Patience (d.m)

1.9: The Show

Stuck In The Middle With You by Stealers Wheel

Henley's P.O.V

"Thank you! You guys were an amazing audience! Goodnight!" I yell into the microphone after we finished our cover of Stuck In The Middle With You by Stealers Wheel. The audience was cheering so fucking loud that I could barely hear my own thoughts.

The five of us run off the stage, the adrenaline running through our veins. Once we get backstage, I look over at Blakeley and Brooks who kiss each other happily. This is definitely the best show that we've had so far. It's also our first night performing with Guns. I look to see if Tommy or Vince have invited some hookers backstage like normal. I only look to see because I prefer to head to the hotel when they do that. I'd rather not watch them fuck each other.

Tonight, however, I see at least five more hookers than usual.

Two of them are situated on Axl's lap, one is on Slash's lap, one sits beside Izzy, and Steven is whispering to the last one. As per usual, Tommy is making out with a stripper, and Vince does the same with the other girl. Duff sits at the bar, overlooking the scene. Blakeley and Brooks decide to head back to the hotel, Jack runs off to call Madeline, and Veronica sulks off to talk to Jasper.

Yes, they hate each other, but they often end up close to each other, one way or another.

Damon walks up to me, a huge grin on his face. "You guys kicked ass tonight!" He says in his British accent. It's so fun hearing him talk.

"I know!" I exclaim, laughing happily. "I couldn't even feel the tension between Jack and Veronica!"

Damon smiles and hands me a beer that I didn't even realize he was holding. I take it, opening it. I smile at him and take a swig. I immediately scrunch my face at the taste. Damon laughs.

"I forgot how much I hate the taste of beer." I look over Damon's shoulder to find Duff with his back turned to the chaotic scene of the hookers and his band members. I notice that he has a full bottle of vodka beside him. "I'll see you later, Damon."

I walk over to Duff who is actually using a glass for once. I sit on the stool next to him. I nudge his ribs softly.

He turns to me with a smile. "Hey, you."

"You excited to go on stage?" I ask, taking the bottle from in front of him.

He laughs, downing what was left in the shot glass. "As I'll ever be."

I frown as I realize how breathy his voice sounds, like he can't catch his breath. His hands are shaking like crazy and he can't make eye contact with me. Oh, not now. He has to go on stage in ten minutes!

"Duff," I say, grabbing his hand. He tries to pull away, but fails. He has his eyes locked onto the floor. "Hey, please look at me." He doesn't. "Duff, please." He finally meets my eyes. His gorgeous eyes start to fill with tears and I see his chest starting to go in and out rapidly. "We need to get you out of here."

I stood up with his hand still in mine. He manages to stand and allows me to drag him into the nearest bathroom. I lock the door. I don't want someone coming in and working him up even more. He sits down on the toilet, immediately shoving his face into his hands with his elbows resting on his thighs. I hear quiet sobs begin to come from him. I kneel in front of him.

"Hey," I say softly, rubbing his arm. "Duff, please look at me." He shakes his head. His face is covered completely by his blonde hair. "Will you at least talk to me?"

"I-I can't do this," He says between sobs. "I can't be in front of all those people. I'm going to mess up, I know I am."

I know how he's feeling. The first time I got in front of a huge crowd, like the one tonight, I threw up. "I know how you feel, Duffy, but I promise you, you'll enjoy performing so much that you'll totally forget about the people watching you. All you'll be thinking of is how amazing it feels to be out there with so many people adoring you." I manage to get his face out of his hands. I tilt his face up to look at me. "And if it will make you feel better, I'll be on the sidelines cheering for you." I cup his face in my hands. "You can look at me at any time and I'll be there." I kiss his forehead, then hug him to my chest. His arms wrap around me so tight to the point where he nearly pulls me into his lap. "Now, I want you to breathe in when I say so and out when I say so." I feel him nod. "Okay," I wait a few seconds. "In," I hear him shakily inhale. "And out." He shakily exhales. This continues for a few more minutes until I know he's completely calmed down. I finally let him go.

He smiles up at me. "Just like old times, huh?" He rubs his hands on his thighs.

I hold my hand out to him, which he takes. I pull him up. "Just like old times."

I let go of his hand and unlock the door. Immediately when Duff gets out of the bathroom, however, a girl runs over and jumps into his arms. I look at Duff, very confused. Who the hell is this? She looks too nice to be a hooker. Her boobs and butt aren't visible. She pretty much pushes me out of the way so that Duff has his full attention on her.

"Hi, baby!" She exclaims in a very excited tone.

Duff looks shocked to see this girl, but he doesn't push her off. "What are you doing here?"

Axl walks over with a smile on his face. "We gotta get out there, man. We've waited long enough. You can play catch up with your girlfriend later."

The girl frowns, looking at Duff. "Are you not happy to see me? I thought you'd be happy to see your girlfriend."

Duff's eyes meet mine. "Henley, I-."

I sigh. "So it was all bullshit, huh? You weren't serious about starting over."

"This all a misunderstanding-."

"No," I snap. "Obviously it's not. I'll see you later."

And that I stormed out of the stadium, deciding to go wait for Nikki in his room. I don't feel like watching Tommy fuck some chick.

God, I was so fucking stupid.