chickadee
New Yorker
And... we're back! Thanks as always for the lovely comments, I hope everyone keeps enjoying the fic. I continue to tweak details of the tour for my own ends, and I continue to have lots of fun with it!
As usual, U2 don't belong to me. There is some strong language in this chapter.
Love Rescue Me
Chapter 7
Larry watched Adam. They were sitting in the hotel bar along with everyone else who had decided to celebrate their arrival in Washington. One drink – Larry’s – sat untouched on the table, while Adam was already on his second of the night.
“You don’t have to babysit me, Lawrence,” Adam said wearily after a prolonged silence.
“I’m not.” Larry folded his arms. “I want you to tell me what all this is about.”
Adam sighed and drank. “You know what it’s about.”
I think I do, but I hope I’m wrong, for once in my life. “Cara?” The name tasted bad in Larry’s mouth, even more so when Adam nodded. “I saw her backstage, the first night in Boston. I didn’t speak to her. Thought you’d be able to deal with her, but I forgot you have a blind spot when it comes to her, don’t you?”
Adam sighed again, pointedly. “Larry, I would appreciate it if you’d stop talking to me as if I am a child. I’m perfectly capable of ‘dealing’ with Cara, if that’s how you want to phrase it. The truth is, I haven’t dealt with anything. I merely ran away from her.”
“Good.” Larry was satisfied. Keeping his distance was the best idea for Adam, he thought. If Adam was around Cara, he couldn’t help himself, and Larry was tired of seeing his friend hurt.
“Is it?” Adam swallowed the last of his drink and set the glass down. “Doesn’t feel like it.”
Larry went to get another. The least I can do is help him numb whatever he’s feeling. On his way back to the table, he bumped into Beth, who’d been upstairs since they’d arrived.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, trying to get past, but Larry blocked her way.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, in a low voice. “Our life is getting ruined by fuckin’ journalists and there’s one on tour with us, poking your nose in where it isn’t wanted!”
Beth tucked her hands in her jeans pockets and met Larry’s eyes, which surprised him. She had seemed quite shy, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Of course she isn’t shy, she’s a reporter. “I know you don’t like me, but I’m afraid it’s not your problem. Bono has invited me to write a book, and that’s something I really want to do.”
Larry snorted. “Yeah, well, you can write it without my help, okay? Let’s see how well it sells without the story of the entire band.”
“I’m sure it’ll do just fine. No one’s ever interested in the drummer, anyway.” She smiled sweetly, and stepped past him to go to the bar. Larry glared after her, but his attention was drawn towards Adam, who’d come to get his pint.
“Did you take the scenic route?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and Larry forced himself to smile. He couldn’t stop looking over at Beth and wondering what exactly it was she really wanted.
*
The following day brought sunshine to the city, and as a result everyone had been out early, making the most of their free time. At the soundcheck, Beth sat at the edge of the stage and thought about the pleasant day she’d had so far in Washington.
Beth, Bono, Edge and Larry had met up at ten and visited the White House at Beth’s request, and then gone for something to eat. Jen had declined the invitation, saying she had lots to organise for the show that evening, and Adam had stayed at the hotel. He’d apparently told Larry he didn’t need looking after, and so Larry had ended up joining the little tourist group. Beth had made sure she didn’t talk to him; she was still smarting from the way he’d had a go at her in the bar. Okay, she understood his point of view, but surely it was time to accept she was here, and that she wasn’t going to do any harm?
Over lunch in an elegant Italian café, it had become clear Larry wasn’t ready to accept anything. He chose the chair diagonally opposite Beth’s and spent the entire meal speaking exclusively to Bono and Edge. Despite her outward nonchalance, Beth was a little hurt by his behaviour. It wasn’t as if she was a bad person. She had grown to love the band’s music and wanted to do their tour justice in her writing.
