| Title: Close Encounter Author: Janman A mosquito buzzed peskily around Drea's arm. She slapped it away and it drifted off into the cool evening air to search for an easier meal. She shifted her shoulder against the fence, peering through the metal diamonds for any glimpse of the band. Most of the crowd had left in the last half hour after the concert, but there was still a small mob lingering in the hopes of getting autographs. The security roadie looked at the group of kids she was in and frowned at them. The 40-odd group was getting rowdier and rowdier and you could tell he was about ready to tell them all to back up another 20 feet. Far off, the tour bus door opened and Jonathan Davis slipped out, darting around to the backstage door, his long black hair flowing in the breeze behind him. The crowd immediately erupted into chaos at the mere sight of him, but not Drea. She stood silent and frozen, immobilized by the sight of her idol. Looking down at her hands, she realized they were shaking slightly, as was her lower jaw. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "Hey Jon, want a beer?" someone yelled in the crowd. Drea looked over and saw one idiot kid pitch an unopened beer can past the security roadie, throwing it as hard as he could in Jonathan's direction. It landed about twenty feet from where he was and exploded from its own inner pressure, spraying foam everywhere as he slipped in the backstage door. The kids erupted into a mix of cheering and booing, and the roadie lost his temper. "OK, that's it, you're outta here, all of you! Go on, no more of this bullshit!" Sadly, the kids scattered to the wind, one of them shoving the laughing beer-throwing kid as he went. "Way to go, asswipe," He said and the kid fingered him before running off around a corner. Drea took one last look at the backstage area, hoping for one last glimpse, then turned and slowly began to walk away. "Hey, come back here for a second." Drea turned and looked at the roadie. "Come here, seriously, I just wanna talk to you." She slowly approached him, nervously watching, totally unsure of what he was about to say. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at everyone, I know it's not fair. 'Specially to kids like you, you were being quite ok." She shrugged, still saying nothing. "Hey, how old are you?" He asked, looking her up and down. "18," She answered automatically, lying through her teeth. "Do you have any ID?" He asked. "Why?" "Well, ok, if you don't want to go backstage for a few minutes, that's fine with me," He answered casually. Immediately, she whipped her small wallet out of her handbag and showed him the fake ID she used at the liquor store. He looked at it and then nodded. "Well, wanna go say hi to Jon?" He grinned. Drea gave a small gasp and nodded. "Alright, let's go. Jerry! Take over here for a few, k? I'll be right back." He called to another roadie nearby. Drea felt her knees begin to melt but she sturdied them, taking a deep breath as she walked with the roadie into the previously forbidden territory. She couldn't believe her luck. Every step felt precious, like walking on water, as she knew she shouldn't be back here. They opened the backstage door Jon had gone into and went inside. Walking through a large room filled with elaborate Sick & Twisted gear, the pair wound their way through the clutter to a dim hallway. Stopping abruptly at an unmarked door about halfway down the corridor, the roadie knocked on it. The door opened and Drea found herself standing face to face with Jonathan Davis. Her bones turned to sponge. "Hey man, you got a few minutes?" The roadie asked him. "Yeah, what's up?" "This one here just seemed to sort of....stand out in the crowd and I just thought maybe you'd like to meet her." Jonathan looked Drea over and her stomach reeled as she felt his eyes pour over her. "I see what you mean," He said, smiling, and she blushed furiously. "What's your name?" "Drea," She mumbled nervously. "Cool. My name's Jonathan." He said and all three of them laughed. "Well, I gotta buzz, check ya later!" The roadie said and jogged back down the hallway the same way they'd come. Drea watched him go, then turned back and looked meekly up at Jonathan, who seemed to tower over her short 5'4". "Wanna come in for a bit?" He asked her. "Sure," She said just barely above a whisper, stepping into the room as though stepping through a minefield. Looking around, her jaw dropped. Inside the sprawling room were two plush sofas, a small kitchenette, two wardrobes, a large pile of gear, and two full-length mirrors. "Good God, this place is bigger than my house!" She exclaimed as Jonathan chuckled, shutting the door behind her. "Make yourself at home," He said politely. "Want anything to drink?" "Um, no that's ok," She said, sitting down on one of the soft couches. "Where are the other guys?" "Oh they're all back on the buses." He answered offhandedly. "Really? We didn't even see you guys and we had our eyes glued to the buses the whole time!" "Heh, we're getting better," He said with a wink. They sat and talked for what felt like ages. Drea was amazed at how mellow and down-to-earth he was, how at ease she felt with him. At one point the conversation lulled and Drea thought for a moment, chuckling quietly to herself. "What?" He asked. "Going back home to my everyday life is gonna seem so boring compared to this," She said wistfully. "To be honest with you, this has been the highlight of my day too," Jonathan replied. Drea felt her face burn up again and she bit her lip. She looked up at him and saw sadness in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked, instantly filled with concern. He shrugged. "It's just....you remind me so much of Deven when you smile. I wish things had worked out between us but I guess absence really does make a heart grow fungus..." He trailed off, staring into space. Without even thinking about it, Drea reached over and gently laid her hand on the back of his head, running her fingers over his soft dark hair in genuine sympathy and consolation. