CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
MEL
A year to the date.
New York City.
Irving Plaza.
A year to the date.
Bob Sheldon had contacted Mel months earlier and why he was the one to deliver the phone call, she had no idea, but she was happy to hear from him anyway.
"Look, I know you don't work for the Times anymore and that you left me and moved back home, but I forgive you for all that."
Mel had giggled at him.
"The Arts section of the Times is planning to sponsor an event, some kind of indie appreciation music festival thing, I don't know, I'll have to get you more information. Anyway, they need a headliner and my mind immediately went to those Hanson guys you reviewed here last year. Now I know that you were all up in arms about dealing with them before but I promise I wouldn't be coming to you about it if I didn't think they'd be any good for this event. I need you to see about contacting them and see about getting them to do it. I figure, you know, since you live near them and all..."
Mel had giggled again. "Bob, I don't see how you oversee editing for an entire newspaper and not know any of the news that comes through!"
"Call me immune, I guess."
Taylor had been sitting next to Mel when she got the call. She decided not to argue. "Not only do I think that contacting them should be no problem, but I'm willing to bet they'd jump on this without question."
"That would be wonderful! Get back to me in the next day or so."
And that quickly, the call was over. Bob Sheldon preferred to do his business short and sweet, cut and dry. That was what Mel had loved about him.
So now here they were, arriving at Irving a day early to meet with promoters, coordinators, and some of the other groups to get organized and ready for the next day's event. Mel admitted she was kind of relieved not to
have any responsibilities during this event. All she had to do was stand around and wait for Tay, or anyone else to say to her, "Here, carry this," and she was perfectly happy. She had done her job. She got Hanson for
Bob.
But she had done him one better. She was able to get Andrew Brooks, one of the hottest stars in Hollywood at the moment, to emcee the event. It was lucky that she actually had the day off and was extremely happy to do it. Bob worried that they couldn't afford her. Drew decided to volunteer her time. Mel just knew that when Drew finally went Hollywood, she wouldn't turn into a greedy snob.
Drew was supposed to be there a day early with everyone else, but due to scheduling conflicts, she wouldn't be getting there till the next day. Mel was disappointed and was apparently distracted by it for most of the day because Tay finally pulled her aside and asked her, "Mel, what is wrong with you?"
"I don't know," she said quietly. "I was expecting Drew today but now she can't come till tomorrow."
"You're spacing out about THAT? You'll see her tomorrow."
"I haven't seen her in six months. When you've spent your entire life with someone, six months is a long time."
"Ten years is longer."
Mel wasn't sure if this statement should melt her heart or if she should be annoyed and she didn't feel like over-analyzing it this time. Instead she let him hug her and she instantly felt better. "Zac's having a hair
crisis," he said quietly in her ear.
She looked up at him, still in his arms. "Okay..."
"I told him I'd get help."
"Where is his wife?"
"On a mommy outing with Nikki and the cousins, keeping the kids occupied."
"Why can't you help him?"
"I mean, yeah, sure I can. No sweat. I'll do that and you can go over set lists with Ike and make sure the piano here is tuned...make sure all the right cords to all the instruments made it from Tulsa...inventory the
sound equipment...choreograph the lighting..."
"Okay, okay. I get it, fine. Where is he?"
Tay smiled and nodded toward the stage. "Dressing room."
They hadn't brought the bus. It was only the one event, so they flew everything in and had gotten hotel rooms. It felt so good to be back in New York and she and Tay had even been discussing buying a condo in the city but they hadn't reached a decision yet.
Finding Zac in the dressing room, the distressed look on his face turned to one of horror as he spied Mel behind him in the mirror. "Jesus Christ. Tay goes for help and he sends YOU."
Spying the mess in the back of his head, Mel stifled a laugh. "What in the hell HAPPENED?"
Zac sighed. "Just get rid of it and save my hair."
"Well, I mean, did you fall asleep or something?"
"Oh good god, okay. We're moving shit, dude is above me, passing something down. I crack a joke, he laughs, gum falls out of his mouth. End of story. I'd fix it myself if I had two extra arms and eyes in the back of my head. But I can't see, so...yeah. And now you're here."
"Yes. Yes, I am..."
"So what are we dealing with?" he asked, making another failed attempt to pull it out.
Walking up to him, Mel frantically slapped his hand away. "Well first of all quit touching it, you're making it worse!" It was pretty bad. If he genuinely wanted to avoid a haircut, this could take awhile. And it was still no guarantee that she wouldn't have to cut it out. "How many fucking pieces of gum was he chewing??"
"I don't even know..."
Mel lifted the sticky mass of hair and saw just how close to the scalp it actually was. "This is not good..."
"DO SOMETHING!!"
"Zac, it's not like you've never cut all your hair off before..."
"Yeah, that was when I WANTED to cut it off. But right now I like it the way it is and it takes work to get hair like this."
"Because I totally wouldn't know," Mel muttered sarcastically. "Okay, look. The quickest way to do this is to just use peanut butter. That's the best I could do and attempt to salvage your hair. There are other methods I could use, too, but peanut butter is literally the quickest. I'll have to run over to Union Square..."
"I have so much shit to do," Zac groaned.
"Or I could just cut that bad boy out in a matter of seconds and you can see a barber later."
Zac sighed. "Just go and get the peanut butter. Goddammit..."
It took Mel half an hour to make the trip to Whole Foods and back and she returned armed with supplies. "What is all that?" Zac asked. "Didn't realize this garnered a shopping spree."
She rolled her eyes, setting the supplies on the counter in front of him. Peanut butter, plastic knives, wet wipes, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, lollipop. "What the hell is this for?" has asked, picking up the lollipop.
"For being such a good boy!" She teased, tousling the hair on top of his head.
Zac's response? Deliberately drawing the letters "REDRUM" on the mirror in front of him with a random stick of lipstick left behind from a past performer.
"You're so melodramatic," Mel said. "Do you keep a comb in your pocket?"
"No."
"You're joking. You're singing glorious odes to your hair here and you don't even carry a comb?"
"No, so sue me!"
"This'll take longer than I thought."
Zac groaned again.
It took roughly half an hour to scrape out the peanut butter and gum combo with the toothbrush. She had been counting on him already having the comb so she could use that to comb out the majority in a more timely fashion, but alas. On the way to the bathroom she called Tay so he could bring her purse and she then proceeded to wash Zac's hair out in the sink. He had wanted to do it himself. Mel's argument had been, "Well if you couldn't see to get the majority of the gum out in the first place, how are you going to see to get the rest of it out?"
"That's not even the shampoo I use," he grumbled.
"It is today," Mel retorted. "Yanno, if you're going to continue to be so unappreciative, I'm sure there are a number of guys around here that I can snag a pair of scissors from."
Zac never said another word.
An hour and a half later, Zac's hair was gum-free and she had only managed to have to break off several strands of his hair--not even enough to be noticeable. Pushing her charity envelope a step further, she offered him a hair tie from her purse and he promptly took it and tied his hair back. He smiled sheepishly. "Lesson learned. Look, sorry I was a bastard. I really do appreciate you doing that for me."
"Do men always chew that much gum at once?" Mel asked.
"Next time I hope he chokes on it."
____________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Taylor never felt so energized in his whole life. He used to blame it on the espresso with the coffee chaser, except by now his blood practically ran java and he knew the caffeine had nothing to do with it. It was the
atmosphere and he knew it. Being with his brothers, other artists he respected, in a city that merely fueled that energy simply by standing in the street--all of those were major contributing factors but he knew what the real reason behind his productive mood was.
It was Mel. She was his muse.
He smiled as he reflected back nearly a year ago when she'd taunted him for using that term. He agreed, it did sound terribly corny. He could have used the synonymous term "inspiration" but there just wasn't anything out there that was any less corny. It was what it was and as cheesy as it sounded, it was the truth and he was proud of it.
Their relationship was mainstream in the media now and practically a norm amongst their fans. Odd as it sounded, he did like to check up on what their fans had to say about the goings on of the band. Not that he really felt like his personal life was any of their business but it was out there for the world to see anyway and it was a given that people were going to talk. No matter how anyone felt about it, he would have been with Mel
regardless. He tried not to pay attention to the negative opinions--not everyone would be happy with everything. Mostly he was worried about how she would be received by the fans come concert time, seeing as he planned to have her with him as much as possible. He had always felt the need to hide Natalie away. He never could read how anyone really felt about her and she never showed much interest in interacting with his fan base anyway and she seemed to prefer to stay hidden away.
But Mel was special. She supported him and she supported the band and she supported their fans. She understood the importance of the fans and was ready to embrace them at a moment's notice. This sort of thing was foreign to him and he never knew how much of a load there was on his back until he was alleviated of it.
And then there was the family aspect. Mel had been a member of his family since the beginning of time. His parents loved her, his siblings loved her--and she loved them all just as equally. Would Natalie have
shoved Zac's head in a sink and washed all that nasty gunk out of his hair for him like an older sister normally would have? Hell no! The peanut butter wouldn't have even made it out of the jar and Zac would have ended up with the same frat boy haircut he had sported several years ago.
Everything finally fit. Everything in his life was exactly where it was meant to be. And it only took him thirty years to get there.
After yet another string of mishaps, the following day's festival was finally in the works. Everyone was on the same page, everyone knew what was going on. All they had to do now was show up, sound check, and play
their time slot. Leaving the venue, Tay said to Mel, "Let's go out tonight."
Mel looked at him, hesitation written all over her face. "Um...Tay, I don't know...I mean you had a long day today and you're gonna have a long day tomorrow...you really should rest up."
He slid his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, we're in New York! You love it here. This is your home away from home."
Looking beyond them at the city lights, she smiled and breathed in a breath. "That is true, you know..."
"I know it is. So we'll go out, have dinner, drinks..."
"You're twisting my arm."
He smirked into the city air. "Please, I'm not twisting THAT hard."
"You're right. I can't even feel it. Let's go out!"