She brought her recollections to a halt as the band finished tuning up and began practising. They started with 'Where the Streets Have No Name'. Beth took a few photographs and allowed herself to look properly at Bono without worrying he might suspect her motives. His long hair was tied back, his body drawn to its full height as he strode across the stage, filling the space as easily as if there were ten of him. He wasn’t giving himself as fully as he would when the venue was filled, but he couldn’t quite keep his rehearsal low-key. It was as if every song he sang became a part of him and he couldn’t separate the two. That aspect of him just one of many which made him extremely attractive, and Beth was more certain than ever that she was falling for him, despite her feeble attempts not to. The fact she and Bono had spent most of the day flirting didn’t help matters, either.
There was a break about twenty minutes in, but Beth was in the middle of writing ideas in her notepad and barely noticed people leaving the stage. It was only when Bono came and sat beside her, making her jump with surprise, that she realised.
“What did you think, then?” he asked playfully, nudging against her. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face; it was like an automatic reaction to being around him.
“Excellent,” she replied, nudging him back. “I can’t wait for tonight’s show. I’ll be someone important, at last.”
“Of course you’re important.” He laid his chin on her shoulder and tried to read what she’d been writing. A shiver raced down Beth’s spine, but she tried not to show he was affecting her. “What are you up to? A ‘deviously-conceived character assassination’, by any chance?”
Beth raised her eyebrows, turning her head slightly so she could see him. “Wow, Larry has a wider vocabulary than I’d credited him with.”
Bono chuckled, the deep sound resonating through Beth’s body. She urged to pull him closer, but of course she didn’t. Must remember I’m professional. Doing my job. Yes. That’s settled, then. “I think he used a thesaurus.” They both laughed, and then Bono moved a little, just enough that his nose was brushing against Beth’s chin. Her heart nearly stopped at the contact and she froze, willing him to keep going. If he kisses me, it’s not my fault, I can’t say no.
“Beth,” Bono whispered, a smile in his voice as he reached around and placed his hand on the back of her neck. He shifted again, so their noses were touching. His eyes were locked onto hers, and to her amazement she didn’t look away. She couldn’t; his stare pinned her down, and she submitted willingly.
Kiss me, she thought wildly, and it was only when he laughed again that she realised she must have spoken out loud. It would have been embarrassing if she wasn’t so utterly turned on.
“Don’t mind if I do,” he said, in a low sexy voice that made her moan before she could decide not to. Then his lips were on hers, giving what she’d so desperately wanted. His mouth was warm, wet and inviting, and it was heaven. His fingers slid up into her hair, tangling there, as she grew bold enough to put her hand on his knee. She turned fully to face him, tilting her head back a little, letting him deepen the kiss. His tongue slid against hers and she felt herself become dizzy; she was melting into a gooey puddle of want and she didn’t care as long as he never stopped kissing her.
She braced herself with one hand as the other started a slow path up his thigh, stopping a few inches from his hip, and she felt rather than heard the throaty noise he made in response. His free hand skimmed her side and then rested there as she grew breathless, knowing they ought to stop but not being able to, because she’d never had such a powerful kiss in her life.
The dilemma was taken out of her hands when she heard a loud, deliberate cough and instinctively broke away from Bono. His eyes were dark with desire and his lips were swollen as he sat back, and Beth wondered if the same was true of her. She tried to catch her breath as she forced herself to look up, and saw Larry standing there, looking furious.
“Break’s over,” he said shortly, glaring at Bono rather than Beth, which was unusual as his dirty looks were usually reserved for her. “We have work to do, in case you’d forgotten.”
“Okay, Larry, I’m here.” Bono sounded annoyed too, and Beth understood why. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the hotel and finish what they’d just started. Imagining his hands all over her was making her throat dry. “Later,” he told her, smiling suggestively.
“Later,” she echoed, watching him get to his feet and cross over to Edge and Adam, who had both returned. Oh, I can’t wait.
*
Jen finished laying out all the clothes she’d selected, with the help of the band, for tonight’s show. She’d decided to take the approach of letting them give her their ideas, which she would then try to make possible on the relatively small budget she’d been given, rather than attempting to force her own opinions onto them. After all, they were grown men, not kids, and they knew better than she did what was best for them.
