She Could Make Hell Feel Just Like Home

Aria tipped the bottle back again, then slammed it onto the table, grinning devishly at Jaime. Jaime looked at her nervously.
“I think you won.” He slurred, gesturing his head at Tony, who was slumped onto the table. Aria laughed, tossing her head back.
Vic shook his head from the couch, where he and Mike were playing video-games. Mike whooped as he won another game, hurling the controller onto the couch, doing a victory dance with some whiskey.
“Why do you have me playing? Why not Jaime or Aria or Tony?” Vic complained. “I hate video games.”
“Jaime and Tony are beyond drunk right now, Aria is a girl—”
“What’s that supposed to mean whiskeyhands?” Aria demanded, getting up and scooting out of the table and stumbling over to the couch. She sat down next to Vic, who put his arm around her shoulder. Arm leaned into him, snuggling close.
“Girls just don’t seem to excel at video games.” Mike explained patiently. Aria let of a huff, obviously offended.
“Hand me the controller Mike.” Aria ordered, holding out a hand. “I’ll beat you while I’m drunk off my ass and seeing double.” She told him as she took the controller. Mike started the game. Aria slammed the controlled around, taking the lead immediately. Mike looked shocked, but turned his focus back onto the game, his tongue sticking out as he went into full concentration mode.
Vic leaned back on the couch, pleased at how well Aria was getting along with the boys. He turned his attention back to them when she let out a shriek of joy and Mike cursed loudly.
“I told you!” She hollered, leaping up. Vic studied her as she danced around. Her skin had darkened again from the amount of time out in the sun with the rest of the band, and her hair fell in waves, resting against her breasts. Vic sucked in his lips as she spun around.
“Quit looking at her like you’re a tiger and she’s the first piece of meat you’ve seen in a long time.” Jaime told him from the table.
“What?” Aria asked, dropping into Vic’s lap and scooting until her head was under his nose. Vic dipped his head, resting his chin on the top of her head and breathing in the scent of her shampoo.
“Vic was staring at you like you were food.” Jaime told her. Aria shrugged and tilted her head back, inviting Vic to kiss her.
“That’s fine with me. We’re dating.” She smiled and Vic smiled back, running a hand up her back to rest at the nape of her neck. Aria pursed her lips and Vic kissed her, taking in the taste of her and the alcohol she had been drinking. Her lips were soft and warm.
Jaime wolf whistled and Mike groaned. Aria tightened her arms around his neck as he started to pull away, biting his lower lip. Vic pulled away from her slowly, hating the fact that he was. Aria untangled herself from him then, falling onto the floor and laughing hysterically.
“Hey!” She suddenly said loudly. “Do you know what day it is tomorrow?” Aria asked, leaning on one of her elbows, cocking her head and smiling at them.
“I think it’s a Friday.” Mike said slowly after a long pause. “Yeah. Tomorrow is Friday and we’re going to do a show.”
“What else?” Aria asked, turning to Vic. Vic looked at the ceiling, thinking.
“I don’t know babe.” He finally said.
“I’ll forgive you this time due to the fact that we are all intoxicated. It is my birthday tomorrow. I will be 23.” Aria told them, yawning.
“Well damn. We’ll have to give you the best fucking party ever.” Tony said from the table. “Do you like piñatas? You have a Mexican last name.”
“What does my last name have to do with piñatas?” Aria asked, unable to draw the connection.
“Piñatas are Mexican, aren’t they? Aren’t you?” Tony asked. Aria shook her head slowly.
“No, I just have that last name.”
“How embarrassing.” Mike laughed. Tony just shrugged, then moved onto the floor next to Aria. Aria lay down, stretching herself out on the floor, closing her eyes, feeling exhausted suddenly.
Aria woke up someone’s arms going around her and lifting her off of the floor. She twitched and she heard a voice shush her, trying to relax her. Aria settled against Vic’s chest as he laid her down on the table he had turned into a bed. Aria murmured something, his shirt absorbing most of it.
“I don’t want clothes.” Aria slurred, grabbing at the hem of her shirt and yanking it up. Vic pushed it back down.
“I know you don’t, but you need to leave it on.” Vic answered her as he crawled next to her. Aria complied, curling against him.
Aria awoke to Vic’s breath hot against her neck, an erection pushed against her thigh. She moaned when she head began pounding and shifted so her head was buried in the nape of Vic’s neck. She pulled him closer, breathing in the smell of him and kicking the blankets so they covered both of them as she scooted closer to him. Vic curled has hands into her hair and gave a gentle tug, telling her he was awake as well. She looked up to see him looking down at her.