________________________________________________________
Been Up All Night
Working on the master plan
Cause this condition nine to five is going nowhere fast
In the morning I'll escape to what is left of my bed
And sleep all day
Cause I've been Up All Night
I want to wake up when the sun goes down
I'd like to be the only show in town
I want to spend my days in magic pants
Just want to shake things up
Seems the whole world revolves around the sun
The man on the moon is my new number one
Change of perspective, change my point of view
And every day I make it up, I make it up, I make it all right now
I've got to change my point of view
I don't know what it's coming to
Been Up All Night
Working on the master plan
Cause this condition nine to five is going nowhere fast
Been Up All Night
ISAAC
Later that night the three couples sat in a private patio section of a bar surrounded by random band members and their spouses from the bands with whom they would be billed alongside the next day. Isaac thought it was awesome that they got to have a little time to get to know some of the artists before tomorrow's show. An opportunity like this was very rare.
However he felt horrible for calling Taylor to suggest this little get-together while he was right in the middle of dinner with Mel. He knew Tay was completely fine with it but he spent much of the night apologizing
profusely to Mel for the interruption. She said she had no problem with it, and she had appeared completely genuine in her statement, but he still felt bad.
It didn't last too long, however. The atmosphere was so laid back it was difficult not to let all your cares fly out the window. It felt good to chill out amidst good company and good beverages. Ike felt humbled by
the talent he knew he was surrounded with on that patio.
One of the guys, sporting a tall, blue mohawk and wearing a leather vest with tattoo sleeves up his arms, suddenly hollered out, "Hey, whatta we gotta do to get some beer pong going around here?"
Apparently the bar was prepared in the event of an impromptu beer pong tournament because within minutes the party was provided with a table and supplies and before they knew it, it was game on.
It was primarily the men who played. The women sat around, cheering on their respective men, and everything was going swimmingly until Mel finally opened her mouth. It was Ike against Tay. Ike knew it was only a matter of time.
Tay was preparing to take his turn when, out of the blue, Mel asked simply, "Why do you dip them?"
Visibly annoyed by the delay of his shot, it had only lasted a second before he rested both hands on the edge of the table and looked over at her, an amused glint in his eye. "Why do I dip what?"
Mel's eyes darted around to all the expectant eyes that were on her. "You know...why do you dip...those...?"
A smirk flashed across Tay's face. "Why do I dip WHAT?"
Mel suddenly blushed. "You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"
"Well you should be more specific. I mean, you can dip lots of things. You can dip breadsticks, chips, take a dip in the pool..."
"YOUR BALLS, TAY. WHY DO YOU DIP YOUR BALLS?"
Suddenly, Ike couldn't hold it together. Tay looked mortified, but he had asked for it and he knew it. A laugh at Mel's expense had completely backfired on him and now it was on Tay. Uproarious laughter erupted all
over the patio and even Tay had to chuckle. In fact, his face was so red he could barely keep his composure to get the next words out of his mouth.
"Maybe," Tay said, hardly able to get it out while trying not to laugh. "Maybe I just like getting my balls wet."
There wasn't enough oxygen in the air out on that patio at that moment. Everyone had lost their minds.
Mel was having a hard time keeping a straight face herself, but she tried as hard as she could. "I'm being serious."
"So am I," a red-faced Taylor laughed.
Amidst the laughter, the band member that originally ordered the game slid in beside Mel and said to her quietly, with his British accent, "You don't play much beer pong, do you?"
Mel giggled. "I played in Ireland once and we didn't dip our balls."
The guy stifled a laugh and explained to her, "There's a cup of water sitting off to the side. You dip the ball to clean it, so to speak."
Nobody was prepared for Mel's next statement. NOBODY was. She was loud and she was deliberate. "SO, TAY, YOU'RE DIPPING YOUR BALLS BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE THEY NEED TO BE SANITIZED?"
Ike didn't know what was funnier-- Mel's ownership of Tay, or the guy beside her who had literally fallen off the side of the bench in laughter.
Or maybe it was the fact that Tay was mid-shot when her voice rang out and he missed, miserably losing the round. "Whoooo!!!" Ike raised his fists in victory, high-fiving the guys and scooping Nikki up out of her seat for his prize kiss. Her giggling was music to his ears and for a moment, he couldn't let her go.
____________________________________________________
MEL
Mel had given Taylor his "door prize" the moment they got in their hotel room. They had managed not to trash it. They were getting quite good at that, actually.
They woke up next to each other and laughed about how they had woken up in their own hotel room, alone. That incident had been so long ago but it was still funny every single time.
Mel then realized what the day was and she darted out of bed. "Whoa, where's the fire?"
"Drew's coming in today!"
"Are you always this excited when I come home?"
Mel turned around and looked at him, hurt. "Of course I am."
The smile and the bare chest prompted one more morning romp in the bed before they started their day, simply because she couldn't resist him, try as she might.
When they were finally ready to leave, Mel emerged in her newest ensemble. It was simple. She wore black, pinstripe shorts, a Hanson t-shirt, a black, quarter-sleeved blazer, and black stiletto ankle boots that
slouched at the zippers.
Tay gave her the once-over. "Um, are you--are you sure you wanna..."
"Yes," she said, confidently. "It's cute and my boots are comfortable and this is what I'm wearing that that's it."
"Okay, then," Tay said. She detecting him bucking up at him. She was right. He fished a pair of red suspenders out of his suitcase. "Let's go, then."
"No," Mel said firmly.
He raised his eyebrows, challenging her. "No?"
"That's exactly what I said. No. I don't care if you don't like what I'm wearing. But those...things are an unnecessary accessory."
"Why do you hate them so much?"
"Because they look so stupid," she whined. "Do you know who wears suspenders? Old men with oversized guts who can no longer wear a belt due to overindulgence at the early bird special buffet. Not smokin' hot
men who CAN wear belts and need not ruin their wardrobes. Save them for when you're at the early bird special buffet."
Tay looked at Mel, unable to speak. Finally he said, "So no suspender?"
She shook her head, sadly. "But I'm not changing my clothes." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out the hotel door.
________________________________________________________
DREW
Drew dressed simply in a tank top, jeans, and platform heels. A sequined scarf was tied loosely around her neck. She passed by the fans who had camped out in line, a few of them stopping her for pictures and she had
obliged.
Now being escorted into a side door by security, she walked into Irving Plaza and took her sunglasses off, looking around. Upon entering, she was immediately issued her lanyard, which she tucked underneath her scarf and was rushed off to meet with the director of the music festival. She barely had the time to fondly remember her last visit to Irving, exactly one year ago, where she was peeling a very drunk Mel off the floor and receiving a note from her first love. So much had happened so fast in the past year, it was enough to make a normal person's head spin. However, Drew was anything but normal, and neither were any of her friends.
Unfortunately, she didn't see the ones she wished to see the most for the first couple of hours she was there since she had lost time to make up for, for not being able to be there to prepare the day before. They only had
precious few hours before the concert was to begin and what she had to do wasn't really rocket science. She showed her face, what, three times? Okay, maybe more like five, but who was counting? It's not like she had to be formal, she just had to know who was onstage next.
Finally set free, she set off in search of anyone or anything Hanson-related. In one of the small hallways backstage she finally walked up on Zac, who was crouched down, rifling through a black duffel bag. He
glanced up at her then went back to his business and muttered, "Sorry, I don't think anyone's supposed to be back here."
Drew gaped at the top of his head in shock and then she remembered what she looked like. "Zac. It's me!"
He looked up at her again and stood, a smile creeping across his face. "Drew, oh my god!" He wrapped her in a bear hug and picked her up off the floor. "I didn't even recognize you! You look great! Wow, I can't believe you're a red head..."
Drew shrugged and touched her hair. "It's for a movie I'm filming."
"Another Gerard Cline?"
"No. Bill Caraway."
Zac nodded. "He's not bad. He's no Gerard Cline, though."
Drew smiled. "No. He's not. But the film is highly anticipated. And I get to do a lot of my own stunts."
"You're really embracing this whole action thing, huh?"
"You know? I never thought in a million years that I would ever enjoy action films, but so far I'm loving it!"
"So am I," Zac said. "The trailer for your second movie looks amazing."
"You think so?"
"Absolutely." He smiled at her again. "I'm glad you're here. The, uh, the group feels complete."
"Thanks, I feel at home here. Did you know that today is a year to the day we all came back in each other's lives? In the same venue? Isn't that the weirdest thing ever?"
"It is, isn't it? I guess today was kind of meant to be, huh? We've all kinda come full circle, tied up loose ends."
"This entire year would have made a great story," Drew joked.
Zac chuckled with her. "Today would probably be a great way to end it, huh?"
Drew narrowed her eyes in thought. "Sure. I could see how today would easily wrap it all up."
"So, we gotta go sound check now before the festival starts up. It's kinda weird, sound checking so early, seeing as we don't even go on till later tonight."
"I know. Weird time of day to start a music fest, huh?"
"Well, there are a lot of bands. Fans of different bands will come in and out."
"Yours are already ready to come in NOW!"
"Yeah...it's gonna be a long day. We'll see how this all plays out. Hopefully without cops!"
Drew smiled as she watched Zac head for the stage.
__________________________________________________
ZAC
They had gone over maybe two verses of the first song when they heard the blood-curdling screams echoing off the Irving's walls. Taylor flubbed his notes, plunking out a series of hideous sounds on the keyboard and Isaac dropped his pic mid-chord.
But not Zac. He drummed along as if nothing happened. He was expecting it.
He only stopped when he noticed that Tay was about to make a dive off of the stage. "It's only Drew!" Zac said.
Tay turned around. "What?"
"Drew's here. I met up with her backstage."
Ike and Tay exchanged a Look. It was apparent that neither one was thrilled by the interruption. Tay then held the microphone to his lips and put on his best announcer voice. "Mel Banks and Drew Brooks, wherever you are in this building, we appreciate you trying to keep us on our toes with the mild heart attacks we just experienced. Let's just keep the screaming to a minimum. Thank you, have a nice day."
Going back to their regularly-scheduled sound check, Zac shook his head and smiled at his brother as he banged out the beat. His mind drifted to Drew. Red hair, huh? Flaming red hair, like a bright copper--no it
was more like orange autumn leaves maybe? Oh whatever, it looked great on her in those sleek curls, falling over her shoulders...
He shook her out of his mind. Sure they were just friends and things were going pretty well with Kate. But if you were attracted to someone, you were attracted to them. It was human nature to look. Unfortunately, in Zac's case, when it came to Drew, looking had a tendency to lead to acting and he decided he should just not think about her altogether. Focusing on sound check was a better idea.
He got his chance at distraction when a crew member walked across the stage to adjust something and he got a look at him. He remembered him from yesterday! "Hey. You," Zac said through the microphone.
