14 Days

Evie woke up the next day to sunlight streaming in directly on her face. She grumbled, turning her body and trying to bury herself within the depths of the bed to get away from the intrusive light. It took her a second to remember that she was in a real bed, a lush king size mattress beneath her and crisp, clean linens encompassing her body. She sighed happily, running her hands along the outside of the covers.

Her internal debate between getting up and staying in bed was ultimately won by her more responsible side, Evie finally deciding to open her eyes and assess herself. She had almost immediately crashed last night upon their arrival to the hotel, the past 5 hours of indulgence on the bus catching up with her as she found her way to her room and straight into bed. She was pleasantly surprised when she realised she wasn’t hungover, and was actually feeling hungry. This result was totally unexpected, but she was determined to sate her hunger and make the most of the day off.

She made her way to the bathroom, doing her business before stepping eagerly into the shower. Evie thanked any deity that was listening that she actually had decent water pressure, enough that she would be able to wash her hair for the first time in too many days. She let the water run over her body, removing the scent of smoke and musk that lingered from last night. The water helped rehydrate and wake her up, Evie becoming more and more human as time went on.

She finally pulled herself out of the shower, wrapping one towel around her body and one around her wet hair. She rummaged through her backpack on her bed, thankful that she had remembered to grab it from the roadie bus that had been waiting for them at the hotel. Thanks to Jimmy’s munchies, the band bus had to stop a few times along the way, slowing down their travel time, meaning the roadie bus had overtaken them early on in the trip.

Finally finding a complete outfit, Evie changed into the clean clothes. Her outfit was simple, black skinny jeans, an off the shoulder Ramones tee (that was only off the shoulder as she had stolen it from one of the Halestorm guys along the way), and her trusty hi tops. She towel dried her hair, the damp locks falling down her back before she tied them hastily into a bun on top of her head. She threw on her leather jacket before shoving all her dirty clothes back into her backpack and shouldered the bag.

On her way out of her hotel room, she remembered to grab her door key and phone, checking the cell for any missed calls or messages as she waited for the lift to take her back down to the lobby. She vaguely remembered where the buses were parked, the journey from the bus to the hotel last night a distant memory shrouded by a smoke cloud, both literally and figuratively. Evie reached the lobby, pulling her cigarette packet out from her jacket pocket and getting one out, ready to light as she exited the building. She took a left, walking down the sidewalk and lighting up her cigarette.

As she exhaled, she took a look at her surroundings. The hotel was across the road from a small park, the grass still slightly damp from the morning dew, and the seats barren of any visitors. She had a vague memory from last night stir in her mind, and she realised that it was a good sign that she was going the correct way.

The group of 9 made their way out of the bus, those that smoked immediately lighting up a cigarette. Though they could smoke weed on the bus happily, they had banned cigarette smoke, claiming it lingers longer within the bus.

They followed the bus driver blindly, knowing that he was the one sober one and would be the best bet to get them to the correct hotel. They rounded a corner, and immediately Jimmy spotted a small park. Without warning, the lanky man set off at a full run, dodging out of the way of the parked cars that lined the street to cross over to the park. As if he were part monkey, he started climbing the tree in the center of the clearing, exclaiming that he was ‘The motherfucking Reverend, King of all things’ and that they all needed to ‘bow before their Lord’. It took Matt, Brian and Dan to convince him to get out of the tree, and that was only with the promise of more booze once they reached the hotel. Jimmy took off, eagerly falling in step with the driver so he could get to the hotel first.

Smiling at the short memory that flashed before her, Evie started once more towards the buses. She quickly retraced the steps from last night, and before she had managed to finish her cigarette, the two tour buses were in front of her once again. She whipped out her key, unlocking the roadie bus and ascended the stairs. It was weird being on the bus when it was so quiet, she half expected Matt to jump out from behind the curtain and scare her as she walked into the bunk area.

Evie set to repacking her backpack, changing out the dirty clothes for a clean outfit as they would be staying in the hotel tonight as well. The guys had explained to her that when the tour they like to get as many hotel breaks as possible, so if that meant driving to the next city overnight to reach it in time for an early morning check in, so be it. She was definitely not complaining, this was yet another luxury Evie was far from used to.

