"You should go talk to her."
"What?" The little and dimpled barwoman looked away from her previous view, faking to clean the counter.
"Oh, stop. It's the same thing every saturday, since when her band started to play here." The other woman said. A blonde one, barwoman too, but she was brushing the floor before the house opens.
"What are you talking about, Angie?"
"Maggie. Stop! Okay? I know you, I mean, we work here since I-don't-know-when. You have your eyes on her every saturday, all the time."
"Her?"
"Yes. Her. Alex Danvers, the girl of the band."
"Could you please speak low?" Maggie whispered to her friend, showing some sort of afraid of being heard.
"See? I was right. You should go talk to her."
"Of course not. I'm just… looking. Is that wrong?"
"No… not at all. I mean, she's gorgeous. But you're way too pure to be just looking. I know you're having some feelings for her. You're too soft. Actually, I don't even know how you work on a place like this."
"I have bills to pay."
Angie shrugged. "You should definitely talk to her."
Maggie laughed and started to wash the glasses and reorder the bottles, always finding a way to check on the little stage at the corner. The Fake Bourbon was a it was a rock bar in one of Vancouver's suburban alleys. Its owner was Oliver, a drunk guy who bought that piece of shit five years ago just in order to have a place to receive his drunk friends and play some shitty music. With the time, the house made success there, and some bands, which was starting the dream of being famous, used to play there, for a big amount of drunk and poor people. Maggie met Oliver on high school and when she was kicked out from her parent's house, Oliver was the one who gave her a job as barwoman there, so she could pay a rent. It wasn't the best place, the best work, but it used to cover the bills, so she didn't complain.
One month ago, three guys and a girl went to Oliver's office asking for a chance to play there, and he accepted it, so that band was on stage every saturday since then. And Maggie was there to, watching the girl play her guitars and singing. As lesbian, Maggie already dated a few other women before, but, as a soft lesbian, she used to be out of words when the girl, named Alex, was on the same room with her.
"Five, six, seven, eight… Yeah we fight
Making nightmares of our dreams
We can't deny, no
Ripping holes in each other's seams, divi… No, no! Stop! This is terrible! Jordan, I guess it's you."
"Oh, why me, princess? Why it can't be you?"
"I know what I'm playing. Plus I'm just saying because I want what's best for my band."
"This is not your band. It's mine."
"No, it's our band. And I want to make it work."
"Relax, we're just playing for drunk people who just want to hook up with sluts and drink alcohol 'til they lost their conscious."
"I don't care what people want. I care to what I want, and I want to play the song right! What the fuck, man?"
"Alex, do you really think that could we be famous? Oh, please, princess. Come back to Earth."
"STOP CALLING ME PRINCESS." Alex dropped her guitar and punch Jordan in the face. Nathan, the man who played the drums, needed to held Alex, and Johann, the bass one, held Jordan.
"What the fuck? Are you crazy? Alex, calm down. And Jordan, shut your fucking mouth. You played it wrong and we need to do it right." Nathan said.
"C'mon! There'll be scouts here today. It's our chance. 10 minutes break, and then, we'll be back for sound check once again."
Nathan left Alex and the woman went to the bar.
"Angie?... Oh, Maggie, Oliver's calling me. I'd better see what he wants. Be right back." Angie faked a situation just to leave Maggie alone with the girl and left. Maggie, at the same moment, got freeze.
"Whisky, please." Alex sat in front of the counter, talking to Maggie.
The dimpled woman catch a glass and filled it up with Jack.
"Thanks. Oh, man… I bet we're the worst band you've ever heard here." She took a sip of her drink.
"Hm… a-actually not. You're one of the good ones."
"Stop. You're just saying it to be nice. You don't have to be nice."
"No… I'm serious. You're good. And your voice is pretty cool."
"Oh, hm… thanks, then. But, well, with these douchebags, I can't go far."
"It can be hard, but you all are a great band. They're good too."
"Are you sure you're not just being nice?"
"I know what I'm talking…"
"Do you play anything?"
"Yes… but it's not big deal."
"Really? What do you play?" Alex got interested and looked into the bar woman's eyes.
"Piano."
"Wow, that's cool. Do you have a piano?"
"No… Too expensive. But I play it on Joe's shop. He let me play for two hours every sunday."
"Oh. I'd love to see you playing tomorrow."
"Wh-what?"
"Sure. I gotta go. Thanks for the drink." Alex smiled and left, going back to the stage.
