Accidental Groupie: A Sweet Lesbian Romance

by Mia Archer

  Oddly enough the semi-dangerous maze felt like home. I’d spent so much time back here in the past year, first when we were doing rehearsals and then in our first run of shows. Even though it was nearly pitch black aside from the occasional light hanging to mark the way it didn’t feel claustrophobic at all. Not that we spent enough time back here to feel claustrophobic for long anyways.

  “I’m feeling fucking great!”

  “Lots of women out there,” Gareth said. “A target rich environment!”

  “Almost makes me wish I was still in the game!” Talia said as she came up behind us. She joked like that once in awhile when we were down here and she knew Lisa wasn’t around to overhear. Not that she’d ever follow through so much as she didn’t want to hurt Lisa’s feelings.

  I shook my head and laughed. “You don’t mean that and we both know it.”

  Talia shrugged. “I suppose you’re right. The married life is pretty great so far. You should try it sometime!”

  I winced and it must’ve been pretty damn obvious even in the faint light cast by the LED clamp lights the crew had set up at intervals behind the stage. Talia’s usually infections grin turned to a frown.

  “Hey, I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking, really.”

  I held up a hand to stop her, both because I should be over it by now even if I wasn’t and because now wasn’t the time to have a deep conversation with one of my bandmates about the Incident anyways. Not that I’d ever really had a conversation with anyone other than Gareth anyways.

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “It’s ancient history.”

  Yeah, it should’ve been ancient history, but the way I was feeling the pain was still pretty damn fresh even after all this time.

  I pushed down on that viciously just like I always did when those feelings came up. That was the past. It was over. I wasn’t going to think about it.

  Talia pulled me into a quick hug. “Right. Ancient history. So you should seriously consider getting back in the saddle! Lord knows there’s plenty of girls out there who’d be willing to saddle up and take you for a ride. Listen to those screams!”

  I grinned more because that’s what I felt like I was supposed to do than because of any happiness I felt. Yeah, there was a reason I’d avoided anything to do with the girls who gathered at these concerts, and I didn’t plan on changing that any time soon.

  And yet.

  Hadn’t I already broken that rule in a big way? I’d already been tempted by a pair of pretty blue eyes attached to a killer body tonight, which made any thoughts about not approaching the fans seem hypocritical seeing as how I’d already approached a fan with my big head and inflated ego thinking I was going to give her the thrill of a lifetime.

  Yeah, that had worked out so fucking well. I set out to give a fan the thrill of a lifetime and instead I end up getting the surprise of a lifetime from a girl who turned out to be anything but a fan.

  Of course that was probably part of the reason why I found myself so drawn to her. Why I found myself still thinking about her as I was backstage getting ready for our next number.

  Jessica was out there somewhere, though she probably wasn’t adding her voice to the throngs of screaming women. No, if my read on her in the brief few captivating minutes we’d been talking was anything to go by she was probably standing with her arms crossed acting disinterested. I’d seen girls like her at concerts before, though they were rare. I certainly never thought I’d find myself mooning over a girl like that!

  And yet that conversation had been so much fun. It felt so easy. So natural. Sure it was a conversation where I was making fun of everything my life had revolved around over the past decade, but there was also some truth to what she said.

  There were times I thought it was ridiculous we were even doing this tour even if we were making money hand over fist. I hadn’t believed that would be possible when our manager first floated the idea of getting the group back together, but I couldn’t argue with results.

  I also couldn’t argue with how captivated I was with Jessica. With the strange girl who hated Sleepwalker and had no idea who I was.

  Yeah, that had been fun. It had been nice talking to someone as Ivy the person rather than Ivy the lead singer of Sleepwalker. For a few minutes I was able to be myself, and she treated me like just another girl.

  Was it a silly thing to go on? Was it a silly reason to be thinking about her constantly? Sure, but I couldn’t deny that at the very least she’d caught my attention in a hell of a way.

  Of course there was one little problem. She was out there somewhere, and that meant that she probably realized who I was by now. There was no hiding it now. She’d no doubt seen the opening number where my face was plastered across every huge screen in the arena.

  Not to mention I didn’t know for certain that she swung my way, though something about the appreciative way she looked at me told me that wasn’t going to be my biggest problem.

  No, the biggest problem was how a girl who hated everything to do with Sleepwalker would react to suddenly knowing the girl she was flirting with in the diner before the concert was the lead singer. Something told me that for once in my life being the frontwoman was going to be a liability in getting the girl rather than the major advantage it had been in the past.

  Trying to get the girl? Was I really thinking like that? Particularly after the Incident and the promise I made to myself while I was dealing with the fallout? A promise that I’d never put myself in that situation ever again?

  Yet there was something that felt different about this girl. There was something about her that gave me warm fuzzies deep inside, as ridiculous as that sounded.

  It was the only way I could think to describe a feeling that was so different from the pure lust I’d felt towards girls on past tours. Pure lust I’d acted on repeatedly in numerous cities across the country which set the stage for the damned Incident in the first place.

  Was I setting myself up again?

