Tainted Love

He wondered why his paces slowed yet his endless thoughts spun faster as he tentatively made his way up to the mysterious girl. He had always been the confident one who never took women as seriously as he should’ve; but now, faced with the sudden prospect of never having to be lonely again the drummer had trouble controlling himself. He took a deep breath, casually sidling up next to her as the other members of crew fussed over the control board.

She didn’t turn to look at him – instead, her stormy grey eyes remained determinedly set on the people in front of her while her slim arms clutched the clipboard she was holding close to her chest.

Tré took another deep breath, an unusual sense of numbness washing over every inch of his stocky body. It’s just a girl, just a girl, he thought to himself forcefully. What did he honestly have to lose?

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “So…” he casually began, tearing his eyes away from her delicate face and forcing himself to act as though he was genuinely interested in what was happening in front of him. “Are you part of the crew?” He chanced a glance back at her to see her reaction, ignoring the ominous feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

She nodded, her eyes still clearly focused ahead. Not a word was emitted from her thin lips.

“I’m Tré, by the way,” he said, extending a hopeful hand.

She took it, finally looking back at him. As soon as their hands touched her grey eyes lit up vibrantly. “Hang on – you were the guy who ran into me yesterday!”

Tré groaned inwardly, desperately trying to hide the irritating embarrassment that blossomed from within. He gave an awkward smile, hoping very much that he didn’t come across to her in a less-than-positive way.

“I’m really sorry about that,” he said quickly, noticing how he couldn’t get his blue eyes to move away from her face. “I – I wasn’t looking where I was going, and – it’d been a rough day, Billie had gotten me all worked up and it was raining and – “

“It’s okay, honestly,” she said, pulling her hand away and letting her gaze drift back to where the crew were now importantly discussing certain issues with Billie and Mike. She left his side to join them, leaving Tré feeling incredibly frustrated – and hurt.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, feeling absolutely helpless. She had shrugged him off so quickly, as though he was something that might have come off the bottom of her shoe. He was sure it had nothing to do with running into her the previous afternoon – she considered him to be inferior, or not worth talking to. That, or she’s just a miserable cold bitch, Tré added to himself.

He saw Mike motioning in his direction for him to come and join them. The drummer reluctantly obliged, forcing the feeling of rejection that he’d just been hit with further down inside. It was anything but over, the possibility of him and the still-mysterious girl being together. He realized with a jolt that he still didn’t know her name – despite having introduced himself.

All throughout the discussion about what sounds would be best for the new record Tré’s mind wandered in the direction of what move he would make next. For too long he’d been lonely, and now, with a chance to leave that all behind he was determined.

“Tré!” barked Billie, his voice rising with frustration. “Are you even fucking listening?”

The drummer hastily shook his head, forcing himself back down to earth. “Yeah – I – I’ve just got a bad headache, that’s all.”

Billie’s looked at him suspiciously before directing towards their producer. “Rob thinks we should work on Holiday a little more – St Jimmy’s fine, we just still haven’t cracked Holiday yet.”

Tré nodded, despite not really caring about what Billie was even talking about.

“Alright, back to the rehearsal room,” said Billie, getting up from where he leant against the glass separating the control room from the rehearsal room. Tré dragged himself into the next room and took his usual seat by the drum kit. The song was finished in a matter of minutes – thankfully, Rob had been content with it from the start.

The drummer was kept busy for the remainder of the day, the band running through around sixteen songs that had made the previous cuts to see if they’d make the new record. He couldn’t stop himself from checking between every take to see if the mysterious girl was still in the control room, perfectly in reach to him to deal with. He refused to lose hope over her. There was a space for someone else in his life that he had been desperate to fill for so long.

When the day finally finished at five in the afternoon, Tré eagerly leapt from his seat, bidding a quick goodbye to his bandmates before heading outside. He saw the girl just ahead of him, she too leaving after a long day.

“Um – I – “ Tré called out awkwardly, picking up a little jog to fall into step beside her. He stopped, softly pulling at her elbow for her to follow his lead.

“I didn’t catch your name,” he said breathlessly, “you know, before, when I introduced myself, you didn’t – I didn’t get your name.”

She looked puzzled. “Does my name matter?”

“I – I…” Tré stuttered, taken aback. She was obviously different to any other girl he’d ever met…

“For the record, it’s Lindsay,” she said, picking up a walk and heading in the direction of the carpark.

Tré remained still for a moment before his senses kicked back into action and he chased after her. He stopped her again. “Is there… is there any reason why you’re less-than-friendly toward me?”

“No…?”

“Well, how about a date?”

“Excuse me?” Her grey eyes remained forceful, yet he could see the curiosity etched in her delicate features.

He held back a smile. “A date. Me, you, a nice restaurant… a date.”

She glanced at her watch, a few strands of blonde hair falling onto her face from the ponytail that was held loosely at the back of her neck. “Sure, I’ve just got to get going, so I’ll talk to you later or something.” Without a farewell, the mysterious girl called Lindsay hurried off to the carpark.

Even without a phone number, or an actual arrangement, the rockstar had been promised a date – and with that, he too made his way to his car, taking his time to settle his thoughts and plan for action.

He had successfully asked her out.