Adam came in first to the backstage area, and Jen did her best to chat while she handed over his outfit, but he was definitely distracted. Apart from a polite ‘hello’, he didn’t say much, and Jen thought back to what Bono had said about this Cara woman. Beth had explained how she’d given Cara her Press Pass back in Boston, having no idea who she really was. Neither Bono nor Edge had blamed her for what happened, and she said she felt terrible and apologised more than once. And earlier that day, when Beth got back from sight-seeing, she and Jen had speculated over what Cara and Adam’s past might be like. It was just girls gossiping to pass the time, really, but as Jen watched Adam walk from the room, she saw for herself the reality of a broken relationship.
“Hey, Jen.” Larry strode in, moments after Adam had left, startling her from her thoughts. She often got lost in them, these days, and she hoped it didn’t make her appear unprofessional. “Got something flamboyant for me to wear?”
Jen stared at him. “Uh, no,” she answered, worrying until he winked at her.
“Thank fuck for that,” he replied, giving her the briefest of grins. He took his clothes from her and paused. “You’re a girl.”
“Yes, last time I checked,” Jen giggled.
“Right, well. Tell me something. Why are girls so stupid when it comes to guys? They treat them badly, or they don’t notice stuff, and it pisses me off.”
“Hmm.” Jen picked up her cup of coffee. “Well, sometimes guys do the same things, and girls want revenge. Or, y’know, they fall in love. Girls do weird things when they’re in love. My friend Anna, she’s like, what, a year younger than I am so she’s… twenty, God I forgot my age there, and anyway she’s seeing this guy, he’s such a loser but no matter how often you tell her that, she never listens, she thinks he’s amazing, but he’s cheated on her at least twice and if you ask me he’ll do it again.” She shrugged. “It’s all love, is what I think.”
Larry was smiling again, just a little, and it made him look so much more approachable. “Fuck, you do talk a lot, don’t you?”
Jen couldn’t help laughing at his bluntness. “And you hardly seem to say anything. Maybe we meet in the middle somewhere.”
“Maybe we do,” Larry nodded, before the door opened and Edge came in. He wasn’t wearing a hat, and his hair was loose. Jen felt goosebumps rise all along her arms; he was so lovely to look at, too lovely to be a rock star.
“Larry, Bono’s looking for you,” he announced, which resulted in an expletive from Larry as he left the room, and then Jen was alone with Edge.
“I have yours here,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray how she felt. What she had said to Larry hadn’t been a lie; she really did believe love made people act strangely, and she’d vowed before not to let one of those people be her. Yet as she stood so close to Edge, her fingers brushing his as he took the shirt and jeans, she wondered if perhaps that was a risk worth taking. I don’t love him, I can’t possibly, I hardly know him. The protest in her head wasn’t working. His eyes were on hers, his beautiful, changeable eyes that fascinated her every time she had the chance to see them.
“Thank you,” he replied quietly. Now his eyes were on her lips, and she licked them unconsciously. She wished he would just kiss her and relieve this tension that had existed between them since they met, and had intensified during the long bus journey. All he did, however, was clear his throat and give her a hesitant smile. “Are you coming to watch the gig?”
Who cares about the gig? Jen found herself thinking in desperation, but as he was walking away it was clear that was as close as she was going to get, and sighed inwardly. “Yeah, I’ll be there,” she promised, which was worth it to see the look on his face. He wants me to be there. He wants me? He can have me, I won’t complain. There was no chance of that as Edge opened the door, giving her a last smile before he left, and Jen was free to breathe normally again.
*
Beth loved being a photographer. A real photographer, not someone Alex employed to make his coffee. She’d spent the past half hour taking pictures of the front of the arena, the auditorium, the backstage area, and now she was intending to work her way through the ‘pre-show’ band shots she and Bono had discussed. Unfortunately, Adam wasn’t in the mood, shut up in his dressing room, Edge had disappeared, and Larry was a lost cause, despite her best attempts to convert him.
“Fuck off with that camera,” he’d growled in the corridor, “or I’ll burn the fuckin’ thing.”
