“They’ll show, don’t worry. The owner is giving us a couple of rooms for the night. You can take one, the boys can have the other.”
“What about you?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I’ll sleep here.”
“You’ll freeze,” I argued.
/> He laughed and opened his door. “I’ve slept in worse, honey.”
I got out, taking my bag with me. We stood around while Sax wandered over to the office.
Harry yawned, stepping closer to me. “Nervous?” he asked.
“Not really.” I made a face. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“You’ll be fine. You have a good set of lungs on you.”
“Thanks, but that first audition keeps creeping into my head.”
“Yeah, that was pretty bad,” he chuckled. “Too bad we didn’t record them, huh?”
“What, so it could end up on YouTube?” I grumbled. That would have been murder. Thank fuck they hadn’t recorded the auditions or I never would’ve lived it down.
“Are you kidding? We want people to want to see the band, not scare them away.”
“Thanks, Harry,” I said, rolling my eyes, “but you’re supposed to be helping me, not making it worse.”
He laughed and wandered off.
Sax walked back over, his eyebrows raised. “Is he giving you trouble?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I grinned.
He held out a key. I took it and smiled. A bed at last.
“Harry!” he yelled out.
Harry turned, just in time to catch the key Sax had thrown at him.
“Get cleaned up, and meet us back here in fifteen minutes, okay?”
I nodded and checked my room number: twenty-four. Conveniently, it was right next to where we had parked. Unlocking the door, I threw my bag down on the double bed and headed into the bathroom. I didn’t have enough time for a shower, so I splashed some water on my face and touched up my makeup.
I was the first person back to the van, besides Sax, who looked like he hadn’t left. The others soon followed. Hiking up my skirt, I jumped into the front seat of the van next to Sax. I smiled as I caught him staring at my legs. He looked away, embarrassed.
Even though the place we were performing at was literally cross the road, with all our equipment it was easier to drive there. Half a minute later, Sax parked next to the back entrance of the bar.
I stood back as the guys unloaded the equipment, carrying it inside. I followed behind them, my hands shaking from pre-performance nerves. I was surprised at how many people were crowded into the tiny bar. Oddly enough, seeing the crowd made me feel a little bit better, and by the time we were ready, I was pumped to start singing.
***
Our ninety-minute set flew by, and before I knew it, we were packing up. The owner of the place came over, insisting he buy us a round of drinks.
“What about you, honey?” he asked me. “Can I get you a beer? Or a vodka?”
“A vodka and lime would be great, thanks,” I smiled.
We sat down on the edge of the stage, watching as the crowd began to thin out. A few girls were hanging around, staring at Sax and the rest of the guys. Harry winked at a short, plump brunette, who dissolved into giggles. I rolled my eyes.