Weeks passed as Layne began to regularly visit the Olive Cafe, Ivy always behind the counter- ready with his black coffee that she prepared, with him only in her mind. They often found themselves sneaking out to the back to share a cigarette, discussing music and movies. She wanted to escalate the relationship desperately but moving too fast was the last thing she desired. His sweetness was to be savoured and she was craving every last bit of it. However, she couldn't stand around not knowing him outside of the cafe.
Ivy found herself in love with him but she couldn't admit it. Love was too obscure for her, she was wandering into a feeling that she never felt before. There was no book for her to read or person telling her what to do. It was only herself navigating through a desert of complicated emotions.
She refused to even think about introducing him to family and friends, it would be far too messy. To let him into her grandma's house was something very personal and he hasn't achieved that key to remove that lock yet.
~
IVY'S DORM
It was the night of the performance, Ivy was steering through all her clothing options. She sighed as she looked at the tornado of mess she made, the thought of tidying it up exhausted her. Picking up a red and white striped dress that tied at the back of her neck, she took it to the bathroom to prepare herself for her evening performance. It held around her body perfectly, embracing her curves.
Ivy has been in a band, Cherri Twist, for a few months, performing her songs in bars around the town. She drew in a little fanbase but nothing major that would shoot her into fame; not that she yearned for it. A few recent shows she had noticed the slight escalation in audience numbers, nerving her a little. She only wanted this to be a small thing. Not a huge commitment.
She drew on a little makeup, smearing a dark red lipstick across her lips and dark eyeshadow along her eyelids- desiring a sexy and compelling look; totally opposite to her appearance at the café, at least that's what she thought anyway. Slipping on knee-height leather boots, she gave herself one last look in the mirror and disappeared out the door.
The evening breeze was cool, giving Ivy goosebumps along her bare legs. She tried to snuggle into her jacket as much as possible as she walked over to the bar in the dark ink of the night. To be with her friends on stage was a privilege she could have, she had to cherish this moment forever. To see Alex and Eliza basically jumping up and down at the thought of this performance reminded her of the passion that ran through them all. The stench of cigarettes rotted outside the bar, and the scent of alcohol welcomed her inside.
"It's Ivy! Finally! Come here you stinker-" Alex, her drummer, grabbed her- ruffling up her hair. He stuffed her face into his bomber jacket, smudging her makeup.
"We were worried you weren't going to show up," Charli, Eliza's girlfriend, full of worry as she embraced Ivy into the bar. Her manoeuvres were slow and careful, her flow was like a small stream, it was gentle and small. Her blond hair trickled down her back, the candle light exposing her face just enough to see her long eyelashes that fell downwards.
"Sorry, I go to university now so I think I'm better than you all," Ivy announced as she followed her bandmates onto the small stage in the corner.
This bar wasn't any casual bar. It's been used for music for centuries and has been known to throw new musicians into stardom. Entangled with the smell of alcohol and wood, it comforted Ivy. The paintwork was peeling but charming nonetheless, fairy lights were twisted around the frames that held the building up. Candles were lit in every corner, flickering a warm orange light that encapsulated the whole bar. Hits of glasses and chatter filled the room, the occasional burst of laughter. The atmosphere was drunk on laughter and excitement.
She made her way to the stage where Eliza was in deep conversation over the piano with Jake, the pianist.
"Yeah, yeah. I saw Jerry and Layne here actually,"
"I heard Jerry finally got Layne into his band. God knows how he did that,"
"Pft-"
Hearing Ivy approach, Eliza turns around, both of them smiling warmly at her.
"Ivy! You ready?" Eliza asked, her jewellery singing as she moved.
"Yeah, lets get this thing started, my favourite rock and roll chick," Ivy laughed, winking at her jokingly. Her hair twirled and shone like velvet under the dusty chandelier that hung from ceiling.
The band sauntered on stage, picking up their instruments which have already been prepared for their first song by Charli. The lights dimmed, the bar went quiet and faces turned to Ivy.
"Uhm, hello. We are Cherri Twist and we are going to play for you tonight," Ivy welcomed, a little shocked at how loud she is. She had only played a few shows before, and to have an audience much larger created a whirlpool in her stomach. A loud applause begun as she striked her first chord.
She sang, screamed and belted into the microphone, making the crowd roar and yell. Her soft voice at the start was unmatched to the voice that she pulled out when she began to sing. Punk, rock surfaced with pop and indie undertones, no one could really decipher the genre their music was. Whatever it was; it was good. Eliza plucked her bass's strings, bouncing off of her bandmate's energy, throwing her hair back and forth. Alex threw his shirt off during the middle of the set, beads of sweat formed across his forehead as he smashed his drum sticks against his drums. Ivy danced around the stage, smooth and fluid, her moves were satisfying to watch. Her eyes slid to her bandmates, their talent and skill brought forward- truly fleshed out. They all relied on each other, the amount of trust built and held a perfect music set.
