I waited near the elevator for the others so we could get the bus to the festival.
"Whoa, Firecracker," Elijah said when he saw me. "You're turning into a bundle of trouble."
He ruffled my hair, which really annoyed me.
I wasn't trying to be trouble. I just knew what I wanted, and I went for it. Was that a bad thing? If Crow really didn't want me, I'd have backed off, but I had no reason to think that.
"It worked for you," I said to him, and nodded at Rose.
"You're right about that. Want to be flower girl at our wedding?"
He really did think I was a little kid.
"Flower girl? I'm not a little kid. Tell me you're joking, or I'll kill you before you get to the altar. Hey, wedding?"
"Yep, no more screwing around for me. The ball and chain is firmly on."
I laughed at him. He could say that, but anyone could see from the way he glowed that he loved it, and he loved Rose.
"You're going to have hell to pay when you see Polly again," he said. "I would not want to be in your shoes. She's one scary lady when she's angry."
"Well, so am I," I told him.
My heart wasn't in that, though. Crow's reaction had taken the wind out of my sails. Maybe I'd made a huge mistake coming here. When I left Brussels, I'd wanted to prove a point to Polly, but with some time to think about it, I realized I had been stupid. She really did have reason to be angry with me.
"Ease off a bit," Elijah said quietly. "Guys like to be the hunter."
I scoffed. "In what century?"
"In all centuries. You don't have to be all meek and mild, just back off a bit. Don't scare the guy."
I folded my arms and leaned against the wall. Screw Elijah and his advice. I didn't scare Crow. He was a whole different person from Elijah. The whole time we'd been in Amsterdam, I'd been laid back and friendly, and that hadn't worked at all. We'd hung out and had fun, but if we'd stayed like that, we'd have been at the friend's level for the rest of our lives. I didn't want to be friends with Crow. I wanted the full experience.
Soon, the bus arrived. Fartstard came to gather us up. He did a double take when he saw me.
"Yeah, I'm here, despite your betrayal," I said.
"Sorry, but if I'm going to be in anyone's bad books, your books are much preferable to Damo and Polly's. It's just expedient, that's all."
He could say that, but he needn't expect me to be friendly to him ever again.
Crow turned up just as we were ready to leave. I smiled at him, but he ignored me. That cut right down to the bone. We got on the bus, and Damo sat down beside me.
"Are you going to give me a proxy lecture from Polly?" I asked.
"Nope, but, Fay, you're really interfering with my love life. She's become totally focused on you. She has nothing left for me."
I'd thought it might be like that, but I hadn't asked to be Polly's first priority.
"Maybe you should talk to her about that, not me. Her obsession with my sex life is becoming a bit creepy."
"She feels responsible for you. The whole family thing. It's not that she wants to make you miserable. She just doesn't want to see you hurt."
"Why does everyone think I'm going to get hurt? I can have a happily ever after," I said.
"You can. I'm not denying that. What I am denying is that your happily ever after will be with Crow. He's a great guy, a fantastic drummer, but he's no knight in shining armor, by any means."
I looked out the window, not answering him. Why would I want a knight in shining armor? Would a white knight push me against the wall and kiss me until my lips bruised and my insides screamed for his touch? Because, now I'd had that, I wouldn't be happy with anything less.
Fay
THAT SHITHEAD FARTSTARD had to give me an all-access pass in the end, because I couldn't get in without it. The festival grounds thronged with people. The sun shone. The smell of greasy food filled the air, and the music was so loud, the ground trembled. Despite Crow's reaction, excitement rushed through me. I loved a rock festival.
We jumped out of the van, and I looked around the backstage area. This place was lush. Tarpaulins separated all the different band areas, and slap-bang in the middle was a row of food trucks. I'd get to hang out with real rock stars, not this bunch of bozos. Sure, they might be the headliners of the festival, but I'd seen them at their worst. They held no mystique for me anymore. Well, except for Crow. He had plenty of mystique, but not rock mystique.
