Sparks

Nine

Though Chris and Jonny had been less close than they had been, they still loved each other, and nothing would ever destroy their friendship, as they had decided shortly before their relationship.

They were in the middle of their first real tour. They had briefly toured Parachutes, but it was not nearly up to the scale that the AROBTTH tour had set. Touring had eased Chris' pain, though only slightly. However, he still got to see his best friends every day and the nerves and exhilaration he felt before every performance kept his mind busy and his heart at rest, if only temporarily.

The rest of the band, especially Guy, were always asking him when he was going to start dating again. Neither Jonny nor Chris had completely let go of their relationship, nor did either of them expect to. Jonny had gone out on one date, which hadn't worked out, which Chris had (guiltily) felt grateful for.

"Come on, Martin, you're a handsome bloke! Surely you could find yourself a pretty girl," the Scottish man told him.

Chris shrugged. "I'm just waiting for the... right one," he lied. He knew he'd never find the "right one". The right one was Jonny. He was just going to have to suck it up and pick one.

Guy nodded. "I understand, lad. You'll find her." With a reassuring pat on the back that did nothing to help Chris' mood, he went back to his hotel room, leaving Chris alone again.

He still felt horrible about Jonny. Every moment, he thought about those dark green eyes, and how they had been filled with so much hurt and so much pain.

It wasn't awkward like it used to be, but it was certainly different. Their relationship had changed from being able to tell anything and everything to each other to feeling like everything they did or said had to be filtered to avoid hurting each other. He missed the old Jonny, the one he'd fallen in love with.

He laid down on the hotel bed, the lights off. He imagined Jonny's warm body next to his, and he sighed.

He tried to take his mind away from Jonny by thinking about the upcoming concert.

What was the setlist again? Politik, Don't Panic, A Rush of Blood to the Head, God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, Yellow, Trouble, Green Eyes, and Amsterdam. He groaned at the thought of having to play Jonny's songs.

Jonny is no longer yours, he told himself. You broke up with him. This is your fault.

He continued having these thoughts until eventually, he was able to cry himself to sleep.

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The rest of the band saw right away that Chris had gotten very little sleep.

"Chris? Are you okay, mate?" Will asked.

Jonny pat Chris' back and whispered in his ear some words of encouragement, making the singer smile.

"Let's just do the sound check."

They weren't playing on a huge stage, as they certainly weren't big enough for that yet, but it was by far the biggest stage they had played on thus far.

The band was in New York, which they had all been to one other time on vacation after Parachutes had been released. Back then, life had been so much simpler. So much easier.

Chris looked to Jonny, who gave him a reassuring smile, and he couldn't help but grin. He then looked at all the seats, and imagined the stadium full of people. Maybe someday, their small band, made up of just a few weird blokes from England, could really be something big. He smiled at the thought.

"No, no, no! The acoustic for Green Eyes sounded horrible! Can we get a sound guy on that?" Phil shouted from the stands. The band all rolled their eyes at him.