Page 34 of Omega Rock

I decided on my signature black vest, black tank top, black jeans look as well. There wasn’t really time to put together something more momentous for the occasion. Maybe by next gig.

If there is a next gig.

No, therewillbe a next gig. This is simply just the start.

“There she is,” Noah exclaims with his trademark roguish grin.

I wave to my bandmates and go straight for my guitar. “Finally here, yes. Guys, this is my best friend, Sable. Sable, meet the guys.”

Her eyes go wide as they wave to her. She’s really disguising being starstruck well, I’ll give her that, if that’s her only tell. “Well, hello. Thank you for taking my best friend under your wing, or—is it into your pack?”

It’s my turn for my eyes to go wide. I shoot her an incredulous look.

Sable giggles. “Figured I’d get that out of the way quick. Yes, I know.”

Aiden takes a few steps toward her. “Any friend of Mia’s is welcome here with us. It’s nice to meet you.” He extends a hand for her to shake.

It’s the first and only time Sable hesitates. “Y-Yes, hi. Aiden.” She ducks over his shoulder. “Leo. Noah.”

“Oh yeah, she’s a fan, too,” Noah says as he elbows Leo.

Leo chuckles. “Considering Mia’s eyes when she first met us, I’m not surprised.”

Embarrassment ripples in waves through my body. “Well, thank you everyone, this has been super fun. I think we have a show to play.” I focus heavily on making sure my guitar is ready to go.

The guysandSable laugh at my expense. Really, I’m happy they’re getting along so well right away. But for fuck’s sake my cheeks are warm.

And my veins already buzz.

Well, that alcohol worked fast. I take several slow breaths while Sable and the guys keep hitting it off. Finally, her head of pink hair comes into view as she hugs me one more time.

“Break a leg, girl,” she says. “You’ll do amazing.”

“Love ya, girl,” I say to her. Then she’s off to find Seth and fight her way to the barricade. She may be small, but good luck to anyone who even tries to get in her way. She’ll show them not to bother trying. I’ve always admired that about her.

Wes pops in as Sable is leaving. “Look at this: Exit Fate ready to play their first gig.” He claps. He’s clearly proud of himself for putting this together, but there’s an extra layer of pride, too, for us. “Break a leg, and all that. Not literally of course.”

“Thanks,” Leo tells him, still smiling. He’s stopped jumping in place by now, although I may need to take that up instead of drinking nerves away.

“Are we ready?” Wes asks.

Most of us nod, but I catch a look on Aiden’s face I’ve never seen before.

Hesitation.

Aiden swallows hard. “As ready as ever.”

The time comes and we hurry to the stage. And holyfuckthe crowd is huge. Sound House is by far not the largest venue in the city, but from the stage, even with the stage lights hiding much of the crowd, it seems infinitely large. Everyone isloud, a sea of dark thunder I can’t totally visualize.

The crowd cheers as we take the stage, but they’re definitely not as loud as they maybe were for our opener. It’s hard to tell from the ready room. As we play, though, Aiden’s mask of hesitation doesn’t melt away to his usual stage presence. He’s also late on his queue for our opening song, a cover of a five-year-old classic.

It’s then I realize: it’s not hesitation, it’s stage fright and a healthy dose of worry. Worry that seems warranted as the crowd is less than enthused about the cover.

Fuck.

I hop on to a black box on the stage at the end of the song. “Welcome out tonight!” The crowd cheers a little. Sable’s square in front of the first row, right against the barricade as promised, with Seth standing behind her keeping her safe. I thank our opening band and the Sound House for having us tonight. “We’re Exit Fate! And while you might see some familiar faces, I can assure you we’ve got plenty of new things cooked up for you. We hope you enjoy!”

We roll immediately into the first of the three songs we’ve written so far, the one we know best:For The Night.It’s a quick but heavy song about fast love, fast lust, fast falling, and it all being gone by morning.

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