Say When

E I G H T

The bass vibrated through the crowd. Everyone was out of their seats and on their feet. Singing. Dancing. The sound climbed up my legs and charged through my chest before settling in my head.

It was too much and not enough at the same time. I held a Sprite soda bottle in one hand and my other swayed through the air as I rode the beat.

The soda was spiked with some type of liquor that burned my throat with each swallow. But the more I drank, the more I felt the music.

It was good to just let it all go for a minute. Rita was next to me. David's arms were wrapped around her as they rocked to the melody. Electricity and cool air rippled through the crowd.

I was light for the first time in a long time. I hadn't checked my phone in hours and I didn't give a shit if Jax called or not. All I cared about was my spiked soda and the beat.

"Wings!" I heard a faint sound break through the crowd. I looked around but didn't see anything. I took another swig from my bottle and threw a smile at Rita who looked so happy and content.

"Wings!!!" I heard it again and snapped my head in the other direction. My vision was slightly blurred but I did see a figure moving toward me.

I squinted and caught sight of Yuri pushing his way through the crowd. He got closer to our section but stopped at the thick rope that divided our section from the general admission. I held up a hand too.

"VIPs only. And I told you not to call me that." I took another swig. The liquid burned down my throat and radiated across my chest. I grimaced and coughed. He looked amused and held up his hands in surrender.

"You got it. There's absolutely no way I can cross this line." He declared. I nodded in agreement. A moment later he quickly stepped across the barricade. One of the security guards eyed him closely and started to approach.

"You going to let me get hauled away or what?" I gave him an incredulous look. He formed little prayer hands at his chest and I rolled my eyes. The security guard was closing in so I signaled to him that Yuri was with me. He halted, threw Yuri a look and made his way back to his post.

"Thank You." He said. I turned away from him and focused back in on the concert. Freeman was just launching into one of my favorite tunes.

"Oh God, I love this song!" My eyes were squeezed shut and the words of the song were flowing out of my mouth. The crowd drowned me out but it felt good to sing out loud. When I opened my eyes Yuri was staring at me. Embarrassment crept in so I took another swig of the burning liquid.

"You look nice." He said shoving his hands into his pocket.

"Thank you. You own pants." I pointed to his jeans realizing that I typically see him in gym shorts. He chuckled.

"Yep, lots of 'em."

"Are you out here by yourself?" I didn't see his usual crew of rambunctious ballers around.

"Yeah, I just got off of work. Was hoping I didn't miss Crewz performance." He glanced around. I remembered the program I had in my pocket. I pulled it out and opened it. I squinted to see in the dark.

"Here." Yuri pulled out his phone and stepped beside me. My shoulder pressed against his chest and he used the light of his screen to illuminate the paper. My eyes finally focused.

"They're on next!" I shouted over the beat. He smiled and put his phone away but the closeness between us remained. It felt nice. We rocked and sang as the next set started.

"So, you're actually fun, huh?" Yuri looked at me quizzically. I was confused.

"What's Funna?"