Evan was one of the first people to contact me when I started writing here on Lit, and we have remained in touch for a while now. It's funny because the first thing I liked about him was that he recognized what my screen name (getupkidsrock) meant. For those of you unaware, The Get Up Kids have got to be one of the single greatest Indie rock bands of all time. We got to chatting that first night, mostly about music, and commiserated with each other about how so many kids were coming to shows and how we felt old, although neither of us was even close.
Conversation came pretty naturally between the two of us, and I loved having someone who I could talk to about music – I mean, there aren't a whole lot of people around who listen to it, hence the small independent labels. We talked about other things too – work and school and sex... a lot about sex. He's a fan of my writing, and I couldn't help but blush at how excited he was to talk to me at first – I'm just a regular gal who likes writing erotic stories, so I was quite surprised that he was so eager.
It turns out that Evan happens to live in Philadelphia, where a lot of big shows are, and after we had been talking for a while, I told him I would get in touch with him if I were going to be in town so that we could maybe meet up for a drink or two... and maybe more.
It also just so happens that my grandmother lives less than an hour outside of Philadelphia, so when I got the chance to visit her, I jumped on the chance, with the thought of a side trip to the big city in the front of my mind. I knew exactly how I would go about it, either go up a day early and not tell her, or take the trip to check out grad schools and maybe visit and old 'friend' from the internship I did a couple years ago. I knew it would work. I on the getting there early, I could always get a hotel or something if things didn't work out, and even if I showed up at my grandma's house a day early, she's family, so I knew she wouldn't turn me away.
I smiled to myself the day I talked to Evan and let him know that I would be in the area. I was excited, but also scared as hell – I had never met someone offline before, and I wasn't sure what to expect. What would it be like? How would we get along? What if we didn't hit it off? I had so many questions racing through my brain the day I packed my bags for Pennsylvania and slid into the front seat of my car for the nearly 500 mile drive.
I pumped all the Indie music I've got on the way – Save the Day, Zella Mayzell, Motion City Soundtrack, and yes, The Get Up Kids. The drive went smoothly, and a little bit outside of Philly I stopped at a rest stop to change my clothes and freshen up a bit. I splashed my face with cool water, reapplied my lip gloss, and slid into a short, tight jean skirt and a v-neck pink top that hugged my curves just right. The look was finished off with my pink All-Stars and little star earrings that match my star tattoo, and it screamed 'I am the most do-able Indie Rock gal you could ever meet!'
My heart was practically pounding out of my chest when I finally found the bar we had agreed to meet at, parked my car, and walked inside. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust – the bar was fixtures were made of beautiful dark wood, somehow making the bar seem even darker than the night outside. In just the few seconds it took my eyes to get used to the lighting, I could feels eyes on me, and when I looked towards the bar, I saw Evan sipping a beer and gazing at me, a playful smile on his lips.
He was wearing what he said he would – jeans, tennis shoes, and a plaid shirt with a simple t-shirt underneath. Seeing him made what we were doing a reality for me, and I almost chickened out, felt the urge to turn around and leave before he could say anything.
"Too late now," I whispered to myself under my breath and sucked in a lungful of air before walking nervously to the bar.
Evan saw me approach and stood up to say hi. "Chloe?" I flashed the sweetest smile I could, letting him know that yes, that's me. "I'm Evan, glad you found the place!"
I awkwardly thrust my hand out in front of me. "Nice to meet you, Evan. It was a long drive, but yeah... I made it!"
"Mmmmmmmmm." I feel his eyes on my chest and almost regret the choice to wear this shirt. But no, I'm just nervous. "Find okay parking?"
"Well I parked on the street in some two hour, but I don't think that applies on the weekends, right?"
He smiled at me amusedly. "Well its after 9, anyway, so you should be okay... I got us a booth right over there," he said as he gestured to the back of the bar and reached for my arm, leading me to the booth.
I blush as he touches me. "God Evan, I'm so nervous!"
"Oh no, don't be nervous," he said, laughing a little nervously. "Easier said than done, I guess." He smiled. "I'm a little nervous as well, but I already had a pint of beer, it helps the nerves for sure... care for one?"
"You seem so laid-back. I'll try anything." Knowing he was nervous, though, did help a bit.
He smiled at me, and I blushed vividly, my cheeks bright pink. "Well I am just so glad you made it, it is so cool to see you face-to-face... and you're even cuter than in your pictures." He winked. "I'll be right back, going to get us some pints."
I sat there, in the booth waiting for him to come back, my mind racing. Okay, he seemed nice enough. Not creepy, not too touchy-feely. The place was in an okay neighborhood. I was here! I still couldn't completely wrap my mind around what I was doing, who exactly I was talking to, how far I was from home. I ran my fingers through my hair, wondering what I was thinking when I came out here, but no matter how nervous I was, I was just as excited about the prospects for the evening.
Evan returned not too long later with two beers and smiled at me as he sat down in the booth across from me. His eyes lingered on my chest for just a moment too long, but not long enough to creep me out. He slid my beer across the table and I put my hands around the cool glass, smiling slightly.
"Here you go," he said. "Cheers, to my favorite author." He grinned, clearly still nervous, as I was, and shifted in his seat a bit. Just before he took a swig of beer his eyes met mine for just a second.
I picked my beer up and sipped it, tentatively at first, not sure if I would go for it. "Mmmmmmmmm, thanks, this is great." I told him. I paused a moment. "Am I really your favorite author?"
He looked at me anxiously and gave a little laugh. "Well my fave Literotica author at least."
I blushed.
"And definitely the best looking author I have had the pleasure to share a beer with," he finished.
I giggled and smiled at him pleasantly. "Well thank you. A lot. It means a lot."
The way he was smiling at me, I could only imagine what he was thinking about. The stories. About the Chloe of my stories, sucking cock and fucking, being so completely uninhibited, and sexually free. His gaze seemed far away, I knew he was day dreaming, what finally snapped him out of it, I'm not sure.
"So have you ever met one of your fans before?" He grinned slyly, like he was up to something.
"No, you're my first, I guess." I told him honestly. "I'm a fan-meeting virgin."
He laughed and reached across the table, brushing his hand against mine before he took another sip of beer. "Well you are the first author I have met in real life, so I guess we are both virgins at this. Thank God for beer, right?"
"I'm gonna need a shot, I think." I sighed deeply. "I can't believe I'm doing this!"
Evan laughed at me. "It's okay, Chloe, I just wanted to meet you! It worked out... you were close... I am here... We're just having drinks... don't worry." I felt myself relax a little at his words.
"I know it's just a little bit... uncharacteristic... of me to do something like this..." I trailed off. "So mind if I get something a little stronger before I finish this beer?
"Oh yeah, well, I had a pint before you even got here, I was shaking like a leaf... okay, maybe not a leaf, but uh... yeah, this is kind of wild for me. Get anything you want."
"So what's good?" I asked. "Tequila? Hahaha, that stuff makes me crazy!"
"Maybe for you," Evan said. "That stuff makes me a sweaty mess. But if we're going for crazy, that is a perfect prescription." He flagged a waiter/bartender and ordered us each a fresh beer and a shot – whiskey for him and Cuervo with lime and salt for me. Our shots arrived. "Cheers, and bottoms up!"
I took the lime in one hand and the shot in the other. "You know they call this training wheels," I giggled, licked my hand, downed the shot, and bit the lime, then blew out a bit. "Whew!"
