14 Days

Evie was unable to stop her leg from jiggling as she was waiting for the plane to touch down. She was sure the person next to her thought she was afraid of flying, all of her anxious twitches coming out in full swing for the duration of the 6 hour flight. She had consciously tried to stop her bouncing leg on multiple occasions, but had been unsuccessful, the ball of her foot resuming its movement as soon as her mind moved to something else.

She took a deep breath as the plane finally touched the tarmac, her nerves elevating rather than dissipating. The flight was the easy bit. In fact, it was the easiest part about the decision to move her life across country and tour with the biggest up-and-comers in rock and metal, but she had one already conquered one difficult part, just one more to go.

Her mind went into overdrive as she queued to exit the aircraft, thinking of each and every step that got her to where she was today. Had she made the right decisions along the way? Should she have sold all of her furniture, donated all of her excess clothing and stored her guitars with her family while she travelled the world alongside Avenged and their crew? Should she have started this fledgling relationship with Brian, or should she have left it as just a hookup? Should she have even accepted the offer to fill in for them for the original two weeks?

Each and every decision she was doubting seemed to finally start to ebb away as she took each slow step out of the airplane. Hell yes she should have said yes to the opportunity of a lifetime to tech for Avenged. She may not have heard their stuff before, but their introduction in her life had only enhanced it, there was nothing that had hindered her in any way. The two weeks had been some of the best days of her life, and some of the most exciting. She had played huge venues Halestorm had yet to have the opportunity to even think about filling, met a myriad of interesting characters and partied with most of them, and she had woken up every single day blessed to be where she was.

The decision to tour with them for this cycle had been difficult, but if she had said no, she knew that every day she would have regretted letting the opportunity slide by. One day she would be beside Halestorm as they played the same venues, but that was something she could do in the future. She had to take this chance while she could, flex new muscles and start a life of her own, not continue hers in her brother’s shadow.

Her only remaining worry was the situation between herself and Brian. They had been in constant contact since she had left the tour, finding time to call and message one another when they could, even during her three days of solitude before she made the decision of her life. She hadn’t told him, and he hadn’t asked, so today would be a surprise for him at least, if not the entire band. She was sure the crew knew, but that was it. She knew that he was definitely pro her touring with them, but she couldn’t help but be wary of the situation.

Touring together was the equivalent of moving in with each other. They would be around each other 24/7 for the next 8 months, including days off, unable to find space unless they hid in their respective busses, and even then that was shared space. It was not going to take long to see if they would survive as a couple or crumble in the ashes, and that scared the hell out of Evie. he had never lived with a boyfriend before, the closest she had come was a week vacation with her high school sweetheart before he broke up with her and went to college in New York. Hell, even her last long term relationship was over 4 years ago, so she was very rusty at being a girlfriend, let alone a good one.

By the time she was waiting at the baggage carousel,her nerves had all but eaten her alive. Her mind was humming with anxiety, her hands jittery with anticipation for the next few hours. She took another grounding breath, reminding herself to take it one step at a time. She just needed to get her bags and get to the taxi rank. Then she could go to the venue and meet up with the crew. She could finally meet the elusive Chris that had changed her entire world, see Matty and JB again and start working. She didn’t let herself think about the reunion with the band, let alone Brian. If she got too caught up on that, she might just book another flight right back home and take the cowards way out. She steeled herself, trying to bring any form of confidence to the surface that she could muster.

Her bags finally appeared, two large suitcases carrying all of her remaining clothing and a few homey necessities she couldn’t bear to part with. She pulled them off the carousel and made her way to the front of the airport. Once she hit the automatic doors, the Michigan air hit her, the wind having a slight chill regardless of the sunny day. She queued up yet again, this time for a taxi, and reminded herself that she was making the right choice.

Once secure in a taxi and on her way to the venue, she pulled out her phone, shooting a quick message to Matty that she was about 15 minutes out. He sent back a page of exclamation points in return, the nonsense making her smile. Yes, she was definitely making the right choice. As hard as it had been to say goodbye to the status quo of her life, she had definitely made the right decision for her career, the rest would only be determined with time.

Her finger hovered over the ‘call’ button as she scrolled to Brian’s contact, debating if she should give him a heads up, or surprise him. Her phone screen darkened and then turned off, her low battery making the decision for her. She was glad fate was intervening for at least one part of this, and that it had let her text Matty before dying on her.

Her arrival to the venue made the butterflies fly up once again. She paid the driver, once again getting a receipt for the cost so she could hand that to the waiting Larry. A strong sense of deja vu hit her as the driver helped her get her bags from the trunk. Larry was a few dozen feet away, finishing a call as he watched her gather her belongings and make her way to him. He finished the call, pasting a smile on his features as she stopped a foot before him.

“Evie, so good to see you again,” he greeted her, throwing out his hand for her to shake. She was grateful he didn’t try to hug her, forcing closeness. She had nothing against him, but their relationship was nothing but business, and most of that business was with Phill as an intermediary.

