Murder City

Chapter Fifteen

15 | Aurora Bennett

The house is much more emptier without Billie.

In the last four day's, since we officially started our relationship, we've been getting more comfortable with being romantic towards eachother, both in public and in private. News has spread, and I'm sure everyone knows I'm Billie's girlfriend now. I'm seriously proud to have that title.

But, I've come to realize that he plays shows a lot more than I'd like. Between band practice and live performances, he spends almost all day out in the world, his guitar strap slung over his shoulders, spreading his music.

The worst part is he told me to not come to the shows yet as he didn't want me to be bombarded with questions backstage, or being hurt in the crowds.

However, I'm willing to take that risk.

I break at a stoplight, quickly checking my phone for the time. 3:15pm. 20 minutes until the show starts, I see people driving into the parking lot of the building his band will be performing in, and I quickly swerve into the parking lot behind them.

It's a large building, with people sat right outside, leaning against the brick walls with beer in their hands. I walk right past them, until I see a door in the side of the building, pushed far into the back.

Its open slightly, a crew member walks out, stopping, before turning to smile at me.

"Aurora!" He walks over, embracing me into a hug. "Nathan!" I squeal, hugging him back.

Nathan is my very new and very best friend. I've known him for a few weeks now. Me and Billie were invited to a house party, and we met there. I honestly only ended up staying to talk to him for longer. He's a kind, honest, yet sometimes bitchy soul. I guess he's known for being too-honest, and I'm the one teaching him to keep his mouth shut in public.

Nathan is tall, taller than Mike but shorter than Fletcher, who I've started calling 'he who shall not be named', as every time I say his stupid name I'm flooded with the feeling of being watched. Nathan's hair is short, swoopy and brown. He constantly wears vests, or beige sweaters partnered with jeans. 

"The shows gonna start, come on." He smirks, grabbing my hand and leading me inside. 

Ever since me and Billie have officially started dating, Nathan and I have been plotting to hide me backstage, so I can watch Billie perform for the first time. I'll admit, I'm not into punk music. Or really any loud, guitar based music. But, it's Billie. I'm willing to give the punk genre a second chance. 

I slip into the hallway, where the space is open, enough for Nathan and I to be side by side, a space left between us. 

Soon, I'm walking through an archway, where the space opens up, the area filled with many crew members, along with Billie and the rest of his band, all stood in a circle next to the entrance to the stage, where I can hear the crowds screaming. 

The lights dim.

The crowds silence.

The lights flash back on, and I realize Billie has disappeared. A guitar starts to blast. I smile, walking over the entrance of the stage.

I see Billie, running across the stage before coming back to the mic stand to sing, the crowd singing louder than him.

I love the way he smiles as he looks over at the people, who all watch him in awe. I love the way his voice cracks as he screams his lyrics out. I want nothing more than to run out, wrap my arms around him, and let him sing as I swing from his neck. But I can't do that. Instead, I watch in awe from afar, as he strums his guitar quickly, singing perfectly. He has the voice of an angel, and that isn't me being biased. 

The darkened crowd jumps around, their arms out recording the show in front of them. This is fun, and I wonder why Billie hid me from this world. The new openness before me opens my eyes. Life isn't black and white. It's a rainbow. Each color is a new page in life. 

The instruments stop, and I shake my head to snap out of whatever trance Billie put me in.

"Goodnight." Billie waves to the crowd, pushing the mic stand from his hand, he walks off to the backstage entrance, Mike and Tre behind him. I straighten my hair out with my fingers, standing straight with my hands interlocked at my front. 

Billie almost walks past me, but I stop him, wrapping my arms around him, covering his cheek in kisses. He struggles for a second, before recognizing me and kissing me back. "What are you doing here?" He whispers, pulling me closer into a hug. "I wanted to come and watch you." I respond, pulling away from him. His cheeks are red, a smile stretched across his face. He gestures to the stage, "Did..." he shrugs "Did you enjoy it?" I nod. 

I did.

Punk music has never been my thing, but I enjoyed that. I enjoyed it as a whole. I loved the energy of Billie, radiating into the crowd. The music around him, the crowd singing along, smiles across their faces. I loved it all. I've always wanted to see true happiness, and my dream has been fulfilled.

His fingers interlock with mine, squeezing my hand gently. I hum in response, smiling at him. The air is quiet, yet so loud. I hear the crowd start to leave, the backstage becoming louder and louder with conversation, but we're quiet. I like that. 

I follow behind Billie as we attempt to find Mike and Tre, they seem to have disappeared. We open a door, turning a corner. The guys, along with their wives, are squeezed into one couch, laughing and clinking beer glasses together. "Hey." Billie smiles, squeezing my hand once more. Mike leans over, offering a beer to Billie, of which he refuses, "You sure?" Mike asks, placing it down onto the table between him and Billie. "Yeah, we have to go, sorry man." Billie quickly hugs Mike, grabbing my hand as soon as he's done.

He smiles.

I smile.

"You ready to go?" He asks, already walking towards the exit.