Chapter 23

Jimmy handed them their backstage passes when they arrived at the back door. He opened the door for them and led them to Jon’s dressing room that had balloons in front of the door for the occasion, even a superman balloon.

Jon opened the door for them and gave Melody a short kiss before she introduced Lori to him. It was busy in Jon’s dressing room as the rest of the band and even crew members were there. After meeting Lori he introduced her to the rest in the room. Lori couldn’t be more excited when he did. Everyone said hello to her and Lori was fidgeting her feet when everybody said hello to her. She had never been that close to the band and it was like a dream come true. Melody pushed her to a chair and told her to relax.

After the crew members had left Lori relaxed a bit and they were alone with the band. Melody had moved over to sit next to Jon on the couch, Lori hadn’t moved from her chair which was still an arm’s length from where everyone sat in the sitting area.

Richie leaned over from where he was sitting on the couch and pulled her chair closer by one of its legs. Lori almost lost balance but grabbed on to the seat in time. Lori wasn’t sure if she should say something. She usually wasn’t that shy around new people, but now…
“Come join us.” Richie said.

“You almost made me fall.” She told him.

“At least now you’re closer.”

“But you almost hurt me.” Lori persisted.

“But I didn’t and besides, if I had, I would have kissed it better.” Richie said with a smile.

“I’m sure you would, gentleman.” Lori answered him sarcastically.

“What? I would.” Richie said seriously now.

Lori had to laugh at his reaction and so did the rest. Lori finally relaxed because of him and felt better. They all sat there talking. Jon held Melody in his arms as Melody explained about her and Lori’s job at the hotel. Everyone knew the hotel as it was just a few houses from Jon’s penthouse.

Holding Melody in his arms, he decided he had to do some changes on the set list they had set up earlier. He urged the rest of the band to start sound check and asked Melody and Lori to go along with them.

Melody and Lori sat in their front row seats to see them do their sound check. Until Lori wondered how far back it was possible to still see them. They got up from their seats and started walking back, stopping every few rows to look at the stage. Jon wondered what they were doing and used his mike to ask them.
“Is it that bad?” He asked them.

They weren’t too far away yet. “Horrible!” Melody said jokingly.

“What are you doing?”
Melody and Lori walked further back and got into the golden circle. “We’re going to see if you look sexy all the way in the back!” Melody shouted at him as they turned around again to go another few rows back. David had heard them and started laughing.
“He probably just looks better back there.” He told them. Richie asked Jon what Melody and Lori had said but Jon laughed it off and started singing again.

When he finished his song Melody and Lori were all the way in the back. They sat down and didn’t come back.
“So?” Jon asked them.
Melody shouted even harder but Jon still had to listen closely to be able to hear her. “Can’t see you.” He thought she had said. The stage screens weren’t on but he thought it couldn’t hurt to test them too. He asked to turn them on and smiled to the camera in front of him.
“How about now?” He asked.
Melody raised her arm and Jon guessed it was a thumbs up. “Better.” He thought he heard this time.

Melody and Lori sat in the back, taking a break from their walk while listening to another song. When Jon finished it and got his guitar they started walking back to their seats. They had been able to see his contours when they were in the back but nothing clear enough.

Jon ended sound check an hour after they had started and invited Lori and Melody back in his dressing room. This time the rest of the band had left and it was just the three of them.

“So what do you do for another 3 hours?” Lori asked Jon as she sat back down on her chair.
“Not much, have some supper, hang around, change the set list, which reminds me.” Jon said as he got up and took his set list. He made some adjustments on his paper and left the room.

“I guess he had to make some changed.” Lori concluded.
“Guess so. Are you liking it being backstage?” Melody asked her.

“It’s awesome, I was really nervous but you were right, they’re really nice.” Lori said excited.

Melody was glad Lori had relaxed. They heard a knock on the door and Richie walked in.

“Where’s Jon?” He asked after looking around the room.
Melody shrugged. “He left with the set list.

Richie sighed. “Did he change something again?”

“I think he did.” Melody said, telling him Jon said something about changing the set list and had left.
Richie decided to wait for Jon with them and sat back on the couch where he sat before.

“You know a couch is more comfy?” He asked Lori seriously.

“Yes, I do.” She answered.
“At least you know. So where are you guys from. You live in New York then?” He asked wondering, he knew they worked in New York, so figured they’d live close by.

“No,” Melody said. “Woodbridge.”

“Really? Where?”

Melody told him the street they lived on and Richie nodded in acknowledgement.

“That’s by River Park isn’t it?” He asked, this time Melody nodded.

“That’s close to where I went to high school.” Richie said excited.

“My kids go there.” Melody said.

“Really?”

“Yeah, J and Tyler saw you at Richie Sambora day.”
“That was a really good day.” Richie reminisced.

“That was a really great thing you did.”
“You gotta give back to the community when you can.” Richie concluded, Melody and Lori agreed and Richie told them more about the ‘You Can Go Home’ charity he had been working on when Jon walked back into the room.

“There you are. That’s the second time I was looking for one of you and find you together.” Jon said looking at them.

“We’re talking, Jon.” Richie said seriously.

“I was kidding. Here,” Jon said and handed Richie a changed set list. “Learn it.”

Richie looked over it and looked up again. “That took you almost 2 hours?”

“No, I walked past the chiropractor and went then instead of after supper.” Jon explained.

The four of them had supper in Jon’s dressing room. Lori still hadn’t said much to Jon. She felt relaxed around the rest now but just like Melody, Jon had been the love of her life and she didn’t keep her cool as good as Melody. Lori always got nervous for everything.

Jon and Richie got ready for the show when Dave knocked on the door telling Jon he had to get his ass out there. Jon got up and walked to the door. Dave took him to a room telling Jon he had something for him. Jon opened the door to the room and everyone inside started singing happy birthday for him. Jon couldn’t resist laughing while they did but thanked them all when he saw the cake. It was a big cake shaped like a guitar leaning against a stage box. They all posed for some press pictures and the crew promised to bring the cake to the hotel where they were having a party after the show.

Lori kept urging Melody to go to their seats so they could see the band come on stage but Melody knew she’d have a short minute of privacy when the band went on and Jon would go a few minutes later. She sent Lori off and said she’d find her seat without the help of a crew member. After Lori had left, Tico went on first, and then David and Richie followed after him. They all had left and Melody grabbed Jon around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him passionately. She moved her hands to ass and held him there. He chuckled and broke their kiss.

“I gotta go.” He said, Melody nodded, “but save that for later.” And she watched him walk the stairs to the stage and heard the opening to Just Older.