After Midnight (a.i.)

02

I had no time to process Michael's words before I watched Luke hop up on the bar and gracefully swing himself over to head to the front. Luke was in a band? And the lead singer?

"Did you know anything about this?" Alex's manicured fingers grip my arm while I stand in shock, unable to comprehend what I'm seeing. I can barely speak.

"What the hell?" My head shakes as it tries to figure out what is going on.  All Luke ever did was bitch and moan about the bands that would come through our bar and perform, criticizing about how rude and reckless they were. About their cringey ratty clothes and how they could barely keep the same tempo. It makes no sense. He constantly talked down to the performers we hosted, yet now he's one of them? What?

"Could he be any hotter?" Alex gushes beside me, lining up a row of shot glasses on the bar in front of her for a group of bachelors. 

I shake my head again, not caring to feed into her fantasy and continue to do my job. I stir up a dirty martini and an old fashioned for the small group of women in my section and they quickly grab the glasses, almost spilling their drinks once in hand to push through the crowd to see the band.

I guess everyone's extra excited about this band.

"Who was that cutie you were talking to earlier?" Jess is suddenly by my side, helping me fill up a large order of long islands.

"Michael. He's in the band tonight." I tell her and start to pour the liquor into the glasses as she lines them up. Her lip tucks between her teeth and I laugh at her.  "I'm sure you'll be able to talk with him after the show."

"Maybe I'll give him a special shot." She dramatically pushes her boobs together, making the patron in front of her practically drool. God, men are too easy.

"I'm sure he would love that." I laugh to myself, remembering how giddy he was when I gave him a shot. He would love it even more if he got it from a bartender that had a crush on him.

The lights begin to dim as I send out the last of my few drink orders, knowing it'll slow down for a bit once the band starts up.  Even without Luke back here to help us with the pre-show rush, we are knocking this out. Ari would be so proud.

Speaking of, the lights switch over to our show lights as Ari gets the crowd excited and introduces the band.

My last drink is served and the bar is suddenly empty, all the patrons joining the sea of people bouncing in anticipation. I let out a deep breath. Finally.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages," Ari booms into the mic on stage and I roll my eyes as the audience laughs at his intro. He used that intro for every show, as the Road Dogg was one of his idols. Sure, it was funny, but fuck did it get annoying after hearing it multiple times a week.

"Give it up for After Midnight!" The crowd roars as Ari hurries off the stage and the room fills with darkness. Drums are pounding through the venue with a building beat. The anticipation rises and the girly screams get louder, it feels like watching a balloon blow up as big as it can.

The lights come back on with a red tint, the stage is no longer empty, and the balloon explodes. Everyone loses their minds when the drummer breaks out into a rhythmic beat. Once the lights are back up for the main set, I see Michael with a bright smile as he waves out to the crowd, and I spot those sandy locks behind the set of drums.

Suddenly, he stops drumming, resting the sticks on his lap and scanning the room to take everything in. Bass fills the air with intricate strums as they begin their opening song.