Hey guys, sorry it took a little longer than usual to put this chapter up. I was slowly working on it and I kind of got a little lazy, but it is at least finished and it is a really long chapter, so you might want to grab a snack before reading. I may have been gone for a couple of days, but I am totally making it up. So, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own I'm In The Band, if I did, I would be trying to get a spin-off show for that Four Fathers thing Ash mentioned in the Lord of the Weasels episode.
Two and a half hours later, what is left of Iron Weasel head off to Tripp's house for the night after a long concert.
The concert. What happened before and after the performance was a little shocking and surprising, especially since I agreed to two decisions that I wouldn't only a day ago.
Before: Only a minute after Bleed gets inside, Tripp asks for one of us to take us home. Bleed offers since I am too busy with prepping to perform our set tonight. I thank him and he tells me he understands how busy it is in my position and he kisses me. We probably would stand there and experience the fireworks we both feel, but Tripp sliding in a little brought us out of our somewhat-connected trance. Bleed takes Tripp home and comes back ten minutes before we perform. We are all set to go, just waiting for the band playing to finish and the stage to be cleared with Iron Weasel equipment. Bleed wants to tell me something, but tells me we'll talk about it after the concert.
After: Bleed takes me backstage once the concert is over like he promised before our set and tells me he really is, sincerely sorry inside and out about everything that happened between us when the tour for our seventh album was over. I forgave him, and decide to give him my everything including my heart, which I once entrusted a Bleed of the distant past, but I know that Bleed has really changed and he really wants to start over. I allow him and also for him to be a co-lead guitarist with Tripp. He enthusiastically agrees, but a dark part of me believes that he is doing this to destroy me again; I ignore it and tell the two band members the news and they are as eager as Bleed was when I agreed to his propositions. We then head back to the kid's house to tell him the news.
When we enter Tripp's house, me, Burger, and Ash are chanting Bleed's name. I am really excited to tell Tripp what happened at the concert that he couldn't attend to.
"Good, you're back." Tripp said, directly to me.
"It is good we're back!" I exclaimed, not bothering to contain any excitement and happiness I have flowing in my veins.
"I need to talk to you about Bleed." The kid says, almost desperate.
"I need to talk to YOU about Bleed!" I repeat as I walk around the couch to the front of it.
"You're an idiot, let me talk!" Now that was desperation.
"I am an idiot, let me talk!" I say out loud, not completely realizing the words.
I decided that I need to be serious and tell the kid the news we had, so I filtered out my euphoria, and told him I had something to tell him.
"Bleed, is rejoining the band." I blatantly state, excitement sliding in the words.
The older three members cheer loudly, and Tripp just looks confused.
"What?"
"We said, 'Yeaaaahhh!'" Ash explained to us all, slightly killing my joy. "How could you not hear that, it was really loud."
"I meant how could you let Bleed rejoin the band?" A smile involuntarily spread on my face; does he think that we are stupid? "I'm the lead guitarist."
"Relax little man," Burger assured the kid. "We decided to make the two of you, co-lead guitarists!"
A silence and he said that he couldn't believe we made that decision without him. Not exactly the reaction we were hoping for, but we cheered anyways.
"Oh kid, we make decisions without you all the time. Like yesterday, we made a very important decision when some Maori warriors wanted to stay in the house." I admitted, which probably wasn't the brightest idea on my part.
"You let Maori warriors stay in the house?" Tripp asked with some confusion and rage mixed together.
I don't response with a 'No' until a few seconds later, and (with the best timing in the world) the Maori warriors are walking down the hallway and me the Burger and Ash pretend to make some of the sounds the warriors are making as the stroll down the alley until they are no longer there.
"You don't understand." Tripp starts again. "Bleed told me he's trying to replace me as lead guitarist."
As he says that, that same superstitious part of my mind that focuses on Bleed possesses me for a second. My brain slowly clicks together parallels from what happened over ten years ago and now in the present time, and I am suspicious of what Bleed is doing, why he is here; because I trust and believe the kid.
I walk towards Bleed when he tries to mask his playful face. "Bleed, is this true?"
"I was messing with him!" he responds almost immediately after I asked my statement. He explained that he was messing with him and confused him with his 'stupid American accent'.
I thought it was hilarious, and everything clicked in place again with why he was messing with him and Bleed can be a little mischievous so it makes sense why he was playing around with that.
"You don't understand!" Tripp tries to plead, but then Bleed says "Light bulb!" and suggests that we have a pancake party.
I automatically agree with that since who doesn't love pancakes? Me, Ash and Burger run through the door into the kitchen. A couple seconds later, Ash asks Bleed what he wants on his pancakes since he still hasn't come into the kitchen. He says that he wants seasonal berries and I agree with him, and I couldn't imagine that night any better.