I had no idea why everyone was so against him. Not one single person could give me one solid example of why Crow was wrong for me. They just talked nonsense.
He got out of the van, but before I could say anything to him, he walked off. I stared after him, not sure whether to follow or not.
"Come with us and stop gawking," Elijah said. "We have to find our space, and you won't know where it is if you wander off."
I took off after him. I really wanted to go watch some of the bands, but if I didn't know where the Freaks were set up, I'd never find my way back.
When we got to their space, I gazed around. They had it all going on. A fridge full of drinks running off a generator. Sofas and a few beanbags set around the place. Lockers to put their stuff in. One day, all this would be mine. We'd be the ones headlining festivals. As much as Polly's nagging bugged me, I could see why she wanted to hit the big time. Not that we were slumming it on the tour, by any means. We had those fancy hotels, but having luxury was so much more awesome when other people could see you had it.
I snapped a few photos. I needed to update my Instagram with this. The world needed to see me here.
"Do you get foot massages too?" I asked.
"Probably," Elijah said. "If you ask for them."
He slumped down on the sofa with a beer in his hand. Rose sat with him.
I tossed up between going to see some of the bands playing or waiting around for Crow. He might not come back for hours, though. He really didn't want to be seen talking to me.
"I'm heading out," I said. "I'm far too young and pretty to hang out here with you oldies all day."
"Chuck your bag in the locker," Elijah said. "You don't want to worry about being rolled in the crowd."
I nodded, then took out my phone and a few bucks and put them in my pocket.
"If you want food, it's all free," Damo told me. "Just flash your pass at the vans."
"Holy cow! You're kidding me. That's about as good as life gets."
Damo and Elijah laughed. They were so jaded. Once you got complacent about free food, it was a downhill slide from there. I'd be eating my fill of that food.
I rushed off, stopping to get a taco. It was true. I just flashed my pass and voila, food. Then I headed out of the VIP area to join the regular people.
There were a few bands I wanted to see apart from the Freaks. I slammed myself into the middle of the crowd. It'd been a while since I'd seen a live band from this side. I wanted to zone out and enjoy the music, but playing with Wreckage had surely wrecked me, because all I could think about was whether I could copy some of those moves and if we'd be better off playing our songs more like that. All the business side. Would I be ruined for life? Damn, I'd never expected that to happen.
A few hours later, I headed back to the VIP area. On my way, I planned out the food I'd eat. Definitely another one of those tacos and maybe a burger and some of that curry. My stomach rumbled at the thought. I thought there was a van selling crepes, too. I might have to go back for them later.
I stood in the queue for the tacos. Tacos were definitely the gold ticket item. Everyone wanted a taco. Then I grabbed my burger and a drink. I was in the queue for the curry when some jerk bumped me, and my delicious burger fell from my hands. I looked down, hoping it was still safe in its container. Nope. Burger splatted all over the ground.
"Watch it," I said to the guy.
"You watch it. You're getting a bit uppity for some slutty groupie," he said.
I was about to give him some lip
about that. Double jerk. But suddenly he was slammed up against the side of the van. Crow. Where had he come from?
He had the guy by the shirt front, towering over him. Double Jerk trembled.
"Sorry, dude. Didn't know she was with you."
Crow had his fist raised, about to slam it into the guy's face. "Don't speak to any woman like that, asshole."
My heart flipped. Damo had said he wasn't a knight in shining armor, but it didn't get any more shining than that. That jerk was almost shitting his pants.
"Don't hit him," I said. "He's not worth the effort."
Emotions fluttered over Crow's face, like he warred with himself. Finally, he let the guy go, and the guy ran off as fast as he could.
"And don't be a jerk again," I called after him. "You owe me a burger."
The guy didn't look back.
"I'll get you another burger," Crow said, and he strode off. But he'd have to come back to give that burger to me. We'd walk back to the Freaks' area together, and I'd have a burger and curry. That jerk might be a jerk alright, but he'd helped bring Crow and me closer together, so he wasn't all bad.
