The day was going horribly, to put it nicely. One of the band’s managed to break down on the freeway and so we had an entire set that needed to be filled or cancelled completely. The fans were not happy when we crossed the band name off of the schedule, and the band was even more upset when they showed up, expecting us to have rescheduled them for a later time. And then to make matters worse, there was a horrible stomach flu that had managed to travel around, making band members and crew members sick all around the tour.

I was struggling to help untangle a mess of cords, looking for an extra microphone in one of our spare trailers when I heard my name being called over the radio.

“Sam – Sam, you copy?”

“This is Sam, copy.”

It sounded like another roadie, one that I didn’t know very well. “Sam, we need you at main, stat!”

I groaned and threw the wires down that I was holding. “For what?” I snapped, a bit too harshly.

“Sick drum tech. You’re the only one who can fill. Get over here now!”

I made my way over to mainstage, just before I could walk up, I decided that I really needed a cigarette. I had been so busy in the last few days that I hardly had time to smoke, and even though I was still busy, I had to have one or else I was going to explode. I walked up the back steps, grabbing a water bottle from a cooler on my way up. I let my cigarette hang from my lips as I untwisted the bottle.

“Sam!”

I whipped around at the sound of Mike Fuentes and tried to smile the best I could with my cigarette. “Hey,” I sputtered out in a muffled diction. “’Sup?”

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Mike chuckled as he lit up his own cigarette. “And not much – just waiting for my replacement techie. Casey, my usual tech, caught that damn stomach bug that’s going around. He’s been throwing up for the past three hours.”

My heart nearly stopped when his words made sense to me. “Ah, fuck,” I said, a bit too loudly.

“Huh?” Mike asked. He took a drag of his cigarette and as he exhaled he asked, “What’s wrong?”

I spat out my cigarette and stomped on the butt of it. I bent over to pick it up and dispose of it so it wouldn’t be littering the venue. I took a long drink of my water bottle as I tried to think of somebody else who could help be Pierce the Veil’s drum tech. I was the only one with any experience in being a drum technician, unless they could borrow another band’s, but that was unlikely since it was such short notice. I didn’t want to be around Vic for very long, and I definitely didn’t want to watch him perform.

“Well, I’ve come to your rescue,” I said with a laugh, as if that would explain why I was so upset.

“Well, jeez, you don’t need to be so bitter about it,” Mike joked with a laugh. He saw that my expression was unmoving and his smile faded. “Oh shit, what did I miss?”

I sighed and bowed my head. “Nothing,” I lied. I shrugged my shoulders and perked up my demeanor. “Well, show me your equipment so I can help you out, then.”

Mike nodded and got rid of his cigarette, following the steps I had done just a few moments before by putting the remnants in the trashcan. He walked back up to me and continued walking, motioning for me to follow him as he walked toward their trailer with his equipment. We began digging through the boxes and he showed me the system they had set up. He told me how he likes his drums to be placed and it seemed like they had everything thoroughly labeled – I was tuning in and out of his explanations, though. My mind kept wandering back to Vic.

“I didn’t know you were a drum tech,” Mike said, bringing me back to the conversation. “I just thought you were a roadie.”

“Well, I kind of do everything. I’ve been working on warped for about a decade, so I just learned the ropes. An old friend of mine used to play drums, so I learned a lot from him.” It pained me to say that last sentence, referring to him as my old friend was demeaning to the relationship we had, but it would raise too many questions if I called him what he actually was to me.

Mike seemed shocked at how long I had been working for warped tour. “Dang, that’s a long time!”

“Yeah, I was lucky because my Uncle was really good friends with Kenny and helped me to get the job.”

I was shocked at how easily I had just spewed out some personal information. This was information that hardly anybody knew about – I didn’t like to parade around the fact that I actually knew Kenny personally, instead of just as my boss. I didn’t want the other roadies to know and treat me differently or think that I didn’t deserve to work on tour with everybody.

“That’s rad,” Mike smiled.

“When did you start playing the drums?”

