Accidental Groupie: A Sweet Lesbian Romance

by Mia Archer

  Or maybe that was fortunately. Being in the arena, knowing she was around here somewhere, thinking about everything she’d said on the interview earlier and what an idiot I’d been, if I did happen to see Ivy backstage there was a good chance I’d jump her right there and then she wouldn’t be able to get anything done because she wouldn’t be able to take the stage.

  I could see that headline just as clearly as I could see the one about getting ripped to shreds, though this one was a little more pleasant. For me at least. “Thompson Misses Concert Banging Love of Life.” Love of her life? Maybe that was taking things a little too far, but a girl could dream right?

  Amazing how quickly I went from hating to hoping.

  Finally we passed into the arena proper under the watchful eyes of Jake and her security people. We moved up to a seat front row center. They’d apparently changed the configuration of the concert for this second leg of the tour because there wasn’t a giant phallic stage thrusting out into the middle of the crowd where the band could walk around and interact with people.

  We took our seats and I breathed a sigh of relief. What a night. Going from having no idea Ivy was in town to coming down to the arena and nearly getting ripped apart to sitting front row center where I was finally going to hear this song she’d written that seemed to be tearing up the charts.

  Talk about one hell of a roller coaster of an evening, and it wasn’t even over yet.

  I looked over to Alice and grinned. She did the same, reaching out to take my hand. She gave it a squeeze and we both turned to the stage staring with the sort of anticipation that was usually the sole domain of crazy fan girls.

  I suppose that was another big change from the last time I was at a Sleepwalker concert. I might not be as crazed as some of those girls I’d seen out in front of the arena, but I was definitely feeling like a crazed fan girl. I was about to see Ivy Thompson and I couldn’t wait. My body was on fire thinking about that moment when she was going to pop out on stage with her guitar in front of her looking every inch the sexy rock goddess that she was.

  The lights went down. The crowd started screaming all around us, and I was screaming right along with them. I couldn’t wait for Ivy to take the stage.

  Alice had fulfilled that old middle school promise at long last. I fucking loved Sleepwalker. One member of Sleepwalker in particular. I just hoped she was still willing to love me back.

  I was about to find out.

  30: The Concert

  I was so fucking nervous. I hadn’t been this nervous about a performance since the first time I went out on stage years ago. Back then I’d been terrified that the crowds would decide they didn’t like us. I’d been terrified they would boo us off the stage and it wouldn’t matter that we’d already had a platinum album tearing up the charts.

  I’d been in that weird fucked up headspace that was the unique domain of creative types where I was convinced that everything I’d done up to that moment was a sham and the live performance was going to be the moment where the world finally realized that the emperor had no clothes. That the biggest band in the world at the time wasn’t as great as they seemed.

  Of course that was a crazy thought back then even as it was a crazy thought today. The crowds had loved us. We went on to a few successful years of touring before the Incident pulled the band apart and I found myself unable to write something new. Before I learned that the world only cared about you if you had something new and shiny to show them.

  Well that had changed a little. This tour had showed that the world still cared about us even if we were only playing the old stuff. The crazy success of Jessica’s Song, the first creative piece to come straight from my heart in over a decade much the same way that Jessica was the only girl to go straight to my heart in as much time, was proof that I still had it. Everything was looking up for Ivy Thompson and Sleepwalker.

  That didn’t stop the nerves. That didn’t stop that nervous feeling from threatening to drive me to distraction. Because it didn’t matter if there was a screaming crowd of thousands of women waiting to see us. No, there was only one girl out there in that crowd who mattered.

  Assuming she was even out there. I hadn’t heard anything from Jake even though I’d put him out there to keep an eye on the crowd and make sure nothing bad happened. She was the only thing that mattered, and I was getting opening night jitters the likes of which I hadn’t felt in over a decade thinking about her hearing her song in person.

  “You okay?” Gareth asked, coming up to me and putting a hand on my shoulder.

  I reached up and patted his hand. Gareth might be part of the reason I’d found myself in this situation in the first place, but at the end of the day he was a good guy who only wanted the best for me. He was a brother, and one thing about having brothers was you fought from time to time. You also made up, and you always had each other’s back.

  Besides, Jessica’s Song was probably the success it was because of the help he’d provided. If he’d been the one to chase her away with a text that was as much my fault as his then he’d also have a part in reeling her back in with that song.

  “Just a little nervous,” I said.

  The crowd roared off in the distance. We’d be going out there pretty soon. I’d find out one way or another if Jessica was out there, and the anticipation was killing me. No opening act to break the ice at this one. There hadn’t been time to arrange it for the second leg of the tour.

  Not that it was necessary. Venues our manager had to beg and plead with the first time around, before we realized just how well the tour was going to sell out, were begging us this time around thanks to the added mojo we got from that song. It was nice, and it was also pretty damn fun making sure everyone who’d nearly turned us down the first time around had to grovel just a little bit to get our attention this time around.

