Daddy Issues

38 - Missed you

The crowd's bigger than I expected. Roses is filled with more people than I've ever seen here before. I have to push through the crowd to even be able to see the stage.

But then I do. The stage's not that high, so I can't see them too well. Yuki is only barely visible above the crowd, but Dan's tall enough for me to see his face.

I don't think I've ever seen him look so happy. There's a big smile on his face as he moves his guitar up and down, jamming along with the high-speed song they're performing. He doesn't look at the crowd. Only at his guitar and sometimes at his bandmates. He seems to be lost entirely in the music.

When the song is done, the dancing crowd bursts out in applause and I clap along with them. They look like they belong on a stage, all of them. Dan could be a real rock star. He's wearing some sort of dark shirt with a skull on it that I'm sure Yuki made him wear because I've never seen him wear something like that. It looks good on him.

Just before they start their next song, I make use of the short pause while Yuki introduces it to wrestle my way to the bar. I doubt Dan will even notice me in this crowd but if I do get to talk to him after the show, I think it will be good to have a little alcohol in my system.

I'm just ordering a mixdrink at the bar when someone pops up beside me.

'You came! Dan didn't think you'd be here!'

I find Avery smiling happily at me. I'm happy to see her too. I had already planned on just dancing on my own.

'Yeah...' I say vaguely. 'Plans changed.'

'He'll be so happy to see you!'

My stomach turns a little bit. I hope he'll be happy to see me. But I also can't shake the feeling that maybe he's glad to just have a night away from all of our bullshit. He looks so happy now, what if it will make him upset to see me?

So I just smile at Avery and try to hide the nerves.

'You want a drink?' I ask her.

Since I finally have some money again, I'm happy to be the one buying for a change. So I get her a drink too and then she takes a hold of my wrist.

'Come on, me and my friends are at the front. VIP section.'

She winks at me and pulls me along before I can argue. She leads me through the crowd with surprising ease, no sign of her former shyness. Seems that the show has gotten her fired up.

Finally, we break through the crowd to the open space at the front between the stage and the audience. I don't even have a moment to prepare myself before I'm in full view from the band. And Dan.

Yuki, who has already launched into the next song, notices me first. She looks surprised for a moment, but then she gives me a wink and a small smile. Dan, still in his own world, doesn't see me. But Yuki works it into her act to move through the band and when she gets close to him and he looks at her, she gives him a subtle nod in my direction.

My heart stops for a moment when his eyes meet mine. For a moment, his eyebrows pull together, like he's not sure what he's seeing. But then it seems to click. And he smiles so brightly at me, I feel like my heart might explode. For a few seconds, all I seem to see is him. I don't even notice right away when Avery talks to me.

'They look so good, right!'

I drag my gaze away from Dan to answer.

'Yes, he does. I mean, they do! You must be proud of Pete.'

'I am! I feel like a groupie or something.'

I laugh as she she blows him a kiss and waves at him. He gives her a smile, and looks just as happy to perform as Dan does.