Perfectly Reckless
Chapter 31
Shabby looking shop, Somerville, TN – 2013
“Hello? Somebody here?” Matt called, his arm spread in front of me protectively.
“Maybe it was just a cat.”
“I don’t think so. Hey, come on. Show yourself.”
After a few silent moments suddenly a guy stood up from behind the counter and he looked shocked as hell.
“Oh shit. How..how..how long have you been sitting there?!”
The guys looked startled and hesitated to answer. God, this is fucking humiliating. A random stranger watching us fuck senselessly..
“Since the start of the song.” He replied quietly and I was tempted to giggle.
“Look man, we meant no harm. It’s just…my girlfriend and I are a bit…you know. And we can’t find a room so..”
“That’s cool, man.”
Matt glanced at me and started to take out his wallet.
“Oh come on, Matt. You’re gonna bribe the witness again?”
“What was I supposed to do Lzzy?”
“Just fucking admit that you’re fucking me, end of fucking story!”
He bulged his eyes at me with his mouth agape. “You want your fans to know about us?”
“I don’t mind, Matt. Or is it that you don’t want to be seen with me? Is that it?”
“No, I never said that.”
“Oh but you meant it right?”
“No, fuck Lzzy. Why can’t you understand? I don’t want you to be hurt by all those publicities, and it will give you time to mend things with your past relationship. Just believe in me.”
I glared at him, but my heart felt that flutter again. He was thinking about me? Oh isn’t he the sweetest?
“Um, then..what about him?”
Matt turned to the guy. He looked lost and a little scared. Man, I felt sorry for him, having to endure watching us…
“I’ll take care of this. You go first.”
“You’re sure Matt? Don’t do anything stupid like strangle him or something.”
He laughed nervously. “No I won’t. Go on then, off you go.”
I have to trust him and besides I don’t want my band mates to worry about my sudden missing in action. I went out of the shop, watching as Matt walked closer to the counter. Shit I really hope he didn’t get into a fight.
~*.*~
Memphis Minglewood Hall, TN – 2013
The roadies handed my guitar to me and a pair of earpiece as we were 20 minutes away from stepping out on stage. I strapped the guitar on my shoulder and went over to Joe who was talking to Josh, getting ready as I was.
“Hey guys. Ready?”
Josh turned and smiled at me. Joe on the other hand, avoided my eyes and conveniently talking to a roadie who handed him his guitar and earpiece.
“Lzzy, we’re always ready. These fingers, are made for places like this.”
Josh was always a stuck up when it comes to his skill in bass. I adore him, don’t get me wrong but sometimes I think that he had too much limelight when he was in his old band that he’d gotten used to it.
“Yeah right Josh. Have you seen Wesley? I haven’t seen her ever since soundcheck.”
“She’s upstairs with the lighting team. Why?” Joe suddenly answered me, but still with a cold tone.
“Um, just asking.”
Then there came the awkward silence between us. Josh glared at us in turns and I knew he could smell something.
“Woah woah woah. Hold the fuck on. How can I miss this? You guys broke up?”
I accidentally looked at Joe and our eyes locked. He smirked and went past us with his guitar, throwing his arms over on RJ. I wonder if RJ had spoken to him yet..
“Lzzy?”
“Huh, what?”
“I asked you a question. Did you guys break up? Why are you guys being so awkward?”
I looked down to my feet and lingered, taking my time to really answer this. “Yeah, Josh. We broke up.”
“Holy fuck! You guys are the chemistry! What happened?”
I glanced back up, peeking my way back to Joe who was talking to RJ.
“Simple. I’m an asshole.”
Josh frowned at me and opened his mouth to say something but we were interrupted by Wesley.
“Ok guys, the lighting team said you will be bathed in spotlights tonight so your armpit might get sweaty.”
Josh and I stared at her, both awkwardly stuttered, because we literally don’t know what to say to that.
“5 minutes to go! Hands on mine everyone!”
There it was, the ritual that she started since day one. We stacked our palms on top of hers and I saw the way she looked at Joe, but Joe kept concentrating on giving me cold looks so he didn’t realize it.
“1,2,3 GO HALESTORM!!”
