Come Back to Me - It's Almost Easy

"Where is Lea? She said she wouldn't be too long and now it's already 8pm and we'll be going on stage in an hour. I told her she needs to be here by 7pm the latest so that I'd have enough time to talk to her!"

Zack was muttering, running his hands through his hair, pacing up and down inside the well- sized dressing room they had at the venue.
She had made him breakfast in bed this morning, after a long- lasting session of his beloved morning sex. He loved her face in the morning, her warm body and her still sleepy noises that escaped her mouth, that always sounded so different to the noises he usually got out of her. After a long shower and more sex, she drove him to his hotel, to get changed and all before she continued on to the gig venue, kicking him out of the car that she had borrowed from Sandra. He wanted her to come with him at that stage already, but she had stated that she would get bored with him and the guys doing sound check and interviews all day, and that she had some stuff to do before joining them on tour. It had made sense, he knew himself, he always needed at least a week to make sure he had everything he could possibly need. However, she did promise that she would drop by later in the afternoon, and it was way past the time he had assumed it would be, and she didn't reply to his test messages, nor did she pick up her cell, when he punched in her number multiple times.

"Calm down, Jesus! Maybe she's already here and is watching the support band from the pit with Sandra and some other friends and can't hear her phone or something. I mean, did you specify for her to come backstage at all?"

Matt was sitting on the small couch in one of the corners, typing away on his laptop. Zack's nervousness was slowly starting to get him unsettled as well. All the time they had known Lea, she was the most punctual person ever, and never was late for appointments without letting people know that she was caught up in something else. He would have tried to call her himself, but there was no need for the two of them getting too worried, most likely getting the others all worked up as well.
Brian opened the door from the outside, his warm laughter filling the tension- loaded room. The second they heard a familiar female giggle behind him, both Matt and Zack whipped their heads around, and waited for Brian's broad frame to reveal if the giggle truly belonged to Lea.

"Oh my God! What the fuck happened to you!"

Zacky and Matt screeched at the same time, causing Brian and her to laugh even harder. She was holding a small ice pack to her nose, while the other was holding a huge cup of what seemed like vodka.

"You do have the best medical team on tour ever, didn't think they would advocate hard liquor instead of pain killers...I already love it!"

She took the ice pack off her nose, wiping an already blood stained tissue under it, checking if it was still dripping. She had a huge band aid on her forehead as well, almost sporting it proudly, as Brian pried the soaked tissue off her, holding it between two fingers in search of a bin.

"As if they would have given you that if I wouldn't have insisted on it, idiot! But after that gash in your head and your bloody nose I simply thought alcohol might be better, so thank me...and gimme a kiss to show your gratitude, bitch!"

She broke out in a giggle fit again and slapped his shoulder, maybe a little softer as she had intended, because he didn't even seem to notice as he dropped the tissue in the small bin next to the couch Matt was sitting on. Matt and Zack just stared at both of them, as Lea threw her arms around the back of his neck and licked him across the face, snorting in amusement as he tried to get away from her.

"Ewh, that was not what I was thinking of, and I believe you had enough of the vodka. Now sit down and start behaving like a playmate should! Licking my face...ewhhhh!"

He rubbed his face with the sleeve of his shirt and pushed her away from him.

"Uhm, guys? Explanation please?"

Zack was walking to Lea, holding a hand under her chin and making her look up at him as he slightly raised it in order to get a better look at her nose and the band aid. At least it didn't look broken he thought to himself.

"Oh yeah, right. This sexy lady-"

he pointed at Lea, who was now kissing Zack's cheek

"- thought it to be a great idea to go into the mosh pit, after she had called me to pick her up from the entrance, seen that she had forgotten her backstage pass. She is quite adventurous, believe me, in between all them kids out there, I think we were pretty much the oldest, and I was wearing my hoodie and sunglasses so people wouldn't recognize me. She was going crazy, until the guy in front of her kind of was pushed back and his skull bashed into her face, and while she crouched down to hold her nose in pain, she got someone's knee smashed in her forehead. But good sport as she is, she refused to leave, until I literally had to throw her over my shoulder to go backstage and get her checked out. Trust me guys, you should have seen her, I think she was about to go ballistic on that guy in front of her...even though he was frigging' taller than Jimmy."

He laughed again, as the scene played in front of his head. He had never seen Lea go crazy like this...well, he had never seen her at a gig full stop, and he had been amazed at what a tom-boy she was. Lea was crossing her arms over her chest, pouting dramatically:

"What is that supposed to mean? I could have so taken him on, and you know it! A kick in the balls would have brought him to his knees,and then I could have easily punched that suckers face or something! I am not as defenseless as you think you know!"

Jimmy, Johnny and Dave came in, Sandra behind them. As they looked at Lea, their jaws dropped, Lea pulled her hood deep in her face and pretended not to be in the room: if I can't see them, they can't see me...always worked!

"Do I dare ask what happened with her? Or should I just shut up and ignore her?"

Dave asked, as he looked at the guys. Sandra held a hand in front of her mouth, trying to suppress a laugh, not quite managing to do so.

"Was she in the mosh pit again? Damn, I keep telling her she just has no luck with mosh pits, but that piece of work always thinks that the next time will be different. Lemme see L., ...awh, not too bad this time around, should have seen her after the Zyklon gig, she got her knee popped out and broke a finger, should have seen the guy though, she pretty much showed him! And who gave her alcohol after the...never mind!"

