Page 55 of A Dark Melody

“No. I told you to fuck someone else.” I shrug.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a terrible liar?”

I roll my eyes. “Are you going to hook up with her?”

“No.” He says. “Dennis was making the moves on her. I wasn’t interested.” He shrugs. “I have my sights on someone else.”

“Oh.” I say.

I bite my tongue to keep my composure.

“Yeah.” He laughs. “What about you? Are you going to try Skylar out?”

“No, but Sue was pushing me his way the other night.”

“Oh, yeah?” I nod. “You’re probably better for his image than you are for mine.”

“Because his band is newer to the scene, and you’ve been around a while?” I ask.

“Yeah. Something like that.” He smiles and puts out his cigarette. “Come on. Let’s go get fucked up.”

He leads me through the crowd to the liquor table, where he swipes a bottle of Sky vodka. He then weaves us through the crowd to the dressing room area. I pull him towards my room, and he follows me into it.

He sets the bottle of vodka on the table and checks his watch. “Shit. I’m supposed to be at side stage now.” He pulls out his vial, twisting off the cap, and I pull mine out and follow suit. He pulls out the little spoonful, as I do too. “To a fun night.” He lifts the spoon to his nose, inhaling. I do the same. “Do you think you can come back to my bus after the show?”

“Until bus call, I am free to party, but I can’t use the bathroom without Sue.”

“I’m going to have to start watching you pee, aren’t I?” I laugh, and we do another bump. “I’ve never been into water play. Maybe that will change.” I laugh again, and he smiles. “You look so beautiful when you laugh.” He does another bump before sliding his vial into his front pocket. He picks up the bottle of vodka and twists off the top, doing a shot from the bottle, and motions for me to come closer. I do, and he lifts the bottle to my mouth, pouring a little in it. I swallow, and he pours a little more into my mouth before doing another shot. “Show time.” He puts the lid back on, handing me the bottle and leading me out of the room.

We push through the crowd that had gathered at side stage. I follow him closely. He leads me right to the rail before walking around to the front of it.

“There you are.” Aaron greets us. He eyes me but says nothing.

“Yeah.” Wes says and puts on his mic pack. He glances my way once more before taking the stage.

They play through a few songs as I lean against the rail, watching Wes intensely. It’s hard not to stare at him as he moves around the stage. He is memorizing, almost hypnotizing. His voice is deep, gravelly, and I really want to hear what our voices would sound like together.

“The next song is a song we haven’t played live before.” Wes says into the microphone. I smile because I know he is about tosingFeeling Scars, and I know he is singing it for me. “And I dedicate it to my new best friend.” He says, glancing my way for the first time this set.

I can’t help the heat that swells up in my face and other places. I want him. I want him so bad.

“This isFeeling Scars.” He looks back into the crowd in front of him.

They play the song almost flawlessly. I think it sounds even better live than recorded. There is a raw emotion to it live. I think knowing the story around when he wrote it adds another level to it. I wonder if it’s hard for him to sing after everything.

The song ends, and he looks my way once again. I smile, and I hope he can see me.

They continue their set. I take sips from the bottle every now and then as I sing along to his songs. By the time their set is over, I'm feeling slightly buzzed. I realize I need to freshen up for my set.

I squeeze through the crowd just as he is exiting the stage. He smiles at me. I nod my head towards my dressing room, and he nods, knowingly.

I find Sue waiting outside my dressing room.

“You two are doing a bad job of convincing everyone you’re just friends." She says as we enter my dressing room.

I set the bottle down on the table.

“I need to pee.” I say, and she undoes the lock on the bathroom door in my dressing room.

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