"Wanna take it easy there, Brian?" Trey asked with concern in his green eyes.
Brian had begun tossing back shots the moment they got off stage and he didn't intend on stopping anytime soon. Being sober even just for the show was agonizing, he wanted the numb feeling that alcohol provided. He stopped caring about Regina when he was shitfaced, so he'd been drinking all week.
Instead of answering Trey, Brian tossed back another shot of tequila. It burned his throat and dulled his senses, but it felt a lot better than feeling the broken pieces of his heart.
He was such a fucking chump.
The backstage area had already been over crowded with groupies and overzealous fans, but Brian couldn't really stand the idea of being around anyone. He didn't feel like being Master Sinclair right now, he just wanted to be Brian for once. He knew though that the fans didn't come here for Brian, all the wanted was Master Sinclair. Usually he was okay with that, but today was different.
Trey's hand clapped Brian on the shoulder and Brian tried his hardest to not tell his best friend to fuck off. He knew Trey was concerned and that he should be grateful to have a friend like him. Deep down, though, Brian hated Trey for looking out for him so much because all he wanted to do was spiral downwards into self-pity and Trey wouldn't let that happen.
"I know you're bummed dude, but you just gotta get your head back in the game. Fuck some hot chicks tonight, forget about that dumb bitch and I promise you'll feel better."
He didn't want to forget Regina. Brian had fallen hard for her and she'd slept with the lead singer of his band. The sad part was that he thought she was going to be different than Janine or Laura or Tatiana. But, fuck, they were all the same. They all jumped into Sed's bed the moment he looked their way.
It felt like he was living the same relationship over and over. He'd never find a girl to give a fuck about him as long as Sed was fucking anything that moved.
Speak of the devil, Sed himself already had a posse of groupies clinging onto him. No doubt he'd go back to the bus and fuck them all, not remembering their names or even what they looked like.
"Does Sed enjoy watching me drink myself into a coma? Is that why he keeps fucking every woman I try dating?" Brian's words were heavily slurred and he was currently seeing two of Trey right now, but he could swear he never felt more clear in his life.
"Well you fucked up by dating a strawberry blonde chick in the first place. You know he loves fucking Jessica look-alikes." Trey pried the shot glass out of Brian's hand, "That relationship was doomed before it even started, Brian, and you know it."
Trey was right. He should have known that Sed would fuck her based on her hair color alone. She had resembled Jessica in a slight way, but that didn't give Sed a free pass to fuck her. Although everyone gave Sed a free pass to be a total dick and fuck an endless supply of women, Brian was always on the shitty end of the stick when it came down to it. How long would Jessica haunt Sed?
Before he even realized it, Brian found that he was alone. In the back of his head he could hear Trey saying he'd be back. Brian really was hoping Trey would go fuck someone in the meantime so he could drink himself into an early grave.
Every now and then groupies would come over and try to stick their hands down his pants. He'd pushed them away and tell them he wasn't interested, they'd then call him an asshole and see if Sed had an opening in his posse.
Turning his bar stool around, Brian examined the scene in front of him. Groupies and other fans piled into the area, huddling around various band members. Even Eric, who didn't attract half as many as women as Sed or Trey, had a very pretty brunette girl laughing at his dumb jokes.
Brian couldn't help feeling hatred for every woman in the place right at this moment. He wanted to find one that was different, but they were all the same. They used him to get to Sed. None of them wanted him for anything other than his dick or his fame. He wanted to believe differently, but the past doesn't lie.
Even looking at the women in here now, they all even looked the same. They were smiling like sphinxes at band members, like they were prey. They had barely any clothes on and they were all hands and tongues all over his bandmates. There was no emotion other than lust in the air, that much was for sure.
As his eyes drifted over the scene before him, Brian's drunken gaze landed on someone who didn't quite fit the bill of a groupie. She was hanging out in the corner of the room, under a cloud of smoke. She wasn't talking to anyone; she wasn't even really moving. Honestly, she seems as if she wanted to be anywhere else.
Every now and then she would glance over to where Eric and that brunette were flirting, but other than that she seemed completely disinterested.
Honestly, that was a first. He's never once seen a fan of his backstage who seemed so eager to leave. Usually he couldn't get any of them to get the fuck out.
She worried her lip with her teeth as she checked her phone. Nervously, she shifted back and forth on her feet and Brian found that he'd been watching her do this for well over five minutes. It wasn't until she made eye contact with him that he realized how creepy he probably seemed. He was right in assuming he was being a creep too because the second she realized he was staring, her eyes widened and she looked away almost in fear.
Jesus, he must have come off like a real pedophile if it was enough to scare her. She looked like she needed a drink and he was more than happy to share. Misery loves company!
On shaky legs, Brian got to his feet and made his way over to her. She was now pulling at her golden hair, running her fingers through the bottom stands as she watched Eric and the brunette some more.
She hadn't even realized Brian was in front of her until she looked up and gasped in surprise that he was now a foot away from her. Brian didn't smile, he didn't comment on her skittishness. Honestly, he was too drunk at this point to really feel anything and couldn't even pretend to be happy.
