The Biggest Fan
The Store.
”Hey, are you okay? You seem so far away”, Bert suddenly said, standing in front of me with his face close to mine.
“Yeah… I was just thinking about something”, I replied, looking straight into the air.
“About what?”
“Nothing special. Just about you being able to be so normal, so down to earth. I mean, you’re the vocalist in a rock band that has had so much success, but despite that, you’re still able to act like a completely normal guy. It’s just… I don’t know.”
“Yeah”, he said smiling.
I could tell he was blushing as we kept on walking down the street.
“Well, I grew up in a pretty normal neighbourhood and I’ve had some tough times throughout my life. But the people around me, especially the guys, have always been there for me and kept me on the ground. They’re such a great support. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them.”
“I know the feeling”, I said, again looking into the air.
The sky was clear and not a cloud to be seen as the sun was shining bright.
It was hot and the fact that I was dressed in black didn’t help, and I could see Bert’s forehead dripping with sweat.
“So, here we are. Just as I remembered”, Bert said, stopping in front of a shop which had big posters covering the walls.
“Oh, great! Are you sure they still sell those kinds of magazines here?”
“Well, we’ll just have to go inside and look”, he answered as he opened the front door and headed inside.
“Ahh, they’ve re-done this place since last time I was here, but I still recognize it”, he continued.
The shop was actually kinda big. Well, in comparison to the shops back home, this one was huge.
There were rows with magazines all over the place and as I started looking around, I kept an eye out for Kerrang!, Rock Sound or Metal Hammer.
“Here’s Metal Hammer!”, Bert said from across the other side of the room.
I walked towards him, passing the counter where there was a man standing, probably the shop manager.
He was smiling from behind the counter, studying me as I came over to Bert.
“That’s great!”, I said, looking at the cover, seeing Eddie from Iron Maiden there.
“Did you find any other magazines?”
“No, not yet”, I replied.
“Okay. I think I saw Kerrang! or something over there. Let’s go look.”
As me and Bert were walking to the rear end of the many rows of magazines, I noticed that the shop manager really was looking over at us.
It gave me goose bumps feeling his eyes looking at me from behind.
“Yep, here it is!”, Bert burst out, taking an issue of this month’s Kerrang!.
“Now we just need to find Rock Sound and then we’re off. Have you seen it?”
“Yeah, I think so”, I replied, leading him in the wrong direction while taking him to the next room across the floor.
“But… There’s just books n’ shit here”, Bert said, looking at me with a confused look.
“Yeah, I know. Listen, that shop manager over there is really checking us out. He’s giving me the creeps.”
“Hey, relax. He’s probably just checking if we’re stealin´ or somethin´. But screw him, let’s go find Rock Sound, okay?”
Bert’s voice was so comfortable that I couldn’t do anything but trust him as I forgot all about it.
After all, he could be right.
“It’s over here”, I said, heading across the other room where I had spotted Rock Sound.
I think we had crossed the room about four times then. No wonder the shop manager was looking at us.
“Okay, got it”, Bert said as he grabbed am issue of the magazine.
“But… Aren’t you getting an issue of each magazine too so we both have a copy?”
“No, these are for you. Don’t mind me, it’s not important.”
“So you came here with me for no reason? I could’ve gone by myself.”
“Not for the world”, he said smiling.
As we got to the counter, I suddenly realized that I only had Norwegian money with me, which couldn’t be purchased here.
“That’s okay. I’ll pay for the magazines, don’t worry. It’s the least I can do.”
‘The least he could do?’ What did Bert mean by that?
He had used that phrase so many times lately, I was starting to think that he meant something greater than just those words themselves…
“Yeah… I was just thinking about something”, I replied, looking straight into the air.
“About what?”
“Nothing special. Just about you being able to be so normal, so down to earth. I mean, you’re the vocalist in a rock band that has had so much success, but despite that, you’re still able to act like a completely normal guy. It’s just… I don’t know.”
“Yeah”, he said smiling.
I could tell he was blushing as we kept on walking down the street.
“Well, I grew up in a pretty normal neighbourhood and I’ve had some tough times throughout my life. But the people around me, especially the guys, have always been there for me and kept me on the ground. They’re such a great support. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them.”
“I know the feeling”, I said, again looking into the air.
The sky was clear and not a cloud to be seen as the sun was shining bright.
It was hot and the fact that I was dressed in black didn’t help, and I could see Bert’s forehead dripping with sweat.
“So, here we are. Just as I remembered”, Bert said, stopping in front of a shop which had big posters covering the walls.
“Oh, great! Are you sure they still sell those kinds of magazines here?”
“Well, we’ll just have to go inside and look”, he answered as he opened the front door and headed inside.
“Ahh, they’ve re-done this place since last time I was here, but I still recognize it”, he continued.
The shop was actually kinda big. Well, in comparison to the shops back home, this one was huge.
There were rows with magazines all over the place and as I started looking around, I kept an eye out for Kerrang!, Rock Sound or Metal Hammer.
“Here’s Metal Hammer!”, Bert said from across the other side of the room.
I walked towards him, passing the counter where there was a man standing, probably the shop manager.
He was smiling from behind the counter, studying me as I came over to Bert.
“That’s great!”, I said, looking at the cover, seeing Eddie from Iron Maiden there.
“Did you find any other magazines?”
“No, not yet”, I replied.
“Okay. I think I saw Kerrang! or something over there. Let’s go look.”
As me and Bert were walking to the rear end of the many rows of magazines, I noticed that the shop manager really was looking over at us.
It gave me goose bumps feeling his eyes looking at me from behind.
“Yep, here it is!”, Bert burst out, taking an issue of this month’s Kerrang!.
“Now we just need to find Rock Sound and then we’re off. Have you seen it?”
“Yeah, I think so”, I replied, leading him in the wrong direction while taking him to the next room across the floor.
“But… There’s just books n’ shit here”, Bert said, looking at me with a confused look.
“Yeah, I know. Listen, that shop manager over there is really checking us out. He’s giving me the creeps.”
“Hey, relax. He’s probably just checking if we’re stealin´ or somethin´. But screw him, let’s go find Rock Sound, okay?”
Bert’s voice was so comfortable that I couldn’t do anything but trust him as I forgot all about it.
After all, he could be right.
“It’s over here”, I said, heading across the other room where I had spotted Rock Sound.
I think we had crossed the room about four times then. No wonder the shop manager was looking at us.
“Okay, got it”, Bert said as he grabbed am issue of the magazine.
“But… Aren’t you getting an issue of each magazine too so we both have a copy?”
“No, these are for you. Don’t mind me, it’s not important.”
“So you came here with me for no reason? I could’ve gone by myself.”
“Not for the world”, he said smiling.
As we got to the counter, I suddenly realized that I only had Norwegian money with me, which couldn’t be purchased here.
“That’s okay. I’ll pay for the magazines, don’t worry. It’s the least I can do.”
‘The least he could do?’ What did Bert mean by that?
He had used that phrase so many times lately, I was starting to think that he meant something greater than just those words themselves…
♠ ♠ ♠
another update. :]oh, and before i forget; thank you for your feedback, guys.
it's just awesome to be able to see positive comments on this story.
so yet again, thank you all so fucking much.
you guys are great. (:
xo,
lina.