Ella’s POV

“They are coming!” Liz grabbed my hand and pulled me to her side. I frowned and looked around, not seeing anyone yet, but then the door was pulled fully open and a group of four men walked towards us. I recognized one as the roadie who gave us some information on the stage set up.
But the other three weren’t anyone I noticed or had seen before.

The people around Liz and me all turned and we were being pushed into the direction of the exit, while everyone else pushed towards the four approaching man, but not with my best friend.
She pulled me along with her towards the second row of people standing and I got my first glimpse of the three band members.

A guy almost my height with a spiky Mohawk laughing loudly, a guy with straight black hair and piercing green eyes, together with a tall guy, with almost black hair and, and wasn’t he someone to look at. They were all heavily tattooed but seemed relaxed and enjoying the attention that was directed at them.

“So as you all know, this is half of Avenged Sevenfold, the other half will be introduced to you after the show, so you still have something to look forward too.” The roadie announced and then question were thrown around and the guys parted to small groups of fans so everyone had a chance to speak.

“Come on, come on” Liz pulled me along with her towards the tall guy with the nearly perfect features, damn he was handsome. “What’s his name again?” I asked quietly and Liz rolled her eyes “Syn Gates, the lead guitarist… isn’t he a hottie?” She sighed and I had to admit, he was indeed.

I listened in on all the questions about songs, stage set-up and saw how this Syn guy was flirting with different girls, well what a benefit of being a rock star, huh?!
I chuckled to myself and watched the scene play before me, until Liz dragged me forward.

“Take a picture, we can send it Jake” Liz shoved me into the guitarist, but he caught me with ease.
“A wild one, huh?” A deep voice asked and I saw the tattooed hands holding me, so I quickly wanted to take a step away, embarrassed for falling into him like that.

“No, rather my friend” I pointed at Liz with an angry glare who just waved and smiled. “She is the real fan here… I’m just… here to enjoy the music and show” I admitted and his eyebrows lifted in disbelieve “Really, you come here without being a fan? Well, we should speak later on again, to see if we could convince you into being a fan?! I’m good like that, you know?!” He winked at me, one of his hands still on my hips.

“We just wanted to send a picture to my boyfriend who couldn’t come” I said and a smirk fell over his face, while I had intended with my mentioning of Jake a whole different reaction from him. I thought he would take that hand away and react shocked, he just seemed playful at the thought.

“Well then, go ahead, do it” He pulled me closer again, his arm around my waist and looked at me from the side “He should know to not let a woman like you out on her own, at a show like this, with people like us” Syn grinned at me, then motioned to Liz and smiled at the camera, making several women standing beside us sigh dreamily.

Liz snapped several pictures until I couldn’t see anymore from the flash of light that had blinded me.

“So we see us later” With that the guitarist left my side and walked over towards the next waiting fans. “And And AND?!” Liz looked at me with wide eyes and I frowned.
“What And? What do you expect?!” I chuckled looking at her with a frown.

“I don’t know, how did he smell? He touched you, what did he say, he looked like he wanted to eat you alive! Damn I’m so jealous, Dave had a firm grip on me, not to run over to you” She threw a dirty look at her husband and I shook my head, she was really the worst.

“And if you haven’t noticed, he looks at almost every woman like that…” I said to calm her down. “Yeah yeah, so what did he say?” She asked grabbing my arm and pulling me with her.
“He said he wants to talk to me later, to hear if I was a fan after the show” I summed it up and Liz eyes widened, “Oh my god! I’m so jealous!”

“Babe, calm down” Dave soothed her behind me, he looked like he was used to her behavior and he must be apparently, because Liz wasn’t calming down at all.
“They are really your favorite band, huh?” I asked and she looked at me like I was the dumbest person on the planet.

“Well, duh! Of course” She said and rolled her eyes, she opened her mouth to say more when a loud voice interrupted her.

“So, the guys need to get ready for the show, and you guys can grab a drink and then move over to your place beside the stage. The show is about to begin with the opening act in an hour” Was announced and soon the three band members were gone and we were brought over to the bar area.

Tom and Dave grabbed some drinks for us and I wrote a quick message to Jake:

Hey, the meet and greet is over, we are waiting now for the opening act to begin. Liz is embarrassing me, but that’s nothing new ;)
Here is a picture she took of me and the guitarist, to show you what you are missing out on.
I attached one of the pictures Liz took and send it to him.

