Freddie

FREDDIE

Butch looks like he wants to ring my neck and Michael Murray has a smug grin on his lips.

"She'll come around. Maybe you can get her to hit those high notes again. Even her moans are melodic, am I right?"

At the sound of his voice, and disgusting words about Journey, I step closer. Itching for a fight, I want him to keep talking.

"How did ya get that video?" I sneer out.

He chuckles. "Oh that Boston accent, Fred." He shakes his head, and I feel like I'm being mocked. "I told you. I saw it on social media. I did a little digging. The scene looked familiar from another of your shows and I put two and two together." He crosses his arms and leans against the bar.

I try to get my breathing under control. "Ya can go. I don't want anyone like ya representing me and my band."

"You're making a big mistake. Over a woman? Please." He scoffs. "Do you know how much pussy you can get on the road? Instead, you want to throw it away for one with an attitude?"

I launch myself at him, slamming him once in the nose and he drops instantly to the ground. The crowd screams and Butch stands close to me. Jason appears at my other side.

He sputters and spits blood. "Do you know what you just did?" His tone is menacingly low.

"Yep. I do."

He laughs an evil laugh. "You'll never get a job outside of this dive bar."

"Fine by me."

This time Butch steps in, dragging him from the floor with one of his giant paws and ushers him to the door, throwing him through it. The crowd watches in awe.

"Ya not welcome in my dive bar!" he calls after him.

The bar is quiet as everyone wonders what to do. Butch turns to me. "Tell ya band to start playing. Now . And then you're going to go fix it with Journey. I'm sure this is not your intention but let me tell ya, that girl has been hurt and she is finally coming around again. And I sat here and told her ya were a good one. I'm not a liar. So go prove me right."

I hear every word Butch is barking at me and I run to the stage, telling the boys to start playing anything as fast as possible and then I take off outside.

I find her outside leaning against the side of the building. She has tear tracks down her face and it makes me want to break. I want to grab her, pull her close, rock her and tell her everything is going to be okay. But this isn't what she needs.

She's stronger than this, and survived far worse than me.

Her ex showing up, thinking I was the one who brought him here with any kind of intention other than to further my band, is breaking her worse.

"Journey. Please listen to me. I didn't know."

"I'm sure you didn't, . But either way, he was here. He found me through you. Through my voice, it's exactly what I've been avoiding for almost four years. "

"I would never hurt ya like that. Ya know my heart. Ya know I don't care about any of it." I step closer praying she doesn't run from me.

"Yet. He was here. And you answered his call."

I shake my head. "I wish we had spoken before this. I wish I had told ya about my talk with Butch before these last twenty minutes happened. Because then, we wouldn't even be having this conversation." She glances at me and quickly looks away. "He's gone. With a broken nose and some dirt on his shirt."

She watches me, wanting to ask a question, I can see it on her face. Instead, she turns her back to me. I have to leave her alone. I have to let her sit with this.

I walk away, it's the hardest walk I've ever made. And all the while, as I make my way to the stage, I know what I need to do. What I need to say. Because it's everything I've already said aloud.

The crowd is heavily involved with the song the guys are playing and I stand to the side of the stage. I see Butch, Faith and Jason eyeing me closely. I give them a nod and wait for the end notes to play and for the cheers to die down, before taking center stage.

"Good evenin', all." My voice carries through the bar and out of the corner of my eye, I see Journey reenter from the back. "This isn't somethin' I normally do. I'm the background guy. I write for them," I wave to the band members, "do the introductions and then I piece together songs. I play around for my own fun with my favorite tunes. But I need everyone to hear me on this."

The place falls silent. I take a breath and say the hardest thing I've ever said. "I fucked up with my girl tonight." The crowd boos me. "I know, I know." I put my hands up defensively. "I'm also quite sure ya know who my girl is."

"Journey!"

" Our girl!"

"The best waitress around!"

Her recognition is cat-called to me and I know I've got a big hole to dig out of.

"I'll accept every bit of animosity ya have for me, but let me try to explain for a minute." I take a breath. "This girl is unlike anyone I've ever met. When all I could see was a future with my band, taking us higher, pushing to be the best, she came in and suddenly, music wasn't first on my list anymore."

The guys make noise. "I know, I know. I'm disappointin' everyone in this place tonight." I turn around to face my friends. "And guys, I know I never spoke to ya but–"

"We knew, Fred." Dan speaks up. "We saw the difference in ya the moment ya met her." He hits a beat on the drum. "And no one expected this to end any differently than it is."

"Well, it may end differently than I hoped. Tonight, I screwed up without knowin' it. But the minute I saw what it was doin' to her, I put a stop to it."

"Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!" is chanted throughout the bar and it makes me laugh.

I shrug, looking down before looking out to the crowd again. I spot Journey immediately. I find her eyes and say, "I'll fight for love every time." I breathe deep. "Guys, mash it up."

The beat to ‘Another One Bites The Dust' hits.

I look around, giving them a bland look. "Are ya's for real right now? I'm trying to win her back, not convince her to leave."

The crowd laughs and a few wolf whistles ring out.

The band chats for a moment and then begins playing ‘You're my best friend'.

I make a show of exasperation. "Guys! Yes, she's my best friend but come on! I need something that hits!"

I watch as Journey moves closer to the stage. A smile begins to appear and her eyes are glistening.

Finally, the opening chords to ‘I Want To Break Free' begin and it's my cue.

"I can't make it on my own … "

"I can't get over how you move me like you do…"

"I've fallen in love and it's real…"

"I wanna savvy b free!"

"Won't you drink one with me?"

"Oh how I won't ever leave…"

"So tell me you'll be with me..."

I'm totally going rogue, these lyrics don't even match the beat anymore. I jump from the stage and the crowd gets loud, taking over for my incorrect lyrics.

I pull her close. "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't."

"I'm so sorry." I kiss her. "Have I made a big enough fool of myself here or what?"

She smirks. "You're my fool and I loved it."

"Can we make sweet music together now?"

"Forever, ."

"Only you, Journey."