The gig was a blast.

We were at our best, full of adrenaline and getting high on the vibe of the festival fever, even though we were nervous as hell. Especially me. I was shaking in my boots and almost fainting as the announcer finally called out that The Mob would be on next. Michael had been the coolest of us all along, but in that moment his eyes had grown round in anxiety as well, his trembling fingers closing around my shoulder blades as he had looked into my eyes and had mouthed a fearful but determined 'let's go'.

As we had run out on stage and seen the maybe four thousand expectant faces in front of it, a sudden boost had fulfilled us. We had set our equipment up pretty quickly and Scott had counted the first song in, the audience first eyeing us critically as we had started to play Priest but warming up to us during our thirty minute slot. Geoff had made a show out of it, everyone could see that he was born to be on a stage. He had been flirting playfully with the girls in the front row and dancing up to all of us, my face heating up as it had been my turn concerning Geoff's dancing. He hadn't been thinking about it like I had of course, even if my brain desperately wished for it. His arm had been wrapped around my shoulders as we had sung into the same mic for one song, his head occasionally coming to rest on my shoulder and the sweaty dark ringlets of his hair tickling my heated cheeks. That had given me an extra boost, even though that sounds ridiculous, and I had the feeling that I had played even better than before.

At the end of our set we had taken a bow in front of the audience, everybody cheering and asking us to be invited backstage, and in that moment I had felt like I was on top of the world and finally a famous musician. And Geoff grinning at me made the moment even better.

~~~~

It was just a while after the concert, all of us being gathered backstage together with the members of the other bands for a final announcement from the festival host and the following afterparty. The guys and I were just euphorically exchanging thoughts about the show when I spotted a familiar face in the crowd full of young musicians from Seattle. It was a tall blonde haired dude with bright blue eyes. First I didn't know from where I knew him, but then suddenly it hit me. He had been the one that had given me some information about Geoff when we had been in the Wild Wind. It was Darren, the young barkeeper. With a smile on my face I made my way over to him, tapping his shoulder as I finally reached him. His head directly snapped around and his eyes narrowed, trying to recognize me, and when he finally did, his eyes went wide and his grin doubled.

"Hey, man, almost didn't recognize you with all that eyeliner and stuff", he laughed and pulled me into a half hug. Still smiling I hugged him back, clapping him on the back before letting go again and eyeing the other three guys that looked like they had been talking to Darren beforehand. But before I could say anything, Darren introduced me.

"Guys, this is Chris. I met him at a bar a few days ago when his band was trying to get in touch with Geoff Tate from Babylon. You know him, right?"

"Tate? Of course I know that guy, he got some serious talent. You're one of the guitarists of The Mob, right Chris?", said one of the three, the only one with black hair, and extended his hand towards me.

"Exactly, that's me", I simply replied and took the extended hand, shaking it and flashing him a rather shy smile.

"You were great! The audience loved you! Oh, I almost forgot, the name's Jason, guitarist for The Wild Childs, consisting of Darren here who you obviously know already, Tommy over there", a short slim dude with curly light brown hair raised his hand, "and Jimmy." Upon hearing his name, the young man named Jimmy looked up and shot me a shy smile, his dark brown hair falling into his friendly blue eyes. I beamed at all of them and felt how they all started to feel more comfortable to talk around me. Jimmy was the first to speak.

"I'm the bassist by the way, I admire the one you have so much! His name's Eddie, isn't it? Is there a chance I could talk to him?"

His eyes lit up more and more the more he spoke and I nodded with a smile, pointing over to where the rest of my band was hanging out and seeing Geoff looking over to me with a curious look in his eyes and an amused smile on his full lips. Feeling my cheeks heating up, I turned to Jimmy again.

"Just go over there already, he won't bite. Eddie's the loveliest guy in this room I would say, he's probably going to ask you if you wanna hang out with him and jam a bit", I chuckled and Jimmy's excited grin widened before he quickly ducked through the crowd and reappeared on Eddie's side. The latter seemed really surprised and flattered judging by the flush creeping up his face and as he looked towards me, I sent a wink his way to let him know there wasn't a random fan that was running his way but someone I had talked to before. He nodded at me before focusing on Jimmy again, who had also gathered the attention of Michael and Scott. Geoff's eyes on me, however, stayed firmly in place. I turned to Darren again.

"You guys wanna come over to us? Talk a bit?"

"Yeah, sure!", Jason replied for all of them and I turned around, making sure they followed me, before I made my way through the crowd back to my friends. They immediately started to get engaged into the conversation about the festival and music in general that was running between Michael, Scott, Eddie and Jimmy and Geoff used the time to pull me aside and talk to me. A shiver ran through me as he grabbed my arm to pull me away from the group but the surprise lingered above everything else.

"Hey Chris, I just wanted to talk to you alone for a moment. Do you have the time?"

"Um... sure...", I said confusedly, trying to read his expression to know what was going on. But I couldn't read him, he had a very well-trained poker face.

"First of all, I'd like to say that tonight has been a real pleasure for me. I loved performing with you guys and you've all become great friends. We can try to stay in touch, but I've committed myself to my band Babylon. I need to return to them, because I write all the material and for me that feels a lot more like the thing I'd like to do in my life. I need to have an emotional bond to the things I'm singing and that works best through writing the songs yourself. So I'm leaving this project after tonight, just so you know."

I was kind of speechless in that moment. Of course, we had only asked him to fill in for that one gig but towards the end I felt like there had grown such a good bond between all of us, that I had wanted to ask him if he wanted to join the band. But now he officially quit even before I had asked. Great.

"Okay man, if that's what you want then go for it. You were amazing tonight though, I'm very glad we found you to fill in for the gig. Staying in touch would be great, but I guess we'll be seeing each other around either way due to the same music scene we're in. Just... don't forget the chemistry between the five of us, please?", I asked and he smiled softly, the sight causing my knees to weaken.

