I shifted nervously from one foot to the other, barely touched drink in hand. It was only seven-thirty, but I was already anxiously awaiting the start of the concert. River caught my eye from where he was standing at the bar, talking to a friend of his; I smiled and nodded at him, before looking back at the empty stage. I checked my watch again, groaning when I saw that only five minutes had gone by since the last time I’d looked.
I’d been looking forward to this show ever since River had told me about it. Even with all the excitement of classes starting, my mind kept going back to the guy I’d seen. Tommy. I was intrigued, and wanted to see more. I’d asked around about the band; they’d been performing together for a few years, mostly hard rock, but with a touch of glam, and a tendency to get a bit raunchy on stage.
I glanced at my watch again; another ten minutes had gone by. I looked around the crowd, taking in the scene. The vibe was a bit edgier than it’d been at the battle of the bands, but I didn’t mind. It was so drastically different than what I was used to, and I was loving it. I still felt a little out of place, but River had reassured me that I’d be fine, and that he’d be keeping an eye on me.
“Just about show time, huh?” I smiled as River nudged my arm, sipping his drink. We’d spent a lot of time together over the past week, and the friendship we’d started was getting stronger every day. If I wasn’t focusing on my new classes, or thinking about Tommy, I was thinking about (or talking to) River. He’d shown me around campus, introduced me to his friends, and even got me in as a photographer for the school paper. He was quickly becoming one of my favorite things about moving to New York for school.
The lights dimmed, and the crowd erupted in cheers. My arms broke out into goosebumps as the band took the stage one by one, the last member being Tommy. I couldn’t help notice the volume of cheers kick up when he took his spot, throwing a carefree smirk at the crowd. I bit my lip as he eyed the crowd; his eyes passed over me without stopping, but I tried not to feel too disappointed.
The first set of songs they played were all fast and hard, and the crowd moved as one to the beat. I bounced my head along, focusing too much on the music to totally let go. My eyes were on Tommy almost constantly; the way his fingers flew over the strings was so seamless, so proffessional. I was aware of River next to me, but my attention never left the stage.
“Thank you guys, we’re gonna take a break. We’ve got merch in the back.” The lead singer stepped away from the mic, and the band left the stage, Tommy last. I tried to watch where he went, but he was quickly surrounded, and I lost sight of him. Not that I would have gone over to him anyway; I was happy watching from a distance.
“So, what do you think? Not my usual taste, but not bad.” I smiled at River, feeling bad about ignoring him most of the night.
“Yea, it’s different; I like it, though. Thanks so much for getting us in.” River smiled and shrugged, holding up his drink.
“Hey, man, no problem. I’m having a good time; I haven’t seen my buddy Brian in ages. Sorry I kinda ditched you for a while there, but you seemed pretty distracted yourself,” he added with a wink. I felt myself blush, and smiled sheepishly.
We chatted for a while, until the lights dimmed again, and the band returned for their second set. The music was just as good, if not better, and I let myself loosen up a bit more, dancing and laughing with River. I still kept my eye on the band, Tommy especially; I was fascinated by him, for reasons I couldn’t even pinpoint. He was talented, attractive, mesmerizing even, and I couldn’t help be drawn to him
The show was over all too soon, and before I knew it, we were making our way back to the dorm. My head was buzzing with memories, songs drifting through my mind, visions of Tommy behind my closed eyes. The music began sounding all too real suddenly, and I looked around; River was grinning at me, holding up a CD case, and one of the band’s songs was playing on the car stereo.
“Thought you might like this.” I grinned at River, taking the case from him and looking it over. The band was posed in some vaguely gothic scenery, with the songs’ titles written in sharpened letters. I opened the booklet to find the lyrics, following along. I heard River chuckle, and looked over, my cheeks burning.
“You’re such a fangirl, Zac.” I pouted, but his smile told me he was only teasing. It did make me feel self-conscious, though; I knew I was going a bit crazy. But I couldn’t help it. The band was amazing, and Tommy… If I’d had a hard time not thinking about him before, that was nothing compared to seeing a full show. I knew I was far from his only fan, or even his biggest, but it made me happy to think of him. If that made me a fangirl, oh well.
The first month of school was over, and I was doing alright. I’d managed to do good on all my first tests, had my pictures featured in the school paper, and even better, I’d gone to see BTA two more times. Their songs were in heavy rotation on my ipod, and I couldn’t wait to see them again. Tommy had actually noticed me the last time I’d seen them, smiling down at me; I’d felt the same chill as the first time he’d looked my way.
River and I had grown closer as well, spending hours roaming the city, playing games, or even just studying together. I wasn’t thinking too hard about what was developing between us, partly due to nerves, but there was definitely a connection. It felt like there was an invisible line, that we were both coming closer and closer to, but neither one wanted to be the first to cross it. It was exciting and scary at the same time, but I trusted him completely.
He was taking me to another BTA show; he’d joked that he had to keep an eye on me, in case I decided to rush the stage. I laughed at him, reminding him I hadn’t even gone up for an autograph when we’d seen them outside their last show. I’d thought about it, but in the end my nerves got the better of me. Maybe this time, I told myself as I looked myself over in the mirror.
“Trying to look good for your boyfriend?” River teased; I blushed, shaking my head. I wasn’t trying to look good for anyone, except maybe River. My blush deepened when I realized he could have been referring to himself as well; the way his eyes travelled up and down my body made my mind wander to less than innocent places. Although, on the off chance I worked up the nerve to say hi to Tommy, it wouldn’t hurt to look halfway decent.
The show that night was as good as any, if not better. As always, I paid more attention to the guy onstage than the guy dancing next to me, a fact I always felt guilty about; River never never seemed to mind, though. After the band left the stage for the final time, we hung out for a while, finishing our drinks. I was about to ask River if he was ready to go, when I heard a voice behind me. I turned, expecting to see someone I knew from one of my classes, but my breath caught in my throat. Tommy was standing there, his hand outstretched, an easy smile on his painted lips.
“So, you’re the new groupie?”