Page 6 of The Dragon's Perfect Omega
"I'm gonna text him that we're coming, okay?" Derick continued when I didn't say anything.
So much for enjoying the show. The thought of seeing the dragons afterward had completely taken over my mind now. What if there was something to Derick's teasing earlier? What if that hot ass drummer really had checked me out? My mouth ran dry. Maybe I should bail on drinks. Or maybe I shouldn't. My mind was a mess. My pulse sped up. My heart hammered in my chest. I felt like I was going to be sick.
I glanced to my left, to the exit signs. But no. Even if Derick wasn't suspicious yet, he'ddefinitelybe if I ran away now, before the main act had even started. My hands digging into the underside of the seat, I forced myself to stay in place. I could get through this. Easy. Watch the show. Go out for drinks with sexy dragons afterward. Have a beer. Make up some lame excuse to leave early. Wake up tomorrow morning and curse myself for not staying longer.
Sounded like a plan.
I couldn't even complete Step 1 successfully. The dragons came on the stage and... holy shit, they were so close. Derick and I had front row tickets. When Zed, the band's lead-singer stepped up to his microphone, I almost felt like I could reach out and touch. Not that it was Zed I was really interested in. To my luck and secret dismay, the drummer was farther back on the stage. Even from the front row, it felt like he was a safe distance.
Which didn't stop me from staring at the guy. I only hoped Derick was too caught up in the show to notice. For my part, I hardly took note of the show at all. I didn't even really hear the music. It went in one ear and out the other. I heard the drum beats, though—they were all that registered as I watched Lowen hit the drums.
I had no idea why he fascinated me as much as he did. So far, when I'd paged through music magazines or looked up pictures of the guys online, I hadn't had a strong preference. This odd infatuation with Wings of Fate's drummer only started in that Meet and Greet room. I couldn't explain where it was coming from—none of this made sense. At least, not logically. In some deeper part of me, though, all of it madeperfectsense.
I liked his hair. It was all dark and wild and unruly, like it just couldn't be tamed. I wanted to run my fingers through it. I wanted to dig my fingersintoit, in certain scenarios. I was sure it would be great to hold on to. Would he mind? Derick said he'd checked me out.
Ugh. I had to stop thinking thoughts like this.
It took great effort, but I managed to make myself look at the guitarist instead of the drummer. He didn't manage to hold my attention for long, though. Finn was attractive, with his almost boyish charm, but he just didn't have as much appeal as the man behind the drums. My gaze went back to him; I couldn't help it.
Maybe I should just close my eyes altogether.
At least Derick seemed to enjoy himself next to me, jumping up from his seat when the band started one of their most popular songs:Fire and Ash.Nearly everyone was standing now. Derick pulled me up by my arm too. "Live a little, birthday boy. Party like there's no tomorrow!"
I nearly had to laugh at that. Oh, the things I would do if tonight was the last night of my life.
Sadly (or thankfully?) it was not, so all of that was irrelevant.
Somehow, I made it through the rest of the show by focusing on singing the songs along with the band. Trying to remember all the lyrics kept my thoughts from straying too much. At some point, the lead-singer took off his shirt and threw it into the crowd. Excited shrieks pierced my ears. Well, at least I wasn't the only one in this hall perving on the band. Looking at Zed's six-pack did nothing for me, though, which was odd. I was pretty sure if I'd been presented with the same sight just a day ago, it would have fueled daydreams for days. But nothing now. I might as well have been looking at a painting. Nice, but not what I wanted. Not what I needed.
I bit my lower lip hard.
What the fuck is wrong with you?
I didn't have an answer to that question.
After the encore, Derick and I waited for the crowd to clear out of the hall before moving. "That was a good show," my friend said while I was still trying to sort my thoughts.
"Yeah," I agreed, because the parts I'd paid attention to had been pretty great. "Thank you for the ticket." As I spoke, I noticed that my voice had become a bit hoarse from all the singing.
"I had no idea that you knew all the songs. I mean, I knew you liked the band but I didn't realize you were afan.You never mentioned when I was working for them."
"I'm not that big a fan," I tried to downplay it. Derick didn't have to know that I owned all the LPs or that I had a stack of magazines featuring them hidden underneath my bed.
"Well, good, you better not fanboy all over them when we're getting our drinks. Be cool, okay?"
"I'll try." It was the most I could promise.
"All right." Derick's eyes scanned the hall. Most people had moved to the door now. "Let's get going. Finn said they'll be at the hotel bar in about an hour. Guess they want to shower first."
I glanced at my armpits. Maybe I should shower too. Or maybe not. If I stank, I had a good incentive to keep a safe distance between me and any dragons. "What hotel?" I asked.
"The one they're staying at." He showed me the location on his phone. "It's not too far. We can walk it."
"Okay, cool." Maybe the walk would help me cool my head.
I could only hope.
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