That left only Bono, which wasn’t exactly an unappealing prospect. Beth knocked on his dressing room door, and the minute she was inside he had her pressed up against it.
“How am I going to do this show?” he murmured, staring at her in that same hungry way he had earlier. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Beth. Please tell me you feel the same?”
Beth gasped as his lips found her neck and kissed, then sucked. It was with enormous willpower that she pushed him back gently and said, as seriously as she was able, “You’re not giving me much choice, are you?”
If she had been in any doubt as to his true feelings, they were revealed in the way his face fell. She’d wanted to tease him, but now wished she hadn’t.
“I’m joking,” she assured him hastily, and was rewarded with a glorious, charged smile that sent waves of aching need through her body, arousing her to the point where she thought she might cry if he didn’t kiss her right there and then.
Luckily, he didn’t deny her, and their mouths met. A whimper was caught between them as he pressed against her, his chest against hers, his groin against hers. She pulled him closer, her hands on his back, as she parted her lips and pushed her tongue into his mouth. The groan he made preceded one of his hands sliding down to her bottom, cupping and squeezing. His other hand moved tantalisingly up the front of her shirt, fingers stroking her stomach. It was too, too good, and Beth wanted to keep going, she wanted to remove all these silly layers of clothing that separated them.
It wasn’t to be. Bono broke the kiss at a knock on the door, and Beth could have screamed. Instead, she sat down and pretended to sort her camera as Bono let Edge in. They couldn’t have done anything anyway, since it was almost time for the gig to start, but that didn’t stop her being extremely disappointed.
*
Sometimes Edge wandered on stage – mentally, not physically. He was a good enough guitarist that, if for some reason he became lost in other, non-musical thoughts, it made little difference to his playing. Tonight was a prime example. Edge hadn’t been quite on top of things since the show began. Aislinn occupied a portion of his mind, as she usually did, but he had to admit to himself that he was spending a lot more time thinking about Jen.
It was wrong, he knew, to want someone else while he was married. He didn’t behave like that. He never had. In all the years he and Aislinn had been together, Edge had not strayed once, believing that cheating was both disloyal and deceitful. Other people did it, of course – Adam being a case in point – but Edge had always imagined he wouldn’t ever want to. He’d married Aislinn because he loved her, so why would he look at anyone else?
Lately, though, Edge had begun to see the world wasn’t as black and white as that. Occasionally, there might be reasons for cheating. They weren’t necessarily brilliant reasons, but if people were unhappy and there was an outlet for their frustrations… well, Edge sort of understood. He’d been supportive of Adam during his stormy, affair-laden relationship with Cara because Adam was his friend. Now, he wondered if there would be any support for him if he decided to act on his attraction to Jen.
I’m trying to justify it to myself, he sighed, as the band got ready to lead into ‘Exit’. But I don’t really think betraying someone you’re supposed to love is justifiable. I wish it was, because I can’t stop thinking about her.
Jen’s wide smile, long blonde hair and curvaceous figure seemed burned into Edge’s subconscious. His fingers found the guitar strings and he played, half-listening to Bono singing about the hands of love, wondering if maybe it was that simple, Jen’s hands…
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
As the scream rang out, Adam’s bass stopped, closely followed by Larry’s drumming. Edge’s eyes flew open and, panicking, he looked over to the other side of the stage, where Bono was lying in apparent agony.
All thoughts of Jen were banished; Edge raced to Bono’s side, Larry right behind him.
“What’s happened?” Edge demanded, trying not to worry when he saw how pale Bono’s face looked.
“Slipped… fucking shoulder…” Bono grunted, clutching at his arm.
Adam had joined them now and was sitting to Edge’s left. Larry shifted Bono into more of a sitting position, supporting him. It was probably mere seconds between this and the stand-by doctor arriving, but they were very long seconds indeed. Edge glanced at Larry as Bono was given medical attention, and his suspicions were confirmed when Larry muttered to him and Adam, “I think he’s dislocated it.”
The three watched in heavy silence, surrounded by the concerned noise of the crowd, and Edge concentrated only on Bono.
to be continued...
