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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Editor's Note: Jenny Walker has graciously allowed me to represent her original story No Half Measures on BigCloset. Originally published on BigCloset Classic, this story segment was migrated over to BigCloset TopShelf on 2005-03-17. Due to the original story presentation format being unsuitable and unwieldy for most portable devices (each part being over 1 meg in length), the story is now being broken up into single chapters for easier reading. The original Movements will be indicated on their respective chapters. The first chapter of each Movement will retain the original comments and read hits so as to preserve them for the author.

Sephrena Lynn Miller

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Chapter 22
 
 
Jools drove the three of us to 'The Den' and when we arrived, the manager pointed us towards the dressing rooms. That was whenever he took his eyes off me long enough to focus on the question at hand. There were two rooms. One for me and one for all the guys. I guess that was the reward for supposedly being the star. I left my coat and purse in my room and knocked on the door of the other room, "You all decent in there?"

The answer was in the affirmative so I entered. I got quite a response. Brian was unusually vocal, "My god Cara you look absolutely gorgeous." Kevin wasn't far behind, "I'm going to have to blindfold myself to be able to concentrate on the set." I laughed and murmured thanks to both of them. Noel grinned at me, "Very hot, very hot indeed." I didn't really like the way he was looking me up and down, but it wasn't the first time I had experienced it.

The rest of them started chatting so I turned to Jon who was unusually quiet. "You OK Jon?"

He nodded and looked at me strangely, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What's wrong?" I asked, I lowered my voice, "Is there a problem with the way I look?"

He gave a little laugh and shook his head emphatically, "Not at all. You look absolutely amazing." There was a certain reticence in his manner though that I couldn't quite fathom.

Before long it was time to get ready to take the stage and we heard the manager make his introduction, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the lovely, the beautiful, the gorgeous Cara Malone!"

We walked on, me leading. There was a loud cheer from the audience and a few wolf-whistles also. I smiled shyly and waved at the crowd. The guys had done a full sound check earlier so we were good to go. A friend of Brian's was manning the sound desk for us. I picked up my guitar and turned to see that everyone was in position. I nodded to Jon and he counted us in as we kicked off with 'No Half Measures'. It was loud, it was bold and it was fun. I began to relax a little by the second verse. It was a medium sized club and due to the bright lights, I really couldn't make out anyone in the audience. At the end of the song, there were loud cheers and a lot of applause. It was hard to know how gigs like this would go. Sometimes the music captivated the audience, other times it was background filler as people enjoyed conversation and drinks. My goal was for them to be fully focussed on us.

"Thank you, thank you," I murmured into the microphone. "It's great to be in 'The Den' tonight and we hope you'll enjoy what we have in store for you. My name is Cara Malone. This next song is about being back where life was fun and simple, it's called 'Nine years old again'." And so we started into it. We were all a little more relaxed now and as I looked over at Jon he grinned back at me. The audience were quite responsive and as they warmed to us, I relaxed more and more and tried to chat to them as freely as I could. It was one of the things I always made a big deal of: I couldn't stand artists who stood up and played live and never tried to connect with the audience, the sort who never said more than a few words to their listeners.

The set went well and in the middle we slowed it down a little with 'Not dancing, but flying' and 'I'm coming home'. The cover versions were fairly well received too, and I may have been imagining it, but perhaps they didn't get as much applause as our own material. So I would like to think anyway. The time flew by and before I knew it, we were at the last song.

"Thank you so much. Our final song of the night is one of those mellow moments when you stand back and look at your life and think about what is really important to you. It's best done in the middle of the night too - this song is called 'Simply Say'."

The bass, drums and Noel doing the sax on the keyboard all started in and I couldn't help but smile. I was really enjoying myself and as I stood with the mike in one hand, I swung my other hand, clicking my fingers to the beat. The boys excelled themselves in their respective solos and I lifted my eyes heavenwards as I gave the last chorus everything and then we brought it down to its gentle close. The audience cheered and applauded. Despite the bright lights I could see that several members of the audience were on their feet.

"Thank you so much, and goodnight." As we walked off the stage, the cheers intensified and I felt like I was walking on air, rather than the thin 5-inch heels. They were cheering for an encore, but as we had nothing else to give them, we didn't go back on. We got back into the dressing room and there was a lot of cheering and high-fiving. I turned to Jon and he surprised me by sweeping me up in a large bear hug. "Cara, you were awesome, I really mean that."

