The Bird and the Worm

“Alright, you, come here.”

“Aw Gates, why you gotta be like that? Didn’t Senior ever teach you any fuckin’ manners? You gotta be nice to the ladies, or they won’t listen to you…right girls?” The girls in the crowd screamed, and Matt laughed into the microphone. “I think the fans agree. Say please, or I’m keeping Heather right here, and you don’t wanna know what could happen.”

“Ouch, Gates. You gonna take that shit?”

Brian chuckled softly, holding his arm out for me, smiling the crooked smile I loved so much, quirking an eyebrow. “Hell no, Rev. That’s why I’m going to ask the lady nicely.” I bit my lip, feeling my face flush a little. I had to admit, I still felt a little weird being in front of my fellow Fallen like this- apparently, I was such a stage presence that the guys had decided that my last day with them was going to be all about me being the center of attention. “Heather, will you please get your beautiful self over here?”

“See. All you had to do was say please.”

As I walked across the stage to Brian’s side, I glanced back at Jimmy, who looked like he was enjoying this- making Brian and I pretend we had some sort of relationship going on, like he was making us fall for each other or something. “Yeah well you’re not the one with a really hot girl next to you, are ya?” Brian said playfully, snagging an arm around my waist, pulling me right next to him. Jimmy mumbled something into his mike that Brian understood, but I missed it as the crowd screamed and Brian nonchalantly touched his lips to the side of my head. I glanced up at him, and he winked at me, running his hand along my side. “So yesterday, this girl right here sang a nice little song for us, and she did pretty alright at it.”

“And then she showed us how awesome she is on Guitar Hero.”

“Uh-oh. Big fuckin’ mistake, girl.”

“She kicked my ass at the drums, yo,” Jimmy said, and I shook my head, laughing at the playful banter going on- they were so at ease with me that it was ridiculous. “And that’s fuckin’ saying something.”

“Yeah, it is…so while Heather was asleep, Gates and I decided to pull something cool.” My eyes flashed over to him. Crap. What had they done now? My cheeks flushed slightly, and my heartbeat sped up a little. Why did they have to make such a big deal out of me being here? I bit my lip, and Brian ran his hand along my side, holding me to his. I glanced up at him again, and he shook his head, mouthing the words ‘Just wait’. Matt continued, “Now, we could have waited until we got to the bus to do this, but frankly, that would just, you know, really suck for you guys not to know how your favorite fuckin’ band ever has spent the last three days with that lucky, lucky girl. So…we decided to show you a little…memento of the last three days. Jason, will you please roll that fuckin’ video?”

“And so it begins,” Brian whispered as everyone fell silent and we all (me and all five of the guys) turned to watch the video. “All for you, girl, all for you.” He kissed my cheek, and because we were turned around and everyone’s eyes were fixated on the screen, he wrapped both arms around me. I tried to ignore the burning feeling in my cheeks- it was ridiculous how devoted these guys were to making every second worth it- and slid my arms around him as well.

The ring that had once belonged to Michelle, the one that I’d remembered to put back on my necklace, pressed more tightly and much colder than usual, reminding me of what Brian had given me. I also tried not to dwell on the fact that he was being so much like he was on the bus or when we’d been walking around- like he just didn’t care what people thought anymore.
“Hey guys, it’s Gates.”

“And Shads.”

“And it’s probably really late right now, but that’s okay, because we have a lot to show you. First up, though you may have seen it on our YouTube channel or our MySpace page, is the video our contest winner, Heather Byrd, sent in.”

I bit my lip as I watched my video being played on the big screen, and somewhere in the mix, Brian had let one of his hands fold into mine, running his thumb over the back of my hand, as always. Almost as if those ten minutes moved in fast-forward, everyone watched the tour of my room, the introduction to my closest friends (including Gina), and the one-on-one with the camera when I was describing how I would like to spend my three days. I half-smiled to myself as I realized what the guys had been trying to do. They’d made a potent attempt to let the rest of their fans know what they thought of them and how very much they valued input. I squeezed Brian’s hand, and his thumb continued its movement over the back of my hand.“And there it is, guys. Next up is a little montage we put together of candid moments with either Heather, one of the guys, or both. We hope you like it.”