“How are you feeling?” He whispered, brushing strands of hair from her face.
“Drunk as a skunk.” Aria answered, tracing his cheekbone as she spoke. She moved to trace his lips, feeling little bursts of electricity spark up her fingers as she did so. She withdrew her fingers and angled her face to be closer to him, inches away from his lips. “Getting better though.” She said, letting her lips whisper against him. Vic kissed her gently, curling his fingers around hers.
“Happy birthday baby.” He said, kissing her again. Aria let herself be pulled under and into the spell he put her in.
“Oh for the love of god.” Tony said as he walked into the main room of the bus. “Will you please cover up?” Aria opened her eyes and looked up at Tony, who was looking away from both of them. She looked down and pulled the covers over Vic, and was suddenly very happy that she slept with the covers yanked to her chin.
“Morning Tony.” Aria said as she sat up, holding the sheet around her.
“Morning. Happy birthday. Too bad we have a concert tonight, or we’d throw you a great party. Sorry about the whole piñata thing last night.”
“No problem, it was funny.” Aria answered, then began digging around in the bed for her clothes.
“You want any food or anything?” Tony asked. “We’re stopped in town for the day. We won’t make you cook for us since it is your birthday after all.”
“Uh yeah. Sure.” Aria smacked her hand into Vic’s side, who grunted in his sleep and rolled over, dragging a large chunk of the sheet with him.
“I’ll let you get dressed.” Tony said, then left the bus. Aria smacked Vic and he shot up, glowering at her.
“What?” He asked.
“Get up and help me find clothes.”
“Mike and Jaime aren’t in here right now, they already went out. Go ahead and get dressed.” Vic told her, rubbing her thigh under the blankets. “I’ll come in after. Its too small for both of us to change at once.”
Aria got up and went into the bedroom, then dug out a pair of skinny jeans and a loose white t-shirt that hung off her shoulders. When she came back out, all of the boys were grouped together, smiling at her. Aria cocked her head and looked at them nervously.
“Am I missing something?” She asked. Vic brought his arms out from behind his back, holding a gift. Tony pulled a cake out from behind him on the counter while Mike and Jaime moved to reveal a huge box.
“What is all of this?” She asked, looking at the four of them.
“Its your birthday smart-ass. Now come here and blow out the candles and open your gifts.” Mike ordered, stepping over to her and leading her over to the candle.
“You really didn’t have to do this.” Aria told them, looking down at the flames. She looked nervously at all of them.
“Well we did, so do it to please us.” Vic told her. Aria blew out the candles and Vic handed her the box he was carrying.
“I hope you like it. It was really last minute and you woke up before me so I had the guys go get it.” Vic said as Aria took the box and slowly unwrapped it. Inside it was another smaller box, and then another smaller one. Finally Aria got to the last one and opened it, revealing a guitar pick. She looked up quizzically at Vic, who smiled and shrugged, then handed over the larger box.
Aria took the knife Mike offered her and cut through the tape, then opened the box to reveal a Feather Tornado that was a deep red color.
“You did not.” She said, gently taking it out of the box.
“We did. We ordered it about when we found out you were coming and that you were going to be here over your birthday, so we got it shipped here.” Jaime told her.
“I can’t. No way.” Aria said, putting it back in the box. “I can’t take this.”
“Just take it. We got it for you.” Mike said, cutting into the cake. “Now sit down and eat some cake so we can go out.”
“Where?” Aria asked as Tony handed her a plate and Vic all but dragged her over to the table that was now back to normal.
“It’s a surprise.” Vic told her.
“I hate surprises.” Aria said, taking a bite of cake.
“Hating surprises is like hating Christmas.” Jaime told her. Aria laughed and shook her head.
“It is so not.”
“It kind of is.” Jaime argued, slamming his fish down on the table to emphasize his point. Aria shook her head, finishing off her cake and take Mike’s plate since he was done and leaning back, rubbing his stomach.
“You done?” She asked Vic, who was looking at the cake, pondering on whether or not to have another piece.
“I think I am. I don’t want to fill up quite yet.”
“God, can we have cake every day for breakfast? It’s so good.” Jaime groaned. “We’ll have cake all day, every morning.”
“Do you want to get fat Jaime?” Aria asked. “Because eating cake every morning is the best way to do that.”
“Now, now children. We must whisk this beautiful red haired female in our presence to the best birthday of her life.” Mike declared. The boys all but threw Aria over their shoulders as they brought her out.
“An amusement park?” Aria asked, when they reached their destination. Nobody answered her, they just pulled her forwards. Aria sighed and allowed them to, suddenly glad her birthday only came around once a year.