I laughed, "Hey, between you and the corset, I can barely breathe." He released me and looked a little bashful. "*We* were great," I emphasised. I turned to them all, "Thanks guys, if you'd told me on Monday morning that we could have done what we did tonight, I'd have sent you to a psychiatrist to have you committed for insanity."

Jools and Beth burst in and there were more hugs and congratulations all round. Jools made a little 'manager' speech congratulating us and telling us that the owner of the establishment had sought her out halfway through the set to arrange for us to play there the next Friday night.

"And you said?" I asked.

She grinned and winked, "I said sure, as long as the fee was doubled."

"Jools!" I gasped.

She shrugged, "I regret it too. He agreed so easily, I should have asked him to triple it."

We all laughed and began to wind down. In the car on the way home, I asked for honest feedback. "How was it seriously?"

Beth began to gush, "Honestly Cara, I couldn't believe it. The shy little girl that spent a month with us is now this confident sensual creature who owned the stage."

I laughed and began to protest but she cut me off, "No seriously, you were sexy, but warm and friendly and the music was top notch. You're going to make it big."

"My head will make it big first if you keep on like that. Jools?"

"I agree totally with Beth. First rate stuff and you should have seen the rapt attention you were getting particularly from the guys in the audience."

I shuddered a little, "I'd rather not thanks all the same."

I was so exhausted when we got home that it was all Beth and Jools could do to persuade me to get undressed and remove my makeup. I can hardly remember the process as I think they did most of it.
 

*          *          *
 
After a long lazy lie in and a relaxing brunch, the three of us, Jools, Beth and I, went into central London for an afternoon's shopping. We were bad for each other as we encouraged one another to make more purchases than we really should. It was great to catch up with Beth and spend some time with her again. I hadn't realised how much I had missed her until now. Her quiet sensitive nature, yet fun loving spirit complemented Jools' ebullient confidence. We had fun. We did the dinner and a show thing. Beth wasn't up in London much and insisted that we go to a show. We took in 'My Fair Lady'. I had seen it before, but it was magical nonetheless. I was a big fan of musical shows. I could sort of empathise with the thrill that the stage performers must have gotten from their performances.

On Sunday we actually went to Church. Beth's good influence. Although she was quiet, she had a strong spirit and was very strong in her personal beliefs and attitudes. She chided us mildly for being 'lazy pagans' as she called it. There was something nice about getting dressed up in good clothes and doing something different on a Sunday. We went to the local Anglican Church, St. Simon's. It was only a 10 minute walk and apparently Jools had very occasionally been along to it before. It was quite a modern service in contrast to the formal traditionalism of Seaton parish and I found that I enjoyed it. The minister was Reverend Taylor and he was a kindly man in his early forties.

As the afternoon was clear and sunny, Beth and I decided to go for a walk. Jools said she had been good enough for one day and couldn't be bothered. It was also an excuse for me to give Beth a ride in my new car. She was quite taken with it and I was like a proud parent showing it off. We drove in to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to enjoy a leisurely walk.

"So how are you Cara?"

"Oh I'm fine."

"No I mean, I'm really asking that sincerely. Are you doing OK?"

I turned to Beth and smiled, "Did I ever tell you that you are one of the most wonderful people I have been privileged to know?"

She laughed and reddened a little, "Thanks, but you're not getting away that easy."

I smiled, "I think I'm doing alright Beth. I mean, there's still a lot of adjustment. But I'm coping with most things. I'm fairly happy with how I look, how I talk and move and act. How I interact with most people."

Beth grinned, "You're fairly happy about how you look? If anyone else heard you say that they would probably stone you on the spot in a fit of jealousy."

I smiled a little shyly, "OK, I guess I'm pretty thrilled about how I look. I still can't believe it is me a lot of the time."

"What about interacting with men?"

"How do you mean?"

"I'm thinking that they probably find you attractive to say the least. Have you had any bother?"

I shrugged, "Not really. I do get a bit of attention, most of it unwanted. I'm aware of the looks they give me and don't want to think too much about their thoughts or intentions. I guess that's part and parcel of the whole deal."

We walked on in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again, "Jools told me about what happened with your friend Kate." She paused, "I know she probably shouldn't have, and she'll kill me for mentioning it to you, but I just wanted you to know you can talk to me anytime about it and the whole thing around it."