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, as though enduring pain and looked over at her. Their eyes met and instantly Drea felt something jolt through her - powerful, overwhelming, pulling her. And she knew that he felt it too. After an agonizingly long moment frozen like that, Jonathan very slowly leaned in and tenderly kissed her. For a few seconds, Drea couldn't breathe, so strong was the passion flowing through her. She began to kiss him back. He lifted one hand and cradled her face, gently pulling her closer. His touch nearly made her collapse and she had to concentrate on staying sitting up. A voice awoke in the back of her mind. Are you crazy? You just met this guy, he's 12 years older than you! Does the word "Trash" ring a bell? Do you realize that after today you'll never see him again and he'll be in the next tour stop kissing some other Deven look-alike in exactly the same way?....But God, it feels so good, so pure, so wonderful...feeling like I'm God... They pulled away for a moment, to catch their breath and collect themselves. Pressing their foreheads together, they stared into each other's eyes, both savoring the hot delicious passion flowing between them. Biting his lip, Jonathan slowly began moving his hand down from her face, down her neck...Drea felt the rush sweep over her and she closed her eyes, tilting her head back and arching her spine, letting the energies move her body. Next thing she knew, she was lying on her back on the soft couch and Jonathan was on top of her, both of them still dressed, but just barely, brushing against each other through the clothing. She savored the wonderful feeling of his weight pressing down on her entire body. He kissed her neck and between shivering breaths, whispered in her ear... "Do you want to?" The words coursed through Drea like a bolt of electricity and her breath escaped her for a moment. She had to fight to get her truthful answer out. "Yes," she whispered back. His face buried in her neck, she felt him smile and kiss her there again, moving one hand down to expose himself. She deftly unzipped her pants, just the way she'd imagined so many times doing in this situation. Pushing them away and letting them fall to the floor, she spread her legs for him. "Jon?" He stopped and looked at her. "Be gentle, ok?" He smiled, a tender caring understanding smile, and she rested assured he would be. Then he moved again and was there. She gasped as a sharp stab of pain ripped through her and her entire body recoiled. He pulled away. "Are you ok?" He asked. "Yeah, I'll be alright," She answered. "Is this your first time?" He asked. She looked into his eyes, saying it with her face. "Oh man...we really don't have to-" "No! I want it...I mean...it's ok. I gotta do it sometime, right?" She said, smiling weakly. "You sure?" He asked. She nodded. "Okay, just let me know at any time if you want me to stop, okay?" She nodded again. He was there again. This time she suppressed her reaction, forcing herself to bear through it. She felt him fill her, the incredible sensation leaving her breathless and gradually the pain subsided. Everything seemed to blend together, and time ceased to exist. Light, color, sound, touch, joy, love, peace, Jonathan, herself, all became One and there was nothing else... They sat there together, curled up on the couch, with him resting his damp head on her shoulder and her sitting there contentedly running her fingers through his dark curls, thanking God for life. If only I could press Pause on this moment forever- --There was a knock at the door. Both of them jumped, startled out of their trance. Caco popped his head in. "Come on, man, we're just about ready to hit the road," He said brusquely, and closed the door without waiting for response. Drea's heart sank, Caco's words stabbing a mortal wound of sadness through it. Jonathan looked at her sadly and slowly sat up. Suddenly she realized that she would probably never see him again, and that after only a week had passed, despite even the best intentions, he would forget all about her. Tears formed in her eyes. "There's not really much I can say that wouldn't hurt," Jonathan said, as though hearing her thoughts. "But I won't forget you. Ever." Drea's throat choked up and she fought back a sob. They silently trudged out of the room and down the hall, as though on the way to Jesus' funeral. They got to the door and stepped outside into the cool night air. A crowd of about 25 kids had regenerated at the gate where she'd been and they erupted into cheers at the pair emerged into view. Drea couldn't hear them though; her heart's screams of agony deafened her to them. Jonathan pulled her close and hugged her tightly for a long time, and she just barely managed to keep herself from crying as she stood there with her arms around his neck. Then they pulled away from each other, reluctantly, forced. One of the security people came from the front gate and waited a few feet away to walk her back to the gate. "Bye," She said, just barely over a whisper. "Take care of yourself," Jonathan responded, also barely audible. She nodded slightly and forced herself to turn her eyes away, taking step after agonizing step back towards the gate. She looked back and saw him walking towards the tour bus, his eyes still glued to her. They broke the gaze only when obstacles came between them and Drea felt the connection cut off, dried up and gone forever. She kept walking and the kids gravitated towards her as she approached. "You are soooo lucky!" "What did he say?" "How did you get back there?" "Did you get his autograph?" Drea ignored them all and just sat on the curb, pretending her stomach hurt. In reality, it was her soul. About ten minutes later, the buses started up and pulled out, driving past the group of kids. They all shouted and waved frantically, except for Drea. She sat unmoving, just watching them go by. Spotting Jonathan in the window, their eyes locked one last time before the bus pulled him away and disappeared. Drea sat unmoving, resting her head on her knees, trying to decide whether or not it was the best or the worst night of her life. The End (c) Copyright Janman, "Close Encounter" 2002. |