Chapter 3
"So, is that your girl?" my gawky friend Seth questioned, pointing to the lanky girl at the front and center of the dark-lit space – fixing up her guitar, doing the last minute sound check. I saw Marissa looking up, as if she heard what was said. And with the small distance she stood from us, it would be a surprise if she has not. I felt a blush spread around my face when Marissa instantaneously looked up, momentarily stopped tuning the keys and faced my direction. She gave me her sickeningly sexy lopsided grin.
"Why are all the hot girls turning gay?!" Now that would be my idiotic, insensitive friend Luke almost shouting as the rest of the people in the room turned to stare at us. I flinched at his overly loud voice. Why did these goons decided to tag along? I had a huge urge to slink out of the room and away from my loud, oblivious company and away from the curious onlookers – including Marissa. "Seriously Alex, why are all these smokingly hot girls crushing on you?" Shut the fuck up Luke.
"And she's not even gay!" Summer remarked. Oh for fuck-sake. I do used a lot of fuck. Lol. Now, the thought of kicking Summer in the shins consumed my mind.
"Guys, I think you can get more volume if you use your stomach muscles and expand your diaphragms," I whispered, the sarcasm apparent in my voice.
"WHAT! What was it you've said?" Seth's voice boomed. Oh kill me.
"She says something about using stomach muscles and diaphragms in order for us to get more volume!" Summer's voice could sometimes be so irritating – she possesses a high octave.
I felt utterly embarrassed. But do my extravagant, flamboyant, obnoxious friends even know what the word embarrass means?
"What's a diaphragm?" Luke another question, almost yelling. I doubt it. I doubt they know a word embarrass exists. Nah uh. Not in their vocabulary.
When Marissa's bandmate Kevin announced to the crowd the gig would start in a couple of minutes time, I knew someone in heaven stills loves me. Finally, the three stooges would stop adding distress to me.
"It's almost two minutes in! When is this gig going to start?" Oh, well, just my luck.
"Yeah!" Luke chimed in.
&
Turns out, Marissa's band was not half bad, In fact, they sounded pretty good – with Kevin singing as he played the keyboards, Marissa backing up the vocals and strumming the guitar, and the shaggy long-haired drummer rounded up the band's sound decently.
As the applause died down, Kevin spoke into the microphone. "This next song is dedicated to the blonde lady standing over there – Alex…" Shit, he pointed his index finger over at me. "…Marissa here wants to say thank you for coming down here tonight," Kevin paused as he looked over to the brunette who stood next to him now looking mortified. He smirked at Marissa's reaction. "…she's too shy to say so. This song goes out to you." Kevin smiled broadly at me as I turned redder by the moment.
A sudden hush came about before Marissa started strumming her guitar, and when she gained a momentum, Kevin joined her with the keyboards while the drummer backed them up.
Leaning into the mic, Kevin sang…
Can you hear them
The helicopters
I'm in New York
No need for words now
We sit in silence
You look me
In the eye directly
You met me
I think it's Wednesday
The evening
The mess we're in
He crooned in a falsetto, "….and oooh…" While Marissa backed him up, with the low yet melodic voice of hers. "The city sunset over me."
"…and oooh…"
"The city sunset over me."
Kevin continued with the next verse as Marissa kept playing the same chords.
Night and day
I dream of
Making love
To you now baby
Love-making
On screen
Impossible dream
And I have seen
The sunrise over the river
The freeway
Reminding of
This mess we're in
Resting his lips on the mic Kevin hummed, "…oooh oh oooh…"
"The city sunset over me."
"…and oooh…"
"The city sunset over me."
Kevin played his keyboards, but strangely I was simply drawn to Marissa. Somehow, the way she plays the guitar was sensual. Her movements, the way her hair partly covers her face as she strums. I have never felt attracted to anyone like how I was simply attracted to her at that moment. And with the thing Summer said about needing to sleep with a girl to gain experience looming in my head, I was so tempted to take the plunge. I want to know what it feels like.
"What were you wanting," Kevin sang.
"…what was that you wanted," Marissa spoke.
I just wanna say
Don't ever change now baby
I'd thank you
I don't think we will meet again
And you must leave now
Before the sun rises
Over the skyscrapers
And the city landscape comes into view
Sweat on my skin
Oh
This mess we're in
"…and oooh…"
"The city sunset over me."
"….ah aah ahhh…"
"The city sunset over me."
With that, everyone in the room showed their appreciation, clapping loudly.
"Now, that's worth my six bucks!" Luke exclaimed.
At the corner of my eyes, I noticed Marissa staring at me. When I turned my head to meet her gaze, she quickly looked away as I saw her face flushed.
&
The three stooges and me were hanging out by the bar as Marissa and her bandmates packed up their things.
"Alright, it's my turn," Seth said as he shifted on the stool. "Okay, who said this line…Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw. Do I look like Mother Theresa?"
I blurted out before Summer got the chance, "Heather Chandler from Heathers!"
"Beep! Perfect score, gold star."
Seth gave me a high-five as Summer whined, "I knew the answer."
I poked out my tongue at her. "Boohoo, sucks for you, I'm faster."
"Well, my turn," Luke piped up before he took a sip of his Corona. "You are a menace. A walking pestilence." Sounds familiar.
Before I could even come up with the answer Seth bounced from his seat. Grinning he exclaimed, "Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes!"