This caused Ike and Tay to stop playing and the crew guy turned around. "Me?"
"Yeah, you. You go spit that shit out of your mouth and don't even come near me with it again. Do you have any idea what I went through yesterday? It involved peanut butter and toothbrushes and honeysuckle rose shampoo--I don't even like honeysuckle rose. I use Head and Shoulders. What man uses girlie shampoo? Not me, that's who. It was fucking brutal. So, yeah. Spit that shit out, I don't want it near me."
The poor crew guy looked as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "But I'm all the way over here."
Zac shook his head. "I don't care."
He glanced ahead at his brothers. Both of their faces red from stifled laughter. He returned their sentiment, birds blazing from both hands.
"Okay, we REALLY need to finish this up," Ike said.
"We'll start as soon as he finds a trash can," Zac said, matter-of-factly.
Quickly the guy ran offstage with Zac yelling behind him, "I wanna see inside your mouth when you come back!"
Ike turned around and smiled. "First of all, that sounded completely wrong. And secondly, you're acting like a total diva."
"Apparently you weren't around for the Spitgate Scandal yesterday!"
"Zac, he didn't actually SPIT it on you," Tay said.
"Might as well have. Peanut butter, Ike. There was PEANUT BUTTER involved! And it was NOT in the form of a tasty sandwich, either."
"I heard," Ike said, dryly. "But you're acting like he hocked some giant loogie in your hair or something and he didn't."
"It could happen," Zac said.
"But it didn't."
Ike always had to have the last word.
________________________________________________
MEL
Big Willie didn't even get in the door before Mel jumped into his arms. She noticed she jumped on everybody she had missed. Maybe she was being overdramatic, but she didn't care. She was so happy to see him.
He smiled at her, his deep voice instantly putting him at ease. "Mel! Man, I've missed seeing you around here!"
"I've missed you, too! I miss you and everyone--I miss the entire city!"
"So I see you're here with these Hanson guys again--are we gonna have another repeat of last year?"
Mel giggled. "I have SO much to catch you up on!"
She linked her arm through his and was watching her step as they walked through the door when she heard Big Willie say, "Well what in the world is this?"
Looking up, the first thing Mel noticed was the flaming red-orange hair. The face finally registered as Drew's and Mel instantly lost her mind. "OH MY GOD!!!!"
The two best friends squealed as they greeted each other, until they heard Tay speak at them over the microphone. They both hung their heads in sorrow and Big Willie said, "Yes, ma'am, I'd say we do have some catching up to do."
As Surely As The Sun rises each day
So my love will never change
And though the years may come and go
My love will only grow and grow
Sometimes I wonder what you see in me
Cause I'm only a man flawed in so many ways, you see
I want to share every moment of the day with you
And I want to share every sunset and every sunrise
And every moonlit night
For at least the next half an hour, Mel and Drew talked to Big Willie before he had to start seeing to the crowd that was beginning to grow outside the doors. When they decided to go to lunch, Mel found Taylor backstage to let him know what her plans were. "Mel--I'm not trying to be a selfish bastard or anything, but--I don't know, today I just feel like I can't be away from you. I need you with me."
"Tay, it's just lunch."
"I know..."
"Are you PMSing?"
Tay smiled at her joke. "Very funny. Is it wrong of me to be selfish?"
"I'm just going to lunch with my best friend. I haven't seen her in six months..."
"I know. I know. I'm sorry."
"Did you want to come along?"
"No. No, you go. You guys need to spend some time together."
"Do you want me to bring you something back? For Ike and Zac, too?"
"No, it's okay. We can ask Kate or Nikki if we have to, it's fine."
"Tay--I feel bad..."
He laughed. "There's nothing to feel bad about."
"You're acting strange."
"Forgive me. I'm a little sentimental today. I'll just miss you is all."
Mel smiled, the emotions rising in her now, too. "It's just food."
He smiled back at her. "I know. Have fun."
"I love you," she whispered.
He kissed her gently and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you more."
The moment was gone at the sound of Ike's voice suddenly by their ears. "Get a room!"
Tay and Mel burst into laughter. "Get out of here," Tay said to her, smacking her behind as she walked away.
Walking down the streets of New York City with Drew was absolutely nothing like it was the last time they walked together. It wasn't even this bad when she walked with Taylor. Not only were they accompanied by a
large, burley man, but cameras literally seemed to follow them everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Groups of them, at least fifteen or twenty at a time. They all spoke at once, trying to get Drew's attention. Hailing a cab was
impossible because stopping would have meant sudden death. They walked beside, behind, in front of her. It was the craziest thing Mel had ever seen.
"Is this normal?" Mel asked her quietly.
"Yes," she answered. "Though I didn't think it would be this bad here. I mean it's New York, for fuck's sake. This place is crawling with celebrities. They should be used to it by now."
"Well, you're the newest and freshest. I don't see how you do it."
"Neither do I. I've learned that if you just don't open your mouth, it's harder for the lies to be printed. And there will be no solace at lunch, either, unless we go somewhere where the staff can hide us far away from
windows."
"I would prefer that," Mel said.
Half an hour later, Mel and Drew were tucked safely away in the back of a restaurant, momentarily shielded from any cameras. "Damn, Drew. That doesn't even happen when I'm with Tay. Or all three of them. I mean, every once in awhile if we're in a different city we might have a few waiting on us when we leave a restaurant or a store or something. But it's never like this."
"Oh they'll be waiting when we leave here, trust me," Drew said. "And probably doubled in size. Apparently I cost a fortune right now and they're pretty ruthless."
"That's really sad. How do these people sleep at night?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
Mel smiled across the table at Drew. "I can't get over it. The red hair, everyone calling you 'Andrew.' It's strange. It's like it's you, but it's not you."
"Exactly."
Mel didn't realize just how long they had been sitting there talking and enjoying the quiet when she checked the time and nearly had a heart attack. "Holy shit, they're probably letting fans in right now. It starts in an hour and a half! We gotta barrel through your paparazzi and haul ass!"
______________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Taylor paced backstage. "Where is she?"
"Tay, what the hell is your problem?" Zac asked. "She's having lunch with Drew, you knew that. Why are you acting so damn crazy all of a sudden?"
"It's--I don't know, I can't explain it. What time is it?"
Tay knew exactly what it was, but the testosterone in him wouldn't let him say it out loud so he kept his feelings inside. All he knew was that everything would be okay as soon as she was with him again.
"Hey, have we decided to host a walk today?" Zac asked. "While the other bands are playing? If so, we need to post it on the website right now."
"Uh, just give me a few more minutes," Tay said.
"Yes," Isaac answered abruptly, ignoring Tay's request for time. "We're doing it. Go ahead and post it. We'll meet in front of the venue."
As the first band warmed up onstage, Tay was annoyed at his inability to hear as well as he could when it was quiet. Why didn't Mel answer his texts? Or his phone calls?
"Tay, what the hell is wrong with you?" her voice suddenly rang out.
He knew he wore a goofy grin when he turned around and found her standing there but he didn't care. "Nothing, I just--I missed you."
She stood there looking skeptical. "No you didn't. You need to tell me what the hell is going on with you right this second, I'm not doing this all day."
He felt ashamed to say it out loud and he didn't want to. He hated the feeling. Leading her in a private corner, he said to her quietly, "I'm sorry. Today's just weirding me out a little bit. I mean, you know
exactly a year ago today--"
"I know," Mel said, matter-of-factly. "I think it's kinda neat."
"Well, I--damn, Mel, you know how last year turned out after this date."
"Yes. I do know. It led up to us, standing right here, having this conversation. It led to us leaving the same hotel room this morning, it led us to be going home to the same home when we leave this city tomorrow. It led to us. Why are you being so weird?"
"I don't know, I just--what if today is jinxed or something?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you having doubts about our relationship?"
His eyes widened at the realization of how he was coming across. "NO! No no no no no, I didn't mean to make you think that. I just--"
"Tay, everything we went through last year put us right here. Today should be sort of a celebration for us. A private one. Just me and you."
He smiled at her. Her words instantly made him feel at ease. Once again, all was right with the world. She was right. She was absolutely right. What the hell was he so crazy about?
Feeling better, he changed the subject. "Oh, so, we're hosting a walk today in a couple of hours. You in?"
Mel smiled. "Of course I'm in, I wouldn't miss it! Hey, do you think it would be a good idea if Drew joined in? Her paps are kinda crazy but maybe if we could sneak her and her guard in the middle of the crowd or
something they might miss her..."
"CAN she go? Is there anything she has to do onstage in that time?"
"I don't know...I can find out."
The earth is shaking under siege
And every breath will meet its fate
Still we hunger for a moment of freedom
Even though the hour is late
I find hope and it gives me rest
I find hope in a beating chest
I find hope in what eyes don't see
I find hope in your hate for me
Have no fear when the waters rise
We can conquer this Great Divide
When every eye is on the fortune
It can only breed contempt
They say blood is thicker than oceans
Still we box our brothers in
I find hope and it gives me rest
I find hope in a beating chest
I find hope in what eyes don't see
I find hope in your hate for me
Have no fear when the waters rise
We can conquer this Great Divide
Three hours later, the charity walk was underway. Tay had to admit, he was surprised at the turnout. It was definitely the most unique walk they'd ever taken. Band members from some of the other indie groups
attended along with their fans who followed them around. Drew and her new red hair tried to blend in as much as possible. It warmed his heart at how much farther the word would get out about their cause that day. He hoped the new walkers would pass it along, even if they weren't there for them.
He longed to be sharing that walk with Mel. As he made his way through the crowd of walkers, chatting with fans and whatnot, he could hear her giggle now and then but could never seem to lay eyes on her. He hated to say it but it was a smart decision on her part not to be around him for this. This was his time to spend with his fans, she had told him. She didn't want to mess anything up. He admired her for that.
At the midpoint they stopped and he gave his usual speech, standing on--hell he didn't even know what he was standing on--flanked by his brothers. He fought hard not to fumble his words as the speech went on
autopilot and he searched the sea of people for Mel. He finally spotted her, far off in the back of the group and he smiled when she quietly gave him a little wave. After that he was able to continue his speech and then once again they were off to walk the rest of the mile back to the venue.
