Wasted Nights

The doors to the venue had been officially opened for regular ticket holders for the last ten minutes as Remi sat on the couch in the backstage room with the band, watching as they started their pre-show warm ups and rituals. Tomoya had started stretching his body, bending forward to touch his hands to his toes before starting a series of slow squats. Toru had returned to his chair with his cell phone in hand, typing away on the screen with an impressive speed that Remi hadn’t really seen before. Ryota had stepped out of the room to talk on the phone with his wife while Taka was standing near Hiro, going over something on Hiro’s checklist. Remi thought it was interesting that each of the guys seemed to be doing their own thing, wondering if they felt any kind of nerves before going out on stage. Even after being a band for so long, she wondered if they still worried about things like being nervous.

A pinging noise snapped Remi out of her thoughts, forcing her to dig through her bag for the cell phone that just notified her of a new text message. Finally finding the device at the bottom of her purse, she pulled out the phone and looked at the screen to check who it was that was contacting her, instantly frowning when she saw the notification on her lock screen.

Did you get home safely? Please text me so I at least know you’re ok. ~M

Remi continued staring at the screen even after it had faded back to black, trying her best to compose her emotions. She felt anger at the words on the screen, wondering why Marcus had decided to text her at all. When he left her in the morning, she thought that his insistence that she get in touch with him was just a formality, something he said to soften any aggression she might feel toward him due to their sudden break up. She didn’t think that he would actually follow up with her. She hated that part of her felt a flutter in her chest when she saw his name flash on her screen, a reminder that her feelings for him didn’t just magically disappear, but she was more upset with the fact that he was checking in on her as if he was really worried about her. Marcus was the one that wanted to end things between them and did so in a very public setting so that Remi wouldn’t be able to lash out. Remi didn’t understand why he would continue to reach out to her with his concerns for her safety when he readily threw away what they had together.

Taking a very shaky deep breath to try to calm down the anger she felt brewing inside her, Remi lit up the screen on her phone so that the message was displayed on her lock screen. Rather than give him the satisfaction of seeing that she had read her message, she swiped the notification away so that it was no longer on her lock screen or in her notifications bar. Once the message was gone, she shoved her phone back into her purse with another deep sigh, rubbing her temples in a slow circular motion and trying her best to quell the tears of frustration and sadness she felt building up in her eyes. She wished that she didn’t feel so much for the man that had hurt her but she knew that the heartache she was experiencing wasn't going to just disappear all of a sudden just because things were over between them.

Remi just wanted to move past all the negativity that Marcus Allen made her feel.

She pushed herself off the couch, grabbing her jacket and purse as she headed for the door, needing a moment to herself. She managed to slip out of the room undetected and started wandering down the hall to the exit leading behind the venue where the buses were parked. Walking outside, Remi felt the warm LA night air against her skin as the noise from the venue quieted down. All she could hear was the traffic passing by and the chattering of people walking down the street. She pressed her back against the brick building, leaning her body against the side of the building with her eyes squeezed tight as she took a few deep, shaky breaths to try and calm herself down. She started thinking about seeing Marcus again and how much more difficult it would be for her to keep her emotions in check if a stupid text message was able to affect her this way.

Only a few minutes had passed since she escaped the backstage area before she felt a presence on her left side. Remi slowly opened her eyes, noticing the pastel colored sky above her before she slowly allowed her gaze to drift to the side of her, seeing Taka’s beautiful profile as he leaned close beside her, eyes transfixed on the sky above him. She knew he would be the one that would check on her but she hadn’t expected him to just silently join her outside. She knew that she was in a very weird position of navigating their acquaintance due to her mind being occupied on other things all day. He had been completely patient with her, allowing her space and silence when she needed it or comforting her when her feelings became too overwhelming. He just seemed to know what she needed and was there for her accordingly, which made Remi question what she had done to deserve the attention of someone so completely wonderful.

Taka’s gaze shifted toward her, realizing that she was looking at him, and offered her a small, warm smile of reassurance. Earlier, he noticed that she had slipped out of the room but figured that she was going off to the restroom. Only when she didn’t come back was he concerned about her whereabouts. He was forced to look for her since he had no way of contacting her, mentally kicking himself for not getting her number earlier in the day for such emergencies. He had asked one of the venue staff in the hall whether they had seen her, describing her purple hair as the easiest way to identify her, only to be told that she slipped out the back. When he finally reached the darkening alleyway, Taka looked around until he finally spotted her against the wall with her eyes shut and tilted upwards towards the sky. He could tell by the pained expression on her face that she was feeling conflicted so rather than disturb her, he silently approached and leaned on the wall beside her, close enough but not so close that they were physically touching. He knew that she needed a moment to herself so he was going to wait, turning his attention to the sky above so Remi could have a moment to herself.

Remi returned the smile, though it didn’t completely reach her eyes, and as she was unsure of what to say to him, she just offered a simple greeting, “Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied, his eyes searching hers for some kind of spark, “are you ok?”

