Chapter 1 - Kate
I look in the mirror and frown. These pants are a little tight, showing off too much muffin top. But they’re my favorite pair and I like that the rips show off my leg tattoo. I’ve already gone through three different pairs of pants, and nothing fits the way I want. Maybe a baggier T-shirt will help hide my rolls?
“Kate! Are you ready yet? We’re going to be late!” My best friend and roommate, Shelby, yells at me from the other room.
I throw on a loose-fitting black shirt and admit defeat. The venue is going to be dark anyway and I’m sure I’m putting way more thought into this than I should. But I’m going to see my favorite band tonight and I plan on getting some merch signed by the members and I feel the feminine need to look cute for them, despite being just another girl in the crowd on their nationwide tour.
I hurry out of my bedroom and meet Shelby at the front door. I slip on my sneakers and make sure I have my cell phone, keys, and wallet. “It’s about time,” she teases me. I roll my eyes at her and we head out to the car. Shelby is driving us to the concert since I don’t have much experience driving through the city like she does. My heart is racing in my chest from the excitement.
I’ve been following the band, GravityWave, for a few years now and they’re finally touring close enough to me to see them. To say I’m obsessed is an understatement. I honestly don’t listen to anything other than their discography and I still can’t get enough. I follow their social media accounts and their personal lives, daydreaming that I’m a part of it. It sounds silly, and maybe a little weird, but their music brings me peace and fantasizing about meeting them and striking up a life-long friendship gives me some semblance of hope for my mundane life.
The city lights come into view as Shelby speeds down the highway. She’s also a fan, but not as much as I am. She likes to go to shows specifically to flirt with the guys and have a good time, but it works out. I think if Shelby wasn’t with me, I might not even be going tonight.
“You getting stoked to see your boyfriends play?” Shelby laughs from the driver’s seat. I feel my face turn red, even though I know she’s just messing with me. Not only do I love the band, but the singer, Jace, is a total babe, and his voice makes me feel a way I didn’t know a voice could. The guitarist, Dez, is also a hottie, and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t fantasized about either of them a time or two. Hey, I’m only human.
“You better not embarrass me, Shel!” I scold. The last thing I need is Shelby having a few too many drinks and telling them that I think they’re hot when I’m trying to have a normal conversation with them. Ugh. Maybe this isn’t a good idea.
“Oh stop, I won’t say anything. Just be yourself, you’ll be fine. I’m sure they have girls ogling them all the time. Use that to your advantage!”
Shelby pulls the car into the parking lot of the venue and drives around until she finds the last parking space. There’s a long line of people waiting to get in the doors, which open in a few minutes. The sun is setting, and the air is getting chilly, but many people are underdressed in preparation for the heat from the sound equipment, lights, and crowds of bodies against each other.
When the doors finally open, everyone begins to funnel inside after turning in their ticket and receiving a wristband. As soon as we gain entry, Shelby is dragging me to the bar for her first round.
“Kate, you gotta relax. I’ll buy you a drink,” she yells over the music playing over the PA. I shake my head and decline, but she continues to insist until I cave in. “Fine, I’ll have a rum & coke.” Shelby yells our order to the bartender and within moments, we’re both sipping on our mixed drinks. I look around at the sea of faces, and there are many I recognize but can’t remember their names.
“There’s Kevin!” Shelby yells loudly, waving her hand over her head. Kevin is a guy I’ve met a few times that Shel likes to mess around with when she’s bored. When he spots her, he smiles and starts pushing his way over.
“Hey, Shelby. I didn’t know you were a big GravityWave fan,” Kevin states with a smirk.
“I like them, but Kate here is the fangirl,” she says while giving me a side eye. Kevin glances at me but that’s the most acknowledgement I get from him as he continues giving his full attention to my roommate.