Fay
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL around some of these guys," Crow said as we walked back. "They're used to having women throw themselves at them. They've never learned any manners."
I bit my lip. I'd been one of those women, but then I'd only thrown myself at Crow, not just any rock star. And it wouldn't matter what Crow did for a living. He could be a mechanic or a cook or an accountant, and I'd feel the same. Well, maybe not an accountant. But a mechanic would be hot. My car would be broken down by the side of the road, and he'd stop to help me get it going. He'd get all hot and sweaty and have to strip his shirt off. Then I'd hand him a bottle of cold water. And next thing, he'd have bent me over that car and...
We'd arrived back at our area. The only ones there were Elijah and Rose. I had no idea where the others had gone, but the fewer people, the better.
"Got enough food there, Firecracker," Elijah said.
"Well, no, I haven't," I replied. "I'm going back for crepes later."
I put my food down on the table, Crow adding my burger to the pile. Then I pulled up a chair.
"We should get something to eat," Rose said, standing up. "I'm famished."
She and Elijah left. Elijah gave me a sly wink on his way out.
Crow got up to follow them.
"You don't have to run away from me," I said.
"I'm not running."
"You're running. Sit down and eat. Surely, we can spend a few minutes together. We're in a semi-public place."
He grinned and sat down on the sofa. I sat at the table. We didn't talk because my mouth was full of food, and Crow didn't talk much anyway.
"The burger isn't as good as the tacos," I said eventually.
"Damn, I didn't get a taco."
"We could go back and get one," I said.
"Nah, I'll give it a miss," he said, rubbing his stomach.
I'd forgotten that his pre-show nerves could upset his stomach.
I took a gulp of my drink. We were talking like normal people. That had to be good. That easiness we'd had between us had vanished, though. I worried over every word, not wanting another "leave me alone" lecture. I didn't need to hear that again.
"This band is pretty shit," I said, wanting to say something.
We could hear them from back here. The strains of music weren't as loud as out front but still clear.
"I guess we're not in the best spot to hear them, but, yeah, they're shit."
I laughed. So did Crow.
"What are Damo and the others doing?"
"Damo's being his usual control freak self. Fartstard and the others are tailing him. I'm not sure if it's to help him or get him out of trouble if he pushes too hard."
I nodded. I was about to mention how awesome it'd be to play to a crowd this size, but I figured that wouldn't help with the nerves.
"How did you get here?" he asked. "Damo said you couldn't have caught the train."
I gulped. He wouldn't be happy when I told him, but I couldn't lie.
"I hitchhiked."
He leaned forward, his eyes crinkling in a very non-sexy way. "What? Fay, no."
"It was okay. I got a lift with this awesome chick. Carrie. She was fun."
"It could've ended badly," he said.
"I know. I was almost going to run back to the hotel when I got to the highway, but she pulled up, and I figured I'd be safe with another chick."
He nodded. "You're too impetuous."
"I've been told that before." Then I looked up at him, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling. His mouth twitched a little, then he smiled too.
That smile hit me fair in the stomach. He knew how to take a girl's breath away.
Before I could get too giddy over smiles, Elijah and Rose arrived back.
"Still got your clothes on, Fay? That's good to see," Elijah said with a grin.
I'd have thrown the rest of my burger at him, but I didn't want to waste it. That wasn't even funny.
"Still got all your teeth. That won't last long if you don't keep your mouth shut," I told him.
He laughed. "You'd need a stepladder to punch me."
"Stop teasing," Rose said. "I'm sure Fay's sick of it all." Then she turned to me. "We got you a crepe."
"This is why you're my favorite person on this tour," I said, taking the crepe from her. "Choco banana, my favorite, too."
Then Damo and the others came back.
"Thirty minutes and we're on," Damo said. "We'd better start making a move."
Fartstard looked at my crepe. "Where do you put all that food?" he asked. "You eat a ton every day, and you're still tiny."