“That seems to be the only question you’ve asked me today,” she sighed, breaking eye contact with him momentarily to look down at her red boots. Taka had constantly checked in with her to make sure she was ok, which she appreciated but also realized wasn’t completely fair. He shouldn’t be focused on her worries but rather, on the show tonight. She felt bad for taking up so much of his time asking the same repetitive questions whenever she was feeling down. “I should be ok. I need to stop thinking about what ifs and just get over these feelings.”

“It's easier said than done,” he replied gently. “If you’re not ok, just know that I’m here to listen if you need someone to talk to. It doesn’t help to bottle your emotions.”

“I know,” she sighed deeply, shaking her head a bit to snap herself out of the funk she was in. “I’m just gonna do my best to forget about Marcus and focus on enjoying your show tonight. You guys invited me to an awesome show tonight and I’m not gonna let anything ruin it,” she smiled.

“Just remember I’m here if you need me,” Taka reminded her.

“You’re a good guy Taka,” Remi smiled. “I really appreciate what you’ve done for me today despite how we initially met.”

“Well, at least it’s memorable. I don’t think I would be able to forget you,” he said.

The pair fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to hold one another’s gaze. Taka fought the urge to reach out with his hand and sweep some of her hair behind her ear so that he could clearly make out the shape of her face, his fingers itching to gently graze her cheek. Though she wasn’t sharing her troubles with him at the moment, he was content to see her smile once again. There were a few moments between the two of them where Taka felt a magnetic pull between them, urging them closer. He knew that a lot of it had to do with the fact that he was physically attracted to her but he was startled by just how quickly he seemed to experience these feelings. Usually, he took thinks at a more leisurely pace but given their limited time together, he just chalked up the acceleration of his feelings for the beautiful American girl as a reaction to their special circumstances.

“I should probably track down my shirt from earlier,” Remi said, glancing down at the borrowed shirt she was currently wearing. “I don’t want to forget it before you guys leave.”

“It should still be on the bus,” he replied, pushing himself off the building so that he was standing in front of her. “I can take you back to the bus if you want.”

‘I would appreciate it since I’m sure I’d get lost and wander into someone else’s bus by mistake if I was left to find things on my own. I really don’t need another embarrassing encounter today with strangers,” Remi chuckled, her tone playful.

Taka led them back to the familiar bus he had called home for the past few months, pulling the door open and allowing her to go in first. Remi stepped onto the bus, noting how different it looked now that the scattered belongings were no longer cluttering the cramped space. It looked like an entirely different space now. Remi wouldn’t have been able to tell that it had been used for the last few months with how clean it looked now. The only thing left on the bus seemed to be her camisole and plaid button up, still hanging on the hanger near the wall sharing the area with the bunks. Other than that, the bus looked brand new without any trace that it had been housing a band and their staff for the last four months.

“Wow, Hiro wasn’t playing around with getting all the stuff off the bus,” Remi laughed.

“The bus is supposed to leave in the next half hour,” Taka told her. “We’ve got a hotel room for the night since our flight home doesn’t leave until tomorrow afternoon so our stuff should be at the hotel already.”

“It’ll be good to sleep in a real bed tonight after spending so much time on his bus, I’m sure,” Remi commented, the reminder of Taka’s impending departure making her frown a bit.

Remi stepped forward, looking over her slightly stained camisole with a grimace. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to get all the coffee off her top but she thought she got rid of much more than that. The clothing still held the slightest aroma of her iced coffee, making her sigh a bit as she pulled the tops off the hanger. She walked over to the kitchen table, laying the tops down flat with the camisole placed over the top of her plaid button up. She started neatly folding the shirts until they made a compact square. Smiling to herself, she was suddenly happy that she invested that time in watching the Marie Kondo series on Netflix, which taught her to fold her clothing into a small enough square that she could fit into the bottom of her bag.

Remi removed her bag from her body and also placed it on the counter, slowly emptying the contents of her purse onto the hard surface. Taka watched silently, noting the items that were in her bag with interest. She didn’t seem to have a lot of things in her bag, considering its size, but he was particularly interested in the cables and sets of headphones she seemed to fish out from the bottom of her bag. There were things in her purse that he didn’t really expect, given what he knew about what women usually carried around with them on a daily basis.

Remi paused in her actions once the bag was empty, looking over at the front man with a slight pout and grasping the front of the shirt she was wearing, “I think I’m going to have to steal this shirt you gave me.”

Taka laughed at the phrasing, finding her slight concern adorable, “I didn’t expect to get that shirt back anyway.”

“Well, I don’t want to walk around with a stained shirt that still smells like coffee from this morning. I don’t need any more reminders of just how embarrassing that was for me,” she laughed awkwardly.

“Keep the shirt. It looks good on you anyway,” Taka said, his eyes involuntarily scanning her body at that statement.

“Thank you,” she replied, blushing at the compliment.

Remi continued packing her things back into her purse, hyper aware of Taka’s looming presence over her left shoulder. She knew that he was curious about the items in her bag but she found it difficult to be so close to him and not touching him, especially since earlier they seemed to be in constant contact with one another. She enjoyed their moments of intimacy because the rest of the world seemed to fall away for her in those moments. For Remi, it was only a comforting presence that she was now finding difficult being without. Having had a taste of what it was like to be close to him, Remi had to suppress the urge she felt to reach out to him. She didn’t want to cross a boundary that make things uncomfortable and awkward between them.

