In My Dreams It's Me And You

Nathalie's POV

The next month went quickly, and soon we were in Texas for the next show. Around half of the tour was over at this point, and I was just heading up to the venue where Bullet For My Valentine was going to play on later that evening. I could get anywhere I wanted thanks to the VIP pass swinging from one of the loops in my shorts, which pretty much everyone in the queue outside envied me for, especially when it meant I could skip it all and just go in and out as I pleased.

“Do you ever get scared?” I asked Matt who was just playing around on his guitar on the couch opposite the one I has taken over on the bus.

He turned to me, momentarily stopping in mid-riff. “Scared about what?”

“At going on stage. You know, all the crowds, hundreds of people screaming at you?”

“Who gets scared at their own show?” Jay asked as he walked in, picking up my feet and sitting on the couch before resting them on his lap. “Anyway, we've played large crowds before.”

“Oh yeah...” I mused. “I forgot you weren't still a small band from Wales...”

Jay slapped me lightly on my leg. “That's because you didn't come back and visit us after you left to live here.”

“I moved around a lot!” I protested, trying to swipe at him from my laying down position and failing miserably. “Not my fault my parents used to like to go around a lot, looking for new talent.”

“Couldn't they have just hired someone to do that for them?”

I shrugged. “They said it was more fulfilling to discover with their own eyes.”

“Is that what you think?” He asked. “You found us after all.”

“You don't count,” I replied with a grin. “Unfortunately I just happened to spend too much time with you.”

He was about to reply when Moose stuck his head around the door, his drumsticks ready in his hand. “We're up.”

As he disappeared Jay slid out from underneath my legs, grabbed his bass and walked out after him with a short wave, leaving Matt and me to walk out together.

“You standing off-stage or in the pit?”

I peeked off the side of the stage at the crowds and considering the way they were screaming and crushing each other, along with the fact I was pretty sure the front row were all dying from suffocation due to being shoved tight against the barrier I decided to go with the safe option.

“I think I'll set up camp here, I still feel the bruises from last time” I said, pushing myself with my hands on top of one of the cases that held instruments for the bands. Ironically enough it was one that had Avenged Sevenfoldemblazoned across it. “You go be great on stage. I'll be fine.”

He seemed reluctant at first to leave, but quickly left when Alex appeared and ushered him onto the stage just as the others were taking positions.

“You know Avenged Sevenfold are playing this tour as well,” Alex commented as he sat on one of the other cases next to mine.

“I know they are.”

“You haven't seen them play at all yet. I thought I'd see you up here at the sidelines to watch, cheering them,” he said, shrugging. “Chloe was asking about you as well.”

I gripped my knees with my hands, fixating my gaze past Alex to the stage as I spoke. “What did she want?”

“Asking if I knew were you were and if you were alright. Said she tried to call, but your cell was off.”

I hadn't even checked my cell, let alone known that it had died. Then again it has been a month, and no phone can last that long. “I didn't bring the charger with me.”

“Right.” He paused for a few moments but I knew exactly what he was going to ask next, just by the way he was acting. “What about Brian?”

“What about him?” I asked, my hands clenching on my knees, the knuckles turning white as I felt my nails dig in.

“Aren't you going to go see him? You've been with the guys all this time, so I just though that-”

“That what, Alex?” I snapped, pushing myself back onto my feet. “That I can't go without seeing someone? That I can't go out and just chill with friends, without having to run back to the guy I'm supposedly going out with? What if I'm just not feeling up to seeing him? Why do YOU think I haven't been with him? Why do YOU think I can't face him right now?”

I knew I hurt him from the look on his face but I couldn't care less at that moment, just shoving past him and storming off back to the tour bus where I was staying with the guys. Luckily Alex just met us at each venue and didn't travel with us otherwise I probably would have killed the boy by now. It had started to rain by the time I retreated back to the bus so I pulled my hood up over my head; cursing the fact I hadn't put on jeans instead of shorts.

When I got in I pressed shuffle on my iPod that was hooked up to the nearby speakers, hoping that whatever the first song that came was something with a lot of drums and screaming, just to distract me. What I got though was something completely different.

A lonely road, crossed another cold state line
Miles away from those I love

My eyes began to mist over as I heard Matt's soft voice, instantly missing everyone as the song flooded my thought and brought back my memories of them. I had been gone for around six weeks now, and (as horrible as it was to admit) I hadn't thought about them at all.

Dear God the only thing I ask of you
Is to hold her when I'm not around
When I'm much too far away
We all need that person who can be true to you

“You don't happen to have any sugar, do you?” I turned to the sound of the voice, almost gasping from shock at who was speaking. Brian. “The guys decided to make cake bombs last night, and used it all up and I can't have my coffee without out.”

“S...sure,” I mumbled, walking to the back and pulling out an unopened packet of sugar from the cupboard.

“Thanks,” he replied, reaching over and opening it while I was holding it before taking it and pouring some in. How much sugar he put into his coffee almost rivalled what Jimmy ate in sweets and pastries. Instead of turning to leave he gently blew on his coffee and took a sip, leaning against the side. “So what brings you touring with everyone? I haven't seen you around.”

I had to suppress a laugh then; he didn't know how well he knew me. I guess though that my hood was covering most of my face and my hair was stuck to whatever parts weren't taken by the hood. “I'm just friends with the band. They invited me along with them.”

“Friends, eh?” Brian said with a grin.

I couldn't resist after that comment, responding with, “So what about you? Are you with someone?”

His face fell slightly, but regained his grin in the next second. “You could say something like that.” He extended a hand for me to shake. “Synyster Gates; lead guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold. Headliner of this tour.”

The way he said 'headliner' certainly had an air of pride about it; typical Brian.

“Oh, that was your band?” I said, feigning surprise. As I went to put the sugar back in the cupboard I accidentally hit my hood and it fell back, allowing Brian to catch a glimpse of my face before I quickly pulled it up again.

“In fact, you were listening to one of our songs just now,” he replied, raising an eyebrow as he sipped his coffee. His eyes were fixated on me now, almost as if he were trying to work something out. “Have we met before?”

“I'm not sure, we may have bumped into each other without realising it,” I answered automatically, choosing a vague grasp on the truth. After all, what I said wasn't technically a lie, but wasn’t the whole truth either. For some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to say how well he did know me. “Had to happen at some point, being we travel the same tour.”

“True,” he agreed.

“Anyway, I have to get going,” I said, moving past him and dropping down the stairs. Matt and Jay were just walking back after playing the show, so I thought now would probably be a good time to go. “I have to earn my keep around here. It was nice to meet you, Brian.”