Stars, War and Love

I looked at the man in front of me. His smile was like nothing I had seen before, beautiful, welcoming and flawless. I couldn’t get over it until my mind interjected, ‘what are you doing, Rayne. Say hello! You don’t want him thinking you’re a freak.’ I jumped back into reality and smiled back at him “Hey, I’m Rayne.”
“Here, let me get that for you,” he said continuing to smile as he took the guitar out of my hand.
“Thanks!” I beamed at him as we both walked into the studio.
“So, what’s a girl like you doing at a place like this?”
“You know, living the dream,” I said sincerely. It really was a dream. The job itself and now there’s an incredibly attractive man talking to me. “So, are you a part of Attack! Attack!?”
“Yep! I do lead yellings.” We both laughed. Funny and attractive, a girl could get used to this.
“Really? That’s awesome! I’ve heard your EP, it’s not half bad,” I gave him a sly grin and he laughed a little.
“I’m surprised you’ve heard of it, you’re like a hipster, finding underground music and shit.” I giggled.
“People, time is money, we need to get you guys into the studio! Rayne, you and Mike can stay with me in the booth so you can learn all there is to know about recording.” Alex said interrupting my chat with Austin. I cursed under my breath and walked with him into the booth. Mike was already there with a smile of a giddy school girl on his face. Oh geeze, I knew he was going to torment me about my crush. He always seemed to know when something or someone sparked my interest. “Alright, so, let’s start with ‘Hot Grills and High Tops’”
The track started up and I watched them all get into the song behind the glass. Austin’s part came up and I was instantly blown away. His screams with right on cue and definitely impressive. Alex was also pleased by the look on his face. “Great job, guys! Let’s take it one more time.” Alex said into the mic.
The recording process went on for a few more hours but, I didn’t mind. I was intently watching Austin and giving my input now and again when Alex asked for it. We ended up getting though three songs. Attack Attack! was extremely professional and were incredible in the studio. Alex said they were considerably easier to work with than most bands. Maybe it was because they were just starting out and wanted to be seen as professional. Or maybe they were so passionate about the music they didn’t want to interrupt any second of the production. Either way, I was in love with this new job and the whole process.
“Job well done everyone! We’re all set for the night. Get some sleep and we’ll be back at it tomorrow.”
Everyone filed out of the studio and met up outside. Cigarettes were lit and we assembled into a circle of sorts. Mike broke the silence first “You guys were amazing in there.”
“Thanks man! We’re really excited to get out there and have fun, y’know?” This came from the clean vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Johnny. Mike nodded and idle conversation filled the air. Mostly about how everyone was excited about the album and how they can't wait for it to come out.
"So how'd I do?" asked a voice to my right. I looked over and saw Austin standing with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. I couldn't see his eyes since they were covered with aviators but, I remembered how beautiful they were.
"You were pretty good." I smiled before taking the last drag of my cigarette and stamping it out.
"Awe, gee thanks! So, what're you up to tonight?"
"I was gonna go home and watch a movie with my dog," I paused and to see his expression and the look of hope he had disappeared a little so I continued "but, if you have a better offer I wouldn't mind hanging out with you longer."
He grinned "How about we...Go get ice cream! Nothing says 'job well done' like ice cream! Plus, they probably want to get wasted tonight and I don’t know about you but, I’d rather have ice cream."
I laughed and nodded. I walked over to Mike who was having a conversation with both Andrews and John. I quickly explained that Austin and I were going out to ice cream and he winked and continued his conversation. Cheeky bastard.
"So! Tell me about yourself!” Austin questioned.
“Well, what do you want to know?” I was taken aback; no one ever really has ever asked that before.
“Hmmm. Well, let’s start with your favorite Star Wars character? If you haven’t seen it, we can’t be friends.” He joked.
“Of course I've seen Star Wars, silly! And definitely Darth Maul. No one fucks with him and he’s such a badass. How about you?”
“ It’s a tossup between… Vader and Queen Amidala. Favorite Disney Princess?”
“Belle from Beauty and the Beast, all the way.” His expression went from giddy to sullen. I give him an inquisitive look until he finally explained.
“She’s my favorite too. Reminds me of my mom.”
“That’s so sweet! Is she a misunderstood bookworm too?” I questioned trying to understand him.
“She was.”
“Was?” I asked as I dreaded the response.
Austin looked at me and I saw a single tear run down his cheek. “She passed when I was 17. It’s been rough not having her here but, I’m hoping that she’s smiling when she looks down at me from up there.” He pointed to the sky.
“One can only hope. I’m sorry to hear that, Austin. It’s a terrible thing to lose a family member.” He grabbed my arm and stopped me giving me a giant hug. We smiled at each other and then continued walking towards an ice cream shop in a comfortable silence. I would catch him looking at me and smiling and he would do the same. In that time I noticed how beautiful the stars were tonight and how much Austin's smile reminded me of them. And then I heard Austin speak.
“You know, I’ve only known you for a few hours but, I’ve felt like I’ve known you forever. You’re so easy going and it’s nice to know I have someone I can talk to.”
“Of course! That’s what I’m here for.” I grinned.
We then found ourselves at an ice cream parlor where we both ordered cookie dough and sat talking about random things for a few hours. We had this electric connection that has only been described in movies. I never thought I’d find someone I would have such a strong connection to like I do with Austin. I can’t believe this guy that I’ve known for a whopping 12 hours has entered my life and made me feel the way I do. We walked back to the studio with our arms linked together humming the Imperial March and noticed everyone was gone. I offered to drive him to a hotel and he politely declined saying he’d rather have a Star Wars movie night with me if I was up to it. I agreed and we both got into the car and drove back to my apartment. We sat on the couch watching “A New Hope” and fell asleep on top of one another. It was a picture perfect moment. Star Wars and a blossoming love affair.