Not shortly after a message from Jake returned:

Looks like fun, keep away from these band members, don’t want them to mistake you for a groupie, you are all mine… :P
Have fun babe, love u

I smiled and shot him a picture with me sticking out my tongue and put my phone away.
The noise got louder and the hall slowly filled with more people. We decided it was time to move to the side of the stage that was reserved for us to watch the show.

“I can’t wait for it to begin!” Liz almost screamed in my ear when the opening band walked on stage and heavy guitar music was starting to sound through the speakers.

I saw how Liz turned to her husband and he slung his arm around her waist, and how I wished Jake would be here to enjoy it with me, but instead I had her brother standing behind me, looking bored out of his mind.

The lights went out when the opening act finished and the stage built up was exchanged, tests for the mics were made and then everything was dark again.

I breathed deeply in and out, excitement pulsating through me, from the loud music before and the high expectations that I had now, after the cockiness of the lead guitarist that said I will be a fan after the show, I was kinda demanding a lot from them, so let’s see if he made true to his words and the show was really that good.

My heart was hammering and then suddenly lights flickered on and the music started while the band members, five now walked on stage.

I looked from one to the other, recognizing the three members we met earlier. The singer was wearing a base cap and aviators, a jacket over his shirt and dark pants, he walked from side to side, laughing, growling, screaming, singing a lot of everything.

I couldn’t make out his features with the way he was hiding behind his outfit, but I could say I liked his voice, a deep masculine voice, he spoke to the audience and I wouldn’t shake of the feeling that I heard that voice before.

He looked to the side in our direction, and it felt like he stared at me a moment, but I probably imagined it. He went back to singing, and when I got on my toes I could see the final member sitting behind the drums, putting his life and soul into his drumming while singing different parts as well, I stared at what played before me, this whole set up, the songs, the sage, the band, the energy… now I knew why this Syn guy was so sure… you couldn’t not be a fan, after attending such a show…

Matt’s POV

Damn Short shit… that ass wouldn’t be talked into exchanging. He wanted to get drunk off his ass himself and wouldn’t change places for the meet & greet with me.

I didn’t want to hurry after the show to grab a shower and meet the fans, don’t get me wrong, I loved the fans, but after a show there two sides of me normally… either complete exhausting me, or complete high me… which I only ever found out when the show was done.

I wanted to either drink and head to bed right after… or I wanted to drink and party right after, but both things weren’t about to work properly if I had to put all my energy and time into the fans. Dang it, sometimes it sucked to be me.

And I couldn’t leave Jimmy alone with the task, knowing that fucker would probably think the same way I did and in the end no one showed up, and that I really couldn’t do to our fans.
So I had to suck it up today and take it as it was coming, maybe the show was amazing and it would be even fun.

I hoped not too many overly excited girls were there, not that I didn’t like those fans, the opposite even, I loved an audience full of female fans, I mean.. looking into the crowd seeing finely dressed women jumping and having fun to our music, what more could I hope for ?! It was always nice to have a good looking crowd before you…

I grinned to myself when I saw Gates, Zack and Johnny approach “How was it?!” I asked handing my phone to MB who would store it for me till after the set.
“Not bad!” Gates grinned “You already have an eye on someone special, huh?” I asked and he just didn’t answer only giving me a smirk, so I rolled my eyes.

“How many people?” I asked and Johnny answered “About 15, they were all cool. They have will be at Gates side of the stage” He explained and I nodded “They always want my side” Brian elbowed Zack in the side who flipped him off.

I guess I would have to let myself be surprised on how it would go. I walked back to the backstage room and did some warm up for my vocals. I drank a lot to get my throat wet and smooth and then ate a little bit to not go out hungry.

When we were announced to be ready in 5, I grabbed my mic and had a look at the stage, they were just putting the finishing touch on it, then everything was dark and from the moment I walked on stage and the music began, I shut off my brain and let it take me over.

When I introduced us and the first couple of songs were done, I joked around and checked out the crowd, I noticed a few known faces and it felt good to play the last show here.

I looked at the side and was about to say something to the winners of the VIP tickets but my eyes saw a woman I had seen before. Or so I thought… I frowned and stared at her for a second, she looked a little different but from where did I know her?!

