Chapter 4 #2
“What are you drinking?” Ash asks.
“Cocktails,” I smile, lifting my vintage Martini glass, complete with a floppy mint leaf clinging to the side. “You should try one,” I dare, and Ash laughs back.
“I’ll stick with beer. We’re going on stage in a bit.”
“So you are, and I wouldn’t want you throwing up mid-set. Besides, we can't wait to hear your music, can we Angie?”
“No, you can’t Cal.” Pleased with her remark, Angie smirks my way, so I elbow her side, giving the evil eye.
A beer is thrust into Ash’s hand by one of the boys—Max, I think—before he sets down two shots in front of Ange and me.
“Ladies, I was ear-wigging. We don’t want you vomming before we go on either.”
“What is it?” I ask a little cautiously.
“Shotgun.”
“What the hell is it?” Angie picks up the glass, putting it to my nose. The smell gives it away, “Whiskey?” I guess.
“Three types. Try it. It's much sweeter than the petrol you're drinking,” Max signals towards the green dregs at the bottom of my empty glass.
“I like your friend,” Angie says to Ash, “Is he taken?”
“Most nights,” Ash smirks.
I miss being amongst the mosh pit. Behind the set is a different vibe.
It's not the best view and so dark, making it impossible to see one foot in front of the other.
Flight cases are stacked against the black chipped walls, there are old cigarette butts all over the sticky floor, along with puddles of beer, at least I hope to god its beer.
There's no room for personal space or anywhere to dance.
Angie and I agree it's not as glamorous as we thought it would be.
No one talks to you and we're standing around like a couple of loose ends.
However, our surroundings pale into the background when the band open up their set.
My focus falls to Ash, who sprints across the small stage, now in black jeans, tee-shirt and a thin leather choker around his neck.
Guitar in hand, the centre of the stage is his, while Max picks up the bass, Brett's on lead guitar with backing vocals and Tommy beats the hell out of his drums. They dutifully support Ash’s energetic presence, working the crowd into a frenzy.
Jumping from one end to the other, the rhythm from his guitar pours from the sound system and each song is fresh, new, spine-tingling and I want to be out front with the crowd who are getting into it.
From my side view, I see every female in the audience making eyes at Ash, hoping he’ll notice them. If I were out there, I’d be doing the same. The moment I think about him, he catches me staring; his sexy smile, lighting up his face.
When the song ends, Ash calls over one of the stage crew from the side of the stage, shouting something in his ear, before he's back at the mic. “This one is for an old friend of mine. This is Tides in Time.”
The muscle-bound guy Ash was talking to heads straight over to another huge looking fella.
Together they pull out a tall flight case and indicate for Angie and me to sit on top.
He helps us hoist ourselves up to where we can see everything.
It means we can’t move as much, but there’s little room to dance back here anyway, so we take it.
When the lights go down again, it’s just Ash and his guitar.
He starts off with a slow acoustic melody then sings with closed eyes.
Like a rolling wave
All the escapades I hoped we find
Not a single day
Have I not escaped
Deep in your eyes
And I wonder how things
turned out after all.
Did you make it to
the dizzy heights?
Or did you fall
Then a drumbeat joins, banging beneath our elevated seat while a bass throbs from every angle. Another guitar surfs over the hot airwaves and the stage illuminates with light. The beat picks up, still slower than the others they've played so far but the lyrics are beautiful.
I forget about all the girls making eyes at Ash and instead focus on his raspy vocals. He’s an easy distraction and quite the talented musician, yet this is the first time I’ve seen him in this light. I wonder if by spending so much time in Scott’s shadow at school, he forgot to shine.
It’s while I’m watching, taking in every word he sings, my skin heats. My breathing increases, I can’t take my eyes away as he bewitches every single person in this venue. At one point, Angie shouts in my ear, “These guys are phenomenal and Ash? Holy shit Cal, I will if you don’t!”
I throw back my head, laughing so loud with the biggest smile on my face.
Then I notice the woman from the beach the other day; the one who kept calling over to Ash, demanding his attention.
She's with a guy who has his back to us but is facing the band.
I wish she would do the same and turn away because she stares at me hard every now and then with annoyance all over her face. What is her problem?
When the guys run off the stage, we jump down from our flight case platform.
High fives, whoops and man-hugs exchange between them while they congratulate each other on a fantastic set.
I can only guess adrenaline fuels Ash, when he heads straight for me, his hair dripping wet, pushed back from his perfect jaw.
His arm sweeps around me, the slight squeal from my throat, giving away my own natural high while he spins me in circles.
We come to a stop, my feet slowly reaching the ground and our eyes feasting on each other.
The surrounding noise drowns; all I sense is the heavy beat of Ash's heart against my hand now pressed to his chest. Maybe adrenaline got the better of us both, perhaps we're high on music, but his unexpected move feels perfectly natural. We're old friends, after all.
