Swiftly I changed out of my dress and back into my regular clothes. Celine seemed disappointed I was leaving so early but I had a concert to catch. At least I worked for a couple hours, right? I slipped the money I earned into my shoe and slipped on my leather jacket. Margot and Barbara watched me pack up. 

"Tell us all about it when you get back," Margot said, beaming. She fiddled with her Maasai necklace. I smiled back. 

"I will," I said suddenly nervous. It had been years since I went to a concert. The last one I saw was at CBGB's when I was sixteen with Ramona. But how bad could it be?

"Give us every disgusting detail," Barbara said glancing at Jeanie who was talking to Celine. "Make her green with envy."

"Naturally," I said heaving my bag over my shoulder. Jeanie came to work very upset and let everyone know about it. Apparently she had tried to get concert tickets earlier but they were already sold out. I suggested she not wait until last minute and she hissed at me. It didn't help when I mentioned I had gotten a ticket. She looked ready to turn me upside down and shake it out of me. "I'll see you guys," I said waving at them. They waved back and I made my way out of the club toward the back door. Jeanie gave me one last glare before I left.

**********

After dropping my bag off at home I rushed to the pub where the band would be playing. It was already packed by the time I squeezed my way in and reeking of cigarettes. The smell brought back some fond memories and I wished I had picked up a pack of smokes from the store. Making my way to the bar I ordered a whiskey on ice and sat there quietly waiting for the band to come on. I felt my hands get sweaty. What in fuck's name was I getting so nervous about? Maybe being disappointed. This band had been so hyped up by the other girls and their studio songs playing in the club but what if they didn't have what it took to play a live show? I'd heard about bands like that. You bought their records and nothing more. I would have ditched work for nothing. I'd have to go home and gripe about it to Scout. 

Soon enough the music started and the bar cheered. There on the tiny stage at the front of the joint was a kid in a school uniform. I thought maybe he had snuck up there but instead he started playing the guitar. 

And damn could he play. 

There was no way he was part of the band. He couldn't be....he had a satchel and everything! Another man came out playing his own guitar and the rest of the band had filed in; bassist, drummer, and singer.

Wait.

Wait a fucking minute.

I narrowed my eyes. I even rubbed them to make sure I wasn't seeing things. The singer onstage had long, dark brown almost black hair with large doe like eyes. There were tattoos all over his arms and he wasn't even wearing a shirt. His voice came loud and clear towards the bar where I was sitting and I knew instantly where I had heard that voice. 

It was him singing over the club speakers.

It was him talking to me at the diner. 

It was him at the laundromat.

It was him right there onstage singing his heart out about screwing a chick. 

My mouth hung open like a cave. I couldn't believe I had never put the two together. This new band in town? Bon being in a band? The lead singer no fucking less? I could have drowned myself in whiskey for being so clueless. This whole time I listened to Jeanie rant and rave about how gorgeous this lead singer was and how she was going to do anything to get with him when I had been casually making friends with him!

I sort of smiled. Jeanie would be so jealous.

Pushing all my swirling thoughts aside, I tried sitting back and enjoying the show. Their music was even better than I imagined it would be. This was a band that could play live music. Once in a while the kid in the uniform would catch my eye as he rolled around on the stage and threw his clothes off halfway through. Most of the time my eyes were locked on Bon who looked to be having the time of his life. 

Then he saw me. 

I wasn't sure what he was thinking right now. Caught? Guilty? Sheepish? But then he smiled real wide like always and kept singing. The crowd went wild for these guys. Drinks and lighters and clapping hands soared above the crowd and I started laughing. Must have been from the elation I felt seeing this band. Or I just had too much to drink. 

**********

The band had said goodnight to the crowd and I thought I'd better call it a night myself. I had more than a good time, listening to good music and watching the audience tear it up. The whiskey was decent, nothing like at The Diamond. But it got the job done. Some people filed out while others went for another round at the bar. It was going to take some New York style confidence to get my way through this crowd. 

"Excuse me," I said weaving my way through, making sure my voice could be heard over the din. Some man came through holding two huge pints of beer and I ducked to avoid him. "Excuse me."

"Excuse me!" a man shouted. I ignored him, thinking he had the same idea as me. "Excuse me, Miss?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and whirled around. There was a short and round man wearing a pinstripe suit looking up at me. "Sorry, miss," he said slightly lifting his hat. "But you're wanted backstage by the band."