I smiled, "Thanks Beth. I don't mind her telling you. You two are really about the closest friends I have." I hesitated, "Being honest, I've found it hard to understand. I really can't fathom it. I mean, I still find women attractive, very much so. But it just felt so wrong. It felt like it wasn't the way it should be."

Beth listened and nodded, "You know Cara, most women can appreciate attractiveness in other women in a way that men can't do with one another. But like you have described it, it doesn't go any further as it doesn't feel right for us."

I pondered this, "Are you saying that I'm just like another woman now in that way?"

Beth shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just thinking out loud." She hesitated, "I mean, do you feel any different about men now?"

I chewed my lower lip and thought. I stopped walking and she did likewise. "I really don't know Beth. I don't think I do, or perhaps I don't want to think I do." That thought that I had been ignoring rose again in the back of my mind, but I suppressed it again. I wasn't ready to try and deal with it. I shrugged, "I don't know. It sort of scares me and I don't think I can deal with that sort of thing."

Beth put a hand on my arm and spoke softly, "You don't have to. But just keep talking to someone. Can you talk to Jools OK? I know she isn't going to make 'Counsellor of the year' or anything."

I grinned, "No she isn't, but to be fair to her she's been fantastic. She's always there for me and she knows me so well that I can't hide much from her. I'll keep talking don't worry."

She smiled, "And you know, you can give me a ring at any time whatsoever. I really mean that."

I smiled and gave her a quick hug, "Thanks Beth."
 

*          *          *
 
We were back into practising with a vengeance come Monday morning. There was a fair bit of euphoria in the group as we relived our performance from Friday past. We did take a little time to dissect it and think about how we could improve it. We had been tight on most aspects, but we had to think about how we could do better. Complacency is the musician's worst enemy. We had another performance coming up this Friday night and in one week's time we were entering the studio. There was plenty enough to keep us occupied as we prepared for those two goals.

We ran through our songs again and again. The life of a song is almost like an evolutionary process or rather it can mirror the cycle of life. It starts off raw but precious in its infancy and then moves through the gawky teenage stage of finding itself. Then it perfects and refines itself in early adulthood until it has the mature confidence of experience. Then, although it doesn't apply to all songs, it can become a little old and not just as fresh as it was. And of course, a song can die. With most of our songs we were moving from the gawky stage to the refining stage. As we played our songs, each band member would try something a little different. Sometimes it worked and was incorporated into the song. Other times, it bombed and was dropped immediately. However all in all, the sound was coming together. The hard work and graft was covered last week and this week things were more relaxed and not as onerous.

The experience of playing live had brought us closer together as a band. I was a firm believer that to play well together, a band had to know each other fairly well. There was a fine balance though between being good friends and being too introspective as a group. I think that some bands suffer in the long term by slowly losing touch with anyone outside of the immediate band circle and surrounding entourage. You need to have a life outside to give you some perspective. However, the conversation was freer, more relaxed and even Brian was known to put a few sentences together in succession.

I ran with Kate on Tuesday morning and she raved about our performance on Friday night. I had been so caught up in it that I had forgotten that she was planning to come. I tried to pass her comments off as exaggeration but she would have none of it. She was planning not only to come back on Friday night, but also to bring any of her friends she could drag along.

On Wednesday I had a new idea for a song that I wanted to try out. A melody had been going around in my head and a few chords were attaching themselves to the melody. A few words were also floating around in that mix too. During coffee break, I took to the piano and fiddled around, humming to myself. Although I hadn't intended it, the fledgling song took on a bit of a Gospel feel. The guys gradually filtered back in and, as is the same with all musicians, couldn't keep themselves from joining in. They each took a quick look to see what key I was playing in, except Kevin who wouldn't know a music key if it hit him on the head, but then again he didn't need to know. Brian began to add a mellow bass line and Kevin added a soft rhythmic beat. Noel toyed about with a Hammond organ sound that perfectly suited the feel of what I was doing. Jon stood and listened for a long time with a thoughtful expression on his face. It was as if he didn't quite know what to do. When he did eventually join in, it wasn't anything like what I was expecting. He fiddled with his effects rack and began playing short strummed chords high on the fret board using his wah-wah pedal. It sounded a little incongruous and I shot him an unsure look. He grinned at me, shrugged, and shouted, "Bear with me." So I did.

