Dance with me darling

sam

The pub stinks of sweaty men and cheap cigarettes when I step inside and I mentally curse myself for not asking the band to come with me. I don't know why I didn't, I guess part of me just wanted to meet the lads first before I get everyone's hopes up, they could be the worst group of men I've ever met. Although Bond has a habit of praising them so I'm assuming they're not awful.

I've seen videos of Van, the frontman, whizzing himself about on the stage and still having the energy to sing for hours and the drummer going sick at the back like a natural, but this is the first time I'm actually meeting them for real and I can't help but feel a bit nervous.

I can see John's flat cap on a bush of brown curls at the back of the pub so I force myself through people to reach him. He's stood with the band and a small blonde girl in a leather jacket, a fringe covering her forehead and a light red shade on her lips, pink on her cheeks as she looks up at Bond with a smile, his arm over her shoulder as she leans into him. I don't recall Bond ever telling me he'd met someone. Or maybe she's in the band and I just missed her in the videos I saw.

"Sammy boy! How yous doin mate?" Bondy shouts, bringing me into one of his famous embraces, the kind you bury yourself in just because it's Bondy.

"I'm alreet mate... fuckin hot in here though innit" I reply, patting Johnny on the back before stepping back and taking a look at the rest of the group, feeling a little more awkward now when I make eye contact with the girl, "Um... I'm Sam" I smirk and the first thing I can think to do is hold my hand out for her to shake it, a weird way of greeting a girl.

"Olivia... but call me Liv" The girl smiles and shyly shoves her hands back into her pockets. I feel even more tense now, even more awkward. Never in my life have I shook a girl's hand upon first meeting them.

"Where's the rest of them, my little baby Deano?" Bondy jokes, a childish sulk on his face when he realises it's only me for tonight.

"Just wanted to get a know yous all a bit first before a introduce the band" I say, not even bothering to think of an excuse, I easily could've said they didn't want to come but what kind of support act would we be if they can't even be assed coming along to meet the band we're supporting. So I just tell a half truth, leaving out the part where I couldn't decide whether I'd like them or not.

I notice Olivia disappear out of the corner of my eye when Bond starts talking about Lou, how he hasn't seen him in ages and then he takes out a grinder and wears a cheeky grin on his face. And when she comes back she leans against John, who's leaning against a wooden pillar trying to roll a blunt.

"Already? Eager aren't you" she laughs, looking up at him, he looks down at her with a grin, "better be sharing that Johnny"

Bond winks and turns back to us, "Van you convinced her yet?" He says, finishing up with the blunt and puts it into his tin, and then into his pocket.

"Nah she's not havin any of it" Van says and I look at him in confusion, wondering what he's on about, "this one's refusing to come on tour wi' us, says she gets bored" he adds, and she flicks her eyes between him and me, probably wondering why we're even talking about her in the first place.

"You don't wanna come?" I ask, genuinely curious as to why she doesn't want to go, it seems as though she's close to the boys, "it'll be dead fun like, my lot are reyt funny you'll like em"

I don't know why I'm trying to convince her to come. It means nothing to me, whether or not she tags along. But I can see the pleading look on Van's face and how much he wants her to come. And she seems cool, the Springsteen t-shirt says it all. I'd have brought it up but the fanboy behaviour is never a good thing, especially if it's people I've only just met.

"I dunno" She shyly respond, sinking into herself as she turns her eyes down to the floor, probably wondering why I'm so keen on getting her to come as if I know her in any way.

She looks like she wants to go home, her tired eyes dropping from Van to the floor, the way she keeps picking at the skin around her fingernails and the way she rests her head against Bondy's arm because she's not tall enough to reach his shoulder. I feel bad for even coming, for telling Bond we could pub crawl all night because I'm in need of a good night out.

But when she looks up at me and smiles and her cheeks cave into dimples, I decide I don't want her to go home. I decide she's too pretty for me to want her to go home and get some rest, no matter how much she looks like she needs if.

"I think you should come" I finally say with a smirk after realising I took way too long to answer. I allow my eyes to linger on her's for a few seconds before I look down at the drink in my hand, moving it around in a circular motion and watching the liquid foam a little, watching the bubbles form around the sides.

The night lasts for what feels like forever and it's already 2 in the morning by the time I'm kissing Bondy's cheek and begging him to keep the fire of the night alive. But Olivia is pulling Van's arm and dragging him to the taxi and I can see how tired they all are compared to how alive and energetic I feel, despite the lack of sleep I've had the past few days.

"I'll see yous later yeah? It was buzzin to meet yous all properly" I say to the boys, giving Benji one of those awkward man hugs, shaking Bob's hand after he awkwardly held it out.

"Yeah man! We'll defo do this again sometime, when you back off up shields?" Van asks, still being dragged by the arm into a taxi.

"Dunno yet mate, stayin wi' me cousin down't road at the moment" I put my hands in my pockets, feeling the cold of the September air leaking through my jacket.

We all say our last 'see y'innabits' before they all clamber into a taxi and Bondy blows kisses through the window when they drive past me, leaving me to my own thoughts for a bit before my taxi arrives.