~~
“Have fun?” Vic asked when they arrived back to the bus. Mike had claimed the bedroom, getting ready for the show. Tony was in the bathroom showering while Jaime was sitting on the couch, touching his nose and cheeks gingerly from the sunburn.
“I did, thanks.” She replied, looking over at the guitar Vic had given her. “The gift is still too much.”
“Not even close.” Vic answered, looping an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. “I wanted to get you more, but Mike and them told me it was too much.” Aria smiled at him.
“Still too much.”
“I’ll remember that. I’m thinking house next year.” He said. “Wear something nice tonight. We’re going out right after the concert.”
“Oh god no, the park was enough.”
“Nope.” Vic answered, then headed into the bedroom when Mike came out, ending the conversation.
“Where are we going after the concert?” Aria asked Mike as he sat down next to Jaime.
“We are going out on the town; you and Vic are doing something I do not even want to know about.” Tony and Vic both came out of the rooms at the same time and they both looked at each other for a second, then Tony looked at the clock on the wall.
“Go get changed Ar, we only have fifteen minutes before we need to be there.” Vic told her. Aria pushed through the guys and into the bedroom. She scrutinized her clothes before settling on black skinny jeans, converse and a black corset-like tank top that laced up the front with white thread and tied on her shoulders. She came back out and shut the door.
“Hot damn.” Mike muttered. “You are one lucky dude bro.”
“Do you have a sister?” Jaime asked. Aria smiled and shook her head.
“I do, but she’s younger than me, and way different.”
“Is she hot?”
“She’s twelve.” Aria answered.
“Jaime, that’s gross.” Tony said, trying not to laugh too hard. “And I hate to rush all of you, but we have to go.”
~~
At the show, Vic kissed Aria’s forehead after he had slipped his guitar on. He paused, rubbing her arm and looking into her eyes.
“Good god you are beautiful.” He whispered as the music cued up. He glanced over his shoulder at Mike, who was waving his arms and leaping up and down. “Enjoy the show.” He winked at her and kissed her one last time before running over to Mike and out onto the stage.
Aria watched the set, and after the fourth song, Vic paused, holding up his hand and looking out at the audience. Jaime, Mike and tony had all stopped playing.
“Before we continue on with our set, I have to make a brief announcement. Today is my friend Aria’s birthday, and in honor of it being her birthday, I have a little surprise for her.” He paused and looked back to her. Aria’s face registered nothing but pure shock. “Babe, would you please come out here?” A stage hand eased her out onto the stage and Aria moved across it, beyond aware of how quiet it was suddenly. Jaime and Tony had both run off the stage and came back with her guitar and the pick they had given her and two stools. Vic sat down on one, and motioned for Aria to sit down on the other one.
“Ever since I heard you sing Aria, I have wanted to sing with you, and I decided why not here and now?” A roadie ran out and set up another microphone in front of Aria.
“You’re nuts.” She replied into the microphone. The audience tittered at that. Vic strummed a few lines.
“Sing with me?” He asked, leaning on his guitar. Aria nodded in response.
“Alright guys. This gorgeous girl is going to sing with me.” Vic told the crowd, who clapped and cheered as if he had announced he was going to leap into the crowd.
He picked up a rhythm on his guitar, beginning to play She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty.
“Sing Johnny’s part.” He mouthed. “I’d like to dedicate this song to Aria. Happy birthday babe.” He said, then began again before launching into the lyrics. Aria followed suit, listening as the crowd went from cheering to silence as they sang. When the song ended she looked up. The crowd immediately burst into cheers.
“Lets all give Aria a nice rendition of happy birthday and then we’ll continue.” Vic said, then led the crowd in singing happy birthday to her.
Aria left the stage smiling, holding the guitar. The band had already restarted, and a few of the roadies paused and congratulated her.
~~
Vic came off the stage, followed by Jaime, Tony and Mike. Vic wrapped his arms around her, holding her closely.
“Jesus fucking Christ. You have an amazing voice.” Mike told her when Vic let her go, keeping one arm around her waist.
“Thanks.” She said, still smiling.
“They loved you.” Tony said, clapping her on the shoulder.
Aria turned to Vic. “Please tell me we’re not going out.” She pleaded. Tony laughed then and Aria looked at him.
“You aren’t. It was just an excuse to make sure you didn’t wear a sweatshirt or something. Vic wanted to show you off a little. That and he knew you wouldn’t want to come out wearing his shirt, or one of your so called ugly shirts.”
“Really?”
“We know you better than you think.” Tony replied.