Read Online Strings by Kat Green - Free Book Online

circles. She couldn’t care less either way; they were both good, so why did it matter? She headed to the bar and found Toby lining up more shots. He passed her a Sambuca.
                  ‘Hey, get this down you!’
                  Melissa took it and knocked it back, immediately wondering whether it was wise. She’d struggled to get through work today, and had to go in again tomorrow. Luke found her at the bar when he too had finally got bored of what he’d eventually decided was ‘the most fucking stupid argument ever’.
                  Melissa realised that she was now on her fourth large glass of wine, and the shot she’d just downed was not her first. She’d been attempting to keep up with Toby and had been carried along by his infectious enthusiasm. But it was clear that she was lagging badly behind, and so she decided it wasn’t even worth trying. ‘Have you finished talking about that Jimi Halen guy?’ Melissa slurred her words as she threw her arms round his neck.
                  He laughed loudly. ‘Yeah.’
                  She knew she must have said something wrong by the way he laughed. ‘What's so funny?’
                  ‘Nothing, nothing at all,’ he said and kissed her forehead. He didn’t want to explain; it would just embarrass her.
                  ‘I need to go soon. Working at the weekend should be made illegal,’ she complained.
                  ‘Really, you’re leaving me again?’ Luke made a sad face as he looked down at her. How could she abandon him two nights in a row? He was only joking but he was disappointed to be parted from her again. Melissa assured him that if she had a choice, she would stay. Luke had put a few drinks away himself, and felt confident to ask whether he could go home with her. Not yet, she told him. She never took a guy home until she knew him well enough to feel comfortable about it. That was her rule, and she never broke it, even though this time it was very hard to resist.
                  She was wearing a body-hugging short purple dress which showed off her perfect petite figure. Luke couldn’t stop looking at her for the second night running, but he respected her for not jumping into bed with him, frustrating as it was. She’d almost put him off again while he was playing, and it was exciting but slightly unnerving for him. Nobody had affected him like this before. It was very different to the beginning of any other relationship he’d had.
                  Melissa gushed about how good the gig was, saying that seeing them for the second time was somehow better than the first. Probably because she knew some of the songs now. He just nodded and smiled, trying not to seem big-headed. But he liked hearing her say it; his last girlfriend never had anything positive to say. Then, as if to back her up, a group sitting at a table next to them got up and came over, saying they’d really enjoyed the gig and thought The Black Eagles had bags of potential. You should be selling CDs, they said. If they were, they would have sold six right there an then. That would have paid for another round of drinks for starters, Melissa joked. The idea of making an EP was something Luke was working on, but the problem was that you needed money up front to pay for a studio, production etc. With their current lifestyle, they woke up the morning after each gig night with nothing but a pocket full of change and a headache.
                  The good wishes were very welcome, and with her idea in mind, Melissa had been making mental notes all night about how the gig went down with the paying punters.
    ‘See, I’m right … you’re amazing!’
                  He smiled broadly, and she could tell it had made his night.
                  Beth stumbled over, and threw her arms around their necks. ‘Come and dance with me,