Eliza couldn't breathe. It's like she was seeing a ghost. Dave was older, wore his hair above his ears, and was sporting a goatee. However, when she looked into his eyes, he was still the teenage boy that she dreamed about every night before she fell asleep. Dave looked shocked, but not in the same way that she was. Eliza was angry, her face hard and shoulders tense. She was seeing the man that she loathed, the one who pushed her away when she would do anything for him. She had hoped and prayed that she would never have to see his face ever again.
However, when Dave looked at Eliza, his was an expression of longing. His face seemed to melt at first glance.
They held eye contact for a few seconds too long, ending when Eliza snapped out of it and picked back up her magazine.
"Ummm, ok?" Taylor said, moving on, clearly confused.
"I think I'm gonna use the bathroom." Eliza said, getting up and shooting a smile at Taylor before leaving the room.
"That was weird." Taylor said, looking for Dave to give an explanation.
Dave was unresponsive, just staring blankly at the wall.
"Earth to Dave." Taylor said, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Oh, sorry." Dave said, snapping out of it. "Are you, uh, dating her?"
"No, it's not like that. We're just really close friends. Met her back home. We've been friends for about a year now."
"I didn't know she was living in LA." Dave nearly whispered.
"Do you, like know her or something?"
"Yeah." Was the only response that Dave was able to muster up.
Taylor looked at him skeptically, one hundred percent sure that there was more to this story.
"I've gotta go back to my room and get ready for the show. See you backstage tonight?" Dave asked, his mood shifting.
"You know it." Taylor said, clapping him on the back as he walked out. Taylor and Dave were known to party during festival nights, and tonight seemed to be no different.
Dave made his way back to his dressing room, and just as he rounded the corner in the hall, he ran straight into Eliza, who was returning from the bathroom.
"Oh, hey." Dave said.
"Hey." Eliza said, her face cold.
"How, how are you?" Dave asked.
"Now's not the time." Eliza responded, giving him the cold shoulder and walking away.
Dave stood there, defeated.
Eliza walked back into Taylor's dressing room and plopped down on the couch, still shook from her abrupt meeting with Dave.
"So, you didn't tell me that you were hooking up with the drummer of Nirvana." Taylor said casually while pouring himself a glass of wine.
"I never said that!" Eliza said defensively, her cheeks growing flushed.
"Yeah, but I could sense it. It's like he walked in and the room turned to ice."
"Well, we aren't hooking up anymore, that's for sure."
"I'm listening." Taylor said, sitting down on the couch next to her, still holding his glass of wine.
"Well, we were childhood best friends. Grew up next door to each other. One day we decided to start dating. Then, he went on tour with his first band, and let's just say that things ended pretty rough. I ended up going to one of his Nirvana shows, and we started going out again. When Kurt died, Dave was devastated. It really tore him up, and we just couldn't sustain our relationship. I ended up leaving him and moving down to LA. I haven't seen him since. Well, until ten minutes ago."
"I cannot believe that you used to go out with Dave Grohl and never told me!" Taylor was still clearly shocked, and a little hurt that his closest friend would keep such a secret.
"I just didn't want it to change anything. I was worried that you would start to use me, or something."
"Well, I see where you're coming from. But I would never. Trust me."
Taylor put his hand on Eliza's to reassure her, but just as he did, the door swung open. Eliza's breath caught in her throat, fearing she was about to have another unfortunate meeting with Dave. However, it was just Alanis, wearing a concerned look on her face.
"T, we're on in twenty. Can you get out here please?"
He sighed and stood up. "Yeah, I'll be out in a second."
"I'll come and watch from the side stage." Eliza said as he set down his wine and picked up his sticks.
"Sounds good. And, look. We kind of have a tradition to party around after festival shows. Dave and I. If you aren't comfortable with it I can tell him to piss off and you and I can find something fun to do tonight. Just say the word."
"No, it's ok. We're adults. Dave and I can stand to be in the same room as each other for a couple of hours."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Ok, I'll see you after the show." Taylor said, coming over to give her a kiss on the cheek before running out of the room and down the hallway.
Eliza gathered her things and made her way to the side of the festival stage where she would be viewing the show. She took her designated seat and settled in, excited to see Taylor play in front of such a large crowd.
It was here that she remembered how long she truly had been doing this. She was a teenager when she first started watching Dave play, and here she was, mid twenties, still watching her closest friend. Eliza loved watching musicians play, especially her best friends, and she was thrilled to have that opportunity given to her once again.
That is, until she heard the all too familiar voice come from behind her.
"Is this my seat?" Dave asked a stage manager.
Of course Dave was going to be here. He seems to be one of Taylor's closest friends. They're playing the same festival and Dave's band wasn't performing tonight, so of course Dave would come to watch.
Eliza sighed, mentally strapping in for what was going to be a long show.
"We're adults." She reminded herself of her own words. At the end of the day, she should be able to handle this.
"Taylor's a fantastic drummer, but I'm sure you know that."
"Why is he trying to talk to me?"
"Yeah, I know." She responded, bluntly.
There was a pause. "You cut your hair."
"Yep."
Yet another awkward pause. "So, you moved to LA?"
Eliza whipped around in her chair and made dead eye contact with Dave.
"Do you want something?" She said, angrily.
"No, I, uh, it's just nice to see you again." Dave replied, sheepishly.
"Are we forgetting why I left Seattle in the first place?"
"That was a while ago, Eliza. I'm just trying to be nice."
When he said her name it was like a million knives were cutting into her heart.
"Well I'm glad you've grown up." She shot back, twisting around in her seat to face the stage. The show was about to start.
Dave didn't try to talk to her for the entirety of Taylor's set. She was glad, as she didn't want to miss a second of the performance. Alanis was electric, her confidence and power shining. She was a force on stage, and Eliza knew that it was only up from here. She could only think of how lucky Taylor was to be a part of it all.
Once the show was over, Eliza met Taylor backstage like they had agreed on. And, of course, Dave was also there. He came over to Taylor and clapped him on the back, congratulating him on his performance. Eliza found her way to the bar and took a seat, preparing herself for a long night.
Dave and Taylor already had drinks, so Eliza ordered herself a Rum and Coke: her favorite. After she got it, she approached Taylor, who was making his rounds on the dance floor. By then, there was already a sizable amount of people in the bar, most of them involved in the music industry. It was a private bar for those working on the festival, so that was to be expected.
Taylor was talking to a group of girls, so Eliza found her way into the group of stage managers and befriended them. The night continued on and slowly began to blur with each drink that Eliza had. She spent some time talking to Taylor, and some talking to the other people occupying the bar. Thankfully, she had lost track of Dave and hadn't seen him all night.
Hours passed, and it was reaching three in the morning. The crowd in the bar began to thin, leaving only Taylor and a few others left.
"Hey, I'm gonna head back to my room." Taylor said, approaching Eliza. He had a girl on his arm, and Eliza knew all too well what he meant. She smiled, already excited to hear his play by play in the morning. "Are you good here, or do you want me to walk you back?"
"No, I'll be alright. Goodnight Taylor."
"Night Liza. See you tomorrow."
He left, and Eliza took a seat at the bar, deciding to have one last drink before calling it a night. On her first sip, she felt a presence take the seat next to her. Of course it was Dave.
"Hey." He opened with
"Hi." She said back.
She was drunk enough to be willing to talk to him, but sober enough to know that it was a bad idea.