JANUARY 14, 1991. OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON.
EVIE LEANS PATIENTLY against her kitchen bench, waiting to hear Dave's voice pick up the phone so that she can wish him a happy birthday. She sadly has to work today until 3pm at the shop, fulfilling her required hours for the week set by her father. As soon as she finishes she is planning on going straight to Dave's where she will meet him and Kurt, give Dave his present and then the three of them will drive to the Hideaway to meet the rest of their friends.
"Morning Evie," his voice sounds clearly through the speaker, flooding her body with that familiar warm feeling he manages to give her.
"Happy birthday!" She tells him excitedly and she can almost hear him crack a smile, laughing as he does so.
"Thank you, I wish I could see you sooner," he says feigning sadness through the phone.
"I know me too, but I'm excited to see you this afternoon," she encourages.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you too, I've missed you," he tells her.
"I've missed you too. God, what has it been two days?" Evie laughs.
"Two long, painful days Evie," Dave jokes.
They both recognise that although it's only been a couple of days since they last saw each other, it somehow manages to feel like they've spent weeks apart. Evie slightly worries for when Nirvana will eventually head off on a tour and she'll have to spend prolonged periods of time without Dave, but she pushes the thought aside. That's a problem for future Evie, no use in worrying about it now.
"Okay," she sighs, "Well I have to be out the door right about now, but I just wanted to hear your voice and say happy birthday and to have a good day. I'll see you later," Evie offers him sadly. She doesn't want to have to say goodbye.
"Okay bye Eves, have a good shift. Thank you for calling," he tells her, using her nickname used by her close friends and family, which he has recently adopted.
"Of course. Bye Dave," she says, reluctantly hanging the phone on the hook.
It takes a lot of willpower for her not to say the words that have been playing on her mind and her mouth for the past week. The L word. Yeah, that one. After the conversation they had in Dave's bedroom on the day after Oliver's birthday, Evie finally felt comfortable about opening up to Dave. A few days ago, she leads into her past by telling him what Nick had said about the fact that 'Dave will never understand her like he does' and how although she doesn't believe it, him saying that bothered her.
Evie explained that she and Nick had a weird and intense relationship and clarified that it was mostly because he had been there to experience many of her struggles. Evie didn't reveal everything to Dave, but she informed him of her brush with death and hospital stays over the years. She was honest and vulnerable and Dave did not judge her for a second.
He held her tightly and expressed to her with utmost sincerity how sorry he was that she had to experience the things she went through. He made it clear how proud he is of her for pulling herself out of it. Like always, he said exactly what she wanted and needed to hear in that situation.
Dave opened up to Evie too about his childhood and about his parents' divorce and like he did for her, she sat listened.
In those moments that they had shared their emotions with each other, a new layer had been peeled back on their relationship. Most physical barriers between the two had long been discarded, and now the emotional barriers were breaking down too. This type of vulnerability is a special one. Exposing yourself completely both emotionally and physically is the highest form of connection human beings can share.
And in that moment of the two of them revealing parts of themselves to each other while laying tangled up in each other's arms in Dave's bed, Evie realised she loved him and she wasn't afraid of it.
Nick was right in some ways, Evie was once terrified of love. This was because she had witnessed first-hand how love can destroy a person when her mother passed away. Her dad loved her mother so much and to see him experience the pain of losing her was one of the most painful things Evie has lived through. It terrified her and warped her to believe that love is so strong a feeling that if you find love and lose it, life is not worth living.
Evie knows now that there is more to love than loss, and there is more to life than love. Losing love is not something to be afraid of, love comes in so many forms and you should not rely on the love of a singular person to grant you happiness. Evie has love from her dad, her siblings and all of her friends which she understands has allowed her to not be afraid to love Dave. All she hopes is that he might feel the same way.
On her drive to work, her mind is clouded by these thoughts and she doesn't even realise she hadn't been listening to any music until she pulls into her parking space out the back.
She opens the store and gets the shift ready, embracing the music of Nick Drake to begin her shift. Nick Drake is her ultimate go to for sappy, hopelessly romantic, beautiful acoustic sounds. His Pink Moon album is the type of music you listen to when you're a romantic mess. Perfect for her current state.