I was so shocked at how conversational I was being with Mike. Was it because I was nervous about the fact that Vic could sneak on by at any moment? Was it because I trusted Mike? Or was it just because he wasn’t prying and that made me want to tell him? Whatever it was, I found myself easily opening up to Mike, of course I didn’t tell him anything too personal or too deep, but it was still shocking.

Vic and I had a few meaningful conversations about our lives and our interests, but in those conversations Vic was the facilitator and I just chimed in when need-be. But this time, the roles were reversed. Mike was conversational, but not putting in too much effort. I was the one keeping things going, and soon enough I found myself telling Mike the story about when I first tried to dress myself as a child. I had no idea how we got on the topic so quickly, but it didn’t matter. We were laughing so hard that we were crying, and the story really wasn’t even that funny. It was actually pretty stupid.

“Mike? Did we get the replacement? –Oh.”

I stopped laughing when I heard Vic’s voice coming from the end of the trailer. Our eyes met and I quickly looked away. Mike continued to laugh, his breathing heavy as he tried to settle down. Vic looked between the two of us, sizing up the situation, before he abruptly turned around and left without saying another word.

“That was weird,” Mike said, his laughter stopping as soon as Vic left. “Did something…?”

“No,” I said quickly. “We just had a stupid argument, no biggie.”

“Oh, alright. He doesn’t usually hold on to things like that for too long. He just needs to let it all out on stage and he’ll be good.”

I nodded, wanting to believe what Mike had said, because even though it was my decision to push Vic away, I still wanted him in my life in one way or another.

-

Watching Vic on stage brought tears to my eyes once again, and I was thankful that when Mike dropped his last drumstick and I ran in to give him some more, he didn’t notice the tears that were streaming down my face. Or, if he did he either ignored them or just assumed that I was sweating from running around.

When they finished the set, I smiled at each of the guys and told them they did great. They walked away quickly, seeking shade and hydration after performing in the heat of the sun. I was just about to get to the stage to help put things away, but right as I was about to step toward the drumset, I was being pushed backward by Vic. I didn’t say anything, and instead helped him by walking backwards until my back hit a steel beam. The pain didn’t even register in my head though, because the warmth of Vic’s lips against mine made my mind melt. He kissed me with so much passion and force that I almost reconsidered my decision in our earlier conversation.

Our lips moved together roughly, until Vic’s exhaustion finally caught up to him and he pulled away to take a deep breath. “I know you fucking felt that.”

I kept my eyes closed and gently licked my lips, already missing the feeling of Vic’s lips against them. I knew exactly what he was talking about because I did feel it. I felt the connection that we had – the way nothing seemed to matter when he kissed me. The way the whole world seemed to melt, leaving my mind clear and sane as long as we were in contact. I did feel it.

My lack of response told him that I was agreeing with him, and I watched as he triumphantly smiled and then walked away to where the others boys were sitting down under a tent with waters, or in Mike’s case a beer. They were sweating profusely and panting, trying to get hydrated before getting up and walking anywhere. I could see Jaime was still pumped up with energy by the way he was bouncing in his seat. Vic had the same amount of energy and that smile still on his face – his energy wasn’t just from the shower though, I knew that he was excited about the kiss we had just shared.

After helping with clearing the stage and putting away their equipment, I took a seat under the tent with them. Mike tossed me a water bottle from the cooler that was beside him and I smiled as a thank you.

“Hey Sam, what are you doing tonight?” Jaime asked. The side conversations ceased and everybody turned to see what I had to say, all of them eager and hopeful for something that wasn’t quite sure of.

“Um,” I cleared my throat, “probably just going to head to the bus early so I can shower and sleep.”

“Nonsense!” Jaime exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air. “The correct answer was that you are going to be on our bus, hanging out with us! Tonight is recoup night!”

“It’s what?”

“Recoup night,” Tony repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“It’s where we all remain sober so we can recuperate for the rest of the week,” Mike explained, motioning toward his beer. “That’s why I have to get my fill in now so I can be sober later tonight.” He tossed his beer back, dusting off nearly half of the bottle. He tossed it back into the cooler and then pulled out another.

