Shinedown decided to make their appearance at that exact moment, and any response that might have left Tommy's mouth was lost in the cheers and shouts from the audience. Not to miss out on the fun, I promptly joined the other energetic fans and began jumping up and down as I screamed as loud as my lung capacity allowed me--which was admirable, if I do say so myself. Hey, I didn't have two hit albums for nothing,
After the first few songs, I started to get tired of constantly jumping up while trying to look over people's heads in an attempt to get a good view of Shinedown. Thinking for a moment, I turned around and poked Tommy—motioning for him to bend down.
"What?" he screamed back at me, clearly not understanding my intentions. Men, I thought with a roll of my eyes.
Walking around behind Tommy, I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed down. He seemed to get the memo and crouched down almost reluctantly as he realized that I couldn't see. I carefully lifted one leg over his shoulder, and with a little hop threw my other one over his other shoulder while smiling as I sensed--rather than heard-- his grunt once my full weight was balanced onto his back. I was just glad that he was willing to comply with my silent need to want to see the stage. Who ever said men were good for nothing?
Tommy...
Jude may have looked light, but after supporting her on his shoulders for a good half hour, Tommy begged to differ. Appearances really were deceiving. Thankfully, intermission rolled around before Tommy could do something incredibly stupid like, oh, say drop her, which did cross his mind more than once. Too bad his principles were strictly against hurting women, even 'accidentally.'
As the majority of the crowd surged towards the exit to get drinks, use the restroom, or buy souvenirs, Tommy and Jude scurried to keep up so they didn't get trampled in the human stampede. When they were finally in a spot with enough oxygen, Tommy decided it was time to get to work. Jude had had her fun for the first half, but he hadn't risked being buried under the human swell of bodies for nothing.
"Tell me, Jude, when was the last time you went to a concert?" Tommy asked her slowly—intertwining this concert experience with the real reason he had brought her here—the real reason he had needed her to come.
"Um..." Jude stalled as she racked her brain, trying to remember the last city she had played in on her most recent tour. Was it Montreal? Or wait, maybe it was Vancouver...
"Your own doesn't count, Harrison." He interjected, as though he already knew exactly what she was thinking.
Jude narrowed her eyes at Tommy before shrugging.
"I guess before I won Instant Star a few years ago." Jude revealed, inwardly cringing at the thought. Had it really been that long?
"Then is it possible after all that time you've lost touch with the other side?" Tommy asked, catching Jude's eyes with his own. "Do you still put yourself in your fans' shoes every time you go out on stage: what do they go through every day? How are they feeling? What do they enjoy about one of your concerts? Music needs to be not only about you, but about everyone else. I guess I brought you here to put you back in the position of being a fan again. Trust me, even if you haven't lost the ability to relate to your fans, it doesn't hurt to be reminded of it every once in a while. I used to sneak into my own concerts in disguise when I was in Boyz Attack—talking to the fans as they waited for us to come onstage before sneaking out and joining the other guys." Tom said with a small laugh as he watched her intent expression. Why had he told her that? He had not meant to get that personal—just asking her about her relation to her fans was as far as he had planned to go.
She stared at him a moment—letting his words sink in as she watched him until she finally looked away and broke their gaze. The room felt too small all of a sudden despite its actual immense size. Tom loved this part of his job—giving the love of music to his artists outside the studio. Surprisingly, he could honestly see himself as a teacher if he hadn't been able to make a career in music himself. What fate hands you huh?
A glance back into the stadium revealed that the lights were dimming once again, meaning that the show was about to start back up once more as people hurried back into the concert venue. This time Jude didn't even bother commenting on the distaste prominently featured on Tommy's face as she led him back towards the stage while still thinking about the revelations Tommy had confessed. Wow, she was suddenly feeling as if they had transversed that professional line that was supposed to be between them—crossing straight into personal territory. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.
The show resumed at the same fast pace that it had stopped at earlier, but Jude didn't climb back on Tommy's shoulders just yet. First she wanted to join in with the energetic crowds—letting her voice mingle with theirs as she hollered and cheered—her cheeks turning slightly pink with the exhilaration. It made Tom grin. .
A roar went up as the crowd recognized the opening notes and words to one of Shinedown's latest hits--"I Dare You." Jude shrieked and continued bouncing around as she screamed at Tommy. "Oh my God, I love this song!"
Tommy couldn't help but smile wider as he shook his head while watching Jude sing along with just about every other person in the crowd.
"Hello--let me introduce you to, the characters in the show. One says yes, one says no. Decide which voice in your head you can keep alive."
By now, the BAC of the mob could rival Paris Hilton's and they were wilder than ever. An obviously intoxicated man in front of Jude tried to squeeze his way out of the crowd but stumbled, knocking into Jude and spilling his beer all over her shirt. Apparently all those dance moves from his BoyzAttack! days paid off, because Tommy rushed forward and caught Jude's arms before she fell to the ground. The drunken man didn't even notice what had happened, let alone apologize, and continued on his trek to retrieve more alcohol.
Tommy peered down at Jude uneasily as he realized the position they were now in—a position neither had bothered to move from as he gripped her upper arms while providing the support that kept her from falling completely to the floor. Their faces were parallel and mere inches apart--and each of them was thinking the same thing despite their doubts—their obvious restrictions.