My heart skipped a beat or two as I heard a familiar acoustic line and Matt’s voice singing the words to Seize the Day, and an image faded in. Jesus. They hadn’t missed that Seize the Day was second on my list. They really had paid attention. Images rolled on the big screen- a video of me and the guys gathered ‘round a game of Guitar Hero, the picture of Brian and I at the pier (the one with me at his side, not the one with the kiss), a shot of me from when I’d first come backstage, a video of each of the guys greeting me and hugging me tight like we were all pals, a picture I’d taken of Brian while he was at work on his laptop (probably on this montage, without ever telling me), etc.

The memories rolled past, and at the end, there was a video that Jimmy had made of Brian and me. I was in his arms, my hands on the side of his neck, and vaguely, Jimmy’s voice dared Brian to do the “inconceivable” and just touch his lips to mine. I was biting my lip and blushing slightly, as always, and it was almost obvious that the two of us drew in a slow breath as our foreheads rested together. Neither of us seemed hesitant, but neither of us seemed to be jumping the gun, either. My hands slid to his shoulders, and I was the one to pull back first.

The Brian in the video wasn’t having any of that. Somehow, he’d known it was just my nerves. With a smile, he stroked my face, and then he pulled me back.
“Just go for it,” Jimmy’d prompted, and Brian, after a few moments of consideration, gently pressed his lips to mine. Without a real reason, a tear slipped from my eye, and my grip on Brian’s hand tightened. “That’s what love looks like, kids.” I felt another tear slip from my eye. Jeez. I’d forgotten all about this video. That must have been right after I’d told Brian I loved him…maybe I’d been too tired to think anything of it. I closed my eyes, leaning against Brian, and he immediately pulled me closer, concerned.

“Angry?” he questioned softly, his smooth voice in my ear.

“No…just…very, extremely touched.” I shifted so that my head was on his shoulders, and I held onto him for a moment before pulling away, being tugged into another hug by the other four guys (Jimmy had actually come down from his drum set to see my reaction).

“But guys, there’s one more,” Brian said into the mike, his soft voice surprisingly steady.
I returned my attention to the screen, and there was a professional-looking shot of me leaning against the doorway that led to the bunks, my gaze turned downward. I was smiling slightly, toying with the ring that hung from the chain around my neck. The picture was in black-and-white, and it faded away as the music ended. I felt like running straight over to the guitarist that had safeguarded me for three days, but I had to hug Jimmy for a few moments while the lights were out. He wrapped his arms tight around me, kissing my cheek and grinning before letting me go,

“He loves you too, kid,” he said, brushing my cheek with his knuckles. I smiled, winking, and then he turned and darted up to his drums in order to return to the show.

“Give Heather a fuckin’ round of applause for takin’ that like a champ. Come on, seriously, you mellow motherfuckers would have been crying by now.” The crowd cheered, and he glanced back at me. “Now I gotta say please. Damn, guys, look at this girl.”

“Looks like you hit a real fuckin’ soft nerve.”

“I think she looks kinda cute when she blushes.” The guys all looked over at Brian, who simply shrugged. “What? I say what’s on my mind.”

Matt shook his head. “Alright, damn it. We’ve kicked your ass, raped your mothers, and destroyed religion. Now shall we do a little reminiscing together?” The crowd yelled and screamed in appreciation. “We haven’t played this one in a few years, but,” Matt glanced over at me, tugging me closer with his arm that rested around my shoulders, “seems to fit the moment. Gates. Play some fuckin’ Warmness on the Soul. It’s power ballad time, damn it.”

And so it set in.

I was definitely not ready to leave Brian Haner behind- but my deadline was only a few hours away.