After it was all said and done, Taylor wasn't sure what to expect from Mel. She had never been on one of their walks before. He was surprised, unbeknownst to him, that she had nothing to say about it. She made no remarks, no complaints about the heat or the dirt on the streets. Instead she simply walked backstage with him, washed her feet and adjusted her hair and makeup without saying a word. She had gotten through her first walk like a champ. He couldn't have been more proud.
_________________________________________________________
Now that I've started, there's nothing standing in my way
Leaving Omaha with my gray guitar just to play
After I have departed, tell them I just want to sing like Elvis
He changed the whole world before twenty-three
And I hear it in the morning and I see it in my dreams
I'm not waiting any longer, I'm not waiting to begin
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
Give your friends my regards, but I'm not going to stick around anymore
I'm off to find my fortune and my fame
My only regret is that you're not going my way
When I change the world you're the perfect girl for the man I'm going to be
I hear it in the morning and I see it in my dreams
I'm not waiting any longer, I'm not waiting to begin
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
DREW
Drew probably took more photos with musicians than she did with fans that day. She stood backstage amongst the billed bands as she waited for her cue to start the music fest off. The fact that it was hosted by the Times was the only reason Drew didn't think it was weird to be starting a concert at three in the afternoon. There were a lot of bands to cover, yes, and she was thankful to only need to speak about five times.
She spoke onstage to a packed out venue, thanking them for being early birds, for supporting the New York Times and indie music, and plugging her second movie that was about to be released. It was a nice change from the day-to-day script memorizing and the ad-libbing felt good. She could definitely get used to this hosting thing.
A couple of hours later she was invited by Mel and the guys to do a charity walk. That was an interesting experience. She had been hidden and snuck out of plenty of places but to be snuck INTO a crowd was a new one. Miraculously it worked and it felt so good just to have half an hour's peace without harassment from the paparazzi.
Once back inside the venue it was time to play celebrity once again. Drew wasn't sure if she could ever get used to it. She visited with Mel as she helped Zoe and Avery set up the merch table, not realizing for a moment that the whole Hanson clan was in attendance. Today was going to be a great day. As she visited and lent a hand or two, she was approached by her own fans. Being an action star (for the moment) garnered a unique fan base and she loved them. It was never a dull moment and she came in contact with the most interesting people. She posed for a few pictures and signed a few autographs and was genuinely surprised at how chill the atmosphere was. In a normal setting she would have been swamped and bombarded, but these concert-goers were pretty cool.
Within moments, a family reunion ensued, and it was like a scene out of a movie. All three guys, the siblings, the parents, the wives--Drew couldn't not have a picture of this. Quickly she grabbed a worker from another
band's merch table and asked him to take a picture of the entire group. She wasn't sure what she was more excited about--being there, or having this picture to take home with her?
Drew ended up being busier that day than she expected. If she wasn't onstage or greeting fans, she was giving impromptu mini-interviews to attending news outlets. As the hours and the music wore on, dinner came from takeout boxes as everyone sat around backstage and talked and cut up. These were the moments she enjoyed the most.
__________________________________________________
TAYLOR
It had been an incredibly long day and 9pm came late. Nobody in their right mind saw 9pm as late but after a day like today it certainly wasn't early.
Taylor was more than ready for the hour and a half set they were allotted. Being a headliner only gave you an extra 30-45 minutes. He could take what he could get. It had been a great day, however. Guest jamming onstage with a few of the bands had been fun, but now he was ready to play his own show. There was nothing like the rush of being onstage and feeding off the energy from the crowd.
Drew spoke one last time before they went onstage, thanking the crowd one final time for being troopers and once again for supporting indie music and the Times. Nothing could take the smile off his face that appeared as the crowd roared at their entrance.
Performing was fantastic. He loved it. The feeling was his mistress. But nothing, absolutely nothing, beat the feeling he got when he glanced backstage and could see Mel peeking around the curtains. He had
never been on that kind of high before, it was fucking amazing.
He lived for the short breaks they took in between sets. He lived for walking offstage and into her arms, which waited with a dry towel and a cold bottle of water. It was small moments like this when he never felt more loved. "So what do you think so far?" he asked her.
To his amazement, her response was, "You should flirt more."
He didn't know if it was the breathlessness or the disbelief that put the shocked smile on his face. "I should what?"
"You should flirt more. They come to see you. Well, and the music of course, but ultimately they come to see you. You seem a little reserved tonight. Loosen up, wink at somebody, I don't know. Don't act like you don't know how to woo your women."
Her smile made him laugh. "The life of a musician," he said.
She shrugged. "It is what it is."
After a minute it was time to take the stage again. Kissing her was like breathing in fresh energy. He was ready for round two.
Well the Day Has Come to where I've never thought of anyone
Quite as much as I think of you
As the days go by I never wonder why
I just know it's true
Well the Day Has Come
Well the Day Has Come
Well I never would have thought that I
Could love someone like I love you
And I never would have thought
That anyone could love me like you do
The Day Has Come and still I never
Ask myself why I love you
And as the days go by it seems that I
Love you more than I did the day before
Well the Day Has Come
Well the Day Has Come
________________________________________________________
MEL
Most women would kill a bitch if her man smiled at them or sang to them from the stage. But not Mel. She was totally the opposite, she encouraged it. She guessed it was lucky for her that she was able to get used to the hype of fandom at such an early age. Of course at that time it made her feel weird and she was extremely nervous and self-conscious, but after growing up and after all the concerts she had attended and artists she had reviewed, she came to appreciate the fan base and understood what it took to keep them. It was harmless to show your fans a little extra appreciation sometimes. As long as they loved you and your music, what did it matter?
She was so proud of Taylor. She was proud of him, she was proud of Hanson, she was proud of the music--she was proud to call him hers. She had the best man anyone could ever ask for and she knew it. Watching him perform, there was absolutely nowhere else she would rather be. How could this night possibly get any better?
Mel's cell phone vibrated in her pocket and the frantic text from Zoe that read, "NEED HELP FAST" caused her to rush from where she was standing and to the stage door. She felt bad that she wouldn't be there for Tay for their second break but she decided he was a big boy and could take care of himself. There were more pressing matters at hand.
Mel peeked out the stage door. The merch table was swamped. Nobody had expected this. Sure, they brought along practically triple the merch they normally would and keeping items in stock didn't seem to be the
problem. It was the fact that everyone wanted it all, ALL the same time, that sent Avery and Zoe into a frenzy. As Mel rushed out the door and found Diana standing there, she stopped and grabbed her hand. "It's all hands on deck," she said to her.
Mel and Diana joined Diana's daughters and the four of them worked like mad to get the waiting customers moving. They formed a system, Zoe the math whiz took cash, Avery took credit, and Diana and Mel retrieved merch and kept up the inventory. Within minutes the small crowd was appeased and dissipated and the four of them took a breath and laughed. Laughing was all they could do. "We should do this in shifts," Diana said. "Next shift will be Nikki, Kate, Jessi, and Drew."
"Or Mac," Mel suggested.
Diana laughed harder and shook her head. "Not Mac."
Mel had thought Diana was merely joking about the shift change but it had, in fact, become a reality. The four women in question were quite surprisingly receptive to the idea and had agreed to take the last half of the
set. This put first shift backstage and exactly where Mel wanted to be once the show was over.
The time went by fast. Mel gushed with Diana and Walker over the music and how proud they all were of the guys. They spent time reflecting and reminiscing, Mel not able to stop herself from fawning over how Zoe and Avery impressed her earlier. This was a family that loved each other and worked together and Mel was entirely too happy to be a part of it.
One last break before the encore sent a sweat-soaked Taylor directly into Mel's arms. The smile that hurt her cheeks was infectious as the grin he returned to her was just as big, if not bigger. Frantically, he dug in his
jeans pocket. "Here, I have something for you." Holding the tiny object in his fist, a mystery to Mel, he first caught his breath from the last song. "But first, I have to hear how much you love me."
Mel smiled playfully, looking at his balled up fist in front of her. "What? Of course I do."
"Then say it. Tell me you love me as much as I love you."
"I love you more, for sure," Mel said. "I love you more than--I love you more than Manolo!"
Tay's eyes widened. "Wow! That's major!"
"You should feel honored."
"Believe me, I do. Okay, here."
He dropped the object into her hand. It was a key. Puzzled, Mel looked up at him. "What is this?"
"That's the key to our East 38th Street condo. It's small but the view is breath-taking. You'll love it."
Speaking of breath-taking, Mel's had disappeared. She was speechless. She didn't know what to say. "It's--East 38th, that's--that's the Corinthian..."
Tay smiled and nodded.
"How did you--?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is, it's ours. So we have somewhere to go every time we come to the city. I know how much you love it here. And you know how much I love you. I mean, it's done. It's paid for. It's ours--it's yours. Yours and mine. If you'll have me forever..."
Mel wanted to cry but she didn't even have the opportunity to speak again before he was rushed back onstage for the encore. The anthematic last song couldn't have been more perfect right at that moment. It was a song that was very much open for interpretation and Mel knew right away what her interpretation was.
She found herself singing along without even knowing the words.
Tonight is the first night
Tonight is the last night
Don't care what has come before
Tomorrow's an open door
So box to the ropes and jump in the crowd
Throw up your hands and sing it out loud
Oh, Tonight
Well it might be a shame and you might be disheartened
To be back on the rocks this time around
I've seen the sunshine and I've seen the rain
When you walk the line brilliance can sound insane
But Tonight is the first night
Tonight is the last night
Don't care what has come before
Tomorrow's an open door
So box to the ropes and jump in the crowd
Throw up your hands and sing it out loud
And say what you mean and mean what you say and Tonight
Chase down the dream and don't give up without a fight
And don't wait for tomorrow's daylight
Cause it just might be Tonight
When you're too tired to walk and too scared to run
And your heavyweight knees buckle under a ton
Blue sky visions turn into a storm
I've got suspicions you won't make it one more
Well there's no silver lining, there's nothing to lose
So don't wait for tomorrow
Don't wait for tomorrow
Cause Tonight is the first night
Tonight is the last night
Don't care what has come before
Tomorrow's an open door
So box to the ropes and jump in the crowd
Throw up your hands and sing it out loud
And say what you mean and mean what you say and Tonight
Chase down the dream and don't give up without a fight
And don't wait for tomorrow's daylight
Cause it just might be Tonight
MEL
A year to the date.