  No, I had to get to know this girl. I don’t know why I thought she was different, but she was. I was just going to have to track her down and get her attention in a major way before she had a chance to leave the arena and write me off as a chance meeting that was never going to go anywhere because of who I was, though given my reputation I could understand why a girl would want to avoid getting entangled because of who I was.

  Then again she didn’t know any of that if she didn’t follow the band. Unless her friend told her about it.

  I shook my head. I was overthinking all of this, and that was a weird feeling too. I hadn’t been this in my head about trying to get a girl since middle school, and that had been a long fucking time ago.

  I needed to impress this girl. I needed to get her attention. Luckily I was sort of in a unique position to do just that considering I was in the middle of an arena about to step back out on stage for another number.

  Already I could hear the opening strains blasting through the stage as the girls started, and in a moment I’d pop up out and start singing.

  I listened and figured I had just enough time for a quick text message. I was suddenly really glad I’d grabbed her number. I dashed off a text and was slipping my phone back into my pocket just as I heard a familiar strain that meant it was showtime.

  In more ways than one. I felt the familiar rush and the clenching in my stomach I got every time I went out onstage, but this time it was accompanied by something else. A burning yearning deep in the pit of my stomach because she was out there, somewhere.

  And I was going to find her and dazzle her with a little bit of star power!

  7: Getting Textual

  The strains of one of the slower songs started up and the lights came on illuminating the band, but no Ivy. I hated that I knew it was one of those songs where the singing didn't come in until about thirty or forty seconds in. Alice had forced me to listen to their stuff often enough that I knew that much.

  I felt a buzz in my pocket t
hat made me jump. I reached back and pulled my phone out, wondering who could possibly be texting me. It's not like I had many friends in the city. Everyone who could possibly be texting me knew what I was out doing, and nobody from work would be getting in touch with me. My work life wasn't that crazy.

  So I was more curious than anything when I pulled out my phone. My heart stopped when I saw who it was from. Ivy. Texting me from wherever she was hiding.

  "Enjoying the concert so far?"

  I was sure to shield my screen while I texted back. It was a ridiculous thought, but her number was on display for anyone who might look at my phone. I suddenly realized that I was in the middle of a concert surrounded by women who would probably very literally kill for the opportunity to get at that phone number.

  I felt like an exposed target, as ridiculous as that sounded. Even if someone looked at my phone that message was innocuous enough that they'd have no idea what was really going on. They’d have no way of knowing it was Ivy the lead singer of Sleepwalker texting me.

  Still, better safe than sorry. So I kept my phone good and covered as I sent a response.

  "It's okay so far, if you're into Sleepwalker. Not really my thing.”

  "That's too bad," she responded. "I've heard they're a pretty cool band."

  "I guess it all depends on your perspective," I sent back.

  "So have there been any surprises?"

  I looked up at the stage. They were still going through the opening strains of that song. It felt like our conversation had been going on for an eternity, but it truly had only been a few seconds. Then a giant light flashed on the stage and Ivy was out there singing her heart out.

  And I found myself swaying to the song just a little. I found my mouth opening as I stared at her. As I looked on the big monitor. Damn, she really was hot!

  I turned back to my phone and dashed off a quick response.

  "There might've been a surprise or two. The lead singer is pretty damn hot. Nice to have something pretty to look at even if the music isn’t my cup of tea."

  I figured a little bit of flirting couldn’t hurt things. Plus there was still the chance that this was one hell of a major case of mistaken identity, though I wasn’t sure if that would make this sudden flirtation better or worse.

  This time there was no immediate response. Which, of course, made sense. She was up on stage singing, and of course she wouldn't whip her phone out in the middle of a number. It also made me feel sort of reassured that she wasn't able to respond.

  There was a part of me that still wondered if I was just imagining things. If maybe I'd just run into a girl who bore a striking resemblance to Ivy the lead singer and happened to have the same name.

  Only if she wasn't texting back immediately while rock star Ivy was up there on stage that meant there was a good chance they were one and the same. Either that or it was wishful thinking on my part, they weren't one and the same, and there was some girl out in the crowd somewhere who was having one hell of a fun time getting my hopes up and dashing them.

  I hoped that wasn't the case, and I wanted to kick myself for hoping that wasn't the case. That was coming dangerously close to territory where I was starting to moon over the lead singer of Sleepwalker. That was the last thing I wanted. I wasn’t that kind of girl!

  I looked over to Alice who was staring at the stage in ecstasy, swaying back and forth with her hands in the air. Then her face lit up and I followed her gaze figuring we might be treated to Gareth.

  No such luck. Ivy was doing the walk around thing again. I ducked down just in time. It was a good thing I'd noticed Alice's odd look. If that really was the Ivy I met out there on stage sending me texts while she was backstage then the last thing I wanted was for her to see where I was sitting.

  I looked up and once more I was met with the hypnotic sight of her ass in that miniskirt as she made her way down the stage. Damn. The girl must work out, because she looked absolutely delicious. Okay, so maybe I could admit that she looked a little delicious and still hold onto my credibility as a person who was definitely not a fan of Sleepwalker. Because objectively she was damn hot, the whole rock star thing aside!

