It was Peter.
I stared into his worrisome eyes as he waited for my response.
"I-I'm alright. Thank you." I stammered. Our eyes stayed locked for several more seconds which was more than enough time for me to get lost in his beautiful emerald eyes. Peter cleared his throat, snapping me back to him. I noticeably blushed and he chuckled.
"I uh, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there when I was on stage moaning into the microphone and staring at you." He said quietly. My cheeks burned up and I looked down out of embarrassment.
"Also, sorry if I de-fouled your Christian ears." I looked at him stunned.
"H-How did you know I-"
"Well I have an eye for that, plus you're dressed way more respectably when compared to the other women here, and you're wearing a real cross necklace." I shyly nodded as his words were true. I was fully clothed compared to a lot of the other women here, most of them wore skirts that were two sizes too small with way too revealing tops. I was tame with how I came out today, I didn't want to step too much out of my comfort zone.
"So, what brought you out here tonight, Christian woman?" He asked, scooting closer to me, making my heart race.
"Um... I made a friend at the college I'm going to attend this fall and she asked if I wanted to come with her tonight. I accepted and she's taught me a lot of things about your band and she let me listen to her cassettes of your first two albums." Peter looked intrigued and smiled widely.
"Sounds like you made a great friend." He smiled and I couldn't help but smile as well, it was like it was contagious. "How did you like our set?"
"I enjoyed it very much, this is my first concert ever and it was better than I expected." Peter looked at me with raised eyebrows.
"This is your first concert?" I nodded and took a drink of my water. "Well, I'm glad we made it a great first experience for you. You still haven't forgiven me for the thing I said earlier though." I froze.
In all honesty, he doesn't have to apologize, it was such a heated moment and I found it quite... arousing and very exciting.
"You don't have to apologize for it." I blurted out. Peter was taken aback and I fumbled my words after realizing what I had just said. "W-what I mean is I um... I-"
"You enjoyed it?" He asked with a slight smirk. I then again looked down out of embarrassment and kept my gaze to the floor, I can't seem to lie to him. He has this charm to him, the type of charm where he can draw you in unintentionally with a single smile. I felt Peter place his tender hand under my chin to make me look at him. He leaned in a bit closer and smiled sweetly. The instant I felt his warm breath on my face, the tingling sensation started again.
"It's alright, Christian woman, you don't have to be shy about this. I won't mention it anymore if it'll make you feel better." I internally swooned at the sound of his voice and at his touch the tingling feeling growing more powerful. He made a face shortly thereafter and chuckled.
"I'm sorry, I didn't ask what your name is, how fucking rude of me." He commented, looking a bit guilty.
"Y/n, my name is Y/n." I said with a warm smile. Peter held his massive hand out to me.
"Peter Steele." He stated warmly. I held my hand out to shake it and was stunned at how gently he held it. My hand seemed to disappear into his as his hands were much larger.
"You've got a very beautiful name, y/n." He remarked.
"Oh, thank you." I replied quietly. No one has ever commented about my name before. In all honesty, there was a point in my life where I completely hated my name.
"A beautiful name to go with that beautiful face." He added with a sweet shy smile. My cheeks turned red again and I covered them with my hands. This was a first for me, all of this was a first for me. I guess the adrenaline rush from his set made me much less nervous to speak to him. Or maybe it was just his welcoming attitude and warm smile that made me feel at ease. I took a drink of my water and looked back at him.
"What? Has no one ever told you how beautiful you are?" He remarked. I shook my head 'no'.
Peter looked surprised and slightly angry at the same time. "Well whatever guys you've ever spoken to must be blind, because you're gorgeous."
I felt my heart skip a beat. "Thank you. But, I've um... never spoken to a guy before." I replied. Peter's eye widened and looked at me for a few seconds.
"Well, Y/n, you seem to be doing great so far." He reassured. We locked eyes once again and it looked as if he was observing my face, my eyes, and my lips, almost as if he was collecting every detail for his memory.
"Y/n?" He began as he stared deeply into my eyes.
"Yes?" I replied nervously.
"Would it be alright if I get your number? I mean, if it's okay with you, I won't be hurt if you say no." I internally gasped at his question. Does this mean he wants to talk to me more after tonight? My mind jumbled and I let out a breath of air. "Yes, I'll give you my number." I responded in disbelief. Peter smiled at my remark while letting out a breath of air in relief. I reached into my bag and tore a page from my little book and wrote my number down along with my name and slid it to Peter. He grabbed it and smiled before carefully folding it and placing it in his pocket.
"Thank you." He smiled brightly. "Is there a certain time that's best for you so I can call you?" He asked. I was taken a back at his question, he really did want to talk to me again.
