14 Days

Evie made sure to get to the venue hours before sound check was due to start so she would be able to set up the guitars in peace and disappear into the shadows when the band arrived. She figured that the less time she was able to spend around Brian, the less likely it would be for get too consumed with the memories of the night they shared together. She didn’t want to let it affect her work, and she definitely didn’t want anyone else to piece together what had transpired between herself and the lead guitarist.

In true Evie luck, she had arrived at the venue and on her walk to backstage, she noticed the Berry’s already standing at the open doors of the gear trailer. As she got closer, Evie noticed that it was all but empty, only the amp isolation boxes remained stacked against the back wall.

“You’re early,” Matty commented, being the first to notice Evie walking across the car park and towards the trailers.

“You’re earlier,” Evie replied, part of her tone questioning why they had arrived early as well.

“Amazing what a night at home can do for you. After sleeping most of yesterday, both of us were up early, keen to get today over and done with,” he answered while watching JB disappear into the trailer and pick up one of the two remaining boxes. “Did Larry end up coming though?”

“Uh, yeah, he did,” Evie answered vaguely, not wanting to give any more thought or detail to the past 24 hours. Instead, she changed the subject. “Everything in the usual spots side stage?”

“Sort of, all the guitars are side stage right at the moment, they haven’t been separated out to the correct sides yet,” JB answered as he walked by the pair, muscles straining from the weight of the box in his arms. He placed the box in front of Matty with a pointed look. “You girls done chatting now?”

“You really are eager to be finished, aren’t you?” Evie noted. She was used to seeing JB so focused only when their load in was running late, or if there was a promise of a party after they were finished packing up at the end of a show.

“It’s nearly done, no point slacking off now,” he replied, heading back in the trailer and picking up the one remaining box. Evie had to give him credit for his work ethic, even if it did slightly confuse her.

Matty picked up the box JB had left at his feet and turned towards the venue. Trying not to incite any further conversation, Evie stayed in place as her friend moved towards the door to back stage. She reached into her bag, collecting a cigarette and lighting up before Matty realised that she was hanging back. It was nothing personal, but she was far from chatty this morning, her own chaotic mind more than enough to keep her company.

She wandered slowly towards the back of the venue, leaning against the cement wall while she finished off her cigarette. She watched all the roadies mill around, some from the support band, some from the Avenged crew, and some staff from the venue itself. They were all part of a well oiled machine, each little cog had its own job and worked seamlessly to get the equipment out from the vans and trailers and to its correct location inside. She paid no mind to those that stared at her as they walked past, most of them from the support band, they could judge her all they wanted. She was here for a reason, and she had proved herself worthy of her job night after night.

She ground out the cigarette beneath her boot, making sure the embers were dead before she picked the butt up and threw it in the trash near the entry. She took a deep breath, trying to muster up the confidence and resolve to get through the evening. She reminded herself that she still had hours before the band were due to arrive, plenty of time to set up and fix what she needed to before she had to face anyone other than the Berry’s.

Evie pulled herself together, walking tall with her head held high as she made her way through the labyrinth of corridors until she found front of house. She walked across the stage as if she owned it, her strides purposeful and intimidating to those around her. While she usually tried to maintain a welcoming, opening vibe around her, today she had no time to waste on inane chatting with the other crew members. Today, she wanted to get in and out without a fuss.

For the next few hours Evie did not move from her spot. She went through each and every guitar, cutting the strings off, cleaning, checking all wiring and any loose hardware before restringing and tuning. She tuned herself out from the movement and chaos around her, her bubble only breaking when Matty or JB interrupted her for her opinion or a comment on the other crew.

After placing the final ZV signature Schecter back in its correct position, Evie locked the cases back up, sliding the rhythm and bass guitars in place. She grabbed the handle for the case of Brian’s guitars, pulling the box around to the correct side. Still in her zone, people moved out of her way, letting her through the corridors with ease and not making her slow her pace. She quickly made it over to the stage left, leaving the guitars next to the bands outboard gear.

Evie retraced her steps from earlier, making her way back outside for another smoke. She slid her sunglasses on as soon as she emerged from the venue, a cigarette already between her lips as she walked into the sun drenched car park. She headed to the left hand side of the venue and around the corner out of sight. She slid down the wall, sitting on the pavement below and pulled out her phone from her back pocket. She turned it on for the first time since throwing it against the wall only hours ago when it would not stop ringing and interrupting her sleep.

With a relieved sigh, the phone powered up, taking its sweet time to load up the notifications of missed calls, voicemail messages and unread text messages. She glanced through the list, starting to think that this phone was becoming more trouble that it was worth. If she had not seen the rejected call from Larry, or his message, then she could still be at Brian’s, continuing all the delicious things they had started exploring. If she had not seen the call, she wouldn’t have receded inside her mind, letting her brain overthink every last detail until she convinced herself she was better off leaving.

