He's Giving Me a Reason, an Emblem3 Fan Fic (Sequel to Riptide)

Chapter 56

"I can't believe you guys are here." I ran straight into Wesley's arms who was still busy getting unhooked from his stage microphone. The stagehand glared at me as he tried to untangle the wires from Wesley's body with my arms wrapped around him. I gave the man a sheepish smile as I pulled apart from my boyfriend for a few seconds.

"Of course we're here! We wanted to see you guys play! And it's your birthday, doofus. I wouldn't miss it for the world." I replied. After Wes was finally free of his electronic wiring, I didn't hesitate to attack him again. "Oh my god, I've missed you like crazy." I said after kissing his cheek quickly.

"Same. I mean, I love hearing the sound of your voice every night, but talking on the phone isn't the same as actually getting to see you." He grinned.

"So, you're nineteen now!" I said, as if just remembering. "Any big plans for the birthday boy?" I nudged him.

"The show is throwing me a small get together in a few minutes backstage." He informed us. "But all of us are definitely heading out later to celebrate." He looked among our group of friends. I grinned and let everyone else wish Wesley a happy birthday. Since he was now being doused with attention, I looked over his shouder to Keaton and Drew who were chatting with Ty and Brianna. 

"Keatersssssss!" I greeted the younger Stromberg brother with a big hug. "I've missed you, dude." Keaton was one of my best friends in the entire world, even though he was still in high school. If I haven't mentioned it before, Keaton was seriously mature for his age. I mean, he was always so insightful and really good with giving advice. And here I was with the maturity level of a five year old.

"Avery!" His face lit up. "It's so good to see you."

"Sup Aves." I greeted Drew's smiling face next. 

"Drewski, how's Hollywood treating you?" I grinned back at him.

"Eh, you know, it's not really all that different from high school." He shrugged.

"Oh yeah, totally." I laughed. "It's pretty much the same exact thing."

"Except we have to go week by week wondering if America is going to let us come back after each performance."

"Well that doesn't sound nerve-wracking in the slightest." I gave him a lopsided smile along with my sarcastic reply. "Urgh, I've missed you two." I threw an arm around both Drew and Keaton at the same time.

"Hey, do you guys need to change?" Wes asked from across the room. The two boys in front of me shook their heads no. They were still in the clothes that they had worn onstage, but they looked passable. Their clothes weren't too over the top and they looked like regular guys.Thinking about it, I became a little self conscious about my own outfit. Maybe I was a little underdressed in my Sublime tanktop and sneakers.

Glancing in a nearby mirror, however, all of my worries subsided. My hair was straightened to a point where it looked like I had made some sort of effort, and my make up was miraculously still on my face despite the intense sweating I was doing earlier. Ew.

"Then let's party!" Wes grinned, grabbing my hand as he pulled me towards the stage exit. I grinned and followed him into an adjoining room that looked more like a warehouse. I could see the internal structure of the building; metal beams shaping the frames of the walls. It looked kind of like one of those cool urban clubs you'd find in the city. But that wasn't the case. There was a full drum kit and a row of guitars, but they were currently in racks an not being used. Before I could even get a good look around, Wesley was walking us through the huge rehearsal space and into a much smaller room. I immediately recognized it as the X Factor lounge where all the acts would be interviewed after the show. "We're gonna do a quick loop; see you in thirty?" Wes told me.