To the Stage

Ben came back a few hours later to change into his – what Nichole would call it as – stage outfit which usually comprises of a pair of black jeans and a ripped tank top that exposes his tatted arms and chest.

“We better get a move on, love, we’re hitting the stage in about 30 minutes,” he called out to his girlfriend who was at their bunk struggling to find something to wear for the show tonight. Living on the road for almost a month now can really push a girl to a dead end when it comes to what to wear. Ben grabbed his leather jacket and quickly put it on. “Nic, c’mon.”

“Hang on, I can’t find anything to wear,”

“Jesus, Nichole, just throw anything on,” Ben said. But when Nichole kept digging through her luggage and throwing out clothes after clothes, Ben let out an exasperated sigh and went to her side. He quickly pulled a white off shoulder top and placed it in front of her. “Here, wear this. And…” he pulled a pair of black shorts and gave it to her. “…this. There, done. Now, you have 5 seconds to wear them.”

Nichole pouted and quickly put on the clothes that her boyfriend so lovingly picked out for her. After making sure her make up and her hair looks fine, she exited the tour bus and saw that Ben was surrounded by a bunch of screaming fans, asking for autographs, pictures and hugs from him.

Although they were late, Ben greeted them, putting on a friendly face and tried to give his autographs to those who wanted them. Nichole was standing at the side with a smile on her face before someone bumped into her hard that she fell to the ground.

“OI! Careful there, mate!” she heard Ben called out and he was next to her in an instant. He put his arms around Nichole. “You alright?” Nichole nodded to his question. “I’ll see you guys inside!” He said to his fans and grabbed Nichole hand and walked into the venue.

In the venue, the guys were all there, and Sam and Cameron have their bass guitar and guitar strapped across their body. Danny was there too, but his eyes were wandering about as though he was searching for someone. When Ben and Nichole said hi to him and the rest of the guys, he replied half-heartedly.

“15 minutes till show time, guys!” The stage manager called out and the guys quickly hurdled together and started their pre-show routine. Nichole stood aside and from the corner of her eyes, she saw someone else walking towards them. When she looked to that person’s direction, she realized that it’s Dawn that Danny was searching for.

“Dawn!” Nichole called out. Dawn flashed her a smile and the two girls pulled each other into a friendly hug. “I’m so glad you can make it tonight.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it for anything!” She said.

Danny saw her and softly pulled her towards him and gave her a long hug. The excitement and joy was apparent on Danny’s face and Nichole loved seeing that. It’s about time that he find someone that would finally make him commit to.

“Who’s that?”

“Her name is Dawn, Danny’s new… well, soon to be girlfriend,” Nichole answered her boyfriend’s question. “They look cute together, don’t they?”

Ben shrugged. “I guess,” he replied softly. “Fucker didn’t say shit to me about her.”

Nichole chuckled at his comment. “Don’t be jealous that he confided in me about her instead of you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around Ben’s waist. Ben scoffed and the grin Nichole had on her face grew wider.

“Okay, guys, you’re up!”

“I’ll see you after the show?” Ben asked Nichole.

“It’s a date,” she replied and the couple gave each other a quick kiss on the lips.



Dawn helped Nichole around at the merch table and it was apparent that the fans were wondering who the new girl is. It was a feeling Nichole herself knew all too well when she started touring with the band. After a while Dawn whipped out her DSLR and left Nichole to man the booth with the band’s original merch girl, Jenn.

“So that’s Danny boy’s new interest, huh?” Jenn asked while she handed out a t-shirt to a fan. Nichole nodded, answering Jenn’s question. “I assume it’s serious since… well, she’s hanging out at the booth now.”

“I guess so,” Nichole replied. “Danny seemed serious about her.” Jenn mouthed a ‘wow’ and Nichole laughed. “Hey people thought Ben wouldn’t settle down and look at us, we’re together for almost a year now!”

Jenn rolled her eyes. “You do know we’re talking about Danny. The biggest man whore in the planet?” Nichole laughed when she said that. It’s true, in a way. Danny’s lovelife wasn’t really all that fantastic. And ever since the band got huge, he’s had his fair share of groupies warming his bed every other day.

She’s not sure what it would take for him to finally shed off his rockstar, playboy image, but if Dawn can change his ways, Nichole would be really happy for them both.