We played through the chords which were now a verse and a chorus. I talked them through the idea I had and we tried it. I started on the piano with a slow Gospel feel and hummed the first verse. In the second verse Brian came in on the bass and Noel on the Hammond. The tempo picked up a little and Kevin joined us in the chorus with a soft bass drum beat and picking out the rhythm on the high hats. He came in fully for the third verse, but we kept Jon out until the second chorus when he added in his wah-wah guitar thing. It was surprisingly effective and changed the tone of the song into a rockier feel that let me pick up the intensity of the vocal line and lead to a strong finish.

We tried it again and this time, I just let my mind and mouth work away at putting out the lyrical ideas that had been swirling around in my head. It didn't often happen this way, but I basically just sang my way through the song and wrote the lyrics as we played. When we finished I hurriedly grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down as much as I could remember. We played it again and I filled in the blanks and changed things about here and there until I was happy. The song was called 'Dreaming your life' and was a play on words about whether we were trying to live our dreams or dream our lives away. I liked it. The guys liked it. We now had nine songs.
 

*          *          *
 
On Friday morning, we did one practice run through our set and it was sounding pretty good. We decided to leave it there. "Now guys," I joked, "I want you all to make more effort in selecting your stage outfits and make sure you are comfortable with your look, OK?"

The looks I got from the four of them indicated that they had little intention of doing any such thing. I sighed, "So easy for you lot. Whereas I've got all the difficult decisions of getting the right outfit and the right look."

Noel grinned, "Cara darling, you don't need to worry, you will look absolutely gorgeous. But I find it hard to imagine you looking any better than you did last week."

I laughed and retorted, "That sounds like a challenge."

He shrugged, "What do you think Jon? Could she look any better than last week?"

Jon didn't look too thrilled about being dragged into the conversation. He shifted awkwardly, "Umm, I think she looks grand all the time."

Noel grinned, "Good answer. Tell you what Cara, if you look any better tonight than you did last week, drinks are on me."

After they had all packed up and left, Jon remained behind again. He looked like he had something on his mind. "What's eating you Jonboy?" I asked.

He exhaled slowly, "Noel's getting to me a little."

"How so?"

He shrugged and gave a wry smile, "You haven't heard the most of it, but he keeps implying that there's something between you and me."

I waved a hand, "Just ignore it."

He nodded, "I could if he would just let it rest. But he keeps pushing me. Asking me why I'm not interested and is there something wrong with me and the like." He paused for a moment, "He keeps saying that he thinks 'I'm in there'. Like as if you have the hots for me."

I wasn't sure what to say. I passed it off, "Jon, he's just spouting. You know that."

He grinned ruefully, "Yeah I guess. Gets to me though." He looked as if he was about to say something else and hesitated. I gave him the 'go on' look and he began hesitantly, "Well, it's just that after I deny any interest...well he then asks if it is OK for him to try his luck and make a move."

I screwed up my face, "Eww. And what did you say?"

"I know you wouldn't be interested so I tell him that I don't think you would go for it. And then he just accuses me of trying to put him off because I'm really interested." He spread his hands, "I don't know what to say."

I grinned, "Tell him he's right. Tell him that you're dead keen on me but just haven't got the nerve to tell me yourself."

He laughed, "Oh sure, like that's a likely story."

I joined in with his laughter, but deep down inside, I felt very strange. I felt hurt. I think it was because of his suggestion that it wasn't possible for him to be attracted to me. Or was it something more?
 

*          *          *
 
Although I knew I should not rise to Noel's baiting, I had decided that I was going all out to make a big impression that night. So after an intense afternoon of pampering myself, which I had to admit I found quite relaxing and enjoyable, I got myself ready. I picked out a low cut cream top with spaghetti shoulder straps and slipped it on. It was short and exposed my lower abdomen. I was in two minds, but eventually decided to go with the leather micro miniskirt that I had worn on New Year's Eve with sheer black stockings and my knee-high leather boots. I spent a lot of time brushing and styling my hair. Beth had left me a hair straightening kit which she had said I should try sometime. Since I had plenty of time, I tried it out and found that it removed the natural waviness from my long black hair. Looking in the mirror, I saw that I now had sleek, shiny, straight long black hair which fell to midway down my back. I was a little more daring with the makeup than I had been the previous week. I figured that as I was on stage I could get away with it. Bright red shiny lipstick, matching nails, long black lashes, and a touch of rouge to highlight my cheeks against my milky complexion. I picked out a pair of long dangly earrings and popped them into my ears. I looked at myself in the long mirror and had to smile. I slipped on a leather jacket and went out of my room to find Jools.

