“Hey, at least you have a super awesome apartment and two hot guys fighting over you. I have nothing.” I had to say that because nothing is more annoying than listening to someone bitching about their life when their life is so much better than mine.
Hannah smiled then and put her arm around me.
“I don't think you have nothing.” She grinned. “What about Eric? What's going on there?”
I screwed my nose up at her.
“Not going to happen.” I flopped on the sofa.
“Why not? The two of you seemed to be getting on so well. You look so cute together.”
“Blerk. Cute. It's not going to happen because he had a thing for you.” I didn't look at her because the whole Eric having had a thing for her thing kinda annoyed me.
“No, he didn't.”
“Yes, he did. Are you like Queen of the Oblivious People?” I punched her on the arm. Shit, a blind man could've seen the way Eric crushed on her. For all her vanity, Hannah never seemed to notice the effect she had on men. They just crumpled around her. I mean, she was obviously totally hot in a mainstream, model type way but she also did this thing with her eyes that seemed to drive guys nuts.
“He seems to be over me now. We never even watch Korean dramas together anymore.”
“Because you are too busy watching Japanese dramas with Tamaki? Or maybe too busy having your own real life dramas.”
“Even if he did have a bit of a crush on me, what does it matter?”
“It matters. I could never go out with someone who had the hots for my friend. It's like being second prize. 'Oh I can't get the hot chick, I'll settle for her quirky friend' kind of thing. I don't want to be settled for. If someone can't like me straight up, then don't bother liking me at all.”
“That's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?” Hannah gave me a look of smarmy superiority, like she knew she was right and I was wrong. I don't like being wrong.
She got up to make coffee. Which was awesome because I really wanted coffee and it was like I’d mind controlled her.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you only had eyes for Jack Colt for all that time. Maybe Eric feels like he's the quirky friend being settled for.”
Ouch. That really hit me. I was totally wrong. Hannah was totally right. My crush on Jack had been completely different though. It was a rock star crush, not a real person crush. I'm sure Eric would realise that… or maybe he wouldn’t? Since he was in the band with Jack, he might totally see it as a real person crush.
“Anyway, you wear second-hand clothes all the time so it's not like it's much different.”
I rolled my eyes. She had so little understanding of the important things in life. Clothes don't get to pick and choose. They have no input into the decision making process. Like those boots that obviously were meant for me, they could've been sitting in that shop all the time thinking, “I want to be picked by Angie. I need to be picked for Angie. The only feet I choose are Angie's feet” but in this world, those boots could've ended up on any feet. Anyone at all is free to go into the shop and buy those boots. Luckily the gods and the stars aligned and the boots and the feet that were meant to be together, actually became united. Like some kind of magical Disney dream with sparkles. But so many boots, and so many feet don't have that kind of luck. It is a once in a lifetime thing, a Cinderella story without the annoying doofus of a prince.
“Anyway, his mother hates me. Hates me with a passion. She'd kill Eric if he dated me. Then she'd kill me. We'd both be dead and there'd be no dating.”
“Eric-mama is lovely. She just needs to get to know you.”
“She loves you. If you dated Eric, she'd be over the moon. She looks at me like I'm a freak.” I'd thought that maybe, if I were more like Hannah, if I got rid of the piercings and my crazy hair and I wore a pretty dress, she might like me and accept me but then it wouldn't be me she'd be accepting, it would be a totally other person. You can't change the core of your being just to have some guy's mother like you.
“So, that means you have to go to the gig. To help me. With Eric.” I gave her my most beguiling look and she nodded. My mind control powers were on fire.
Anyway, all thoughts of love aside, the gig was nuts. We were back at the Seaview band room, the place they'd played the first night I met Hannah. The guys had been playing much bigger venues than that shitty dive but they'd agreed to play as part of a week-long birthday celebration. I don't think anyone at the place had realised just how big Storm had gotten. There had been a massive queue even before the doors opened. All the old regulars and all the new fans. Hannah had paid a couple of students to do all the merchandise sales so we all we'd had to do was set up and then check back on them a few times to make sure everything was okay.
When the doors opened, the room was bursting at the seams. I think they'd let in a shitload more people than the room's capacity. While the punters were paying, they weren't going to turn them away. Hannah and I sat in the crappy backroom, wondering how we'd get through the crowd to even check on the merch sales.
“You know, the first time I came here, I was so angry that the bouncer wouldn't let me into the band room.” Hannah looked around at the graffiti covered walls and the ripped couch propped up with bricks on one side. “It's actually not nearly as awesome as I imagined.”
“One day we'll have luxurious back stage areas with flashy shit. I dunno, maybe waitresses and real furniture and fancy stuff like that. And tags! VIP tags. That will be cool as.”
Hannah sucked in her lips, not saying anything. I'm so freaken tactless. Of course, she'd not be overjoyed about potential awesome in the future when she might not be around to enjoy it.
Then the guys turned up and we were all business. Jack gave Hannah a look then turned his back on her. She pretended not to notice but I could see her hands shake.
