Adam laughed. “Okay. Okay,” he said. “I met someone—a girl who lives in my apartment complex.”
He tried to sound nonchalant about it but wasn’t sure he pulled it off.
“Big fuckin’ deal,” said Luke. “You meet girls at our shows all the time. You never seem to have a shortage of them after you.”
Adam tuned out the resulting chatter on his supposed prowess with the ladies. Although Luke spoke the exaggerated truth, Adam still sometimes wondered what women saw in him. Although he portrayed himself as self-confident on the outside, sometimes he felt like that insecure, skinny, gawky, nerdy-looking, messy-haired high school kid he used to be. The kid that doubted a beautiful woman like Maddie would be interested in him romantically. He didn’t normally get nervous around women anymore, but with Maddie, he felt like a high school boy again, waiting to see if the girl he liked would like him too.
Chapter 4
The residents’ lounge in Adam’s apartment building looked like a hotel bar. A bartender manned the small area just inside the entryway on the left. High-top tables were strategically placed throughout the center of the room. The band crammed all of their equipment, speakers, microphone stands, and instruments on a small stage at the back of the room, just behind the dance floor.
The apartment manager had agreed to let them practice in the residents’ lounge every Thursday night for free, as long as they opened the rehearsals to the residents. He figured they could provide free entertainment and attract residents to the bar, and in exchange the band got to practice performing in front of a live audience, regardless of the size of the crowd. They posted a disclaimer that the events were live rehearsals, not paid performances, and most residents were cool with that. They were there to drink, relax, socialize, and listen to some good music.
In addition to the residents, some of the band members’ friends, family members, significant others, and fans often stopped by to hang out. Night Fury drew in some of the same people each week—the regulars. The crowd seemed to steadily grow with new faces as word about the band spread. It went from a handful of people in the audience on the first rehearsal, to a crowd that filled almost every seat on most nights, and left standing room only on the best nights. On this night, the regulars arrived early to get good seats.
Of course the band members always arrived early to set up. Adam went through the usual motions of setting up his equipment, running cables, and doing sound check, but as soon as he finished, he found himself too nervous to stand still.
He wondered if Maddie would show up.
Several of their friends had already arrived and staked out their tables close to the front of the stage. Adam mingled and greeted everyone as they entered; all the while, he scanned the crowd for any sign of Maddie.
Rehearsal started promptly at 8:00 p.m. and had no set end time. Some nights everyone left by 11:00 p.m., but other nights the party went on into the wee hours on Friday mornings. It all depended on the mood of the crowd.
At 8:00, Maddie hadn’t arrived yet, but the show had to go on, so Night Fury began their first set. People routinely came and went throughout the rehearsals, so Adam hadn’t given up hope. But as they finished the last song in the first set and she still hadn’t shown, Adam slouched on his stool to start the second set. He normally liked to keep the energy high during performances, and he rarely sat while he sang. He tried to shake off his disappointment. He had really hoped to see her again. He wanted the chance to get to know her better and, to be truly honest, to show off for her—to impress her. Singing in front of a live audience always put Adam in his zone.
During the second song of the second set, just as he began to get really bummed out, Adam glanced at the door in time to see Maddie enter. He inhaled sharply as a jolt of excitement spread through his body. He barely knew her—barely knew anything about her. He wondered how she had this effect on him.
She stood at the back of the room, leaned against the wall, and fixed her eyes on him. Adam’s jaw clenched when he saw several men near her check her out. She looked just as beautiful as he had remembered, and the other men took notice of it too.
As he performed the set, the showman—and the show-off—in him emerged. He smiled and gave her a nod and a wink, his signature flirty stage move. She waved at him and smiled a breathtaking smile. He felt his heart melt a little. He wished the set would hurry up and end so he could talk to her, but at the same time he had no idea what he would say.
As the second set wrapped up, his heart rate accelerated. He switched the microphone to his other hand and wiped his sweaty palm on his jeans. Normally confident during performances, Adam had not been nervous at a rehearsal in as long as he could remember. But the thought of talking to her during intermission only made him more nervous. He didn’t know what to say.
When the set ended, Adam announced over the microphone—“Everyone give a shout-out to my neighbor, Maddie”—as he held out his hand in her direction.
When everyone turned their attention on her and clapped, hooted, and hollered, she shrank back against the wall, lowered her head slightly, and let her hair fall forward to partially cover her face. Adam hoped he hadn’t made a mistake by singling her out. Had he embarrassed her? She sheepishly grinned and lifted her hand in a half wave. Adam put his mic in the stand, took a deep breath,
