Hollywood Nights//Jake Kiszka

One

The smell of beer stings your nose as you move towards the stage at the bar you're performing at tonight. The cacophony of the audience's voices echoes in your ears as that warm anticipation forms in your stomach. This is why you love performing; the rush in your body as you take the stage, the vulnerability of singing your heart out to the crowd of people in front of you. The crowd gets louder and soon enough you're on the stage with the spotlights in your face, all eyes on you as you begin to sing. It's a Bob Seger cover, "Hollywood Nights," which has always been one of your favourites. The audience seems to love it too, and throughout the night it just gets better and better. You are lifted up by the crowd around you and your band beside you. You wonder why there are so many songs about loneliness, when there's no way any musician could ever feel lonely while they're up here, energy surging all around them, and the love and support of so many people in front of them. You take a deep breath in between songs and take it all in. Though you've done this many times, you'll never get tired of it.

  The set is over too soon. You thank the crowd and leave the stage with the band: the guitar player, Becca, the bass player, Chris, and the drummer, Cal. You want to scream and cheer as the adrenaline from the show courses through your body.

"That was fucking electric man," Chris exclaims. "Best show yet."

"You say that after every show," Becca sighs, rolling her eyes. You just laugh. After nights like these you're so happy you and your best friends decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue this crazy dream of making it in music. Who knows if you'll make it, but hell, you're going to try.

"I'm going to the bar for a drink,"you announce, feeling the need to celebrate after such a successful show. "Anyone care to join me?"

"I'll meet you there in a minute," Becca says. "Gotta pack up my stuff first."
  One of the many perks of being a singer, you think to yourself. No setup or tear down needed.

  You head on down to the bar, take a seat, and order a beer. You're just settling down and taking your first sip when you feel someone brush up against you and take a seat beside you. You look up and then quickly look away, because holy shit, he's the most attractive man you've ever seen. He's got long, light-brown hair that's a mix of wavy and curly, you notice first. You peak at his jawline, and internally gasp at how chiseled it is. His hands set down on the bar are muscular like they are used to some kind of work that requires much precision. He's wearing sunglasses indoors, and smells faintly of cigarettes. He's mysterious, and you are immediately curious about him.

  He turns to you then, and says to you , "Great show tonight, you guys are really good." You smile and try not to blush at the compliment.

"Thank you," you reply, and he smiles back at you, in a way that makes your heart dip a little bit and your stomach rush with the feeling of butterflies flying in.

"No problem," he says, and goes back to what he was doing before, sipping his drink.

  "Haven't seen you here before, is this your first time?" You ask him nervously, longing to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah," He answered. "I have a few weeks off work, so I thought I'd come down to L.A."
  You nod, wanting to find out more, when Becca and Chris come down to the bar.

"Hey Y/N, how's not helping with tear down going?" Chris teases.

"Ugh, shut up," you reply.

"Now who's this?" Becca asks, motioning to your potential new friend beside you. You realize then that you don't know his name yet.
"Oh, this is.." you say, embarrassed that you don't know.

"Jake," he finishes for you, saving you from the potentially awkward moment. "I loved your show tonight," he adds.

Becca and Chris thank him, and Becca eyes you in a way that tells me she'll want to know all the details later on, before she and Chris are called back by Cal to help clean up some more.

  "So, you just met most of the band," You say, turning back to Jake. "Except Cal. He's the drummer and kind of shy."

  "They seem nice," Jake says, them pauses before adding, "Are either of those guys your boyfriend?"

  "No,"  you say with a giggle.

   "Then you wouldn't mind if I bought you a drink?" He asks, eyebrow raised, smiling slightly.

  "Sure," you try to sound casual, but you're screaming inside that this hot, mysterious stranger has taken an interest in you.

  The bartender brings you your drink, and you smile as you take a sip. This night is turning out to be one of your best in a while.
***
A/N:
So that's the first chapter! Thanks for reading this far, I hope you like it!