Capricorn Season - Jimmy Page

Chapter 18 Part 1

The time difference between L.A. and Dallas woke everyone early. With the rising sun, the denizens of the hotel were awakening to eat breakfast and go about their daily routines. Some were enjoying the casual stay, like the traveling pair of lawyers in room B207. Others, such as the newlywed couple in C225, were unfortunate enough to be booked down the hall from the Zeppelin gang. And some, like Robert, were experimenting with a different kind of romance.

Outside it was light out, the world was awash with light blue and a tinge of grey, looking more like England than Dallas. Lorelei was the first to be woken by the racket next door. It was Peter on the phone. She wondered why the hell he was up at this hour. What could be so important? It seemed that everyone else was used to the sound, as they were all sound asleep. She couldn't hear anyone stirring, least of all Robert. He was snoring away on his pillow, features mashed into the soft cotton.

This hotel was particularly nice, which made her rude awakening less unpleasant. The bed linen was quality, which was the true sign of a good hotel. She was used to the rough feeling of 100-count sheets and polyester blend pillowcases. She was happy to be here, especially with such a high-caliber guest.

As she looked around the room at all of the amenities, she felt lucky to be there with him. She was Robert Plant's woman for the time being. She was in a place that thousands of women and men would kill for.

He was special, she thought. He was a shining gem under the sun she found on the sidewalk. She felt lucky to be with him, to share the same sheets as him. His hands felt like a prayer on her skin, every kiss was a message from a loving God.

Their love would be fraught and temporary, of course, but it could also be beautiful. It could be the shortest, most peaceful death her heart had experienced. She could see the end already before the opening credits started. She could feel her heart already in pieces. But she would be happy to have it broken by him.

The clouds were shielded by the budding sun, but eventually, they gave way to a beautiful scene. She thought the renewed sun looked like an egg yolk, but that was on account of her hunger. She hadn't eaten since the day before at lunchtime, and the rumbling in her stomach was becoming noticeable. She surmised Robert would have to do for now, and drank the sight of him.

She knew he would break her heart. Whether their time was tonight, or it spiraled into months, she knew it would end in a shattering mess of tears and heartbreak. But she just couldn't care. It was Robert. He was everything she'd ever wanted.

After the years, what was one more heartache? Love had never been kind, it never had wings, only teeth, and jagged edges. It seemed worth it in that moment.

She was entirely happy to observe him passively as he slept. When he was awake he was on fire, aroused at its simplest definition. When he slept he was quaint and tractable. In his supine state, she could easily look at him without those prying eyes, absorb his beauty without the threat of ego. He was docile and beautiful as ever.

As if feeling her eyes hot on him, he began to rouse. He woke suddenly with grace, popping his eyes open to see her. He smiled at once, delighted to see that she was still in the room with him. He worried before he drifted off that she would leave, or that she was but a figment of his imagination.

Fortunately, she was wholly real.

"G'mornin," he grumbled, his voice hoarse and laden with sleep. She liked the huskiness of it. It sounded sexy, whether it was the product of misuse of his vocal cords or all of the cigarettes.

Their connection could not be denied. There was something pulling them together. Destiny, fate, what have you, something was drawing them close. There was something calling them to each other. They were not like magnets, because their polarity is what repels them; they were entirely attracted to the moronically similar features they possess. They were Gemini lovers, twins in love and life. They were too similar and would only destroy each other.