New York City.
Irving Plaza.
A year to the date.
Bob Sheldon had contacted Mel months earlier and why he was the one to deliver the phone call, she had no idea, but she was happy to hear from him anyway.
"Look, I know you don't work for the Times anymore and that you left me and moved back home, but I forgive you for all that."
Mel had giggled at him.
"The Arts section of the Times is planning to sponsor an event, some kind of indie appreciation music festival thing, I don't know, I'll have to get you more information. Anyway, they need a headliner and my mind immediately went to those Hanson guys you reviewed here last year. Now I know that you were all up in arms about dealing with them before but I promise I wouldn't be coming to you about it if I didn't think they'd be any good for this event. I need you to see about contacting them and see about getting them to do it. I figure, you know, since you live near them and all..."
Mel had giggled again. "Bob, I don't see how you oversee editing for an entire newspaper and not know any of the news that comes through!"
"Call me immune, I guess."
Taylor had been sitting next to Mel when she got the call. She decided not to argue. "Not only do I think that contacting them should be no problem, but I'm willing to bet they'd jump on this without question."
"That would be wonderful! Get back to me in the next day or so."
And that quickly, the call was over. Bob Sheldon preferred to do his business short and sweet, cut and dry. That was what Mel had loved about him.
So now here they were, arriving at Irving a day early to meet with promoters, coordinators, and some of the other groups to get organized and ready for the next day's event. Mel admitted she was kind of relieved not to
have any responsibilities during this event. All she had to do was stand around and wait for Tay, or anyone else to say to her, "Here, carry this," and she was perfectly happy. She had done her job. She got Hanson for
Bob.
But she had done him one better. She was able to get Andrew Brooks, one of the hottest stars in Hollywood at the moment, to emcee the event. It was lucky that she actually had the day off and was extremely happy to do it. Bob worried that they couldn't afford her. Drew decided to volunteer her time. Mel just knew that when Drew finally went Hollywood, she wouldn't turn into a greedy snob.
Drew was supposed to be there a day early with everyone else, but due to scheduling conflicts, she wouldn't be getting there till the next day. Mel was disappointed and was apparently distracted by it for most of the day because Tay finally pulled her aside and asked her, "Mel, what is wrong with you?"
"I don't know," she said quietly. "I was expecting Drew today but now she can't come till tomorrow."
"You're spacing out about THAT? You'll see her tomorrow."
"I haven't seen her in six months. When you've spent your entire life with someone, six months is a long time."
"Ten years is longer."
Mel wasn't sure if this statement should melt her heart or if she should be annoyed and she didn't feel like over-analyzing it this time. Instead she let him hug her and she instantly felt better. "Zac's having a hair
crisis," he said quietly in her ear.
She looked up at him, still in his arms. "Okay..."
"I told him I'd get help."
"Where is his wife?"
"On a mommy outing with Nikki and the cousins, keeping the kids occupied."
"Why can't you help him?"
"I mean, yeah, sure I can. No sweat. I'll do that and you can go over set lists with Ike and make sure the piano here is tuned...make sure all the right cords to all the instruments made it from Tulsa...inventory the
sound equipment...choreograph the lighting..."
"Okay, okay. I get it, fine. Where is he?"
Tay smiled and nodded toward the stage. "Dressing room."
They hadn't brought the bus. It was only the one event, so they flew everything in and had gotten hotel rooms. It felt so good to be back in New York and she and Tay had even been discussing buying a condo in the city but they hadn't reached a decision yet.
Finding Zac in the dressing room, the distressed look on his face turned to one of horror as he spied Mel behind him in the mirror. "Jesus Christ. Tay goes for help and he sends YOU."
Spying the mess in the back of his head, Mel stifled a laugh. "What in the hell HAPPENED?"
Zac sighed. "Just get rid of it and save my hair."
"Well, I mean, did you fall asleep or something?"
"Oh good god, okay. We're moving shit, dude is above me, passing something down. I crack a joke, he laughs, gum falls out of his mouth. End of story. I'd fix it myself if I had two extra arms and eyes in the back of my head. But I can't see, so...yeah. And now you're here."
"Yes. Yes, I am..."
"So what are we dealing with?" he asked, making another failed attempt to pull it out.
Walking up to him, Mel frantically slapped his hand away. "Well first of all quit touching it, you're making it worse!" It was pretty bad. If he genuinely wanted to avoid a haircut, this could take awhile. And it was still no guarantee that she wouldn't have to cut it out. "How many fucking pieces of gum was he chewing??"
"I don't even know..."
Mel lifted the sticky mass of hair and saw just how close to the scalp it actually was. "This is not good..."
"DO SOMETHING!!"
"Zac, it's not like you've never cut all your hair off before..."
"Yeah, that was when I WANTED to cut it off. But right now I like it the way it is and it takes work to get hair like this."
"Because I totally wouldn't know," Mel muttered sarcastically. "Okay, look. The quickest way to do this is to just use peanut butter. That's the best I could do and attempt to salvage your hair. There are other methods I could use, too, but peanut butter is literally the quickest. I'll have to run over to Union Square..."
"I have so much shit to do," Zac groaned.
"Or I could just cut that bad boy out in a matter of seconds and you can see a barber later."
Zac sighed. "Just go and get the peanut butter. Goddammit..."
It took Mel half an hour to make the trip to Whole Foods and back and she returned armed with supplies. "What is all that?" Zac asked. "Didn't realize this garnered a shopping spree."
She rolled her eyes, setting the supplies on the counter in front of him. Peanut butter, plastic knives, wet wipes, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, lollipop. "What the hell is this for?" has asked, picking up the lollipop.
"For being such a good boy!" She teased, tousling the hair on top of his head.
Zac's response? Deliberately drawing the letters "REDRUM" on the mirror in front of him with a random stick of lipstick left behind from a past performer.
"You're so melodramatic," Mel said. "Do you keep a comb in your pocket?"
"No."
"You're joking. You're singing glorious odes to your hair here and you don't even carry a comb?"
"No, so sue me!"
"This'll take longer than I thought."
Zac groaned again.
It took roughly half an hour to scrape out the peanut butter and gum combo with the toothbrush. She had been counting on him already having the comb so she could use that to comb out the majority in a more timely fashion, but alas. On the way to the bathroom she called Tay so he could bring her purse and she then proceeded to wash Zac's hair out in the sink. He had wanted to do it himself. Mel's argument had been, "Well if you couldn't see to get the majority of the gum out in the first place, how are you going to see to get the rest of it out?"
"That's not even the shampoo I use," he grumbled.
"It is today," Mel retorted. "Yanno, if you're going to continue to be so unappreciative, I'm sure there are a number of guys around here that I can snag a pair of scissors from."
Zac never said another word.
An hour and a half later, Zac's hair was gum-free and she had only managed to have to break off several strands of his hair--not even enough to be noticeable. Pushing her charity envelope a step further, she offered him a hair tie from her purse and he promptly took it and tied his hair back. He smiled sheepishly. "Lesson learned. Look, sorry I was a bastard. I really do appreciate you doing that for me."
"Do men always chew that much gum at once?" Mel asked.
"Next time I hope he chokes on it."
____________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Taylor never felt so energized in his whole life. He used to blame it on the espresso with the coffee chaser, except by now his blood practically ran java and he knew the caffeine had nothing to do with it. It was the
atmosphere and he knew it. Being with his brothers, other artists he respected, in a city that merely fueled that energy simply by standing in the street--all of those were major contributing factors but he knew what the real reason behind his productive mood was.
It was Mel. She was his muse.
He smiled as he reflected back nearly a year ago when she'd taunted him for using that term. He agreed, it did sound terribly corny. He could have used the synonymous term "inspiration" but there just wasn't anything out there that was any less corny. It was what it was and as cheesy as it sounded, it was the truth and he was proud of it.
Their relationship was mainstream in the media now and practically a norm amongst their fans. Odd as it sounded, he did like to check up on what their fans had to say about the goings on of the band. Not that he really felt like his personal life was any of their business but it was out there for the world to see anyway and it was a given that people were going to talk. No matter how anyone felt about it, he would have been with Mel
regardless. He tried not to pay attention to the negative opinions--not everyone would be happy with everything. Mostly he was worried about how she would be received by the fans come concert time, seeing as he planned to have her with him as much as possible. He had always felt the need to hide Natalie away. He never could read how anyone really felt about her and she never showed much interest in interacting with his fan base anyway and she seemed to prefer to stay hidden away.
But Mel was special. She supported him and she supported the band and she supported their fans. She understood the importance of the fans and was ready to embrace them at a moment's notice. This sort of thing was foreign to him and he never knew how much of a load there was on his back until he was alleviated of it.
And then there was the family aspect. Mel had been a member of his family since the beginning of time. His parents loved her, his siblings loved her--and she loved them all just as equally. Would Natalie have
shoved Zac's head in a sink and washed all that nasty gunk out of his hair for him like an older sister normally would have? Hell no! The peanut butter wouldn't have even made it out of the jar and Zac would have ended up with the same frat boy haircut he had sported several years ago.
Everything finally fit. Everything in his life was exactly where it was meant to be. And it only took him thirty years to get there.
After yet another string of mishaps, the following day's festival was finally in the works. Everyone was on the same page, everyone knew what was going on. All they had to do now was show up, sound check, and play
their time slot. Leaving the venue, Tay said to Mel, "Let's go out tonight."
Mel looked at him, hesitation written all over her face. "Um...Tay, I don't know...I mean you had a long day today and you're gonna have a long day tomorrow...you really should rest up."
He slid his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, we're in New York! You love it here. This is your home away from home."
Looking beyond them at the city lights, she smiled and breathed in a breath. "That is true, you know..."
"I know it is. So we'll go out, have dinner, drinks..."
"You're twisting my arm."
He smirked into the city air. "Please, I'm not twisting THAT hard."
"You're right. I can't even feel it. Let's go out!"
