the lights were blinding, the bass in your chest was louder than your thoughts, and your fingers were tingling with that dangerous mix of adrenaline and whiskey. you shouldnt have had a drink before the set but the nerves had gotten the best of you once again

you were renees guitarist. her favorite one at that. the one who played like the world was ending and danced like it already had ended but tonight your head was foggy and your balance was off slightly

renees voice was cutting clean through the chaos, sharp and rich, sending chills up your spine. she never missed a beat. not when the crowd screamed. not even when her hand gripped the microphone tighter as she watched you sway just a little too far to the left

so instead you turned it into a moment. you spun and pressed your body into hers, your back aligning with her front. you could feel her inhale behind you. your guitar was slung low, hands flying along the strings, and you knees buckled just slightly but instead of falling, you leaned back into renee

her palm was quick to catch you at your hip. she held you steady. to the audience it looked like it was choreographed. two women tangled in a rhythm only they understood

her lips were still moving, singing like nothing was wrong but behind you could feel her jaw tight and her fingers curled into your side a little firmer. kind of like a warning

“you smell like tequila” she ended up murmuring in your ear mid line. her voice was covered by the roaring crowd and you didnt reply. you just gave a small smirk that she couldnt even see

she didnt push you off or make a scene. she just stayed behind you with her hand at your waist, anchoring you when you leaned too far over and over again

the second that the set ended and the lights went dark, she grabbed your wrist and pulled you off stage, slightly breathless from the final chorus but her grip was tight

"you promised me" she whispered, close enough for her words to sting

you quickly looked down and nodded, wetting your lips slightly "i know.."

"you couldve fallen. you couldve ruined it"

"but i didnt" you paused before whispering lower "because you caught me"

she sighed, angry but soft, as she brushed a sweaty strand of hair from your face "youre lucky that i like you"

you leaned in, sighing as you pressed your forehead to hers, your fingers still on your guitar strings "you dont just like me renee" and that caused her to roll her eyes but she didnt pull away. not yet at least