As usual, U2 don't belong to me. There is some strong language in this chapter.
Love Rescue Me
Chapter 7
Larry watched Adam. They were sitting in the hotel bar along with everyone else who had decided to celebrate their arrival in Washington. One drink – Larry’s – sat untouched on the table, while Adam was already on his second of the night.
“You don’t have to babysit me, Lawrence,” Adam said wearily after a prolonged silence.
“I’m not.” Larry folded his arms. “I want you to tell me what all this is about.”
Adam sighed and drank. “You know what it’s about.”
I think I do, but I hope I’m wrong, for once in my life. “Cara?” The name tasted bad in Larry’s mouth, even more so when Adam nodded. “I saw her backstage, the first night in Boston. I didn’t speak to her. Thought you’d be able to deal with her, but I forgot you have a blind spot when it comes to her, don’t you?”
Adam sighed again, pointedly. “Larry, I would appreciate it if you’d stop talking to me as if I am a child. I’m perfectly capable of ‘dealing’ with Cara, if that’s how you want to phrase it. The truth is, I haven’t dealt with anything. I merely ran away from her.”
“Good.” Larry was satisfied. Keeping his distance was the best idea for Adam, he thought. If Adam was around Cara, he couldn’t help himself, and Larry was tired of seeing his friend hurt.
“Is it?” Adam swallowed the last of his drink and set the glass down. “Doesn’t feel like it.”
Larry went to get another. The least I can do is help him numb whatever he’s feeling. On his way back to the table, he bumped into Beth, who’d been upstairs since they’d arrived.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, trying to get past, but Larry blocked her way.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, in a low voice. “Our life is getting ruined by fuckin’ journalists and there’s one on tour with us, poking your nose in where it isn’t wanted!”
Beth tucked her hands in her jeans pockets and met Larry’s eyes, which surprised him. She had seemed quite shy, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Of course she isn’t shy, she’s a reporter. “I know you don’t like me, but I’m afraid it’s not your problem. Bono has invited me to write a book, and that’s something I really want to do.”
Larry snorted. “Yeah, well, you can write it without my help, okay? Let’s see how well it sells without the story of the entire band.”
“I’m sure it’ll do just fine. No one’s ever interested in the drummer, anyway.” She smiled sweetly, and stepped past him to go to the bar. Larry glared after her, but his attention was drawn towards Adam, who’d come to get his pint.
“Did you take the scenic route?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and Larry forced himself to smile. He couldn’t stop looking over at Beth and wondering what exactly it was she really wanted.
*
The following day brought sunshine to the city, and as a result everyone had been out early, making the most of their free time. At the soundcheck, Beth sat at the edge of the stage and thought about the pleasant day she’d had so far in Washington.
Beth, Bono, Edge and Larry had met up at ten and visited the White House at Beth’s request, and then gone for something to eat. Jen had declined the invitation, saying she had lots to organise for the show that evening, and Adam had stayed at the hotel. He’d apparently told Larry he didn’t need looking after, and so Larry had ended up joining the little tourist group. Beth had made sure she didn’t talk to him; she was still smarting from the way he’d had a go at her in the bar. Okay, she understood his point of view, but surely it was time to accept she was here, and that she wasn’t going to do any harm?
Over lunch in an elegant Italian café, it had become clear Larry wasn’t ready to accept anything. He chose the chair diagonally opposite Beth’s and spent the entire meal speaking exclusively to Bono and Edge. Despite her outward nonchalance, Beth was a little hurt by his behaviour. It wasn’t as if she was a bad person. She had grown to love the band’s music and wanted to do their tour justice in her writing.
She brought her recollections to a halt as the band finished tuning up and began practising. They started with 'Where the Streets Have No Name'. Beth took a few photographs and allowed herself to look properly at Bono without worrying he might suspect her motives. His long hair was tied back, his body drawn to its full height as he strode across the stage, filling the space as easily as if there were ten of him. He wasn’t giving himself as fully as he would when the venue was filled, but he couldn’t quite keep his rehearsal low-key. It was as if every song he sang became a part of him and he couldn’t separate the two. That aspect of him just one of many which made him extremely attractive, and Beth was more certain than ever that she was falling for him, despite her feeble attempts not to. The fact she and Bono had spent most of the day flirting didn’t help matters, either.