________________________________________________________
Been Up All Night
Working on the master plan
Cause this condition nine to five is going nowhere fast
In the morning I'll escape to what is left of my bed
And sleep all day
Cause I've been Up All Night
I want to wake up when the sun goes down
I'd like to be the only show in town
I want to spend my days in magic pants
Just want to shake things up
Seems the whole world revolves around the sun
The man on the moon is my new number one
Change of perspective, change my point of view
And every day I make it up, I make it up, I make it all right now
I've got to change my point of view
I don't know what it's coming to
Been Up All Night
Working on the master plan
Cause this condition nine to five is going nowhere fast
Been Up All Night
ISAAC
Later that night the three couples sat in a private patio section of a bar surrounded by random band members and their spouses from the bands with whom they would be billed alongside the next day. Isaac thought it was awesome that they got to have a little time to get to know some of the artists before tomorrow's show. An opportunity like this was very rare.
However he felt horrible for calling Taylor to suggest this little get-together while he was right in the middle of dinner with Mel. He knew Tay was completely fine with it but he spent much of the night apologizing
profusely to Mel for the interruption. She said she had no problem with it, and she had appeared completely genuine in her statement, but he still felt bad.
It didn't last too long, however. The atmosphere was so laid back it was difficult not to let all your cares fly out the window. It felt good to chill out amidst good company and good beverages. Ike felt humbled by
the talent he knew he was surrounded with on that patio.
One of the guys, sporting a tall, blue mohawk and wearing a leather vest with tattoo sleeves up his arms, suddenly hollered out, "Hey, whatta we gotta do to get some beer pong going around here?"
Apparently the bar was prepared in the event of an impromptu beer pong tournament because within minutes the party was provided with a table and supplies and before they knew it, it was game on.
It was primarily the men who played. The women sat around, cheering on their respective men, and everything was going swimmingly until Mel finally opened her mouth. It was Ike against Tay. Ike knew it was only a matter of time.
Tay was preparing to take his turn when, out of the blue, Mel asked simply, "Why do you dip them?"
Visibly annoyed by the delay of his shot, it had only lasted a second before he rested both hands on the edge of the table and looked over at her, an amused glint in his eye. "Why do I dip what?"
Mel's eyes darted around to all the expectant eyes that were on her. "You know...why do you dip...those...?"
A smirk flashed across Tay's face. "Why do I dip WHAT?"
Mel suddenly blushed. "You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"
"Well you should be more specific. I mean, you can dip lots of things. You can dip breadsticks, chips, take a dip in the pool..."
"YOUR BALLS, TAY. WHY DO YOU DIP YOUR BALLS?"
Suddenly, Ike couldn't hold it together. Tay looked mortified, but he had asked for it and he knew it. A laugh at Mel's expense had completely backfired on him and now it was on Tay. Uproarious laughter erupted all
over the patio and even Tay had to chuckle. In fact, his face was so red he could barely keep his composure to get the next words out of his mouth.
"Maybe," Tay said, hardly able to get it out while trying not to laugh. "Maybe I just like getting my balls wet."
There wasn't enough oxygen in the air out on that patio at that moment. Everyone had lost their minds.
Mel was having a hard time keeping a straight face herself, but she tried as hard as she could. "I'm being serious."
"So am I," a red-faced Taylor laughed.
Amidst the laughter, the band member that originally ordered the game slid in beside Mel and said to her quietly, with his British accent, "You don't play much beer pong, do you?"
Mel giggled. "I played in Ireland once and we didn't dip our balls."
The guy stifled a laugh and explained to her, "There's a cup of water sitting off to the side. You dip the ball to clean it, so to speak."
Nobody was prepared for Mel's next statement. NOBODY was. She was loud and she was deliberate. "SO, TAY, YOU'RE DIPPING YOUR BALLS BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE THEY NEED TO BE SANITIZED?"
Ike didn't know what was funnier-- Mel's ownership of Tay, or the guy beside her who had literally fallen off the side of the bench in laughter.
Or maybe it was the fact that Tay was mid-shot when her voice rang out and he missed, miserably losing the round. "Whoooo!!!" Ike raised his fists in victory, high-fiving the guys and scooping Nikki up out of her seat for his prize kiss. Her giggling was music to his ears and for a moment, he couldn't let her go.
____________________________________________________
MEL
Mel had given Taylor his "door prize" the moment they got in their hotel room. They had managed not to trash it. They were getting quite good at that, actually.
They woke up next to each other and laughed about how they had woken up in their own hotel room, alone. That incident had been so long ago but it was still funny every single time.
Mel then realized what the day was and she darted out of bed. "Whoa, where's the fire?"
"Drew's coming in today!"
"Are you always this excited when I come home?"
Mel turned around and looked at him, hurt. "Of course I am."
The smile and the bare chest prompted one more morning romp in the bed before they started their day, simply because she couldn't resist him, try as she might.
When they were finally ready to leave, Mel emerged in her newest ensemble. It was simple. She wore black, pinstripe shorts, a Hanson t-shirt, a black, quarter-sleeved blazer, and black stiletto ankle boots that
slouched at the zippers.
Tay gave her the once-over. "Um, are you--are you sure you wanna..."
"Yes," she said, confidently. "It's cute and my boots are comfortable and this is what I'm wearing that that's it."
"Okay, then," Tay said. She detecting him bucking up at him. She was right. He fished a pair of red suspenders out of his suitcase. "Let's go, then."
"No," Mel said firmly.
He raised his eyebrows, challenging her. "No?"
"That's exactly what I said. No. I don't care if you don't like what I'm wearing. But those...things are an unnecessary accessory."
"Why do you hate them so much?"
"Because they look so stupid," she whined. "Do you know who wears suspenders? Old men with oversized guts who can no longer wear a belt due to overindulgence at the early bird special buffet. Not smokin' hot
men who CAN wear belts and need not ruin their wardrobes. Save them for when you're at the early bird special buffet."
Tay looked at Mel, unable to speak. Finally he said, "So no suspender?"
She shook her head, sadly. "But I'm not changing my clothes." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out the hotel door.
________________________________________________________
DREW
Drew dressed simply in a tank top, jeans, and platform heels. A sequined scarf was tied loosely around her neck. She passed by the fans who had camped out in line, a few of them stopping her for pictures and she had
obliged.
Now being escorted into a side door by security, she walked into Irving Plaza and took her sunglasses off, looking around. Upon entering, she was immediately issued her lanyard, which she tucked underneath her scarf and was rushed off to meet with the director of the music festival. She barely had the time to fondly remember her last visit to Irving, exactly one year ago, where she was peeling a very drunk Mel off the floor and receiving a note from her first love. So much had happened so fast in the past year, it was enough to make a normal person's head spin. However, Drew was anything but normal, and neither were any of her friends.
Unfortunately, she didn't see the ones she wished to see the most for the first couple of hours she was there since she had lost time to make up for, for not being able to be there to prepare the day before. They only had
precious few hours before the concert was to begin and what she had to do wasn't really rocket science. She showed her face, what, three times? Okay, maybe more like five, but who was counting? It's not like she had to be formal, she just had to know who was onstage next.
Finally set free, she set off in search of anyone or anything Hanson-related. In one of the small hallways backstage she finally walked up on Zac, who was crouched down, rifling through a black duffel bag. He
glanced up at her then went back to his business and muttered, "Sorry, I don't think anyone's supposed to be back here."
Drew gaped at the top of his head in shock and then she remembered what she looked like. "Zac. It's me!"
He looked up at her again and stood, a smile creeping across his face. "Drew, oh my god!" He wrapped her in a bear hug and picked her up off the floor. "I didn't even recognize you! You look great! Wow, I can't believe you're a red head..."
Drew shrugged and touched her hair. "It's for a movie I'm filming."
"Another Gerard Cline?"
"No. Bill Caraway."
Zac nodded. "He's not bad. He's no Gerard Cline, though."
Drew smiled. "No. He's not. But the film is highly anticipated. And I get to do a lot of my own stunts."
"You're really embracing this whole action thing, huh?"
"You know? I never thought in a million years that I would ever enjoy action films, but so far I'm loving it!"
"So am I," Zac said. "The trailer for your second movie looks amazing."
"You think so?"
"Absolutely." He smiled at her again. "I'm glad you're here. The, uh, the group feels complete."
"Thanks, I feel at home here. Did you know that today is a year to the day we all came back in each other's lives? In the same venue? Isn't that the weirdest thing ever?"
"It is, isn't it? I guess today was kind of meant to be, huh? We've all kinda come full circle, tied up loose ends."
"This entire year would have made a great story," Drew joked.
Zac chuckled with her. "Today would probably be a great way to end it, huh?"
Drew narrowed her eyes in thought. "Sure. I could see how today would easily wrap it all up."
"So, we gotta go sound check now before the festival starts up. It's kinda weird, sound checking so early, seeing as we don't even go on till later tonight."
"I know. Weird time of day to start a music fest, huh?"
"Well, there are a lot of bands. Fans of different bands will come in and out."
"Yours are already ready to come in NOW!"
"Yeah...it's gonna be a long day. We'll see how this all plays out. Hopefully without cops!"
Drew smiled as she watched Zac head for the stage.
__________________________________________________
ZAC
They had gone over maybe two verses of the first song when they heard the blood-curdling screams echoing off the Irving's walls. Taylor flubbed his notes, plunking out a series of hideous sounds on the keyboard and Isaac dropped his pic mid-chord.
But not Zac. He drummed along as if nothing happened. He was expecting it.
He only stopped when he noticed that Tay was about to make a dive off of the stage. "It's only Drew!" Zac said.
Tay turned around. "What?"
"Drew's here. I met up with her backstage."
Ike and Tay exchanged a Look. It was apparent that neither one was thrilled by the interruption. Tay then held the microphone to his lips and put on his best announcer voice. "Mel Banks and Drew Brooks, wherever you are in this building, we appreciate you trying to keep us on our toes with the mild heart attacks we just experienced. Let's just keep the screaming to a minimum. Thank you, have a nice day."
Going back to their regularly-scheduled sound check, Zac shook his head and smiled at his brother as he banged out the beat. His mind drifted to Drew. Red hair, huh? Flaming red hair, like a bright copper--no it
was more like orange autumn leaves maybe? Oh whatever, it looked great on her in those sleek curls, falling over her shoulders...
He shook her out of his mind. Sure they were just friends and things were going pretty well with Kate. But if you were attracted to someone, you were attracted to them. It was human nature to look. Unfortunately, in Zac's case, when it came to Drew, looking had a tendency to lead to acting and he decided he should just not think about her altogether. Focusing on sound check was a better idea.
He got his chance at distraction when a crew member walked across the stage to adjust something and he got a look at him. He remembered him from yesterday! "Hey. You," Zac said through the microphone.