  “Hey Ivy!” Talia said, walking up behind me and slapping me on the back. “You ready for the big performance?”

  I took a deep breath and fought down the shudder that was threatening. Damn. I hadn’t been this psyched out for a performance since forever. I imagined walking out there and seeing Jessica there. I imagined walking out there and not seeing Jessica. Both thoughts were terrifying, but the latter was far more terrifying than the former.

  “I suppose,” I said.

  “Well it’s all about you in the opening,” Emma said, coming up beside me.

  I was surrounded by the band, and it felt good. Sure we’d hung out and we’d been together a lot on this tour, but it hadn’t been like the old days. It had been everyone for themselves for the most part, with the exception of Gareth coming around to my bus of course.

  It was different now, though. Suddenly it felt like we were the four musketeers again. And yes, before you go correcting me there were, in fact, four musketeers by the end of the book. D’Artagnan totally counts. Go read the book or watch a movie sometime. The one with Kiefer Sutherland and Tim Curry which was a little cheesy but really you can’t go wrong with Tim Curry and dear God my mind was babbling and going at a thousand miles a minute and I needed to get these nerves under control.

  Cool. Calm. Collected. Ready to go out there and dazzle, but first I would enjoy this moment with the group.

  The point is we were together. It felt like old times. It felt like we were about to have fun and rock this, and I couldn’t wait. I was giddy. The crowd was roaring and then a PA was walking through telling everyone to get in their places.

  Of course the girls, and one guy, were going to have to wait for just a little bit before they hit the stage. This was going to truly be the Ivy show for the first little while. I closed my eyes as I stood on the edge of the stage. I allowed the screams of the crowd to wash over me as I stepped out. It was completely dark, but there were plenty of lights flashing throughout the arena as girls held up their cell phones which had replaced lighters well before my career as a rock star started.

  Which was too bad. I still had good memories of going to co
ncerts with my dad where we were surrounded by people holding up lighters. I’d always dreamed of that moment with my own music, but I suppose it wasn’t going to happen now.

  None of that mattered now, though. What mattered was that the lights flipped on and the crowd really went wild. I let my guitar fall loose, the strap feeling comfortably familiar tugging on my neck, and I held up my other hand. The screaming reached a fever pitch, washing over me like a wave of humanity trying to knock me over with the force of the massed sound, but I let that wave break over me just like I had so many times before.

  Besides, my attention wasn’t on the crowd. No, it was on the front row and the seats I’d reserved for Jessica and Alice. I looked straight to that spot, I had it memorized from prepping before the arena opened to people, and my breath caught as I saw the two of them sitting there. Smiling up at me.

  God she looked beautiful. I wanted to jump down from the stage right now and pull her up in my arms, but I still wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about me. I still wasn’t sure if she was more likely to slap me or hug me if I approached her, so I figured it would be a better idea to test the waters first.

  Luckily I had just the thing. I walked over to the chair that’d been set out on stage. It was alone in the center and it was a departure from our usual concerts where things were driven by massive electric guitars.

  No electrics right now, though. Just an old fashioned acoustic with a mic on it that was ready to go. Ready to launch into Jessica’s Song.

  I sat and the crowd went silent. I plucked a couple of notes from the song and they started screaming again, but started quieting down as I stopped playing. I looked up and grinned at Jessica, held her eyes as I launched into the song. As I poured my heart out. As I played a piece of music that encompassed so much. My past leaving a trail of broken hearts across the country. My experience with the Incident and how it tore the band apart for almost a decade. How I couldn’t write anything new until I found her. Until she unlocked the music trapped inside me, as ridiculously cheesy as that sounded.

  I played the song effortlessly. All the nervousness I’d felt walking out on stage and getting ready to see her melted away. I felt right with the world again, and I realized I was feeling right with the world precisely because Jessica was right there in front of me. Smiling.

  It was an amazing feeling. I almost felt drunk. Of course I’d had a bit before the concert for good luck, but not enough to account for this sudden incredible feeling. I finished playing and the crowd was silent.

  Huh. That wasn’t the reaction I expected. Usually the crowd was screaming at this point, the song was that damn popular, but I could’ve heard a pin drop.

  I turned and looked up at the monitors and it became obvious what was going on. Why it was suddenly so quiet. Jessica was up there on the screen, and she must’ve realized she was up on the big screen because she was blushing and it was pretty damn obvious when she was up on the jumbotron.

  I turned back to her. I leaned into the microphone and figured it was time for an apology.

  “Jessica, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I don’t want you to be one of them. This song is for you. It’s all for you. You’re the one and only for me, and I really would like it if you’d give me a third chance to prove myself.”

  There. It was out there. I poured my heart out to her in front of all of these people. I’m sure plenty of those people were recording everything on their phones and this was going to be all over the Internet in a matter of minutes. Everyone seemed to be obsessed with who Jessica was and what the story was behind the song for some reason.

  Well they knew now. Plus I figured that kind of video getting out on the Internet would be much better than me clinging to a cheap hotel towel which had been the big topic for the past couple of months.