"What is this weird cable?" Taka asked as he held up a black cable with connections on the one side.

"Oh, that's my splitter cable," Remi said.

"Splitter? Taka asked with confusion.

"Yeah, it's a cable where you can plug in two sets of headphones so that two people can listen to the same device at the same time," she explained as she gently took the cable from Taka’s hand. “My dad explained to me that on one of their first dates, he and my mom wandered the streets of San Francisco one night, just listening to music from his Walkman and talking about everything. He told me that that was the night that he fell in love with her.”

“Your dad sounds like a romantic,” Taka said quietly.

“He is,” Remi smiled as she looked at the splitter fondly. “My dad gave me this before I left for college. I always carry it with me but it’s mainly just because of the sentimentality of it. I haven’t had occasion to use it.”

“Not even with your ex?” Taka asked curiously.

Remi shook her head with a slight frown, “No. Marcus wasn’t really interested in my music. I listened to his music more to try and find some common ground but he wasn’t really interested in the same things I’m into. I think your band was really the only band that we seemed to mutually like.”

“I enjoy finding out what other people like, even if it’s different from what I like,” he said. “It’s always good to be exposed to new, different things.”

“I think so,” she nodded.

Taka’s phone started beeping, putting an end to their conversation as he retrieved the device from this front pocket. Remi continued putting her things into her bag, putting it back on and re-draping her leather jacket over it so that it hung neatly at her side. Taka looked at his screen for a few moments, reading the message from Hiro about the bus needing to go back and tying a quick response to the tour manager. Once he was done, he glanced up at Remi, noticing that she was standing before him patiently, her eyes looking around the empty bus for distraction.

“We should get back,” Taka said after a moment of observation. “Hiro says the bus should be going back any minute.”

“Ok,” Remi nodded.

“While I have this here,” Taka began nervously, fidgeting with his cell phone as he caught her attention once again, “would you mind if we exchanged numbers? This way, I’ll be able to find you easier after the show tonight.”

“Oh, sure,” she shrugged, trying to keep herself from sounding too excited despite the fact that she was ecstatic at the question. Remi pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen, frowning once she saw that her home screen was still a picture of her and Marcus together. That was something that would need to be changed soon. She quickly got into her contacts and looked up at him, asking, “Is your Bluetooth on? This will be the easiest way.”

“Ok, yeah. You’re the Galaxy, right?” he asked, looking over his list of available devices.

“Yep, that’s me,” Remi replied. After a moment, she received the request to pair devices and accepted, unable to fight the smile on her face, “Ok, I got it. Give me a second.”

Remi looked through her contact information until she found her own entry, sending it to him through the menu options. Once Taka had it, he reciprocated the actions so that Remi had his information. Once she saved his info into her phone, she started making adjustments to his contact info so it looked more like the other names she had in her phone. She decided to save him with a few emojis after his name such as the Japanese flag, a microphone, and, since it was just for her, a pink heart. Once she was satisfied with how things looked, she tucked her phone back into her purse. She knew it was silly to feel so giddy about getting his phone number considering they were still in each other’s presence but she couldn’t help it. She was happy that he seemed interested in her enough to ask for something so trivial, even if nothing came of it.

Once their information exchange was squared away, Taka led Remi off the bus so they could walk back into the venue together, both enjoying the comfortable silence between them. Remi could hear the buzzing from the crowd as soon as she walked through the door leading to the backstage area of the venue, pausing to take in the sound. She generally knew what a crowd waiting for the show to start sounded like, having been in her fair share of them during her lifetime, but she didn’t realize just how loud it was. She was amazed that they were able to hear it from the corridor, suddenly wondering what the bands must think when they hear that buzz of anticipation from the crowd.

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Taka asked, forcing her out of her thoughts. She turned her attention back to the handsome man at her side, surprised at his proximity to her. She was a little alarmed that he had been able to read her thoughts so easily but found herself smiling at his meditative expression. “Hearing them, even now, my heart starts beating really fast,” he told her, patting the space where his heart was with his right hand.

“Does it ever make you nervous, performing on stage?” she asked curiously.

“Sometimes,” he replied quietly. “I’m worried about whether the fans will like our performance that night and about doing a good job. I don’t want to let them down.”

“I get that,” she nodded. “You’ve got high expectations for yourself and you don’t want to disappoint your fans. I think it’s good because then the fans will see just how much you care when you actually perform.”

“Tonight, I do feel a little more nervous than usual,” he admitted, surprised at how easily the words came out of his mouth. He glanced at her, noticing the flecks of amber in her dark brown eyes as she tilted her head slightly to the right, waiting patiently for him to explain his statement. “It’s not just the last show for the tour but it’s your first time seeing us live. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

Remi laughed a little, sweeping her long hair over her left shoulder, “You’re not going to disappoint me. I’m looking forward to seeing you guys in your element tonight. I know it’s going to be awesome.”

