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The light shined on them from above, tingling their skin with heat as the audience roared, looking up to them all like angels; looking the part, draped in white silks and ribbons. They all bowed in sync continuing the show beyond music, despite their desperation to get off stage.
Abigail curtsied, her smile wide on her round face which was framed by her short, black hair. Lizzie looked at her and the rest of their bandmates from the corner of their eye and smiled. They took 1 final bow before scurrying off the stage, grabbing Georgia's hand.
Abigail, Emily and Aurora followed swiftly thereafter. Abigail swooped Georgia into a hug and quietly thanked her before signalling to the others to join.
They'd moved backstage, talking about the show as they went. How Abigail had once again wrapped herself around Emily's leg, as if worshipping the ground she walked upon. How Abigail had also rested her head on Lizzie's right shoulder as she sung, admiring the strong, steady beat of their heart; how the audience wouldn't know she'd almost kissed their neck mid-song. People close to them had begun to pick up on their intimacy with one another, and dreaded to think what they were like together outside of the public eye. They'd picked up how the whole band's exterior altered during "My lady of mercy", their subtle smiles shared between one another during the pre-chorus in which Abigail recreated the noises usually reserved for just them in front of a large crowd. A sight that felt not too dissimilar to a rite of passage.
Emily watched intently as Aurora unzipped Georgia's dress, adoring her back and the moles that marked her skin the whole way down. She smiled giddishly as Georgia turned around, walked toward her and leant down to place a gentle kiss to her temple. Lizzie cleared their throat to grab Georgia's attention and passed her a spare black t-shirt and some shorts which Georgia put on quickly before sitting down beside Emily, letting her lie her head on her right shoulder as Georgia sipped a bottle of peroni that Abi had opened for her.
Abigail and Aurora stood in the mirror, removing their makeup and brushing out their hair before changing. Georgia and Emily joined them and began helping the others with their hair before doing each others, carefully untying strands and wiping left over makeup off each others faces. Lizzie wrapped their arms around Aurora's waist, lifting up her shirt slightly and kissing her neck tenderly as their hands rested on her lower abdomen, making Aurora sigh, prompting giggles from the others. Abigail, who was now stood in nothing but a low-waisted pair of boxer shorts - which actually belonged to Lizzie - and a black t-shirt bra, tied up her hair in a loose ponytail and walked over to Emily, who was now in Georgia's oversized t-shirt and gripping onto Lizzie's arm, and kissed her, smiling as she did so. Abigail pivoted on her right foot and turned to Georgia, kissing her and cupping her cheek. The band all turned to face each other, meeting one anothers eyes. They stood in silence for a moment before all laughing, the sweet sound of their love for one another echoed through the room as they turned to face one another, dressed in each others clothes and smeared with each others lipstick and they held each other once more.
"Nothing matters," giggled Abigail, an ironic comment which was returned with laughs from the others. She let down her hair and Georgia ran her fingers through it as Emily leaned on her shoulder and Lizzie held her left hand, caressing it with their soft skin. Aurora draped her arms around Emily's neck from behind and they drifted apart. Emily removed her T-shirt and sat down on the sofa before them. She laughed as the others did too.
"Like nothing matters?" she asked, finishing Abigail's thought from earlier as Lizzie sprawled themselves on the couch beside Emily, who lingered her hands in Lizzie's short hair, pulling them closer together. Lizzie came up for air, their foreheads placed against one another in the intimate moment. The other three followed their lead, losing themselves in the thoughts of one another, awaking only to look into one another's eyes: shades of nature, shades of natural beauty. Shades of a gift, provided by the love of another.