"Of course I won't forget you, you're all way to special for that!", he replied in that deep soothing voice and I felt a tear rolling down my cheek, hastily swiping at it before he would see my emotions. But it was too late.

"C'mere Chris, I promise we'll stay in touch, okay?", he whispered and I nodded quickly, lowering my head to hide the tears that were now bubbling up behind the barrier I tried so desperately to keep up. But I didn't – couldn't – fight anymore as he pulled me into those strong arms and ran a hand through my hair to calm me down as my tears silently ran down my burning cheeks and disappeared as tiny wet dots in the fabric of his black top. My fingers curled into his back as I just held on for the time my emotions needed to calm back down. And Geoff gave me the time I needed, his arms in a strong protective bond around my back and his nose buried in my hair to signal me that he was there and it was going to be alright.

Either way, the tears stopped after a while and his embrace loosened, his piercing green eyes carefully overlooking my face and silently asking me if I was alright. I just nodded and swiped a palm over my face, stepping out of his embrace and gathering my thoughts and emotions.

"I'm sorry, dunno what came over me", I mumbled embarrassedly, avoiding eye-contact to prevent him from reading me like an open book.

"S'alright, don't you feel guilty about being emotional", he replied soothingly and made me smile wanly up at him. He winked and petted my hair, slightly messing it up through his action, before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and guiding me over to the other guys again.

However, I couldn't participate in the euphoria and happiness around me anymore because of Geoff's words and on top of that his presence next to me that made me feel slightly dizzy. So I spaced out, thinking about nothing and everything as the conversation around me went on and on, my mind barely noticing how Geoff's arm stayed protectively around my back all the time, soothing me subconciously.

After a while we all exited the bastage area, a few people greeting and congratulating us on our great and entertaining show (I believe the latter point was dedicated to Geoff's dancing). Darren, Jimmy, Jason and Tommy followed us, Jimmy still in deep conversation with Eddie, who had his arm wrapped around his shoulders and laughed along with him. Geoff finally let go of me, the immediate lack of warmth causing me to shiver slightly.

"I'm just gonna phone my girlfriend to tell her I'll be home late, I'm heading after you ", he told me with a warm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and gestured over to a small phone cell that we were just passing by. I nodded in return, running one hand through my hair to keep it from falling into my eyes all the time and sent him a small smile, which he took notice of and answered to with a thumbs up before he turned around and went over to the roofed automat, dialing a number on the small metal display and slipping a few coins into the slot afterwards. My gaze continued to linger on his broad shoulders covered by a shiny black leather jacket, wandering over his dark wavy hair fraiming his handsome face and then down to his strong curvy thighs and that fine ass in those tight blue jeans. Oh how I wanted him to be mine.

Why did he still speak about his girlfriend all the time when she had told me that they were only friends? Had she just fooled me or why was he still so desperately holding on to her? Was he scared? And if so, of what? Of the situation? Of being with a guy? Of finding love and getting hurt or being let down again? With a sigh I continued to watch his fine backside, seeing him smiling softly as he talked and twirled the phone cord around one of his forefingers. He was such a mystery.

"Hey man, is there someone home?"

I almost jumped as a hand laid itself onto my shoulder, but soon enough I recognized the happy, a little cheeky voice of my best friend. As I turned my head to face him I was met by his first happy expression that quickly turned into a serious frown as he saw my own expression.

"Oh Chris, don't let yourself down because of this", he whispered concerned, his arm replacing Geoff's around my shouders and warming me up again. I snuggled closer to his side and looked down, sighing again.

"It's not just that. He's leaving us after tonight."

My words caused Michael to go silent directly, his mouth opening and closing but no words able to form due to surprise. I could tell he woudn't say something soon and to prevent a tensed silence I chose to speak instead.

"He told me after the concert. He wants to return to his band Babylon but said that we can try to keep in touch. Anyways, I don't really know how to handle it and be able to go on without thinking of him."

Michael nodded understandingly, his embrace around me tightening and his lips pursing as his thoughtful expression invaded his face.

"Well, maybe it's better this way. Maybe you can get over him in a better way if you aren't around him anymore", he finally said and I bit my lip, thinking very intensely about his words. It sure would be good if I could forget my stupid dreams of being with him and I tried to tell myself that Michael was right with the things he was saying. But a small part of me, the one that was buried deepest into my heart, told me that it wouldn't work, no matter how hard I would try. Maybe it would help me to get over him, but did I really want to get over him?

We walked along in silence for a while, my brain desperately trying to come to a conclusion and solution that would actually work, but my mind was drawing a blank at the question of how to go on after this. Suddenly I heard hurried footsteps behind me and soon enough Geoff's silhouette appeared beside me again, his hands in the pockets of his open leather jacket and his head tilted up to the dark night sky, his eyes searching the gleaming stars all over it.

"It's beautiful tonight, isn't it?", he whispered, and I nodded absently as I took a quick look at the sky before my gaze fixated on him again. 'It's not the only thing that's beautiful here' my brain remarked but I gulped down the urge to say it out loud. Instead I answered to his statement again as I remembered that he couldn't have seen me nodding when he had been looking at the sky.

"Yeah, it sure is beautiful."

Wow. Very intelligent, Chris.

But Geoff didn't seem to mind my stupidity, he just continued looking at the sky and smiled softly. I found myself staring again and damned myself for that. He can never be mine. He is not interested in me that way! But those lips...

Just get it together, Chris, you stupid fuck!

Thankfully Michael, who had left my side to talk to Jason, who had a preference for ESP guitars as well, popped up next to me again at the moment in which the awkward silence began to form and the small silhouette of Scott's house appeared in the distance as well. I took a quick glance at my best friend, seeing him giving me an appreciative nod and chosing to just let it be and enjoy the celebration of tonight's well-finished concert.