I heard Jimmy’s sticks counting and the next song started, so I pushed that thought away and went back to my work, even though I couldn’t stop to look to the side every now and then pondering the question where this woman felt so familiar from?!

The rest of the set went over quiet quickly, it was fun, the crowd was amazing, I was almost sad that the tour ended, but wasn’t it always like this?!

We went out for the encore and that was always the highlight of the show, we gave our everything and then it ended with a boom.

I grabbed a towel from the side of the stage and whipped the sweat of my forehead, I had lost the base cap and jacket during some part of the show, it was just getting too hot up here. I threw some set lists into the crowd, waved and stole a stick from Jimmy to throw away too.

We said our final goodbyes when an arm slung around my shoulder. “Have fun with the fans, should I get you a drink already, or rather wait? 15 people demanding your attention, that will take some time, huh?” Gates smirked and I shoved his arm away “Fuck off… Put a beer in the cooler for me I’ll make it quick” I winked at headed for the restroom first.

After a little freshen up I met up with MB and Jimmy, he would lead us to the fans, so we could get this over with. And didn’t I have a plan, or did my mind play a trick on me?! I thought I knew one of the girls from somewhere… I mean it had been dark and there were many faces, but normally I’m good with this, names not so much, but faces I would recognize.

“You ready?” Jimmy jumped up and down, draining a bottle of water and throwing it at Jason across the room.
“Ready when you are…” I nodded and we started to walk forward into the lion’s den.

We were greeted with cheers and people started to swarm us, they wanted a picture, a hug, asking question all at once, it was hard to concentrate.

“First of all thank you all for coming by, we hope you had as much fun as we had” I said and looked around, until those brown eyes of the woman I had seen on stage meet mine.

Now I recognized her, she was the one from the studio, the fitness club, the girl without a name. Well, well who would have thought she was a fan, that was making things a lot easier…

At least that’s what I thought, when Gates suddenly walked in from the side, he handed me a cold beer, and walked passed me straight to her… what the hell?!

I watched dumbfounded how he leaned closer and whispered something in her ear, she laughed at something and nodded.

I got an elbow in my ribs from MB and I looked at him angry “What?!” I snapped when he motioned to the rest of the waiting fans, shit… had I been saying something?! What did I want to say?!

“Yeah, so thank you for coming by and…” I stuttered, hadn’t I said that before, shit.. doesn’t matter “Well, now ask some questions, some recommendations? Did you have fun? Let us know” I said but made my way over to Gates and the small group surrounded by him, why would he be here, if he could be at the after party already?!

“I didn’t promise too much, did I?” He grinned and that’s when I noticed there were not only the girl I knew from the studio, but another woman and two guys beside her, shit… she was taken?
Should have known before, but then why was Gates hanging around her?!

“No, you certainly didn’t, and like I said, count me in” She said and now I knew why I didn’t recognize her at first, her long hair was piled high on her head, only a few strands hanging down and her make- up was a lot more than I had seen her with before, don’t get me wrong she looked amazing but it was a little different.

“Hey, weren’t you supposed to be at the after party?!” I asked Gates, laying my arm around his shoulders and he grinned at me from the side. “I’ll be right up going there… just wanted to make sure on my promise.. you know what, why don’t you ladies and gentlemen, come and follow me, you ever been to an official after party?!”

I opened my mouth to take back what he just said, when the woman opposite of me screeched excitedly and I turned my eyes away from the brunette and Gates to her “Oh my god, Ella! Did you hear?! Sure, we would love to go!” She hugged first me, then Gates and then fell into the arms of the guy behind her and I frowned, what the hell was Brian doing?! And why was he taken her away from me, did he know them somehow?!

“Perfect, come on” Gates laid his arms around the two girls and the guys followed behind them, when I wanted to do the same a hand to my shoulder stopped me “Not over for you, Mister!” MB said and I groaned, shit I forgot I still had something else to do.

I plastered a small smile on my face, that I didn’t feel and walked back to the other fans, while the entire time I just counted the minutes down to when I was able to leave and could finish off a few more drinks and finally be able to find Ella… and hopefully far away from Gates… thought I didn’t get that, huh?! But sure I did, Ella… now I at least knew her name.

Notes

Guess what… no decision to make this time…
But soon again ;)

Just let me know how u liked this one and what u think what is going to happen next ?!