“Thank you Vegas!” Vic screamed into the microphone as the crowd went wild and the boys exited the stage. Everyone screamed for an encore, but as an opening band that wasn’t really how things went, and so with that, their section of the show was done. I asked Danielle what would happen, and she simply said that they would escort the guys here after they’ve changed and that we would just enjoy the show before heading back to the hotel and get ready for one last night in town.

It took about fifteen minutes before the main band, PVRIS, stepped on stage and began to play their show. I had never heard their music, but the lead singer’s voice was simply enchanting. I felt like she hit the notes beautifully and I was really enjoying the moment, completely in trance until I felt a sudden pair of hands on me. Startled I turned around, ready to use the little self-defense moves I could remember from when I was younger.

“Hey, hey, hey it’s just me,” Mike said lifting up his arms in signs of no harm, yet still grinning with his pearly white teeth.

“You scared me!” I said, lightly pushing him away playfully. He pouted at my action as he stared at me with puppy eyes. We stared at each other for a couple of seconds before I couldn’t keep a straight face any longer and grinned at him “come here,” I added as he came close to me and kissed me softly and tenderly. He was all sweaty and you could taste the salty residue of sweat mixed with the aftertaste of beer in the kiss - a sort of taste that was very particular to him, something I craved almost. When he pulled away I was given the chance to greet the rest of the boys and then my attention fled back to Mike.

“Did you like the show?”

“You guys did fantastic, I was amazed”

“Well, I’m glad,” he added, turning me around and wrapping his arms around me as he rested his chin on my shoulder, giving me a small kiss on my right cheek. We stood there almost the entire concert, and right before it was done, the bodyguards pulled us away and discreetly cleared a path for us to pass back towards the backstage area.

“Where are we going?” I asked Mike as he held my hand tightly.

“We’re leaving the venue through the back,”

“So you guys don’t watch the show at the end?”
“We do, however, this crowd is quite wild today, so it’s best for both bands if we leave before” he added. In the blink of an eye I was thrown into a whirlpool of flashes, screams and crowds of fans as we crossed the doors of the backstage area. I was quite astonished, since this meant that these people had been standing here for god knows how long. It was pure dedication and I’m not sure I’d seen this much commitment in a while.

Occasionally the boys stopped to take a picture or two, and even sign some merch however I was in a state of shock which made it hard to move. I found myself breathing heavily and I could feel my heartbeat in every single one of my extremities. This was unlike an experience I could ever even imagine existed. Somehow, in what seemed like ages, we made it to the van that was waiting for us and I finally felt like I could breathe. I sat down and buckled my seatbelt in silence, my eyes wide open as I attempted to calm my breathing once again.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked me as he pressed his hand on my thigh.

“Yeah, I’m just a little bit in shock,”

“Well, the hardest part is done and that’s pretty much as bad as it will ever get,” he said, kissing my temple and leaning his head on mine.

“Awe, you guys are adorable,” Jessica said, commenting on our display of affection, making me blush.

“Well you guys, it’s time to go back to the hotel and get ready for one last night out!” Tony cheered and we all followed as the car began to move.

---

We got back to the hotel after navigating our way through the crowded streets near the venue and headed straight to get ready for our last night in Vegas. The entire night had been such an adrenaline rush to me; the fans screaming, the running around from one side to the other, being protected by bodyguards and all the things I never thought I’d have to experience. Then seeing Mike and the boys just being so good with their fans, it was a very different side of Mike that I truly enjoyed seeing. I’d also gotten to hang out with the girls more, and I was beginning to feel that maybe I’d eventually get through with Erin and maybe we’d improve our friendship. Surprisingly, I had already an outfit planned in my head and so it barely took any time for me to change. I was wearing a short, black, mini skirt as well as a lose burgundy top with the back lightly covered by a couple of strings and my favorite black heels. They made me look around six inches taller - however I still wasn’t as tall as Mike. I retouched my make up and fixed my hair slightly before leaving the bathroom and finding Mike standing in the middle of the room, in only his skin tight black jeans looking for a shirt to wear.

