Unplanned

This was it! She knew exactly what Amanda was planning as they steadied the car beside the band’s tour bus. Adrenaline was going through both of their veins as she saw her friend, from the corner of her eye, grab the bottom of her shirt and yank it up. Cherry’s face turned red as she realized that the band could probably see them both. She hoped they didn’t think she was quite as crazy as her friend. She risked stealing a look at the windows of the bus, and she was right. They were all in plain view. Instantly, her head snapped back into place and she watched to road for the rest of the trip to the arena. She was excited to finally see them live. She’d seen so many of their live concerts thanks to Amanda and her internet. They looked awesome and they sounded great, she was seriously looking forward to it.
A parking spot was pretty hard to find. Thank god they had already bought their tickets. She didn’t foresee this kind of popularity for them, at all. For a band to come to America from Japan and sell out in less than thirty minutes was unreal to her, but no worries. They were set up in some of the best seats in the house, row three. Close enough to see their faces, but far enough away to catch anything they threw out into the crowd. They took their seats and waited quietly for the opening act to start. They performed with amazing amount of energy and were highly applauded for it. Then it was time. They men took their place on stage and the crowd went wild. T.K. took a look out at everyone and began to speak into the microphone.
“Hello America!” he screamed with his accent heavy but his English clear and perfect, “We didn’t expect so many for our first show. Are you excited?”
The crowd jeered at him and he was astounded.
“Alright then. Let’s get it started, shall we?”

And with that the band began to play. Cherry didn’t know all the words but she was familiar with most of their songs. What she did know she sang along with. Soon the music was flowing through the entire crowd and all the energy was running rampant, Cherry found herself quite upset when the show was over. However, because of Amanda’s display on the highway, they were granted backstage passes and allowed access to a small backstage party. Cherry was never too sure about parties like these. She had always heard about wild orgies and drug use, and she didn’t really feel up to that. She watched Amanda go into the large dressing room but she didn’t follow. Instead, she took a detour and found herself out on the stage.

She wondered around for a bit, looking at the instruments that they just left lying there for the stage crew to take care of. She didn’t know anything about guitars or drums but she did find them all quite beautiful. She picked up a guitar that T.K. had used for one of the songs. It looked to be chrome-plated; it gleamed like nothing she’d ever seen before. She looked at the strings and ran her thumb over them. Perfectly tuned in every way. It was simply a masterpiece.

“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” a familiar voice rang out from behind the guitar.

She jumped and fumbled the guitar a bit before latching on to it with great force.

“I’m sorry; I thought you were at the party. I didn’t mean to snoop.” She said quickly.
“It’s perfectly alright. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Parties like that aren’t my tastes and so I tend to hang around the stage while they’re back there doing whatever.” He reached his hand out to her, “I’m T.K.”

She put the guitar back on its stand and took his hand in a firm shake, “Cherry.”
“Fruit? Who did that to you?” he asked slightly confused.
“My mother. She named me after what she craved when she was pregnant with me.”

He laughed about her comment for a slight moment and shook his head.

“You American’s are full of strange ways.”

He looked her up and down quickly and sighed, “Wanna get outta here? I don’t like being here with a bunch of bachelors. I don’t fit in with them on most days.”
She nodded and followed him off the stage and out into the arena. He took the floor in a dead sprint and she giggled as she ran after him. They slammed through the doors and ran into the parking lot.
“Which one’s yours?” he asked scanning the rows of cars.

She could find her old junker anywhere; especially in this parking lot full of shiny new cars. She blushed as she pointed it out. He snickered to himself a bit.
“Perfect.” He said as he ran to it.
She rolled her eyes and followed him. They jumped in and she started it up.
“Where to?” she asked as they left the lot.
“Anywhere but here.” He answered sharply.

She drove any direction that she could. She really didn’t know this city very well, but she did know where the main streets were. They drove past restaurants and shops of every kind. She watched him from the corner of her eye but she never saw a sign that he wanted to stop.
“See anywhere you want to go?” she asked sheepishly.

He quickly scanned the surroundings but saw nothing that really caught his eye. He brought his gaze back to her. She was concentrating on the road quite intently; her hands only left the wheel to brush her red hair back behind her ears when the air conditioner blew it loose. He noticed that she wore a small amount of jewelry, but not the most important piece. Her fingers were all bare.
“There!” he said excitedly as her saw past her.

She turned quickly in the direction he pointed and drove to the small park that she hoped he was pointing at. When she saw an empty parking spot, she stopped and they both got out.
“Perfect!” he exclaimed.
“What are we doing here?” she asked quietly.
“Escaping,” He answered her, “from everything. Haven’t you ever wanted to get away and be alone?”
“Yeah, but normally I do it alone.” She giggled a bit.

He smiled at her with half a grin. He was astonishingly attractive. She had always thought that the pictures she had seen of him were just a trick of make-up and lighting. But no, he was genuinely…pretty. She smiled back at him.