  Those people recording this were also about to see the final step of the drama. Whether or not it was a happy ending or I was going to reap what I’d sown from my past life leaving a string of broken hearts around the country.

  I held my breath in anticipation.

  Jessica smiled. She stood and moved towards the stage with a huge grin on her face and I let a breath out. I moved forward and reached a hand down. Her hand clasped in mine and it was so warm. So inviting. It reminded me of the feeling of her body under mine as I pulled her up on the stage and smiled down at her.

  “So do you accept my apology?” I asked.

  Jessica looked at the crowd surrounding us. She looked back to me. A huge grin split her face and she didn’t answer in words, but she did jump and wrap her legs and arms around me. I barely managed to catch her and go stumbling back as her mouth descended on mine and then we were practically making out on stage in front of thousands of fans.

  Thousands of fans who finally erupted in a deafening cheer that was so much more intense than anything we’d heard at any other venue.

  33: Backstage Again

  I held myself in Ivy’s arms as the crowd erupted around us, but I didn’t care about any of that. No, the only thing I cared about was that I was in her arms. Was her lips pressing against me. Was her body pressing against me and making me feel like everything was right in the world.

  And this time around I wasn’t going to let her go. No, I’d almost lost her because I was afraid of who she was, afraid of what might happen if I got involved with someone famous like her, but I’d realized that bullshit didn’t matter.

  All that mattered was Ivy. All that mattered was that we communicated with each other and made sure we were on the same page and there were no secrets like a dark past and a crazy ex that would’ve explained so much.

  We might have to work up to being that close, but I knew we’d get there. Everything just felt too nice. Too right. This was too incredible for it to be anything but the real thing. I could finally enjoy being in Ivy’s arms without worrying that she was going to leave me for another girl because I finally had the full picture.

  Finally she pulled away and spun me around to the crowd. “Everybody, I want you to meet Jessica!”

  Once more the crowd roared in delight and it felt weird. I wondered if this is what she experienced every time she got up on stage. I wondered if she always got a high like what I was getting feeling all that adulation rolling off of the crowd.

  A girl could get used to that sort of thing, even if I was just getting a little bank shot adulation. I’m sure most of them were out there cheering for Ivy. Maybe even screaming because it looked like she was finally off the market. Those crazy girls out in front of the arena were still fresh in my memory even if things had gone impossibly well since nearly getting ripped to pieces.

  Ivy moved me up to a microphone and gestured towards it. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I leaned into the thing. “Um, hi everybody?”

  More screaming. Ivy wrapped her arms around me and I closed my eyes. That felt good. A girl could get used to being held like that. Only all too soon that perfect moment was over. She pulled away and I saw people stepping onto the stage to either side. The rest of the band stepping up ready to perform. My time on stage was coming to a close, but I knew this was far from the end of my adventures.

  “I’ll see you after the show Jessica,” Ivy said. “I’m so glad you came.”

  I couldn’t believe it as I stepped down from the stage. A part of me hoped we were going straight back to her tour bus for a little fun, but it’s not like they were going to stop the concert just because Ivy reunited with the girl who was the inspiration for the song that made this second leg of the tour possible in the first place, no matter how much I would’ve enjoyed it if they did.

  I also couldn’t believe the reception I got back down in the crowd. I’d been prepared for something along the lines of what I faced when I was out in front of the arena, but instead the girls around us were smiling and patting me on the back and generally being very supportive. It was a different experience, but I liked it.

  There was something else I was liking about the sho
w. Other than Ivy in her tight miniskirt prancing around up on stage, that is. I found myself actually enjoying the concert. Actually enjoying the music. It had been a convoluted road to get me here, but how I felt when the lights went down stayed true even now that I’d had my reunion with Ivy and it went so well.

  I sang along to songs I’d tried to avoid for years. I found myself blushing and screaming right along with everyone else when Ivy looked down at me, though there was definitely something a little more special than usual about the way Ivy looked at me.

  In short it was the perfect concert. It was an experience I never would’ve expected from Sleepwalker, and I loved it. I wanted more of it. More than anything, though, I wanted time with Ivy.

  When they were halfway through the first encore Jake came up to us and Alice and I were spirited along the front of the stage while the band played on right next to us. I noticed Alice giving Gareth the eye on more than one occasion, and he seemed to be returning the attention in kind.

  I wondered if maybe there wasn’t something brewing between those two crazy kids, though I was far more preoccupied with my own Cinderella story for the moment, as selfish as that felt.

  And then finally it was happening. We were standing at the same backstage spot where we’d been a couple of months ago, only so much had changed since then.

  “You two again?”

  I turned at the sound of a familiar voice and smiled. It was the same security guard from before who’d almost stopped us from getting into the real backstage area. I couldn’t forget the way his domed head sloped down to his shoulders with absolutely no neck in between. He smiled for a moment, but only until Alice and I made to go into the backstage area, the real backstage area, again. Then he stepped forward with his arms out and a frown on his face.