Nick Drake's smooth vocals and finger plucking pleasantly serenades her as she sits in her comfortable spot behind the counter, drawing mindlessly into her beat-up sketchbook. She's not working on anything in particular, she just draws and sees where her subconscious takes her.
Evie's not even fully consciously aware of what she is drawing as her mind is somewhere else, but when she examines the paper when she finishes her shading, what stares back at her is very telling of where her mind is at.
God, she thinks. She's such a softie when it comes to love. Even subliminally, her thoughts can't pull away from Dave and the moments they've shared and the security she feels when he holds her hand in his.
The shift passes surprisingly quickly, she thought it would drag on with her anticipation for the clock to show 3:00PM. But she found the store was busy today, keeping her occupied and making the time pass swimmingly.
She flicks off the lights and locks the door of the store with a smile playing on her lips with the knowledge she is on her way to see Dave. She is filled with excitement to be with him again and to give him his gift, which is really a gift from both she and John.
Eager to get inside to see her boyfriend, she parks out the front of his house and just about skips up to the front door with the hop in her step. For a first, Dave is the one to answer the door, usually it is always Kurt.
"Hey birthday boy," Evie beams at the boy standing before her whose eyes light up in just the same way as hers.
"Hey you," he says before wasting no to time in sliding one hand to her waist and one hand to her jaw, pulling her close to him so he can kiss her.
"Ahem," Kurt clears his throat from where he stands in the nearby kitchen.
"Hi Kurt," Evie says absentmindedly, not looking away from Dave, dismissing his mock at their display of affection.
"Nice to see you too," Kurt says playfully.
"You too," Evie quips, finally making playful eye contact with Kurt as he glides across the room to his usual spot on the couch.
Evie lifts the gift she has wrapped in neat red wrapping paper for Dave and his eyes light up like a kid in a candy store which she mentally notes. He clearly enjoys receiving presents.
"Ooh a present? For me?" Dave asks.
"Mmhmm," Evie hums, nodding and handing it over to him.
"Let's go to my room," Dave tells her, seemingly wanting to open it in private.
With one hand holding Evie's and one hand holding her gift tightly, he leads her down the hall to his room. They sit on top of Dave's freshly made bedsheets and Evie feels the need to preface her gift.
"Before you open it you should know it's from me and dad," she explains and he gives her a questioning look.
The shape of the box covered in red is unmistakable. It's the perfect length to hold a pair of drumsticks, they both realise this is pretty obvious but Evie's announcement confuses Dave.
"Alright," Dave says unsurely as he tears the paper away.
He slowly lifts the lid of the box to reveal the tattered but unmistakable sticks laying in a cushion of black foam.
"Holy fuck. No," Dave sighs, immediately realising what they are, pulling one out carefully to examine it's wear and tear and the distinctive text printed onto the light wood. John Bonham PROMUCO.
Dave looks Evie dead in the eye, "Don't tell me these are what I think they are. Don't fucking say it," he tells her, his voice adopting a higher pitch than she thinks she's ever heard him speak in. The excitement in his voice means everything to her.
"Well, if you think those are drumsticks used by Bonzo himself then fine, I won't tell you that's what they in fact are," she jokes back, clarifying that yes, they are in fact drumsticks used by the legendary John Bonham.
John Kelly worked in management through the 70s at Asylum Records, owned by David Geffen. Through this, John got free tickets to see just about anybody, including Zeppelin in 1975 at The Forum in LA. Adorned with AAA stickers, he and David Geffen walked around the tunnels beneath the stadium, feeling like the two luckiest men in the world. At the end of the night standing side of stage, John Kelly took a shot and politely but bashfully asked Bonham if he may have his drumsticks.
"All yours," he had told Evie's dad in his strikingly soft voice, handing them over to him without second thought as if he wasn't the greatest drummer to walk the earth handing over his mystic weapon.
