Divine Affinity

25

"Are you crazy?" Rae opened her eyes wide at Eiry. Even in the dark of the side of the stage, Eiry could perceive her friend's green eyes expelling fire. "Are you?"

"I am just saying..." Eiry crossed her arms over her chest, shrugged a couple of times in a row and looked back at the stage where Pearl Jam was playing. "I know you don't want to hear it but..." Rae spoke in her hear. Her eyes on Eddie though.

"What you are saying is pure craziness."

"Tell me you don't like him?" Eiry looked in her friend's eyes for a few seconds and then turned to Eddie again.

Eddie was oddly quiet. Singing glued to the piece of stage in front of his mic. His eyes closed most of the times as if he was afraid to face the crowd. When she asked him not do anything crazy that could risk his life, she didn't expect him to comply with his promise that way. He was almost annulling himself. No one would notice he was on stage if not for his powerful voice and even that, she could tell he was holding it back. He wasn't that quiet on stage. She had seen him live with his latter band, Bad Radio. Eddie used the entire stage. He would jump and run and dance in very strange ways. Despite his shyness, Eddie was a stage animal. He was born to be up there and that was not what he was showing.

"He's so quiet..." Eiry changed the subject.

Her heart aching for him and wondering if something happened that she didn't know about. She had gotten there almost at the same time they were going on stage so she only had time to kiss him and wish him good luck.

"His voice is amazing." Rae yelled, making her jump.

"He's so not him though..." Eiry responded not taking her eyes off of him. "He's not like that." She uncrossed her arms and pointed at her husband. "He is so energetic..."

"Eiry?" Rae called her and Eiry turned her head to look at her. Her expression was different. It turned from outraged to apprehensive.

"Do you think he cares?" She asked feeling her heart speeding and it was not because of the music. Eiry nodded.

"I think he does." She smiled. "I know he has quite a fame, but..." Eiry pressed her lips together shutting her big mouth in time.

She was about to tell Rae Stone asked her to convince Rae to stay a while longer and Eiry used all tricks she could to keep her in town. She didn't want to tell her that though. She could tell Rae was into Stone and from the things he shared with her, he was into Rae too, but she would never tell the other what she'd hear from each one of them.

"But?" Rae curled an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Rae..." For a few seconds, Eiry turned her attention fully to her friend. Her eyes were no longer on that stage but on Rae. "He has been calling you every day. He asked you to stay and you're here!"

"I am here because it's Eddie's birthday tomorrow." Rae raised both hands in the air as a sign for Eiry to stop making implications where there were none. "I'm not staying because of him..."

"Why lie to yourself?" Eiry asked quietly. Rae gave a step back defensively. "I know you like him. Yesterday at the club, I caught you looking at him when he was at the bar with Ed and Jeff and your eyes Rae..." Eiry smiled and tapped on her face gently. "Your eyes were glittering so much."

"Oh..." It was Rae's turn to cross her arms over her chest and looking away. "What's the point?" She spoke after a few seconds, watching his ponytail bounce as he bounced while he played. "I'm not from here. I don't live here. I have to come back to San Diego!"

"For a semester..." Eiry elbowed her lightly and smiled. Rae turned her head to look back at her. "After that semester you could try to live here. I got a job... I am writing reviews for an important magazine. I know now that my boss knowns Stone, and I am sure he had something to do with it, but I don't mind. Rae..." Eiry closed her hands around Rae's arms an inch below her shoulders and looked in her eyes. "You want to write about music and music is happening here. I believe great and important things are going to happen in this city. They are amazing..." Eiry pointed at the stage. "Alice in Chains? Are just brutal... Soundgarden... I believe all those bands are going to become important in the national music scene. You have space here. You have friends here and the guy I believe you fell in love with and that I believe is in love with you." The girls remained in silence just staring at one another.