“You too,” she replied politely, shaking his hand in return.

“Glad to have you on our team permanently. We greatly appreciate you filling in yet again,” he said, turning slightly and starting to walk away to lead the pair through the parking lot and into the venue.

“No problem. Thanks for the opportunity,” she answered, remembering her manners and replying in the way she anticipated he would expect. She dropped her bags as soon as she had the chance, placing them within the corridors of backstage to put in the bus later. She knew they would be safe as they were close to the security guard manning the exit.

“As you expect, I have to go shortly. I have a flight to Florida before going back to LA, so I will leave you here,” he told her, forever in a flurry of movement. He handed her a sealed manilla folder with a badge clipped to the top corner. “This is your laminate, bus key and a copy of the signed paperwork. Sorry I couldn’t get these sooner, they have only just been signed by all parties. I have to go, but I’m sure the Berry’s are around here somewhere. I will see you soon, and thanks again, Evie.”

“Thanks,” she replied. Larry was always going at 100 miles an hour, she barely had time to digest what he was saying before he had returned through the door back stage and into the parking lot.

Evie stood there, her hands full of legaliese and her brows furrowed in confusion. Another deep breath helped her find her first step.
Step 1 - unclip the laminate from her paperwork and secure it to her jeans.
Step 2 - put the paperwork away.

Why he would have given her legally binding documents and confidential information here out of all places baffled her, her only reasoning being that he really was running behind and had to give her the papers in person. She put the folder in her carry on luggage, quickly asking the bouncer to watch her possessions until she returned. He was happy to keep an eye on the bags as there was little to nothing going on around the venue other than staff loading in.

With that taken care of, she was on to stage 3 - find the Berry’s.

At this point in her life, she had walked the corridors of many venues, and she used her intuition to lead her through the bowels of the venue and towards the stage. This is where she assumed the crew would be, starting the set up for the show. She glanced at her watch, seeing it was already 3:45pm, so she knew sound check would be soon. The swarm of butterflies in her stomach rioted at the thought, her reunion with the band would likely be in 15 minutes, and on the stage.

Evie continued her journey, checking the signs on all doors she walked past just in case they happened to be the boy’s backstage room. So far, there was nothing but storage cupboards and a single stall bathroom. She kept moving, knowing she had headed in the right direction as voices became louder and louder. One more step and she could see a group of men, heavily in debate as they stood around a road case.

“For the last time, it wasn’t me!” The familiar timbre of JB’s voice exclaimed. He threw his arms in the air in exasperation, Evie clearly catching the tail end of the argument. It took a lot to get JB worked up, he was usually one of the more down to earth, easy going guys of the crew.

“Then how the fuck did the case get so fucked up? It wasn’t locked, or securely packed! We are so lucky nothing inside broke or we would be dead,” Matty countered, his tone matching his brother’s. Evie remained off to the side, waiting for the right time to make her appearance. She didn’t want to interrupt while they were mid argument, and the issue had yet to be solved.

She was so distracted by the fight that she stopped paying attention to her surroundings. A loud screech alerted her that more people were filing out into the corridor. The noise was the only warning she had that a very overly excited Jimmy was on the loose and approaching her at a rate of knots. She managed to spin around to face the oncoming giant before he was upon her, his arms immediately reaching out and picking up her smaller frame.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” He yelled, pulling her against him in a massive bear hug. He continued rapid firing questions while spinning her around in excitement. “Why are you here? Are you visiting? Did you miss us? How are you? What are you doing here? What is happening?”

“Put me down and I will tell you,” she requested, unable to help herself from laughing at his actions. She definitely missed Jimmy and his perfect personality. He did as she requested after a final spin, gracefully (doubting all odds) dropping her to her feet and pulled her back to arms length.

“You are here!” He exclaimed, his hands still firm on her shoulders as he observed her. “Part of me did wonder if you were just a hallucination because Syn and I were talking just before, but no, you are real! That is amazing! You are here! Why are you here? Did you take the job? Are we stuck with you forever?”

Evie took a second to try and wrap her brain around his barrage of information. She stored the tidbit about he and Brian talking about her and saved it for later. The rest she could work with easily, though she clammed up a little seeing literally everyone else's attention now on herself and Jimmy. His greeting certainly made her entrance for her.

“I am here,” she answered, confirming the words Jimmy kept repeating. “I am here for good.”

“For good?!” He asked/shouted. A giant grin broke out on his face as he pulled her into him again, this time for an embrace on the ground. “This is the best news all week! No, all year! No, ALL MILLENIA!”

“Jimmy, let the poor girl go,” Matt’s deep voice interrupted as he placed a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder attempting to pull him back. Jimmy gave in, letting go of Evie so she could start the rounds of greetings.

Most of them were easy enough. Matt, Johnny and Dan had walked up with Jimmy, albeit at a more ‘normal’ pace, so she greeted them with hugs each. Bruce and Dave she shook their hands, the techs being much more comfortable with a more professional greeting than the younger guys. Next was JB, who was like Jimmy and couldn’t help but lift her up slightly as they hugged. She giggled slightly at their similarities, and how he could go from yelling at his brother to happily greeting her within moments.

