𝙼𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙰 𝙼𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚊𝚙𝚎 - 𝙷. 𝚈𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚊 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Fourteen

The moment Aoki saw Takeda pick up his classic black Fender Strat off the stand to the left of the stage, her chest began to tighten with anxiety.  She slipped her ticket out of her sweater pocket and saw the opening act hadn't been named, so it was likely a last-minute decision by the band to choose a local act and she wouldn't have been able to avoid it anyway.

The band took the stage and Takeda's eyes were immediately locked onto Aoki's. "Hey guys, we're Triple Nothing," he smoothly spoke, positioning his fingers into formation on his fretboard. "Pretty decent turn out for Pkew Pkew Pkew. Good choice of activity for tonight," he laughed.

Takeda strummed his guitar, picking up the first note of their opening song. "We're here to warm you guys up, so grab a beer and enjoy, gang."

Recognizing the frontman as the guy from the bar, Yamada was instantly more aware of the attention he was paying to Aoki. As their garage punk styled sound filled his ears, he glanced over at Aoki, only to find her staring down at her drink. Obviously this wasn't how he anticipated Aoki to be at a show, leading him to the conclusion that they had already met.

Yamada pulled his chair closer to her so they could talk without shouting. "You guys friends?"

An awkward smile formed on her lips as she met his gaze. "I wouldn't say friends best describes what we are."

Is she seeing someone? She was single, right? Nemuri and Aizawa had confirmed it... "How do you know each other?"

"We um," the brunette slipped a hand under her curtain of hair. "We used to date."

Yamada sipped his beer. Of course they did. That's why he had asked about their status at the bar. He looked back at Takeda on stage and his eyes narrowed slightly when he once again found the guy's attention glued to Aoki. A familiar burn of jealousy was beginning to creep up into his heart.

The longer Yamada went without responding to this new information, the more anxious Aoki became. Did he think less of her now? Was he mad? "I-I didn't know they were opening. We haven't talked since the break-up."

"When was that?" He questioned, not looking away from the stage as he resentfully studied the musician.

"Over a year ago. Things weren't exactly left on good terms..."

The blond took a sip of his beer before glancing back at Aoki. "You gonna patch things up?"

"With a guy who dumped me on stage in front of like a hundred people?" She shook her head. "No."

"Seriously?"

"I wish I was joking," she grumbled, mentally cringing at the memory.

"You're way too good for him anyway," Yamada nudged her elbow, trying to keep her spirits up and shake off his jealousy. "What a douchebag."

Aoki smirked. "You got that right."

They listened as the band played through most of their set, though Yamada spent most of it making fun of them in an effort to keep Aoki smiling.

As Triple Nothing finished another song, Takeda glanced at Aoki yet again. Seeing her laughing and smiling with someone else sent a pang through his chest and he made an impulsive decision. He looked back at his two bandmates as he spoke his intentions into the microphone. "Sorry, boys. Change of plans."

Takeda quickly tuned his guitar as he continued talking. "You guys all know how sometimes life comes at you fast and you don't realize you're in the good old days until they're gone?" He strummed a chord to make sure he was satisfied with the sound before continuing.