My friend held two tickets to some basement concert in the neighborhood. “You have to come with me! It’ll be so much fun!” She said, continuing to whine until I gave in.
“Ok, ok! I’ll go, but just to shut you up.” I said with a laugh, her face brightening as soon as I agreed. She wrapped her arms around me, jumping up and down with excitement. We laughed as she handed me my ticket. It was handmade, crafted from newspaper clippings and other media. It was cool looking and so I read the date on the back of it. “It’s tomorrow?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at my friend.
“Yes, and I got us early entrance since I know a guy in the band. You are going to love it, I promise!” She said, still as bubbly as before. I just chuckled, the rest of the night full of anticipation for what was to come.
The day went by, soon blending into the twilight. My friend and I arrived at the house, seeing it was mainly in disrepair. It was eerie, but it lent itself to the vibe. We descended into the basement and as I looked around, I locked eyes with a member of the band. Electric guitar in hand, he was a rather interesting sight to see. Various piercings, large wicks on his head, a cocky smile. I was mesmerized, tuned out from the rest of the world as I kept my gaze on him.
My friend had to shake me to get my attention, saying the show was about to start. We took our seats, which were coincidentally right in the front row. The guitarist approached the front of the stage as he introduced himself. Hobie Brown, an anarchist who I was eyeing up with little to no shame at this point. God, his accent was so nice…
The band started to play, snapping me out of my trance. The music itself was enjoyable, a creative mix of genres that blended well together. Throughout the whole performance, his eyes were locked on me and I could feel it, enjoying every ounce of the attention.
By the time they ended their segment of the concert, I excused myself to use the bathroom upstairs. At the top of the stairs, I was met face-to-face with Hobie, nervously laughing as I tried to walk past him.
“Hold on a sec…” He said, his accent smoothly rolling off of his tongue as if it were a spell. “What’s a dishy thing such as yourself doing around here?” I was a bit thrown off by his comment as I then asked, “I’m sorry?”
“Oh, there ain’t anything to be sorry about, luv. You really are a one-off kind of thing…” He said as he got closer. “You know, you really ought to be careful of where you step, might just fall into my arms next time”. I rolled my eyes at that remark, softly laughing to myself as I finally went to the bathroom.
Once I came back out, Hobie was standing right by the top of the stairs. It was as if he was waiting for me. He smiled as he saw me, signaling for me to come over to where he was. Of course, I did just that, leaning against the wall across from him. While I watched the second band of the night play, his eyes were solely on me.
“You know, you never answered me.” I turned to see his lips curled up, his lip ring and various other piercings shining at just the right angle. “I’ve never seen you around these dives before, and so I’m intrigued by you, dearie”.
“Oh, I was invited by a friend of mine. She practically begged me to join her tonight.” I explained, warming up to the conversation with the pierced player. I felt at ease, like I was conversing with a life-long friend. We spent the whole night talking about whatever, just to keep the conversation going. By the time the whole concert ended, we were still chatting up a storm. My friend came up from the basement, calling for me since we had to get going. I smiled at Hobie before saying, “Guess this is goodbye for now, ain’t it?”
“Not if you give me your digits, luv.” He said with a smirk. I quickly scribbled my number onto his hand before running out to meet with my friend, wishing him a good night. He shook his head as he muttered, “That chick is something else, ain’t she?”
Over the next few weeks, we talked consistently. I’d sometimes go watch his performances, always in the front row so I could gush over just how cool he was. His solos were always spectacular, captivating, almost hypnotic.
Other times, we’d just hang around, lounge about at each other’s place while watching a movie or any other little activity. It was so peaceful, so pleasant to be in his presence, and I could tell he felt the same way. His hands were always interlocked with mine, no matter the time or circumstance. It was that or carefully wrapped around my waist, keeping me close as he possibly could.
One night, he hands me my usual ticket to his next show but there’s something written on the back of it. “Oi dearie, wear something dashing tonight…” I looked back up at Hobie, who was sporting a confident smirk. “Babes, what’s all this about?” I asked, arching my eyebrow up as I awaited his response.
“It ain’t nuthin’ but a suggestion, luv. Don’t have to if you don’t want to. Just thought a ravishing bit of eye candy in the crowd ought to keep me going, don’t ya think?” He said, his expression growing ever so mischievous. I playfully punched his arm in response before responding.
“I’ll think about it, babes. Don’t get your hopes up, though.” He pouted in response before shifting back to his usual self. I, in turn, just plopped onto the couch and extended my arms out to him. “Now hurry up, the movie’s ‘bout to start.” He eagerly joined me, hand in hand as we laid together to watch, and ultimately make fun of, some old reruns.
The night of the concert, I decided to indulge Hobie’s request. I picked out my best outfit, adding small accessories to best compliment everything. Once that was done, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, excited to see his latest performance.
Arriving at the venue, I showed my ticket and made my way into the audience. After finding my seat, my eyes immediately landed on Hobie, his own eyes glistening as soon as he saw me. His smile grew wide at the sight, seeing me dressed to the nines. He winked in my direction, the band soon starting up as the lights went dim and the hum of the speakers came to life.
The night passed without a care, the room lively with music, cheers, and screams of entertainment. Hobie dove into the audience at one point, riding the wave of the crowd before ending up right back in front of me with the biggest, dumbest grin on his face. I returned a similar expression before kissing his cheek, watching the slight shock quickly be replaced with a somehow larger smile. He hopped back upstage to finish the performance, the crowd eating the whole thing up.
After the show, Hobie came up to me and before I could even get a sound out, his lips made their way to mine. My eyes shot open before fluttering closed, my body leaning into his before we both pulled away. “What was that all about?” I asked, still a bit flustered from the suddenness of it all.
“I just had to, dearie. Seeing you out in the crowd, I was just itching for the chance to kiss those soft lips of yours…” He said as his hand made its way to my waist. He then asked, “Could…you join me backstage for a moment, luv?”
With a smirk on my face, I said, “I’d be a fool if I said no, babes.” His smirk grew as he practically lifted me over his shoulder, playfully patting my thigh as he took me backstage. I let out a laugh as he did but I knew what was in store for me. As he hauled me off, all I could think was, “How did I get so lucky”?