“Wow, you look-” he began but stopped speaking as he ran out of words.
“I think the word you’re looking for is hot,” I winked.

“I didn’t picture you as conceited kind of girl, but yeah you got it right; it is hot,” he added with a smile as he leaned over to pick his black button up shirt. I sat down on the bed as I watched him put the shirt over his shoulders; I watched his defined torsos and the way his tattoos stretch out with his skin.

“So when did you start getting into tattoos?” I asked Mike, admiring all of his tattoos as he began to button up his shirt.

“Well I had this friend in my freshman year of high school, back when I was 15, and he was working at his parent’s tattoo shop and he gave me my first tattoo,” he began as he pointed at one in his inner arm. It was a black circle with some red blocks in the middle kind of in the shape of a heart “it was from my favorite band at the time, but yeah you could say I began at 15 and my obsession just kept growing and growing,”

“Was it really painful?”

“Not really, like the one that was really painful was the antlers of my abdomen piece which extend to my ribs, and even though it’s small I was like damn,” he explained.

“I’ve always wanted a tattoo but I’ve been too scared of doing it, you know how ticklish I am,” I laughed, curling a strand of hair behind my right ear.

“It’s okay, it’s like a mixture of pain and tickling for the first two minutes and then you just get used to it, I guess that’s what happens with me but it may just be because I’ve so many,” he said, walking towards me and kneeling on the floor right in front of me where I was sitting on the bed. “What do you want to get tattooed?” I took my phone and scrolled through my pictures and showed it to him. It was a pink and purple lotus flower that extended into small and thin strands that surrounded a symbol from Indian Sanskrit.

“I want it a little lower than my lower neck,” I said as he looked at it.

“It’s really pretty, I think it will look really good on you,” he responded, making me blush.

“Eh, I’m a little scared so I’m still thinking about it,” I said, kind of looking down. “But tell me more about yours,”

“Well, I guess the most significant tattoo I have is this one,” he pointed at a music note with his last name next to it “My father taught me everything I know about music and it’s been a huge part of my life - obviously and so I kind of owe him all of my career,”

We talked a for a little bit about the rest of his tattoos and the things he still wants tattooed and then once it was time to head down and go party we gathered our things and prepared for yet another crazy night.

Tonight we decided to try something new and instead of settling for a single bar, we headed down to the Strip and we began to bar hop. In the first bar we all ordered some tequila to get the night started and relaxed for a little, just having fun.

“So Sarah, what did you think about your first concert experience?” Tony asked me and everyone’s eyes were on me.

“Well, it was definitely different than the other concerts I’ve ever been to. It was more hectic and confusing at first but you guys pulled a great concert and seeing you with the fans was so great, I really enjoyed it,”

“We’re glad you did, so here’s a toast to a great concert and a great time!” Jaime added as the second round of tequila arrived. We all raised our glasses and chugged the tequila, chasing it with a bite of a lemon at the end.

“Now that’s the spirit!” Vic finished “Now let’s go,” We paid the bill and headed out to the next bar where we got a second round of shots; this time it was a sweet and sour berry mix. It really did meet the expectations; the first contact between the alcohol and my mouth felt the sourness of the berry however towards the end there was this sweet element to it which I really enjoyed. From then on the same routine was repeated as we hopped from bar to bar, each of us consuming a shot or two per bar until my brain stopped counting at around 11.

“Okay, everyone we’ve a long day tomorrow so I think it’s time to call it a night,” Tony said, as he pointed at the time; it was 1am.

“Yeah that sounds like a good plan,” Vic agreed and like that we gathered ourselves enough to walk a little, packed our belongings after paying for the drinks and headed out the door. We all walked together to the hotel and after everyone had gone upstairs, Mike and I stared at each other with a grin.

“I don’t think I’m ready for the night to be over,” I said, shamelessly.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I know exactly what I want to do,”

Notes