In times that Dave had visited Evie's house, John and Dave have had many conversations concerning Led Zeppelin and the genius of Plant, Page, Jones and Bonham. And so, when Evie mentioned it was Dave's birthday, John thought it would be a nice gift and Evie wholeheartedly agreed, at first telling her dad maybe it was too great a gift and that he should keep them for himself. John persisted though, arguing that they had been sitting in a draw untouched and unused for years and they should belong to someone who would give them the appreciation they deserve.
Of course, before Evie wrapped them up, accepting that she would gift them to Dave she had to have a play with them. She played through a little bit of Black Dog before having to stop herself. She would have gotten too carried away and never stopped playing.
"How? W-what? Why?" Dave stutters while wearing an ecstatic smile.
"Dad had them laying around. You're clearly the biggest Bonham fan he's ever met so we talked about it and decided maybe you should have them," she explains and Dave finds himself at a loss for words.
"Just laying around?" Dave laughs at Evie's nonchalant explanation.
"Well, Bonham actually handed them to dad after their show at The Forum in '75 and they've barely been touched since," she explains.
"I-, I honestly don't know what to say," Dave laughs.
"This is the most thoughtful gift someone's ever given me," he adds sincerely, holding the sticks tight in his hands.
"I kind of fucked myself over with this one. Now every gift I ever give you is going to look like shit compared to this," Evie jokes making Dave laugh.
He places the sticks back in to their case and sets them down softly on his bedside table.
"Thank you," he tells her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, a habit which Dave does to himself and others.
"You're welcome," she smiles before leaning in to kiss him.
Dave kisses her back strongly, moving his hand immediately to the back of her head to keep her close and Evie can feel the pure gratitude that this kiss holds.
"How much time do we have before we should leave?" She asks, thinking a bit too reasonably.
"Who cares?" Dave sighs before connecting their lips again, making Evie smile into his kiss.
"Dave, you said you'd be there at 6," she states, smiling at the clear frustration which flashes on his face. He quickly turns to look at the time on his bedside table.
"Yeah, that's not for another 20 minutes," he protests like a child asking their mother for more time on the playground.
"Okay," Evie sighs, "At least close your door," she tells him as he plants kisses down her neck.
He hops out of the bed swiftly as her request and leans out of his door to speak down the hall.
"Kurt don't come into my room. We'll be running a bit late," he says playfully before closing his door. Evie cringes, throwing one of Dave's pillows at him which he catches and throws back.
"Come here," he tells her, as he lays next her and pulls her over into his lap.
Evie tears her leather jacket from her arms as Dave pulls at the hem of her mini dress, sliding it up over her torso and she assists by pulling it over her head and discarding it to the floor. Her fingers move to Dave's shirt and he sits up and lifts his arms to help her take it off. She leans back to move to the button and zipper of his jeans, pulling down the waistband before he finishes the job, sliding the denim down his long legs and off his ankles.
Evie takes it upon herself to unclip her bra before swiftly moving to Dave again to remove his underwear, sliding his boxer briefs off. She knows they don't have much time, but now this is not a concern of hers, she wants to savour this moment for as long as possible. She takes Dave in her hand, deciding to please him with her mouth first, something she is aware drives him crazy.
She moves her body down from where her mouth is connected to Dave's to take him in her mouth, kissing his tip softly before taking in the length of him as he inhales sharply at her movement and confidence.
"Oh god, I want to feel you Eves," Dave groans his request.
She removes her mouth from him as well as removing her lace underwear which she had intentionally worn, knowing this was scenario bound to happen at some point in the night.
As she lines herself up with Dave, sinking into him they both sigh. Dave catches her off guard by swiftly pulling her torso close to him and rolling them over, making himself on top which Evie does not oppose.
They know each other's bodies now, aware of what to do to get each other off and Dave demonstrates this perfectly, working at a slow pace, building up with more speed to their eventual release.
She can see the annoyance written all over Dave as he approaches his end much quicker than anticipated, but Evie doesn't care. She rejoices in the sound of her name falling from Dave's mouth, glad that she is the one who gets to make him feel this way and this sends her over the edge too.