There was a break about twenty minutes in, but Beth was in the middle of writing ideas in her notepad and barely noticed people leaving the stage. It was only when Bono came and sat beside her, making her jump with surprise, that she realised.
“What did you think, then?” he asked playfully, nudging against her. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face; it was like an automatic reaction to being around him.
“Excellent,” she replied, nudging him back. “I can’t wait for tonight’s show. I’ll be someone important, at last.”
“Of course you’re important.” He laid his chin on her shoulder and tried to read what she’d been writing. A shiver raced down Beth’s spine, but she tried not to show he was affecting her. “What are you up to? A ‘deviously-conceived character assassination’, by any chance?”
Beth raised her eyebrows, turning her head slightly so she could see him. “Wow, Larry has a wider vocabulary than I’d credited him with.”
Bono chuckled, the deep sound resonating through Beth’s body. She urged to pull him closer, but of course she didn’t. Must remember I’m professional. Doing my job. Yes. That’s settled, then. “I think he used a thesaurus.” They both laughed, and then Bono moved a little, just enough that his nose was brushing against Beth’s chin. Her heart nearly stopped at the contact and she froze, willing him to keep going. If he kisses me, it’s not my fault, I can’t say no.
“Beth,” Bono whispered, a smile in his voice as he reached around and placed his hand on the back of her neck. He shifted again, so their noses were touching. His eyes were locked onto hers, and to her amazement she didn’t look away. She couldn’t; his stare pinned her down, and she submitted willingly.
Kiss me, she thought wildly, and it was only when he laughed again that she realised she must have spoken out loud. It would have been embarrassing if she wasn’t so utterly turned on.
“Don’t mind if I do,” he said, in a low sexy voice that made her moan before she could decide not to. Then his lips were on hers, giving what she’d so desperately wanted. His mouth was warm, wet and inviting, and it was heaven. His fingers slid up into her hair, tangling there, as she grew bold enough to put her hand on his knee. She turned fully to face him, tilting her head back a little, letting him deepen the kiss. His tongue slid against hers and she felt herself become dizzy; she was melting into a gooey puddle of want and she didn’t care as long as he never stopped kissing her.
She braced herself with one hand as the other started a slow path up his thigh, stopping a few inches from his hip, and she felt rather than heard the throaty noise he made in response. His free hand skimmed her side and then rested there as she grew breathless, knowing they ought to stop but not being able to, because she’d never had such a powerful kiss in her life.
The dilemma was taken out of her hands when she heard a loud, deliberate cough and instinctively broke away from Bono. His eyes were dark with desire and his lips were swollen as he sat back, and Beth wondered if the same was true of her. She tried to catch her breath as she forced herself to look up, and saw Larry standing there, looking furious.
“Break’s over,” he said shortly, glaring at Bono rather than Beth, which was unusual as his dirty looks were usually reserved for her. “We have work to do, in case you’d forgotten.”
“Okay, Larry, I’m here.” Bono sounded annoyed too, and Beth understood why. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the hotel and finish what they’d just started. Imagining his hands all over her was making her throat dry. “Later,” he told her, smiling suggestively.
“Later,” she echoed, watching him get to his feet and cross over to Edge and Adam, who had both returned. Oh, I can’t wait.
*
Jen finished laying out all the clothes she’d selected, with the help of the band, for tonight’s show. She’d decided to take the approach of letting them give her their ideas, which she would then try to make possible on the relatively small budget she’d been given, rather than attempting to force her own opinions onto them. After all, they were grown men, not kids, and they knew better than she did what was best for them.
