When Love and Hate Collide | Joe Elliott x Reader

Chapter 10

Y/N quickly looked away from Joe's intense gaze but she could still feel his eyes on her. Moving across the room, Y/N made sure that everything was in place before the show. The band had a few interviews to do before they could get ready, they would be happening down the hall from their dressing room. Y/N wouldn't be attending the interviews herself but was staying nearby.

She sent them all away to their interview and busied herself with making sure there was enough water, among other things. She wasn't really concentrating on the task at hand however. All she could think of was the kiss she and Joe shared the night before, how much she enjoyed feeling his lips on hers and how right it all felt. Well how right it all felt until he told her it shouldn't have happened.

All she felt now was humiliation. How Joe had walked out afterwards. She knew that he was going through a hard time right now and his behaviour made sense after Sav explained everything, but it didn't give him the right to use her like that. The only thing she could do now was pretend that it didn't happen. She would avoid him as much as possible and see where that would take her.

Y/N was deep in thought, she didn't even notice that the band had returned and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Phil looked at her concern when he saw her reaction to him.

"Are you okay?" he muttered so that only she could hear him.

"Yeah." She smiled. "Just in my own little world is all. Do you need me to get you anything?"

"No I'm good, thank you." Phil smiled, not quite believing her. He let it go for a little while, knowing he could ask her about it later.

*

Soon enough the show was underway, they started with 'Gift of Flesh' and Y/N could hear the screams of the audience straight away. She couldn't help the smile that graced her face as she saw the five men doing the thing they loved.

Every so often, one of them would run off of the stage for water or in Phil, Viv and Sav's case, to swap out the guitars, and bass they were using.

They were about halfway through the set and they had just started 'Work It Out' when Y/N felt a presence behind her. Turning slightly to face them, she saw a member of the crew who she hadn't seen before. It wasn't really a shock to her that she didn't know who they were since they hadn't been on tour all that long, and most of her time had been occupied by the band.

Smiling at the stranger, she noticed that he held out his hand to her. Slightly unsure, she shook his hand and he introduced himself.

"Tim." He smiled at her.

"Y/N." She replied. Y/N didn't really want to talk to him, more interested in watching Joe perform, but she also didn't want to be rude.

"I haven't seen you around here before, what do you do?" Tim asked her.

"Um.. I'm the tour assistant, I mostly stay with the band and get them anything they need." She told him. Not asking any further questions, hoping he would get the hint that she didn't want to talk to him, He didn't.

"I'm an apprentice lighting technician, learning on the job is the best way to learn." He grinned. Y/N nodded at him and turned away to watch the show again, Joe picking that precise moment to grab another bottle of water. He took one look at how close Tim was standing to Y/N and promptly turned back to the stage and ran back out there, not sparing them another glance.

Tim continued to speak to Y/N for the rest of the set. Y/N getting slightly more and more annoyed as the show went on. She caught Sav's eye a few times and he silently asked if she was alright. She just nodded to him and gave him a weak smile, not wanting to draw his attention away from the audience.

Finally it was the end and the five of them made their way off of the stage, going back to shower and change. Like they had done for their last two shows, most of them, apart from Joe, greeted Y/N as they walked past her. Joe, on the other hand, stormed past, not looking in her direction.

Y/N excused herself from Tim, thankful to be away from the one-sided conversation and followed the band down the corridor to the dressing room. Knocking on the door, she waited until she was let in, not wanting to invade their privacy. Vivian quickly let her in. Joe leaving as soon as she crossed the threshold.

"Don't worry about him." Vivian told her as he saw her look in the direction he left in. "He's been in a bad mood all day. Worse than normal."

She smiled at Viv and shook her head. She knew it was because of the kiss they shared but she couldn't help but feel disappointed that he hated it that much.

"It's fine, do you guys need anything before we head back?" Y/N asked them all.

"Just some more water please?" Phil asked her with a smile. Y/N agreed and went back to where the bottles were being stored and picked a few up. Walking back she saw Joe leave the bathroom. She was confused as to why he was using one so far away from the dressing room but decided not to ask him.

They both started walking in the same direction and Y/N could hear Joe huff as she naturally matched her pace to his. Not wanting to upset him, she kept quiet to start with. Just before they got to the dressing room, she offered him a water bottle.

"Won't your boyfriend need it?" He asked her in a sharp tone.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Y/N looked up at him.

"That guy that you found more interesting than our performance." Was all he said before he went into the dressing room, rendering Y/N speechless, still holding the water bottle she offered him.

Taking a breath she went in herself, walking straight over to Phil and handing him his water without a word. He thanked her and she stood the spare bottles on the table. Most of the guys were nearly ready apart from Joe. She had to quickly look away when she saw he was shirtless. Busying herself with re-reading their itinerary.

They were travelling by plane to Singapore in the morning so she wanted to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible so they could organise themselves.

*

It didn't take long for the band to get back. It was too late for dinner in the hotel so Mal had organised for everyone to have some food. They ate in the corridor of the hotel and Y/N felt a bit weird about it but figured it was better than eating alone. She ate mostly in silence as did Joe, the two occasionally glancing at one another. Sav noticed their interactions and looked to Phil confused.

Eventually, they all retired to bed, Y/N telling them the time that they had to be ready and back on the bus by. Entering her room, all Y/N could think about was Joe and had a restless night, getting very little sleep.