"It's weird!" Tommy complained.

They were backstage, waiting to go on, and Momoko was putting the finishing touches on her outfit, which tonight was a deep magenta A-line mini dress with brilliants all over it. Under it she wore a pair of sparkly black thigh highs and black stilettos. She wore her hair in two braids, and two magenta feather earrings finished up her ensemble.

"What's weird?" asked Sully, who was just stepping out of the bathroom.

"You know how Momoko always smells so good?" At Sully's nod, Tommy continued. "Well, because he spent all that time in the tub with her this afternoon, now Jude smells just like her."

Jude smiled and fell across Tommy's lap. "You know you love it," he teased, snuggling into Tommy's body. "Here', take a deep whiff and pretend I'm her--I'll even give you a snog--"

"Get the fuck off!" Tommy laughed, trying to shift Jude's dead weight off his body. "You English freak."

"Why d'you always have to bring my nationality into things?" Jude asked as he rose. "I don't do that to you, do I? You never hear me say, 'Tommy, you Mexican wanker,' do you?"

"Oh, please, you call him that just about every day," Dane declared with a snort.

"I do, don't I?" Jude acknowledged with a smirk. "Blast."

"Come sit by me, Jude," Sully requested. "I want to see if you really smell like Momoko."

Jude obligingly went and sat next to Sully, leaning in.

Sullivan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply of the fragrance of Jude. "Yeah, you do smell pretty good," he admitted. "Very floral and perfumy. It's nice." He grabbed Jude and hugged him. "This doesn't feel nearly as pleasant, though," he added. "You need to grow some boobs, dude." He released Jude. "Peaches, come here," he called.

Momoko turned and tock tocked over to where Sullivan sat in her stilettos, adjusting her bra as she walked. "Yeah?"

Sully pulled her down into his lap and hugged her, planting a kiss on her neck as he gave her breast a friendly squeeze. "Now this is what I'm talking about," he declared. "Mm, way better than hugging that skinny Limey." He finally released her, setting her carefully on her feet.

"Again with the slur on my Englishness," Jude said, flapping his hand against his side. "Just where do you think your ancestors came from, hm, Mister Sullivan Palmer?" Jude slapped Sully playfully in the chest. "That's a good English name, I'll have you know. "You're probably more English than I am, I think most of my family came from Ireland and Wales a while back."

The door opened and a girl stuck her head in. "Five minutes, guys." She nearly shut the door, but then opened it again. "And it's an overflow crowd, way to go." She gave them a thumbs up and a smile, then closed the door for real.

"I have to pee," Momoko declared.

"No you don't," Dane assured her. "You just went before you put on your thigh highs and garter, remember? Because you said it was a pain in the ass to go after you put it on?"

"Oh yeah," Momoko answered, nodding. "So why do I feel like I have to go again?"

"It's psychosomatic," Tommy answered. He stood in front of her, rubbing her shoulders briskly. "Like when you feel like you want to throw up."

"How did you know that?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Know what?"

"That I wanted to throw up."

Tommy took a deep breath and smiled. "Just a lucky guess. But that's my point, Peaches, you don't, not really. Once you get out there, all of this will just slip away, and you're going to rock it, like you always do, right?" He nodded encouragingly, looking at her, blinking his gorgeous brown eyes.

"Right, right," she said, nodding back, locking onto his gaze, putting her hands on his rock hard tummy.

"Right, then, time to go, beautiful people," Jude said, opening the door. "Come on, Peaches, let's go kill it." He held out his hand to her.

She nodded, reaching for his hand.

They waited off stage in the darkness, with Jude still holding Momoko's hand. He gave it a squeeze when the stage lights went up, and they ran to their places to tumultuous applause.

And Tommy was right, off course. As soon as she saw the crowd, clapping for her, yelling for her, holding up their phones to record her, all of her fears, the nausea, everything just slipped away. As she sang the notes of the first song, Momoko was carried away to another place where nothing could touch her, where she was invincible, where nothing existed except her, her marvelous boys, the music, and the crowd.

Sullivan was the first to notice that something was wrong.

They were halfway through the show,  and Momoko was a glowing, sexy mess. She was singing some very sultry lyrics, standing very close to the microphone, when she suddenly stuttered a little bit.

Sully looked over at her, and saw her staring out into the crowd. He looked too, but the lights were right in his eyes, and he couldn't see anything.

Then she repeated the previous verse instead of singing the next one, and everyone in the band looked over at her, though most of the audience didn't seem to notice. Momoko found her place again, and ended the song properly, and continued with the show, even rolling her eyes and shaking her head at the boys to show everything was okay, but anyone who knew them would've known something was up.

Kay, who was watching from the bar, certainly could tell.

"What was that about?" she asked when she caught up with Momoko backstage after the show.

"Hm? What?" Momoko asked as she swigged from a water bottle.