She moved on to Matty next, a huge smile on his face as they hugged. Their embrace lasted a little longer than the others, Evie squeezing him slightly tighter. She didn’t want to pick favourites, but she had missed him the most. Though their friendship had come due to their proximity, it didn’t diminish the strength of their bond. They were too similar, both smokers, both hard workers, and both loyal to their core, and when Matty took her under his wing, she had nothing but respect and admiration for the man. It made her connection to him stronger than the other techs.

Next to Matty was a new face, and Evie assumed it must have been Chris. She was proven right when he stuck out his hand and introduced himself as such.

“So great to finally meet you,” she told him, shaking his hand firmly. “Belated congratulations on the birth of your son.”

“Thanks so much. And thanks for everything, filling in, keeping all the gear so pristine, agreeing to this ‘swap’. I don’t know if there would have been anyone I would have felt comfortable looking after these guys, but you have definitely proved yourself,” he said, the praise making Evie’s cheeks tinge red. She didn’t know how to reply to the kind words, and was saved when Zacky and Brian finally made their way out from the carpark to side stage.

The pair were stuck in a conversation, Zacky miming a solo run in the air while Brian shook his head against the idea. Zacky sighed, his hands lowering as both guitarists finally looked up to see why everyone was crowded in a group.

“Are we doing sound check or just standing here and gossiping?” Zacky asked sassily, already eager to prove to Brian that his point about the solo would be right.

“GUYS! Evie is here!” Jimmy yelled in reply, pointing at Evie as she timidly waved at the pair. Trust Jimmy to break the awkward tension.

“Evie!” Zack cheered, breaking past Matt and Johnny and closing the distance to embrace the tech. Though he had a few reservations about Evie being part of their team while she and Brian were dating, he was ultimately happy to see her.

“Hey, Zee,” she greeted, accepting the hug. She was so glad everyone had been so accepting of her return, and the reaction of the band had been the ultimate sigh of relief for Evie. They had not known her answer to their offer, it would have seemed, but they were all so willing to welcome her back into the fold.

“Okay guys, let's get to soundcheck! Jason Berry, you need to go find another road case or so help me I will stick my foot so far up your ass Mom will feel it,” Matty said, starting to get the group to disperse. He sent a quick wink to Evie before turning on his brother and dragging a whining JB back to the road case in question.

The rest of the team seemed to get the hint, leaving Evie and Brian in the hallway alone. Evie bit her lip nervously as her eyes met Brian’s. She was cursing past Evie for not having planned this moment. She should have brainstormed on the plane anything she could have said to break the tension that radiated between the pair. Luckily, Brian did it for her.

“You said yes?” He asked, silently pleading with her that she accepted the offer and wasn’t just here for a visit.

“I did,” she confirmed, nodding her head. Within a second, Brian crossed the distance between them, pulling her against him tightly, wrapping his long arms around her. He buried his face in her neck, the anxiety he had felt melting to the floor. She gripped him firmly in return, disbelief that the second hardest part of this journey was nearly over. Everyone had accepted her return without a question.

“I missed you so much,” he told her, his words low in her ear and muffled by her hair. She didn’t care. She relished any sound that came from him, any touch, his unique scent, even if it was heavily masked by fresh cigarette smoke.

“I missed you, too. More than I would have imagined,” she replied. Brian pulled back slightly, just enough to be able to look at her face once again. He lifted one hand to run his thumb over her cheekbone before cupping her jaw, the happiness in his eyes making hers start to tear up. She blinked them back, leaning into his hand, relishing the touch.

“You’re here,” he whispered to himself, almost in disbelief. He hadn’t asked about the decision in a few days, Evie not mentioning it in return. He assumed the answer was going to be a no, and he was protecting himself from facing that reality. But she was here. She had said yes!

He leaned in, unable to hold back from kissing her for any longer. Their lips met gently, the kiss sweet and loving, not fueled by lust or urgency. It was an action of pure happiness, Brian trying to show in any way how relieved he was to have her with him again.

“Guys, come on, time for that later,” JB called out, breaking the serene moment between the pair.

Brian and Evie slowly parted, Brian waving JB off while his eyes never left Evie’s. She quickly pecked his lips once more before stepping out of his embrace. If she hadn’t moved then, she never would have let him go, and above anything else, they had a show to put on. She had to remind herself that the job was the reason she was here, not Brian. They would have plenty of time to be together, but for now, work had to come first.

“If we don’t go now, I don't think I will be able to stop without a proper reunion,” Evie said to Brian, voicing her thoughts. She held out her hand, offering it to Brian to take. He gladly accepted, weaving his fingers through hers. He would greedily take any connection he could.

Brian smiled at her, still trying to accept that she was really here. She had chosen him.

“Then let’s go to work.”