Fear of Falling

didn’t understand, but it was simple; it was the only show of love that we found acceptable. Outsiders didn’t understand because they were just that—outsiders.
    “Of course, I couldn’t miss supporting my girls on their big day,” he beamed, his bright white teeth contrasting brilliantly with his caramel skin. Only when his eyes diverted to my right did his smile fade. I looked to see Blaine beside me, damn near scowling at Dom.
    “Hey Dom, this is Blaine. He’s one of the bartenders here at Dive.” I waved a hand between the two of them. “Blaine, this is Dominic Trevino.”
    “The most awesome guy she’s ever had the pleasure to know, love and live with,” Dom added playfully, shooting me a wink. Blaine nodded politely then busied himself with an order without another word. From what I knew of Blaine, which wasn’t much, it seemed out of character. He’d always been so warm and friendly towards everyone. Before I could really feel the arctic temperature of his mood, boisterous laughter approached us, followed by a barrage of cheers.
    “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Angel Cassidy and her cute, little pussycats,” Ryan Winn sneered, flanked by his band mates.
    Ryan was the lead singer for The Takers, the band that Angel used to play for before she left and started AngelDust two years ago. It was a nasty split, resulting in him sparking up nasty rumors about Angel. To make matters worse, Ryan had been vying for my attention since I got to Charlotte. I knew it was to get under Angel’s skin, which just made me hate him more.
    “And if it isn’t Ryan Winn and his load of unswallowed cum-shots,” she shot back. Even I had to giggle at that one. Ryan acted like he didn’t even hear it.
    “Hey, can we get some service over here?” Ryan shouted loud enough to earn a murderous glare from Dom. I could see Angel and the other girls coaxing him to let it go. The bulging vein in his neck was about to explode.
    I could feel Ryan fix his gaze on me even though I was down the bar helping customers. The prick had always made me uncomfortable. I knew he was just a regular, run-of-the-mill douchebag but I didn’t like how grabby and crude he could be. It wasn’t even funny when he did it. It just made him look like a world-class asshole, and not the sexy kind of asshole either.
    I turned to reluctantly help them when Blaine intercepted me with an outstretched hand. “Hey guys, I’m Blaine. Glad y’all could play for us tonight. What can I get ya?”
    Blaine served the band their beers with a slight polite smile though I could tell he was annoyed with their comments about Dive’s female patrons. When Ryan made a crass remark about my ass when I bent down, I thought I saw Blaine visibly flinch, then ball his fists. I didn’t even want to think about Dom’s reaction. Angel and the girls had to take him to a table out of earshot to calm him down. I was thankful; I really didn’t need my best friend and roommate getting kicked out of the bar I work at for fighting.
    An hour later, CJ took the stage and grabbed the microphone. After greeting the crowd like only he could (I’m pretty sure at least three F-bombs were dropped), he announced the first band taking the stage.
    Crux was a well-known band in Charlotte, known for their infusion of classical and rock music. They were amazing and hard to beat, but they lacked Angel’s sultry stage presence. After playing a few songs, CJ took the stage again.
    “Give it up one more time for Crux! What did y’all think? Let me fucking hear ya!” The crowd clapped and cheered while CJ successfully pumped them up for the next act. I had to give it to him; he was pretty entertaining to watch. “Ok, simmer down, y’all. We got more for ya. Do you want more? Do ya? Then put your fucking hands together for The Takers!”
    I could tell that most of the crowd had heard of them by the way they screamed when the guys took the stage. Ryan Winn was the quintessential hot rocker front man. Hard body, great hair, and eyes that seemed to melt the panties off every woman his gaze touched. After he roused the crowd further, The Takers launched into one of their known hits, a fast paced song with a catchy melody. Ryan owned the stage, moving around, interacting with the other band mates, and flirting with anything in a skirt. His act was undeniably sexual and enticing, and I even found myself entranced by him for a second. That was, until Blaine sidled up behind