This caused Ike and Tay to stop playing and the crew guy turned around. "Me?"
"Yeah, you. You go spit that shit out of your mouth and don't even come near me with it again. Do you have any idea what I went through yesterday? It involved peanut butter and toothbrushes and honeysuckle rose shampoo--I don't even like honeysuckle rose. I use Head and Shoulders. What man uses girlie shampoo? Not me, that's who. It was fucking brutal. So, yeah. Spit that shit out, I don't want it near me."
The poor crew guy looked as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "But I'm all the way over here."
Zac shook his head. "I don't care."
He glanced ahead at his brothers. Both of their faces red from stifled laughter. He returned their sentiment, birds blazing from both hands.
"Okay, we REALLY need to finish this up," Ike said.
"We'll start as soon as he finds a trash can," Zac said, matter-of-factly.
Quickly the guy ran offstage with Zac yelling behind him, "I wanna see inside your mouth when you come back!"
Ike turned around and smiled. "First of all, that sounded completely wrong. And secondly, you're acting like a total diva."
"Apparently you weren't around for the Spitgate Scandal yesterday!"
"Zac, he didn't actually SPIT it on you," Tay said.
"Might as well have. Peanut butter, Ike. There was PEANUT BUTTER involved! And it was NOT in the form of a tasty sandwich, either."
"I heard," Ike said, dryly. "But you're acting like he hocked some giant loogie in your hair or something and he didn't."
"It could happen," Zac said.
"But it didn't."
Ike always had to have the last word.
________________________________________________
MEL
Big Willie didn't even get in the door before Mel jumped into his arms. She noticed she jumped on everybody she had missed. Maybe she was being overdramatic, but she didn't care. She was so happy to see him.
He smiled at her, his deep voice instantly putting him at ease. "Mel! Man, I've missed seeing you around here!"
"I've missed you, too! I miss you and everyone--I miss the entire city!"
"So I see you're here with these Hanson guys again--are we gonna have another repeat of last year?"
Mel giggled. "I have SO much to catch you up on!"
She linked her arm through his and was watching her step as they walked through the door when she heard Big Willie say, "Well what in the world is this?"
Looking up, the first thing Mel noticed was the flaming red-orange hair. The face finally registered as Drew's and Mel instantly lost her mind. "OH MY GOD!!!!"
The two best friends squealed as they greeted each other, until they heard Tay speak at them over the microphone. They both hung their heads in sorrow and Big Willie said, "Yes, ma'am, I'd say we do have some catching up to do."
As Surely As The Sun rises each day
So my love will never change
And though the years may come and go
My love will only grow and grow
Sometimes I wonder what you see in me
Cause I'm only a man flawed in so many ways, you see
I want to share every moment of the day with you
And I want to share every sunset and every sunrise
And every moonlit night
For at least the next half an hour, Mel and Drew talked to Big Willie before he had to start seeing to the crowd that was beginning to grow outside the doors. When they decided to go to lunch, Mel found Taylor backstage to let him know what her plans were. "Mel--I'm not trying to be a selfish bastard or anything, but--I don't know, today I just feel like I can't be away from you. I need you with me."
"Tay, it's just lunch."
"I know..."
"Are you PMSing?"
Tay smiled at her joke. "Very funny. Is it wrong of me to be selfish?"
"I'm just going to lunch with my best friend. I haven't seen her in six months..."
"I know. I know. I'm sorry."
"Did you want to come along?"
"No. No, you go. You guys need to spend some time together."
"Do you want me to bring you something back? For Ike and Zac, too?"
"No, it's okay. We can ask Kate or Nikki if we have to, it's fine."
"Tay--I feel bad..."
He laughed. "There's nothing to feel bad about."
"You're acting strange."
"Forgive me. I'm a little sentimental today. I'll just miss you is all."
Mel smiled, the emotions rising in her now, too. "It's just food."
He smiled back at her. "I know. Have fun."
"I love you," she whispered.
He kissed her gently and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you more."
The moment was gone at the sound of Ike's voice suddenly by their ears. "Get a room!"
Tay and Mel burst into laughter. "Get out of here," Tay said to her, smacking her behind as she walked away.
Walking down the streets of New York City with Drew was absolutely nothing like it was the last time they walked together. It wasn't even this bad when she walked with Taylor. Not only were they accompanied by a
large, burley man, but cameras literally seemed to follow them everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Groups of them, at least fifteen or twenty at a time. They all spoke at once, trying to get Drew's attention. Hailing a cab was
impossible because stopping would have meant sudden death. They walked beside, behind, in front of her. It was the craziest thing Mel had ever seen.
"Is this normal?" Mel asked her quietly.
"Yes," she answered. "Though I didn't think it would be this bad here. I mean it's New York, for fuck's sake. This place is crawling with celebrities. They should be used to it by now."
"Well, you're the newest and freshest. I don't see how you do it."
"Neither do I. I've learned that if you just don't open your mouth, it's harder for the lies to be printed. And there will be no solace at lunch, either, unless we go somewhere where the staff can hide us far away from
windows."
"I would prefer that," Mel said.
Half an hour later, Mel and Drew were tucked safely away in the back of a restaurant, momentarily shielded from any cameras. "Damn, Drew. That doesn't even happen when I'm with Tay. Or all three of them. I mean, every once in awhile if we're in a different city we might have a few waiting on us when we leave a restaurant or a store or something. But it's never like this."
"Oh they'll be waiting when we leave here, trust me," Drew said. "And probably doubled in size. Apparently I cost a fortune right now and they're pretty ruthless."
"That's really sad. How do these people sleep at night?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
Mel smiled across the table at Drew. "I can't get over it. The red hair, everyone calling you 'Andrew.' It's strange. It's like it's you, but it's not you."
"Exactly."
Mel didn't realize just how long they had been sitting there talking and enjoying the quiet when she checked the time and nearly had a heart attack. "Holy shit, they're probably letting fans in right now. It starts in an hour and a half! We gotta barrel through your paparazzi and haul ass!"
______________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Taylor paced backstage. "Where is she?"
"Tay, what the hell is your problem?" Zac asked. "She's having lunch with Drew, you knew that. Why are you acting so damn crazy all of a sudden?"
"It's--I don't know, I can't explain it. What time is it?"
Tay knew exactly what it was, but the testosterone in him wouldn't let him say it out loud so he kept his feelings inside. All he knew was that everything would be okay as soon as she was with him again.
"Hey, have we decided to host a walk today?" Zac asked. "While the other bands are playing? If so, we need to post it on the website right now."
"Uh, just give me a few more minutes," Tay said.
"Yes," Isaac answered abruptly, ignoring Tay's request for time. "We're doing it. Go ahead and post it. We'll meet in front of the venue."
As the first band warmed up onstage, Tay was annoyed at his inability to hear as well as he could when it was quiet. Why didn't Mel answer his texts? Or his phone calls?
"Tay, what the hell is wrong with you?" her voice suddenly rang out.
He knew he wore a goofy grin when he turned around and found her standing there but he didn't care. "Nothing, I just--I missed you."
She stood there looking skeptical. "No you didn't. You need to tell me what the hell is going on with you right this second, I'm not doing this all day."
He felt ashamed to say it out loud and he didn't want to. He hated the feeling. Leading her in a private corner, he said to her quietly, "I'm sorry. Today's just weirding me out a little bit. I mean, you know
exactly a year ago today--"
"I know," Mel said, matter-of-factly. "I think it's kinda neat."
"Well, I--damn, Mel, you know how last year turned out after this date."
"Yes. I do know. It led up to us, standing right here, having this conversation. It led to us leaving the same hotel room this morning, it led us to be going home to the same home when we leave this city tomorrow. It led to us. Why are you being so weird?"
"I don't know, I just--what if today is jinxed or something?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you having doubts about our relationship?"
His eyes widened at the realization of how he was coming across. "NO! No no no no no, I didn't mean to make you think that. I just--"
"Tay, everything we went through last year put us right here. Today should be sort of a celebration for us. A private one. Just me and you."
He smiled at her. Her words instantly made him feel at ease. Once again, all was right with the world. She was right. She was absolutely right. What the hell was he so crazy about?
Feeling better, he changed the subject. "Oh, so, we're hosting a walk today in a couple of hours. You in?"
Mel smiled. "Of course I'm in, I wouldn't miss it! Hey, do you think it would be a good idea if Drew joined in? Her paps are kinda crazy but maybe if we could sneak her and her guard in the middle of the crowd or
something they might miss her..."
"CAN she go? Is there anything she has to do onstage in that time?"
"I don't know...I can find out."
The earth is shaking under siege
And every breath will meet its fate
Still we hunger for a moment of freedom
Even though the hour is late
I find hope and it gives me rest
I find hope in a beating chest
I find hope in what eyes don't see
I find hope in your hate for me
Have no fear when the waters rise
We can conquer this Great Divide
When every eye is on the fortune
It can only breed contempt
They say blood is thicker than oceans
Still we box our brothers in
I find hope and it gives me rest
I find hope in a beating chest
I find hope in what eyes don't see
I find hope in your hate for me
Have no fear when the waters rise
We can conquer this Great Divide
Three hours later, the charity walk was underway. Tay had to admit, he was surprised at the turnout. It was definitely the most unique walk they'd ever taken. Band members from some of the other indie groups
attended along with their fans who followed them around. Drew and her new red hair tried to blend in as much as possible. It warmed his heart at how much farther the word would get out about their cause that day. He hoped the new walkers would pass it along, even if they weren't there for them.
He longed to be sharing that walk with Mel. As he made his way through the crowd of walkers, chatting with fans and whatnot, he could hear her giggle now and then but could never seem to lay eyes on her. He hated to say it but it was a smart decision on her part not to be around him for this. This was his time to spend with his fans, she had told him. She didn't want to mess anything up. He admired her for that.
At the midpoint they stopped and he gave his usual speech, standing on--hell he didn't even know what he was standing on--flanked by his brothers. He fought hard not to fumble his words as the speech went on
autopilot and he searched the sea of people for Mel. He finally spotted her, far off in the back of the group and he smiled when she quietly gave him a little wave. After that he was able to continue his speech and then once again they were off to walk the rest of the mile back to the venue.