“We usually just play some Xbox and make some bomb-ass food with All Time Low, since they always bring like grills and stuff on tour with them,” Mike explained.

“I don’t play xbox, I just watch movies,” Vic chimed in. “You should join us, it’ll be fun.”

I shrugged – but the idea did sound really appealing. It would be great to not feel pressured to drink any alcohol to hang out with the guys. I wondered what it would be like to hang out with them while they were all completely sober. I had only known them for about a month now, and every time I was around, they were drinking – or smoking – something that caused them to be a bit looser than usual. I finally decided that it would be a good idea to go, but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt the new conversation that Mike and Jaime had started.

I could see Vic smiling at me from across our little hangout circle – he knew that I had decided to go. He knew that I just couldn’t stay away from him. I rolled my eyes at the cocky expression on his face and the way he made a subtle kissing face in my direction.

This boy was going to change everything.

-

Vic’s POV

I knew that she would come. I knew that she liked me, I could just tell. She said that she couldn’t do this – that she was going to hurt me, and a part of me knew that I should take her warning to heart and try to figure out what she meant by that, but –as usual – I dismissed any second thoughts and went straight for what I wanted. I wanted to try to take things to the next level with Sam, but I knew that I was moving too fast. It happened too many times in the past, and I ended up being left behind because I fell in love too quickly, but I just couldn’t help myself with Sam. Something about her had me wrapped around her finger the second she let me hold her hand, and I wasn’t going to let go for anything.

She was sitting in the front lounge playing video games with Jaime and Tony while I finished up with my shower – the boys wanted her to play a round of Call of Duty, and she agreed right away. I could tell she wanted to get to know the rest of my band, and that alone told me that she was thinking of sticking around. Why else would she want to get acquainted with my traveling family beside the fact that she was thinking about being with me? At least, that’s how I saw it.

I finished dressing just in time. I heard them finish their game, Jaime and Samia complaining about how Tony cheated by camping for the entire round, and soon the argument ended in laughter.

“Hey,” Sam said as she leaned against the bunks. I set my towel down on my bed, not really caring to hang it up to dry. “How was your shower?” she asked.

It would seem like such a strange question coming from anybody else, but since we both knew what life was like on tour, it made sense. “Glorious,” I said with a sigh. “Smell my hair.”

She leaned forward, expecting me to lean toward her so she could smell it, but instead I reached out, wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tight against me. I rested my head on her shoulder so she was forced to do the same to me. She buried her face into the crook of my neck, my hair surrounding her face. She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I liked the feeling of her breath against my skin.

“Smells great,” she commented. She tried to pull away, but instead I took advantage of this moment and pressed a soft kiss onto her cheek, telling her that I wanted to kiss her. “Vic,” she whined. “Someone will see us.”

I pulled away just enough for me to look at her face, keeping my arms securely wrapped around her torso. “So?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

“We’re not together Vic, I told you that,” she said. I could see that the words didn’t really make sense to her, just like they didn’t make sense to me. “They’ll think we’re together, and I don’t want that.” Her tone was almost questioning, as if she didn’t know if it was what she wanted or not.

“What’s it matter? We’ll just tell them that we’re not.”

She shook her head. I was sick of her doing that, it was like she was trying to shake away what I was saying – shaking my words out of her head so she could only listen to what she thought she wanted. “No, Vic. I don’t want them to know.”

I gave in, suddenly feeling stupid for wrapping my arms around her. Now, it was me shaking my head. “You’re giving me some crazy mixed signals, you know.”

She sighed. “I…I’m-“

“Hey, Sam!” Mike came into the bunk area, looking between us quickly, but then fixated his gaze on Sam again. “Come play some Dance Central with us!”

Sam let out a laugh. “Dance Central? You play that?”

Mike scoffed, a smirk never leaving his lips. “What, you don’t think I’ve got moves?” He crossed his arms over his chest, striking a small pose.

“No, I’m sure you do,” she said with a slight nod. “But there’s no way they’re better than mine!”

“Is that a challenge?”

“It just might be.”