The pair continued walking to the room where the rest of the band was, both enjoying the comfortable silence that had fallen between them. Upon entering the room, Remi noticed that the other guys were seated comfortably, laughing at something that Tomoya was saying.

Toru turned his attention away from the conversation at hand to the couple as they walked in, noticing how close they actually were as they walked to the free couch in the room. The more he watched the two of them throughout the day, the more he seemed to understand their relationship. Even though there wasn’t a lot of conversation between them at times, he could see that they were clearly communicating with one another through their gestures and stolen glances. Though Toru had his reservations about the motives Taka had with inviting her into their inner circle on a chaotic last day in the States, he could see now just how good they were for one another. He was still worried about the fallout from their inevitable separation but for now, he was content with the fact that this stranger had been able to pull Taka back into being his normal self.

Remi was seated in the middle of the couch with Taka at her side, comfortably leaning back against the arm of the couch as he joined the conversation taking place. Remi just watched as the men conversed in Japanese, enjoying their company even if there was a lack of understanding in what they were talking about. Remi pulled her hair up into a ponytail once again, knowing that she would her longer hair secured off her neck before she went out into the crowd to watch their performance in a few hours. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she was surprised to see that it was already after seven, meaning that the first band would be starting any minute. Her time with the group was coming closer to an end and she wasn’t sure she was going to be ready to say goodbye when the time came.

“I brought wristbands for the bar!” Julen cheered as he walked through the door, holding the neon green slips of paper in his hands.

“You’re always bringing things into the room like this,” Toru laughed.

“That’s just how I roll. I’m the bearer of good things,” Julen joked.

“Thanks man,” Ryota said as the photographer started passing them around the room.

Julen paused once he was in front of Remi, looking at her skeptically, “You’re old enough to drink, right?”

Remi laughed, nodding in response, “Well it’s flattering to still be asked that question. I’m old enough but in case you want to double check, I can show you my ID.”

“If you wouldn’t mind. I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I just took you at your word. Besides, I think that security guard at the door expects me to check,” Julen replied, gesturing to the man standing at the door, watching the group.

“Sure thing,” Remi shrugged, moving her jacket out the way to pull out her wallet. Once she had that, she pulled out her driver’s license and handed it to him with a smile, “There you go. Date of birth: June 4, 1992; well over twenty-one.”

“1992? You’re younger than I am!” Ryota laughed.

“Well, someone has to be the youngest,” she shrugged with a smile.

“Alright. Good to know,” Julen nodded, handing her license back to her. “Now we can get a beer together at the bar!”

“I could drink a beer,” Remi replied, stuffing her items back into her bag as the large bearded man handed her the green wristband.

“Excellent,” he said with a nod.

Remi turned towards Taka, noting that he was struggling a bit to put the wristband on his right wrist by himself. Without a word, Remi reached out and grabbed his wristband, gently looping it around his wrist. She lightly pressed the sticky end against the other side, fastening the wristband around Taka’s wrist. He offered her a friendly smile, reciprocating the actions with Remi’s wristband. Once he fastened it to her wrist, Taka’s hand gently slid over the top of hers with small squeeze. He was reluctant to pull his hand away from her, wishing he could do more than just hold her hand awkwardly after securing her wristband. Since her nap where she had cuddled against him, Taka found it difficult to think of anything else but holding her to him once again. The urge to pull away from her was difficult now that he knew what it was like to hold her. Taka didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, especially since she was not in the emotional place to process his actions, but he could at least try to satiate his desire with platonic physical gestures.

“There’s about an hour and a half before you guys perform, right?” Remi asked Taka quietly, turning her hand over so that her palm was pressed against his and lacing their fingers together so they were properly holding one another’s hand.

“Yeah. The opening band is on for an hour and then they’ll set the stage up for us,” he told her, his voice slightly husky as he spoke.

Remi nodded, searching his dark brown eyes for reassurance that he was ok with her actions. Her hand had unconsciously moved so that she could easily hold his hand, knowing the action was a little bold considering their acquaintance. He offered her a smile and another gentle squeeze of her hand for reassurance that he was ok with this action, making her breathe a sigh of relief. They held one another’s gaze, finding it difficult to look anywhere else in the room. Taka and Remi were absorbed into their moment together, each of them wanting to hang onto the moment together for as long as possible.

What the couple didn’t know, however, was that each person in the room watched their private exchange with playful grins and looks of acknowledgement to one another. Each of the members of One OK Rock watched Taka and Remi’s interaction with one another with slight surprise at how natural the pair looked holding one another’s hand, eyes only on one another as if they were alone in the room. Throughout the day, the band had watched their front man cater to the adorable woman they barely knew and found themselves satisfied with the fact that Taka was starting to act like his old self once again. They continued to watch the two of them stuck in this moment together, unable to keep their eyes off one another. Taka and Remi were wrapped up in an overly intimate moment with one another, making each of the men feel guilty about intruding on their time together with their prying stares.

“Remi-chan?” Ryota asked gently, trying to get her attention.

She snapped herself out of the daze she was in, shaking her head a bit before forcing herself to shift her gaze back at Ryota with confusion, “Hmm?”

