Space Monkey.

Brian wasn't particularly excited about the opening act for tonight's gig, as much as he did not recognize it out loud (to anyone but Stefan, that is). As their 20 years celebration tour was now in home country, he had expected Placebo to have a major band touring with them - or one that he enjoyed listening to, at that. But somehow management had convinced both him and Stefan that having this new popular band -as different from Placebo a it was- would attract a much larger crowd. "The young ones will come mainly for them and discover how much they indeed enjoy Placebo" the man on a fancy suit said "while your real fans will not really care who the opening act is - it's you they're coming for".
Whatever the reasoning, he decided to put his best smile and positive attitude (prior meditation required) and be kind and approachable when meeting such band for the soundcheck. He soon learned that this would be a whole test to his patience. The band ("Lambeth Road") was a complete homage to everything a new band of young lads enjoying their first years of success would be: Conceited twats, and unknowingly conceited at that. They showed up late for the soundcheck, most of them smelling like marijuana and one of them so seemingly high his words were barely understandable. Brian greeted them all, introducing himself as humbly as possible, and they all greeted back with a polite yet slightly disinterested attitude.
"Doesn't it seem to you, Stef..." the man with the nasal voice said, once both him and his band-mate were in their dressing rooms packing out their gear "that they're acting as if they were doing us a favor?"
Stefan shrugged, unable to hold a smile.
"Need I remind you we were worse than that?" he asked.
Brian scoffed.
"Were, my friend, were" he moved around, looking for the case with his new guitar "I just think we could have had someone better as an opening gig, y'know? A band we would have actually enjoyed"
"Brian let's be honest, you don't enjoy any band after listening to them every night on tour" Stef replied, laughing to himself while remembering their last tour.
"Every other night now, if you remember" the shorter man replied "If there's something we did right in this tour is to book extra nights to rest"
"Well, 20 years later you would think we learned" the bassist replied.
Brian chuckled. "You bet we did"

***

She lifted a leg slowly and let it hang out of the bathtub, soft vapor rising from her skin due to the hot temperature of the water it was immersed in. She kept her blank stare at what was supposed to be the white ceiling of the bathroom, which in reality appeared to seem more a dusty tone of yellow. The hand holding the cigarette moved up to her mouth, the soft lips catching the white tip and sucking anxiously. Her other hand, which was holding her head, was shaking with nervousness. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea. She wasn't sure if it should be an idea at all.
A small cat jumped on the edge of the bathtub, carefully walking up to where its owners head was to look at her with curiosity.
"What do you think, Cleo?" the naked girl asked, finally tearing her eyes off the ceiling and looking at her pet "Do you think I should go?"
The cat reached down and stretched a careful paw to catch some of the bathtub water, bringing it up to its mouth to lick it immediately after. The girl smiled.
"You know you're not allowed to do that" she said as she moved her arm towards her pet, softly pushing her off the bathtub and then bringing the cigarette back to her lips.
"Then on, I should not be smoking again for the first time in years, and I shouldn't even be thinking on going to this thing the night before one of the most important days of my career"
She sighed, her bosom lifting out of and back into the transparent water as she did. She looked back at the ceiling, almost able to see the eyes she hadn't seen in more than two years now.
Even in her imagination, they were so beautiful.
Cleo's meows woke her up from her daydreaming. She took another drag of the cigar and looked at it as she exhaled the smoke.
"I think we all knew I will indeed go tonight from the moment I lit up this cigarette" she said, a bitter smile on her lips. Her chocolate-brown eyes were covered with a cloud of tears before she could help it, and she let the cigarette fall into the bathtub as she took both hands to her face.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!" she let out a long groan before pulling herself down and immersing completely underwater, hands still on her eyes, nothing but her knees sticking out in the surface.
After a couple of seconds she surfaced again, getting up immediately and pulling on her towel with a clumsy move.
"This is all a melodramatic moment, the whole going into the bathtub to decide if I am going to this or not" she said to Cleo, who was now sitting by the door of the bathroom staring at her owner "I am going, and I hope to God this time I don't come back".