Page 61 of See Her
“Thank you.” I nod up at her, feeling incredibly vulnerable all of a sudden. Dealing with these misgivings and unknowns privately was one thing, but acknowledging them to another person perhaps makes them more real.I take in a big breath, trying to be brave against the emotions. “It’s going to be okay though, right? I mean, you and George made it through…”
“Yes, we did,” she nods, placing comforting hands on my arms. “But it was still hard, and I think it’s better I don’t lay everything on you all at once, but we made it through after figuring out a way that worked for us. You and Jack will have to find your own way too, but I can still help.”
I nod again, trying to get my lungs to work in regularly steady breaths, but before I can stop myself, I step into her arms, and let her give me a hug I didn’t know I needed.
29
JACK
Holy shit, what a long night. After I walked off stage and picked my girl up in a celebratory hug, I thought I could kick back.
No.
The guys and I were ushered to a merch booth to sign some autographs, which was a trip. Never in my life did I think I’d reach a point in my music that I’d be doing that.It was fun, exhilarating, and gave my confidence a serious bump, yet it was humbling at the same time.After that, we had to talk to the sound and lighting crews to discuss what went well and what could’ve gone better.
After showering and changing, I got to join Mayzie backstage to watch The Shock’s set, which was fucking epic.It was amazing to play tonight with the sound effects and lighting, but you could tell they saved the big guns for the main event, which is only natural.They had their songs punctuated by serious pyrotechnics and lasers, further revving up the already crazy fans.
As George and the rest of his band were wrapping up their finale, we were ordered back to the hotel to attend the after party hosted in the top floor penthouse. I’d venture a guess that our appearance preceding The Shock Wave’s is totally orchestrated.
Entering the party feels like passing through some portal, leading us to some crazy underworld. Even through the dim mood lighting, I could see one or two people were already three sheets to the wind as music pulsed and shots were passed around.I gripped Mayzie’s hand and kept her close beside me as we made our way into the throng of people who had given themselves over to the high.
If this had happened while I was still single with the rest of the guys, I couldn’t tell you how I’d react to all this. Maybe I would dive in head first, maybe I’d ease in and partake moderately. But I’m an ecstatically married man, and my first thought is keeping Mayzie safe. This is not her jam by a long shot.
When a group of definitely over-served, scantily dressed women start teetering towards us, I pull her in a little closer; a subtle signal for them to not start any kind of trouble. I don’t miss Josh, however, straightening to his full height in my peripheral, clearly ready to welcome the attention.
“Jack, what the fuck?” he grinds out of the corner of his mouth at me.
“You got a problem?” Unlike him, I’m not subtle, turning completely towards him. After a beat or two of staring him down, he gives a slight head shake and I double down by leading Mayzie away from the mounting fray of newly famous musicians, eating up groupie attention.
The next hour or so is kind of a grind, making small talk with strangers who we weren’t even likely to see again. A little while after the smoke cleared and Josh had gotten over himself, we rejoined the rest of the guys and were all handed shots at one point that we all tossed back. From there, I felt myself go less rigid, and Mayzie seemed to relax a little too.As crazy as it already is, I know the real excitement will happen when The Shock Wave makes their appearance later.
I’m not wrong. When George and the rest of the guys saunter in, it’s like a switch gets flipped, amping the party level up to ten. The energy picks up, and people seem to hit the debauchery even harder.
After addressing a barrage of greetings and attention, George eventually makes his way over to me while Mayzie was looking for a bathroom.
“Hey, great show tonight, man!” I shout over the crowd and the sound system.
“Thank you! You know, I caught some of your set too, and it was outstanding. Don’t think we could’ve gotten a better opener for this tour.”
“That means a lot, thank you. Glad we didn’t disappoint.”
“It’s the truth,” he says, shrugging. “Where’s your lady?” he asks, taking a drink from what looks and smells like Johnnie Walker.
“She went to find a bathroom.”
“Well, if she doesn’t return in five minutes, hunt her down. Make sure she doesn't get sucked into the vortex. These parties can get out of hand.”
“Shit, okay,” I say immediately, and just as quickly, the thought of Josh’s attitude earlier shoots to the front of my mind. “Hey, can I ask you something?” I chance, and then continue when his eyebrows go up in interest. “How did you juggle your marriage with the new success when you first started out?”
George's eyes closing in dismay is not a good sign, and I have to remind myself that he obviously came out the other end of whatever went down, still married.
“I’ll just say that the female portion of your fan base takes some time to accept that they aren’t going to make it into your bed. You and your lady need to seriously bind together to not let that affect either of you, and that can be hard when you have to divide your attention between your marriage and your new job.”
I nod before taking a hearty swallow of my drink. It all sounds pretty daunting. My baby comes first, no matter how much she resists, but that doesn’t mean this predicament feels good.
“When an act is just beginning to gain attention, it’s a long believed theory that it’s best to appear ‘available’,” he uses air quotes. “It builds up the following.”
Whereas he’s been at this a long time; a veteran in the music industry which means his fan base is long established and loyal to a fault. He can do whatever he wants.