Ryota chuckled to himself a bit, feeling a little bad that he had disturbed their private moment before continuing, “I was just wondering whether you were going to watch us from the crowd or the side of the stage tonight?”

“Oh,” Remi said, biting her lower lip as she processed what he had just said, still too distracted by the fact that her hand was warm and tingling since she was still holding Taka’s hand. “I guess I thought I would be in the crowd tonight if that’s ok.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Toru nodded with a smile.

“I guess I just want to be able to see you guys properly, since it’s my first time seeing you guys play live,” she explained with a shrug.

“That makes sense,” Tomoya said. “We’ll be looking for you out there then.”

Remi laughed a bit, “Just as long as I don’t distract you from your jobs!”

“Well, I’m gonna head out there and grab a beer and maybe get a few shots of the opener before you guys go on. Anyone else up for joining me?” Julen asked, grabbing his camera bag from near the door. “Remi, you wanna come be my drinking buddy?”

Remi laughed, amused by the question, “You were serious about needing a drinking buddy?”

“Sure, everyone needs a drinking buddy and you seem perfect for the job,” he shrugged, a large grin on his face. “Besides, they have to get ready soon so we can let them be boring together doing their pre-show shit while we have an adventure together,” he added, gesturing to the other men seated around the room.

Remi was quiet for a moment, internally debating what she should do next. She knew that Julen was right. The guys needed to get ready for their performance and though she wanted to stay behind next to Taka for as long as she could, she knew that she would eventually have to let go of his hand. As difficult as it was, she needed to face the reality that after the show ended in a few hours, they would go their separate ways. She needed to get used to the fact that his comforting presence would no longer be available to her as needed. The thought of their impending separation made Remi sad but she knew it was inevitable.

Their time together was always limited to the end of the concert.

“Well, I guess you can count me in,” she replied, forcing a smile to mask the despondency she felt at having to leave Taka’s side.

“Awesome! I have a drinking buddy!” Julen cheered, pumping his fist into the air triumphantly.

Remi shifted her gaze to the man beside her, noticing how quiet he had been during her exchange with Julen. Taka’s gaze was fixed on their joined hands, his expression unreadable. Remi was a little concerned by the shift in his mood, lightly stroking the back of his hand with her thumb for comfort. Taka looked up at Remi, completely taken with the soft smile she was offering him. He felt a tingling sensation running up from the back of his hand where Remi’s thumb had brushed against through the rest of his body, making him let out a shallow breath. It was in this moment that he realized just how besotted he actually was with her. He knew this was a dangerous feeling, considering how complicated things were between them, but he couldn’t help himself. Taka was determined now more than ever to find a way to prolong their goodbyes.

He wasn’t going to let go of her so easily.

“I should let you get ready for the show,” Remi said, her voice quiet.

Taka nodded in understanding, offering her a smile, “We’ll see each other after the show. I promise.”

Reluctantly, the pair untangled their hands from one another. Remi noted how chilly the air was in their room now that Taka’s warm hand was no longer clasped with hers, feeling an emptiness that she hadn’t felt before, even this morning when things ended with Marcus. Pushing herself up from her seat on the couch, she took a moment to stretch her arms over head as she walked towards Julen. Julen smiled at her, nodding his head in the direction toward the main part of the venue as if he were silently asking whether she was ready to go. Remi nodded, pausing to turn back to the band.

“Well, I’ll see you guys on stage,” she said shyly, wringing her hands nervously.

“We’ll be looking for you Remi-chan,” Ryota smiled.

“Yeah! I better see you dance!” Tomoya laughed.

“Just for you Tomoya!” Remi teased, playfully winking at him. “Gambatte kudasai!”

“You do speak Japanese!” Tomoya said, pointing at the petite woman accusingly.

“That’s like two of five words that I actually remember,” Remi laughed.

“Well, we’ll be looking for you out there,” Toru said, “some of us more than others,” he continued as his gaze shifted to the front man beside him.

Remi took one last look at Taka, noticing the way he was intensely staring at her. Rather than give into the magnetic pull she felt between the two of them beckoning her back to his side, Remi offered him a small wave before turning back to Julen, following him out of the room. Julen led Remi down the corridor and onto the main floor of the venue where the crowd was anxiously waiting for the start of the first band. Remi stuck closely behind Julen as he weaved through the throngs of people towards the bar near the back of the floor where the merch booth was located. Once they had finally reached the bar, Remi squeezed in next to the larger man, leaning against the countertop as they waited to flag down a bartender to take their order. Each of them had pulled their passes out so that they were visible, making it easier for them when they would travel back through the crowd.

“So, now that the tour is over, are you planning to head back home for a break or are you jumping onto another tour with a different band?” Remi asked curiously.

“Well, I’ll be going to New York for a little while to prepare my photography exhibit and then once that’s done, I’m joining the boys for their European leg of the tour.”

“Oh, so do you just work with them exclusively?”

Julen shook his head at the question, “Not exclusively but for this ‘Eye of the Storm’ tour, I’m their man when it comes to photography. I’ll miss a bit of the Asian tour when they open for Ed Sheeran but I think I’ll be catching them at the end of their run in the Philippines and probably later in the year when they tour Japan.”