I watched as they bantered back and forth, and I suddenly felt out of place. Like I was the third wheel in their flirting. The tension was rising, but I seemed to be the only one to notice is as the two continued to laugh and joke back and forth. My hearing seeming to mute over and I watched as Mike reached his hand out for Sam, waiting for her to take his hand and dance with him.

I stared at her as she seemed to think about putting her hand into Mike’s. He was waiting with a smile, almost as if he had completely forgotten about how she had some fear of her hands touching someone else’s. Sam reached out, and my heart stopped. I watched her extend her hand. The proximity was breaking my heart, but I smiled when she instead spread open her arms past him, and then shimmied out of the room to prove her “moves” to Mike.

Once they left the area, I let out the breath that I had been holding in. I decided that I was going to wait for her to finish socializing with my band members, and that I could try and talk to her more later. I was just about to climb into my bunk when I heard Mike announce that he had to use the restroom before they started. He entered the bunk area, shutting the curtain behind him and then looked over to me.

“What’s up?” I asked as he approached me.

“I only have a minute to talk because I said that I was just going pee,” Mike whispered in a rush.

“Okay…and…?”

“Well,” Mike lifted her right hand and rubbed the back of his neck. “I just wanted to ask you…is there something going on between you and Sam?”

I didn’t answer right away because I didn’t know what to say. Do I tell him that I like her? Or would he somehow manage to make things awkward by trying to set us up? (It was a very Mike thing to do, he had done it in the past.) Or do I say no, like Sam wanted us to do? I decided to stay true to Samia’s wishes. If I wanted to get her to try things out, I needed to make sure that I kept her trust. “Nah,” I said as I shook my head.

“Oh, okay, good.” Mike let out a sigh of…relief? He seemed to relax, as if something had been lifted from his shoulders.

“What?” I asked. “Why good?”

Mike was silent for a moment, but I could see the smile that was growing over his face. A genuine smile that I hadn’t seen on his face in almost a year – a smile that told me that there was a girl on his mind. I thought that the day that I saw this smile again was going to be a happy one – especially after Mike’s nasty break-up with his long-time girlfriend. But it wasn’t a happy day, oh no.

“I don’t know, man,” he began. “I think, I mean, I’m interested in Sam. She keeps the conversation going so easily, even after I wasn’t very responsive. She’s the first girl that I’ve been able to actually feel comfortable talking to since…well…you know who. Like, earlier when we were in the trailor. She was so funny and talkative – not in a bad way – and it just really made me look at her like wow, you know?”

I knew exactly what he was talking about – she was wow. Everything about her made me think wow every second that I laid my eyes on her – the way she never wore makeup or did anything to her hair drove me nuts. All of her natural beauty and flaws were always on display, telling the world that she didn’t care about anybody or anything but herself and her beliefs. The way her cheek bones nearly touched her eyelashes when she would laugh uncontrollably. The way she was so quiet, but yet so talkative at the same time…just everything about her made her attractive, and I really couldn’t blame Mike for noticing this. If Jaime and Tony were single they would surely be interested as well – no doubt.

“So what do you think?” Mike asked. “Should I go for her?”

I was at a loss of words. I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say, hoping that I could think of something that could stray him away. Something that I could drop as a hint to my feelings for her, but there was nothing on my tongue.

“Mike!” Sam called from the front lounge. “Hurry up!”

Mike’s face lit up at the sound of Samia calling his name. He gave me a smile and patted my shoulder before leaving the bunks and going back to the game they were about to play.

I climbed back into my bunk and just stared up at the ceiling. I wanted to say something, I wanted to stop him from flirting with Samia. Even though I knew she wasn’t going to just suddenly jump into a relationship with Mike or even start dating him, but there was still a fear there. Fear of my brother falling in love with the girl that I was falling for, and the fear of one – or both of us – ending up with a broken heart in the end.

Notes

Another chapter for you guys!

What do you think about Mike and Samia becoming close? Is something going to come of this?
Why does Samia want to keep things a secret? Tell me your thoughts on it! I love to hear your reactions.

Love you all!
ALSO I AM GOING TO SEE TONIGHT ALIVE ON THURSDAY AND I AM SO EXCITEDDDD!!!!