persia.
The boys played. We clapped. They were pretty good, I understood what Bondy meant when he said the lads were onto something. There was something about them, that when you heard them, you kind of asked yourself why you would want to listen to anything else, ever again.
Kya and I waited around after the gig, for Bondy mostly. We wanted to tell him how good he was, how good the band was. So we ordered more drinks and waited.
Eventually he came out to the bar area, Van and two other lads trotting eagerly behind him. One of the lads looked familiar, I think he was the other guitarist. The other was quite a bit shorter than the rest, a bandana wrapped around the top of his head.
"How'd you like it then, lassies?" Bondy asked and the two lads gasped, whispering to one another about pasties and old ladies.
"Loved it." I said, because it was true. "Thanks lads, we had a lovely little time so we did."
Van cracked a smile that revealed some of his crookedly-perfect teeth.
He pulled a chair up and sat down beside me, and Bondy sat next seat over. Bandana boy pulled himself up a chair too. The guitarist muttered something about a Bob something and waved goodbye as he shuffled back behind where they had played.
We chatted for a bit and I tried not to look left at Van, whose eyes were burning into the side of my face. I didn't know what his issue was, but I wished he would cut it out. I wasn't being mean about myself, but I honestly was a very average looking girl, with a body of a twelve year old boy and two globes on my chest. But he didn't look down at them once. So I was left thinking he was staring at the scar on my jawline, which was mostly faded now, but still visible if you looked closely. Other than that scar I looked like every generic Welsh girl with dark hair and blue eyes.
The boys eventually went to help pack up and Kya and I deemed it safe to go outside for a fag.
"Thought you said you we're trying to quit, Ky?" I asked, handing her her fourth cigarette of the day.
"Decided I can't do it." She said flatly, cause she knew there was no point trying to come up with something to excuse the fact she had no willpower what so ever.
"How many times you tried to give them up now?"
"Including today, eleven."
"Well." I said, about to say something important "Here's to the eleventh failure." I said, lighting the two cigs up.
After about a minute, Kya fessed she had to piss real bad, and I told her not to break the seal, and that she would end up havimg to go all night then, but she called me a cunt and skulked off to the bathroom, making me hold her cigarette. I don't know why I give her the fags, she barely even smokes the whole thing, so shouldn't that make it easier for her to quit? Apparently not.
A dark figure came out of the door nearest and at first I thought it was Kya, but as it came closer I realised it wasn't. A pair of bright blue eyes, not unlike mine, met my gaze. He didn't have that same charming glare like before, there was something a bit more sincere there this time.
"Woah, didn't realise you were so stressed. Was our music really that shit?" He laughed, gesturing the two fags I was holding.
I decided maybe I should give him a chance to prove me wrong. A chance to know whether he actually was interested rather than just to use me for a shag and a compliment about his band.
"Yeah, if I had more hands I'd be holding more."
He laughed and leaned up against the wall beside me, taking out his own cigarettes. I decided to be nice.
"Need a light?" I say, flicking up the flame in my lighter.
He puts the fag in his mouth and moves it close to the tiny flickering flame. He uses a hand to shield the flame from the cold night air that threatened to blow it out.
"Thanks, lass. You from around here?"
"No, I'm from further North, but my sis and I live near the bay now."
He nods and blows out smoke. Silence descends. And even though we're two strangers, it's quite comfortable.
Kya bursts back out the door from the bathroom and trots over to us. I hand her her cigarette.
"Thanks sis." She nods and stands on my other side.
Bandana boy comes out just after, and we all stand in a weird little circle, street lights illuminating our faces, casting shadows. It was pitch dark out now.
We chat politely for a bit and I find our Bandana Boy's name, he's called Larry. He seems like a nice chap, very happy. I wished I was a bit more like him. More happy.
Eventually he complains about being cold, and so does Kya and so the weird circle makes it way back inside the pub. I decide I'll have one more before I follow them in.
The three walk back up the path to the door and I pull out my red box. Just as he's about to head inside the door, Van looks back. He comes back over. And here I thought I'd get a moment of peace.
"You the ice queen or something?" He laughs. "You must be freezing, love."
I shake my head. "No, I'm alright." I say, lighting one up. God, I'll be dead by fifty at this stage.
He doesn't get himself a smoke, instead he just stands there, looking at me. I shuffle uncomfortably, I'm not used to people looking at me, and I'm worse at looked people who are looking at me in the eyes. I feel like looking people in the eyes is like giving them your secrets without even opening your mouth.
"You don't fancy a chippy, do you?" He asks. I didn't think about it before, but maybe I do.
"Yeah sure, alright." I say and I peel myself off the wall and we walk slowly down the street. Completely forgetting about my sister, the boys, practically everyone. I'm sure they won't miss us.