"Um, you can call anytime around 5pm - 10 pm. That's when I'll most likely be in my dorm room." I was surprised at how well I was handling this. Peter's smile grew.
"May I call you tomorrow?" He continued. "I'd ask for tonight, but I have to help the guys with the equipment and I'm sure you're going to feel exhausted once you get back to your dorm." He was so kind and sincere, I almost started crying.
"Yeah, of course." I replied, I can't believe this is happening.
Just as I was getting lost in his eyes again, I hear Kat call out to me as she walks away from the dispersing crowd. The concert must be over now.
"Hey, Y/n! The concerts' over, lets g-." Kat stops beside me and stares at Peter. She nearly shrieked as he greeted her politely with a warm smile and a hand shake. Peter got up from his seat and looked at me with slightly saddened eyes. Even as I sit on this high stool, Peter still towers over me.
He bends down until his lips are at my ear. "Until we meet again, Christian woman." He whispers in his deep voice, sending shivers down my spine before planting a soft kiss to my cheek and walks to the backstage area. I sat there in complete disbelief. Kat watched as Peter made his way backstage before turning to me and screaming with glee. "You have to tell me everything!!" She exclaimed with a grin.
We left the bar into the cool air outside and began walking home. It must've been passed midnight already, although the streets were still noisy as always. I guess New York is always awake.
--
We made it back to the dorms and I plopped down onto the bed, replaying the events that took place today. So many unbelievable things happened that my brain still can't process it all. I felt myself blush as I thought about the kiss on my cheek from Peter. I smiled and felt butterflies in my stomach. Kat walked to my room, already changed into her pajamas as well as sporting a very toothy smile.
"Y/n, you have GOT to tell me everything what happened!" She excitedly sat down on my bed beside me and I sat up.
I told her what happened after she left me at the bar. I explained the situation I faced with an extremely drunk man and how Peter saved me before the situation escalated any further. I told her about the things we talked about and how he asked for my number which caused Kat's eyes to widen in excitement.
"He was flirting with you!" She exclaimed and I blushed, the tingling feeling returning.
"He was not flirting." I replied. Kat made a face and reassured me that he in fact was flirting. My cheeks burned up at the realization. Was he really flirting with me? I've never known what flirting was like or how it was done because I never experienced it before. I thought about our conversation earlier and remembered that he was complimenting me a lot... and that soft kiss. It must be true then, he was flirting with me. I can't seem to wrap my head around this, honestly. Why would he flirt with me? Me out of all people when there's so many beautiful women out there who throw themselves at him. Why would he go for me?
My mind begins to race and Kat notices my serious demeanor. "What's wrong, y/n?" She asks, concern filling each words. I look at her, not knowing what to do with myself.
"What if he likes me?" I ask quietly. Kat gives me a small smile.
"Would that be a bad thing? I mean, it's pretty obvious already that he's interested in you."
"I know, but I wouldn't know what to do or what to say... I've never been in a situation like this before." I trailed off, at a loss for words on how to express the thoughts going through my head. Kat pulled me into a hug and we embraced each other tightly.
"Things will be okay, y/n.... you can take things slow. After all, Peter is compassionate and understanding, and underneath his intimidating look, he's an emotional man who wants nothing but to worship whoever it is that he'll fall in love with. He's spent so much time hurting after his last break up, that's why his music is riddled with pain and emotion. He just wants someone to give as much love as he does. Plus, Peter is the type of man every woman dreams about. You'd be missing a very big chance at something amazing if you were to turn him down or to ignore the fact that you like him back. It's okay to take things slow, just use this as a way to get to know him more."
"I guess you're right." I pulled away from Kat and yawned.
We said our good nights and I was left to my thoughts and the quiet of my medium sized room. Still I replay the events that happened today in my head. Peter was better than I had previously expected him to be prior to the concert. The sensation came back as I thought about his build and the way his waist length hair seems to caress his body. Not to mention the size of his arms, seeing it all in person gave me a new perspective of his bodily proportion.
Despite this, I could feel my body physically yearn for him. Never have I felt this way before, it's beginning to frighten me in a way. Knowing that he was possibly the only person who could make me feel this way, who could drive me this crazy, frightened me. It was as if he has total control over me without knowing it.
And yet, I can't help myself when I'm around him, I can't close myself off and hide the fact that I like him. Although, I still have yet to get to know him more and to get to know his vulnerable side. Hopefully this intense sensation will die down soon because it's becoming so unbearable. I know how to get rid of it for a while, but I refuse to do so, I'm just not ready at all for any of it.
I take a deep breath, trying to focus on falling asleep and not Peter, but he manages to creep back into my thoughts.
I fell asleep to the thought of him engulfing me in his large muscular arms and telling me that all will be alright.