"You're wasting your talent with these meatheads, Jude,” Cade said. "We're playing tomorrow night at The Whiskey, at least come and hear us play."

"I don't know, man," Jude said as he spun the lock off his crash cymbal. "I'm not leaving my band. We moved out here together, we're gonna make it together."

"You're a dreamer. You know what they sound like and you know you're better than them. I heard you play. You're running circles around them."

"I know, but you have to hear me out. These guys are like family to me. I can't just abandon them."

Jude looked up as Cade nodded. Turning him down was hard. He knew Tan Lines and admired them. He also knew it would be great grooving with a bassist who had a concept of time, but he couldn't leave his friends.

Noticing Cade looking off stage, Jude followed his gaze. Cade was looking at a girl with black shoulder-length hair, black lined eyes, and dark lipstick. She looked like any other groupie he'd seen at the different venues around town, but he couldn't help but think there was something special about her.

She was talking to her girlfriend and Cade seemed lost in thought, so Jude took the opportunity to drink her in. She wasn't his usual girl. Usually the girls he got were thinner, as if that's what gave them the confidence to approach him. Even through her loose dark dress and tights, Jude could tell she had soft curves he wanted to feel against his hard body.

"That your girl?" Jude asked.

"Her? No, not for lack of trying though," Cade said. "That's Zoey. She works here now but used to come to all the shows before that."

"Club rat?"

Cade laughed. "Yeah, you could call her that."

In the time Jude and his band had been out in LA, he discovered what it was like to be a rock star. Every club had a group of girls who always came to the shows and wanted to show their appreciation to the band.

"So, you ever...?"

"No, I wouldn't do that. She's special. There's just something about her. I mean she gets it. She really gets the music and loves it. We call her our muse. You should talk to her. Maybe she'll talk some sense into you."

"Muse?" Jude said as he finished packing up his stuff. "I'll have to talk to her sometime, but right now this girl over there has been giving me the eye during our entire set."

"Think about my offer. Like I said, at least come see us play at The Whiskey."

"Thanks, but I'm a loyal guy, Cade. Maybe I'll check you guys out at the Whiskey, but I'll bring my band."

* * *

Wearing a pair of loose fitting sandblasted jeans and nothing else, Jude softly kissed the lips of the disheveled petite brunette at the door as she left the one bedroom apartment he called home. Closing the door, he smiled at his bandmates, who were watching morning game shows on the TV just a few feet away.

Jude and his two closest friends, Ron Myles and Derek Lane, packed up a van and moved from the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Stow where they grew up to Los Angeles a couple of years ago. At the time, Jude was only sixteen and the youngest of his friends, but having been accelerated through the school's gifted program, they all graduated together and were ready to follow their dreams. None of them left much behind in Ohio, and they never looked back.

“I’m telling you, she’s it. That’s the girl for me,” Jude said.

Ron, a tall, lanky blond wearing torn jeans and an old concert t-shirt, snorted then returned his focus on the TV. Being the only member of the group brave enough to sing, Ron begrudgingly became their lead singer even though all he wanted to do was play guitar.

“What? I’m serious. She’s the one. I’m in love,” Jude said earnestly.

“Jude. Listen, do you have any idea how many girls we’ve seen come and go since we moved here? Just because some chick sucks your cock a few nights in a row doesn’t mean you love her,” Ron said. “I mean you can love that, but not her. You don’t even know her. But what do I know, maybe if I was getting as much pussy as you do, I’d think I was in love all the time, too.”

“Yeah well, speaking of love,” Derek said as he pushed his shoulder-length hair out of his face. “I’d love to actually sleep in the bedroom sometime. Think you can take a break for the night? Let us move the mattresses back in the room?”

“She’s planning on coming back over later,” Jude said as Derek groaned. “I didn’t think you guys would mind. At least you have more space out here than the three of us crammed into a bedroom. Really guys, I’m serious about this girl.”

“Serious? Really, Jude? Then what’s her name?” Ron asked.

What was her name? Jude wondered. Sally, Sarah…he wasn’t usually like this. He could name every girl he’d ever been with, but for some reason this one time her name wasn’t popping up in his head. Zoey? No, that was the curvy club rat Cade told him about at The Roxy the other night. The one with the rocking body. The muse, as Cade called her. He had to admit to himself that he couldn’t get her name out of his head. Maybe Ron was right.

Ignoring Ron, Jude opened the refrigerator and moved the expired carton of milk to the side, hoping something to eat would magically appear behind it. The kitchen and the living room were part of one small room that Jude could cross to the bedroom in three long strides.

