**_Julian_**

"C'mon, Oliver! We're on in a minute dude!" I grab my guitar, hoping it's tuned correctly. He grabs his drumsticks, and Caelum high fives me.

"This is our chance to play for a crowd!" he grins.

Oliver rolls his eyes, but I can still see the excitement in them.

"They're all gonna be drunk anyway, they won't care."

I strum a practice note, happy when it sounds good.

"Let's go!" I practically shriek.

**_Casper

_**I don't really know why I'm here. I'm too young to drink, and I'm not really interested in trying to find a wife in a place like this.

I'm sure God wouldn't approve either.

Taking a seat, my hand immediately goes to my cross necklace. I take a deep breath to calm myself.

The sudden sound of loud music rips me out of my thoughts, and I wince.

Jeez, why is it so loud?

I look up to see a band, immediately locking eyes with the guitarist.

**_Julian

_**

It's exciting to play in front of people, even if only a few are listening.

I've helped write most of these lyrics; the ones that aren't covers of pop songs, at least.

Mid-song, eyes flicking up to scan the crowd, my gaze meets another boy's.

And for some reason, my fingers slip and I play the world's worst chord.

I can practically hear the sharp intake of breath from Caelum, and see the way Oliver winces.

Yet I don't look away from this boy.

His hair is short, and wavy brown, and he's fiddling with something near his neck.

He looks kinda... nerdy. With his button-up shirt and dress pants, he doesn't look like the kind of boy you'd see in a bar.

I realize, a little too late, that I've been staring.

Snapping out of it, I attempt to catch up to Oliver and Caelum.

They're gonna be pissed.

**_Casper_**

I have the worst headache right now, and whatever that noise was did not help in the slightest.

The guitarist finally stopped staring at me, but I can't help feeling out of place in this bar. Everyone around me is sloppy-drunk, and I know that's something God wouldn't like very much.

Maybe I should just go home. I watch the band start to leave the stage, and my head finally has a break from the loud 'music' that they played.

Beginning to stand up, I'm stopped by an older man.

"ID?" he says sharply, and I freeze.

_Oh no._

"I-"

What do I do? I can't lie to him...

Before I get the chance to respond, a warm voice fills my ears.

"He's my cousin. Only came to hear me play, y'know? Sorry for the trouble, Dave."

I look up to see the guitarist from earlier.

Shaved black hair, piercings that make me cringe, he smiles down at me as the older man--presumably the bouncer--walks away.

"Ah, sorry-" I mumble, putting some distance between us.

"No worries-" the guitarist laughs, albeit a little awkwardly. "I'm Julian, and you are..?" he extends a hand.

"Casper." My response is quiet, and I don't shake his hand.

I fidget with my necklace more, watch the way his eyes trail down to it.

There's a brief shift in his expression before he smiles again.

"Have a nice night, 'kay?" the guitarist--**_Julian_**-- says before heading back off with his band mates.

My chest feels oddly tight, and I take a shaky breath before leaving the bar.

(excuse my writing if it's bad, i haven't written in non-poetry form in a bit, and just needed to get ideas down. it's a rough draft!!)