Chapter 5
Five
Devon
After dinner we all relaxed and made it through one movie before Johnny started to fall asleep. It had been a long day, and I was more than ready to go to bed. With him snuggled into my side, I struggled to think of any place I’d rather be. “I love you,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered so softly I barely heard him.
“For what?” I asked and turned enough to see him.
“For always talking about business. I knew you guys were all ready for a break, but I just can’t seem to turn it off.
” He was frustrated. His hand clenched so tight I worried about his knuckles and any skin his nails were digging into.
I took his hand in mine and soothed it until he relaxed and then I kissed the tip of his nose.
“It’s okay. I love you and the guys know how serious you are. They don’t mind, and neither do I.”
“I love you too. There’s never been anyone I’ve loved as much as I love you,” he said. His eyes were heavy and full of so much worry.
“We’ll take some time off and we’ll all come back and kick some bigger ass in Sacramento,” I said and hoped it helped calm his nerves. He nodded his head before wriggling into my side so closely I could feel it as every part of his body relaxed, just before he fell asleep.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” Johnny said as we waited backstage at Rocktoberfest. The stage was just as massive as it had been when I’d played here last year with Blinding Light, but this time it would be us out there. “What if they hate us?”
“Babe, there is no way in hell they’ll hate us.
We’ve been practicing nonstop this week, and we were fucking awesome before then,” I said, but he still didn’t smile.
After that first day, we’d gone to the practice room every day and when we were back at the house we’d practice more.
Everyone was even more serious about this gig than all the others we’d played.
No matter how exhausted we were, we were all willing to put in the hard work.
Mateo stood to the side of the stage, his bass hanging low and looked like he expected Freddy Kruger to jump at him any second.
I was about to walk over to him when Jeremy appeared and bumped his hip into Mateo’s.
He instantly smiled and the two of them started chatting just as Johnny spoke. “We’re on in five.”
“Are you ready?” I asked, because if I had to judge by the sweat on his brow and the fact he hadn’t stopped moving, I’d say he was just as nervous as Mateo. He shrugged a noncommittal shoulder but didn’t take his eyes off the small view we had of the crowd.
“Devon, I’m going to admit something to you I’ve never admitted to anyone,” he murmured and leaned a little closer to keep it between the two of us.
“Is something wrong?” I whispered. Now I was worried. I’d never seen him this nervous before we played. My arm automatically wrapped around his waist, and he rested his head on my shoulder for a moment before he took a deep breath.
“This is what I’ve always wanted, to play the big time, but now we’re here I’m so scared I’ll fuck it up for us all.” His voice was so soft I barely heard it over the crowd and the sound of the stage crew running around setting up for us.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“But you can’t know that for certain. Bad things happen and we end up with the shit end of the stick one more time,” Johnny said and squeezed his eyes shut just as Glen came over to us.
“Hey, Devon, are you guys ready?” he asked and looked between Johnny and me.
“Oh yeah, can’t wait. I’m glad I played with you guys last year.
At least I know what to expect.” He glanced at Johnny, but I shook my head letting him know not to ask.
Another bonus to me playing in his band was the fact we’d grown closer even if we hadn’t played together. One drummer was enough for most bands.
“We got it cleared for us to join you guys on your last song, so don’t be stressed when we just appear.
And don’t be surprised if Easy’s dad makes an appearance.
He does what he wants, and we stay out of the way.
” Glen shook his head in wonder, and I tried not to laugh.
Drake was fond of stomping out on the stage wearing his kilt and combat boots reliving his punk days.
“The crowd is great this year. As soon as you guys go out, they’re going to lose it.
You’ve got a good following, and they’ll kick up the applause. ”
I squeezed Johnny’s arm as Glen spoke, hoping he was hearing what he was saying. This crowd wasn’t just for other bands; they were here for us too. “Drake’s a lot of fun.”
“Hey, I see you guys are playing Aftershock in Sacramento in a few months,” Glen said and looked at Johnny.
“Yes, they actually invited us. You guys are playing too, right?” I asked.
“Yes, we’re headlining on the Friday,” Glen said, and I knew exactly how proud that made him. Blinding Light had been through just as much drama as Anchor Grey had, and now they were finally getting rewarded for all their hard work. “When are you playing?”
I looked at Johnny and waited for his reply. “We’re playing the Saturday at sunset,” he said and finally grinned.
“Excellent. It’ll be nice to be so close to home for once.”
“I never thought I’d get tired of staying in hotels, but I am officially tired of staying in hotels,” I said, and they both chuckled.
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Hey, I’m going to round up Easy and Liam and leave you guys alone so you can be ready as soon as they give you the signal.”
“Thanks, Glen, and good luck tonight.” He patted my shoulder before hurrying over to where Easy and Liam were having a now very animated conversation with Mateo and Jeremy and dragged them away. Mateo and Jeremy walked over to us, and we all stood together, waiting.
“So, this is it,” Johnny said and swallowed hard.
“Dude, stop acting like it’s the end. It’s just the beginning. We’re going to kick some fucking ass out there,” Jeremy said.
The four of us bumped fists in the center of where we stood and I took a deep breath.
As the energy of the crowd washed over me, I was energized, and when Johnny looked my way, I rushed to him and squeezed his face in my hands before kissing him hard.
“I love you, and we’re going to make this our best show yet.
” He laughed and broke the kiss before pushing me away.
“Okay I believe you,” he said, and I knew he meant it.
“Anchor Grey, ready to go in two,” a stagehand said as he rushed past us.
“This is it, guys, let’s show them who we are,” Johnny said.