Shelby and I are opposites despite being best friends. She’s a hot thin blonde with tattoos and guys are always hitting her up to hang out. Me, on the other hand, well... let’s just say that every guy I have a crush on would rather spend their time with Shelby. She tries her best to be considerate of my feelings, but there have been a couple times where she’s gone out with guys I liked. I never stood a chance with them, so I guess I shouldn’t care too much.
I’m sure if I looked like her, Jace and Dez would notice me.
I’m lost in my daydreams again when the opening band begins to play. Kevin is pulling Shelby towards the front and she’s trying to grab my arm to take me with her. I set my drink down and follow her, finding a nice spot in the corner outside of the mosh pit. The music is loud and fast and everyone in the pit is stomping around and swinging their arms while rotating counterclockwise.
I’m bobbing my head to the music, focusing on the band when I feel like I’m being watched. I glance around the crowd, but no one sticks out to me. I shrug it off, thinking it’s just my anxiety playing tricks on me. I’ve been trying to give myself a pep talk, working up the courage to approach GravityWave for autographs. I don’t know why it’s making me so nervous when I’ve done this before with other bands.
When the first band finishes, the crowd disperses from the front. Everyone is either going outside to smoke, heading to the merch booths, or getting another round of drink. Shelby makes it back to me after losing Kevin in the pit. “C’mon, let’s go get some shirts!” Before I can argue, she’s pulling me over to the side of the venue where the merchandise is displayed for each band.
“Wow, they really are hot. I can see why you’re so into them,” Shelby says in my ear. I realize we’ve stopped directly in front of the GravityWave booth where, on the other side of the table, stand Jace and Dez. I’m frozen in place and my heart is beating so fast I almost forget to breathe. Jace is looking down at me with piercing gray eyes. His brown hair sits untamed on top of his head, and he rubs his scruffy chin before smiling at me.
“See anything you like?” he asks. I blush and bite my lower lip before realizing he means the band merchandise between us.
“Oh, uh...” I pull my eyes away from his, and I swear I can hear him chuckle. God, I am mortified right now. I spend extra time looking at the tour shirts available, trying to get my embarrassment under control before I finally settle on a shirt.
“Can I get this in XL, please?” I ask just loud enough for him to hear me over the background noise. I glance back up at him to hand him my money and he’s still got that smirk on his face while looking at me.
“You’re cute when you blush,” he says before turning around to grab a shirt for me. I feel my cheeks burning up again, and I can’t even stand myself right now.
“Would you like us to sign it?” another voice asks. Dez has my shirt in one hand and a marker in the other. His brown eyes are staring right through me as I stammer out a casual “sure.” At least, I try to make it sound casual. I feel like an idiot.
I catch the corner of Dez’s lip curl up as he licks his lips before bending down to sign my shirt. He hands the fabric marker to Jace, who has his eyes trained on me once again. This entire exchange feels like it’s taken an hour, but I know it’s only been a couple minutes. Jace hands the shirt to me and brushes my hand with his, sending a jolt of electricity through my body. My eyes widen as I look back at him and he smiles before turning away. Dez winks at me before speaking to the next fan and I am left trying to force my feet to move me out of the way.
What the fuck was that?
“Hell yeah, you got their autographs! That’s awesome, aren’t you excited?” Shelby is back at my side, shouting in my ear. I nod my head and let her pull me back to the front for the next band. She takes the shirt from my hand to look at it and makes a face. “Are those hearts?” she asks, scrunching up her nose. I haven’t even looked at the signatures yet, but sure enough there are hearts around their names.
“I’m sure they did that with all their fans,” I quickly state, grabbing the shirt and tucking it into the back of my pants for safe keeping. I should have brought a bag, but I thought it would be too annoying to carry around. I could just put the shirt on over the one I’m wearing but there’s something about their names in hearts that makes me feel self-conscious.
I try to enjoy the next couple of bands but I can’t shake the embarrassment from that awkward encounter. Thankfully, the show was almost over. Shelby has disappeared again with Kevin, so I’m standing in a corner scrolling through my phone. Despite everything, I was still excited to see them play. At least from here, they won’t notice me staring at them.
