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KWAN
Iwas fuming after seeing the owner of the club treat the good-looking guy behind the bar like that. No one deserved to be spoken to like that, especially not in front of all those people. I could see the tears in his eyes as he knelt down, cleaning up the broken glass, and I felt sorry for him.
Bernie was a fucking jerk. Saul had his faults, but he’d never speak to or treat us like that. The owner was Saul’s friend, though, so I needed to keep my mouth shut, certainly in front of him and Kasem. Anything I said would get back to him. If that loud-mouthed prick heard me, he’d be sure to tell Saul. I wasn’t sure what made me invite the bartender to tomorrow’s show, but I just thought he looked like he needed something or someone. Whether or not he’d turn up was a different matter.
I’ll admit I was attracted to him. My sexuality was a closely guarded secret or maybe not so guarded after Kasem’s comment earlier about Cho being my boyfriend. Only Cho and Sammy knew I was gay. I’d known them for years. We’d grown up together, gone to the same schools in Manchester, moved in the same circles.
Cho and my parents were friends, both restaurant owners, and Cho and I knew we’d be going back there eventually. The music gig wouldn’t take us through to old age, that was for sure. The Rolling Stones we’d never be. There was always a new and upcoming band to take our place, so we knew our time was limited, seven years usually, which was why we’d decided it was now or never to at least try and make something of ourselves while we could.
None of the other guys knew for sure about me, though. They might suspect, but we’d tried to hide it. It was a secret I didn’t want to share, and if Kasem found out, I’d never hear the last of it. He was the biggest homophobe around, as was Saul. I needed to be careful.
“Hey, Kwan. Over here.” Cho’s voice rang across the club as he beckoned me over to a table that had been reserved for us, set behind a faded, fraying red rope. It had seen better days, and looking around the club, I doubted it had been used in a long time.
I sat next to him, frowning at the tacky PVC seats in the booth. The table was peeling and stained with goodness knows what, and I was happy we wouldn’t be coming back here. It was disgusting, but as I looked around at the customers, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“Where’d you go, man?” Cho murmured. “Saul was looking for you.”
“I was just helping the guy behind the bar. He dropped a glass, so I helped him clean it up.”
“Good-looking was he?” I could hear the smile in his voice, but he needed to keep it down.
“Not here, Cho. Walls have ears, or should I say, short, blond-haired, loudmouths have ears. I don’t need anything getting out that shouldn’t.”
He nodded, passing me a bottle of Corona. We were allowed to drink as long as it was in moderation, but only after the gig was over. Saul, on the other hand, had no such rules, and I watched as he threw back a whiskey. By the flush to his cheeks, it wasn’t his first. It was all he drank, and I knew that very soon, he’d be heading outside for a cigarette. We were all taking bets on how long it’d be before he had a heart attack. What with his drinking, smoking and his love of fast food, I was sure it wouldn’t be long.
It was hard to sit here, like animals in a zoo behind the rope, but Ty, the bouncer, stood sentry, not letting anyone pass. He was a big, intimidating guy. He reminded me of The Rock. He was that big. I doubted anyone would get through him.
“You almost ready to go?” Sammy whispered. It was no secret he didn’t like the limelight. He just wanted to perform but had no interest in fame and fortune. He was another good friend of mine and Cho’s, and when we could, we shared a room but not this trip. I wasn’t sure what Saul’s strategy was putting me and Kasem together, but he no doubt had one.
We stood to leave, avoiding the stares of Saul, Li and Kasem.
“Where do you think you boys are off to? You have an obligation to stay here until the end of the night.”
“I’m going, Saul. Cho and Sammy have offered to go back with me to the hotel. I’ve had enough today. I’m still feeling sick from the flight, and I need my bed.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but I really didn’t want to sit here any longer with Kasem. His sneering face was starting to irritate me.
“You’ll go when I say you can go. Now sit down, all of you,” he hissed.
I opened my mouth to argue, but Cho pulled me down to sit.
“Don’t say anything. Just sit, smile and finish your drink.”
I slumped down into the chair and put my feet up on the nearest stool, pulling my phone out of my pocket. I opened up Instagram and started scrolling through. We’d gained a few new followers tonight, and I noticed a few of our regulars had travelled to see us. It was great to see them, but some were a little over the top.
A quick nudge from Cho had me looking up to see some of our fans waving from behind the rope.
“Kasem! Kasem! We love you!” Beth was one of our older Subjects, and she was actually a lovely lady. She attended many of our gigs, regardless of where they were and often bought us gifts. Tonight, she had a cute teddy bear wearing a crown, which she handed to Kasem.
I rolled my eyes. That was sure to make his ego even bigger. He loved the attention, and it didn’t matter how old they were. He’d play up to his ‘subjects’ at every opportunity. I know I seemed surly, jealous even, but I’d just about had enough of him and his smug face.
“Hey, ladies, how are you tonight? Did you love the show?” He hugged the bear to his chest, and I felt a nudge from Cho and looked over at him as he mimicked Kasem.
I smiled and shook my head. He was such a fucking child at times, but Kasem was just so over the top. It wasn’t like we were that famous. We were just five guys from Manchester trying to make something of ourselves before it was too late.
I really was getting tired, though, and just wanted to get back to my hotel room and go to sleep.
“How much longer is he going to keep this up?” Cho whispered in my ear.
“I don’t know, but if he doesn’t stop soon, I’m leaving. I don’t care what Saul says.” I sat up straighter, removing my feet from the stool.
