Love's Requiem (ENG)

Chapter 3 - Black Bullet

"When I'm drowing in the sea I am,
When you're looking down at me I am,
When I'm walking in the streets
I am a bullet"
Kidneythieves - Black bullet

It seemed like everyone around him had something to do better than to accompanying him, so Ville went alone. He knew it would be better if he made it early to Tavastia, so he would avoid fans that could be here and stalk him to the point that he could not enjoy the gig.

A light wind was blowing on the city, the air was getting colder but the singer didn't care, too ecstatic about the evening that was about to begin. He let the breeze mess with his hair and caress the skin of his tattooed arms while strolling down the streets of Helsinki. Ville reached the club and entered without a problem.

Backstage, the whole crew was getting ready for the concert, except the band. To kill time, three young men had started eating the huge buffet in front of them and emptying the mini-bar. They had drunk more than they had eaten but it didn't matter to them. The concert would start in less than half an hour but there singer was nowhere to be found, that was there way of doing something about it.

While the three of them were too busy trying to decide what to eat next without leaving the couch, some rapid footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

-       Hush ! whispered the youngest, a thin man with a childish face, with brown hair and eyes, gleaming with expectation.

They all stopped to listen, more and more hopeful and the steps grew closer. They couldn't prevent jumping with surprise when the door opened suddenly.

-       Here is Mrs Kim, finally ! Teased the same young man.

She didn't bother to answer, heading directly to the mini-bar to get a beer. She joined them on the couch, next to the eldest musician. It was John, the drummer, a very tall and muscular man, with short shaved hair and deep brown eyes.

Kim acted like things would settle down on their own if she would just hide behind this mountain of a man, the only band members she knew would always side with her. This didn't seem to bother the guitarist.

-       Would you bother to tell us where you've been ?

She took a sip of her beer before replying, in a very cold voice.

-       Why does it matter to you, Stan ? If you have a problem with my whereabouts, just leave.

  Her defiant blue eyes planted in his, she went back to her beer, so Stan ended up leaving, furious.

Next to Kim was Mike, their bassist, who felt he was always trapped in and outside these fights at the same time, too shy to weight in. He nervously turned his grey eyes towards John, but couldn't read a single feeling on his face. Mike tightened the elastic band that was holding his medium hair in a messy bun before heading out, saying he went looking for Stan.

The young woman suddenly felt freed of a heavy weight. She let out a long sigh and leaned to leave her beer on the coffee table. Then she just rested there, her elbow on her knees, her hair covering her face, her hands holding her head, trying to hide.  John brushed some strands of hair aside so he could see her.

-       I know what happened before you left for the tour and I know you're going through a rough patch, Kim. But you just can't act like this, we had to...

-       Sorry, but someone's looking for Kim. A technician interrupted.

Without a word, she rose and left the room with the intruder. She had no idea who that could be, Kim was just too relieved to have escaped John's lecture.

Ville was in the middle of a conversation with the owner of the place, before his eyes caught a woman in the VIP section next to the stage.  She was wearing loose white top tucked in a black pencil skirt and black stilettos. She would look ready to go to work at the next lawyer's office if it wasn't for the vintage short officer's jacket covering her shoulders. Ville immediately recognized this slim silhouette: Kim.