this is…” And he pointed out Thom, the guitarist; Mojave, the bassist—I didn’t think that was his real name unless he had been conceived in the desert—and Will, the drummer.
Behind Thom, I noticed a really pretty, laid-back-looking chick. She wasn’t dressed like the other women up here, who were in tight short skirts and heels, but rather more like myself, with baggy jeans and a Devil’s Advocate T-shirt. She had her straight thick black hair down and cut in chunky layers that looked fantastic. I gave her a chin tilt in greeting, and she smiled sweetly in return.
Andy turned a worshipful gaze on me, which I found really bizarre. “Whoa, man. What’s it like being with this guy? I mean, you hang out with him on a regular basis!”
Phil’s chest was vibrating, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. Yeah, we just hang out, you know, on a regular basis.
Holy shit. I spend most of my free time banging Phil fucking Deveraux.
“Honestly”—I gave Andy a conspiratorial eye—“it’s fucking awesome. And I’ll tell you why. It’s because, underneath all this, he’s just a down-to-earth regular guy.”
“Seriously?”
“I know, right?”
Phil released laughter.
On the first level, the lights went down, and there were some loud whoops and cheers coming from the gathered crowd.
“Who’s up now?” I asked Andy.
“Space Monkeys,” he replied.
Turning to Phil, I excitedly told him, “These guys are brilliant! I want to see them—”
He immediately pushed us through the gathered throng and steered me to the railing, standing next to me rather than behind in a possessive manner. I appreciated that. Everyone here knew I was his. He had made that perfectly clear.
The Space Monkeys had a groovy, trippy rock sound that I found unique. I could tell they were classically trained musicians and loved to push the boundaries of the sound they produced. The first time I had seen them, I had gone and bought their demo, and I’d listened to it at least once a day until I knew it by heart.
Phil seemed quite impressed with them, too.
“These guys aren’t contracted yet?” he asked me between songs.
“I don’t think so. I have their demo in my car if you want to listen to it.”
“I think I’m just gonna go buy one,” he told me before kissing my head. “I’ll be right back.”
“All right,” I replied.
“Hey.” I heard a woman’s voice to my right.
I turned to see the pretty black-haired chick. “Hey,” I said with a smile.
“I’m Siggie,” she introduced herself, holding out her hand.
Taking it, I replied, “Kenna.”
“So, I guess Baby Girl isn’t on your birth certificate,” she joked.
“Nope,” I replied, laughing. “So, you’re with Devil’s then?”
“I guess I’m their manager. And their promoter. And their driver,” she said. “Oh, and Thom’s girlfriend.”
“The quiet one.” I grinned.
“That’s him.” She smiled. “Quietly brilliant.”
“Who are the other chicks dripping off of them?”
She rested her elbows on the railing, taking the same stance as myself. “Easy pussy.”
“How does that make you feel?”
She shrugged. “They show up at gigs for exclusive access and free drinks in exchange for sex with a rocker. I guess it’s pretty win-win for them,” she said. “It used to bother me but not anymore. They don’t go near Thom, and he seems fine with that. He keeps me around, in any case.”
“You guys been together for a long time?”
Her eyes met mine. “Since tenth grade.”
I noticed that her eyes were amazing. She had one blue-gray eye, and her right eye was half–light brown, half-gray. “Your eyes are stunning!” I told her.
Even in this low light, I could see her blush.
“Oh…well, thanks.”
“Why are you embarrassed?” I laughed.
“They’re weird.”
“They’re fantastic,” I shouted over the Space Monkeys next jam.
She smiled, and I felt that Siggie was a newly discovered kindred spirit.
“So, besides busting your ass for your band, what else do you do?”
“I’m a caregiver for the sick and dying,” she replied. “I go to people’s homes and make them comfortable for long-drawn-out illnesses.”
“That’s quite admirable,” I told her. “Shit pay for dealing with such heartbreaking circumstances.”
“What about you?”
“I’m a doctor of therapeutic medicine.”
“Shut the fuck up. You’re a doctor?”
I laughed. “Yeah, and you’re a nurse. Why does that surprise you?”
“Shit, how old are you?”
“Twenty-four. What did you think I did?”
“I don’t know. Sit around and wait on a heavy metal god?” She laughed. “Park your ass on the pedestal he’s placed you on and look glorious, so he can gaze at you and write love ballads like ‘A Madman’s Love Letter.’ I mean, you are a legend