How Not To Be A Groupie

Chapter Fifty: Into The Fire

"Hello?" I yelled at the door. Rain beat my face and drenched my hair as I pounded on the backstage door. My hands were starting to burn and my voice started to crack. "Open up! Can anyone hear me? Hello!"

I kicked on the door hoping one of the roadies would hear me and let me back in. Maybe help me explain to the security guards that there was a mistake. A burst of lightning and thunder scared the shit out of me and I pounded harder. 

"You stuck?" a voice asked behind me. I whirled around and saw a man in a blue raincoat holding a grey umbrella over his head. He offered the umbrella to me and I stood under it, water dripping down my nose and chin. 

"Thanks," I muttered. Despite the hot Sydney air the rain was getting to me and I shivered. 

"I heard quite the commotion over here," the man said. I suddenly wished I hadn't been making such a fuss. It evidently allowed for strange men to investigate and keep me company. Looking the man over, he seemed nice enough. An honest face and a gentle New Zealand accent. But all the same, I was a bit nervous. His umbrella was an appreciated comfort, however. I'd give him a chance. "You uh...trying to get in?"

"Security threw me out," I said. "The band playing tonight are my friends and they didn't believe it."

"Friends with the band?" the man asked. "You don't say! What band is it, then?" He fluttered his lashes at me. 

"AC/DC," I said. He frowned. 

"Never heard of them." It was my turn to frown.

"That's a shame," I said. "They're kind of famous around here." 

"You don't say..." the man repeated, looking me over. I shrunk under his penetrating gaze, sort of hoping he'd leave me to my plight. Downpour be damned. Feeling like such an asshole for assuming the worst about a total stranger, I took a deep breath and held my hand out for him to shake. "Gotta name?"

No, I once again thought to myself. I mentally smacked myself. Come on, I can stop being so rude to everybody, can't I? "Hannah," I said. 

"No last name?" he asked. That's where I drew the line.

"Nope," I said and the man laughed. His laugh was more of a shriek and I really hoped by some miracle the door would open and swallow me up. It pierced the air like a hawk coming in for the kill. "And what about you?"

"Giles Northman," he said, getting himself together. "I'm here on a business trip and decided to take a walk."

"Bad night to take a walk," I said, water dripping from my hair. 

"Oh, not at all," he said. "Especially when you have an umbrella with you, it's not too bad." Rain hit the top of the umbrella and ran down the sides in small streams, trapping us underneath. He gleamed his bright teeth at me. "See? Can't feel a thing."

I willed myself to keep calm and cool. "Look, it's been nice talking with you but I don't want to ruin your walk," I said. "I'll be fine out here."

"Please, you think I'm gonna stand by and let a woman like you stand out here in the dark and rain without so much as something to keep her dry? Of course not!" he bellowed right as the lightning struck. Giles beat a hand to his chest. "I'm too much of a gentleman to do that." I winced as he stepped even closer to me, my personal space too crowded.

Does being a gentleman include not taking no for an answer?

I had to ignore him. If I was going to get help, I couldn't stand around here doing jack all. Turning away from Giles, I started pounding on the door again. "Hello?" I waited for a response. "I know you're in there!"