“They’re opening for Ed Sheeran?” Remi asked with shock.

Julen chuckled at her reaction, nodding again, “Yeah. Taka and Ed are good friends so it should be a fun run through Asia. Plus, I think the guys have something planned for Taka’s birthday in April so that’ll be good. I can't wait to cover him in cake.”

“I’m guessing this is revenge of some kind?” Remi asked, recalling the lunch conversation where the band mentioned they would be getting him back.

“Oh yeah, that jackass has it coming,” Julen laughed. “It’ll be good.”

“Well, sounds like you’re going to have a good time,” Remi smiled.

“I hope so. This is the second time I’ve worked one of their tours and they’re usually so much fun to be around. The start of this tour was a little touch and go for a while considering Taka’s mood but that seems to have disappeared rather quickly,” Julen explained, his voice seeming to hint that Remi had something to do with his changed attitude.

“Well, I don't think I had anything to do with that," Remi said with confusion.

"Trust me, Taka has been different today compared to the rest of the tour. At the start of the tour, he pretty much kept to himself and was mopey all the time. I know it's taken him some time to get over Yukari, but he seems like he's back to his normal self now, especially since he's been around you today."

"I don't think I've done anything to help him really. Taka has been the one that's been helping me today. My boyfriend broke up with me this morning and when I ran into Taka, I just broke down on the street. He just happened to be the one that was there when it happened and he was so nice to me. I don't really know what I did to deserve this. He's been so nice and accommodating to me all day and I feel bad because I don't think I've then very fun to be around today," Remi said pensively.

“From what I saw earlier with your dancing, you seem like a pretty awesome person to be around,” Julen told her, causing her to blush at the memory of dancing around the venue during sound check.

“You saw that?” she asked, leaning against the bar and putting her hand over her face to mask the awkwardness she felt.

Julen chuckled at her reaction, thinking she was completely adorable in her bashfulness, before replying, “I think everyone who works the tour and in the venue saw you. It was very entertaining to watch, especially since it was set to silence for the rest of us.”

After a few moments, the pair finally flagged down a bartender so they could get their beers. Remi was quicker with getting cash out, paying for both their beverages and tipping the bartender generously, much to Julen’s dismay. Once they each had a beer in hand, they said a quick cheers, clinking their plastic cups together, and sipping the amber liquid. Remi relished in the taste of the alcohol, trying to remember how long it had been since she last had a beer. She wasn’t usually one for drinking too much but considering her nerves for the evening ahead of her, she thought having at least one beer wouldn’t be too bad.

Once they had their alcoholic beverages squared away, Julen led Remi back towards the front of the stage as the first band started to play. Remi wasn’t really sure who these guys were, considering she was only interested in One OK Rock, but she found herself nodding along to their music nonetheless. Every now and then, Julen would lean over and tell her some interesting tidbits about the band on stage but for the most part, the pair of them just enjoyed the music together. The space they were standing was on the right side of the venue up near the front of the stage with a perfect view of everything. Since they both had passes that allowed them access to the majority of venue, Julen and Remi were able to stand at the front of the barrier just beyond the crowd where some of the security guards were posted for crowd control. It was a very different experience than what Remi was usually used to, since she was usually always in the middle of a sea of people, but she found herself having a good time nonetheless.

Midway through the first band’s performance, Julen handed Remi his half-empty cup of beer so that he could pull his camera from his bag and snap a few photos of the opening act. Remi didn’t mind holding his beverage, watching Julen as he walked all along the front of the stage, snapping photos of the opening band’s performance at different angles. She was in awe watching how hard everyone on this tour seemed to work, even if she was only seeing the last day of a long tour. There was a lot of work that went into making sure things were running smoothly which Remi hadn’t really noticed before despite the countless rock shows she’d attended in the past. It made her think that she would be watching the crew members during future shows with a new appreciation for just how hard they worked.

It wasn’t long before the first band’s performance ended and Julen was back at Remi’s side, taking his beer back from her with a smile. He was looking through his camera at the shots he had just taken, showing Remi the finished product. Remi couldn’t help but smile at the photographs, enjoying the colors of the lights behind the various band members and poses he seemed to catch. She knew that part of it was due to the equipment he was using but she knew that there was also timing that went into getting the perfect shots. Julen’s photos seemed to catch some of the more subtle moments of the band’s performance that she wouldn’t have noticed unless she watched one particular member of the group for the entirety of the concert.

“You’re really good,” Remi told him, sipping her beer.

“Thank you,” he replied. In an instant, Julen had wrapped his arm around Remi’s shoulders, his empty beer cup dangling near her shoulder as Remi’s eyes widened at the sudden shock of Julen’s sudden closeness to her. He had turned his camera around so that the lens was facing the two of them, glancing down at the perplexed girl with a grin, “Make a silly face on three!”

Complying with the request, Remi stuck out her tongue and offered a very exaggerated wink, holding up her nearly finished beer so that it was in the shot, as Julen snapped a few photographs of the two of them. Once he was done, he removed his arm from Remi’s shoulders and looked over the photograph he had just taken. He couldn’t help but laugh at her expression, thinking she still looked quite attractive despite her best attempts to make a silly face. He could see why Taka was so interested in her. Though he hadn’t had much opportunity to spend time with her the way the front man had, Julen could tell that Remi seemed like a fun person to be around.