I offered to go to the bar and get their drinks rider even though it'd be a massive crush to get there. The place was so badly designed, I had to get through the narrow passage outside the band room, filled with amps and drum kits and other assorted shit that needed to be off-stage, then through all the people in front of stage to get to the bar crush. I guess that normally wasn't a big deal because the room wasn't that full but that night it was hell.
I wiggled and squirmed my way through the crowd, letting the buzz of anticipation flow through me then I managed to scoot to the side of the bar and get the barman's eye. I grabbed a couple of six packs and a bottle of scotch for good measure. Better than having to come back a second time. I balanced the six packs under one arm and held the whisky bottle in the other, holding on tight so no scumbag could knick it.
Getting back with the drinks made it a lot harder to wiggle through and I considered jumping up and running across the stage when some oaf got in my way. I tried to knock him but he didn't move. Seriously, the guy looked like a complete jerk in his white polo shirt. Really? Who would dress like that to see a band? Only a clueless, corporate dork.
I was about to dig him in the ribs with my elbow to get passed when he turned. Tamaki? Sheesh, what was he doing here? This would be maximum trouble. I smiled hello.
“Have you seen Hannah?” he asked.
Surely she wouldn't have invited him. She'd been bitching about the whole Jack/Tamaki situation so it's not like she'd want to throw fuel on that fire.
“She's working, she's pretty busy right now.” I yelled over the noise. “You should wait here for her. I'll tell her you're here. Actually, wait by the sound desk.” I gestured at the sound desk so he'd know where to go. “It's easy to find and it has the best acoustics.”
He nodded and started to move off. At least that'd get him out of Jack's line of sight when he was on stage. The last thing we wanted was an altercation.
I dumped the drinks backstage then pulled Hannah aside so I could tell her.
She totally freaked. Totally.
“We have to get him out of here. This is so not good. What the hell is he d
oing?”
“Settle down,” I told her. “I've got him waiting for you at the sound desk. You can go hang out with him there, out of sight of Jack. He's dressed like a total dork though. Maybe get him a band shirt to wear so he fits in.”
“Poor Tamaki. He probably had no idea what to wear.”
Hannah frowned and I wondered how he'd gone from being the worst in the world to “poor Tamaki” so quickly. Then I remembered that night I first met her. She'd been wearing some kind of going to cocktails outfit with no idea either. Still, being sympathetic would be no way to get rid of him. If she did indeed want to get rid of him.
“Let’s go find him,” I said.
Then, holy fuck, as we walked out the band room door, we almost smashed into Jack Colt with his tongue down some groupie's throat. They were all hands everywhere and almost dry humping. I tried to push Hannah so she wouldn't see. But she saw. I watched the range of emotions play out over her face. I mean, I've never actually seen someone be tortured by having say having red hot pokers pushed up their butt but I'd imagine that their facial expression would be something like Hannah's. I wanted to hug her and tell her that everything would be okay but I couldn't. I couldn't say it would all work out in the end and that she'd have her happily ever after, walking off into the sunset moment because who can guarantee something like that?
“Come on,” she said, setting her mouth into a tight line. “Let's get out of here.”
“It's nothing. He does it all the time. Remember that night… it's to give the fans a thrill.”
Although, to be fair, I wasn’t sure if knowing he did that all the time made things better.
“He knew I was there but he did that anyway. He wanted me to see. He planned it.”
Her voice came out tight like she didn't want the feels to spill out. I didn't think Jack was that manipulative ― a dick but more an unthinking dick than any kind of planned dickery ― but there was no telling that to Hannah. She marched through the crowd, knocking people out of the way. When she got to Tamaki, she smiled. I figured the best plan would be for me to be somewhere else. Let those crazy kids sort out their own business.
I caught up with Kris and Danielle and got a spot. Nowhere near the front in that crowd but with a decent view of the stage. Sweat beaded on my skin from the heat radiating off all the people squeezed against me. I wanted a drink but couldn't even think about pushing to the bar again, when Kris offered to go. Hell yeah. She was my angel. She got back just as the band went on stage.
They slammed into the first song, Party Dress, which was now a crowd favourite. All around me people screamed and pumped the air. A grin stretched over my face like it always did when Storm played. As they went into their second song, I noticed there was something a bit off. Not anything major but Jack was not in top form. He missed a note here and there and forgot the start of the second verse, repeating the first one instead. They'd gotten to the point where they were so tight but he was just… even his moves seemed forced.
Of course, most of the punters were half cut and didn't even pick up on it but Eric frowned.
They played a few new songs that quietened the crowd down then a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song that got everyone fired up again. The crowd heaved as a mass, knocking into us and sending Danielle flying to the floor but a few people pulled her back up again. You can't let shit like that get you off guard. She hadn't even spilt her drink.
By the end of the night, it looked like Storm would not be getting off stage, with everyone screaming for more. Jack peered into the crowd with his hand shading his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something. A few voices screamed out “Jack” from around the room but he ignored them. He bent down and took a slug of his beer, slow and deliberate, then crushed the can and hurled it through the crowd. Everyone sucked in their breath as the can spun over them, landing right on target and bashing Tamaki on the forehead.
While it was a stupid thing to do, I couldn't help but admire the accuracy of his aim. All eyes had turned on Tamaki to see his reaction. He glared at Jack, his eyes flashing with hatred then Hannah put her arm around him and led him out of the room.
