Tonight's not over

Chapter 11

When Saturday came I had mixed feelings about the barbecue. I'd been fine while I was planning what to wear and deciding how to do my hair to look my best but now I was ready I was starting to have second thoughts. Part of me was really excited about Chris picking me up and taking me, about seeing Christine and Rami again as well as meeting the rest of the band. But there was a small part of me that was worried about what Taylor would think. The thought of making him jealous had been all well and good when I was upset and angry but now the time was drawing near I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing. By the time the clock struck seven I was pacing my apartment with nerves.

When the knock on the door came I nearly jumped out of my skin I was so wound up. I gathered my thoughts as best I could as I went and opened the door. There was Chris smiling at me. Immediately my nerves melted away and I felt a smile spread across my face. Why did this man make me feel so relaxed?

He stepped inside and then leant forward to kiss my cheek.
"You look beautiful." he said and I felt myself blush.
"So you ready?" he asked that grin of his spread wide across his face.
"Yep. I'll just grab my bag." I told him.

I gathered my things and headed outside where Chris was now waiting. As we walked towards the cab he slung his arm loosely around my shoulders
"Are you looking forward to tonight?" he asked.
My heart skipped a beat at his touch. It must have been because he'd caught me by surprise.
"Yeah." I answered a little hesitantly.
"You alright?" he questioned looking at me a little concerned.
"I haven't told Taylor I'm going to the barbecue with you and now I'm feeling a little nervous about it." I shrugged
He gave my shoulders a little squeeze.
"Hey I'm sure he'll be fine. He knows I'm your friend and I can always have a little word with him if you need me too."
He was always so kind and caring I thought as I looked at him and smiled
"Thanks but I'm sure you're right, he'll be fine."

He wasn't looking directly at me anymore and I couldn't help but notice that his smile seemed to have a hint of sadness in it all of a sudden. I placed my arm around his back and returned the friendly squeeze. He looked into my eyes for a moment like he was going to say something but in the end decided not to.

As we reached the cab he opened the door, gestured for me to get in and joked
"You chariot awaits." I rolled my eyes at him and giggled as I climbed in.
Chris shut the door, then walked round to the other side of the cab and got in beside me. As we travelled across town we chatted and laughed like we always did. I really liked Chris' company and was still amazed at how lucky I'd been to stumble across his gig and meet him that day.

When we arrived at Dave's house Chris paid the cab driver and we walked up to the front door. The house was huge and like nothing I'd ever stepped foot in before. Chris rang the bell and soon Dave opened the door and greeted us with a warm smile.
"Chris" he called taking his friend into a hug.
As Chris stepped past him Dave caught sight of me
"And Mia nice to see you again." he said giving me the same warm hug.
For famous musicians these guys really were very down to earth.

We followed Dave through the house and out into the back yard. As we walked outside I heard Christine call
"Mia I'm so pleased you could make it." I smiled as she walked over and embraced me.
As she stepped aside I saw Rami following over to do the same.
"Hi guys it's great to see you again." I said
"Come and meet the others." Christine continued
She linked her arm in mine and led me over to where everyone else was sitting. She pointed to each person in turn
"So this is Nate and his wife Kate. This is Pat and his wife Rebecca and this is Jordyn, Dave's wife. You've already met Taylor. This is Mia."

"Hi" I managed to say feeling a little overwhelmed meeting all these people.
I glanced over at Taylor who was staring at me a look of shock on his face. I swallowed hard. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. As everyone said hi to me Taylor seemed to regain his composure and was soon greeting me with that cheeky grin of his that made my heart flutter.
"Great to see you again Mia. I wasn't expecting to see you here." he said as he kissed my cheek.
"I....erm..." I stammered trying to think of a suitable answer, one that didn't involve agreeing to go with Chris to make him jealous.
"We discussed it the other evening over takeaway. Mia and I had been out shopping, when we got back to our place Rami and Chris were already there so we invited her to stay for dinner. When the barbecue came up in conversation we just thought it would be nice to invite her along. Isn't that right?" Christine said looking at Rami for backup.
He looked a little confused but nodded as he took a mouthful of beer. I worriedly glanced over at Taylor but he didn't seem to have noticed.
"Yeah" I heard Chris' voice say behind me "I offered to pick her up so she didn't have to arrive alone."
"Cool" Taylor said "So Mia what would you like to drink?"