I stared at the little man in shock. Did Bon ask him to come fetch me? Just what was Bon planning to do? I knew the kind of shit that went on backstage and I wanted none of it. Maybe he just wanted to talk. Perhaps explain a few things. Not to mention Jeanie would be fuming when I relayed all this back at the club. "Thank you," I told the man and he stepped aside to let me through. 

I squeezed my way back through the crowd, passing the bar and going straight for the little door at the back. There were no security guards so I slowly pushed the door open and let myself inside. 

It was a mess. Cords and equipment and bottles and glasses and soaking wet towels and trash littered the place. Bon was nowhere to be seen. I began to wonder if one of the others had seen me and called me back here. I wondered if perhaps I were one of several young women who were called back here.

"Hey," someone said and I saw the kid in the uniform. Only he wasn't in the uniform anymore. He had tossed it aside during the show after getting too hot. Everything had been abandoned on the stage where roadies came swooping in to clean it all up for the next show. 

And...he wasn't a kid...

Upon closer inspection he was possibly older than I was. Extremely short though he was, he was clearly a full grown man. He was drinking a soda and looked ready to pass out. "Bon's lookin' for ya'," he said. He pointed behind him. "That way."

"Thanks," I said and stepped out of his way before he really did pass out. I looked this way and that for any sign of the man in ripped jeans when I finally found him. Soaked with sweat and drinking out of a whiskey bottle was Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC. I squared my shoulders and stepped up to him, coming to a stop right in front of the chair he was sitting in. He put down his whiskey bottle and looked up at me. Smiling. 

"Evenin', Esther," he said. Other various people walked around the area doing their own thing, some of them watching our interaction. I could feel the amusement on their faces. Bon didn't seem the least bit bothered. "Enjoy the show?"

"This entire time," I said feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "This entire time we've been talking and getting to know each other, you were the lead singer of AC/DC and you didn't tell me?"

Bon shrugged. "Ya' never asked."

I opened my mouth to speak and then closed it again. I guess he had a fair point. But you'd think he'd mention it anyway, even if only to serve as a shameless plug for his band. Bon watched me over the whiskey bottle he lifted to his lips again. I didn't know what to say. What was there to say? 

Bon put the bottle down. "Didn't think it polite to go on about myself on our date," he said. "Like some kinda advertisement or somethin', ya' know?" I sighed. Thinking about all the details of my job I never told him, I forgave him. "Ya' wanna have a seat?"

I found a chair to sit on and sat across from him. He looked in almost worst shape than the man in the uniform. Almost, but not quite. Sitting down proved to be good for him as his flushed cheeks returned to their normal color. My foot tapped the floor without me knowing about it. My hands fidgeted and I looked around the room. As a teenager I would have given anything to go backstage. Being underage at the time, I'm glad I didn't. I could feel Bon staring at me but I didn't want to acknowledge it.

"You okay, hon?" he asked sitting up straighter. I crossed my legs and folded my hands across my lap like I'd seen Bon do. 

"Perfect," I said, keeping a straight face. 

Some rustling drew our attention away from each other. Coming our way were three men I saw onstage minutes before. All three had long hair and one man was just as short as the man with the uniform. He held a bottle in his hand too, but his was beer instead of Bon's choice of Jack Daniel's. I could suddenly use another drink myself. "Hey, Bon, found your woman?"

I stiffened at the words. And what exactly did he mean by that? I looked from the man who spoke to Bon, awaiting his response. I raised an eyebrow for good measure. "This is my friend, Mal," he said nodding his head at me. "Her name is Esther."

"Sorry, love, but Bon here hasn't shut up about ya'," the man named 'Mal' said. He laughed a little. "Says he met ya' at a diner?"

Bon looked down at his Nike's. Was he...embarrassed? I figured I'd better take the lead. "Yes, he did," I said.

Mal smiled. "Glad you could make it to the show, good to meet ya'." His attention was quickly grabbed by the man in the uniform. "Ang! Come 'ere, meet Bon's friend." The man named 'Ang' came over to us, now fully dressed. Mal left, Ang taking his place.

"This is Esther, Ang," the tallest man said. It was hard to see where I was but if I had to guess I would say he was the bassist and the man next to him with the piercing blue eyes was the drummer. "Esther, this is Angus, lead guitarist."

"Hi," he said giving me his hand to shake. I smiled politely, surprised by Bon's sudden silence. "I don't usually dress like that."

"I thought you must have been fifteen," I admitted feeling a bit sheepish. Angus didn't seem at all offended. 

"Hey, for all anyone knows, I am fifteen," he said smiling. The men looked at Bon who was shaking the whiskey bottle, the contents swishing around inside. 