“What?” She asked after they stared one another down for a few seconds.
“Just taking in the view,” he said with his accent thick, “you should appreciate the beauty of your country more often.”

She stared back at him, not sure if he really was looking at her, or past her.

“See those stars?” he asked as he pointed to the sky behind her.

She sighed, of course, she’d never be that lucky. What on earth was she thinking? She rolled her eyes and turned to look at where he was pointing. The sight took her breath away. She had never seen so many stars in the sky.

“See what I mean?” he asked.

She nodded.

He turned away from her and began walking. She turned and followed after a last look at the sky. They walked past the playground and on into the wooded area behind the children’s area. He found a bench beside the walking trail and sat down. She did as he did.

“So, Cherry, what do you do for a living?” He asked sounding genuinely interested.
“Well,” she hesitated, “I just run a small gas station. Nothing important.”
He scoffed, “That’s very important. At least to the people who need a gas station, right?”
She couldn’t help feeling that he was making fun of her.
“Not like you,” she said defensively, “entertaining the masses and all.”
“That’s not that important. If it wasn’t us, it would be someone else. All this fame and popularity could slip away in seconds, and we would be nothing. That’s just something those guys never seem to understand. They party all the time like that; waste money on stuff that would never last. It makes me sick.” He stopped and glanced at her.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t something I should be saying is it?” he asked.
“You’re secret’s safe with me.” She crossed her heart.

He smiled, “I guess that means we are friends now.”

She nodded in return and they sat for a few minutes more in silence. It was quiet and dark here; the perfect place for some mugger to hide, or worse, for some unseemly business. There wasn’t even anyone around that she knew of. She felt herself blushing at the thoughts that crept into her mind. She felt him stretch beside her and place his arm on the back of the bench. She looked at him and saw that he was facing her.

“Tell me something about you, Cherry.” He demanded politely.
“I don’t know what you’d like to know.” She blushed more.
“Tell me anything…everything even. Do you have a husband or children?”
“No, I left my fiancé quite a few months back. Things got stagnant and I didn’t like the way I was living.” She told him.

He chuckled a bit, “You left because things got boring? Such a lack of self-discipline.”
“Hey, what about you? You travel the world and invite young, willing women to your dressing room!” she said rather annoyed.
“Oh, not me. My band.” He snapped, “Otherwise, do you think we’d be here?”

She blushed again and laughed lightly, “I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” he took her hand and looked at her watch, “we should get going back.”
“Are you sure there’s nowhere else you want to go?” she asked hoping to stay in his company a little longer.

He shrugged, “I am a bit hungry, what about you? If we go back and get my bodyguards and let the others know I’m going out, I’ll treat you to dinner at any restaurant you want to go to.”
She nodded.
He stood and held his hand out to her. She took it quickly and he pulled her to her feet. They walked back to her car in silence. She drove back to the arena where he led her through the backstage area. They walked past a door that had loud music thumping behind it. She knew that Amanda would be behind it. She stopped and took her hand from his.
“I need to let my friend know I’m leaving.”
He nodded and continued on. She opened the door and saw a sight she could have lived without. It was almost an orgy. She spotted Amanda in the dark corner making out with the drummer, Matoki. She shook her head and decided not to interrupt them. She turned around and left the room quickly. He was there on the other side of the door, waiting for her.
“T.K.?” she asked, surprised.
“Call me Taka.” He told her as he grabbed her hand and took her with him.

They walked down a few dark hallways until they found an office. Taka knocked twice and then entered. He bowed to the man that Cherry could only guess was his manager. He spoke to them in Japanese and they all smiled widely at her. She couldn’t help but feel that she was under a microscope and that they were analyzing her. Finally, Taka gestured at them and they stopped. He turned and looked at her with his eyes wide.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Sure. Where to?”

He smiled and grabbed her hand, “Run.” He said as he took off, “we’re racing to the parking lot. And we’ve got a head start. But hurry, they’re fast.”
She started to run as fast as her feet could carry her, and even faster with him pulling at her hand.
“Why are we racing them?” she asked.
“Cause, they think you’re pretty and if I lose then they want to take you out and have me guard them.” He smiled sheepishly at her.

She thought back on what his bodyguards looked like and shuddered at the thought of being seen with them. It’s not that they were ugly; they just had more mass of muscle then should ever be allowed on men. She’d rather not lose. She took a deep breath and ran faster, listening to him laugh as she left him behind.

They reached the parking lot and there was a shiny black limo waiting for them. She looked at him confused.
“See, I told you they were fast.” He grinned at her.

She pushed him and he stumbled as the driver got out and opened the door for them.
“I was joking, you know, about the bet. I just wanted to say you were pretty without making you feel awkward.” He confessed as the door slammed after them.

She felt herself blushing again.