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Being a popular singer led to connections within the London rock scene, which in turn led to being invited to many parties and gigs by other musicians. There would often be lesser known or foreign bands too.
Tonight, you were seeing Johnny Thunders at an all too familiar venue you had played many times and loved going to – the Marquee Club. You were good friends with Johnny and naturally, you had been asked to attend the afterparty as well. For one, to spend time with him because you hadn't had the chance to see each other in a while due to your busy schedules, but also to meet some new faces who wanted to make it big in England.
One of the best ways to promote your own music was to go out and build a network in the scene, even more so if you were not a local. Concerts and afterparties were a welcome occasion for that.
When you arrived at the club after the show, the first thing you did was to greet the people you already knew and have a chat with them, some longer, some shorter, depending on how frequently you saw them and how well you knew them. Then, Johnny began to introduce you to some people he had invited, most of them bands from abroad or groups who had recently formed. Among them was a band called Hanoi Rocks.
The moment Sami spotted you in the crowd, he felt his heartbeat speed up. His bandmates admired you for your music and while he obviously did too, he also had a crush on you. The idea of you being at the same party as him gave him butterflies, but also made him very anxious when he noticed you walking in his direction.
"Hey (y/n), there’s another band I'd like to introduce you to!" your friend called over the music, leading you to a group of five men, of which one was blonde and the rest had dark hair. "This is Andy, Michael, Sami and Nasty."
They all greeted you with big smiles on their faces. "We really like your music," Nasty said, being the last one to shake your hand.
The young man who had been introduced to you as Sami nodded excitedly, making you smile even wider.
"Thank you so much! I heard you're not from London?" you asked.
"Oh yeah, we're from Finland," Michael explained, fluffing up his hair. "We came here last year to record our album, which just came out in January."
“Good luck! Did you already put out any before?”
“Our debut was only released in Finland and Sweden, so this is our second album. We figured London is a better place to get the big break than Helsinki,” Andy answered.
You all got into talking, but the only one who still hadn't spoken except for a sheepish ‘hi’ earlier was Sami, their bassist, as you found out. Unlike his bandmates, he was very quiet and even hid his face whenever you looked at him, so you cautiously asked, “Sami? Are you okay?”
He simply nodded, opening his mouth before Michael said casually with a smirk, “He’s got a crush, don't you?”
His cheeks turned pink and he looked obviously uncomfortable, which confirmed that the singer was telling the truth. You offered him a sympathetic smile to ease the tension. “Aw stop, he's already looking nervous, Michael.”
You changed the topic, which seemed to make Sami feel better already, even if as the conversation faded out, he was the first to excuse himself.
Later that night when you were finished with your obligatory introductions, you returned to the bar to have some drinks you couldn't have ordered earlier in order to stay professional. While the bartender was mixing your cocktail, you recognized the two men sitting by the counter a few meters away as Nasty and Sami from Hanoi Rocks.
When you received your glass, you approached them with a smile. Nasty patted Sami's back before standing up to leave you both alone.
You tried to have small talk and finally you got to hear his voice. “Did you enjoy the show?”
“Absolutely! So you know Johnny Thunders personally?” Immediately after this question, he felt embarrassed. Of course you knew him if you were walking around together letting him introduce you to people.
“Yes, we've been friends for a couple of years and we work together sometimes,” you answered. “I think he's a great rock guitarist, maybe not for his talent, but because he delivers the rock n roll attitude and he pretty much invented punk with the Dolls.”
Sami nodded in agreement. “He’s amazing, just like you.”
You grinned and decided it's the right time to ask him again, just between you and him. “Do you really have a crush on me?”
He looked down, nervously taking a sip from his bottle. "Y-yeah, I mean, that sounds weird now... I'm kind of a huge fan and..."
From his stammering, you could tell he wasn't sure what to say, but you heard what you needed to hear. “Honestly, I think you're very cute.”
“You do?” Sami's eyes widened in surprise. “I mean- thank you. You too!”
“You're staying here longer, right?” you asked and he nodded. “Would you like to go out tomorrow? There's a good Thai restaurant in this district. Not Vietnamese to suit your band's name, but I love going there. I'm paying.”
With that addition, his worry about who to borrow money from vanished. He avoided eating out because it was too expensive, but if he didn't make an exception for you, for who else?
“Yes, of course! I'll have to check back when I'm free because we're opening for Lords of the New Church on the 5th, but I definitely want to go out,” he replied, a big smile on his face.
You asked the bartender to give you a piece of paper and a pen to write your phone number on it, which you handed to Sami. “Once you know when you're free, just call. Anytime from 17 o'clock would work for me.”
This new chapter in his life was off to a great start, he thought.