Adam came in first to the backstage area, and Jen did her best to chat while she handed over his outfit, but he was definitely distracted. Apart from a polite ‘hello’, he didn’t say much, and Jen thought back to what Bono had said about this Cara woman. Beth had explained how she’d given Cara her Press Pass back in Boston, having no idea who she really was. Neither Bono nor Edge had blamed her for what happened, and she said she felt terrible and apologised more than once. And earlier that day, when Beth got back from sight-seeing, she and Jen had speculated over what Cara and Adam’s past might be like. It was just girls gossiping to pass the time, really, but as Jen watched Adam walk from the room, she saw for herself the reality of a broken relationship.
“Hey, Jen.” Larry strode in, moments after Adam had left, startling her from her thoughts. She often got lost in them, these days, and she hoped it didn’t make her appear unprofessional. “Got something flamboyant for me to wear?”
Jen stared at him. “Uh, no,” she answered, worrying until he winked at her.
“Thank fuck for that,” he replied, giving her the briefest of grins. He took his clothes from her and paused. “You’re a girl.”
“Yes, last time I checked,” Jen giggled.
“Right, well. Tell me something. Why are girls so stupid when it comes to guys? They treat them badly, or they don’t notice stuff, and it pisses me off.”
“Hmm.” Jen picked up her cup of coffee. “Well, sometimes guys do the same things, and girls want revenge. Or, y’know, they fall in love. Girls do weird things when they’re in love. My friend Anna, she’s like, what, a year younger than I am so she’s… twenty, God I forgot my age there, and anyway she’s seeing this guy, he’s such a loser but no matter how often you tell her that, she never listens, she thinks he’s amazing, but he’s cheated on her at least twice and if you ask me he’ll do it again.” She shrugged. “It’s all love, is what I think.”
Larry was smiling again, just a little, and it made him look so much more approachable. “Fuck, you do talk a lot, don’t you?”
Jen couldn’t help laughing at his bluntness. “And you hardly seem to say anything. Maybe we meet in the middle somewhere.”
“Maybe we do,” Larry nodded, before the door opened and Edge came in. He wasn’t wearing a hat, and his hair was loose. Jen felt goosebumps rise all along her arms; he was so lovely to look at, too lovely to be a rock star.
“Larry, Bono’s looking for you,” he announced, which resulted in an expletive from Larry as he left the room, and then Jen was alone with Edge.
“I have yours here,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray how she felt. What she had said to Larry hadn’t been a lie; she really did believe love made people act strangely, and she’d vowed before not to let one of those people be her. Yet as she stood so close to Edge, her fingers brushing his as he took the shirt and jeans, she wondered if perhaps that was a risk worth taking. I don’t love him, I can’t possibly, I hardly know him. The protest in her head wasn’t working. His eyes were on hers, his beautiful, changeable eyes that fascinated her every time she had the chance to see them.
“Thank you,” he replied quietly. Now his eyes were on her lips, and she licked them unconsciously. She wished he would just kiss her and relieve this tension that had existed between them since they met, and had intensified during the long bus journey. All he did, however, was clear his throat and give her a hesitant smile. “Are you coming to watch the gig?”
Who cares about the gig? Jen found herself thinking in desperation, but as he was walking away it was clear that was as close as she was going to get, and sighed inwardly. “Yeah, I’ll be there,” she promised, which was worth it to see the look on his face. He wants me to be there. He wants me? He can have me, I won’t complain. There was no chance of that as Edge opened the door, giving her a last smile before he left, and Jen was free to breathe normally again.
*
Beth loved being a photographer. A real photographer, not someone Alex employed to make his coffee. She’d spent the past half hour taking pictures of the front of the arena, the auditorium, the backstage area, and now she was intending to work her way through the ‘pre-show’ band shots she and Bono had discussed. Unfortunately, Adam wasn’t in the mood, shut up in his dressing room, Edge had disappeared, and Larry was a lost cause, despite her best attempts to convert him.
“Fuck off with that camera,” he’d growled in the corridor, “or I’ll burn the fuckin’ thing.”
That left only Bono, which wasn’t exactly an unappealing prospect. Beth knocked on his dressing room door, and the minute she was inside he had her pressed up against it.
“How am I going to do this show?” he murmured, staring at her in that same hungry way he had earlier. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Beth. Please tell me you feel the same?”
