Work Text:
🎶And all at once, she knew what the agony had been for
The only thing that’s left is the manuscript, another souvenir from my trip to your shore
Now and then, I re-read the manuscript, but the story isn’t mine… anymore🎶
“Whooo!” I shout, clapping as hard as I can, just one more person in a crowd going crazy. Walking forward as Sahar walks off the stage. “That was amazing!” I whisper-shout, my nose nearly bumping her ear as I’m jostled by the crowd around me. Crap, this ended up more intimate than I’d intended. I’d put one hand on her shoulder to lean in so she’d hear me in this madness, the other had ended up around her waist to stop me falling and was tangled in her dark curls. As she looks up to me and my eyes catch hers, I watch as her pupils dilate… and I take a breath, fighting every cell in my body and step back. I can’t do this. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“Oh, no! Don’t worry, I know, it’s this crazy crowd… I’m heading back to the dressing room with the rest of the band for a bit, do you wanna come?”
“Yeah, shall I grab some drinks first?” Crossing all my fingers and toes for the moment to calm myself.
“Sure, get me a pink drink, for old time’s sake?”
My god, It’s been a long time since I had a pink drink; it had always been our favourite drink on a night out. Tonight had been like a proper trip down memory lane, except the crowds for the band were far larger, and Queer Intentions were headlining. Headlining!!!
As Sahar walks away, I take a deep breath, the quick exhale cool on my lips.
I’m not surprised when I turn to head towards the bar, seeing a familiar strawberry blond head turning towards me. “Imogen! Hey!” Nick says as I’m engulfed in his broad shouldered hug. “I was hoping to catch up with you before the show!”
I step back, and shrug my shoulders “Bloody London, bloody trains. Same old, same old. It’s good to see your face again though, are you ready for this weekend?”
“Only since I was 18.”
I look up, taking stock of his face, catching on the lines bracketing his eyes, “We all knew, you know, even then, that you’d both end up here.”
“The crazy thing is, so did we. I can’t believe it’s finally here!”
“We all thought you’d run away together… get married in secret, and we’d just get a postcard from Vegas or something.”
“I couldn’t do that to our parents. I think they’re nearly as excited as we are!”
Then it’s our turn at the bar, and our hands are full of glasses as we pick our way through the crowds to the dressing room backstage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What was that with you and Imogen, then?” I turned to look back at Charlie and can’t help but scrunch my eyebrows. I wish he’d not noticed that. “Whatever do you mean?”. Anyway, this weekend is about you two lovebirds, not our old drama.”
“You’re sweet, and of course it is, but don’t deflect! I saw your little moment out there; with chemistry still so scorching hot after all this time… why are you not together, again?”
“Because we’re friends, and neither of us wants to mess that up!” I shrug, turning away so he can’t clock my face, and pushing through the door to the backstage area. It was missing many of the tables that once would have filled it when it was the lounge area of the bar, but the smoking ban had all but tanked normal pub culture, like the rest of the UK, and it was now used as a backstage area for the smaller profile bands who passed through on their tours. The roadies were still bringing in the packed up guitars, and amps were slowly filling the rest of the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Right then guys, it’s 11pm. I’ve turfed the rest of my customers out. are you on your way out, or shall we do a lock in?” Brian, the landlord said, elbows on the bar.
“Lock in, lock in, lock in” Darcy starts the chant, and it’s taken up by Tao, Elle, Tara and Imogen.
I look over at her, her eyes dancing, practically jumping up and down with the chanting, and my world stills again. I look away again in case I get caught staring at her for the fifth time tonight. Or is it the fifty seventh? No one knows. Elle leans in and whispers in my ear. “What are you going to do about that?”
“Do about what?” I hedge, hoping to hold her off. Elle’s eyebrows raise at my obvious fib. “Nothing.” I hiss back. She leans forward and opens her mouth, so I interrupt what was obviously going to be a disparaging comment.
I drag her off the booth seat, towards the loos. Even given the noise the rest of our friends are making, I’m not risking being overheard. “We’re friends!” I hiss back at her, as I close the bathroom door behind us. “I don’t want to risk our friendship, our friendship group, any of it!”
“That is utter crap, Sahar!” This time Elle interrupts me as I’m about to deny her claim. I can still hear her clearly through the toilet door. “You’ve been dancing around each other for years, you were each others’ sexual awakening, you’ve still got sizzling chemistry years on… no, I’m not finished…” she continued when I opened my mouth again to argue my side. “You love each other, and your chemistry is fire. You’re both older, and wiser; don’t you think it’s time you actually took the chance?”
“Yes!” Exclaims Tara, as she comes out of one of the stalls and turns on the tap. “It’s about bloody time!”
“Hang on!” I pull my hand away from Elle’s and make my way towards the stall that she’s just vacated. “I’ve not agreed to anything!” I close the door behind me, and start the process of removing my jumpsuit, cursing my clothing choices. I notice that it’s all gone quiet. “Girls, ‘you still there?” I hear a muffled giggle and the telling creak of the door as it swings shut.
I huff, but do my business and get myself redressed. I turn the door handle and as I get the door open and turn back to pick up my bag from the floor beside the loo, my heart stutters when I hear a little “Hey,” from behind me.
I turn and catch her eye, unable to suppress the small smile on my face as I look at her, all big beautiful eyes and dimples, stumbling slightly. She’s always been a lightweight with her drink, and we’re all at least four drinks in. “Hey Immy, you okay?” I walk towards her, and she stumbles into me.
“Am now,” she responds as she steps forward and wraps her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder. I let out a breath, and tuck her hair out of her face. She looks up at me with a smile. “I’ve missed this, missed you.”
“Me too.” The urge to tack a ‘baby’ on the end is strong, but I catch it before it trips off my tongue.
I take a lipstick out of my bag and offer it to her. She smiles down at me “Sneaky, sneaky!”
“Shhh!” I say, detaching myself from her and checking the door. I open it and look both ways.
“Coast clear.”
She rushes up to me, and I’m pressed against the door while her mouth crashes down on mine, devouring me in -almost- the best way. God, the feel of her like this, cocooning me, is transcendent and I don’t know how I’m going to manage this weekend. “Baby!” I mutter against her lips. She pulls back a little and looks down at me “We agreed we’d keep this on the downlow until after the wedding!”
She huffs and takes a couple of steps back so I can move away, “I know, but I couldn’t resist! It’s such a waste sharing lipstick if I can’t kiss you.”
We walk over to the mirror, hands clasped, looking more at each other than ourselves, and I can’t believe my luck. She’s so beautiful and passionate and kind, and my heart feels like it’s hovering a foot outside my body.
“Babe, if you keep looking at me like that, we’ll not keep our secret very long!” Her free hand automatically goes to her chest over her top, fiddling with the ring hidden there, her eyes shining and her mouth tilting up at the very edges.
“We agreed. It’s Nick and Charlie’s weekend. Our friends can all laugh at us for U-hauling once they’ve had their moment.”
She nods back at me and, taking her hand from mine, she pulls out her perfume. After a quick spritz, “One last kiss?”