“One beer isn’t going to kill your vibe.” He pushes the mug to me again. “I can tell you’re nervous, this will help ease it.”
“I’m only drinking it because you already made it.”
“Smart man.” He taps his knuckles on the bar and checks to make sure nobody is looking for another drink. “Have you talked to her?”
I shake my head and stare at the counter. If there’s one thing I’m nervous about, it’s her not showing up to support me. Not that I blame her. I was out of line. My only wish is she would have let me stay so we could talk it out. But she pushed me out…again.
“She’ll come around. Just give her time. I haven’t known her long, but she’ll talk when she’s ready.”
“I know.” Taking a drink of my beer, I do my best to keep my thoughts from going down a dark hole. It’s not what I need to be focusing on right now. “I’ll wait until she is. I can’t let her slip away again.”
“You’re good people.” Eric slaps the counter top. “I misjudged you in the beginning, but my roomie would be making a mistake if she didn’t put in some effort.” He notices someone come into the bar. “I need to get back to work. If you decide you want another drink, let me know. You can also come grab some water any time.”
“Thanks.” I lift my beer in salute. Turning toward the stage, I watch the band finish set up. They play a few notes on their instruments to check the sound and turn toward the side of the stage.
Leaning over, I see who they are looking at. Stella is giving them a thumbs up. This is the first night since New Years that I’ve seen her during live music nights. She probably wants to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. She had a hand in setting this up, and I have a feeling if all goes well, she’ll look into doing battles here at some point.
The band has already started playing and I missed their name. Tonight, isn’t the night to be in my head. We have a job to do, and hopefully we’re picked by Crooked Halo.
This band is pretty good. A little heavier on the rock side, which makes sense. It’s along the same lines of what Crooked Halo plays, but they haven’t listened to us, yet. My fingers itch to get pick the guitar strings while we wait for them to finish.
The bar is filling up, and at first, I think it’s the normal crowd. But with each passing minute, more and more people show up. It can only mean someone saw the members of Crooked in the back and spread the word.
In all honesty, I don’t even care about that. I’m keeping a look out for the one person I want here most, and I still haven’t seen her. There isn’t much longer for the guys on stage to play and we’ll have to begin our set up.
My beer is gone when I lift the mug to my lips, and I didn’t realize I’d already emptied it. After setting it on the bar, I tap Trey and Cash. “Let’s go back stage. But get some waters first.”
We didn’t even have to ask for them. Six water bottles are placed in front of us. Eric always has our backs when it comes to hydration and I can’t believe I ever misjudged him. He’s protective of those he considers friends. The folks who work here are lucky to have him looking out for them.
Now it’s time to get my head focused. All that matter is getting on that stage and playing our hearts out. Hopefully Lisa will be here in time to witness it. Or, at least, hear the song I wrote about us, and for her.
The dance floor is full of people, and there isn’t room for anyone to actually dance. The thick crowd makes it hard to search for Lisa, but I haven’t seen her. I can’t focus on that right now, though.
I strum a few notes on my guitar and the crowd claps. “Good evening, Asheville! How y’all doin’ tonight?”
We’re met with cheers, whoops, and clapping. For a few moments, I don’t think they are going to stop, but finally they quiet down. “We’re going to start off with one of your favorites. Sing along if you know it.”
We begin playing our song about driving the backroads and dancing in empty fields with friends. It’s a tribute to my high school years when we’d all gather at an empty field, playing music, drinking, and having the time of our lives. To my shock people are actually singing along.
A motion at the door catches my attention, Lisa moves until she’s at the edge of the crowd. She made it. A weight lifts off my shoulder. It means she still cares. I don’t miss a beat though.
We switch effortlessly to another song. People are still singing. It’s surreal to hear. We haven’t even performed that many times, and folks in the area know our music enough to belt the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
With each song Lisa moves closer to the stage. Pushing her way through the crowd to me.
It’s almost time to play the last song, but I motion for the guys to keep playing a rhythm. “We have one more song for y’all, but I wanted to take a second to introduce my band mates. We don’t have a name yet, and hope y’all can help us with that in the future. But on bass, we have Trey.” The crowd goes wild for my goofy friend. “Cash is back there on drums.” Another cheer for him. “And I’m Devin.” The roar of the audience is deafening.
This is the life. Making music folks love and connecting with them. The people in this room right now are part of our journey no matter what happens with Crooked Halo.
“This is our last song for the night. It’s a new one and I wrote it with a very important person in mind. She means everything to me, and we hope y’all enjoy it.”
A collective “aw” rumbles through the crowd and I nod for Cash to count it out. The beat is slow, but powerful. The audience seems to understand this song will be emotional. People who came with a partner wrap their arms around each other and sway to the music.
I begin singing the story of me and Lisa. Our flirtatious beginning, how I thought I lost her forever only to have another chance with her. She’s now directly in front of me. Her hands on the stage.
My voice belts out the promise to never hurt her and to always be there to comfort her when she needs it and be strong for her when she feels like she can’t handle things. All of the promises I intend to keep wrapped into the lyrics of this song.
I look down until our eyes meet. Tears run down her face, but she’s smiling and I know without a doubt we’ll be okay. Everyone must sense the importance of this moment because not a word is uttered among them. Flashlights from their phones fill the darkness, and I hope Lisa knows how much she means to me.
