"Jesus it's been a long time since we've gotten to do something like this" Alex spoke rubbing his hands together to keep warm. Thankfully the rain had subsided and now it was just cold and wet outside, being from Seattle meant iris wasn't really bothered by the wet. "Yeah ever since I started dating... you know what he's irrelevant let's just not talk about him tonight" she smiled with a newfound confidence in herself. They linked arms and kept walking making small jokes and slipping on wet pavement.
The small corner coffee shop was unsurprisingly pretty empty, they were 20 Minutes early to the show. Alex headed to grab their normal corner booth next to the bar and caught the baristas attention with a smile. "Two Irish coffee's please Marcus" he said with a thump falling into his seat. Iris beamed at the brown haired boy behind the counter. "How ya doin Iris?" He asked smiling big. She noticed Marcus' flicking his gaze between myself and Alex sitting in the booth. "Good! Alex and I decided to come down for the show tonight." She turned to watch Alex looking excitedly at his phone and when she turned back Marcus' expression had faltered slightly and he turned away from me while he began making our drinks. Iris played with the doily on the counter absentmindedly, thinking about Alex and how blind he was.
Marcus finished up the drinks and pushed two big mugs toward me. "$8.75 please," she handed him the cash "yeah they're supposed to be a pretty good local band, I'm kinda excited to see how they are." He smiled "Thanks, have a good night!" He spoke as he handed over the receipt.
Sliding into the booth across from him a pushed Alex's mug toward him. "See anything yet?" Iris questioned; craning her neck to better see the small group of people entering through the side door with tech equipment. He slowly sipped his coffee looking up nonchalantly "nah they just got here when you sat down. Nothing big yet."
People started pouring in slowly, before there were too many they decided to head into the venue room. The band had set up already on the raised black platform, there was a grey flag with an upside down house hanging from the center of the back wall. A small side door opened revealing what I guessed to be the band, Alex and exchanged excited glances and moved closer to the stage.
The first band staggered onto the stage and the lights dimmed, leaving only the space for the lead singer illuminated.
"We are Coasts and this is white noise!!"
The crowd erupted in a shout as the drums clashed and the first chords vibrated the stage.
.....
"How many bands did you see on the ad?" Alex jabbed Iris with his elbow so she would hear him above the noise of the crowd. "I don't know probably three? All I saw was Hunny. And quit jabbing me you sod!"
The lights came up and the band gave their thank you's to the crowd and the headliner. As they exited the next band started shuffling on "I think this is Hunny! I've seen pictures of their lead singer before." She turned to tell alex but he was back talking animatedly to Marcus, Iris turned back to the stage and tripped on her own shoelace and almost knocked several things off the stage.
"Whew, No one saw that thank fück" she thought to herself. "Hey! Iris! are you okay?" A voice came bustling through the crowd, and she felt a hand on her shoulder and shot up with a jolt. Realizing it was Adam was more embarrassing than her stupid fall.
"Jesus Adam you scared me! I'm fine what are you doing here, I told you I needed space." She could tell he heard the poorly controlled anger in her voice by the way he shrunk back in his clothes. Desperation showed on his features he reached a hand out to touch her shoulder, and pain flashed when she struck his hand away.
"I just wanted to talk, and I thought you might be here. I was just gonna wait till the end of the show but then I saw Alex walk away, and you fell so hard I was worried" Concern showed all over his face, but the glimmer of hope in his eyes was unmistakable.
He was pathetic. It was hard to watch someone she loved so much look so rough, he was a shell of himself and it had only been two days since she left.
Iris supposed she had taken too long to respond because he opened his mouth to speak. Right as he was about to spew some garbage about how sorry he was Alex busted through the crowd. Like the perfect guardian angel he was he slapped a hand over Adam's mouth.
"Out! Away! Begone cretin! You have no business here and frankly we don't want to hear it!" Alex boomed, attracting the attention of several nearby onlookers.
"Listed dude you have nothing to do with this, i'm here for Iris. Iris just please come outside with me, we can talk I promise I can clear everything up." Adam pleaded looking past Alex to try to catch sympathy in her eyes.
"Just leave Adam I don't want you here. I need my space." Iris made an exasperated motion towards the door and huffed.
Adam made like he was going to say something, but decidedly gave up, hunched his shoulders, and walked away.
They hadn't noticed the lights dimming and the band coming into the stage until they heard "Thank's for coming out Portland! We are Hunny and damn do we have a show for you tonight!"
Iris and Alex danced like maniacs for the entire set, spinning and jumping in time to the beat.
"Okay maybe you were right, they're genuinely good!" Alex shout whispered into Iris' ear to be heard over the wall of sound. She nodded and gave him an 'I told you so' smile.
The last band to come on stage was the headliner, someone they had both never heard of. "Oooooooh Iris have you ever heard of the Neighbourhood? they spell it the British way!" Alex beamed. Before she could answer a mic stand came flying off the stage and she shot her hand up to catch it.
"Damn that was a close one! Good catch ! Sorry about that I slipped on a chord and sent it flying!"
The voice came from above their heads, Iris spun around mic stand in hand as she felt someone lifting it out of her hands. The bewildered looking person standing above her had short brown hair, tattoos, and was wearing a faded blue mickey mouse t-shirt.
She was stunned for a moment and Alex came to her rescue once again. "Damn near knocked me out! Thanks Iris" he shot out a laugh and told her with his eyes to respond to the very pretty man looking down at her.
Snapping back into reality she looked up at him and said "haha yeah uh no problem"
"God i'm so lame" she thought she said only in her head.
"Haha don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for ya when i'm kickin around during the show!" He said with a smile as he retreated to his position and picked up his bass.
Iris turned a rather deep shade of red and turned to say how stupid she was, but as soon as they made eye contact they both clutched each other laughing.
"I cannot BELIVE-"
"look i KNOW" she interrupted his thought, body shaking from a combination of post embarrassment panic and laughter.
They were suddenly cut off by the sound of a guitar cutting through the air. The lead singer strolled onto center stage in nothing but cowboy boots and leather pants immediately catching the crowd's attention.
"What's up Portland! I'm Jesse, we are the Neighbourhood, and this is Afraid."