"You alright, Bon?" Blue Eyes asked. 

"Fine," he said grinning. "All's well on the Scottish front." The men snickered to themselves before introduction. 

"I'm Cliff, sweetheart," the tallest man said. I shook his hand then shook the other's hand.

"Phil," he said. "You ever see us play before?"

"No," I said, keeping an eye on Bon. "No, never."

"Hope we didn't disappoint," Cliff said. "Kind of hard to see yourself the way others see ya'." 

"Don't I know it," I mumbled thinking they didn't hear me. Angus said something about having a smoke outside and I started craving one bad. I hadn't smoked in ages but a cigarette sounded great right now. But between my current company and Bon's hypnotized state I thought it would be best to stay here. Now just Phil, Cliff, Bon, and me; all of us in our own heads. 

"Are you gentlemen enjoying London?" I asked, making an attempt at conversation. Cliff smiled and looked over at Phil who shrugged. 

"Bit cold," Phil said. "But nothin' we're not used to."

"Yeah, we've been to London more than enough times," Cliff said. "It's good here. For me it's close to home." I should have immediately caught on to his English accent. Phil sounded Australian but I couldn't tell with Angus or Mal. Bon said he was born in Scotland but he mentioned Australia too. "You here visitin', or...."

"I uh..." I cleared my throat. "I live here."

"Oh," Cliff said looking surprised. 

"I moved here when I was nineteen," I explained. 

"How old are you now?"

"Twenty two," I said. I looked back at Bon who was looking at me. He looked just as surprised as Cliff. I guess I hadn't revealed much of myself. I wondered how old everyone else was. 

"You're young," Cliff said. "Now Bon an' I can really feel old."

"Why? How old are you?" I looked back and forth between Bon and Cliff.

"I'm twenty nine," Cliff said. My eyes met Bon's. 

"Thirty two," he said. I nodded and looked at the floor. I felt like a baby. The only one who hadn't said anything was Phil.

"What about you?" I asked him. 

"Twenty four," he said. "Ang's twenty three, Mal's jus' turned twenty six."

"We're a bit all over the place," Cliff said. He looked at the floor before making up his mind to part ways. "Nice to meet ya' love." 

And then there were three. 

Phil kept to himself most of the time. If I asked him a question he wouldn't say much in response. I didn't mind a man of few words as company but my only other option was to finally speak to Bon and it was getting harder to ignore the tension between us. When Phil left to get a drink it was impossible. 

"Ya' like the boys?" Bon finally asked. I assumed he meant his band mates. So far I had nothing against any of them. They were polite and friendly. Handsome too. 

"I like them," I said and Bon nodded. He shook the bottle again and only a few tiny drops splashed inside. He grinned like a little kid.

"Sorry I didn't offer ya' any."

"Forget about it."

Once in a while other people came up to Bon to talk. Some were roadies, some were paying concert goers like me asking for autographs. The occasional photo. I stayed out of the way. It wasn't difficult to ignore me when the famous Bon Scott of AC/DC was around. 

For a long time I considered telling the girls. They'd be thrilled to know all about it and ask millions of questions. Maybe asking if I could introduce him sometime. But I knew what a ruckus that would make. Was that really what I wanted? The others teasing me and Jeanie on my case? No thanks. 

Maybe I could make something up. Maybe I could omit something. I didn't have to tell them I met Bon before. I could just say I met him backstage for the first time. Met the whole band and went home. That would be enough to stir their imaginations and leave Jeanie speechless without being bombarded with unwanted attention. I had made up my mind. 

"I think I'd better get home," I said standing up from my chair. Bon immediately followed suit, our eyes meeting. 

"Can I see ya' again?" he asked crossing his arms. "Somewhere not so busy, like?"

I shrugged. "The diner, maybe," I said. "Unless your band is taking off tomorrow." I wouldn't follow them if they did. No way in hell was I about to be anyone's personal groupie on tour. I'd be staying right here in London where I belonged. 

"No, no, we're not leavin' for a while," Bon said, his voice quiet. Other voices around us filled the room, some close and some distant. I wiped my palms on my jeans. 

"I'd better go," I said inching my way backward. Bon nodded, watching me go.

"I'm glad you came, Esther," he said, his smile returning to his face. Things felt a lot less awkward when he smiled. "An' sorry again for not tellin' you....who I was."

I waved him off. "I'll see you," I said. Making my way back to the door I came in I slipped out and saw the bar was back to its normal amount of people. Almost as if there hadn't just been a world famous band playing here an hour ago. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I left the pub and Bon behind me.