“Go Halestorm!” We chorused, eventhough I caught RJ murmuring something like “Go to Hale.”
The boys dispersed and stood in line just behind the vault that separated the stage with us, and I took Wesley in her arm.
“Hey Wes, can I talk to you for a sec?”
“3 minutes, Lzzy!”
“I fucking know. I just wanna ask you something.”
“Okay go on then. 2 minutes and 43 seconds.”
“Do you..um..do you…”
“2 minutes and 15 seconds Lzzy…”
“Fuck this. Do you or do you not like Joe?”
“1 minute..” she baffled, but her mouth still counting down the time. I watched her blushed and I got my answer.
“Lzzy, I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be. We..broke up anyways.”
“I know.”
“Joe told you?”
“Yeah.”
I heard the crowd yelled as the stage manager started to call me and I ran to the vault, yelling back at her;
“I get the feeling that he likes you too, Wes!”
I left her blushing and quickly ran to the microphone, just in time to sing the first song in our setlist, Rock Show.
I started with the riff and rhythm from Joe, before RJ barged in with his drums. We blended greatly as usual but there was something wrong in the picture. Whenever I turn to look at Joe, he would look away. And when I sang “Getting high on the solo..” he didn’t catch me back with the riff that he was supposed to play. Nevertheless I kept on singing and hoped we didn’t mess up.
The rest of the show as pretty much a mess. There was one time Joe and I screwed up in Daughters of Darkness, causing us to pause for a second and I had to apologize for the mistake. Joe forgot to change his guitar, and his guitar tech was absent at the time - the punch line. I had to cover it all up with my singing.
To add the screwing up part, I fucking forgot the lyrics to Familiar Taste of Poison which I usually sang only with Joe on clean guitar and being there together with him, cold, awkward and full of regret on my side just made me lose my concentration.
So after the show guess who gathered us all and scold the fuck out of us? My little brother, RJ. He sat us both down on the couch in our bus, with Wesley and Josh out of the way, and soon he left us both alone to talk it out. Shit he even said that as long as we haven’t sort this thing out, neither of us can’t join them in the TV room at the back.
Oh God, how should I start?
“Hello? Somebody here?” Matt called, his arm spread in front of me protectively.
“Maybe it was just a cat.”
“I don’t think so. Hey, come on. Show yourself.”
After a few silent moments suddenly a guy stood up from behind the counter and he looked shocked as hell.
“Oh shit. How..how..how long have you been sitting there?!”
The guys looked startled and hesitated to answer. God, this is fucking humiliating. A random stranger watching us fuck senselessly..
“Since the start of the song.” He replied quietly and I was tempted to giggle.
“Look man, we meant no harm. It’s just…my girlfriend and I are a bit…you know. And we can’t find a room so..”
“That’s cool, man.”
Matt glanced at me and started to take out his wallet.
“Oh come on, Matt. You’re gonna bribe the witness again?”
“What was I supposed to do Lzzy?”
“Just fucking admit that you’re fucking me, end of fucking story!”
He bulged his eyes at me with his mouth agape. “You want your fans to know about us?”
“I don’t mind, Matt. Or is it that you don’t want to be seen with me? Is that it?”
“No, I never said that.”
“Oh but you meant it right?”
“No, fuck Lzzy. Why can’t you understand? I don’t want you to be hurt by all those publicities, and it will give you time to mend things with your past relationship. Just believe in me.”
I glared at him, but my heart felt that flutter again. He was thinking about me? Oh isn’t he the sweetest?
“Um, then..what about him?”
Matt turned to the guy. He looked lost and a little scared. Man, I felt sorry for him, having to endure watching us…
“I’ll take care of this. You go first.”
“You’re sure Matt? Don’t do anything stupid like strangle him or something.”
He laughed nervously. “No I won’t. Go on then, off you go.”
I have to trust him and besides I don’t want my band mates to worry about my sudden missing in action. I went out of the shop, watching as Matt walked closer to the counter. Shit I really hope he didn’t get into a fight.
~*.*~
Memphis Minglewood Hall, TN – 2013
The roadies handed my guitar to me and a pair of earpiece as we were 20 minutes away from stepping out on stage. I strapped the guitar on my shoulder and went over to Joe who was talking to Josh, getting ready as I was.
