“Charlie loved cover bands,” Silas added as the driver pulled into the parking lot, and I let out a frustrated groan.
“Dude, c’mon. We agreed to keep it light. I didn’t work on convincing Abel and Ezra to finally come out for you to ruin the mood before we even get into the venue.”
Silas grunted something vaguely apologetic.
Abel, sitting on my other side, stayed silent but his lips curved into a frown. Our lead singer hadn’t said much in the days since Charlie’s death. It was like his signature anger, the force that had always been bubbling just below the surface in him, had been replaced with something even more potent. I never thought I’d wish for him to lash out, to snap and say something harsh to Silas, to do anything besides maintaining the silence that emitted from him like toxic fumes.
I knew Abel wasn’t happy being here, but at this point, I didn’t care. Despite agreeing to come to this show a few days ago, he’d tried to flake when we got to his house. It had taken an hour for me to convince him otherwise, and now we were very late.
Was I a fool to hope that tonight might bring back some degree of normalcy? That a simple night out to hear live music could remind all of us why we’d embarked on this journey together more than ten years ago?
Our driver, Leo, parked in front of the venue, and we piled out of the car one by one. I pulled him aside when he got out. “It’s a local band performing for a small crowd. Bryan says there’ll be a hundred people, tops. Having you there will only bring more attention.”
Leo pursed his lips. He doubled as our bodyguard at the insistence of our record label, but I knew that his presence irritated Abel. The singer hated having a handler, which is what he called Leo and any of the other bodyguards.
“I’m supposed to go with you,” he said in a low voice.
I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. He was just trying to do his job, but I knew he’d put Abel even more on edge, and that’s exactly what I was trying to avoid.
“This isn’t LA, Leo. You’ve seen how calm it’s been these few weeks.”
At this, his frown softened. He knew I was right. “All right,” he responded gruffly. “I’ll be waiting in the car.”
I shook his hand in gratitude and headed in after the rest of the guys.
Inside, the Barnyard was lit with soft-orange lights. Its walls were plastered with old concert posters, and the stage sat empty. We must have arrived between sets. The space in front of the stage was full of people, and I wondered for a second if I had underestimated the size of the crowd earlier. It seemed like this cover band was pretty popular. We weaved our way to the bar to grab some beers, paid, and managed to get closer to the stage before we were recognized by a dude in a Metallica T-shirt and an enormous beard that put Silas’s to shame.
“Hey, sorry for your loss. I’ve been a fan for years. Could I get a picture and an autograph?
“Thanks, man.” I smiled and shook his outstretched hand before giving Abel and Ezra a nervous look over my shoulder. This was the first time the two of them were meeting fans after weeks of self-imposed isolation in their homes. To my relief, both of them wore expressions that were only a little tense, and as I stepped away from the man, they moved to greet him.
Silas’s hand landed on my shoulder. “He’s still got it,” he said, nodding toward Ezra. Our drummer had always had a way with our fans, and sure enough, within seconds, the fan was chuckling at some joke with him.
We signed the first thing we could find—a paper coaster—and posed for a quick photo. The man thanked us and walked away, only to reveal that a small line had formed behind him.
We shared a quick look and got to work. The faster we managed to sign everything people had for us, the more time we’d hopefully have to enjoy the show.
ADELINE
“What’s up?” I asked Liam, standing.
“Where is Elly?”
“She was just here, must be taking a piss or something. What’s wrong?”
Liam’s brows were furrowed. “Bleeding Moonlight is here. They’re in the crowd.”
I shook my head even as my heart began beating faster. “You sure? How could you even tell?”
“They must have arrived after our first set. They’re just to the left of the stage. The four of them are all here and there’s a line of people waiting for autographs. I recognized them immediately because I looked them up again last night after we talked.”
“Well, that’s awkward,” Elly sounded from behind, her arm leaning against the doorway.
“Yeah. A cover band performing their original right in front of them? Makes me fucking cringe inside,” Liam added.
Mason sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees, his face a mask of concern. “Should we cut it?”
I ran a hand through my hair as my pulse pounded in my ears. I could tell this development was freaking them out, but I wasn’t gonna let this happen. We were on a roll tonight, and this was not going to ruin it. I was the defacto leader of the band, and it was my job to whip them into shape, even though we were just a cover band that no one took all that seriously.