Later that night, me and the rest of the band, minus Tripp who said he wasn't in the mood to join the pancake party, went straight to bed.
It is after we all got situated and everyone is the room is asleep; Ash sleeping peacefully, Burger snoring as loud as a train whistle, Bleed quietly curled up with a smile on his face right by me, we plan on getting another bunk for Bleed in the next couple of days, and I am restless. I have tried to fall asleep a million different ways, but none of them seem to work.
I just stare at the bunk above me, Burger's bed, and close my eyes after a couple of seconds. The only thing that is sticking out in my consciousness is Bleed.
Bleed, Bleed, Bleed. One of the previous loves I've had, and probably the biggest one, in my lifetime so far. I don't think I've ever trusted someone as much as I have with him; I gave him my all and everything in my heart. A memory from of first date is tugging in my brain, just wanting to overtake me. I take a deep breath and allow it to devour me.
It was about a week after we first met. We decided to go on a dinner-date at this restaurant I wanted to visit for lunch or dinner because Vic Blalock, our record producer back in the day, suggested that I go to sometime because I was the most mature member of Iron Weasel in all honesty. The restaurant was called Sylvia's Diner; I didn't expect to love it as much as I thought I was.
It was a small family-owned restaurant, but everything that was made there was so delicious and there was a variety to it. Like their burgers had just the right amount of grilling so it wouldn't be overcooked or undercooked; their fries had flawless frying and the amount of salt that doesn't make you run for a drink to quench your thirst; and of course their sub-sandwiches had perfect fluff and the meat had the right amount of spice and salt; every menu item on there would be so delicious that you would want second servings even if you stuffed.
Anyway, so me and Bleed decided to go for dinner after laying some of the first tracks of our fifth album; my throat was pretty sore because we had to record the last chorus several times since it was higher than the rest of song; while I am a baritone singer, I don't like singing the high notes at all, it just stresses my vocal cords too much.
It was a Thursday night, and we just went straight to the restaurant after laying the tracks since we were exhausted from recording it. We entered through the double doors that was trimmed with snow-white coloring and the place felt incredibly retro that maybe me feel like I was transported to a fifties' diner; black-and-white tiles covering the floor, red-colored seats for both stools and booth tables, old classy signs and posters sponsoring soda and cars that I kind of wish I had, and neon signs telling everyone where everything door lead to.
A lady, who looked like she was in her mid-twenties, with shoulder-length chocolate hair and eyes brown as my own hair, lead us to a booth table near a corner in the restaurant where we still had a view of the windows. She handed us our menus and asked us if we'd like anything to drink.
"Just water please." I tell her politely as she writes my drink down on a notepad she just pulled out.
"I'll take a chocolate milkshake." Bleed tells her and glances down at his menu.
"Okay, they'll be out in just a couple of minutes." She closes her notepad and walks towards another booth across from us.
I let out a little chuckle. "That's a little ambitious for a first drink at this restaurant."
"Well, just like you, I am exhausted after laying those tracks." He absentmindedly says and flips his menu to the other side.
"Well, you weren't the one who sung high notes that just strain you throat and vocal cords." I innocently confess to him.
"You are right." Bleed admits and looks up at me with those gray eyes that I've already started falling for. "I haven't and it must really be stressful to hit those notes."
I exhale a deep breath. "It really is."
We don't seem to have anything else to say, so I just read over my menu to see what I want. Honestly, Vic said that their sub-sandwiches were just divine, but I just want a god damn burger with some seasoned fries.
Our waitress comes back and she hands Bleed a tall glass filled with the brown liquid and I grab my glass of water, which is the same type of glass the milkshake is in, and she asks us what we want for our meals.
"I'll take a plan burger with fries." Bleed tells her innocently.
"Plain burger with fries…" she says as she writes it down. "And you sir?" she addresses to me.
"Same thing." I point to Bleed, even though I don't need to.
She writes down a single thing before leaving and telling us our order will be out in about fifteen minutes.
So me and Bleed have fifteen minutes to kill before we eat our dinner. Just lovely.
"So Derek," Bleed start, grabbing onto his straw and points it towards his mouth. "Is there anything you want to know about me?" he takes a sip for his milkshake and still looks at me.
So, the thing is that Bleed has basically hung out with me every night since we met and he keeps asking me some simple questions, like some bands that influenced me, or movies that I love to watch; it was now my turn, and I don't know where to start.
"Have you ever been with someone before?" the words tumble off my tongue before I can stop them.
I expect him to look at least somewhat taken back, but he looks at me and I don't see shock in his eyes from that sudden question thrown at him.
"Two times. First one was just a summer fling before my senior year; the other one lasted only four months before I broke up with her because I was moving to LA and that happened two years ago. I have moved on ever since, and I am ready for a fresh start with someone new." He admitted before taking another sip of his chocolate shake. "What about you Derek? I know you are supposed to be asking the questions, but we haven't really discussed that before."