They had been lucky so far. Their old neighbor gifted them an old tweed couch in exchange for moving help. When Derek saw he was leaving behind a broken TV, the neighbor said if he could fix it, it was his. Derek’s stepfather had been a TV repairman, so changing out some tubes in the old TV was second nature to him.

For money, they would stand out at the day laborer stations and do construction for cash. At night, they went to the different clubs trying to get spots for the band. Sometimes they were successful, other times they had to pay like they did the other night at The Roxy. Ron and Derek seemed optimistic, but despite his being called a dreamer, Jude was more realistic. He knew they didn't have a chance.

There were too many bands in LA. Back in Ohio, they were the cool guys. Everyone loved them. In LA, they were just like every other band, except less talented. Jude regularly received offers to replace drummers in more successful bands, but he always turned them down. He couldn't do that to his friends. He didn't even tell them about it.

Just because he knew they wouldn’t make it big like they wanted didn’t mean he was just going to ditch them. Ron and Derek had been the closest thing to family Jude ever had. He couldn’t remember the last time he spoke to his mother and he didn’t have any other family. So until they realized the band was going nowhere, Jude was sticking with it for as long as he could. Still, he was curious what it would be like playing with more talented musicians.

"You guys want to hit The Whiskey tonight?" he asked. "Tan Lines is playing.”

* * *

Walking up Sunset Boulevard, the lights from the red building that housed The Whiskey felt like a beacon to Jude. He’d give anything to play where all his idols had. He didn’t see that happening though, not while he was in the band with Derek and Ron.

A line of people stood around the corner waiting to enter the building. Wearing his jeans from earlier with a black t-shirt and a pair of black boots, Jude led his friends farther down the block to the kitchen entrance and high-fived the bouncer who let them in.

They snaked their way through the dingy hall to the concert floor. Sound check had just ended and the crowd hadn't been let in yet. While Ron and Derek went to the bar, Jude took advantage of the house lights being on and looked around the room for familiar faces.

Up by the stage, he noticed a girl with black hair and bangs hitting just above her eyes. She was dressed all in black and he knew without seeing them that she had a pair of Doc Martens on. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Ron handed Jude a bottle of beer. “Guess you already forgot about the love of your life,” he said. “Do you know her or is she just going to be another trophy for the almighty Jude Morrison?”

“Fuck off, Ron,” Jude said. “You know I’m not like that. She works at The Roxy.”

“Then go over and say hi.”

“I think I will,” Jude said. “But we haven’t met yet. Cade told me about her, called her a muse.”

“Cade?” Derek asked as he caught up to Jude and Ron near the stage.

“Uh yeah, the singer for Tan Lines. He came up to me after the show the other night, after you guys went off stage.”

“What did he want? Did he like our show?” Derek asked.

“Give me a break, Derek. You know he just wants our boy to play drums for him,” Ron said. “You know how good Tan Lines would be with a real drummer? They’ve got a hack now.”

“Is that true, Jude? Are you leaving us?”

“I told him no, I’ve got a band. I'm not going anywhere.”

“Listen, Jude. We’re not stupid, we know you’re way better than us,” Ron said. "Maybe you should think about it. I mean, I can't even sing. This has been great living out here and being a part of the scene, but if you have a chance at something better, you should take it. One of us has to make it or we came all the way out here for nothing."

Jude didn't know what to say. He wanted to agree with Ron, but he wasn't ready to give up on them as a band. It just didn't feel right.

Keeping his eyes on Zoey, the house lights dimmed as the crowd entered. A muse might be exactly what he needed. But more than that, Jude wanted to get to know her.

As he thought about how his friends always teased him about women, he stopped himself from heading over to introduce himself. They didn't understand. It wasn't about sex or what these women would do for him, he really did care about them, even if he couldn't remember that one girl's name.

And so what if he couldn't remember one name? He remembered this one, and he hadn't even met her yet. That had to count for something.

Keeping an eye on her, he watched Zoey work the room. She seemed to know everybody. Slowly, she turned and he caught her eye. He smiled, unsure what to expect from her. Would she act like a groupie and rush over? He got his answer when she smiled back then turned away.

That surprised him. Without thinking, he made his way over to her as Tan Lines took the stage. Zoey had confidence, and that made him even more interested in her. Without even meeting her, Jude knew he was already falling for her. He couldn't help himself. Underneath it all, Jude Morrison was a hopeless romantic.