her body over to his. She wrapped an arm around his waist and leant heavily on his shoulder. They sat like this for a while and Rob put his hand on her back, gently rubbing her tee and wondering if her skin was so smooth all over.
She rested her head on his shoulder and began to playfully blow warm air onto his chest. Rob felt her warm touch as she pressed her free hand against his chest, stroking his collarbones with her thumb. She slid her hand slightly underneath his shirt and rested her palm over where his heart was beating steadily. Rob could feel her breathing deepen and he noticed that his breathing had deepened in time with hers.
Her chest pressed against his shoulder and with each rising breath, and the gentle pressure of her chest against his arm, he felt his own chest rise, and her hand quiver slightly.

The tingles in Maddy's fingertips were incredible. They shot down her arm and through her body. She felt herself being warmed with each deep breath, and that warmth shot down into her core as she ran her fingers through the muscular groove in the centre of Rob's chest.
He stopped stroking her back and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. She could feel the power in his pull, and the solid arm resting against her shoulder blades caused her to inhale sharply. She felt him gently kiss the top of her head and she smiled.
'Maddy,' she heard Rob whisper, her eyes focussed on his body. 'Look,' she saw his arm stretch out and point to the stage. The lights were on and Maddy had the sudden shock of realising that they were surrounded by standing people.
The crowds had gathered around them as they sat in each other's world, and Maddy didn't even notice it. Rob shifted his weight and slid out of her grasp to stand up. He dusted himself off and held out his hand to her. She took it and he gently hoisted her up.
'We're right in the back,' Maddy said, looking up at Rob.
He gave her a wicked grin and said, 'Lead the way.'
She flicked her eyes at him and felt the corner of her mouth turn up. Holding his large hand in her own she set to work guiding them through the crowd. Maddy could spot easy openings and she pulled Rob through the mass of people. She felt him get stuck only twice, but she didn't look back, knowing he was right there, through the connection of their hands.
When the crowds became too thick for her to glide through, Maddy looked up. They were very close to the stage, and only a few rows of people separated them from the security barrier. The shifting mass of people around them was too tight for her to turn and face Rob. She released his hand and felt two sturdy hands clasp her shoulders. They emanated heat that radiated down into her chest and lower still.
Maddy bit her lip gently and leant backwards into Rob. He slid his hands down her front and she felt her heart beating in her chest as his hands glided over her breasts. Rob's hands didn't pause for a second, instead sliding down and resting on her stomach. He clasped his hands together and leant into her.
She could feel Rob shifting his weight in anticipation and his body began to rock gently side to side. Maddy put her hands on his strong forearms and rocked along with him.

When the band stepped out onto the stage the crowd went wild. Rob and Maddy remained in their embrace, but clapped along. They opened with an acoustic roar, the drums and guitars rolling into life. The crowd surrounding them raised their arms into the air and the people began to move about, bouncing with the rhythm. The violins pulled the audience in and the vocals burst through with a wave of emotion.
Rob and Maddy held their arms in the air and Rob felt her shifting against his body. He moved along with her dance easily and they blended together under the waves of sound.
The singer burst out; 'Keep the car running!' Rob felt Maddy dip down low as he sung and she pressed herself against him as she slid black up his body. Rob could feel every inch of her back moving gracefully up until she stood on her toes. Maddy's hands rested on his thighs and she bounced eagerly up and down with the beat.
Rob slid his arms through hers and wrapped them around her waist. She raised her arms up in the air and danced to the music. Stroking her tight stomach through the shirt sent sparks of energy blistering through Rob. He leant in and kissed her on the neck gently, she curled her head around at first, blocking his lips. But after a second, she tilted her head the other way exposing her delicate neck. Rob kissed it again, before gently resting his chin on her shoulder.
The crowd around them was packed tightly and Rob felt hands pressing against his back. People to the left of them pushed against his arms as they bounced around, but Rob held Maddy close. Eventually the two of them became a part of the fluid crowd, shifting around and moving with the people.

