It was always good to have more opportunities to play, but seeing Maria grin proudly at him would always be the best after a show. She was like the fairy godmother of the band, always booking them whenever she had the chance and borrowing them to the place if they needed somewhere to practice.
AJ's uncle had been relentless regarding him finishing his studies and going to college—as his parents would have wanted to—, but Maria was the one in charge to keep the flame of passion alive in him so he wouldn't quit his dream or settle for less. She would always instill the urge to play in him and provided him a safe place to let loose whenever life became too much. Through his growing up, the Music Box had always been his safe haven.
That night, just as many others, she was proud of all of them. AJ beamed a smile to all around him as he gladly accepted all compliments and pats on the back from people passing by. There were people from all around the city here just to see him and his band, yet the smile that his lips drew did not reach his eyes. There was something off with her protégé, it had been since the moment he arrived at the bar and the air got sucked right out of him as if he had just received a low blow.
"Did you miss something, kiddo?" She finally questioned him with her not so tactful way, but it was the millionth time he scanned the place only to have the light on his eyes dimmer more.
The musician snapped into attention like a kid would when the teacher asked a question he hadn't heard. He shook his head no, led by instinct—praying he had gotten the right answer—but he knew better than to try to actually fool the woman. He risked another look at her, only to have his eyes locked by her defiant stare, challenging him to answer the same way again.
"I was just hoping to see someone tonight," he sighed, defeated. "No big deal."
"And did that someone tell you they would come?"
"They said they'd tried, but I guess it wasn't possible." AJ shrugged and emptied his glass in one big gulp.
"'They' as in more than one?" Busted.
For some reason, he was not in the sharing mood that night. It's not that the guys were any sort of secret, his band already knew about the lessons, yet talking to Maria about it carried a different level of meaning he wouldn't even know how to begin explaining and was more than willing to avoid for the moment.
"Just some guys from the store." Safe enough so she wouldn't be able to call him on it, and at the same time not enough so he wouldn't be able to change the story in the near future.
The bartender winked at him in an all-knowing way that had him cringing. He was well aware how very little convincing he had sounded, yet wasn't eager for the time she would ask more about the subject. Fortunately, she felt giving today and didn't pressure him; but she didn't miss either the minute the conversation was over. He scanned the place once again, only to have his smile drop again.
On the stage, there already was another band making the crowd sing. They were singing and asking for more than the lead singer of the band banged her head at the rhythm of the music. Soon, Maria got too busy to continue the conversation as the drinks had to keep flowing and there was no stopping the crowd from mobbing the bar if she didn't comply.
"How great was that?!" a voice shrieked in his ear while a heavy arm rested on his shoulder, only to squeeze him tightly against a hard body. The powerful scent of alcohol hit his face and made him scowl.
"How much have you drunk already?" Owen faked counting in his mind before shrugging and hitting the bar for a new round.
"Today is a night to celebrate!" AJ couldn't do anything but laugh at his friend's effervescence before offering his own refilled glass for the next toast.
Little by little, each member went back to the group, and they all joined in a recollection of the show; the good, the bad, and what would be done next time. Each one of them took in these joyful moments to fuel their lives and move on, just like a breath of fresh air in the middle of running or a glass of water in the heat. The outside world would never take them down after a recharge.
"Lana didn't come?" AJ nodded towards his drummer.
"Nah, she had a shift at the hospital." Deception was buried under waves of pride that came from him each time he talked about his wife. "You know, saving lives and all."
The group laughed, already used to his corny devotion to the girl with unruly brown curls and mocha skin that had stolen his heart. From day one, the girl had ruled his entire world and didn't miss a chance to let it be known. They met when he had to spend a night at the hospital after he couldn't back down from a lousy bet. It turned out drinking a weird concoction made by a shady bartender was not exactly such a good idea. It was love at first gastric lavage; she said whenever they remembered the episode.
Owen lost his wingman, but Tony earned a beautiful and smoky hot personal nurse.
"What about your student? Didn't you invite him?"
"Student?" Maria was back like a ninja, lurking without them noticing.
"Didn't you know?" Owen added mischievously. "AJ is teaching guitar lessons to some kid."
"You don't say…" AJ cringed under Maria's questioning look and drank all of his glass ready for the next.
The bartender didn't move a muscle to serve him a refill of whiskey, but had a beer ready on the side that she held hostage while staring at the guy in what only could be seen as a staring contest. It wasn't an everyday thing to learn her protégé had his own student, and he had decided to hide it from her.
That's what he had been hiding all night.
Despite knowing she would back off if he really demanded it, AJ didn't have it in him to go against the woman that had nurtured him like a mother would.
"It's just some guy that came to the store and wanted lessons. Why is that so weird for everyone?" AJ reached out for the hostage beer, not bothering to hide his growing annoyance with the subject.
"Is he one of the people that were supposed to come?"
"I just told him about it, nothing else. Can we please drop it with the interrogation?" He pointed at the bottle one more time and smiled when he finally got it.
"It's time to celebrate! Why are we talking about kids and classes?" Tony intercepted. "Did you see the number of babes in the front row?"
AJ was not a stranger to appreciating the view, and that night was in fact a sight for sore eyes. Unfortunately, contrary to what his second guitar was pointing at, he was not in the mood for a hot night; or anything involving socializing, for that matter. The stress of the past few days was finally catching up to him, and all he could think of was his own bed.
Owen doesn't miss a beat and after a quick pat on the back, he leaves AJ at the bar to go partying with the three eager girls that had been eyeing him since he stepped on the stage. In a quick expert move, he had them wrapped under his arms and guided them to the center of the crowd to dance and bang their heads. The night surely promised some fun for the charismatic musician.
"Are you leaving, kiddo?"
"You are aware that I'm already 29 years old, right?" he arched his eyebrow in a challenge that didn't even faze the bartender, who waited patiently for his reply. "Yeah, I'm leaving."
"Don't stress, kiddo. See you next week."
If only it was that simple.