“Dude, I’m sorry,” Asher said. His eyes were wide with fright and… confusion? Julian reached one fist back. God, it would feel good to put Asher’s teeth through his head. He wasn’t even going to defend himself, the wimp. Julian felt Shannon grab his arm and he spun around, still holding Asher at arm’s length.
“Stay out of this, you cheating bitch!”
Shannon’s mouth dropped and there was silence in the back of the stage. Julian could hear the crowd talking, unsure of what was going on to delay the concert.
“What are you talking about?” she said.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” He turned back to Asher, his face bleeding like it would never stop. “Are you gonna stand here and lie to me, too?”
Asher put up his hands in surrender.
“I’m sorry I’m late, man!” he said. He bent his head and wiped his face on his shoulder, sniffing as the blood clogged his nose. Alex and Daniel had pushed through and stood next to Asher. The air was thick with tension.
“Let him go, man!”
“What the hell are you doing, Julian?”
“I’m sorry, Alex,” Asher said. Blood continued to flow down onto his shirt, turning it bright red. “I’m sorry, Daniel. And Julian. God, I’m sorry. I know this show is important.”
Julian turned his gaze from Asher to Shannon. Tears were running down her cheeks.
“Did you think…” Her voice trailed off softly, and Julian realized he had made a horrible mistake. “You thought I would do that to you. With Asher?”
“With me what?” Asher said. His head swiveled from Julian to Shannon to the rest of the band. “Wait, what?”
Julian let go of Asher’s shirt. He saw Pat shoving his way through the crew.
“What on EARTH is going on here?” the manager yelled, gazing around at the band members. Blood dripped down Asher’s chin, and he looked at Julian confusedly.
“This isn’t about me being late?” he said.
At that moment the sky opened up overhead, and Julian leaned his head back to let the rain fall on his face. Pat yelled; the crew scrambled to cover all of the equipment, and Shannon tucked her shirt over her camera protectively. Daniel ran over to hug his bass to his chest. Everyone shouted orders, rolling plastic tarps over cables and covering the stage amps with black trash bags. Julian closed his eyes and let the rain trickle down his cheeks, down his chin. He could feel the coldness creeping through his body, calming his nerves and washing away the adrenaline.
When he opened his eyes again, Shannon stood in front of him. Asher had walked off, he couldn’t see where.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I messed up.”
“What was this morning?” Shannon asked, her arms crossed over her camera. She shivered, and Julian went to put his arms around her. She pulled away.
“This morning,” she repeated. “When you were so rough. It was because you thought…” Her voice trailed off.
“I’m sorry,” Julian said again. “I saw you in the bus with him. Last night.”
Shannon shook her head. “He had just broken up with that model girlfriend, and... I don’t know, I felt bad for the guy! He’s such a good guy!” She threw her hands up in the air. Julian hung his head. He knew what she meant - Asher was a good guy. Better than him, anyway.
“I’m sorry,” Julian said. “It still hurt.” It hurt even now, to look at her and imagine her in another man’s arms.
Shannon stepped closer to him, pushing her camera to the side of her hip in one graceful sweep of her hand. Her hair hung in wavy wet strands, clinging irresistibly to her neck. Her eyelids dropped softly, the lashes a dark, dark red. Lord, she was beautiful.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you would see. Even if you hadn’t, I’m sorry.” Her voice flowed slowly, carefully over the words. He looked into her eyes rimmed red by mascara and tears and saw another feeling looking back.
“You’re frightened.” He moved his arm slowly, touching her hip and trailing his hand along the curve of her waist. He stopped there, his hold on her tenuous, his guilt overwhelming.
“I’m scared,” Shannon said. Her voice whispered through the soft patter of the rain, and Julian leaned forward to hear her as she continued. “This is the first time I’ve been scared to lose you.”
“No,” Julian said. “Not that. Never that.”
“It’s what scares me the most.”
“Shannon. Oh, Shannon.” Julian clasped his arms around his girl, his girl, pulling her into a warm embrace. Her skin goosepimpled under the chill of the rain and felt tense against his skin but then he pressed his mouth to hers and every discomfort in the world was swept up in the roiling thunder of their kiss.
Cold drizzling rain pattered down, drenching them from the collar down. Bolts of electric heat flashed through Julian’s body when he felt Shannon’s hands slip around his waist. She was warm under his touch, her skin smooth like silk. Every part of him wanted to envelop her, to be with her. No doubt about it - she was the one for him. And now he felt like an idiot for letting his trust in her slip away from him.
The crowd chanted in the background, and Julian saw Shannon’s face brighten as she heard what they yelled.
“A-lex! A-lex! A-lex!”
“Sounds like the troops have rallied,” she said, a secret smirk on her face.