"Maybe because I'm not weighed down by my fat, betraying heart," I told him.
He walked off in a huff, but he had totally deserved that. And that was only the start of my revenge plan. My crepe tasted all the sweeter for that sick burn on Fartstard.
The guys got ready to go onstage.
"Let's watch together," Rose said. "I'm glad I'm not alone."
Yay, one person glad I'd turned up. Then I looked around.
"Where's Fiona?" I asked.
Damo shrugged. "She and Matt are around somewhere. He'll turn up to play on time, and that's the main thing."
I hadn't seen either of them all day, but they kind of faded into the background. Fiona had enough of the spotlight in this life.
The sun had just started to set as we walked up to the main stage. The band onstage were finishing their set. They were even worse this close up. How had they even gotten on the festival bill?
The guys set up on the second stage.
I waited at the side of the stage, finally able to relax. From here, it looked like the crowd stretched out forever. It made me want to play a festival like this one day. Not just play, but headline like the Freaks.
While we waited, a lot of the other musos joined us. Faces I recognized, stars I'd listened to for years, stood beside me. That was pretty cool too.
"Where's Matty?" I asked Rose. "Shouldn't he be onstage by now?"
He hadn't turned up yet. I hoped nothing was wrong. They could play without him--he'd only joined them at the beginning of this tour, and they'd been a three-piece group for years--but it would really put them off their game.
Crow sat behind his drum kit. His hands trembled a little, but no one would notice that but me. As soon as they started, he'd be fine. I wished I could do something to help, but I knew I never could. At that moment, just before the lights shone on the band and the music started, you could be with tens of thousands of people, you could be with your bandmates, and you could be with the one you loved. But for those few minutes, you were always alone.
Fay
MATTY RAN IN AT THE last moment. Damo really didn't look happy, but as the cheers for the last band died down, he turned to face the crowd, all business.
Then the lights hit them, and the massive cr
owd all screamed as one. We'd played to some decent crowds, but that was like an endless sea of people. I couldn't even conceive of how many people were in that crowd.
"Well, hello," Elijah said, cupping his microphone in his hand.
The screams got louder.
"Are you ready?" he yelled. "Are. You. Ready?"
I thought the screams would never stop. That energy--you could feel it, even standing here. It came off the crowd in waves.
I looked at Crow. He grinned. He was fine now.
Then they started playing. Those bozos really knew how to put it on. Even Elijah was no longer the big dork he normally was, but a shining god instead. He had all the sex appeal onstage. Damo was more the romantic dream. He had his own appeal, but it wasn't raw sex like Elijah. I wondered how Rose felt about that. A good number of the women in the crowd would be thinking about sex with him. He'd be screwing them like crazy in their fantasies.
Crow got a lot less attention sitting at the back, but there'd be enough people who noticed him. Especially a few songs in, when he stripped off his shirt. That got way too many cheers for my liking. Those chicks could keep their eyes off him and look at Elijah.
Their show on this stage had a whole extra dimension to it than on the tour. It all became larger than life. They sizzled, and the energy from the crowd became stronger. I watched them, all moving in time like one solid mass. A few beach balls were floating over them. I could only pick out faces in the front few rows. Sweaty, sunburnt people, singing along with all their hearts.
Then I turned back to Crow. With his arms bare, you could really see the muscles ripple as he bashed the drums. One of the camera guys squatted beside him, projecting that up onto the big screens. The real thing up this close was so much better. He had amazing arms. If Elijah had arms like that, he'd never wear sleeves, but Crow didn't flaunt it.
I wanted them to go on forever. The music floated around me, seemed to pick me up. I could stand this close to Crow and look at him all I liked. He really loved playing, and that passion made me care for him all the more. I could never feel anything for a guy who wasn't passionate about things. I'd spent enough of my life around slackers.
Rock Mayhem: 8 Complete Rock Star Romance Novels Page 66
