Ramé

Kenopsia

(n.) the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that's usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet

Otto was sitting at his drum set after the show. The crowd had been gone for about an hour now, but it was like he could hear them singing along, their voices bouncing off the walls back towards him. They were always loud enough to cut through the wall of sound his drums created. It didn't always used to be like that. Concerts used to feel quasi-lonely. Some nights they still did. Especially when Awsten would sing the first half of Lucky People. Otto had always felt just a little too personally to that song.

Usually, every few shows, Awsten would check in with all of them. See where their heads were at. It's just what he did. At least once a week Awsten would corner you and make sure you were still in it. And Otto didn't know about the rest of them, but he hadn't got a check in for a few weeks. Coming up on almost a month now. Ever since they'd sat down and had a bit of a heart to heart about their past relationship, Otto had thought they were fine. But that was years ago. Like, right after they signed to a label years ago. So maybe things weren't so fine now.

But here they were, years fucking later, and Otto was sitting in an empty concert venue, thinking about how things only seemed to be getting worse. He sighed, and stood, going to sit on the edge of the stage.

"So this is what being the front man is like?" He muttered, digging his heels into the front of the stage.

"That's actually what being the guitarist is like," Geoff's voice rang out from behind him. "What's up?"

Otto scoffed. "Not much." Geoff hummed, waiting for him to continue. "It's just一 has Awsten been doing the weekly check in with you guys."

Geoff nodded, quirking an eyebrow up at him. "Has he not been?"

"No. I think一 fuck. I don't know what I think." He pulled his knees to his chest and sighed, feeling Geoff put a hand on his back. "Things are getting bad again."

"Like, bad as in how they were after you guys had that fight?"

That fight. Otto almost laughed. All these years later Jawn and Geoff still had no clue about the two of them. About dating after high school and all the complications that came with it. It wasn't even like they had been secretive about it. But when they both went to practice after they had broken up, avoiding eye contact at all costs, Awsten had told them that they'd had a fight over a band thing. And who were they to question Awsten?

Otto just shrugged. "Not as bad, obviously."

"It's been so long ," Geoff said idely.

"Yeah. I must've done something to set him off."

Geoff gave him a look. "First of all, no. Shut up. And I just meant that me and Jawn still don't know what the hell that fight was about."

"I thought Awsten told you? It was a-."

"A band thing, yeah," Geoff said mockingly. "But I know you. And you're way too laid back to pick a fight with Awsten over a band thing."

Otto sighed. "I don't know what you want me to tell you, man. I couldn't even tell you what it was about anymore," he lied. Because he sure as hell wasn't about to spill his guts to Geoff about a relationship that ended way too long ago to still be sad about. And especially not when Awsten wasn't out yet.

"I don't know either," Geoff agreed. "I guess I just didn't believe it."

Nothing was said for a while before Otto stood up. "Okay, I gotta leave. I always hate being in an empty venue after a show."