Backstage Intrusion

This coffee tasted like shit. Whoever made it probably used stale water from a puddle on the street. You know how the smell of coffee is comforting and relaxing in the morning? Well, this putrid concoction smelled like it hated you and loathed the fact that you counted on it to wake yourself up a bit. A lazy coffee that hates it's job as much as Mel hated her waitress gig back in the days. After some thought, she decided to take another empathic sip and sympathize with her coffee. After all, they did have that in common but this was a long time ago for her.

It was 9:30 in the morning, her head was throbbing from the lack of sleep, but she was relaxed albeit somewhat scruffy. Sleeping on a bus is surprisingly comfortable, tugging along, occasionally waking up and peeking through the window to see the world flying by and maybe get a slight idea of where you are, then drifting back to sleep.

It was another day waking up somewhere new. She was hungry but she always enjoyed taking the time to have a read and shake the sleep off her brain before venturing out and getting a feel of the place.

She could hear people unloading equipment from the luggage compartment which made the bus bounce slightly. The anthill always wakes up before the queen does.

Mel's guitar was leaning on the wall next to her small amp and a couple stacked up touring crates. She was glad that they had an actual bus this time, and even though it was a sorry excuse for a vehicle, she could bring her guitar along with the tiny amp to play and write some material.

They were four people traveling together, but Aaron and Chad were already out there, probably smoking weed while unloading their stuff and having breakfast inside the venue or at some nearby restaurant. She could hear Richard, the tour manager, chatting on the phone with someone at the front of the bus. She had her bunk at the back while the guys were all sleeping in the front section, which she liked. The front and back sections were only separated by a curtain but that was all the privacy she needed to be comfortable.

"Hey Melany! Can I come in?"

It was Richard, yelling through the curtain.

"I'm naked" she responded unconvincingly.

"Awesome!"

He pushed the curtain aside and walked in, coffee in hand, bagel in the other, fully aware that she wasn't nude.

She peeled her eyes up from the magazine she was reading to look at him while taking another friendly sip of her hateful coffee.

"What if I was really naked?" she asked?

"Then you would have simply said "no" when I asked you if I could come in and I would've stayed out" He responded, ripping a bite off of his bagel and having a taste of his coffee, resulting in a disgusted grin and a legible, but silent "fuck".

He swallowed and continued. "So anyways, I just hung up with the sound guy for tonight, and we have two more P.A. crates available. We're placing the stuff right now, where do you want them?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow at the crumbs of bread that Richard was dropping all over the floor then looked back at him before asking "Are we still using the two of our own?"

"Yeah" he answered, picking up some bread off the floor, holding his bagel in his mouth.

After taking a moment to think, she replied "At least put another one in front of me so I have two of them. It should cover up Chad's drumkit pretty well and we won't have to put them so loud that they feedback all the time like last night"

"Good, I think Aaron might want a monitor halfway between you and him cause he likes to walk around a bit so we'll use another one there" he concluded.

"Alright see you later, I gotta go find some bass strings for him, be on stage for sound checking at 3PM."

"Fine, I guess I'll be awake by then" she chuckled back at him.

Richard walked out and exited the bus, leaving her alone.

***

After her orgasm had died down, she slowly pulled the vibrator out and wiped her juices off of it with a cloth before putting it back in her purse. It felt perfect as usual. She always enjoyed a good orgasm before starting her day to appreciate her body and jump start her senses.

She pulled her pants back up and finished the article she was reading before grabbing her guitar, trying to add another verse to a song she started writing a couple days ago. The road was inspiring to her, mixing excitement with melancholy and the unknown, usually a good recipe for dreamy lyrics...

She looked at the clock, it was now 11:45.