"My god Cara, are you planning on giving every man in the place a heart attack tonight?"

I winced, "Is it too much? I know it is a bit on the sexy side."

Jools grinned, "A bit? Honey, you are so far on the sexy side that the line has dropped out of sight."

I bit my lip, "I'll go change."

"No way! I mean, yes you look like a total sex kitten, but you look fabulous. It's not too much. It's just perfect." I must not have looked convinced for she carried on, "Yes OK, you wouldn't want to stand on a dark street corner dressed like that, but to be a rock chick on stage? Perfect."

I pouted, "I'm not a 'rock chick'."

Jools laughed, "Yeah right. Are you telling me you don't like the way you look."

I smiled primly, "That's irrelevant. I'm just dressing as the occasion demands."
 

*          *          *
 
I sauntered casually into the guys' dressing room without even knocking. I knew they wouldn't be changing or anything. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised if they had been wearing the same casual gear they had had on that morning. Indeed, Kevin was. I smiled coolly, "Evening chaps."

I got stunned stares and silence in response. I batted my eyelids, "What? Cat got your tongues?"

Brian gave a low whistle but didn't say anything. Kevin swore under his breath. Jon was giving me a strange look and Noel was doing an impression of a fish as he tried to find some words to say.

I quirked an eyebrow at Noel, "I believe the words you are searching for are to convey the fact that indeed tonight the drinks are on you, no?"

He rubbed a finger around his collar, and sheepishly admitted, "You've got that right." Silence from the room again.

I rolled my eyes, "My oh my, it's as well I'm not insecure and seeking reassurance from you all as to whether I look OK."

Jon grinned at me and spoke quietly, "Cara, I think you can safely assume that we all think you look pretty amazing tonight."

"And then some," Brian added.

"Too flippin' right," Kevin said bouncing up and down on his stool.

I laughed, "OK OK, that's enough. We've got a show to do."

Just before we were about to head on stage, Jon took me aside and spoke softly into my ear, "Cara, are you sure you should go out on stage dressed like that?"

I frowned, "Dressed like what Jon?"

He shrugged, "Well dressed so sexily."

"Why? Don't I look good?"

He sighed, "You know you look good. Yes of course you look good, too good."

I shook my head, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that you look like every male's fantasy. The guys will practically be drooling over you. I mean you saw the effect you had on us when you came in."

I smiled at him, "Jon, seriously I'm fine. I like the way I look. It's not quite what I would wear for going shopping or doing the groceries, but for a stage performance, I'm perfectly comfortable dressed like this. Is it really a big problem?"

He shook his head, "No. Just be careful."

"Hey, are you trying to be a surrogate father or something?"

He chuckled, "Naw, more like a big brother watching out for you."

I was trying to think of a suitable response when the MC called out my name as he was introducing us. I led the guys out onto the little stage and smiled and waved at the crowd. There were quite a few cheers and wolf-whistles. We got into our positions and I slipped the strap of my Fender Stratocaster over my head. I looked around and as we were all ready, counted us in to 'No Half Measures'. It was loud and energetic. I enjoyed it. The guys enjoyed it and the crowd seemed to enjoy it too.

When the song finished, I spoke to the crowd. "Good evening everyone. I'm Cara Malone. Tell me, was anyone here last Friday night?" There were a few shouts in the affirmative. I gave a mock grimace and turned to Jon and in a stage whisper which the microphone could easily pick up said, "See, I told you we would need some new songs." There was laughter from the audience. I turned back to face them and asked, "Erm, was anyone who was here last week perhaps even slightly drunk at the time?" Again a few shouts of yes. I smiled and nodded, "Ah well, in that case, we'll all probably be fine then. Have a few drinks for me and we'll have a grand night. This next song actually is a new one and it's called 'Dreaming Your Life'."

The set was tight and was going well right up until I was about to introduce the last song. We were planning on finishing with 'I'm Coming Home'. However, as I stepped up to the microphone to speak, I heard Jon speaking into his microphone.

"Now folks, Cara thinks we're about to do the last song, but we've got a little surprise for her to keep her on her toes." The surprise that would have been evident on my face was not faked at all. It was all too real as I had no idea what Jon was about to do. He continued, "We in the band thought we'd set her a little challenge and see how she managed. We're going to do a song that she is not expecting and see if she is able to carry it off. Join in if you think she needs a little help." He put a lot of emphasis on the last word.