He finishes with a final slow roll of his hips, and although they want to just lay there together in each other's arms, they finish and clean themselves up as quick as possible, both very aware that Kurt is waiting patiently for them in the living room. Evie blushes, knowing that there is no way Kurt didn't hear them.
They walk coyly into the living room by each other's side, and Kurt is laying on the lounge with his eyes closed and headphones connected to his tape machine on.
Dave moves to tap him on his shoulder and Kurt jumps a little bit, pulling the headphones from his head.
"You two ready now?" He asks Dave and Evie with one of his prizewinning smiles.
"Yeah. Sorry Kurt," Evie blushes as Dave looks to her to respond.
Kurt laughs dryly, "It's alright, but only because it's your birthday," he justifies, pointing to Dave.
"Exactly," Dave agrees, nudging Evie to ease her embarrassed state.
They exit the house and slide into Evie's car, listening to The Cure mixtape which has been sitting in her car for the last couple of weeks.
Evie parks her car down the street and she, Dave and Kurt walk up the block towards the bar where Evie and Dave first met properly. As they walk into the familiar dimly lit building bustling with people it doesn't take long to spot Krist standing tall at 6ft 7 and then everyone else around him. Dave's hand links with Evie's as they approach their group of friends.
"Here they are!" Shelli says, being the first to spot Evie, Dave and Kurt and to embrace them all.
A chorus of "Hey!" and "Happy birthday!" is hollered throughout the people who have come to celebrate Dave.
Ruby and Josh make their way towards Evie who has let go of Dave's hand as he makes his was around everyone, saying hello and thanking them for coming.
"Hey baby," Ruby says, pulling Evie in for a tight hug.
"Hi Rubes," she squeezes her friend back tightly.
"Evie!" Josh gleams, hugging her even tighter than Ruby had.
"Hey Joshy," Evie beams back at him.
Out of the corner of her eye she spots Kurt in conversation with a few girls who Evie recognises as the girls from the recently formed local band, Bikini Kill. Evie hasn't met them before really, but she took some photos of them and she has seen their 'Riot Grrrl' zines, which she adored.
Kurt makes eye contact with Evie as she looks onward at them and he beckons her over, waving his hand.
She turns to Ruby and Josh, "One sec, Kurt's calling me, I'll be back," she excuses herself, taking a breath and walking confidently up to the girls and Kurt.
"Evie, this is Kathleen, Tobi and Kathi," Kurt explains gesturing between each of the girls who all confidently outstretch their hands to make Evie's acquaintance.
"Lovely to meet you guys, I'm Evie," she tells them all.
"It's nice to meet you too, we're big fans of your zine," the woman with jet black hair who was introduced as Kathleen tells her sweetly, her voice shocks Evie. It sounds like she's from the Valley, but she doesn't appear that way. Can't judge a book by its cover.
"Really? I'm a huge fan of yours," Evie tells them honestly.
"Well thank you," the one named Tobi says, speaking up.
"You're Dave's girlfriend?" Kathleen asks sweetly, clearly out of curiosity.
"Yeah, I am," Evie nods.
"Well he's a lucky guy," Tobi jokes which makes Evie laugh.
She wasn't expecting to be so flattered by these girls, but they're all lovely. Evie and Kurt make eye contact and he is clearly just as amused by the interaction as Evie is. They share a fleeting smile before Evie looks back to Tobi.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Evie says bashfully.
An arm falls around Evie's shoulder which she immediately knows is Dave's. He stands beside her as he greets the three girls of Bikini Kill, thanking them for coming and noting that he's glad that they got to meet Evie.
Soon Evie is dragged away by Dave to come say hello to Buzz, Dale and Lori of the Melvins, who Evie hadn't seen since that first night her and Dave had hung out properly. He has explained to Evie before that he pretty much got the gig with Nirvana because of Buzz who connected the three of them when Kurt and Krist were looking for a new drummer.
With a few drinks down, she floats around all night between new friends and old friends all the while having Dave in her sights, enjoying the short but sweet moments when they look across the room and catch each other's eye for a second, sharing a fleeting smile and knowing that they are each other's person.