Strings (9 page)

             
He was still awake, his thoughts flying around in his head. He decided that he needed to hear her voice, to settle him down and put that tiny bit of doubt out of his mind. So he dialled her number.

             
‘Are you worrying?’ She sounded sleepy when she answered.

             
‘A little – everyone’s asleep, but I can’t shut off.’

             
‘Can you get to me?’

             
‘Of course, babe. I’ll be there in half an hour.’ He knew he should be sleeping, but there was only one place he wanted to be right now. He called a taxi, leaving a note for his sleeping bandmates to pick him up from her house in the morning. He just hoped they could be trusted to get up on time.

*****

‘This van stinks!’ Beth started complaining within minutes of finally getting on the road, an hour behind schedule. ‘And seriously, what the hell is digging into my back?’ She turned as best she could in the cramped space, revealing the edge of an amplifier as the culprit. It was wedged between two seats, along with a multitude of other pieces of kit which took pride of place, and forced the human passengers to squeeze into whatever gaps were left around them.

             
‘I need a fag – I can smoke, right?’ she asked, looking around the old and filthy Transit van. Toby was already lighting one, answering her question.

             
‘Just don’t flick ash over any of the gear!’ Luke called from the front. After a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, it had been decided that he would drive to London, the deal being that Toby would drive home. In reality, that depended on Toby being sober, and Luke suspected he might end up driving both ways.

             
‘Yes sir!’ Beth gave him a mock salute.

             
The journey was long and uncomfortable, but finally they arrived around lunch time and checked into their cheap and cheerful hotel near Brent Cross.

             
‘It’s not too bad, I guess,’ Melissa said, slightly surprised. She had expected a complete dive judging by the cheap rates, but it was comfortable enough and seemed to be clean.

             
‘Yeah, it’ll do,’ Luke agreed as he chucked their overnight bags in the corner before grabbing her round the waist and playfully throwing her onto the bed. She giggled naughtily, and it teased him but there was no time for any funny business because they had to get changed and leave for the venue straight away. They needed to get their equipment unloaded and ready before the event started. They didn’t know how bad the traffic would be, where they were going to park, or how long it was going to take to get accredited and through security, so nobody wanted to leave it to chance.

             
‘I believe you have to do your sound check?’ she giggled. ‘And I don’t need sound checking, I’m always ready to play! But you’ll have to wait till later …’ She enjoyed teasing him.

             
Luke knew she was right. But there was one thing he wanted to do before they joined the others. He was a bit embarrassed about not being able to get her much for her birthday, so he wanted her to have her present now. He hoped she would like it, even though it didn’t cost much.

             
‘I love it!’ Melissa beamed as she held the small black box in her hand. Inside it, a silver heart-shaped locket with a pink rose on the front lay on a bed of velvet.

             
‘Open the locket.’

             
Inside he had put a photo of them, taken at the gig in Chichester, the night after they met. Melissa remembered the moment – Tom had taken the photo on his phone shortly after the gig finished. It was simple, but it captured the moment perfectly. Luke was kissing her forehead, and she was smiling the beautiful, natural smile he loved so much. Receiving the locket produced one of those smiles.

             
‘Happy birthday. I'm sorry it isn't much,’ he said, still feeling embarrassed.

             
‘Don’t be silly – it’s perfect! It’s a lovely thought, and I’ll treasure it. I don’t need big, expensive presents. Being here with you is more than enough.’ She turned and lifted her hair. ‘I want to wear it today. Can you put it on for me?’

             
He took it from the box and placed it carefully around her neck. Then he fastened the clasp and kissed her. It completed her outfit perfectly.

             
‘How do I look?’ she asked, doing a little twirl for him. She definitely looked ‘ready to rock’ in purple denim shorts and white lace fitted top. She wore her hair down and her black Tom’s shoes had come out for the weekend. Luke had raised an eyebrow when she’d pulled out some of her highest heels, and he reminded her that she’d be on her feet all day and night, so maybe something a bit more comfortable would be wise. She preferred the more natural look, so her make-up was subtle.

             
‘You look beautiful, as always.’ She barely had to try, he thought.

             
He was in his usual dark blue jeans and black hoody.

             
‘Do I look fat?’ she asked.

             
‘Shut up and stop fishing for compliments!’ he joked, but she pulled a sad face.

             
‘Of course you don’t!’

             
‘That’s the right answer.’

             
‘I’ve something for you too, to bring you luck today.’ She opened her travel bag and pulled out a small package.

             
‘You didn’t have to. It’s your birthday, not mine!’

             
She waved his protest away; it was a big day for him, and she felt that it would be right to give him a gift too. It was a brown leather cuff which she’d seen in a music shop. She’d thought it would suit him and look good while he played. She placed it on his wrist carefully, winding the strap around several times so there were three layers, then fastened the small silver buckle at the side to secure it.

             
‘It’s great – thanks, babe,’ he said gratefully as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Even though he tried to hide it, she could tell he was nervous.

             
‘Play for me – don’t worry about anyone else,’ she whispered. The next few words came out of her mouth without her even thinking, ‘I love you ...’ She immediately realised that this was a big moment because they hadn’t said it to each other before, even though everyone else could see they were head over heels in love. She held her breath, waiting for him to react, hoping he felt the same. It hadn’t been planned, and she’d surprised herself as well as him, but desperately hoped she hadn’t picked the wrong moment or said it too soon and scared him off.