~~~~

Later that night I found myself splayed out pretty drunk on one of the couches in Scott's garage, a giggling Michael with a girl on his lap next to me and loud music blasting through the air of the well filled location. Unable to focus on anything properly due to my drunken haze, my gaze just trailed randomly through the crowd that was gathered in The Dungeon.

Eddie and Jimmy were sitting in a corner together with their basses in their laps, Eddie showing Jimmy some riff he had taught himself while the latter was attentively listening to everything he was saying in between playing. He then tried it as well with Eddie giving him instructions of where to put his fingers and how to get the especially difficult picking technique right, both of them nodding from time to time and taking sips of their beer bottles beside them. As Jimmy said something, presumably making a joke, both of them burst out laughing, Eddie spilling some beer he had been drinking in that exact moment onto his white top and causing Jimmy to almost topple over from laughing too hard.

A smile invaded my face too at that sight, my gaze coincidentally falling on Geoff, whose arm was wrapped around a smiling woman's waist who wasn't his 'girlfriend'. She was quite slim, brown-eyed and almost as tall as he was, and wore a constant smile on her angelicly curved rosy lips. And it was just my luck that Geoff's gaze met mine in that exact moment, he sending me a wink before cupping the woman's cheek in his hand and chastely kissing her. My eyes almost bugged out at the sight and my mouth went dry in jealousy but I didn't do anything, I just looked away and let my gaze meet Darren's, who seemed to take it as an invitation and started to approach me.

"Hey, got left out?", he asked with a smirk as soon as he reached me, running a hand through his blonde locks as he flopped down beside me and took a sip from my beer bottle. Dazed I turned my head into his direction, one eyebrow lifting itself at the smug grin on the sure handsome man's face.

"No, I'm not, just a bit drunk I guess", I slurred, my cheeks heating up at the wide dimpled smile he sent me in return. Damn, why was I always getting this easy when I was tipsy?

"Oh, I know what you mean. I stopped counting the amount of these", he replied and held up my beer bottle, taking another sip from it and licking his full lips, my eyes being drawn to them even though I fought it.

"So, uh, Darren, how old are you exactly? I never had the chance to ask before", I finally asked, achieving another one of those wide dimpled smiles.

"Guess", he simply replied with a wink and held my beer bottle out to me in an offer to take another sip. I did and then eyed him curiously, analysing his face in great detail.

He had bright blue eyes that were gleaming in cheekiness and intelligence, framed by long dark brown lashes that were accented by mascara. His nose was angular but also softly curved in a way, his full rosy lips still a bit pouty in a childlike way. His cheekbones were high and a bit prominent due to his slimness, but his face still had the roundness of a child's face. He was manly already, but still there were a few signs that he hadn't been an adult for long.

"I'd say eighteen."

"Hit the target right on, man. Still feeling like sixteen though", he added with a chuckle and held my gaze, his laughter disappearing after a while but his smile staying firmly in place. I didn't notice that he had been coming closer until his breath mingled with mine, but just as I was about to close my eyes and let my drunken self be kissed by a male for the first time, there was a tap on my shoulder. I shrinked back with my eyes shot open, turning my head to look at the one who had interrupted us.

"Geoff."