Next door

Gig

When Stevie was released from hospital, her parents kept her inside for a while during which I attempted to visit, but Samantha sent me home with
"She needs rest." To which I responded, "I understand", but honestly, I didn't.

One evening, I got a text from Stevie.
STEVIE: I'm so bored.
ME: You want to do something?
STEVIE: What do you mean?
ME: Meet me outside in 20 minutes.

I realized that some band I'd barely heard of was playing nearby, and immediately, booked tickets for me and Stevie.

I stood outside her house for about five minutes, until she preformed her usual escape ritual. I stared at her, slightly perplexed, not used to her incredible leap from the window.
She stared back, her dark eyes glowing in the street lights.
"You're such a good friend." She said, and I smiled, trying to ignore the friend, pronounced in almost a winced whisper, as if excruciating. Repeating it in my mind in order to try to twist it into something it wasn't.

I drove to the venue in my mom's minivan, pretending to listen to Stevie's long rants about her overprotective parents; while secretly reliving the friend incident.

We pulled into a dark parking lot, in a rougher side of town. I got out and slammed the door, and Stevie followed, slightly confused. She stopped, and I looked back
"Where are we going?" She asked, slightly lost.
"We're going somewhere that I hope will make you smile again." I said
"I would like that." She said, chasing me in.

We stepped into the low-light venue, the audience stood mostly around the bar, with just a few people formed around the stage. The band stepped on, and Stevie grinned, clutching my hand and pulling me closer to the stage. The people from the bar all joined into the crowd of at least a hundred people.

The band began to play, and immediately, Stevie relaxed, swaying in the calm music, smiling warmly. She looked back at me, her face light by the stage lights, smiling more than I'd ever seen her smile before. When the second song began, Stevie grabbed my hand, her fingers interlocked with mine, and I began to dance beside her.

The music felt like it had stopped. Our bodies swaying in unison, all I could focus on was Stevie. And how perfectly her eyes locked into mine and her smile sank into mine and her thoughts blended into mine. I pulled her closer, and I kissed her softer than before, and she kissed me back, her lips smiling against mine.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder, I pulled away from this kiss, and there stood Simon, staggering forwards, beer in hand.
"What the fuck is this?" He yelled over the music. He grabbed Stevie and pulled her towards him.
"Baby, I missed you!" He muttered into her ear, kissing her down the neck with his beer scented breath. She didn't complain, but smiled at me sadly.

I then felt every bit of jealousy that Simon had ever summoned, and the room became darker than before, not even the flickering, colorful neons that surrounded us seemed to appear in my dark vision. I clenched my fist, and flung it right into Simon's jaw. He let go of Stevie, and stared at me blankly, then kissed me. I pushed him back, and punched him a second time, hard in the nose, he collapsed.

The rest of the night was mostly a blur, memories saturated in alcoholic beverages. But I remember that when we got drunk, and decided to walk home, I carried Stevie in my arms, upstairs to my bedroom, for she wouldn't be able to sneak back into her house. I dropped her onto my bed, and immediately, she flung up, still swaying slightly. She pulled me closer and began to unzip my jeans
"What are you doing?" I asked
"I love you when we're drunk!" She laughed, pulling my jeans down, her eyes half closed
"Stevie, stop. You'll regret this when you're sober." I said, laying her back down in bed.

I lay down beside her and she shifted towards me, and began to kiss me, but not like before, this time much more passionately, making out, her tequila scented breath mixing with the beer in mine. She pulled off my shirt, and I stared at her strangely, but she continued, then began tracing circles on my abdomen, then slipped her hand in my pants.
"Stevie, you'll regret this when you're sober." I repeated, and she stopped, falling back down on the bed beside me.

Author's note: Hi folks! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for voting, commenting, and reading xxx