Strike (Sphere of Irony 2)

CHAPTER 3

Kate

“C’mon. It’ll be fun! Just this once take a break from studying, El. It’s Saturday night.” My best mate stares at me as if I’ve grown a second head. “Please?” I beg. “I’ve come all this way to see you, don’t make me sad.”

“All this way? Rubbish. You walked a single flight of stairs from your flat to mine,” she huffs with a smile. I grin, knowing I’ve won. Ellie rolls her eyes. “Fine. But if I fail chemistry, it’s your fault.” Ellie shuts her book, stuffing it into her bag.

“Thanks! I’ll love you forever.” I wrap her up in a big hug.

“You’ll love me forever anyway,” she laughs. “You don’t have to pay me favors.”

“True.” I let go, pushing her towards her wardrobe. “Now, get changed. We don’t want to miss any of the show.”

“Alright, alright! Give me a minute.”

I walk into the tiny washroom and check my reflection—boring and plain, as usual. Oh well.

“Ready?” Ellie asks.

“Let’s go!”

The tube to the DK seems to take forever tonight, probably because I’m nearly crawling out of my skin to see Dax perform again. Yeah, last time sucked. Watching the groupies stalk Dax and Adam from the edge of the stage was a nice solid punch to my ego. But the fact that I’ve spoken to Dax a few times since has given me a microscopic sized amount of courage that I plan on exploiting once I have a pint or two.

“Bugger. They’ve already started,” I complain, hopping from one foot to the other. I twist my hair nervously around my hand.

“What’s the big deal? We’ve seen them before,” Ellie asks.

I shrug, not wanting to discuss my enormous, pathetic, decade-old crush on Dax. “You get to see them practice nearly every day. I’ve only seen them the one time.” Ellie hands me a pint of lager, which I down much faster than I should. I need to relax or I’ll combust.

“Jeez, Kate. Thirsty?” Ellie is raising a questioning eyebrow at my empty glass.

“Oh. Yeah. I was. Sorry. Let me grab another and we can move closer to the stage.”

Five minutes later, we’re situated a few meters from where Adam and Dax are singing and strumming their hearts out. The two new blokes are good as well, making them sound like a proper band.

“They’re really good with the Americans joining up!” Ellie shouts in my ear so I can hear her over the music. “They even wrote some more songs now that they have drums and a bass!”

“They are good!” I yell back. Personally, I liked the acoustic set they did a bit better. But she’s right. They do sound like a proper band. Professional. The fact that all four of them are strikingly gorgeous in their own way doesn’t hurt their popularity one bit.

I know the exact second Adam notices Ellie in the crowd. When he sees her, he smiles like he’s found his reason to live. He sings to her and her alone, exposing his heart and soul with each beautiful note.

It’s almost uncomfortable to watch, as if I’m intruding on an intimate moment. A seed of unease blooms in my chest. No one has ever looked at me like that. I can’t even imagine what that level of devotion would feel like.

My eyes leave Adam to focus on Dax. He’s singing and playing as much as Adam, but Dax keeps his emotions sealed up tight—if he even has emotions. His face is as expressionless and distant as it’s been every single day I’ve known him. In fact, the only time I’ve seen that cold, unreadable face change is when he talks to Adam or his band mates. Never for anything or anyone else.

That’s not entirely true, he had a laugh with me the other day at the café. Of course, Adam was there, but still. I saw it, and it was breathtaking.

Iceman. I giggle at the thought.

As Dax’s eyes roam the crowd, they land on me and freeze. Too late to hide it, I see his eyes widen in surprise. To my complete and utter shock, Dax winks at me before returning his attention to the music.

My chest is suddenly full, and it’s not from that seed of doubt. No, it’s from hope. The hope that maybe, just maybe, I’m no longer invisible and Dax Davies might actually see me.

“You sure you’re okay going home? It’s a long way and I don’t want to feel like I’m ditching you.”

I smile at Ellie. “You’re not ditching me, El. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll make sure she gets home, Ellie. No worries, yeah?” Dax has silently edged up next to us, apparently overhearing our conversation. He doesn’t seem to think twice about his offer. I stifle a smile. Surely Dax must realize I’ve been walking around Hackney by myself my entire life?