With her job complete, she shouldered the bag once more before making her way back off the bus. She locked up after herself, turning and retracing her steps from 10 minutes before. Evie took her time wandering back towards the hotel, her eyes taking in all she could see around her. Across the street was a small boutique, a dry cleaners, and a cute little coffee shop that was doing a roaring trade, the tables outside were full, and there were a few people standing out the front waiting for their take away orders. Seeing this as a good sign, Evie crossed the street and placed an order of her own, excited to have a good cup of coffee. Despite the business, the line moved fast and her order was called out quickly.

The first tentative sip of coffee was like an orgasm in her mouth, the bitter coffee was brewed to perfection, and the milk was steamed to the perfect temperature so she didn’t burn her tongue. It was definitely worth the slight time delay, and she was thankful that the busy cafe had caught her eye.

Evie started once more towards the hotel, again getting deviated from her task when she noticed a familiar body sitting on one of the benches in the small park across from the hotel. He was hunched over, his forearms resting against the tops of his legs as he flipped his cell phone through his nimble fingers. She made her way over, fumbling in her pocket once more for her cigarettes. She took out two, holding both between her fingers as she approached the park.

Reaching the seat, Evie took a deep breath before sitting down next to Brian. She silently put her hand out, offering him a cigarette. He looked beside him, jolted out of his own reverie by the hand that was proffering sweet nicotine. He had not heard anyone approach him, and was a little shocked to see someone else up so early after their late night.

“I know I’ve said this before, but it looks like you could use one of these,” Evie said, breaking the silence with a lighthearted statement. She heard Brian chuckle next to her, the deep timbre of his laugh making her smile along.

“It probably won’t be the last time,” he told her, accepting the cigarette from her. He sat back up straight, now leaning against the seats back as he shoved the phone into his jacket pocket.

A silence fell between the pair once more as Evie lit her smoke before handing the lighter to Brian. He copied her actions, handing it back once he had finished.

“I am surprised someone else is awake so early,” Evie said, voicing her earlier thought. She hadn’t expected to see anyone else at all today, considering it was a day off. She assumed they would all be confined to their beds until at least nightfall, most of them nursing a hangover from last nights drinking.
“Believe me, I wasn’t intending to be awake,” he answered, taking a long puff of smoke to help calm him down. “It seems I can’t get away from phone calls.”

“Sucks being popular, huh?” She asked rhetorically, trying to lighten the mood. She didn’t want to snoop and ask about the call itself, why he decided it was worthy enough to take, yet complain about once it was over, so she tried to steer the conversation to easier ground. “Too many calls, not enough time.”

“Yeah, something like that,” he replied, shrugging slightly. Evie bit back a groan, her effort to lighten the conversation shot down before her. She took a sip of her coffee before taking another inhale of smoke, giving herself time to think of another conversation starter.

“Played here before?” She finally asked, her slightly addled mind coming up with nothing better. At least she was trying, at least she was putting some effort in!

“So, you’re a girl, right?” He questioned, finally turning to look at Evie. Even if she had been prepared for his random outburst, she couldn’t have kept the look of confusion and surprise of her face if she tried.

“Uh, last time I checked,” she said, her brain failing to provide a filter of any kind, the words slipping through without her really realising it.

“I have been getting a huge amount of calls and messages from my ex-girlfriend since we left for tour. Like, I mean, it is insane, I am getting at least 20+ messages a day, plus 10 phone calls,” he told her, unloading the information before Evie could even realise what was happening. “And whenever I do answer, or pick up, she just starts yelling at me. I mean, we broke up!”

“Um, ok…” Evie replied, feeling more uncomfortable that she had in a very long time. Why in the world was he telling her these things? Though it did help explain his attitude yesterday before they left the venue. Was he on the phone to this mystery woman then?

“What the fuck is that all about?” He asked, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

“What?” Evie questioned, taking another drag from her cigarette to help distract her from the confusing question Brian had just asked her. “Why would I know?”
“Because you’re a chick,” he told her, like it was the answer to the meaning of life.

Evie was quiet for a moment, her thoughts creating a cacophony inside her mind. She had to pause to try and calm down for a second, her immediate reaction was just to chew Brian out for assuming that she would know why his ex-girlfriend was upset, that all women must know why another is angry. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before looking to Brian once more.