Each song ended with a chorus of applause and screaming, and Maddy cheered along. She danced with Rob and they both moved around in the mass of people. His gentle kiss on her neck set her on fire and she pushed up against him until the music stopped.
The band exited the stage and Maddy knew that they had a few minutes before the encore. She shifted her weight and managed to turn around and face Rob, twisting her body in his arms. He looked down into her eyes and she could see sparks of life in his gaze. He placed his hands on her hips and she wrapped her hands around his shoulders.
She felt him lean into her, and as if responding to his actions the crowds roared to life in a spectacular cheer of appreciation. She felt like cheering with them as he slid his hands up her body and rested them on her cheeks.
Maddy took in a deep breath, her heart was pounding. The low bass line started up and a familiar guitar chord shot through her back. She didn't need to see the band for this song. All she wanted to see was Rob. A low piano chord gently rolled into life and Rob rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
He smiled weakly and she could see a drop of sweat roll down his face. His breathing was deep, but there was a focus in his gaze. She watched his eyes shift back and forth, staring deeply into hers.
Rob pulled her closer and held his lips inches from hers. She moved her chin towards him and felt her lips parting. A gentle flutter in her eyelids was too much and she let herself go. Her eyes closed and she waited.
Maddy felt his lips connect with hers. So gentle at first. He pulled back, and she felt her mouth open wider. Rob's lips made contact again, this time they were still gentle, but his movements were full of passion as he kissed her. She felt one of his hands slide down onto her back and the other slid down to rest on her neck, gently cupping the back of her head.
Roars from the crowd echoed through her body and she kissed him back. All her passion and excitement rolled into him through their intimacy, and he shifted his weight as he continued the kiss.
'Sometime we remember bedrooms,' the singers' voices erupted through Maddy. She remembered bedrooms, and she pressed against Rob's body. He pressed up against her, and she felt his body complete. They held their kiss until the song ended.


Ends a bit abruptly? I might have to add an epilogue if this bothers any readers.

Also, just for reference here are some great videos of Arcade Fire playing live in a very similar setting.
The first song Keep the Car Running
and the song while they kiss Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

Both of these videos really help to set the mood for the concert.

Saturday Update

Today's short is a bit of an odd one. It's sort of an experiment in getting a story across in a sort of stream of consciousness type way. The short is all dialogue, or should I say monologue. Basically a character recounting a story to someone else, or just the reader. I really wish the indents worked becasue it makes it much easier to read. As it is, it sort of looks like a bit of a block of text.

Also if anyone thinks there is too much use of the word "like" or things such as ending sentences with the questions "right?" and "you know?" then try reading it out loud as a monologue, it flows better that way. While writing it, I had to read it out loud to make sure the commas are all in the right spots, even if they aren't gramatically correct. Also I found myself adding more "like"s when I read it out loud.

Partly inspired by one of my favourite films of all time Waking Life, Directed by Richard Linklater and mostly created by letting the main character/narrator go off on whatever tangents he thought necessary, and no, I didn't have the dream described in the story.

Heres a clip from Waking Life. Great scene, the whole movie is like this, rotoscoped animation and interesting interviews/dialogue. Amazing.

And a music video: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs directed by Spike Jonze. Arcade Fire's album The Suburbs was my favourite of 2010.

Also Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance the Way I Feel. Great song, made number 3 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2010.


Monologue
By Tim Harvey


“So, I've been having this recurring dream recently. Like, the last few nights, right?
Anyway, so in the dream, I'm like at the video store, right? And I'm leaving the video store.
It's like night-time, and anyway, I'm walking across the parking lot to my car.
So, it's dark and there are a few people around and whatever, and I notice there is a cop car in the parking lot.
The video store is like on the same block as this pizza place, right? And, so they like share the same parking lot, you know?
Anyway, so I'm walking across this parking lot, looking at the cop car, and it's got the tail-lights on and all that, the reversing lights and whatever.
So, I'm like; 'Oh, okay, these cops are like, getting dinner,' and I'm thinking; 'Geez, guys. Like, pizza, am I right?'
Because, you know, they're like cops right, but whatever.
So as I'm like getting into my car I see these two shady looking guys walking across the parking lot. And they're like, eyeing up the cop car, and they're looking at each other, and like eyeing up this cop car.
So, I'm like thinking to myself; ' These dudes look like real shady,' I mean, these dudes look like the type to start trouble, right?
Anyway, so now I'm getting into my car and I have to like, turn my back on these guys, and I get this thought, like; 'This is the perfect time to get mugged.' Right?
I mean, dark parking lot, not many people around and all that.
But I'm not scared or anything, because, like, the cop car, you know?