She stepped out of her pyjamas and got rid of her sky blue tank top, throwing it over her head while visually scanning the area for clean underwear, which was becoming scarce at this point in the tour. 5 more days and she would be back home...She finally found black bikini briefs and awkwardly slipped them on, almost tripping and falling down. Then she digged out a dark blue bra and decided it was going to be perfect and put it on, gently cupping her small breasts. She grabbed a pair of skinny light blue jeans and a black tunic top from the pile of clothes laying on the floor and put them on standing in front of the mirror. She didn't look too tired. Her round, dark curious eyes were fully lit up and although her light brown hair was a mess, she just straightened it up some with a brush and snapped it back in a pony tail. She took a last satisfied glance at the mirror and jumped in her blue Gazelles before throwing on a grey zip up hoodie and stepping out of the bus.

She would take a shower later but for now, the only thing on her mind was food...

The sun assaulted her eyes and head and she felt dizzy for half a second. It was sunny but the wind was deliciously chilling. Putting on her sunglasses, she proceeded to walk down the street in search of a restaurant where she could have breakfast and friendlier coffee, leaving the rumbling bus and the smell of diesel fuel behind.

A few blocks later, Mel spotted and entered the "Breadfast Cafe" where the smell of a good morning was all she found...and needed. The place was deserted except for a couple people nursing their tepid mugs and reading the newspaper.

She took a circular look around to find a seat near a window and sat down on a bench. The place was clean and cozy with a retro feel to it. It was brightly lit with green glass lamps over the tables but still maintained a calm aura.

She took her hoodie off and put it next to her on the bench, resting her elbow on the table and holding her chin in the palm of her hand, looking outside through the window.

The tour had been great overall but after three weeks she was starting to miss her friends and feel lonely. Her relationship with her two bandmates was good but quite distant : they were never very close friends but did enjoy eachother's company. Musically speaking, the writing process was mostly smooth and the performances were solid and well received.

After a few minutes, a waitress came over.

"I'll have two eggs with toasts and a coffee please."

"Excellent, I'll go get your coffee right away and come back with your eggs" the waitress responded enthusiastically. She had a musical tone to her voice, traveling through words like a nursery rhyme melody.

Mel replied with a large, beautiful smile and gave a friendly nod.

***

She was finally enjoying a coffee for the first time today. She looked up in satisfaction and leaned back in the bench laughing to herself when she noticed a man sitting across the room, looking at her with an amused look on his face.

Never looking away, he got up and walked to her table. He was tall and had scruffy blond hair and a week old beard. He was wearing jeans and had a black shirt with what seemed to be a band logo on it.

"So what did they put it this coffee?" he said, smiling.

"Probably nothing out of the ordinary, but this first one I had today was terrible so..." she responded laughing, a bit embarrassed. She had an expressive face that brought looks and people to her.

"Yeah, I can understand that...Still, your reaction was just priceless I had to come say hi." he said with a deep voice. "I'm getting a refill to see if it'll trigger a buzz like yours, see you around."

She laughed as he started to walk away but she looked at him over her shoulder and shouted :

"Hey what's that band on your shirt?"

He stopped and turned around : "Garage rock from Philadelphia, sounds like a cross between The Who and Sex Pistols if you can imagine that. Can I go get my coffee now?" he joked back at her.

Mel smiled and shook her head in a child like "yes" motion.

They looked at eachother for a second, then he continued : "Listen, since you're so desperate to make a new friend, I'll sit with you and we can talk music."

She smiled so he winked and disappeared behind a row of plants.

His smile brightened her up and got her usual good mood going, like a blob of molten metal formed into a part that allowed a machine to function. Taking a bite out of her toast, she turned to look outside when her eyes crossed her purse and she noticed it was unzipped. Her trusty vibrator was plainly visible, almost falling out.

"Oh my god" she thought, pushing it further in and zipping it back.

Did he see it?

Melany was at peace with her sexuality. She was never shy or afraid to admit that she thoroughly enjoyed sex although she was not promiscuous. A man catching a glance of her vibrator was more amusing than anything else, plus she found this guy very cute so she did not really thought anything bad of it.

After a few minutes he came back and sat down with her.

"I'm John, you are?"

"Melany."

"Well hi there, Melany" he said in a friendly voice. He stared into her eyes with a boyish smile : "So what's up with the dildo hanging out of your purse?" he asked in all seriousness before taking a sip of his coffee, still looking at her over his mug.