“Look, I have no idea why your ex is upset with you. Did you do something to her before you left for tour? Have you let something slip on the phone? Has she found an interview you did that she didn’t like? Just because I am a woman, it doesn’t immediately mean that I know why she is acting this way. I am not her, she is not me,” Evie told him, making a point of emphasising the fact that she had not appreciated the way he assumed all women were the same. “That is like saying that you know why that guy over there decided to wear a green shirt today because you both happen to have dicks. I am not suddenly one with your ex-girlfriend’s thoughts just because you told me about her recent calling habits.”

Brian was still for a moment, surprised at Evie’s response. Looking back, he did feel a little stupid for assuming that somehow she would have a magical answer that would fix everything. This had been going on for weeks, and he was at his limit with the stress it was causing, he was desperate for any help on the situation. The guys had all bagged him out, every time he would take a call, they would yell and shout after him, whenever they caught his attention on his phone, they would prod him and rag on him for giving her so much attention.

“Hey, I didn’t meant to-” he started, stopping himself before he started rambling.

“Look, I get it,” she told him, giving him a half smile and placing her hand on his bicep to give it a little sympathy squeeze. She was a little taken aback by how firm the muscle underneath her touch was, but quickly put that to the side. “Ex’s can be tricky, especially when they don’t know when to call it quits.”

“It’s been going on as soon as we started touring, like, the second the bus pulled away from the lot,” he said, finally letting it show how tired he was of the constant calls and messages. “She just keeps asking for updates, or yelling at me for not calling her, or apologising for yelling, then starts yelling again!”

“Dude, you’re such an idiot,” she told him, a small laugh escaping her as she finally realised the method behind his ex’s contact.

“Hey!” He exclaimed, his brows furrowing at why she was calling him names. “Not nice!”
“Well, it’s true. Idiot move number one was to get involved with a crazy,” she told him, holding back a smile as she watched his reaction. He laughed, nodding in agreement with her first statement. “Idiot move number two was responding to her.”

“I can’t just ignore someone that is that… persistent,” he said, not agreeing with her second point.

“Did you guys have break up sex?” She asked him, watching him stutter slightly over the question. She knew he was not expecting that question, but she had to let him get to the answer himself.

“Well… yeah,” he admitted, trying to keep a small blush from his face. He was not usually one to turn down talking about a conquest, but it felt weird to talk about it with Evie. Not only was she not one of the guys, but she wasn’t a guy!

“And who initiated it?”

“Uh, we both did, or it wouldn’t have happened.”

“Bullshit. You said something to her before you left, something that was smooth enough for her to forget that you had just broken up. Right?”

“No, she was the one to kiss me! That’s what started it all!”

Evie was silent. She looked at Brian, one eyebrow raised as she waited for him to come to his senses.
“What? She did! We had just broken up, I told her that it was over, and that we were going on tour. She didn’t like that I left her before tour, yelling at me that I just wanted to be free and to fuck groupies while we were gone,” he told her, trying to prove that it wasn’t just his fault that the sex had happened. “I let her yell and get it all out, and then she kissed me.”

“You said nothing in reply to her yelling?”

“No. Well, actually, yeah, I said something. Nothing that could be classed as seductive though!”

“What did you say?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Brian,” she said, her tone proving her disbelief in his words.

“I don’t! It was something along the lines that I don’t fuck groupies, and that I was always faithful to her during our mini tour before the holiday season last year, that I would never sleep with someone else. I told her to calm down, and that it would all be ok. I went to show her out of my house, and gave her a last hug goodbye, and then she kissed me.”

“Did you word it like that?” Evie asked him simply.

“I told you, I don’t remember. It was something like that,” he replied, shrugging again. He reached in his jacket pocket again, ignoring the vibrating cell phone that was within, and retrieved his packet of cigarettes. This conversation warranted more than just the one Evie had given him earlier. He removed two from the packet, placing one between his lips, lighting it, and handing it to Evie. She accepted the cigarette, watching Brian light another for himself while taking a drag before she spoke.

“I guarantee you all she heard was that you were faithful, and that you would never sleep with someone else. Then you reaffirmed that it would all be ok,” Evie explained to him, rolling her eyes at how stupid the man was being.

“But we broke up! She knew that it had just ended!”