“So, anyway, that thought sticks in my mind, and I'm like driving home thinking about doing some writing. Anyway, I'm like; 'This would be a great story.' I mean, you know? Lone guy gets mugged in the parking lot, and there was a cop car like, right there. I mean, that's pretty funny right, these guys must be pretty stupid, right?
But then I'm like; 'What if the cops didn't notice?' Right?
So, the guy gets mugged, with a cop car like, right there, and you know?
I mean, the guy's getting bashed and, like I'd imagine it as being really brutal, right? So, he's getting kicked in the head and like, broken jaw, and like, real violent, like fractured eye sockets and all that, you know?
And the guys are like taking his keys and, you know, jacking his car and all that, with these cops right there in the parking lot!
So, like, I'd imagine it as like, the guy's on the ground, and his face is like swollen and all that, and he looks up and sees the cop car pull out of the parking lot.
Like, they didn't see anything, right?
And, even, they like stop and he sees the brake lights go on and he's like; 'Oh, thank God!' And all that. And then, the cops like, drive off.
I mean, It's like heartbreaking.
Imagine like, the soul-destroying, like, feeling of being in that situation, you know?
Just like, crushed, you know?
So, anyway, then like the hero of the story, the guy, you know, goes to hospital and all that. And he's like in a coma for months, with the tubes and all that, all that stuff.
So he gets out of hospital and he's like, vowed to get revenge.
But, here's the twist, right? He's vowed to get revenge on the cops who left him there.
So, I don't know, he becomes like, a supervillain, or something.
Probably, not that much, more like a bad version of like, Batman, or something, you know?
So, I'm like imagining the story as being from his perspective, right? But the reader like, gets that he's wrong, right? I mean, that whole origin story, his whole like, origin was just a mistake. I mean, the cops probably couldn't see him in the dark, or something, you know?. Chances are they couldn't hear him, or whatever, you know?

“So, like, this whole guy's life, his motivations, his plans and all that, his whole life! It's all like, just based on a mistake. And I want like the audience to pick that up, even though it's like from his point-of-view and all that.
The book is like, I don't know, and indictment on society, right? But it's like masquerading as like, an indictment on corrupt, or like... That's not right, not corrupt.
Like... Inept policing? Yeah, like you know, police being like, understaffed and all that, like you know, like incompetent police.
So the guy that the reader follows, is like one of those unreliable narrators, right? I mean, it's obvious that he's in the wrong, but he doesn't know that, right? He's like all caught up in his life having meaning and all that, you know?
But here's another cool twist, right? By the end of the book, and it's like written as like his journal or something. So at the end of the book, he like admits to the reader that he knew what he was doing was wrong, right?
So, he's like; 'Yeah, I knew that the cops weren't deliberately like, screwing me over. I just wanted to have a purpose in life, you know?'
And, so then the audience has to like choose to sympathise with him, or like not.
But he's like totally killed the cops or something, or maybe just bashed them like he got bashed, you know?

“Wow, so where were we?
Yeah, like anyway, I'm making this story up in my head as I'm like driving home from the video store. And, like, it's all coming to me like, rapid fire, you know? I mean, like the whole thing is just falling into place, like the whole novel. I mean, I'm seeing the characters, the twists and all that.
So I'm driving home and I'm getting all excited, you know? As you would be, right? I mean, this is like pure inspiration, right? Like, I saw something in the world and my mind, like, my imagination just went into rapid fire and I pulled a fully formed story out of, well out of nowhere, right?

“So I get home and I rush inside and start typing it up and it's just flowing, I mean really flowing.
And I'm sitting there writing for hours and hours, like, it feels like hours, right?
And all of a sudden it's done.
A full novel, right? Well manuscript, anyway. But you know, I've written a full manuscript in one sitting.
So I sit back and, I'm like exhausted, like really exhausted. I'm like panting and sweating, and all that.
Then I like sit back, like this.
And fold my arms behind my head, like this, right?
And I look over at my bookshelf, like, you know, just looking around my room, and something grabs my eye, right?
I look at the bookshelf and there's only one book on it.
And, I'm like; 'What happened to all my books?' Right? Because they're all missing.
Anyway, so I get up and grab this book, and start flipping through the pages and guess what.
It's the same book! I mean like, word for word the same story that I just wrote down.
I'm like; 'What? What the hell?' Right? And I close the book and check the cover, I mean, this must be some mistake, right?
And get this, the author's name?
Yeah, it's me.
And then I wake up.

“So, I like had this dream every night for like the last week, right?
I'm like; 'What does that mean?' You know?
I think it is like something to do with my like, thinking I'm unoriginal or something. Or like, I keep writing the same ideas down, or something? You know, like my subconscious self like, giving me shit for being unoriginal or something, right?
But I don't know, I mean, sometimes it feels like just this external force like telling me; 'Nothing is original,' right? Like; 'Even when something feels truly inspired, it's still been done before.' Or something like that. Not like God or anything, no, nothing like that. But maybe like, collective consciousness or something.
I don't know.
The weird part is like the vividness, right, of the dream. Not really the ideas or anything, but the emotions, you know?
I mean, when I start thinking up the book, I'm like super-excited, you know? Like really excited. And when I see that I already wrote that story it's just, like, total depression. Like, the depression is so much that, it like, wakes me up.

“Well, I don't really know.
What do you think?”