Never looking away she simply answered "Well nothing much is up with it besides it's usual business of being the perfect boyfriend."

"Now that's pretty interesting, but actually a lot less interesting than the fact I come here everyday and it's the first time I see you."

She laughed softly. "I sing and play guitar in a band, we're playing tonight at Poker's not far from here."

"No shit, I've seen a lot of good shows there, I think you'll like the stage, it kinda goes forward into the front row it's really awesome to be near the people like that. I used to sing and play guitar too for a punk rock band called Mount Venus" he said, laughing to himself.

"Hahaha, what a great name" she responded, with obvious sarcasm.

He let out an embarrassed but amused "Yeah", looking down like he was recalling good moments from that time.

"We absolutely sucked" he continued. "But our name got us around on the net. Now I mostly write and sing for myself, some form of therapy when I feel like shit I guess..."

"I get that a lot. I write a lot of songs, but very few of them make their way to the band. I keep a lot of material to myself because of what it does for me when I write it down. It's a bit like I have a musical diary instead and I choose what I let out or not. I would probably perform or record these songs for some kind of solo project though."

"Aaaahh solo projects, they destroyed so many good bands, maybe yours too!"

She chuckled slightly and said "You don't know if we're any good" before winking at him and sipping on her coffee.

He smiled back before replying with a simple "Yet"

Melany tilted her head sideways and smiled. "What do you mean? Are you coming tonight?"

"Well now yes, I am"

She laughed out loud, a luminous laugh, before asking "Don't you have anything better to do?". He sat back and faked an important reflection, "Let me think for a second".

And he waited for a moment, dragging it on and staring her down like he was debating if he liked her or not before simply finishing with a calm "No, I don't"

He smiled like a mischief maker, running his hand through his hair and scratching the back of his head with a satisfied look on his face.

Amused, she responded "Fine, but you stay way back cause you have a face that's just up to no good."

"I never stay way back" he responded, grinning.

"I like to look at people in the eyes when I play with them"

"So you're in my band now?"

"Who's talking about music?" he playfully said, still grinning like a bratty kid. "I'd like to see your gear, lady." He was just playing her along like she was his little sister, but she liked it a lot. She liked him a lot, actually.

Not sure if he was trying to hit on her or not, she still enjoyed John's company. He made her smile and since they shared a lot of interests, she was happy to meet him, and would be glad to have him around.

"Okay, I'll tell you what" she suggested. "Let's finish this breakfast and I'll show you around, I have a couple acoustics in the bus and few hours before soundcheck. We can play and kill some time before the show."

He clapped his hands and rubbed them together then said "Great, I'm with the band! Do you have any other attractive bandmates with you?"

"Well Chad and Aaron are pretty cute, but deceptively hetero."

"I see...I guess you can't have it all."

She laughed. The conversation went on for about half an hour while Mel finished her breakfast.

It was now 1 P.M.

***

As they walked back to the venue, Chad and Richard were standing outside the bus next to the door.

"Hey guys! I picked up a roadie at the restaurant!" she chanted out to them.

He chuckled next to her as he shook hands with Chad.

Immediately, Chad pointed at his shirt and went

"Hey, that's a nice shirt, I love this band!"

"Thanks man," John responded, "One of my favorite acts in recent years."

"Yeah, I wish we could land a gig with them but they are touring non stop so it's hard to have a hold of their schedule."

Richard was busy talking on the phone again, but he nodded and smiled at John.

Chad turned to Melany and said jokingly "If he's got weed, I'll allow him to be our roadie on top of being your new boyfriend."

She nodded at him like an unconvinced lawyer. "So you're not gonna get your weed from gullible groupies anymore?"

"I would but they all know me by now", he replied. "Plus when I mention our lead singer is a girl they lose interest. I guess they all assume you're my girlfriend..."

"Or else your band attracts way too many lesbians..." John said, tapping Chad on the shoulder like a teammate after they had just lost the game.

Both laughed it out loud while Melany rolled her eyes and articulated a silent "what the fuuuck."

"I'm going inside" Chad said. "See you in an hour for soundcheck". He smiled at Mel and John and left.