All the did was extend the bottle of tequila to her, "You look like you need a drink."
Worried blue eyes looked up at him, then scanned around the room as if she was trying to find the nearest exit, "N-no I'm okay."
"You look like a nervous wreck," Brian said unapologetically, "what's your name?"
"What's yours?" She asked back, shocking the hell out of Brian. This girl was backstage and she didn't know who he was? What the hell?
"This is gonna sound so douchey, but you don't know who I am?" He asked, taking a swig of the tequila.
She slapped her palm to her forehead and said, "Oh my God, I sound like such an idiot. I know who you are, I just saw you on stage earlier. To be honest though, I only know they call you Master Sinclair and that's it. I don't know your real name."
That surprised Brian. Usually women only called him by his stage name. To most I guess it didn't occur to them to call him by his real name. He forced himself to hide his shock and just continue the conversation, "You're not a die-hard fan and yet you somehow ended up back here? I'm shocked."
A flush of colors landed on her cheeks and she chuckled nervously, "I've heard your music before and I love it, I just never really bothered to learn your names. I'm only really back here because my best friend is having a good time grinding on your drummer."
I looked back over to Eric and the brunette who were now making out against a brick wall. That explains her lack of interest here. "Looks like they'll be awhile."
The girl bit her lip and sighed, "Kenzie promised she wasn't going to do this to me. Best friends are the worst."
"Well one of my best friends thinks it's a fun game to sleep with every woman I date, so I think I have you beat." Brian knew how pathetic he sounded, but he didn't care. He was going to let himself have a pity party with this random stranger.
She tilts her head to the side and shakes her head sadly, "Is that why you're chugging that tequila like water?"
As she said this he took another swig, letting the liquid burn his throat and warm up his stomach, "Yeah, that's why."
"Did you love her?" Mystery girl asked quietly.
Honestly, Brian knew he didn't love Regina. He wanted to and he thought maybe he could love her as time went on. "I was trying to."
"I'm really sorry she did that to you. No one deserves that." Her eyes were sweet to look out, there was no intent on seducing him or anything. She just looked sympathetic, almost as if she cared.
"Well, it's not the first time," he grumbled through another shot. He extended the bottle to her again, "put me out of my misery and just drink with me."
She shook her head, a soft smile touching her lips, "I can't keep up with you, I'm way too much of a lightweight."
"Well while your best friend and my drummer molest each other in the corner, will you come hang out with me?" A bright smile from a pretty girl might make him feel less shitty.
"I shouldn't," her teeth bit down on her juicy pink bottom lip and she continued, "I'm not keen on making bad decisions anymore."
He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, "What could be so bad about coming out with me?"
He was hoping to make her laugh, but she just shook her head and he could tell the wheels in her head were turning, "Everything about this screams bad decision."
Maybe he wouldn't get her to come out with him alone. She seemed skittish and rightfully so. You never know what scumbags hang around back here. Maybe she would feel better in a group or something.
Then a bright idea hit him, "There's an after party going on. Everyone will be clearing out soon to go. You wanna hitch a ride with your friend?"
A small smile touched her lips and he had known she was going to give in, "Are you going to take no for an answer?"
"Yeah I will, I just really don't want to." His voice was slurred and his balance was a tad off, but he was far from the level of intoxication he intended to be at. The night was still young though.
She licked her lips and glanced back to where her friend and Eric were playing tonsil tennis. When she turned back he saw what looked like fear in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with curiosity when she said, "Just a ride?"
He held his hands up in good faith and said, "I won't even look at you if you don't want me to."
That made her laugh and the sound made Brian's heart hurt a little less.
Yeah, he should definitely be sticking with her tonight. Something about her made him feel less shitty about his life right now and that in itself made her an angel in his book.
She shrugged and mumbled, "Well I don't think Kenzie will turn down the opportunity to have sex with your drummer, so I'm sure she'd end up dragging me to that party anyways."
"So is that a yes?" He said, trying not to sound too hopeful.
"I suppose it is."
"And do you plan on ever telling me your name, or do you want me to guess?"
She pretended to weigh the options in her head as she casually swayed side to side, "Well, as fun as that would be I'll just put you out of your misery. It's Amelia."
Amelia.
He liked the sound of that. It was a name that sounded regal in a way, which totally suited her. She had a classy atmosphere to her which is not something he would typically say about a girl he'd met at one of his concerts.
He extended his hand to the beautiful Amelia, "Brian's my real name, Brian Sinclair."
Her small hand met his and firmly accepted his handshake, "Well it's great meeting you, Brian."
He nodded towards her friend and Eric, "Want to grab her and tell her the plan?"
She rolled her eyes, "You got a crow bar to separate them?"
Now he was the one laughing, the alcohol making him laugh a tad excessively. Yet, he still took another swig from the bottle before answering, "I don't even think that would do the trick to be honest."
She laughed again and Brian felt himself smile. They got Eric and her friend, Kenzie, to stop sucking face for two minutes. They told them the plan and then everyone started heading over to the bar they rented out.
This was New York, which meant that they were going to party hard.