After it was all said and done, Taylor wasn't sure what to expect from Mel. She had never been on one of their walks before. He was surprised, unbeknownst to him, that she had nothing to say about it. She made no remarks, no complaints about the heat or the dirt on the streets. Instead she simply walked backstage with him, washed her feet and adjusted her hair and makeup without saying a word. She had gotten through her first walk like a champ. He couldn't have been more proud.
_________________________________________________________
Now that I've started, there's nothing standing in my way
Leaving Omaha with my gray guitar just to play
After I have departed, tell them I just want to sing like Elvis
He changed the whole world before twenty-three
And I hear it in the morning and I see it in my dreams
I'm not waiting any longer, I'm not waiting to begin
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
Give your friends my regards, but I'm not going to stick around anymore
I'm off to find my fortune and my fame
My only regret is that you're not going my way
When I change the world you're the perfect girl for the man I'm going to be
I hear it in the morning and I see it in my dreams
I'm not waiting any longer, I'm not waiting to begin
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
I'll be Chasing Down My Dreams
DREW
Drew probably took more photos with musicians than she did with fans that day. She stood backstage amongst the billed bands as she waited for her cue to start the music fest off. The fact that it was hosted by the Times was the only reason Drew didn't think it was weird to be starting a concert at three in the afternoon. There were a lot of bands to cover, yes, and she was thankful to only need to speak about five times.
She spoke onstage to a packed out venue, thanking them for being early birds, for supporting the New York Times and indie music, and plugging her second movie that was about to be released. It was a nice change from the day-to-day script memorizing and the ad-libbing felt good. She could definitely get used to this hosting thing.
A couple of hours later she was invited by Mel and the guys to do a charity walk. That was an interesting experience. She had been hidden and snuck out of plenty of places but to be snuck INTO a crowd was a new one. Miraculously it worked and it felt so good just to have half an hour's peace without harassment from the paparazzi.
Once back inside the venue it was time to play celebrity once again. Drew wasn't sure if she could ever get used to it. She visited with Mel as she helped Zoe and Avery set up the merch table, not realizing for a moment that the whole Hanson clan was in attendance. Today was going to be a great day. As she visited and lent a hand or two, she was approached by her own fans. Being an action star (for the moment) garnered a unique fan base and she loved them. It was never a dull moment and she came in contact with the most interesting people. She posed for a few pictures and signed a few autographs and was genuinely surprised at how chill the atmosphere was. In a normal setting she would have been swamped and bombarded, but these concert-goers were pretty cool.
Within moments, a family reunion ensued, and it was like a scene out of a movie. All three guys, the siblings, the parents, the wives--Drew couldn't not have a picture of this. Quickly she grabbed a worker from another
band's merch table and asked him to take a picture of the entire group. She wasn't sure what she was more excited about--being there, or having this picture to take home with her?
Drew ended up being busier that day than she expected. If she wasn't onstage or greeting fans, she was giving impromptu mini-interviews to attending news outlets. As the hours and the music wore on, dinner came from takeout boxes as everyone sat around backstage and talked and cut up. These were the moments she enjoyed the most.
__________________________________________________
TAYLOR
It had been an incredibly long day and 9pm came late. Nobody in their right mind saw 9pm as late but after a day like today it certainly wasn't early.
Taylor was more than ready for the hour and a half set they were allotted. Being a headliner only gave you an extra 30-45 minutes. He could take what he could get. It had been a great day, however. Guest jamming onstage with a few of the bands had been fun, but now he was ready to play his own show. There was nothing like the rush of being onstage and feeding off the energy from the crowd.
Drew spoke one last time before they went onstage, thanking the crowd one final time for being troopers and once again for supporting indie music and the Times. Nothing could take the smile off his face that appeared as the crowd roared at their entrance.
Performing was fantastic. He loved it. The feeling was his mistress. But nothing, absolutely nothing, beat the feeling he got when he glanced backstage and could see Mel peeking around the curtains. He had
never been on that kind of high before, it was fucking amazing.
He lived for the short breaks they took in between sets. He lived for walking offstage and into her arms, which waited with a dry towel and a cold bottle of water. It was small moments like this when he never felt more loved. "So what do you think so far?" he asked her.
To his amazement, her response was, "You should flirt more."
He didn't know if it was the breathlessness or the disbelief that put the shocked smile on his face. "I should what?"
"You should flirt more. They come to see you. Well, and the music of course, but ultimately they come to see you. You seem a little reserved tonight. Loosen up, wink at somebody, I don't know. Don't act like you don't know how to woo your women."
Her smile made him laugh. "The life of a musician," he said.
She shrugged. "It is what it is."
After a minute it was time to take the stage again. Kissing her was like breathing in fresh energy. He was ready for round two.
Well the Day Has Come to where I've never thought of anyone
Quite as much as I think of you
As the days go by I never wonder why
I just know it's true
Well the Day Has Come
Well the Day Has Come
Well I never would have thought that I
Could love someone like I love you
And I never would have thought
That anyone could love me like you do
The Day Has Come and still I never
Ask myself why I love you
And as the days go by it seems that I
Love you more than I did the day before
Well the Day Has Come
Well the Day Has Come
________________________________________________________
MEL
Most women would kill a bitch if her man smiled at them or sang to them from the stage. But not Mel. She was totally the opposite, she encouraged it. She guessed it was lucky for her that she was able to get used to the hype of fandom at such an early age. Of course at that time it made her feel weird and she was extremely nervous and self-conscious, but after growing up and after all the concerts she had attended and artists she had reviewed, she came to appreciate the fan base and understood what it took to keep them. It was harmless to show your fans a little extra appreciation sometimes. As long as they loved you and your music, what did it matter?
She was so proud of Taylor. She was proud of him, she was proud of Hanson, she was proud of the music--she was proud to call him hers. She had the best man anyone could ever ask for and she knew it. Watching him perform, there was absolutely nowhere else she would rather be. How could this night possibly get any better?
Mel's cell phone vibrated in her pocket and the frantic text from Zoe that read, "NEED HELP FAST" caused her to rush from where she was standing and to the stage door. She felt bad that she wouldn't be there for Tay for their second break but she decided he was a big boy and could take care of himself. There were more pressing matters at hand.
Mel peeked out the stage door. The merch table was swamped. Nobody had expected this. Sure, they brought along practically triple the merch they normally would and keeping items in stock didn't seem to be the
problem. It was the fact that everyone wanted it all, ALL the same time, that sent Avery and Zoe into a frenzy. As Mel rushed out the door and found Diana standing there, she stopped and grabbed her hand. "It's all hands on deck," she said to her.
Mel and Diana joined Diana's daughters and the four of them worked like mad to get the waiting customers moving. They formed a system, Zoe the math whiz took cash, Avery took credit, and Diana and Mel retrieved merch and kept up the inventory. Within minutes the small crowd was appeased and dissipated and the four of them took a breath and laughed. Laughing was all they could do. "We should do this in shifts," Diana said. "Next shift will be Nikki, Kate, Jessi, and Drew."
"Or Mac," Mel suggested.
Diana laughed harder and shook her head. "Not Mac."
Mel had thought Diana was merely joking about the shift change but it had, in fact, become a reality. The four women in question were quite surprisingly receptive to the idea and had agreed to take the last half of the
set. This put first shift backstage and exactly where Mel wanted to be once the show was over.
The time went by fast. Mel gushed with Diana and Walker over the music and how proud they all were of the guys. They spent time reflecting and reminiscing, Mel not able to stop herself from fawning over how Zoe and Avery impressed her earlier. This was a family that loved each other and worked together and Mel was entirely too happy to be a part of it.
One last break before the encore sent a sweat-soaked Taylor directly into Mel's arms. The smile that hurt her cheeks was infectious as the grin he returned to her was just as big, if not bigger. Frantically, he dug in his
jeans pocket. "Here, I have something for you." Holding the tiny object in his fist, a mystery to Mel, he first caught his breath from the last song. "But first, I have to hear how much you love me."
Mel smiled playfully, looking at his balled up fist in front of her. "What? Of course I do."
"Then say it. Tell me you love me as much as I love you."
"I love you more, for sure," Mel said. "I love you more than--I love you more than Manolo!"
Tay's eyes widened. "Wow! That's major!"
"You should feel honored."
"Believe me, I do. Okay, here."
He dropped the object into her hand. It was a key. Puzzled, Mel looked up at him. "What is this?"
"That's the key to our East 38th Street condo. It's small but the view is breath-taking. You'll love it."
Speaking of breath-taking, Mel's had disappeared. She was speechless. She didn't know what to say. "It's--East 38th, that's--that's the Corinthian..."
Tay smiled and nodded.
"How did you--?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is, it's ours. So we have somewhere to go every time we come to the city. I know how much you love it here. And you know how much I love you. I mean, it's done. It's paid for. It's ours--it's yours. Yours and mine. If you'll have me forever..."
Mel wanted to cry but she didn't even have the opportunity to speak again before he was rushed back onstage for the encore. The anthematic last song couldn't have been more perfect right at that moment. It was a song that was very much open for interpretation and Mel knew right away what her interpretation was.
She found herself singing along without even knowing the words.
Tonight is the first night
Tonight is the last night
Don't care what has come before
Tomorrow's an open door
So box to the ropes and jump in the crowd
Throw up your hands and sing it out loud
Oh, Tonight
Well it might be a shame and you might be disheartened
To be back on the rocks this time around
I've seen the sunshine and I've seen the rain
When you walk the line brilliance can sound insane
But Tonight is the first night
Tonight is the last night
Don't care what has come before
Tomorrow's an open door
So box to the ropes and jump in the crowd
Throw up your hands and sing it out loud
And say what you mean and mean what you say and Tonight
Chase down the dream and don't give up without a fight
And don't wait for tomorrow's daylight
Cause it just might be Tonight
When you're too tired to walk and too scared to run
And your heavyweight knees buckle under a ton
Blue sky visions turn into a storm
I've got suspicions you won't make it one more
Well there's no silver lining, there's nothing to lose
So don't wait for tomorrow
Don't wait for tomorrow
Cause Tonight is the first night
Tonight is the last night
Don't care what has come before
Tomorrow's an open door
So box to the ropes and jump in the crowd
Throw up your hands and sing it out loud
And say what you mean and mean what you say and Tonight
Chase down the dream and don't give up without a fight
And don't wait for tomorrow's daylight
Cause it just might be Tonight