Authors: CS Patra
Tonight, there would be no hiding secrets between them anymore.
Chapter 7
Lily had no idea what she wanted to wear for the concert. She poured through all her dresses and shoes, but nothing seemed to be right. She wanted to look stunning today. She was looking forward to the music and the band, but she was more excited about the late night date with Johanna. She wanted to look good for her and only her. She had the makeup that she wanted to wear; all she needed right now were the clothes.
She settled for something simple for this concert; her light blue sweater and a pair of jeans. As for shoes, she went with a simple pair of flats. There was no place to sit in this venue so she knew she would be standing for the majority of it. She needed to have something comfortable that she could walk around in and these would fit. The venue was also supposed to be cold, which was why she was going to wear the sweater. She would also put on some makeup that would match the outfit. She had on some blue eyeshadow as well as some soft subtle colors for her cheeks and lips. As soon as she was done with that, she began to fix her hair. She tied the thick red curls back into a ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror. She was done. After a lot of thinking about her outfit, she was satisfied with what she had.
“It’s show time!” She exclaimed to no one in particular. She liked talking to herself because at least she didn’t worry about sounding a like an idiot. She did that often and people thought it was strange. She didn’t care though. Sometimes, it was nice to voice her thoughts out loud.
The concert would start in about an hour, but she wanted to be there in plenty of time. There was already a line forming outside the venue, which was a block away from the hotel. As soon as she was certain that she looked good, she decided to head out. She stood in the line that stretched all down the sidewalk and was filling up fast. It took Lily a good fifteen minutes before she was able to get inside the building and find her place. The venue was packed and she was soon standing next to two people that she didn’t know. She was a little squished, but she would survive. The lights dimmed and everyone screamed because that meant one thing; it was time for the show to start. Lily could feel the excitement seeping into her and she pumped her fists in the air as the announcer came on.
“Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Black Widow’s Kiss!”
The entire audience exploded into cheers and Lily found herself waving her arms around. The lights came on with the music and she recognized Johanna sitting behind the drums. At that moment, it hit her that Johanna was the drummer of this band. Of course, it made sense now. Black Widow’s Kiss was the only band that was in town tonight. She had to be a member of it. Lily chuckled to herself as the rest of crowd was swaying around to the music and dancing. Some people had their phones out and were taking pictures while Black Widow’s Kiss was playing.
Johanna was a completely different person behind those drums. She was a spitfire as she banged on her drums and was in another world. Johanna Villanueva didn’t seem to care that people could see her or not. She was having fun and Lily was in that front row watching her. Lily couldn’t dance on beat to save her life, but she was smiling and enjoying herself. Johanna flashed her a smile and tried to blow her a kiss, but it was impossible. The secret was now out of the bag. She was still banging on those drums as Black Widow’s Kiss wrapped up another song.
She had changed her entire look for this set. She was still in that leather jacket, but now matched it up with black jeans, boots, a shirt that had the collar ripped off, a ton of silver chains around her neck, chains around her waist, and fingerless gloves. Her pink-streaked hair was tied back into a high ponytail and there was some of that glittered hair gel in it. Her makeup was loud and bright, not the subtle colors that she had worn when she went out with Lily. She was a rock goddess tonight and everyone was in awe of her.
As for Lily, she felt like she was on another planet. She had never expected the drummer of Black Widow’s Kiss would be the same person she’d fall for. It made things all the more exciting for her. She wanted to get more immersed in the rock life. She wanted to travel everywhere with Johanna and have fun jet-setting from place to place. She wanted to be the rock star’s girlfriend. As Johanna’s girlfriend, she would get all the access to backstage and get a first-hand look at all the drama in Black Widow’s Kiss. It made her feel special that she had gotten close to Jo.
My new girlfriend is a rock star. I don’t even believe it.
Lily thought as she swayed to the music. Black Widow’s Kiss had gone into a slow song now so there were lighters and phones out. People were moving side to side so she did the same. She wanted plenty of pictures of Johanna while she played those drums. She saw so many people squealing and demanding for attention from the band. She didn’t need to do this because she had the attention she wanted. She had everything she ever needed from Johanna. This vacation turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her. It led her to the one person that she knew she could give everything to.
The lead singer of the band came to the microphone at that moment and waved to the group. She was also a pretty girl with multi-colored hair and tattoos down both of her arms. In the giant screen above them, Lily could see the nose ring as well as a tongue ring flashing inside of her mouth. Anything else that she had pierced was probably under her shirt.
“Thank you, thank you!” She was telling the audience. “We love all of you very much! Now it’s time for some covers and our drummer Johanna picked this song out for tonight.”
Lily looked over at Johanna who flashed her a wink and a smile. The leader singer went on. “Yeah, this is going out to some very special people out there. You are very lucky, whoever you are. Let’s hit it from the top, girls!”
As soon as the first chords were played, Lily recognized the song as Billy Joel’s “She’s Got a Way”. Of course, Johanna would have picked this song. She knew that Lily was going to love it and that it would fit her to a T.
