Grabbing my hand, Cali bound up the stairs, pulling me along faster than my body was willing to follow. “Oh and by the way, these are tickets to The Hysterics show playing tonight over in Tampa!”
My mind processed the awesome news that was floating around in my head and excitement started bubbling.
Finally, my eyes were able to open all the way, beaming. “How the hell did you get those?” I couldn’t believe it. The Hysterics were a band that had spread like wildfire a few years ago, but Cali and I heard of them during our summer trek through the mountains to The Bonnaroo Music Festival the summer after we met. They were a no-name band back then, and we had been trying to score tickets to see them again ever since, always coming up empty-handed.
Cali giggled. “I pulled some strings, think of it as a ‘because present’ and get dressed! We’re going to Tampa!”
I went into my bathroom to freshen up while Cali picked out clothes for me to wear. While scrubbing the tannin off my front teeth, my mind started racing back to our first road trip together. Sleeping in a tent for a weekend, hot and sticky, it was a small feat for Cali, but she seemed to handle it like a champ. The music festival had been thrilling all on its own, but the highlight was getting drunk with the guys from The Hysterics the night after they played. I blushed a little, recalling how good-looking all of the guys were, and being in sheer awe of their talent.
I strode back into my room to find Cali sitting on my bed with my entire outfit picked out next to her. She looked up from playing a game on her phone. “Do you think we’ll be able to get backstage again? I really hope they remember us!”
I thought about it for a second, leaning back on one hip, the excitement bubbling up even more. “Maybe they will recognize us. It’s hopeful at best, but it doesn’t hurt to dream.”
I started to get dressed in my white shorts, black and white striped tank and boat shoes, just like Cali wanted. I figured I wouldn’t give Cali a hard time about being controlling just this once; my silent thanks for her awesome surprise.
We packed my beach bag with two bathing suits, beach towels and sunscreen, deciding that we could head over to the other coast early, soak in some rays and have a few cocktails by the water to get jazzed up for the concert. We giggled like schoolgirls as the anticipation of the show built with every moment that passed.
The next thing I knew, I was flying down the highway behind the wheel of my Mercedes, which, ever since I drove Walker to get his tattoo, I felt like driving more. Before that night, I had forgotten how much I loved to drive her, and with Cali riding shotgun, singing along to The Hysterics CD we had purchased the summer we fell in love with them, I could not have asked for a more perfect start to an adventure. My favorite song of theirs came on and I belted it at the top of my lungs, letting the crisp sea air from Tampa billow in through the open windows.
Once we got to the beach only a few miles away from the small venue where the show was, we lay out for about an hour. The beach was not too packed and the sand was warm squishing in between my toes, one of my favorite feelings.
“Cali, this is going to be great. How’d you find out about this show?” I rolled over on my towel, squinting at my best friend’s pink cheeks and a sly smile started to form.
“I get emails from their fan club. Most of the time I just delete them, but when I saw Tampa in the subject I opened it and bought the tickets on the spot.” She rolled over onto her stomach to tan her back and opened one eye to look at me. “I’ve had them for a few weeks, but surprising you is so much better!”
I gasped at her. “You’re such a little shit! I can’t believe you could keep something so exciting from me!”
All Cali did was laugh at first, and then she saw my shocked face and continued, “Mags, you’ve been in and out of a rut for a while. I figured if you knew you’d find some excuse to cancel or something, so I ambushed you and now we’re here and that’s all that matters.”
I rolled over again onto my back, closing my eyes and listened to the waves crash onto the shoreline for a little while. Cali was right. It was crazy to me to think maybe Walker and Cali really did know me better than I knew myself for the most part and especially now. Sighing, I sat up. “Well, it’s just about one and the show isn’t until seven tonight, so I think we should grab lunch and some drinks to kill some time. What do you think?”
Cali sat up next to me and hugged me. “That sounds like a plan!”
We packed everything up and made our way to the closest bar we could find. It was only about a block away, and the smell of the restaurant made my stomach rumble. We took our seats at the virtually empty bar, and ordered two light beers from a kind looking bartender that appeared to be way too young to be working behind a bar. Once the pints were resting in front of us, we raised our glasses and I toasted, “To The Hysterics and Indie rock!”
Cali giggled to my goofy cheers and we both drank.
Wiping her mouth with a little napkin, Cali turned her chair to face mine. “So, Missy, where’d those bruises come from?”
My eyes shot to my shoulder and the terrible scene of Walker grabbing me flooded back into my memory. “Walker and I got into it. He only grabbed me for a second, but you know how strong he is.”
Cali’s face turned from a light, fun expression to pissed within a second. “Mags! What the fuck? And you’re OK with that?”
I broke eye contact with her, not knowing what to say. “No, Cal, I’m not. In the situation, it was like Walker was a different person. He’s not normally angry or anything other than perfect. I just pissed him off.”
Her eyes narrowed even more. “This is not okay, Mags. If he just gets a little pissed and snaps, what happens if he ever gets really angry?”
I put my hand on her shoulder, sighing a little. “Cali, it’s over. Thank you for being concerned, but Walker will never hurt me. He’s one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I think I am for him too.” I took another sip to help my throat from drying out as I spoke, really hoping Cali would let this be the end of this awful conversation. “He even got a tattoo for me!”
Her lips parted slightly as her eyebrow raised. “What the fuck? What did he get? That’s crazy!”
“He got the compass he wanted on his leg, but instead of an N for north, he got an M, saying I’m his true north. Isn’t that sweet?”
Cali rolled her eyes. “It’s something, alright. I’m still concerned, but I’ll drop it for now.”
I was so relieved, and settled back in my chair to take in the awesome Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley quotes painted on the walls all around the bar. “Thanks for caring, Cal.”
She smiled and continued to drink her beer, looking over the lunch menu in front of us. From behind me I heard a gruff voice bellow, “Excuse me, but do I know you ladies from somewhere?” I turned and both Cali and I gasped at the same time at the sight of a perfectly tanned, tall, tattooed rock god standing in front of us. The lead singer from The Hysterics, Rodney, was leaning on the bar right next to me holding a dark draft in his hand.
I smiled, stunned for a second and then finally formed words after my star-struck reaction subsided. “Actually, yeah. We met you and your band mates a few years back at Bonnaroo.”
Rodney was tall, skinny, with sandy brown hair and the whitest teeth I had ever seen and his smile grew wider as his memory jogged back to that summer. “Oh yeah, I remember you two. You partied with us for the rest of the weekend. That show was amazing. Cheers ladies.” We all raised our glasses together and Cali giggled nervously again.
“So ladies, my memory has been fogged by lots of drugs and drinks, may I know your names again?” His smile was contagious and it oozed sex appeal. Rodney could probably make a nun feel sexy by the way he looked at women. It wasn’t even that he was flirting, that was just how he was.