“This party's just getting started,” screamed Jack and he launched into a screeching wail of guitar.
Chapter 18. Hannah
After getting Tamaki home and bandaged up, I sent Angie a message to look after the band stuff. There wasn't that much to do anyway.
“Can you stay with me a while?” Tamaki asked.
I nodded, feeling a little bit guilty. I should've told him to leave straight away but I wanted to stick around to watch the band and didn’t want him making a fuss. He’d chosen to turn up, that was just asking for trouble, but he'd looked so out of place and lonely.
At least Vicious was pleased to see us when we got home.
“I should take him out for a run,” Tamaki said. “Come with us, there is a nice little park around the corner.”
Vicious jumped with joy when he saw Tamaki get out his lead. He danced around in little circles and hopped from foot to foot. I just wanted to pick him up in my arms and smish him.
Vicious sniffed at everything on the way and it took us forever to get to the park but I didn't mind. It cleared my head to be out walking in the fresh night air. Snatches of sound drifted past us from nearby apartments, music and television, people arguing. We walked shoulder to shoulder while Vicious pranced beside us.
Then Tamaki slipped his hand into mine. I wasn't sure if I was comfortable with that but I didn't pull away. It wasn't anything much, just holding hands. His hand felt warm and soft. He just held it there, barely pressing it against mine. Not squeezing or adding any pressure. It made me wonder if it was a friendly gesture or something more.
Then Vicious tugged on his lead, spotting something that smelt good up ahead. He'd found some food that had been dropped on the street and quickly gobbled it up.
“Sheesh, Vicious, will you eat anything?”
Tamaki turned and studied my face in a way that made me a little uncomfortable.
“You sound like your friend, Angie, when you talk like that.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I'd noticed I'd picked up some of Angie's sayings and ways of phrasing things. I guess that happens when you hang out with someone.
“It's not suited to you, I think, Hannah.”
I wasn’t sure how to take that but didn’t say anything.
We got to the park and Vicious enjoyed his run around even though Tamaki kept him on the lead.
“You should let him run free,” I said.
“I can't do that. What if he ran off and got hit by traffic?”
I'm not sure what traffic he meant. There were no cars on the roads. Vicious didn't look like he'd run very far anyway, he only had tiny little stumpy legs, I was pretty sure we could catch him before he got anywhere near the road.
“It is better for him to be protected,” Tamaki added. “Life can be dangerous and Vicious has become very precious to me. Anyway, let's head back now.”
When I got back to Tamaki's apartment, he asked me in for a nightcap.
“My head is throbbing,” he said. “I should sue that man for throwing a can at me. He did it on purpose.”
Tamaki sat two wine glasses on the coffee table.
“But you can't do that. If you sue him then you are suing me. I'm his manager.” Shit, I hadn’t even thought of that. To be honest, I don’t think his injury was that bad. It was just a scrape. He’d been okay to go for a walk to the park so he hardly had concussion.
“Maybe you should be careful around him. He is not a man to be trusted, I think.”
I wanted to fight for Jack's reputation. I mean, I'd never actually seen him do anything violent before. Not knowingly. But even the night terrors he experienced, they had to come from somewhere. I had no idea where that kind of damage had even come from or what had broken him. It scared me. It scared me to be around him sometimes in case it happened again. Maybe that's why he was such a woma
niser. It was easier for him to keep things casual than to develop a relationship that involved spending the entire night with someone, waking up the next morning and wondering if he'd hurt her.
Or maybe he was just a womaniser? After all he was a man, a very hot man. He could get away with that.
Tamaki poured the wine and we talked for a while.
When Tamaki left the room, I noticed some papers sitting on the shelf under his coffee table. I'm not a snoop but I pulled them out to have a look. Okay, that was being a snoop but I couldn't resist.
The papers were printouts from websites, about transporting dogs overseas and the quarantine periods. Was he planning on taking Vicious home with him? But we were still looking for his owners. I'm sure they were very worried and upset about Vicious being missing, even if we hadn't heard from them. Which reminded me I needed to ask Angie how the search was going. I put the papers back, not wanting him to know I'd been prying but it really didn't sit well with me.
***
I met Tamaki for lunch. We’d met a few times for lunch. Since Angie was busy with her coursework and I pretty much had nothing to do other than the band stuff, I figured it was nice way to kill some time.
Tamaki seemed to be not that busy with his business, which mostly involved setting up meetings and networking with various businesses. Eventually, they planned to open a branch here but he said he needed to lay the ground work first.
He'd asked me to meet him at a Spanish place in the city. He liked to find fashionable places to eat, the kind of places that had long waiting lists for reservations, and he seemed to get great satisfaction at jumping the queue.
I'd had to drop by the promotion company and pick up a bundle of posters for the tour before I met him.
“What's that?” asked Tamaki, eyeing off the package.
I told him what they were and a frown came over his face.
“Are you sure it's a good idea to go to that man's place alone? I'll come with you. To protect you.” He rubbed his head as he said this, even though the graze from the can Jack had thrown had healed and left no mark.
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