She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her
She's got a way of pleasin'
I don't know what it is
But there doesn't have to be a reason anyway
She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me
She's got a way of talkin'
I don't know why it is
But it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere
She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around
She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'
She's got a light around her
And ev'rywhere she goes
A million dreams of love surround her ev'rywhere
She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around
She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me
She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her anyway
Lily knew very well that Johanna had picked that song for her. She did indeed have a way with Johanna and getting to know her. She was just kicking herself for not realizing who this was earlier. Gone was the shy Johanna that she had known. Gone was the Johanna that drank coffee with her and walked around the streets. This was a new Johanna and one that she liked very much.
As for Johanna, she knew that Lily was there and that she was listening to every word being sung. She also probably figured out that the cover song was for her. Prior to the show staring, Johanna had gone to the rest of the band and told them that she wanted to cover Billy Joel’s song for this show. They all agreed to it even though it wasn’t like their usual covers. They rarely played anything this slow, but they could tell why Johanna wanted this song. There was someone special in her life and they tried to hound her about it.
“Come on, spill it! Who is it?”
“When did you meet them?”
“Will we get to meet them or is she still a secret from the world?”
“Come on! We’re your closest friends!”
“Tell us, tell us, tell us!”
“Is she hot at least? She’s hot, right?”
Johanna had to shrug them off and promise that she would talk about it later. “It’s a very special lady. I met her over here and we hit it off. That’s all I can tell you.”
No one was thrilled with this answer, but they accepted it anyway. This was how Johanna was with her girlfriends. Anytime she got someone knew in her life, she didn’t reveal much about them until she was ready. That was how it was going to be with Lily as well. The whole world could wait to learn about their relationship. She just wanted to be certain that they actually had something. In her heart, she knew they did. She knew that they were in love with each other even though they had only spent a few days together. This was love at first sight. This was what it felt like and it was great. It was everything that she expected it to be and then some more.
Johanna wasn’t the only one thinking about their relationship. Lily found herself falling deeper and deeper in love with Johanna at that moment. She knew that she could not resist this drummer. Black Widow’s Kiss was putting on a great show, but she wasn’t focused on that. Instead, her eyes were locked on Johanna Villanueva and she never wanted to stop looking at her. Johanna played those drums like her entire life depended on it. She was so focused that she didn’t notice Lily staring in her direction. She would look up a few times, but her gaze would go out to the rest of the audience. Lily didn’t mind. She knew that the band wasn’t here just for her. They were here for all these people. They were here to have a good time and so was she.
She knew where the backstage was so she could go there and talk to Johanna then. If not, then she would meet up with her for coffee like they had promised. In any case, she had to tell Johanna how she felt. She had to let her know that she was falling deep in love and there was no way out. It was like trying to swim against the tide. She could fight it all she wanted but in the end, she would get tired and let those waves wash over her.
“Thank you, thank you!” The lead singer was telling the audience as they continued to scream and throw things on stage. “You are all very beautiful and I love each and every one of you. You’ve been so great to us and we’re just grateful that you’re here. This is such a wonderful city.” Several people whooped at that and she went on. “Yeah, you are fantastic. This is a city to find great people and love.”
Lily felt her heart welling up as she thought about Johanna behind those drums. This was indeed the city where she had finally found love. The love that she wanted was sitting up on that stage and she couldn’t wait to meet up with her later. They were still on for coffee tonight and that was all she wanted.
I’m dating a rock star.
She thought, the excitement slowly bubbling over.
I can’t believe it! I am dating a freaking rock star! Oh, how did I not see this sooner?! This is the greatest thing in life! I never dreamed I would be with a rock star yet here I am!
The band went into another song, but she was barely paying attention to them. Instead, her mind was on Johanna. She watched as her girlfriend banged on those drums. Johanna was in her element here.
She couldn’t wait to talk to Johanna after the show. She wanted to know every detail there was to her rock star life. More importantly, she wanted to know how they were going to be able to survive all of this.
Being the girlfriend of a rock star was not going to be an easy thing.
Chapter 8
Lily was excited over the fact that she was dating a rock star. This was the type of thing that she dreamed about, but never expected to do. In the past, she pictured herself getting married to various rock stars. She dreamed that she would be following them around the world as they went on tour. She wanted to be involved in a rock star’s life where people would take pictures of them. They could end up on the cover of magazines and on the red carpet. This was the kind of celebrity lifestyle that Lily wanted. She didn’t want to be the celebrity; just the person linked with the celebrity.
She tried to meet up with Johanna backstage, but there were too many people over there, holding out their pens and books for the band to sign. There was no way she would be able to get a hold of Johanna right now. She would have to wait until the coffeehouse to talk with her. Then they would get their privacy and she could tell her everything that she was feeling. She could talk about the euphoria she got from seeing Johanna behind those drums. In the end, Johanna had been honest. She was a rock star and she did play the drums. What she didn’t tell her was the band that she played in. Not like Lily asked her in the first place.