Match Point

Chapter 10: The Vampyre of Time and Memory

Ain't no confusion here. It is as I feared
The illusion that you feel is real

-"The Vampyre of Time and Memory," by Queens of the Stone Age

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After the party, it was as if my thoughts and prayers were suddenly being listened to. I had angered the powers that be because I kept tempting fate, but they didn't realize that my prayers weren't legitimate. Someone's hands seemed to be weaving a web of circumstances that ensured Lettie and I never had the chance to be alone together.

The day after the party and our first performance at Coachella, I woke up slightly hungover and with Anna wrapped around me. Still, my first thought as I woke up wasn't about how much I liked waking up with Anna; it was about Lettie. I was thinking about how I wanted to take her to catch some sets and steal some moments to just chill before our set today.

Anna's phone went off around eight, and it was her assistant confirming they would be able to cover for her today so that she could spend the day with me. Anna put her phone back on the side table and immediately kissed me.

"I get to spend the day with you today..." Anna said between kisses.

"Oh, are you excited about that?" I laughed as her one hand roamed lower on my body.

"Only a little," She laughed as she moved to lay on top of me.

I chuckled, reciprocating her affection while my mind lingered on Lettie. I immediately thought about how the day I had planned was now going to look a lot different. I had genuinely wanted to catch up and have some time for only Lettie and me, but I guess the universe really did have other plans.

I had to force her out of my mind, especially in this scenario. I didn't want to have sex chasing a fantasy of someone else. It wasn't fair to anyone.

Once we were up, I called Lettie to see how she was feeling and to break the news that Anna would indeed be joining us. When I told Lettie that Anna was joining us, she almost sounded disappointed for a second, which boosted my ego a bit. Lettie quickly changed her tone, though, and sounded excited to spend more time with Anna. I didn't honestly think she wanted to spend time with Anna, but I appreciated her wanting to say she did, nonetheless. 

Lettie joined us for a bit, bouncing between acts, but ended up dipping early to see some music on her own. Seeing her reemerge, though, at the side of the stage for our set made the night feel right.

"Damn, you guys looked so good out there," Lettie smiled as she appeared backstage after our set.

"All because of you," Nick curtsied.

"I mean, I'll take all the compliments, but I wasn't talking about my styling," she laughed, looping her arm around Nick's and pressing her head to his shoulder. "You guys looked and sounded amazing!" Lettie gushed.

"Lettie!" I heard Ian bellow, interrupting our conversation. He came toward us and scooped her into a hug.

"Thank you for calling me by my name," Lettie said as they parted. "I was just telling your artists they killed it."

"You lads sure did!" Ian excitedly slapped Matt and Jamie on the backs.

"You're also dressed impeccably," Ian said, pulling Lettie into a hug. She was beet red, which made me smile.

"Stop," Lettie whispered to Ian.

"I'm stealing her quickly, lads," Ian didn't let us respond as he stole Lettie, only to huddle directly behind us. I turned to give them privacy, but I could hear everything they were saying.