As the song came to an end, Jude whispered the last line directly to Tommy, challenging him. "I dare you to." And even through the entire din, he managed to hear every single syllable.
Jude...
He wanted it--I know he did. Then explain why a few seconds later I found myself balanced upright on my own two feet, with enough space between our bodies to fill an ocean? Oh God! What had I just said to him? Oh God!
"Are you okay?" Tommy shouted with sincere concern in his voice. Physically, I was fine, other than being drenched in beer. It smelled awful--who would willingly drink this stuff? Mentally, however, it felt like a circus was being performed in my head with my emotions as the props. I'd barely spent a day with Tommy, and already I was begging him to kiss me? Maybe the foul fumes from the beer did more than make me want to stick to wine coolers. Oh God!
"I'm fine--just wet!" I screamed in return as I indicated the front of my shirt, thankful that it was a dark color, hiding most of the damage from view. Tommy wouldn't meet my eyes anymore and for some reason that angered me. Probably because I was more mad at myself than I was at him. Hell, I knew it was anger at myself—could feel it burn through my insides like a wild fire that had gotten out of control. Let's just add one more 'oh, God' for good measure. I needed to get away from him. I just had to.
Throwing a mischievous grin over my shoulder, I surged forward and disappeared into the crowd, knowing Tommy would have one hell of a time trying to follow me, which he undoubtedly would do. Well, I needed the space even if I knew he would come after me.
Tommy...
He couldn't believe it--she took off, just like that! One second she was being run over by a drunken ass, and the next she was squeezing her way between people as if her life depended on it. It didn't help that Jude was smaller than Tommy--he was having a hard enough time as it was trying to keep up with her. Eventually, Jude even disappeared from his sight, and Tommy worried that he was going to spend the rest of the concert trying--unsuccessfully, most likely--to find her.
Surprisingly, it didn't take Tommy long to locate Jude at all. She was currently being passed through the crowd above everyone's head--that's right, Jude was body surfing. For some reason, Tommy found himself feeling more than just a little uneasy as he watched all the different hands carry and grope her. Jude knew what she was doing, obviously--so why was he so perturbed by it?
Finally Jude was set back down, and the first thing she saw was Tommy's irate face. Instead of being intimidated, however, the fire in Tommy's eyes merely fueled the fire in her own. Blue vs. blue--who would be the victor?
"What the hell did you do that for Jude? Huh? What were you thinking?" Tommy ranted, clearly ready to act like the adult in the situation and scold the naughty child. Of course, his rave would have to be postponed for later because a burly security guard quickly came up behind them and grabbed Jude's arm.
"Miss, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to escort you from the premises. Body surfing is strictly prohibited." The man informed Jude as he propelled her towards the nearest exit. She was briefly aware that Tommy was following them, shouting something that she couldn't quite make out--but he definitely didn't sound happy about the situation.
The next thing Jude knew, she was standing outside in the chilly air, listening to the reverberations coming from inside the stadium as she looked over at Tommy—wincing as the glance provided her with the knowledge that if he clenched his jaw any tighter, it'd probably crack. She couldn't help but be impressed with the man's self control, but she was also preparing herself for the vehement declarations assuredly about to be released upon her.
Tommy tried taking slow, deep breaths, counting to ten, and imagining the most peaceful place he knew of in an attempt to keep a check on his ire. They hadn't even spent an entire day together, and Jude was already testing the very fragile limit of his patience. Just when he was about to question her actions in a forceful monotone, Jude started laughing. She was literally clutching her stomach, and laughing, hard enough that tears would probably start running down her face if she didn't control it soon.
He was incredulous--how could Jude be laughing after she had done something so stupid? By now she was clutching Tommy's arm in order to keep her face from meeting the asphalt, and he paused a moment to review the past couple minutes in his head.
Suddenly, spurts of laughter erupted from Tommy as well and it wasn't long before the two of them had collapsed to the ground, unable to support themselves because of the waves of laughter racking their bodies.
"Tommy?" Jude asked quietly several minutes later after their humor had finally subsided.
"Hmm?" He responded as he gazed up into the dark night sky from his position on his back. It'd been a long time since he'd taken the time to just relax and enjoy the stars.
"I'd apologize, but there's no way I can honestly be sorry for what I just did. That has to have been the most fun I've had in months." She commented, a small smile quirking up at the corners of her lips. It wasn't every day that Jude Harrison and Little Tommy Q got thrown out of a stadium concert, let alone in a place that they had performed in themselves.
"I'm glad, Jude." Tommy remarked with an unidentified emotion in his voice as their heads turned simultaneously, allowing their gazes to finally lock for the first time since the beer spilling incident.
They continued to lie there for a while longer in companionable silence, until Jude began to stir and managed to sit up. Noticing that Tommy's eyes were closed, she gave him a playful kick, realizing that the majority of her spite for him was gone.
"Oomph." Tommy grunted in response, although it didn't really hurt. Cracking an eyelid open, he peered at Jude questioningly.
"Can we go get my car back now?" Jude asked sweetly as Tommy laughed.
Author's Note: This is where I take the time to thank on.the.edge.x for taking the time to co-write this story with me and not running away when I ran this idea for a fic (being an AU and all) by her. You are an absolutely marvelous writer (kudos for this concert idea of yours) and I am enjoying every moment of sharing this story with you. Okay, yeah I just had to go there. Now, time for us to throw another chapter together (laugh). Love to all!