Beth gasped as his lips found her neck and kissed, then sucked. It was with enormous willpower that she pushed him back gently and said, as seriously as she was able, “You’re not giving me much choice, are you?”
If she had been in any doubt as to his true feelings, they were revealed in the way his face fell. She’d wanted to tease him, but now wished she hadn’t.
“I’m joking,” she assured him hastily, and was rewarded with a glorious, charged smile that sent waves of aching need through her body, arousing her to the point where she thought she might cry if he didn’t kiss her right there and then.
Luckily, he didn’t deny her, and their mouths met. A whimper was caught between them as he pressed against her, his chest against hers, his groin against hers. She pulled him closer, her hands on his back, as she parted her lips and pushed her tongue into his mouth. The groan he made preceded one of his hands sliding down to her bottom, cupping and squeezing. His other hand moved tantalisingly up the front of her shirt, fingers stroking her stomach. It was too, too good, and Beth wanted to keep going, she wanted to remove all these silly layers of clothing that separated them.
It wasn’t to be. Bono broke the kiss at a knock on the door, and Beth could have screamed. Instead, she sat down and pretended to sort her camera as Bono let Edge in. They couldn’t have done anything anyway, since it was almost time for the gig to start, but that didn’t stop her being extremely disappointed.
*
Sometimes Edge wandered on stage – mentally, not physically. He was a good enough guitarist that, if for some reason he became lost in other, non-musical thoughts, it made little difference to his playing. Tonight was a prime example. Edge hadn’t been quite on top of things since the show began. Aislinn occupied a portion of his mind, as she usually did, but he had to admit to himself that he was spending a lot more time thinking about Jen.
It was wrong, he knew, to want someone else while he was married. He didn’t behave like that. He never had. In all the years he and Aislinn had been together, Edge had not strayed once, believing that cheating was both disloyal and deceitful. Other people did it, of course – Adam being a case in point – but Edge had always imagined he wouldn’t ever want to. He’d married Aislinn because he loved her, so why would he look at anyone else?
Lately, though, Edge had begun to see the world wasn’t as black and white as that. Occasionally, there might be reasons for cheating. They weren’t necessarily brilliant reasons, but if people were unhappy and there was an outlet for their frustrations… well, Edge sort of understood. He’d been supportive of Adam during his stormy, affair-laden relationship with Cara because Adam was his friend. Now, he wondered if there would be any support for him if he decided to act on his attraction to Jen.
I’m trying to justify it to myself, he sighed, as the band got ready to lead into ‘Exit’. But I don’t really think betraying someone you’re supposed to love is justifiable. I wish it was, because I can’t stop thinking about her.
Jen’s wide smile, long blonde hair and curvaceous figure seemed burned into Edge’s subconscious. His fingers found the guitar strings and he played, half-listening to Bono singing about the hands of love, wondering if maybe it was that simple, Jen’s hands…
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
As the scream rang out, Adam’s bass stopped, closely followed by Larry’s drumming. Edge’s eyes flew open and, panicking, he looked over to the other side of the stage, where Bono was lying in apparent agony.
All thoughts of Jen were banished; Edge raced to Bono’s side, Larry right behind him.
“What’s happened?” Edge demanded, trying not to worry when he saw how pale Bono’s face looked.
“Slipped… fucking shoulder…” Bono grunted, clutching at his arm.
Adam had joined them now and was sitting to Edge’s left. Larry shifted Bono into more of a sitting position, supporting him. It was probably mere seconds between this and the stand-by doctor arriving, but they were very long seconds indeed. Edge glanced at Larry as Bono was given medical attention, and his suspicions were confirmed when Larry muttered to him and Adam, “I think he’s dislocated it.”
The three watched in heavy silence, surrounded by the concerned noise of the crowd, and Edge concentrated only on Bono.
to be continued...
Love the tension thats rising between the characters! 
oh my word! 
that was a very nice description of that kiss... 
makes it much more realistic
Oh god, the scenes with Bono and Beth! They're written too well! I can barely concentrate enough to read them, because they're too 