She quickly shut up and pulled the hood from Lea's head. There was no need to tell the guys that she had been flying high on magic mushrooms when they had met her friend earlier...she loved them they usually relaxed her and threw her in fits of laughter, people usually assuming she was just a bit drunk. Although Lea hated chemical drugs, every once in a while she'd buy magic mushrooms and brew a tea with it, before heading out to a gig. Not many people knew that she was claustrophobic when it came to big crowds and could never deal that good with standing in a crowd bigger than 100 people, and the mushrooms simply took that fear away from her. But as soon as she mixed this with hard alcohol, things usually turned for the worse at some stage: she would get irritated really fast when people tried to tell her that she was acting a bit strange, she hated being patronized.

"Bla bla, it's always the first time sometime, you'll see Sandra! I'll be better prepared when I go out there later to drool over that amazing boy here play his guitar!"

Everyone knew she meant Zacky, as she pulled him closer and kissed his cheek, but Brian locked a bit pissed off and bit the inside of his cheek.

"If I am so amazing, why is he getting the kisses? I mean, I am the lead guitarist, I am the amazing one, I just don't get it what all you girls-"

Zacky slapped the back of his head, as he turned to Lea again, staring into her dark eyes, trying not to pay too much attention to the band aid. Her pupils were tiny, but he kind of did raise her face right towards the bright light at the ceiling, so he didn't think any of it.

"Babe, please don't go out there again? You look terrible and I'll be afraid all set long, that you get hurt even more. I want you to stand on the side of the stage and have a beer or two and just chill out, or something. I wouldn't be able to concentrate at all thinking of what could happen to you out there."

She looked at him, and then all the other guys, that all kind of nodded, in a agreement to Zacky's statement. Sandra bit the inside of her cheeks: this would be the turning point she had feared.

"I wanna see you guys from down there! Watching from the side is no better than just buying a fucking live DVD and watch you guys on that. I think I am old enough to know what I can and cannot do, and just because you haven't seen me in like 2 months doesn't mean you have to smother me by being overprotective. I only have a few scratches so don't sweat it Baker!"

She wiggled out of his grip , her eyes still fixed at his. Although he could hear the anger in her voice, it didn't reflect in her eyes at all, and that fact rang alarm bells. Her eyes were always the mirror of what was happening inside her, they always displayed what she was feeling, but right now he was looking at 2 emotionless, almost black irises staring back at him.

"I am trying to take care of you Lea, I love you, so do the guys! We are not trying to smother you but if I cannot even take care of you when I am just meters away, and you get yourself into that mosh pit again,...I would kill myself if I know I wasn't able to protect you. For my sake: just stay next to the stage or tonight?"

She was finally able to step away from him, staring him down, sneering at him with a disgusted smile on her face.

"Would have been fucking nice if you would have felt so protective over me last night when you almost fucking raped me in that side street Zachary! So don't tell me you would die if you couldn't protect me coz in that case you should be dead right now. I am going in there, watch you guys play and then you'll have me back in one piece, I can take care of myself, I was able to do that before you came along, thank you very much!"

She pecked him on the cheek, and stormed off, taking a big swig off the vodka before pushing the cup in Dave's hand.

-------------------------------

6 pairs of eyes were glued to him. He wished he could just disappear into thin air. He hadn't forgotten about the happenings last night, but her forgiving him, he had hoped that she would never bring it up again, and certainly that she would not tell anyone about it!
Brian was the one to break the silence, coming towards him with quick steps, almost towering in front of him.

"You did what! I am tearing my ass open trying to help you get her back, organize for her to come on tour with us...hell, even helped you ring shopping so you could ask her to be your wife...and now, after all the shit you have already put her through, you rape her!?You fucking rape her while all of us were just around the corner?"

His hands clashed against Zack's chest and he pushed him forcefully back, causing Zack to stumble across the room. Sandra was quick to step in between them, as Brian was starting to charge at Zack again.

"I know this sounds bad, but before any of this gets out of hand, there is something I have to say, that could explain all this! Lea is flying high on magic mushrooms right now, and thanks to Brian, she had vodka and mixing those two always makes her act way irrational and she picks fights. I believe that what she just said didn't actually happen and she just wanted to shut him up so that she could go. Am I right Zack?"

She was still standing in between Zack and Brian, able to see that the confusion in everyone 's eyes was even more so evident then before. She turned her head over her shoulder and looked at Lea's boyfriend, leaning against the wall with his back, slowly sliding towards the ground, putting his head in his hands.

"Even if she's high or drunk or both...I kind of was rough outside the bar until I realized what was happening. But we patched things up, she forgave me. She knows that I love her and that my feelings were just all over the place, with her having gone and Matt still being in love with her...all that shit. It wasn't rape...almost, but...I have no idea how to talk myself out of this. "

The door opened and some guy stuck his head in:

"You guys are up in 10, better get a move on folks!"

It was usually Dave's job to kick their asses to make it on stage in time, but with all that had just happened, he had forgotten why he had come into this room in the first place. Zacky looked up at all his friends, searching for forgiveness in their eyes or features. Brian leaned towards him, inches away from his friend's face now, his teeth clenched as he was searching for all his strength not to hit him.

"We will go out there and have a great show for that one girl that seems to have it in her heart to still loves you after all you have done to her Baker. When we are off stage, don't even look at me, until I have found at least an ounce of the love that she has, because right now, I would gladly punch the last breath of life out of you! Don't test me Baker, I mean it, and I think that I am not only talking for myself when I say this!"

They started piling out of the room, Matt being the last to stand in the door, his hand on the door handle.

"Don't you dare blaming her or me for this shit Zack...almost raping a woman that you supposedly love has nothing to do with any of this. And once all of this has blown over, we have to sit her down and find out what the fuck she is taking drugs for! I'll leave you be, but be on stage in time."