The car stopped. We needed gas and we'd been driving for a while, so it was time for a break. My driver stepped out of the car and hooked up the pump. I got out too, taking in a long breath of fresh air.
Across the street was what looked like a bar. Bright, neon lights flashed in all the windows, including one that said "OPEN" and flashed red and blue. I wasn't sure why, but I felt a strange need to go to the bar.
"Hey, uh, I'll be right back. I'm going across the street. I'll have my phone."
There was barely any traffic, so I didn't have to wait very long to cross the street.
A bell dinged when I walked in. The old bar was lit with yellow lights that weren't very bright. Much of the space was dim or not lit at all, but it added to the feeling of the place.
I wasn't there to drink, of course. There were few people here, and I knew none of them would recognize me. They were mostly older and not even looking in my direction. It seemed the eight or so people here were all focused on a stage set up in the back center of the bar.
A girl sat on a stool with a guitar in her hands and a microphone stand in front of her. She was singing something, but I had to sit at a near table to hear what it was.
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know you to know who I am
"Iris", by the Goo Goo Dolls. But it was slower and softer and...beautiful.
She finished the song and everyone clapped. Someone who was probably drunk clapped louder than the rest. She stood up, smiled, and did a little bow. She sang a few more songs before I saw her walk behind the curtains. I felt my heart beat faster and the hairs raise on my arms.
I had to know who she was.
Before I could process what I was doing, I was walking towards the bar. "How can I get backstage?"
The bartender raised an eyebrow.
"I need to speak to her."
His face relaxed and he smiled. "There's a door on the right of the stage in the hallway where the bathrooms are. You'll know it when you see it. Good luck, kid."
Next to the stage was a hallway, just as the bartender had said. There were a few doors but only one was labeled "BACKSTAGE" in white lettering. I took a deep breath.
God, what was I doing?
The door opened before I could think.
The girl who had been on the stage gasped and jumped back. I could feel my face heating up as I backed farther into the hallway to give her some space.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Um, I came to see you actually..."
She laughed, "Shawn Mendes wanting to see me...this must be a dream."
"It's not," I smiled. "You have a wonderful voice."
"Coming from you, that means a lot," her eyes sparkled. "You have a pretty good one yourself."
"Listen, I'd really like to get to know you," I blurted before I lost my confidence. "But, uh, I've found that it's kind of hard since I'm famous. Everyone gets nervous around me. I love all my fans, it's just hard meeting people who treat me like I'm more than them or something."
"What are you asking?"
"Can you just...try to forget? I know that's hard, but even though you and my fans know me, they don't know me. Get what I'm saying...?"
Her head tilted to the side, but she soon stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Y/N."
I smiled. "I'm Shawn."
"Nice to meet you, Shawn."
-
k so this (iris) is such a beautiful song & hannah trigwell has a fantastic cover of it on spotify & youtube (& maybe itunes)! go listen bc it's just amazing
this song inspired a chapter in my klaine fic too so ... ;)
ik this one is really short & i'm going to try writing some more but sadly i have camp almost every week over the summer. i'm going on vacation in a few weeks though so hopefully i'll get inspired there!
thank you so much for all the reads & votes & comments on this story! i can't put in words how much it means to me!
thanks for being you,
anna