“And then you told her all the things she wanted to hear, and then fucked her. In her Brian-loving, addled brain, that was all she needed to believe that you weren’t broken up any more. You would never sleep with anyone else, and then you slept with her,” Evie explained to him. “Then, you didn’t call her, or text her when you left for tour, so the more she doesn’t hear from you, the more upset she gets. To her, you are still together.”

Brian was quiet this time, taking a few moments to digest Evie’s theory. He had to replay the break up between himself and Abby, trying to see if there was a way that she could twist their final encounter into something that it was not. Could his words have made her think that he didn’t mean the break up, that it was all a mistake and that he wanted to be with her again? He now realised that his choice of words was poor, and that if you tried hard enough, they could have been misconstrued to mean something different.

“Fuck,” he muttered, starting to believe Evie’s theory. She held back a chuckle, not thinking that it was entirely appropriate to be laughing at her boss’s misfortune. “Why do I pick the crazy ones?”

“Do you want a real answer to that?” Evie joked, once again trying to lighten the situation. She watched as Brian rolled his eyes at her, clearly not impressed with her attempted joke.

“I’m going to have to break up with her again, right?” He guessed, hoping that he was wrong and Evie could just tell him that it would all blow over.

“Yup,” she confirmed, much to his displeasure. He sighed, his shoulders slumping once again, his arms resting on his knees. He occasionally lifted the cigarette to his lips, smoking it right down to the filter before admitting that it was actually smoked out.

“Fuck,” he reiterated, flicking the butt with ease. Evie held back the scold for him littering, realising now was not the time to try and convince him to be a little more environmentally friendly.

Instead, she rose to her feet, picking up her two butts and her finished coffee cup. She made her way to the corner of the park, throwing away the rubbish in the bin before returning to the seat. Brian rose once she returned, grabbing her arm lightly before as she started walking away to stop her movements. Evie stopped in her tracks, looking at Brian’s tattooed hand before looking back to the guitarist’s face with an inquisitive look.

“I know I have said this before,” he started, using her words from the start of their conversation today, “but thank you.”

“Happy to help out,” she replied, a smile blooming on her features as she took in his words.

“I mean it, I am really thankful. I didn’t meant to unload all that shit on you, considering we barely know each other, but thanks for letting me. And thanks for helping me work it all out,” he told her honestly, trying to get across just how grateful he was. There was no need for her to have stayed to listen to his rant, no reason for her to have sat down with him at all. But she had, and he was happy that she did.

“You’re welcome. I am glad that it helped,” she told him, smiling widely at the man before her. She noticed that in his hands he held his cell phone, the screen lighting up indicating he was receiving yet another call. “I better leave you to it, hey?”

“Unfortunately,” he agreed, looking down at the device with furrowed eyebrows. He took a long breath, trying to psych himself up to do yet another break up speech.

“Good luck,” Evie said, a small smirk on her lips as she gave him one last squeeze on the arm for luck. He smiled in return, looking down at her hand for a split second before she released her hold, his smile remaining. Evie turned away from him, letting him do what needed to be done and made her way back through the park and once more to the hotel.

The interaction with him today, and their brief conversation the night before, was the first time they had discussed anything outside of her role as his guitar technician, their communication usually occurring during a show, Evie making sure she had correctly set him up for the upcoming song. Having an actual conversation with the man she was working for helped settle nerves she had not realised were there, and made her feel a lot more confident in her role in this tour family. It had not been easy to come in mid tour and try to meld with people who had known each other for years.

The Berry brothers had welcomed her in quickly, but she had put that down to having to work closely alongside her everyday, it was the band that she had been apprehensive about. They were all kind to her, but she knew she was still on the outside, and she had expected nothing less from them. After all, she was a complete stranger! For Brian to have asked for her help and opinion on such a delicate, personal matter showed her that perhaps she was actually more included than she had thought.
Her head was swimming as she made her way through the hotel’s lobby and back to her room. She was glad she had the day ahead to herself, giving her time to reflect on her time with Avenged Sevenfold over the last 3 days. It was a lot to process.

Notes

Sorry about the delay in posting. This chapter just did not want to be written! I wrote it about 3 times from start to finish, and still wasn’t 100% happy. I hope it wasn't too bad, and that you guys enjoy. Please let me know, I don’t know if I am just being super harsh on myself, or if it was actually shit.

Thanks guys!
Xoxo
Sas