Maggie didn't know how, but she actually talked to her girl crush. In one hour, the bar was open and filled with guys and women, smoke and empty glasses and bottles. While working, Maggie was trying to find some free time to watch the band, but there was always someone calling. At some point, Maggie had her eyes totally locked on the girl singing her solo, a beautiful love song.
"I want you to know
Exactly how I feel
If this ain't true love
Then baby, true love ain't real
All these signs
All the writing on the wall
Tell me you're the one
You're so crazy beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful
In my eyes I see your soul
Only love knows exactly how I feel"
"MARGARETH! God, are you in love or deaf? I've been calling you for five minutes!" Angie complained, taking Maggie out her trance. "Could you please gimme a little hand here?" She said trying to attend to all those people asking for alcohol.
It was 6am and the bar was almost empty, Alex and the rest of the band was still talking with a handsome and fancy guy, probably a scout, because they were holding hands, on a closed deal style.
"Maggs, you close today. Ben's waiting for me. Bye! Use condoms!" Angie left before Maggie could say anything. She closed the cashier and finished with the dirty glasses, then left the money to Oliver. Grabbed her purse and coat at the little room at the back and walked to the door.
"Hey!" Alex called once, but the woman doesn't turned away. "Hey, waitress!" She left the stage and ran to the girl. "Sorry! I don't know your name."
"It's okay. I'm Maggie."
"Alex. Where are you going? I told you that I want to see you playing!" Alex smiled. "Do you think you can play this early?"
"Oh. I-I… I guess yes…"
"Great! Let me just get my guitar and we can go… I mean… if you don't mind"
"No.. no." Maggie smiled, not believing on what was happening. Alex went to the stage, grabbed her things, said goodbye to her friends and left with Maggie, heading to the music store.
"Well, I play here…" She entered the store. "Hi, Joe…"
"Hey, missy. You came early today."
"Yeah…"
"Go ahead. Just don't use the Zimmerman one. It was selled."
"Okay, thank you."
They went to the back of the store, where all the pianos were. Maggie sat in front of a black one, and started to play, closing her eyes, so her shame couldn't bother her.
"Wow, this is beautiful. Is it yours?"
"No! It's Bach!" Maggie laughed.
"It's beautiful… DO you mind if we play together?" Alex was already taking her guitar out of the case.
"Huh… no."
"I've been sitting
Watching life pass from the sidelines
Been waiting for a dream
To seep in through my blinds
I wondered what might happen
If I left this all behind
Would the wind be at my back?
Could I get you off my mind
This time"
They played Alex' song together, creating a new aura on the store, they're completely connected by the music. Some sort of souls bonding with harmony and melody and notes.
"Wow. Wow, what the hell! This was awesome. Really! You're awesome, Maggie. Thank you!" Alex was all that excited, inebriated by the featuring.
"Hm… thank you. Your-your music made the job."
"Thanks to the alcohol, who made me to come here with you. The craziest thing I made tonight. But, actually, after closing contract with a company, I really deserved this… musical orgasm."
Maggie blushed.
"Sorry. I say some weird things… I'd better go. It was… awesome. Indescribable, Maggie. Thank you so much." Alex stood up.
"Huh, thanks. It was my pleasure."
"Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too." Maggie replied, as they made their way to the street. When Alex went to the left and Maggie went to the right, the tanned girl stopped and called the other. "Hey, Alex? Would you… like to go have breakfast with me?"
Alex shrugged and smiled.
"I would love to"
Maggie lead Alex to her favorite coffee house in downtown, near from where they were before and they asked for a big cappuccino and croissants.
"That song… did you wrote it?"
"Yes." Alex smiled ashamed.
"I love it… Is it for a special person?"
"Ex-girlfriend."
"Oh… I'm sorry. What happened?"
"I wrote it to her, she cheated on me, but the music was so good, then I keep playing it." She laughed, making Maggie laugh with her.
"Well, it's pretty good. I think you should include it on your album"
"No… the boys wouldn't lemme."
"I mean, on your solo."
"Oh, a solo? I don't even have one with the band!"
"But I know you'll have it soon. You'll be the next… hm… Alanis Morissete?" Maggie tried, but Alex smirked. "Janis Joplin?"
"Oh, stop! Never! I could never be like her…!" A few minutes in silence, exchanging looks, Alex stopped and lock her eyes in Maggie.
"What?" Maggie blushed once more.
"Fuck! You got me!" Alex laughed. "Just… You have a wonderful and dimpled smile. It's cute."
Maggie blushed harder.
"And you blush when you're ashamed. More than cute."
"Stop!"
"Thanks for today. Really." Alex blinked one eye to her and Maggie got paralyzed.