"Beep! Perfect score."
"You forgot something…"
"Gold star," Luke added as Seth beamed while Summer sat sulking.
"I suck at this game," she complained. "Can we play I never?"
"I'm in!" Seth cried out.
"No!" I shook my head vehemently.
"Why?" Summer faced me, spotting a frown.
I opened my mouth, trying to say something only to have close it again, unable to find a reasonable excuse. I sighed loudly. "Fine, let's play 'I Never',"
"I'll go first." Luke raised his hand. "I never make my own bed."
All for of us took a sip of the beer in our hands.
"Dude, that's lame," I voiced out. "What about…"
Seth chimed in, "Say something dirty Alex." I gave him my pixyish grin.
"…I never shaved down there." Everyone took a sip except Seth. I gave out a loud chuckle. "Dude, you must be bushy down there."
"I believe in being all natural," he answered with pride, chest pumped out.
"Eww…no thanks," Summer stated as she furrowed her brows in displeasure.
"Okay, I never…" Luke paused cocking his head to the side thinking. "…masturbate before."
I blushed before downing another gulp of my beer along with Luke and Seth.
"Eww…Alex, I can't believe you did that," Summer said.
"There's nothing wrong with masturbating," I countered. "You have a deficient libido."
"No. I'm perfectly fine. It's the three of you who are oversexed."
Luke pondered over the idea of a moment before saying smugly, "True."
"I have one," Seth cried out. He opened his mouth about to say something before he halted for a moment. "…I never had a hot lead guitarist of a band crushing over me."
"Huh?" the three of us responded. Seth smiled as he pointed his finger towards someone behind me. We turned around to see a shy-smiling Marissa standing behind me.
"Oh," Summer uttered before facing me. Giving me the knowing grin. I stared back at her, perplexed.
"I think they're waiting for you to take a sip," Marissa quipped, her mouth tugging to the side forming a crooked smile. One that I found irresistible.
"Oh…" I let out quietly. "Oh." Finally, the realization hit me. Yeah, I could be slow at times. Sheepishly, I took a small sip.
"Um, erm, can I have a moment with you?" Once again, I saw the same flustered looking Marissa with her hands in her jeans pocket, giving me a hopeful look.
"I'm calling it a night, Alex. Goodbye." Summer said abruptly. "Come one boys, you're calling it a night too."
"We are?" Luke questioned. "Oh, yes…yes, I have an early morning tomorrow." He stood up from his seat mirroring Summer's movement.
"I'm leaving too. I have nothing to do, but I feel like leaving." Seth gave Marissa a grin. "Your band rocks." The brunette standing closely behind me smiled and said her thanks.
"Yeah, worth my six bucks," Luke agreed while Summer look annoyed.
"Alright. Enough with your six bucks Luke. We're leaving." She roughly pushed the boys as she passed me smiling. "This is your chance," my BFF whispered to me. I gave her a horrified expression. I thought Summer was done, but no, she had to do something - embarrassing me. As Marissa took a seat next to me, Summer tapped her shoulder.
"Alex has a fetish for guitar-strumming musician." She gave Marissa a wink as I hid my face with my hand. "It was nice to meet you Marissa."
"Likewise, erm…"
"Summer." With that, she was gone. I breathed out a relief. Marissa saw my action and grinned.
"Those are my friends," I started.
"I like them."
"Yeah, well, they could be a handful at times."
Marissa chuckled. "I reckon. So…" Before she managed to finished her sentence, Marissa blushed, scratching her head. "Uh…" She let out another chuckle. Cute.
"Yeah…" I probed, giving the poor girl a smile.
"Doyouwanttogooutonadatewithme?" she blurted out. I found it hard to understand what she has said.
"What?"
She gulped. Slowly she repeated, "Do you want to…urm, go out on a date with me?"
"This is your chance." Somehow, I heard my BFF's voice in my head.
"I'm free Saturday night." Yes, I'm winging it.
Marissa looked relieved. "Great. I'm free on that night too." She played the hem of her tee shirt. "So erm, I know a good vegetarian place-"
I cut her off. "How did you know I'm a vegetarian?"
She gave me a bashful expression. "Anna let it slipped once."
"Ah…"
"Actually, I forced it out of her."
&
"What does it taste like?" I asked as my boss/friend Rachael took another bite of her spaghetti meatball.
"Wha does wha taste like," she spoke with her mouth full.
I glanced around the dining area before leaning closer to Rachael. With a soft voice, I questioned, "Y'know, the moist area between the legs?"
Rachael's eyes almost bulged out of its sockets. She started coughing. "What?! Why are you asking me that question?"
"Because you've tasted the moist area between the legs before."
"And why do you referring it as the moist area?"
"Because it's moist," I stated the obvious. I arched my brow. "So, how does it taste?" Rachael frowned. "Does it taste like fish? Like tuna or mackerel?"
"What?! No! What makes you think it's like that?"
"I don't know. I'm just guessing. Oh wait, does it taste salty?"
"Alex…" Rachael dragged out my name. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because I have a date tomorrow night…"
"So?"
"With a girl," I finished. Hmm, I sound proud.
&
A/N: The song used is 'The Mess We're In' by P J Harvey feat. Thom Yorke. There are few lines I drew inspiration from some movies, can you spot them?