Richard wiggled a finger at Chad like he had something to tell him, but decided to follow him instead, still talking on the phone.

Left alone with John, she nodded towards the door. "Let's go in!" she said playfully.

***

They talked a lot and played for about an hour.

They both shared very personal songs and the stories that came along with them, indulging in eachother. He was a very fun guy, always smiling, but sometimes his smiles conveyed other darker images that did not have a meaning yet to her.

He was not asking for pity, but he couldn't lie if he tried. She just couldn't take her eyes off him and he got her head going, exploding in a million directions. He was a song waiting to be written, but he was also the music of that very song.

In her mind she wanted to protect him, but she knew he wouldn't let her, he didn't need her. He would swat her aside and deal with himself like he always did.

In her mind she wanted him to protect her but she knew he wouldn't want to. He would just push her in the back to explore her own limits instead.

Then he would wait for her and he would be there when she comes back to hold her in his arms and tell her she did good.

A caustic but exquisitely balanced mix of power and compassion was boiling inside this densely layered man.

She was simply not going to let him go away but she was far from home.

She realized they hadn't exchanged a word in several minutes and the music carrying her aerial thoughts around their world of two was him, strumming random chords on her acoustic guitar while staring back at her calmly, like he intended to take her on a trip inside of him.

Their bond was strong enough to enjoy the absence of words. Just being together was all they had and it felt warm and natural. She had this will to be closer to him and feel his heat and just by the way he looked a her, she knew that he knew.

John stopped playing and rested his arms on the body of the guitar, glancing at Melany.

She crashed back to earth and looked at her clock : 5 Minutes before soundcheck.

"Aw FUCK!!" she shouted, looking at the sky.

He did not move an inch.

"Now, I know what you are thinking." he said in a low, soothing tone, "And I want in."

She rushed him like a vulture.

Their mouths crashed together in harmony. Her loud breathing was the melody flying over the muffled rhythm of her guitar getting pummeled by her body rubbing violently against him.

It stopped just like it started, abruptly and unexpectedly, like Mel just realized that she had jumped a man like a starving bum jumping leftovers from a trashcan in front of Maxim's.

"You're coming with me" she said, taking his hand, exiting the bus and walking him inside the venue to hang out backstage.

***

The soundchecking was swift and promptly over with. The acoustics of this venue were great and if not for some echo return that would be muffled by the crowd, everything was in place.

Mel was absent minded through the whole thing, looking at john who was leaning on a wall at the back of the room, thumbing up and down to help with volumes. What an amazing encounter...

They had 3 hours to kill before playing so they headed backstage to eat and hang out.

Melany grabbed John's arm and pulled him aside in the hallway.

"I want you so bad right now, you have no idea." she said, her eyes wide like planets, whispering and looking around nervously like she was about to commit some kind of robbery. "I don't know what you did to me but you're all I can think about right now and it really fucks me up."

He laughed at her and shook his head slowly with an empathic smile. "I have a plan but I'm hungry.

I'll have you before you walk on stage for the show."

He winked at her and walked away, smiling. She couldn't believe him but she smiled back and promptly joined him.

His demeanor hadn't changed one bit after what happened in the bus, she was almost starting to think that their animalistic kiss was in fact a lucid dream she had.

They walked together in the band's room where John was introduced to Aaron. The musicians from the opening band were also present and everyone agreed to order pizza and crack open the free beer.

John an Mel exchanged several looks and smiles amidst the beer drinking, jamming and laughing. He had this mischievous look on his face that made her crazy.

***

The opening band left the room, preparing to walk on stage. The venue was packed with kids and the loud mumbling chatter of the audience was audible everywhere, bouncing on the walls.

Melany and her band had about an hour left before their set, so Chad and Aaron decided to have a look around and walked out of the room, discussing the setup and the shady quality of the local weed.

They were finally alone. Mel's heart started pounding in her chest like a cavalry stampeding to a yet unknown battleground. He leaned towards her and kissed her on the neck.

"Come with me, I'll show you a place I like" he said. "I told you I've seen few shows here and I hung out backstage many times."