Where We Were [ON HOLD]

Chapter 4

Bobbi only found relief from the flashing lights when Alex grabbed a hold of her arm and started to lead her further down the red carpet. The shouts didn't stop but their originators lost proximity to the bands ears and so their words lost some of their power.

Alex let go of Bobbi's arm and her grip was replaced with Alfie's. He sent her a wink before he made sure not to step on the train of her dress, Alex's instructions ringing out above the din of the surrounding crowd.

"Alright, Alfie, Bobbi, you two take Entertainment News. Sam and Theo, you two have SmartTV. Go."

Bobbi's followed Alfie's lead as they started towards the row of outstretched phones and recorders, the reporters attached to them nearly invisible squished together.
Bobbi's eyes landed on the familiar head of fake blonde hair right before she raised her arm above her head and started waving them over.

Standing on the right side of the metal barricade, she was able to meet them about halfway, her cameraman trailing right behind her. Her smiling expression, bright white teeth and camera ready voice blended right in with the large amount of interviewers Bobbi had encounter in the past. And even though this woman acted as though they had met before, her name and their history together sat just beyond Bobbi's mental capabilities for the night. She made sure to smile and tagged the woman before as simply Interviewer.

"Good evening, you two!"

"Hi."

Bobbi and Alfie responded simultaneously and they braced for impact of Interviewer's forthcoming joke.

"Oh my gosh! That is too cute!" Her joke about siblings and their ability to communicate telepathically landed on deaf ears as both Bobbi and Alfie had heard enough to last a life.

"You both look amazing tonight. Bobbi, I love your dress!"

Interviewer's smile didn't dare dampen, even as she spoke. And it stood as a reminder for Bobbi of the task at hand and she followed her gaze down and quickly made sure her own smile radiated enthusiasm.

"Thank you." Bobbi said, glancing back up. She kept her hands folded neatly in front of her, the act the symptom of a vague hope to keep them from fidgeting with the rings upon her fingers.

"And you, Alfie! So handsome!" Alfie gave a small bow and a genuine smile. It tighten during Interviewer's next words. "Bobbi, you must have helped him with this suit. He looks too good!"

"Actually, Alfie was able to work with a young designer we've gotten to know over the years. So all credit to his good looks tonight go to him." Bobbi's sentence was punctuated with her smile and Alfie looked up at their companion and matched the sentiment.

"Of course! How wonderful! And tonight is such a big night for you two especially! Are you excited?"

Interviewer automatically held out her microphone to Bobbi for her to answer but then had to switch as Alfie began speaking as if she was ready for him to answer.

"Of course. This is such a huge honor. We have had the wonderful opportunity to do what we love for so long and every time our hard work is recognized, we feel eternally grateful to our fans and everyone who helped get us here."

Bobbi followed along with his speech in her mind, smiling as he was able to add some genuine intonations when he spoke about their fans.

"And you guys have been coming to the Grammy's, performing every year for so long now, there must be a certain familiarity."

Bobbi started speaking for this one and again Interviewer had to switch where she placed the microphone.

"Having been a band for so long, there can be a certain routine that you fall into. But tonight is going to be no different from any other show we've done together. In the seven years we've been playing together, we've work hard to keep it fresh, to keep it exciting and to keep our act from growing stale. We never want to walk out in front of an audience, even an audience of our peers, and know we're gonna kill it. The power in what we do lies in the nerves we still get, that raw excitement we emanate, each time we perform, regardless of where we're playing and to whom we're playing for."