Julen showed her the photo, grin on his face, "I think this is one of the best pictures I've taken."

Remi laughed, shaking her head, "We look so hot, especially you with your scrunched face.”

“Well, I’m just trying to keep up with you,” he teased, stuffing his camera back into his bag.

Remi found herself blushing at the comment, turning away from Julen as she shyly sipped more of her beer. Julen excused himself for a moment, pointing back toward the bar while Remi just nodded in understanding as he made his way through the crowd once again. She watched as the crew hurriedly changed out the stage, replacing instruments and plugging in the necessary amps and microphones on stage. Remi could feel the butterflies in her stomach as the anticipation started to build. The guys would be on stage soon and she was hardly able to contain her excitement. She knew it was silly to be so excited, especially since her day entailed some pretty surreal moments, but she couldn’t help it. There was something about waiting for a concert to begin that made Remi a bundle of nerves. With everything that went on today, she knew that the start of the show would just allow her to release all the emotions she had been holding back through the movement of the crowd and the loud, deafening instruments.

It didn’t take long for Remi to finish her beer, momentarily leaving her spot to throw the cup away in a nearby trashcan before returning to the spot she had occupied with Julen. She looked to the side of the stage, seeing Hiro discussing something with one of the sound engineers. Her eyes searched the area nearby, finding that she felt slight disappointment when she didn’t see Taka anywhere. She knew that she wouldn’t since he was most likely trying to get himself ready for the show but given that she had grown so attached to him, she found herself craving his presence once again. After spending so much of the day with the rest of the guys, she found it a little bizarre to be on her own in the crowd all of a sudden.

“I’ve brought you another beer, since I owe you for earlier,” Julen said, startling Remi, who didn’t realize that he had returned to her side with two more beers in hand.

“You didn’t owe me,” Remi said, tentatively reaching out to take the beer offering from Julen’s hand.

“As your designated drinking buddy, I had an obligation to provide you with another one,” Julen replied, causing Remi to laugh at his choice of words.

“Designated drinking buddy? I want an official button made with that title.”

“It’s a pretty good title, just as long as you’re not someone else’s drinking buddy,” he joked. “I’ve already decided that you’re the one for that job and I’ll be damned if Ryota or Tomoya come in to try and take my place as your other designated drinking buddy.”

“I wouldn’t dream of such a thing,” Remi replied. She held up her beer, “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” he replied, lightly knocking their plastic cups together before they each took a sip of the beer. “You seem a little bit better now than earlier. Is that the excitement for the show?”

Remi nodded, “Yeah, I think so. Considering how horribly my day began, I can’t really believe that I’m here now. I’ve gotten to hang out with some pretty cool people and distract myself from some things I’d rather not dwell on so it’s turned into a pretty decent day. I’m excited to finally see them perform. They looked so cool during sound check so I’m anxious to see what it’s like when they’re serious and not just goofing around.”

“You’re in for a treat,” Julen commented, adjusting the strap of his camera bag. “They sound even better live than they do on studio releases.”

“Is that even possible?” Remi asked seriously, wondering if he was exaggerating.

“Just wait and see,” he winked, taking another sip of beer. “So, my job as photographer will be starting soon. You gonna be ok to be on your own during the show?”

“Oh yeah, I’ll be fine,” Remi replied, switching the beet to her other hand. “I’m probably gonna move back a bit so I’m not so close to the stage. I want to be able to see everyone clearly.”

“Well, find me afterward, alright? I’ll be with the guys,” he stated.

“Sure thing. I’ll see you later,” she replied.

“Later,” he said, giving her a small salute.

Julen adjusted the strap of his photographer bag before walking along the front of the stage to the other side. Once he was gone, Remi decided that it was time for her to find her spot in the crowd. Remi quickly finished off her beer, feeling the effects of the alcohol in her system, and tossed the cup. She carefully navigated her way through the people gathered until she was a little further back from the front of the stage, able to see the whole stage clearly. Once she was settled in her spot, Remi tucked her All Access pass back into her shirt so that it was safe and let out a heavy sigh, anxiously waiting for the guys to take the stage. She was happy that she had the second beer that Julen had offered her, finding that she was a little more relaxed due to the alcohol in her system.

Remi secured her jacket to her waist, knowing it would get lost if it continued to remain draped over her bag. Once her bag was accessible, she started digging through it once again to find her phone, wanting to check the time. Once she looked at the lock screen, she noticed there was a new message waiting for her. Quickly, she unlocked her phone and opened up her messaging app, unable to fight the smile on her face as she looked over the familiar emojis she had tacked onto the end of the name.

I’ll be looking for you in the crowd. I hope you enjoy our show.

Remi laughed a little at Taka’s message, chewing her bottom lip as she tried to think of a response. Once she thought of something, she quickly typed the message into her phone and tucked it into her front pocket for easy access in case she felt the urge to snap a few pictures while the band played. She felt herself anxiously rocking back and forth on her feet, eagerly wanting the show to start.

