Angel Of Music

Chapter 6.

An hour later, Tarja entered the bar.  Even before she stepped inside and even before she approached the bar, she had heard the music and here, inside, music was so loud that the woman feared her eardrums might burst. Despite this, to her own surprise, she found the atmosphere quite comfortable. The bar was full and Tarja had to make her way towards the scene with her elbows. Finally, she managed to make her way to the very front row and stopped there, looking up at the scene for the first time.
Tarja's face lit up and her heart skipped a beat as soon as she saw Tuomas. She studied him attentively, noticing that he seemed more good-looking than ever. The man was wearing a dark T-shirt underneath a black blazer, his hair was let down and tousled from headbanging. Tarja stared at him, desperate to catch his eye but the man seemed so lost in music that he didn't notice anything around himself. His fingers danced on keyboards, producing beautiful sounds together with guitar, bass and drums. He played with such passion and such dedication that Tarja didn't dare to even wave her hand or make him notice her in any other way. She merely stood there, slightly tapping her feet and listening to the band. Their music was truly magical. Tarja didn't expect anything like that, the sounds bewitched her, took her to another dimension and made her oblivious to anything around her. The woman felt like even if she listened to the band for hours, she wouldn't get bored, each piece they played was so unique, so interesting and beautiful. When the concert ended, the band members bowed to the audience, all four of them sweating, breathing heavily but happy about the success they had. That was when Tuomas paid attention to the crowd for the first time. He glanced at the people, not really focusing on any face, when suddenly, one person caught his eye. The woman seemed out of place in the bar, among wild metalheads, yet she was beaming at them and clapping. Tuomas stared at her, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him, but no, it was really Tarja, gorgeous as ever. The man couldn't believe she really came to see his band and listen to his music.
As soon as they were done with bowing and thanking the audience, Tuomas hopped down from the stage and approached smiling Tarja.
"To what do I owe such a pleasant surprise?" He asked, still not believing she was there.
"It's my turn to be in the first rows." Tarja winked. "Happy new year, Tuomas." She stepped closer and gave him a short but tight hug.
"Happy new year." Tuomas grinned. "Shall we..?" He made a gesture towards the counter and Tarja nodded.

They sat at the bar, both sipping on their own drinks when a sudden yell made them both turn around.
"Tuomas!" Emppu was shouting. "Hey Tuomas!" he cried over the music and made his way towards the two. "Where did you disappear? Me and the guys were waiting for you."
"I met somebody." Tuomas answered shortly and looked at the guitarist meaningfully but the man didn't notice his look, he was only looking at the woman.
"Hello." Tarja smiled.
"Woah Tarja, it's you!" Emppu's eyes went wide. "I'd never imagine I'd see you in a place like this.
Tarja chuckled. "Well, I'm here, thanks to Tuomas."
"Ooh I see." Emppu smirked. "Alright, I'm going back but we'd be glad if you two joined us."
"C'mon, let's go, they're in a separate room." Tuomas suggested.
"Sure." Tarja grabbed her glass of wine and stood up.
Tuomas and Tarja followed Emppu through the crowd and soon found themselves standing in a dimly lit room. The woman started coughing immediately because of all the cigarette smoke and the keyboarder immediately walked over to the small window and opened it. The singer threw him a thankful glance and looked around. The room was quite small, with one table and several chairs around it. There were many empty bottles of alcohol on the table, even though the band's gig ended less than an hour before. Two men were sitting and Emppu joined them, while Tuomas waited for Tarja to sit. Suddenly one of the men noticed the woman.
"A lady!" he shouted and punched the man sitting next to him. "Move, Sami, let her sit!"
"There are lots of empty seats!" The second  man, Sami, protested.
"Be a gentleman!" The first one shouted again.
"Forgive Jukka, he's drunk." Tuomas grunted but Tarja only laughed and made her way towards one of the empty chairs.
"Look, Jukka I'm sitting, calm down." She said, laughing and the man stared at her.
"Well I'll be damned! It's none other than Tarja Turunen!"
Tarja laughed again. "See Tuomas, everyone from school remembers me, except you."
The keyboarder glared at her. "You failed to notice me too."
The woman couldn't find the answer so she merely snorted again.