“So where are you from?” Dave asked as Charlie filled her plate.
“Depends on your definition of ‘from’,” she said. “I’ve moved quite a bit.” Dave smiled.
“Where do you say you’re from?” he pressed.
“I was born in Washington, D.C., but spent most of my time in Detroit. Then I moved to Lexington, Kentucky for college.”
“Kentucky, huh?” a voice said from behind her. She turned and smiled. “I’m Scottie,” the man said, his blue eyes twinkling as he extended his hand.
“Charlie,” she said, placing her hand in his. His eyebrow arched.
“So you’re the infamous Charlie. Nice to meet you, and glad to have you on the team.” She smiled her thanks. He winked at her. “Who all have you met?” She rolled her eyes.
“Too bad I’m terrible with names, otherwise I’d tell you,” she replied. He chuckled, his smile reaching deep into his eyes. She found herself mesmerized by his baby blues. “Basically all the techs.” He nodded. Dave smiled.
“Well, c’mere. I want you to meet the rest of the band.” He offered her his arm, which she gladly took, a smile lighting up her face.
“Now, which band is this?” she asked.
“My band,” he said. “Creed.”
“Headlining?” He nodded. “Sorry. Tom didn’t give me many details.” Scottie smiled.
“He never does.” He nodded at a tall man a few feet away. Her heart caught in her throat. “This is Mark, our guitarist,” Scottie said. She smiled up at the tall, handsome guy in front of her. He returned the smile, extending his hand.
“I’m Mark,” he said, his smile lighting up his face. His hand was warm and strong, and his touch sent chills up her spine. She suppressed a shiver.
“Charlie,” she said.
“As in, the new techie, Charlie?” She nodded slowly.
“Let me guess,” she said with a smirk. “Everyone was expecting a guy.” Scottie and Mark laughed, confessing. Scottie apologized. “No need… I’m used to it.” She laughed.
“Hey Charlie?” Charlie turned to face Dave, who was motioning for her to join him. “We gotta get started.” She nodded and smiled at Mark and Scottie before jogging over to Dave. Mark watcher her until she was gone, then turned to Scottie, who had a huge grin on his face.
“Hot stuff, huh?” Mark nodded, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Too bad you have a girlfriend, Scott.” He stuck his tongue out and wiggled his eyebrows before heading back out to the stage area. As he rounded the corner, he saw Charlie mount the ladder to go up to the lighting truss, which was some sixty feet off the ground. He watched her climb to the top and position herself to operate the spotlight. He smiled up at her and waved. She smiled back, wiggling her fingers at him. He chuckled, and headed back to the greenroom.

***

“So I take it you went to school to do this, right?” Charlie nodded, tearing her gaze away from Mark’s warm, brown eyes.
“I went to UK.” He nodded, his eyes never leaving her face.  She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
“What’s your family think of you being on the road?” She shrugged.
“I haven’t really talked to my family much since my parents split up.” Mark nodded, urging her forward. “It was really hard on us, and after it was over I decided I just wanted to live away from them. I still talk to my dad every now and then, but I haven’t seen my mom in a few years,” she said, sadness shadowing her face.
“You miss her?” Her eyes met his.
“In a way, I guess. I can’t bring myself to forgive her for what she did, but she’s still my mom, you know?” He nodded. “I mean, I may not approve of what she’s doing and what she’s done, but she’s always gonna be my mother, and I’ll always love her, even if I don’t want to see her or talk to her.” A silence fell over them, and Charlie shifted uncomfortably. “I should probably let you get back to the guys, huh?” Mark shrugged, not wanting to leave her. She stood, leaning against the tree for support. He stood as well.
“You coming?” She shook her head.
“I think I’ll stay out here,” she said, a shiver running over her. “It’s nice out.” He chuckled, and she admired his smile again.
“Here,” he said, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. Her mouth dropped as his
t-shirt followed, exposing his muscular stomach. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as he adjusted his clothing and offered her his sweatshirt.
“Thanks.” He smiled and nodded, his eyes twinkling. She watched him walk away, licking her lips, telling herself that it was only because they were dry. She knew better. She smiled as she put his shirt on, breathing in his scent. She sighed and reached into her back pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Plopping back onto the ground, she lit the cigarette, breathing in and slowly exhaling.
“I didn’t know you smoked.” She jumped a mile and turned around, managing a small laugh. She shrugged.
“Everyone has their secrets.” Scottie smiled, nodding slightly.
“How true that is.” He pointed at her, and she looked down at herself.
“I was cold,” she said, pretending to be defensive. He held up his hands in surrender.
“Okay, okay,” he laughed. He watched her puff away, smirking.
“What’s funny?” she asked, without looking at him.
“Nothing.” She turned to him, her eyebrow raised, shaking her head as she laughed. “Mark’s right,” he said after a few minutes of silence.
“About what?”
“Your eyes are amazing.” She smiled.
“He said that?” Scottie nodded, taking a sip from his beer can. “Did he tell you to say that or something?”
“No.” Scottie laughed. “Actually, he begged me not to say anything.” She laughed.
“And you said…”
“I told him I couldn’t promise anything.” He chuckled. She pushed him playfully, and he laughed as he fell over onto his side. “Hey!” She shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ears.


***Two months later***

“Whatcha doin’?” Charlie jumped and turned around, almost knocking Mark over. He caught her, his hand lingering on her side.
“God, Tremonti,” she whined, her hand pressing against her chest.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“You scared the shit outta me.” He smiled and nodded.
“So I noticed.” She shook her head, smiling, and turned back to the light she was working on. “So what are you up to?”
“Just trying to fix this light,” she said, maneuvering the pliers into the can light. “The wiring’s screwed up.” He nodded, watching her. She felt his eyes on her, and looked up at him. “What?” He shook his head.
“Watching.” She nodded and turned her attention back to the light.
“There,” she said. “I think it’s fixed.” She picked up the light and carried it over to an outlet, carefully plugging it in. It sparked, and the bulb exploded. He jumped, and a quiet yelp escaped her. She sighed and Mark laughed.
“Fixed, huh?” She stuck her tongue out, then smiled at him before walking away.
“Hey Dave?” Dave looked up, laughing as she wagged the light in front of him. “I think we need a new par can.”
“What’d you do?”
“I tried to fix the one that had the weird wiring, but it, um, kinda exploded.” He laughed.
“I noticed.” She smiled, thankful she finally got to work for someone with a sense of humor. “Go ahead and run into town and buy one. There should be a lighting store just down the street.”
“Um, I’ve never been in this town before, Dave. Knowing me, I’d probably get lost in the parking lot.”
“I’ll go with her,” Mark volunteered. She smiled her gratitude. Mark followed her out to the company car, plopping into the passenger seat. “You sure you don’t want me to drive?” She rolled her eyes. He laughed.
“I’ll be fine,” she stated firmly.
On to Part 3