Buried Alive had played all over the States just a few months before, and now they were here, on the other side of the planet, with their Aussie friends and The Amity Affliction. He still couldn’t believe it. ThefuckingAmity Affliction.
However, as happy as he’d like to be, something was bothering him. Why the fuck did Viktor want to see him after so long? It had been five days since he had read that message. He thought he would forget about it because he had no intentions of meeting with him. But the more time passed that he didn’t answer the email or talk about it with someone, the more annoyed he got.
“Sounds good?” Uwe asked Marc as he strummed his bass.
The bassist pressed his lips together, focusing on the notes slipping out of his in-ear monitors, and nodded.
“Okay, great.” The road manager, slash stringed instruments tech, slash caretaker gave him the thumbs up before turning to talk to Luca.
The sound tech was already set behind his laptops and all the paraphernalia on the designated stand. They talked. Marc could see their lips moving and head nodding, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“Okay,” Uwe shouted, patting Luca’s back. “Gonna check with the lighting guys.”
“Whose knees are we breaking?” Chris’s voice brought Marc’s attention to him.
“What?” he asked, readjusting the strap of his bass on his shoulder. Absolute Zero had one more song to go and then it was their turn.
“The wrinkle between your brows is deep as fuck.” Chris chuckled.
“Oh. Nothing.”
“Is everything okay with your sister and the baby?”
“Huh?” Marc quirked a brow until his brain synapses worked again.
His niece had been born a month and a half earlier than she should have. At the beginning it had all seemed stable, considering she’d been in an incubator for two weeks, but the little girl had been sick for several days recently. Everything was good now, though. She was breathing normally again, and judging by the pics his sister had sent to their family chat, she was back to being the joyful baby she usually was.
“Yeah, yeah, they’re perfect. I’m just nervous about the concert.”
“You, nervous?” The guitarist snorted. “It’s fine if you don’t wanna tell me, but next time come up with a better lie.”
Fuck it.This man wasn’t the best counselor in their group—why he hadn’t told him anything before—but he would probably give him a right-in-your-face type of perspective about the topic.
Under the curious eyes of their other two bandmates, Marc grabbed Chris by the wrist and dragged him until they were in a calmer area backstage. Techs, security, photographers, press… People were coming and going in every direction, talking, or simply resting with a beer before the changeover. The pouncing of music was still loud enough to feel the blast beats and low bass notes in their chests, but at least there was a little more privacy in this corner.
“What is it?” Chris asked, a dash of concern in his tone.
“You remember the email you told me Viktor had sent the other day?” Marc ran a finger over one string of his bass.
“Yeah.”
“Apparently, he’s in Germany for an art exhibition and wants to meet.”
Chris’s funny expression dropped and his body language became wary. “And you’re this worked up because…”
“I’m not worked up, but I don’t know what I should do.”
“Are you asking me for advice or permission, or something?”
“No. I’m just telling you. You’re my friend. Besides, we agreed to be honest about this stuff.”
“We agreed to be honest about this stuffif or whenwe found someone new we want to fuck, or that makes our dicks tingle with sickening love.”
“No, it’s not that,” Marc cut in, knowing where Chris was going. “But I never thought he’d pop up in my life like this. Does he really expect me to be okay with meeting him like nothing happened?”
Viktor had been the best boyfriend one could ask for while they had been a couple. Sure, they’d had fights here and there, but nothing that was a deal breaker. Marc only held good memories with that man. Yet those excerpts of their time together got overshadowed by their bitter end. Viktor hadn’t left him any option, didn’t even let him try to make him change his mind. One day he’d called and just broken things off. The bassist deserved better.
“It’s been a while. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal.” Chris shrugged, acting completely opposite from the first time they’d brought Marc’s ex up.
