Waiting for the Sun

The back parking lot of the arena was quiet save for the occasional grunt from the set of crewmembers loading equipment. The light next to the backstage door helped them see the items as they hefted them into the U-haul. A majority of the members were men. It had been practical for the manager of the band to hire men to work to unload and load band equipment. Most items were too heavy for a woman to lift; some items were too heavy for even the built men to lift on their own.

Out of place amongst the men, was a tiny female. She was short, her body frame thin. Her brown hair was a mess, the braids barely in tact anymore. The light refracted off her light olive skin tone; she looked like a tiny angel among the men. To add to her innocent appeal, her face was perfectly sculpted with full cheeks, a curved bridge to her nose, child-like smile, and eyes that only a Vietnamese teen would have.

She leaned over, grabbing a set of soundboards and handing them to the man standing in the back of the U-haul. A breeze wafted through the area, cooling her exposed legs and arms. The mid-July heat hadn't died down much when night fell hours ago. Sweat dripped down every crewmember's body as they lifted equipment.

"Diem, could you grab Josh's guitar case?" one man grunted, hefting a half stack amp into the U-haul.

"Sure, Mike," the girl said.

Her accent was barely audible. Diem had been trying to lose it since she arrived in the United States but gave up once she realized it would never fully go away. It made her voice a bit deeper than the average woman's, giving it a sultry flare that she didn't need to work for.

Diem grabbed the case, making sure not to hit any appendage of the instrument against a hard surface while she walked and handing it to the man standing in the U-haul. She walked back the considerably smaller pile of equipment. They were almost done. She would be able to go back to the hotel room and sleep. After the day in the heat, she needed it.

Diem bent over to grab a section of the dismantled drum set scattered around the pavement. A set of arms slithered around her waist, causing a yelp to jump from her throat. The attacker laughed, a melodious tune that calmed Diem's fear.

"Hayley, you scared the crap out of me," Diem stated, turning her head to face the woman clutching her waist.

The bright red color of her hair stood out even in the dim lighting. A smile stretched across her face, exposing her gleaming white teeth. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, sweat glistening on her skin.

"I couldn't help it. You looked so cute bending over in these shorts," Hayley said, playing with the hem of Diem's jean shorts.

The shorts were smaller than ones Diem would wear on a normal day. The hem stopped just below her behind. When she bent over, she didn't doubt she was exposing part of cheeks.

It was too hot to care.

"You're going to get me in trouble," Diem swatted Hayley's creeping hand away.

"You won't get in trouble. I'll kick their asses," Hayley said.

Diem stared blankly at Hayley. Did she honestly think she could beat any of the men loading equipment?

"Okay, maybe I won't kick their asses," Hayley laughed.

"That's what I thought."

"Doesn't mean I can't kick your ass," Hayley whispered, hands slipping under the leg holes of Diem's shorts and rubbing circles on her thighs.

Fire erupted in the pit of Diem's stomach. She fidgeted in Hayley's hold.

"Don't you have a Meet and Greet to attend?" Diem squeaked.

"Yes. But I wanted to see you first," Hayley said.

Diem pushed Hayley's hands out of her shorts, "Go in there before those kids start a riot."

"Come with me."

"I can't. I need to help finish loading. That is my job."

Hayley pouted. Diem sighed; if it weren't for her responsibilities, she would have gone with Hayley. But she had to help load.

"I'll meet you back at the hotel, okay?" Diem asked.

Hayley's pout was replaced by a smirk, "Wear something sexy for me."

Diem giggled, "Go away."

"Fine but I expect you to be wearing nothing but whipped cream when I get to the hotel room."

"Whatever you say, Hayls. I'll see you later."

"Okay," Hayley sighed dramatically, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Hayley pressed her lips to Diem's before disappearing through the backstage door. Diem returned to the task at hand, lifting cases containing parts of a drum set. She handed the set of cases to the man in the back of the U-haul.

"You and Hayley are such an odd couple," Mike commented, leaning against the side of the truck and taking a sip of water.

It was important for them all to keep hydrated while loading equipment. Dehydration only made the body weaker, something that didn't help in their line of work. The crew was encouraged to take frequent breaks while working to drink water. They didn't mind doing just that.

"What do you mean?" Diem asked.

"I can't figure out who the man is in your relationship," Mike stated.

"I agree," the man in the back of the U-haul added, "You come off as this fragile flower that couldn't pull a weed from the ground if she tried. But you're out here with us, lifting equipment that weighs more than you do. You're not delicate but at the same time you are."

"And Hayley," Mike said, "bounces between mild tomboy and girly girl on a daily basis. She's the one who makes all the sexual jokes but, at the same time, she's classy. I'm not sure which one of you takes control of the relationship."

"If I didn't know them, I'd say Hayley was the one who did," the man in the U-haul said.

"I would too, Jim. But, now that I know them, I'm not so sure," Mike returned.

"Does it matter?" Diem asked.

"You have to understand that you shocked us when she introduced us to you. Hayley coming out as gay wasn't remotely shocking. We expected it from the beginning," Mike said.

"And we weren't shocked when she said she had a girlfriend. Hayley's attractive; of course she would have a girlfriend. But we always assumed she would date some scene girl who would piss us off anytime she opened her mouth," Jim added.

"When Hayley walked in with a cute little Asian, we didn't know how to react. We never expected her to partake in a cross-cultural relationship. We never expected her to have a girlfriend who was more than a year younger than her. And we sure as hell never expected her to find a girlfriend as attractive as you with a brain. But you changed our opinions about that," Mike explained.

"We've been trying to figure out who's the man since you two started dating," Jim stated.

Diem stared at her coworkers. She was hoping she was supposed to take that all as a compliment. Though, she wasn't quite sure.

Americans were strange.

"So, which one of you is the man?" Mike asked.

"I don't know what that means," Diem answered.

"When you have sex who takes control?" Jim tried.

"We haven't had sex yet."

"Are you serious?"

Diem nodded. Their mouths dropped.

"She has someone as sexy as you for a girlfriend and hasn't had sex with you yet?" Mike asked, "We need to talk to Hayley about her priorities; you two have been together for fucking ever."

"It's because I'm not ready yet. I'm still trying to suspend my cultural beliefs to be with her like that. I've finally gotten to the point where public displays of affection are okay. I need a little more time to get used to the freedom I have with the same sex," Diem stated.

It wasn't the complete truth. Diem was still trying to get comfortable with Hayley, enough to have sex with her. But not because her culture was making it difficult. Her past was still in the way. The past that Hayley had yet to find out about in their time of dating.

"Aw, she doesn't want to upset her ancestors," Mike teased, "That's so cute."

"It's like Mulan. Did you have a shrine at home devoted to your dead family members?" Jim added.

"I think we should call her Mulan from now on."

"That sounds fitting."

"Fuck you guys," Diem mumbled, turning to pick up the last of the cases on the ground.

The two laughed at Diem's response. She wasn't offended by what they said. Racial comments were ones she was used to. Plus, they were joking. There was no reason to be offended.

However, she was getting cranky from being in the heat for so long.