“What troops?” he asked. The audience had never chanted like this before. What had she done?
Pat stood on the steps, waving. “Come on!” he yelled. “Time to play! Your audience won’t wait forever!”
Julian gave Shannon one more kiss, then made his way over to the stage. Daniel waited on the steps with Pat, and both Alex and Asher came running over.
“Asher, you can’t play like that!” Pat was aghast. “Your shirt is covered in blood!”
“That’s how they know I’m hardcore,” Asher said, grinning. “I’m the only hardcore one out of all you jokers. Drummers are supposed to be hardcore.”
“I’m sorry, man,” Julian said, hanging his head. “I’m a f**king idiot.”
“Yeah, but I already knew that,” Asher said.
“You’re in a good mood for someone who just got his face shoved in,” Alex said, pulling his guitar strap over his head.
“I’d be happy even if a hurricane hits while we’re onstage,” Asher said. “I talked to Trixie!”
“Trixie?” Julian asked. “Opening act Trixie? From Cheap Trix?”
“Yeah, that’s what Shannon was giving me advice about last night,” Asher said.
God, of course. Julian felt like an idiot. “I’m sorry about all of this, man,” Julian said. “I should have trusted you.”
“Guys, come on,” Daniel said, motioning towards the stage. His hair dripped, matted to his head.
“Don’t worry Daniel,” Asher said. “You’ll get the girl someday.” Daniel rolled his eyes.
“You hear my fans calling?” Alex said as they walked up the steps to a surge of screams and applause. He leaned over to Julian. “This is all your girl.”
“What did she do?” Julian asked, but Alex just shook his head and beamed. Then they were out on stage and Alex raised one hand over his head into the rain. The audience went wild. A thousand camera flashes went off, and the sound of the crowd’s roar was deafening. Despite the storm and the cold and the delay, the audience thrashed with energy, pulsing toward the stage with eager anticipation.
As the sound ebbed, Alex nodded back at Asher. The drummer raised his sticks above his head - with all the blood running down his chin, he really did look hardcore - and counted out the opening beats.
“One-two-three-four!”
Then the music filled the stage, crashing through the air, and all was right with the world.
CHAPTER FIVE
Shannon stood backstage with the band manager, listening to the show. As the final song wound down, so too did the downpour. Soon the air filled with a light mist that only hinted at the earlier rains. An electric energy ran through the air above the crowd and over the stage.
Julian ran down the stairs and swept Shannon upward with his embrace, hugging her so tightly that her toes barely touched the ground. His strong arms built a home around her body, a sturdy frame that she could trust. That she could depend on.”
“Did you hear that?” he said.
“You played perfectly!”
“We played really well! The crowd was great!”
Asher tumbled down the stairs, pumping his fists.
“Best. Show. Ever!”
Even Daniel’s eyes crinkled with approval as he suppressed a grin.
Alex came over to Shannon, Pat trailing behind him.
“This show kicked ass,” he said to Shannon. “Thanks to you.” A slight blush peeked out through Shannon’s collar.
“What on earth did you do?” Julian said.
“She and Pat came up with the idea of a photo essay press release,” Alex said. “Of the band.”
“Focusing on Alex, of course,” Shannon said. “And what he means to Wilder Side.” She held out her phone for him to look through the photos. One showed Alex by himself, leaning against the dressing room counter and practicing guitar. The mirror behind him showed his well-lit back, which became the focal point of the photograph. Another showed a silhouetted image of the band on stage, Alex raising his arms over the crowd, their arms waving in the air like so many cattails on the dunes. The other members of the band featured prominently in the photos: Asher standing on his skateboard in the tour bus van, using Alex’s foot like a doorstop to keep from rolling. Daniel and Julian practicing together with Alex in the middle, listening, an intent expression of thought on his face.
“You got a huge crowd out there today,” Pat said. “Wave Records just called and said they want to continue the tour as planned.”
“Europe! Fuck yeah!” Asher pumped his drumsticks over his head.
“We’re going to tour overseas?” Daniel’s eyes glassed over with excitement. “Really? We’re really going to tour?”
“Incredible,” Julian said, leaning over to crush a sloppy kiss onto Shannon’s forehead. “Just incredible.”
The band moved off toward their dressing rooms, but Julian stayed back.
“I’m glad you’re all getting through this together,” Shannon said. “It’s wonderful.”
The crowd grew louder in the background, and then their voices resolved into another chant, this one different.
“En-core! En-core!”
Shannon looked over to see the band members turning back to the stage. Alex waved to Julian to come over.
Julian clasped Shannon’s hands in his, and she looked up at him, his head haloed by the stage’s purple lights.
“Come with us!” he said.
“What?” Shannon couldn’t have heard right.
“Come to Paris with me!” Julian’s face glowed. “I love you!”