Sat on a chair with her acoustic guitar, she had one last song. The sea of faces did not ease her, it was so intimate and personal despite her doing this so many times before. For reassurance she flicked her head back to Jake, who was sat behind the piano, smiling. Not a nerve on his face. Bringing Ivy back to a stable mind, she opened her mouth to sing but her eyes locked with another. A familiar face. The same distinct nose and sharp jawline that contrasted with his soft lips and eyebrows. The same hay-like hair that framed his face.
Layne was watching her.
Losing and slipping from their intense eye contact, she sang. Her voice was like silk, the soft light that escapes from the curtain in the morning. This song was sexy and teasing, compelling and mysterious. It was nothing like her other loud, daring songs. Her knee length boots nodded to the beat as she embraced the sweet melody. It built up before dying down; she strummed her last chord.
A sudden applause kissed the band, every person in awe. It was unbelievable. Her eyes darted back to where Layne was sat but he was gone. Did he not like it? Was it not enough for him? Negative thoughts filled her brain as she left the stage, what was he going to think the next time she saw him?
"That was fucking sick! We were fucking sick! Holy shit they loved us. I told you we need to start playing at bigger venues!" Alex started to yell every thought that came to mind as he jumped up and down like an excited puppy.
"That performance was so promising, we might actually be on our way to something bigger," Eliza said, her eyes wide and full of energy. Charli nodded behind her, giving a smile to Ivy.
"Ivy your voice is just heavenly, truly," Jake complimented as he walked up behind her. The band began to nod, making Ivy go red.
"You guys carried that performance though, that had to be the most successful yet," She said feverishly, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
The entangled wires wraps the band up as they pack up with huge grins on their faces.
Placing her guitar in the case, someone taps her on the shoulder. She looks up to a man, same age as her- maybe slightly older. His hair was longer than hers but it had the appearance of being soft and gentle. His nose was thin but long, similar to his dark eyebrows that complimented his kind eyes that were ignited with admiration.
"You were fucking sick," He complimented, Ivy suspected he may have been a little more than just somebody.
"Thank you!" She smiled, getting up to look him directly, "I feel like I've seen you around before," she raises an eyebrow.
"I've perform around here a lot. My name is Jerry. Jerry Cantrell," He introduced himself, keeping a firm eye contact between the both of them- never strayed away. She knew he wasn't new to this business and has certainly got more experience than she does. Particularly flattered that someone who has obtained such a promising perspective on music had approached her, she decided to engage in conversation.
"I'm Ivy, Ivy Everest. What's your band name?" She said immediately, finding herself a little creepy.
He laughed, "It's Alice In Chains- I reckon at the moment. I've been playing for a while but my band is pretty new. Took a while to convince the singer," He looks around as if he was searching for someone, "I'd introduce him but I think he's fucked off,"
She chuckled at his terminology and swung her guitar case around her shoulder. "It'd be nice to be more familiar with the bands around here, but trying to make friends here is hard considering we're pretty new,"
"Come to our next show. I'll introduce you to my band. We all really enjoyed your show, you can't deny great talent," He offered, moving out the way of Alex- who was carrying drum parts.
"Thank you so much-" Ivy thanked him, her face continually engraved in a smile. Her bandmates called her to leave the bar. She began to rush her speech, "I'll come to your next performance. When is it?"
"Wow- It's here in a week. I'll see you around then- Miss 'very busy'," He teased and then placed a scrunched up piece of paper with his name, number and date of performance and pressed it into her hand. She presented him a smile before disappearing out the door.
~
"Let's go to another fucking bar and get shitfaced!" Alex yelled as he threw a guitar into the van.
The band unloaded into a bar- not so far away from the one they performed in. All packed around one tiny table, each of them hold a glass containing some shitty mix of alcohol.
"Nice one guys, if we keep this up- they'll want us at a festival or maybe even an opener for a larger band!" Alex cheered, excitingly jumping off his seat, his drink spilling onto the floor.
"We'll have to see. I saw you talking to Jerry, Ivy," Charli said, observing all of her bandmates. Despite her quiet, Charli listened- she knew everything about everyone.
"You know him?" Ivy answered, sipping from her glass.
"Yeah, I used to work with him. He was always writing some song lyrics. We actually got pretty close," Eliza explained, craning closer.
"I wonder how Layne is doing, I saw him in the crowd but he left before I could say hello," Charli wondered, her hands sliding around her glass.
"You know Layne?" Ivy almost spat out her drink.
"You know Layne!? Ivy! When did you meet Layne?" Eliza also, almost spat out her drink.
"He's a regular at The Olive Cafe! Have you not been paying attention?" Ivy said, irritated at her best friend's lack of attention.
"I'm always in the kitchen! I met Layne through Jerry. Just some shitty party, but him and Charli bonded over art so," Eliza told her, excusing her crappy awareness. She paused then interrogated: "Is he why you keep asking for a smoke break?"
"No!" Ivy denied, her cheeks flushed. She couldn't begin to understand how Eliza didn't notice a regular but noticed her sudden increase in asking for breaks.
"Ivy has got a crush," Eliza drunkenly teased, her words begun to slur. The rest of the band laughed, flying from their seats to throw themselves into a crowd of dancing drunks.
The end of their evening soon approached, catalysed by drinking and partying.