Three's A Crowd?

Gerard strode on stage with a new confidence, knowing that his audience was now even more special than before. He began the set as usual, energetic and lively, although he tried his best not to fall or slur this time –to no avail. He stumbled a couple of times but felt relieved when he looked over to Stella who smiled back whilst shifting Sophia from one hip to the other. He did this often and her gaze filled him with a new confidence.

When he said something particularly funny, making the kids laugh, he looked over to where she should have been standing to gauge a reaction only to find she wasn’t there. Slightly disconcerted, Gerard turned his attention back to the crowd and continued. The next time he looked back, there she was again but childless. She threw him another encouraging smile and he allowed himself and a smirk.

Now she wasn’t holding Sophia, he noticed she could rock out more and she did. He felt a quick, hot rush of relief that she liked their music. It was relief right? Yeah. Well, probably. But then the next time he looked over quickly between songs, he frowned.

Nick was back, saying something in her ear and she scowled. He touched her shoulder and she violently shrugged him off. Gerard didn’t get a chance to see much else as he had a set to perform but he found himself knitting his eyebrows together all the same.

Just as quickly as he had ran on stage, it seemed he was coming off and felt an urge to find her... There was something about this Nick guy that made him feel uneasy. After patting the guys on the back and grabbing a beer, he started asking around for her but no one had seen her anywhere apparently. Angela said she had asked TJ to watch Sophia for ten minutes but that was all. Frowning to himself, he began to trek back to the buses.
Just as he got to the Genocide Bride bus and was about to open the door, the sound of agitated voices held him back-

‘Come on Stella,’ Nick said in a mocking voice, ‘How long did you think this was going to last?’

‘As long as it needs to,’ Stella said, her own voice calm but stern.

Gerard heard a large thud that sounded like a fist going down on a surface and Nick growl ‘You’re being ridiculous! This whole thing is fucking absurd!’

‘I’m not going to talk to you when you’re being like this-‘

‘I’ve tried doing things the nice way Stella, Jesus Christ, I really have! But how the hell am I supposed to do this when you’re being so fucking difficult?!’

‘I’m not being difficult. I’m doing what I think is right for me and-‘

‘Don’t feed me that shit Stella!’

‘Don’t come near me Nick,’ Her voice still remained calm but that alarmed Gerard.

He felt his muscles flexing, preparing to take physical action and found himself bursting
through the door of the bus.

Nick immediately straightened up from his towering position over Stella, making a poor attempt to imitate calm whilst Stella herself was the epitome of serenity. When Nick did look up to see Gerard, he expression became startled. Gerard realised why when he looked down at himself to see his aggressive body language: chest out, fists clenched, scowling furiously and his mouth a thin, tight line.

‘Hello Gerard,’ Stella said, letting a hint of unease soak through her tone.

‘Sup,’ Nick mumbled, looking away, running a hand through his hair.

‘You guys okay?’ Gerard asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

‘Actually we talking,’ Nick said, suddenly finding his voice again and looking at Gerard.

‘Oh, I think we’re done,’ Stella said shortly, turning to Nick, not even bothering to sound friendly.

There was an awkward pause at this moment as Stella stared and Nick glared at Stella while Gerard looked between them both. Finally Nick huffed something under his breath and marched out the bus, barely missing Gerard, slamming the door behind him.

Gerard knotted his brow, looking behind him at where Nick had just stormed out and turned back to watch Stella who casually began sorting through her suitcase. She continued this until she stopped and gave Gerard an expectant look as if to ask why he was staring at her
and what had just happened was completely ordinary.

Gerard gave a half shrug, continuing this silent conversation and tried to hold back all the burning questions he had in his mind. Except for one.

‘Hey, um, are you okay?’

‘Mm hmm,’ Stella murmured with a stiff smile, returning to her suitcase. ‘Is there a reason you came in here?’

Gerard paused before answering. She hadn’t asked him in a particularly rude way, it didn’t sound like she wanted him to leave. It sounded more like what someone at a help desk would ask, like ‘Hello, can I help you?’.

‘Well..because of that,’ Gerard said flatly, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Nick.

‘Your set was amazing,’ She went on, like he hadn’t spoken at all, ‘You know that right?’ she asked, stopping what she was doing to look up at him.

‘I –oh, uh, thanks,’ Gerard said, caught off guard. This girl was...kind of different. People had told him stuff like that about what he did before but...never like he was supposed to know he was great. Usually when fans or friends or colleagues told him or the band that they were amazing, or brilliant or this or that, it was in so much detail and so enthusiastically it was like he didn’t know he wasn’t a failure and they had to reassure him.

But this girl said it like...well like someone commenting on the weather. So flippantly, like it was a common truth.

‘You want a smoke?’ Gerard asked, desperately trying to find something else to say.

‘I quit,’

‘Oh,’ Gerard said, lighting up.

‘So are you coming to the shindiggery tonight?’ She asked, folding a shirt.

She’s keeping up conversation, that’s always a good sign... Gerard thought.

‘What’s the occasion?’ he queried.

‘Angela’s birthday of course,’ she answered, now going through Sophia’s clothes.

‘But I thought that wasn’t until a couple of days?’

‘I know but we’re doing something tonight since we’ll be travelling over her birthday,’

‘Oh. Cool,’ Gerard replied smiling. The prospect of a party excited him. It was also another good excuse to get to know her...and maybe to do a couple of lines here or there.

‘Well, I’d better get going,’ Stella said, shutting the suitcase and running a hand tiredly through her hair.

‘Why?’ Gerard asked, wincing to himself at his childlike tone.

‘I’ve left my two year old with Marty. You do the math,’ she said with a small smile as she walked past him.

It took Gerard a second to realise that she was actually waiting for him at the door and he felt his heart jump slightly as he followed her out.

They walked slowly together past the fence that separated the buses from the street outside, talking about this and that and although he kept nervously running his hand
through his hair or rubbing the back of his neck, he felt content.

They had just got on to the subject of art, something it seemed Stella knew little about, and just as Gerard was about get into the conversation, Stella stopped when she heard screaming.

‘Gerard! Gerard! -Oh my God, look- Gerard!’

‘Hey Gerard! Come here!!’

‘I LOVE YOU!’

There was a group of fans, mainly girls, on the other side of the fence screaming and waving. Gerard threw Stella an apologetic look but she understood and gave him an amused look.

‘Duty calls,’ she said, gesturing towards the fence.

‘Yeah...’ he mumbled, walking over to the fence. He was still getting used to this.

He looked back to tell Stella he’d see her later but she was gone.