I felt my heart pound and I looked over at Jon and mouthed, "What on earth are you doing?"

He grinned and shrugged and counted the band in. As the introduction started I felt a little relief as I recognised it. It was 'Help', the old Beatles' classic song. I knew the words too, didn't everyone? So I decided to play along and give it what for. "When I was younger, so much younger than before, I never needed anybody's help in any way..." In the chorus I could hear some vague strains of singing from the audience and by the end of the song, almost everyone in the room must have been singing. The guys finished on a big loud chord and brought it to a sharp end. I laughed, they laughed and the audience laughed.

I shook my head and grinned wryly as I spoke into the mike, "I guess I'll let them away with it this time. Now as I was about to say..." I introduced the last song and it brought the set to a mellow close. The applause was loud and sounded genuine to me and I thanked the audience as we all waved and walked off stage. When we got into the dressing room I poked Jon in the ribs, "That was your idea wasn't it?"

He laughed, "Actually it was sort of a joint effort, but I'll take the credit for picking a song that I thought you would know."

"Just as well I knew it. We'd have looked pretty foolish if I didn't know it."

Jools came breezing in and interrupted us, "Fantastic guys! You really had the audience with you tonight and guess what, the manager wants you back here again next Friday night."

I laughed, "I suppose you told him that was fine as long as he doubled the fee again."

Jools winked, "You know me too well, that's exactly what I said, and he agreed again."

I shook my head in amusement, "I was joking Jools. You really are the limit."

Jon turned to the rest of the guys, "Looks like I'll have to pick another surprise song for Cara for next week too."

I was about to make a comment when Noel interjected, "Right, I think I promised the lady that drinks were on me if she somehow managed to better herself from last week and without a doubt, she has done so. Come on and follow me one and all."

I was happy enough to go out with them to the bar. I was keen to see if Kate had showed up. We all headed out and Noel got me a Coke as per my request. He asked if I was sure that I didn't want something stronger, and I assured him that Coke was fine. The club was quite full and there was a loud buzz of conversation around the large room. I heard a squeal behind me and I turned to find Kate rocketing towards me. She gave me a big hug and started to heap praise on me effusively, "Cara, that was amazing. You are fantastic. I really enjoyed that immensely."

I laughed, "Kate, steady on, you'll give me an ego problem."

She leant in close and whispered in my ear, "And how you look? Sheesh girl, you aren't exactly making it easy on me. Sure you don't want to reconsider the whole girl-girl thing?" She stepped back and gave a conspiratorial wink.

I laughed out loud and knew I was blushing, "Tempting offer, very tempting." Kate was looking fairly splendid herself. She was wearing a short green dress which complemented her red hair spectacularly. I could see that her long legs were attracting a bit of attention from the guys in the band. We chatted for a few minutes and she told me that she had dragged along a few more of her friends and colleagues from the office. Apparently they loved our show too and were for coming back next week also.

Kate gave me a strange grin, "Well I'd better be going I think." She leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek as she whispered, "If you don't want the girls, you'll have to deal with the guys." She turned, waved and headed back to her friends. I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about until I turned around and found three men sort of lingering behind me.

"Uhh hi," I said brightly.

They smiled and I could feel their eyes on my body. They looked like fairly normal guys though. "Hi Cara, I'm Ron," one of them said. The other two introduced themselves but I couldn't remember their names. They chatted to me about music, our show, and the songs. I sort of got the feeling that I was being chatted up. They weren't pushy or anything so I was happy enough just to talk to them. Ron began to look a little awkward and then he swallowed and said, "Err listen, you wouldn't maybe like want to grab a drink with me sometime?"

I was a little thrown and not quite sure how to respond. I was very relieved when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and turned to find it was Jon. I smiled at him.

"We'd better be going Cara," he said.

I turned back and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I have to head on. I'll maybe see you guys again some time." They looked disappointed but smiled and said good bye. Jon kept his hand on my shoulder as he guided me through the crowd back to the dressing room.

"Thanks," I murmured as we headed down the corridor.

"You OK back there?"

"Yes I was fine. I think they were chatting me up though."

He laughed, "You think?" He chuckled to himself, "And there I was thinking they were asking you about the intricacies of the chord progression of 'Not Dancing, But Flying'." He laughed again.

I pouted, "Hey, not fair! I'm sort of new to all this, remember?"

He grinned, "You looked like a seasoned pro tonight."

I looked at him closely, "I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this once."

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