While Remi was waiting in the crowd for the start of the show, Taka was also anxiously gripping his cell phone in his hand as their roadies started setting up his mic equipment. He was standing just behind the stage with the rest of the band, waiting for the last few moments before the show was set to begin. Toru was holding his guitar with his eyes closed as he seemed to get into the zone while Tomoya just casually twirled his drumsticks in hand before he would start tapping out a rhythm against his thigh and then return to twirling them once again. Ryota was mirroring his moves that he would do on stage with his bass guitar, currently in a deep lunge before switching over to his left side. Taka was the only one that was standing like a statute, overthinking the text he had sent to Remi just moments ago.

Since Julen and Remi had left the band backstage, Taka felt the intense uneasiness wash over him as the band went about getting themselves ready. He hadn’t wanted her to leave with Julen but knew that he needed to try and focus on the performance. He struggled with carrying on a conversation with the group as they started warming up, his eyes frequently traveling down to the hand that once held Remi’s hand. He could still feel the linger of her touch on his skin, wishing he was still next to her rather than separated. Taka couldn’t believe how clingy he seemed to be in the presence of this stranger. He knew he had to snap himself out of it since he had to go out on stage and perform but since he sent off that text to her, he found himself second guessing his choice of words and feeling slightly embarrassed by what he said to her.

"Mori-kun, are you alright?" Tomoya asked, startling the lead singer a bit with the sudden question.

"Eh? Oh, yeah, I'm ok. Just nervous," he replied absentmindedly, glancing at his phone to check for a notification that wasn't there.

"Don't worry about Remi-chan. She'll be ok out there," Tomoya told him with a reassuring smile, patting Taka on the back of his right shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," Taka nodded, his eyes transfixed to the cellular device in hand.

Tomoya just shook his head at Taka's distracted reaction, deciding to leave him to his thoughts and go back to tapping out rhythms with his drumsticks. Taka continued to fiddle with his phone, anxiously looking over the texting conversation he started with Remi. He wasn't sure she would respond to him anyway but he was hopeful that she would say something to him to calm his nerves. He had been so anxious being away from her for the last hour that he had started to question how he was going to cope once the show was over for the night.

The sudden buzzing startled Taka, who quickly unlocked his brightened screen to look over the new notification. His lips curled into a smile when he saw the incoming text message from Remi. He had affectionately saved her contact information under "Remi-chan" with red heart emojis bookending her name. It was silly as he didn't really use emojis for other people but Taka thought it was fitting for her since she was special to him. He wanted her to stand out in his long list of contacts so he would continue to remember her. Taka hurriedly opened the message, reading it over slowly so he could fully comprehend the written English words on his screen.

I'm looking forward to seeing you on stage tonight. You guys are going to be awesome! I hope you can spot me in the audience but don't make that your priority! Focus on kicking ass on stage! I’ll see you after!

Taka chuckled to himself as he imagined the exact playful tone of her response to him, highlighted by the smiley face emoji with the tongue sticking out that she attached to the end of the text. He locked his phone and tucked it into his pocket, knowing he would need it for later for one of his signature selfie videos with the crowd at the end of the evening. Now that he had received Remi’s encouragement, Taka could finally focus on going out on stage and putting on a good show for the crowd. Though he had to perform for his fans in Los Angeles, Taka was only concerned with one person out in that crowd tonight and he needed to make sure that it was going to be a memorable evening for her.

”Five minutes,” Hiro said to the group as he passed by on his way to the side of the stage.

“I’m so ready!” Ryota said, stretching his arms overhead.

“Last show of the tour!” Tomoya smiled, twirling a drumstick in his hand. “Let’s make it a good one out there tonight.”

Standing with the rest of the group, Taka could feel the butterflies in his stomach getting the better of him. It had been such a long time since he had the pre-show jitters but knowing that it would be Remi’s first time seeing the band live, he knew he had to make sure their show was a good one. Taka knew that it was weird to be so concerned with just one person’s opinion but he couldn’t help himself. Though the room was filled with a bunch of their fans, he would only have eyes for one out there and he was going to do his best to find her.

“Alright guys, it’s time,” Hiro said, appearing near the entrance to the stage.

“Well, it’s time to give them hell out there,” Taka said, patting Toru’s shoulder. “Let’s make tonight the best night of the tour.”

“Yosh, let’s do it!” Tomoya cheered.

The four men put their hands into the middle of their group, doing a quick cheer of encouragement before walking towards the stage. Taka could hear the buzzing of anticipation from the crowd, shutting his eyes for a moment and relishing in the rush of adrenaline this moment was giving him. He thought back to earlier in the evening when he stood in the corridor with Remi, remembering her reaction to the sound of the same crowd with a small smile. Her words of encouragement floated through his mind momentarily, making him all the more determined to make this show the best one of their tour. He wanted to go out there and show her the best show she’d ever seen.

With his heart hammering away in his chest, Taka reopened his eyes with resolve. He was ready to get out there on the stage and exceed Remi’s expectations for a great show.