  Ivy swung back around on the catwalk and it seemed like her gaze was a laser that set the hormones aflame in every woman and some of the guys she looked at. Oh yeah, this was definitely a crowd stacked with my kind of girl, though there were probably more than a few women out there who were just excited at seeing their favorite singer without wanting to get her in bed.

  Though I could imagine Ivy convincing a straight girl that it was time to have a walk on the wild side. She had that magnetism that went along with the hotness. That seemed to draw women in because of her star power.

  Every woman but me, that is. Whenever she glanced in my direction I looked away in terror, afraid she’d recognize me. Afraid she’d be drawn by me looking away when it seemed like every other girl in the arena was staring straight at her screaming her name at the top of their lungs to the point that the sound of women screaming was almost louder than the sound of the music blasting across the arena.

  Once again she passed by and once again she didn't seem to recognize me. I breathed a sigh of relief as the lights went down and the music launched into an instrumental bit. Another song that had a long opener.

  I felt a buzz in my back pocket.

  I pulled my phone out again, goose bumps rising across my body as I did so. I could feel my breath picking up. My body started to shiver. Why was I reacting like this? She might be a rock star, but she was still a rock star in Sleepwalker. I was not going to go crazy over her like the other women in this arena!

  So what if she was really hot? So what if it turned out she was a nice down-to-earth girl when I had a chance to talk to her one-on-one and I didn't realize who she was?

  I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and I turned to see Alice trying to inspect my phone. I quickly turned so it was angled away from her. That earned a suspicious glance as she swayed back and forth to the music, but she didn't press it.

  That meant I was going to hear plenty about that later on the ride home which would be a living hell, but I'd just have to deal. There was plenty of time between now and the end of the concert to come up with a plausible and convincing lie for why I didn’t want her to see who I was texting.

  At least I hoped I could come up with something good.

  I looked down at my screen. "Enjoying the show? I'm going to find you!"

  I smiled despite myself. There was something about the eager way she was trying to track me down, like a girl with a crush, only this girl was a rock star who was the lead singer of one of the most popular bands of ten years ago. Her enthusiasm was infections, even through text. I couldn't help but have a goofy grin.

  "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

  "Do I at least get a hint to where you’re hiding?"

  I thought about that. There were two desires warring inside me. One was the desire to be a diehard stickler for my distaste for this band. The other was my desire to have a little bit of flirty fun with this girl. It was just innocent flirting. So what if it happened to be innocent flirting that was taking place in the middle of a massive arena with thousands of women surrounding me who’d tear me to pieces at a chance to have the opportunity I had right now? If the way this crowd was screaming was any indication it felt like just about every lesbian within a couple hundred miles had trekked to the city to scream over Ivy the gay rock icon.

  Then again that might be the ticket right there. Maybe the only reason she was so interested was precisely because that opportunity didn't mean that much to me aside from the opportunity to meet a hot woman. She was just a hot woman when I met her even if she did turn out to be so much more.

  Either way, I realized I was being silly. This was a cute girl who was interested in me. If she was anyone but the lead singer of this band then I'd be all about this. Was it really fair to hold who she was and what she did against her?

&nb
sp; No, it wasn't. At least that was the logical hoop my brain jumped through. I'm sure my sudden desire to warm up to her had more to do with that warm feeling running through my body and between my legs in particular even if I didn't want to admit it. It had more to do with the still fresh memory of her incredible ass and her gorgeous smile walking down that catwalk looking absolutely fucking hot.

  "Fine, since you're so eager I'll give you a hint," I tapped out.

  I waited for a moment. The instrumentals were swelling to the moment when she’d burst out onto the stage in song. Damn. I really did know their music better than I thought considering I tried to avoid it for most of my adolescence. Whatever. My phone buzzed.

  "What's the hint?"

  I let it ride. I let her stew for another moment. That crescendo was building. Building. I could imagine her standing somewhere behind the stage sweating. Waiting for my text and knowing that any moment now she was going to have to go out on stage and continue the show. For some reason it sent a perverse pleasure running through me thinking of her waiting on one of the girls out in the audience instead of the opposite which I imagined was usually the case.

  I was cutting it ridiculously close, waiting until almost the absolute last moment. Finally once more I started tapping.

  "Think catwalk."

  I sent the message almost at the same time as the stage lit up and fireworks went off. Then she was out singing. I wondered if she'd gotten the message. She couldn't have possibly gotten the message. She would've had to be standing right beside the pyrotechnics show with her phone out staring at the screen up until the very last moment, up until those fireworks were exploding around her, to see that.

  Surely she wouldn't be that eager to track me down.

  Only as I looked up on stage something seemed off. Something seemed different. All the girls, and Gareth, were playing on the main stage, but Ivy broke away and made her way out onto the catwalk. Only this time rather than going along with it the rest of the band stopped and stared. There was a break in the music that they recovered from almost immediately, but it made me think something was definitely up. Something wasn’t going as planned.