“Hey guys. Ready?”
Josh turned and smiled at me. Joe on the other hand, avoided my eyes and conveniently talking to a roadie who handed him his guitar and earpiece.
“Lzzy, we’re always ready. These fingers, are made for places like this.”
Josh was always a stuck up when it comes to his skill in bass. I adore him, don’t get me wrong but sometimes I think that he had too much limelight when he was in his old band that he’d gotten used to it.
“Yeah right Josh. Have you seen Wesley? I haven’t seen her ever since soundcheck.”
“She’s upstairs with the lighting team. Why?” Joe suddenly answered me, but still with a cold tone.
“Um, just asking.”
Then there came the awkward silence between us. Josh glared at us in turns and I knew he could smell something.
“Woah woah woah. Hold the fuck on. How can I miss this? You guys broke up?”
I accidentally looked at Joe and our eyes locked. He smirked and went past us with his guitar, throwing his arms over on RJ. I wonder if RJ had spoken to him yet..
“Lzzy?”
“Huh, what?”
“I asked you a question. Did you guys break up? Why are you guys being so awkward?”
I looked down to my feet and lingered, taking my time to really answer this. “Yeah, Josh. We broke up.”
“Holy fuck! You guys are the chemistry! What happened?”
I glanced back up, peeking my way back to Joe who was talking to RJ.
“Simple. I’m an asshole.”
Josh frowned at me and opened his mouth to say something but we were interrupted by Wesley.
“Ok guys, the lighting team said you will be bathed in spotlights tonight so your armpit might get sweaty.”
Josh and I stared at her, both awkwardly stuttered, because we literally don’t know what to say to that.
“5 minutes to go! Hands on mine everyone!”
There it was, the ritual that she started since day one. We stacked our palms on top of hers and I saw the way she looked at Joe, but Joe kept concentrating on giving me cold looks so he didn’t realize it.
“1,2,3 GO HALESTORM!!”
“Go Halestorm!” We chorused, eventhough I caught RJ murmuring something like “Go to Hale.”
The boys dispersed and stood in line just behind the vault that separated the stage with us, and I took Wesley in her arm.
“Hey Wes, can I talk to you for a sec?”
“3 minutes, Lzzy!”
“I fucking know. I just wanna ask you something.”
“Okay go on then. 2 minutes and 43 seconds.”
“Do you..um..do you…”
“2 minutes and 15 seconds Lzzy…”
“Fuck this. Do you or do you not like Joe?”
“1 minute..” she baffled, but her mouth still counting down the time. I watched her blushed and I got my answer.
“Lzzy, I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t be. We..broke up anyways.”
“I know.”
“Joe told you?”
“Yeah.”
I heard the crowd yelled as the stage manager started to call me and I ran to the vault, yelling back at her;
“I get the feeling that he likes you too, Wes!”
I left her blushing and quickly ran to the microphone, just in time to sing the first song in our setlist, Rock Show.
I started with the riff and rhythm from Joe, before RJ barged in with his drums. We blended greatly as usual but there was something wrong in the picture. Whenever I turn to look at Joe, he would look away. And when I sang “Getting high on the solo..” he didn’t catch me back with the riff that he was supposed to play. Nevertheless I kept on singing and hoped we didn’t mess up.
The rest of the show as pretty much a mess. There was one time Joe and I screwed up in Daughters of Darkness, causing us to pause for a second and I had to apologize for the mistake. Joe forgot to change his guitar, and his guitar tech was absent at the time - the punch line. I had to cover it all up with my singing.
To add the screwing up part, I fucking forgot the lyrics to Familiar Taste of Poison which I usually sang only with Joe on clean guitar and being there together with him, cold, awkward and full of regret on my side just made me lose my concentration.
So after the show guess who gathered us all and scold the fuck out of us? My little brother, RJ. He sat us both down on the couch in our bus, with Wesley and Josh out of the way, and soon he left us both alone to talk it out. Shit he even said that as long as we haven’t sort this thing out, neither of us can’t join them in the TV room at the back.
Oh God, how should I start?
Notes
A/N: wuahuwhuahuw XD
@RyeBellamy
You're very welcome
7/29/18