"When you screwed up the lyrics on 'Do Me'?"

"Oh, just one of those things, you know?" Momoko shook her head in embarrassment. "A brain fart or whatever they're called. So embarrassing, I'm only twenty-three, way too young for a senior moment, I know."

"Well, you're lucky no one else really noticed," Kay said drily. "I saw a couple of record execs in the audience tonight--"

"You did?" Tommy and Dane grinned at each other. "Did you talk to them?"

Kay shook her head. "I didn't want to be pushy. They know who I am, they can come and find me if they want. But it's a good sign, because there was no one else performing tonight, only you guys, so it's obvious who they came to see, you know?"

Everyone nodded, smiling.

"Battle of the Bands is a month away, guys, and I think something big is going to happen for you then, I really do," Kay said, looking at each person for a second. "It's pretty standard practice for the big labels to to do a little scouting beforehand, then to make offers and announcements that night, like a big reveal. I think that's what they're planning. And the two I saw tonight? They saw each other, so they each know the other's interested, which should make things very interesting, if you know what I mean."

"Like a bidding war? Something like that?" Sully asked.

"Exactly like that, yeah," Kay responded with a nod.

"Cool," Momoko said.

"Very cool," Kay said  with satisfaction. "Oh, and speaking of which, I have some stuff to show you." She reached in her huge bag and pulled out some T-shirts and keychains. "Prototypes of the merch that's going to be available starting next week at your gig in Brooklyn, what do you think?"

Everyone "oohed" and "aahed" over the shirts, which had everyone's faces and the band's name, and the keychains, which were striped like peppermints, again with the band's name.

"Oh, and water bottles too, look," she added, pulling out some striped water bottles with the band's name emblazoned on them.

"You guys can keep these," she said. "Give them away or wear them or whatever. We're going to have a booth up, like I said, it's going to be great."

They thanked her effusively as she left, and headed home themselves, deciding to splurge on an Uber.

"Okay, so now that we're alone, can we talk about what really happened onstage tonight?" Tommy began. "Brain fart my ass, Peaches."

"She saw something," Sully said. "Or someone. Didn't you? Was he there?"

Momoko took a deep breath and nodded. "I think so. It was just for a few seconds. His hair was a different color, which is strange. He waved at me like he does, and lifted his drink, and then someone walked in front of him, and then he was gone. It was creepy, you guys." She shuddered.

Tommy, who was closest, put an arm around her. "So you're not even sure it was him? Maybe it wasn't, then. I mean, would he risk another fine and jail just to see you from far away?"

"He has money," Momoko pointed out. "I mean, his parents have money, and they always just give it to him, just so he'll go away, I think. That's how he could always afford drugs."

They arrived home and carried on the conversation with drinks in the living room area after they'd cleaned up and put on their PJs.

"But what would be the point of just waving at you and disappearing?" Dane asked.

"Just to freak me out, gaslight me, you know?" Momoko answered, taking a huge drink of her wine.

"Well, you're safe here," Sully pointed out. "The downstairs gate is locked, the deadbolt on the door is thrown, and we're here with you. You feel safe, right?"

"Of course I do," Momoko said, nodding. "I just don't want him fucking with the band, showing up at our gigs. I mean, what if he shows up at BoB next month? It could be really bad for us."

"It probably wasn't even him tonight," Tommy said reasonably. "How sure can you be, different colored hair, across a crowded room, lights in your eyes, for a couple seconds?"

"I guess I can't," Momoko said uncertainly. She took a deep breath. She looked very young to the boys with her face devoid of makeup and in her PJs with the moons and stars all over them. The lamplight accentuated the roundness of her cheek, one of her most childlike features.

They went to bed soon after, calling out their goodnights, as they closed their doors.

Momoko tossed and turned, unable to sleep, to shake the feeling of portentousness that engulfed her. Eventually she got out of bed and padded to Tommy's room, knocking softly before entering.

She shook him gently, pulling him from sleep.

"What? What's wrong?" He covered her hand where it rested on his chest.

"Can I sleep with you? I'm feeling lonely."

"Of course, Peaches. And it's your lucky day, because I just changed the sheets." Momoko could tell he was smiling.

"I know, I washed them for you." Momoko laughed.

She climbed into bed and snuggled into his firm chest, loving the feel of his rock hard biceps enfolding her.

"Are you a cuddly sleeper?" she asked softly, borrowing the phrase from "Friends." "I mean, can you sleep like this, holding someone?"

"Absofuckinglutely," he responded, nodding above her head. For good measure, he wrapped his leg over her hips. "I can even sleep like this, if you want me to."

"Ooh, yummy, this is heaven," Momoko whispered. She felt completely surrounded by Tommy, his scent, his strength.

Tommy pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "For me too, Peaches. Now get some sleep, okay?"

She nodded and kissed his chest. "Good night, Tommy."

"Good night, Momoko."