             
‘Glad to hear you say that, because I reckon I might love you a little bit too. Thank you so much for this weekend. You don’t know how much it means to me.’ He saw her frown, and knew why. Luke had always refused to say those three words unless he truly meant it, so he’d never said them to a girlfriend before. He realised what he’d blurted out was not exactly what she wanted to hear. Idiot! He cursed himself, knowing that he needed to do better
.
‘Liss, I love you too, of course I do.’

             
‘Better,’ she said, smiling fully now, and feeling very relieved. ‘And I do know this means everything to you. It’s who you are, and it is what you were born to do.’ Luke’s expression confirmed she’d got it right.

             
The door opened noisily, making them jump and abruptly ending their intimate moment. The others bounded in, almost falling over each other like excited puppies. They were all ready to go, apart from one thing.

             
Toby took a small bag from his inside pocket, and carefully poured four equal piles of fine white powder on the table. He used a credit card to turn the piles into lines. It was the band’s tradition to give themselves a little something to fire them up before a gig. They weren’t regular drug users, but they considered gigs to be ‘special occasions’, so as far as they were concerned it was OK every now and then. Toby handed Luke a rolled-up bank note.

             
‘Let’s get this show on the road, boys!’ Luke shouted as he leaned down and snorted his line up his left nostril before gagging slightly as the cocaine hit the back of his throat. The note was passed on, and the others followed suit.

             
Toby laid out two more lines, and looked at the girls. He wasn’t sure what their views on this sort of thing were, because it had never really been discussed before. He felt a little awkward because he didn’t want to be seen to be leading them astray if it was not their thing. But on the other hand, it could appear rude to leave them out if they did want some.

             
Luke had picked up on this too. ‘You don’t have to – it’s entirely up to you,’ he assured them, not wanting them to feel pressured. They both nodded, and said it was fine. It wasn’t a new experience for them. They had experimented in their time, but not for quite a while, usually preferring just to have a drink.

             
‘Why not? It’s a special occasion.’ Beth shrugged. ‘It can’t hurt to have a bit, but not
that
much thanks!’ She pointed at the Toby-sized lines on the table, which were more than generous, and he divided one in half for them to share. Deep down, Luke wasn’t overly comfortable with it, but he couldn’t be a hypocrite.

             
They left shortly after for the biggest weekend of their lives – so far.

*****

‘They’re giving it stacks – I love it!’ Beth was enjoying the band currently on stage – a female rock band called Echo, who were half way through their performance.

             
‘She’s proper hot,’ Tom observed, referring to the bass player and they agreed that the band reminded them of Paramore and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

             
The front girl gave off a sense of confidence and defiance, as though she didn’t care whether people liked them or not; they were doing their thing regardless. In a strange way, it seemed to make the crowd like them more. She had her black hair pulled back in a short ponytail and her red and black dress hardly covered her butt. She’d kicked off her black canvas shoes during the first song, and was now jumping around barefoot, but still in control of her red guitar. They all laughed as she stuck her finger up at someone in the crowd who’d heckled them between tracks.

             
The bass player asked through her microphone, ‘Do you have a small dick to go with your pea brain?’ This was a great comeback, and the crowd roared. These girls had attitude.

             
‘Go on, girl, you tell that twat,’ Tom said under his breath. He was impressed; she looked and sounded like a badass.

             
The stockily built drummer played aggressively, and looked as fierce as her bandmates, if not more so.

             
‘They’re pretty good … for a bunch of girls,’ Luke commented, earning him a punch on each arm from Melissa and Beth. He loved winding them up – it was too easy. ‘What?’ he cried, rubbing his left bicep. He’d forgotten how hard Beth could punch.

             
‘Women can play, you chauvinistic pig!’ Beth snapped. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a friendly hug.

             
‘I know. But you’re so easy to tease.’

             
‘Shut it, Black,’ Beth retorted jokingly. She couldn’t hide her smile – it was hard to stay mad with Luke for long.

             
They still couldn't quite believe they were here. The set-up was incredible. The competition was being held inside a huge marquee erected specially for the event, which was necessary because it was October and the weather was awful. It was dark inside the tent, and there were blue and red laser lights dotted around, providing the only illumination other than from the stage. It was packed to the rafters, and the sense of excitement had been growing all day.

             
Melissa was nervous now. Some of the acts were nothing to write home about, but some were really quite good, although a lot of it depended on taste, she thought. But what worried her most was the panel of judges. They’d been quite ruthless in their assessment of some of the performances. One band had been described as ‘disappointing’ and ‘boring’. The female singer had left the stage in tears, and the whole thing had been very difficult to watch. Melissa worried that they might react negatively to Luke and the boys, but she had to admit to herself that The Black Eagles were much better than the group who’d been slated by the judges. There were now five acts left, including The Black Eagles, and they were more nervous now than they’d ever been before a performance.

             
The first judge was Sonny Lee, a rock legend from a band called Jet-Lagged, who had their heyday back in the 1970s. Sonny was in his sixties now, and the years of drink and drugs were evident in his appearance and the way he spoke. He still tried to cling on to his youth by wearing black leather trousers, a tight top and a black bowler hat, but his long, grey hair and wrinkled skin gave his age away. He was still very passionate and excited about music, and had plenty of experience of the business, so he was well qualified to judge in this contest.