There was a part of her, and the part seemed to be growing, that regretted bailing out earlier this morning without confronting Brian. It was the same part of her that couldn’t help but dream of a relationship between them this morning as she napped, the part that kept replaying their night together until she was uncomfortably turned on, the part of her that had woken up and made her realise that there was more to life than endless travelling, the rare overnight stay in a town, and the rarer still one night stands that warmed her bed when she was in need.

Evie dropped the phone into her lap, ignoring all notifications and leaned her head back to rest against the wall. She softly banged her head back again and again in a vain attempt to knock some sense into herself, one way or the other. Why was she letting herself actually give in to the possibility of confronting Brian and apologising for her actions. It’s not like they had discussed anything, set out any boundaries, or even talked about the lines they had just crossed. But it was her fault that they hadn’t. She hadn’t stuck around that morning, let the conversations happen once they woke up and the cold light of day woke up their common sense. Instead she ran off, using the tired excuse of self preservation to hide behind and convince herself that she had made the right call. There was not one point she stopped herself and consider what her actions were doing to Brian, or how he felt about what had transpired.

She needed to turn her brain off. She needed to get through the next two days, keep her head down and herself focused on the job. She needed to not let anything else transpire between herself and anyone in the band, so that when she was able to return home, she could do so without any further guilt, and the guys could just forget about the two weeks she helped them out. She would become just a footnote in their tour stories, someone that one day they would think back and say ‘oh yeah, I forgot about her. What was her name again?’.

Evie lifted herself back up, dusting off her behind and started towards the venue. What she really wanted was a shot of something, vodka, whiskey, tequila, anything that would help her brain calm for a while. Just one or two, she told herself, enough that it has an affect, but not enough to impair. She wanted to ride that line until the moment the band stepped off stage that night and disappeared into another after party.

She turned the corner, her gaze taking in her surroundings and the car park getting busier and busier as time crept closer to doors open. Upon seeing the figures ambling across the asphalt, she softly cursed, her luck once again stabbing her in the back.

“Evie!” Jimmy’s voice sounded out, strong enough that it sounded as if he were standing next to her regardless of the 50 feet that separated them.

The energetic giant ran towards her and Evie braced herself, ready for impact. She wasn’t exactly inviting him in for the tackle hug, but she knew him well enough that when Jimmy had decided to do something, there was no stopping him. As expected, only a few seconds later the drummer had wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet.

“I missed you!” He screeched, forgetting to lower the volume now that she was right next to him. Evie cringed, swatting at his arms to let her down. “I’m not letting go until you tell me you missed me, too!”

“Okay, okay, I missed you too, buddy,” she assured him, needing to be on her feet and able to escape before Brian reached their position.

“Of course you did. I am very missable,” Jimmy said, taking the cigarette from between her fingers and placing it between his lips. Evie furrowed her brows but let him steal the smoke.

The others were now in ear shot, and Evie could hear a few conversations happening between the remaining band members. Matt was the first to reach them, slinging his arm around the lanky drummer and pulling him away from Evie with an apologetic look in his eye.

“I would apologise for him, but you’ve been around long enough to know what he is like,” Matt said cheekily, letting a dimple pop out with his smirk. Unable to stop it, Evie returned the grin, the frontman’s adorable smile being too much to resist.

“I was ready for the impact,” Evie told him, shrugging slightly. She made sure to keep her attention on Matt and Jimmy, not letting her eyes wander to the back of the pack like she desperately wanted to.

“I can hear you, you know,” Jimmy muttered out, a faux sulky look on his face as he crossed his arms and pouted. The cigarette hung between his lips, but Matt pulled it out and threw it to the pavement quickly.

“Good. Then maybe you’ll listen when I ask you not to smoke around me,” Matt challenged, turning his gaze to Jimmy before pulling him into the venue. He quickly turned to Evie, as if suddenly remembering she was standing there as well. “See you in there.”

“See ya,” she replied softly, returning Johnny’s head nod hello as the bassist followed Matt and Jimmy inside. Only Zacky and Brian remained, and Evie’s gaze turned to the ground. She did not want to catch Brian’s eye, or give any indication to Zacky that something had happened between them.

“Hey Evie!” Zacky greeted warmly, stopping before the tech and ready to strike up a conversation. To his left, Brian kept walking, his stride taking him through the back door and into the venue behind his bandmates without as much of a pause in recognition of Evie standing there.

“Hey Zack,” she answered meekly, her eyes finding their way back up to his. He noticed the posture change in her, going from friendly and warm to uncomfortable within seconds, and then back to content now they were alone. Zacky’s mind went wild with possibilities.

Zacky was at a crossroads - to follow his bandmate inside and question him about his abrupt departure, or to stay with Evie and question her about what had just happened. After a pregnant pause, Zacky decided to hastle Brian, already familiar with how to deal with him when he was in one of his asshole moods.

“Catch you soon,” he told her, quickly taking off after his friend.

Evie breathed a sigh of relief, her first encounter with Brian already checked off and she had survived. Ignoring the storm raging in her stomach, she slipped through the door backstage and hid out with the guitars once again, looking busy to anyone that passed by.