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Clutching the small vodka and lemonade, I made my way to the 'front' of the pub, where the band would be playing. I apologised each time I barely bumped someone, not wanting to cause any confrontation with drunk dickheads. The band was setting up, and I could see Deborah leaning against a speaker, trying to look cool and sexy, but simply looking stupid. There was Tim, along with another man with long poodle-like curls atop his head. He was fiddling with a guitar, whilst Tim winked and blew kisses at some women in the audience. I could see the back of somebody at the drum kit, only long blonde hair in sight.
Looking around, I was scanning specifically for Mary, and perhaps that man who I saw. A familiar face would be nice. I tapped my foot against the floor, feeling incredibly awkward, even though there were many others who were alone too. I downed my drink, slammed it on the bar, and was then conveniently welcomed to the set.
The pub erupted into cheers and applause, and I half heartedly joined in, Deborah skipping over to me in delight. I gave her a smile, as she looked terribly excited. She smiled gratefully back, then 'woo'ed loudly.
When the music began, I paid my attention to the third member, now visible. Widening my eyes slightly, I realised how utterly attractive he was. His hair framed around his face, a smirk placed on his pink lips. His blue eyes studied the audience proudly, winking to a few of the women. When his eyes reached Deborah and I, his smirk went, and an almost shy expression took over. Deborah nudged me,
"That's Roger. He's an absolute dream! Plus, he plays the drums. Can't get any more attractive than that." She said into my ear, giving Roger a small wave with her fingers. He nodded to her in recognition, eyes still locked to mine. I didn't know what to do; he wouldn't look away. Every time he hit his kit, he would just move his gaze back to me. I gave him a little smile, and a nod in a way to say 'hello'. He returned the gesture, his smirk then forming back onto his face. After this, his attention went back to the music, fully immersing into his drumming. I took this as an opportunity to really study him, without fear of being seen as weird.
Every time he would hit the drum, his wide arms flexed, beads of sweat forming on his porcelain skin. I noticed his head moving along with the motion of his arms, mouth formed in an 'O'. When the attention focused more on him, rather than the vocals of Tim, he would take the opportunity to play with the crowd. Whether it be another wink, a wave, he knew what he was doing. I almost felt foolish for feeling like the communication at the beginning with me wasn't just one of his usual tricks; making his potential fans feel special.
The rest of the set went similarly to this, and it ended seemingly before it had began. The audience cheered incredibly loudly, leading to the band members standing up and taking bows in turn. I noticed Roger, followed by the guitarist, received the loudest appreciation. I grinned, feeling strangely warm and proud of these men I had never met. Scanning the room, I then could see the man Mary was with earlier on. He was alone, right in the centre of the room, a devious smile adorned to the band. His hip jutted out, his hand resting on it. When he noticed me looking, he waved once again, making his way outside of the doors, where the band had apparently just exited.
"Wasn't that just, great? I'm so proud of Tim." Deborah fawned, finishing her drink quickly and dragging me by the arm - once again. I nearly tripped about six times, over drinkers feet and stray glasses. When the cold air from outside hit me, my skin prickled. I hadn't noticed how cold that it actually was, and I was seriously regretting my choice in not bringing a jacket. My arms hugged myself, keeping in whatever body heat I had. I could see a trio up ahead, Tim and the other band members. He was in some sort of altercation with them, resulting in him flipping the bird and storming off. Deborah, seeing this, fleed after him, leaving me alone. Again. I decided to go over to the remaining two, and perhaps introduce myself.
Roger and the guitarist were in amidst a conversation, and I pretending to walk by, then 'noticed' who they were. Clearing my throat, trying not to be obvious, they looked up to me. Roger looked slightly bewildered, before retrieving his cool and leaning casually against the van.
"Hello, you were amazing." I smiled kindly, almost shy to be in front of two such attractive men. The curly haired one grinned,
"Thank you, love. We're glad that you enjoyed." He said, before looking in the direction that my sister had just gone in. "Was that your sister?"
"Yeah, Deborah. Her boyfriend is Tim."
The two shared a look, and then looked back to me.
"Well, Tim just left the band. So, that was most likely the last gig we will do. Glad that you enjoyed it, anyway." He sighed solemnly. I frowned.
"What? No, you can't stop playing. You're both incredibly talented."
"That's really kind. I'm Brian, by the way. This is Roger." Brian said. Oh, I know all about Roger. The blonde stood up, expanding his arm to shake my hand. I took it hesitantly, and he raised my hand to his mouth, kissing it gently whilst keeping eye contact. I could've died right there and then.
"What's your name?" Roger asked. His voice was smooth, even nicer than I had expected.
"Julia, it's nice to meet you both."
We were interrupted by my sister screaming my name. She ran over to us, almost comically, tears streaming from her eyes. When she reached me, she fell in a heap in front of me, gripping on to my shorts.
"Oh my god, what happened, Deborah?" I asked, horrified. Roger and Brian shared my concern, standing up. She sniffled, tear filled eyes looking up at me.
"It's Tim. H-h-he broke things with me. He said he wants to 'have fun', and 'explore the world and the women in the world'." She cried, standing up and pulling me into a tight hug. So tight that it actually knocked the air from me, leaving me breathless and winded. From the corner of my eye, I could see Roger smirking, now finding the situation humorous. I gave him a look, as if to say 'stop it or I'll start laughing', before he put his hands up in protest and sat back down. Once Deborah had let go of me, I decided it was time for us to get home.
"Well, it was great to meet you both. I'm going to get her home." I paused, mentally face palming, "Oh fuck."
"What's the matter?" Asked Brian.
"Tim was our lift." I said, wishing that he had dumped my sister after we had got home. The two men shared a look again,
"That's no problem. We have space in the van; let us pack up and we can drop you both home." Brian kindly said. Roger nodded, still that stupid, yet insanely attractive look on his face.
"You don't have to do tha-" I began.
"Thank you, oh, thank you!" Deborah said, throwing her arms around them both, leaving them frozen in what I'm assuming is fear. Sighing, I pulled her off of them.
"As long as it's not a problem, thank you. Just going to get my bag from the cloakroom." I smiled. Deborah followed me like a sad puppy. As we walked away, I saw the winking man from earlier walk towards Roger and Brian. He didn't notice me, so I kept on walking, wondering what he wanted with the band.