“Hey,” he breathes against my ear. It’s a simple hello but so intimate.
“Hey” I whisper back.
Is this instant attraction or love at first sight?
If you’d asked me before, I’d say both were a myth, but now I’ve changed my tune.
On the one hand, I’ve known him for a long time, but then again, I don’t really know him at all.
Then there’s the flurry of excitement, a feeling of euphoria, a prickle of skin, each happening simultaneously for long moments but lasting just seconds. What is that?
Our contact breaks with the flurry of people around us and I notice Angie's jaw is almost to the floor. We both step back, a grin on his face, a blush to mine.
“What did you think of the set?” He asks hurriedly to fill any potential gap.
I tilt my head, looking to my feet before looking up at him, “Yeah, you were okay.”
He laughs, “Just okay?” He’s fully aware and doesn’t need my confirmation to tell him his band are so much more.
“You don’t need my approval Ashton, just listen to the crowd out there. They’re telling you how incredible you are.”
“I wanted to hear you say it,” he says as a spark in his eyes sets my insides alight, making me wonder what the hell is happening.
I wasn’t typically the kind of girl who dropped her knickers for just anyone, but I would for him.
I certainly wasn’t the type to fall in lust with just a look, but it was already happening before I could make it stop.
I look away, breaking the second spell he’s cast. It could be the heat, or maybe I’m dehydrated, which would explain why my head is in a spin.
“Look,” he grabs my hand, pulling me to the side. “I’ve got to pack up the set, but when I’m done, maybe you and Angie could join us for drinks, hang out for a while?”
I think for a minute while catching Ange’s eye, and she winks my way while talking to Tommy, the band's drummer. Chewing the inside of my lip, my eyes close momentarily before I glance to the hand he’s holding.
I smile up at him. This is an easy decision and one I don’t see Angie objecting to, but I still tell him, “Yeah, sure. I mean, I’ll check if Ange is up for it. ”
“Cool. I’ll get this done quick. Go and get a drink and I’ll meet you back in the bar.”
I’m dizzy with his smile. His palm catches my arm, the brush of his skin on mine causes my stomach to somersault. It’s an ecstatic feeling, one I’ve not known before.
His hands slide deep in his pockets. He walks away then stops mid-stride, turning on the balls of his feet before taking backward steps. He gives me a heated look when he heads in the opposite direction, a smile firmly in place. Ashton radiates all the feels.
Does it make me a bad person because we’ve only just become reacquainted, but already I could jump his bones? I’ve always been so cautious about this stuff; in my limited experience, boys are only after one thing. This time, the roles could be reversed. What if it’s me who is after that one thing?
“Someone’s got it bad for you,” Angie states from behind me.
“Shit. Ange!” Slapping my hand to my chest with a sharp intake of breath, I stumble backwards. “You gave me a fright.”
“Oh yeah? Drifting into your Ash shaped bubble? I saw it. You two didn’t take your eyes off each other.”
“It’s not just me then,” I say, knowing she’ll be brutally honest if needs be.
“Not. At. All.”
The slightly nervous feeling rises in my stomach when I say, “I don’t know what the hell is happening to me, but…
I like it.” The words falling from my mouth don’t feel like my own.
Relationships, be they a few months or a one-night stand, don’t get me in a spin.
I just don’t get het up about this stuff, at least, I haven’t until now.
Angie has never known me to be starry-eyed about a boy. She can hardly contain herself.
“This is amazing, Cal! You’ve got to go with your gut.”
“He wants us to hang out with him tonight. What do you think?” I chew on my fingernail, a nasty habit rearing its head again after so many years. It only happens when I’m nervous or worried.
“I think we should. Summer is the one time we really get to enjoy ourselves, and you deserve it after studying so hard.”
“And you don’t mind tagging along? I wouldn’t ask, but—”
“Oh, I'm tagging alright. Have you seen the drummer? He has the whole smouldering thing down to a fine art!”
A little while later, Ashton appears with his bandmates. Maybe he was still on a high, but when the warmth of his palm slips over my back, I don’t flinch or step back. I welcome it.
“You okay?”
“Hey,” I return, unable to think of any other way to respond, partly due to his close proximity. With almost perfect timing Tommy appears at our side. “You ready man?” he says to Ash but is looking at Angie.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Let’s move it then.”
“You joining us Angie?” Ash asks, and I appreciate his gesture. Any other guy might try to get rid of the friend, but not Ash. He's a real gent.
“Just try stopping me.” Angie leans towards me, “I think he really likes you,” then whispers in my ear, “don’t go fucking this up.
” My eyes widen, knowing I can't respond without Ash hearing, so I bite my lip instead.
I've never felt a rush like this. Never. How does he do it? Why does he have such power over me? I have no idea, but I’m looking forward to finding out where this goes.