I sigh out a breath. "I've been with several girls, but we normally only lasted one date and she would break up with me. Not many people want to be with me as I thought." I sadly tell him. I also realized a second after I said that, that it is so crazy how I just confessed one of my deepest secrets to someone I just met last week.
"Derek, they love you as much as you love yourself; don't put yourself down when you ARE loved and cared for. Maybe not the way you want, but you will find the one someday; maybe I could be the one." Bleed says.
I am a little surprised, not just because he gave me a motivational speech, but because he said that maybe he could be the one for me. Is it possible he IS the one?
"Thanks for telling me that; I think I kind of needed it." I shyly admit. Saying that someone is right or giving me a boost of confidence is not normally something I like being given.
"How did you find the band out?" I ask him, little does he realize the reason I am asking this is because I am suspicious as to HOW he found us.
He now looks a little startled at this, and pushes his drink aside after taking one last long sip. "I was just searching those a music store in the heavy rock section, since that type of music is my favorite genre and I grew up with all of the heavy rock bands, and there was a display for your latest album and I was immediately intrigued. I just bought all four of your albums and just listened and fell in love with each and every song. And it wasn't until I heard you sing in "Rodunga" for the hundredth time when I realized I fell in love with you. It slowly, but surely, grew into a love like I needed you or I wouldn't be able to function in life. And I had some sources to help me find you guys at the final concert in Japan."
A lot for me to process. How exactly he found me and the band, I had to admit I was interested in that; but I was more intrigued that his favorite song on the second album and it was probably the least popular song from that soundtrack, it was also my favorite.
"That song is also my favorite from the second album, did you know I wrote that entire song?" I ask him, leaning forward and finally taking a sip from my water.
It was cold, but the perfect temperature that doesn't burn my throat with its coldness. "No I didn't, and I think you did a brilliant job with writing it; my favorite lyrics have to be: Your face is like a flower, but your name's a yucky word. I don't know exactly why, but I love it so much.
I laugh a little bit at that. I just randomly came up with those lyrics while writing this song; it just felt right.
"Is there something that you just can't stand and you hate?" I ask, obviously changing the subject after an awkward silence.
"Oh, I HATE Metal Wolf, what they make isn't even really music! It's just screaming and too much guitars and drums so you can even make out what the words might be." He tells me.
"Thank god me, Burger, and Ash aren't the only ones who think of them that way. Seriously, they have this groupie they just praises their music and I don't understand why." I confess to him. It feels really nice to vent about the one thing I hate more than anything else in the world.
Our food then arrives to us and we just dig into it.
After we had a banana cream pie at the diner and paid for our entire meal, we headed straight for our apartment to get some rest. We are renting an entire floor, thanks to the profit from our albums, until it is time to go another tour sponsoring our next album. Me and Bleed head to my apartment because it is the most glorious out of all of the apartments on the floor.
After climbing some stairs to go up, we arrive at my room.
It isn't too fancy, but it was cream-colored walls and pictures of me in the picture frames that the apartment already had because I don't typically stay in my apartment a whole lot, I hang out in others that are like the game rooms and TV or the empty one in which me and the band just do random stuff and invent things that won't ever work.
"There isn't a whole lot in this place." Bleed observes.
"I don't decorate it much because when I do, it's already time to do a tour for our next album. I always prefer to hang out with the rest of band, and we have to lay out tracks and work on our album every day."
"It must be hard" he says, sitting on one side of my bed.
"It isn't hard, it's just exhausting but I love being a part of this band." I confess as I sit on the side of the bed that isn't taken.
"Derek," he asks in the same tone he used a week ago, "remember when I asked you if we could try being together?"
I nod my head yes and he continues.
"Do you think we could work out, as we develop our relationship?"
I let out a breath; this is the one question I think I was subconsciously procrastinating thinking about. I let my thought take my mind for a few seconds so I can give Bleed an answer.
Yes, I think it can. Maybe not now, I want to wait until we are ready to be a couple before we make it some-what official. Not say it in public or be close enough in public, but when the people and cameras are gone, it's only us in the whole world.
"I think so." I say to Bleed. "But I think we should wait a couple of months before doing so, so we know it isn't a fling." I tell him.
He nods his head. "I understand. Can we kiss to see if you are certain of it?" he says, somewhat out of the blue.
"I guess." I tell him.
Maybe ten or twenty seconds later, we both let ourselves fall down onto the cloud-like mattress and look at each other.
"Ready?" he asks me.
"Ready." I tell him.
Our lips collide, and fireworks explode and I want to be with him, and I am certain of it.
Only a couple seconds after we start, sleep in reality drags me into its spell.