David smiled as he turned off the light in his office and locked the door. It was Friday again. One week had passed he and Lena had hooked up in his office. He found himself zoning out several times, thinking back. So far, they had managed to carry on normally, although several of the other staff exchanged knowing glances with each other. Lena stood patiently at the entrance, waiting for David. She was dressed causal as usual, donning dark wash jeans, gray v-neck, a black cardigan and red Converse. They were going out on a date to a local music house that catered to the over twenty-one crowd. Lena had never had the chance to go there, having just turned twenty-one a few weeks back. David finally appeared by her side and they embraced.
"You ready?"
"Yup. Let's go."
They hurried out the door, making sure the security system was on and the front door securely locked. The couple jumped into David's car, a black compact Toyota. A half-hour passed before they reached their destination. The building itself looked like a hole-in-the-wall, but several people dressed in hip t-shirts, jackets, and jeans were standing outside, smoking and talking. “Interesting crowd, eh?” said Lena. David laughed, shaking his head at her. They entered the hazy atmosphere and found a table off to one side with a good view of the stage. David order a pitcher of beer from the redheaded waitress and looked over at Lena.
"So...what do you think?"
"It has a dive-bar look to it but the people here are cool."
David grinned. "That's actually what this old place used to be. The guy who owns the place, John Kern, did some renovations and reopened it as a music house a few years ago. After that it really took off."
The waitress returned with the pitcher and two glass mugs. As soon as she left, the lights dimmed and the opening band, called Cave of Plato came on stage. The singer, a skinny blonde guy, sounded eerily like Kurt Cobain. He even had a flannel shirt tied around his waist as he strummed on his beat-up looking stratocaster. The music had a fast-driving psychedelic sound. Cave of Plato did a four song set before departing to thunderous applause from the audience. The next band, Nefarious, had more of a Descendants-Dead Kennedys-Sex Pistols sound. The singer was a petite blue-haired girl, dressed to kill in a skirt and combat boots. She jumped, twirled, and shimmed all-over the stage, much to the delight of the audience. Her voice crooned from the microphone in her hands one minute and snarled curses the next. The guitars sounded like buzz-saws, slicing and dicing the audience. They played a fast five song set before exiting to even louder applause than the first group.

But the third and final group was the best. They were called Vera. David wasn't even sure what kind of rock they were. They seemed to take elements from classic rock, punk, new wave, grunge, and even jazz guitar and twisted them into something totally unrecognizable. The ethereal vocals were split between the two guitarists, who David and Lena later found out were married. They sung about trees that bled, cats that spoke parables, and bits of Beat poetry. Lena was totally mesmerized swaying in her seat. After their set was over, the audience was on their feet clapping and cheering fanatically. The clapping continued until Vera took the stage again and played two encore songs. The house lights came back on soon after. David and Lena looked at each other, the nearly empty pitcher between them.
"That was a great concert," said Lena, reaching for her mug. "Vera totally brought it."
"They did. We should find out where they're playing next." David and Lena got up and went to where the merch tables were set up. CDs, t-shirts, and the like were on sale along with schedules of upcoming tours and gigs. Lena ended up purchasing two cds by Vera and Nefarious and a t-shirt for her best friend Alice. They walked slowly back to the car, their fingers laced together. Neither spoke while David started the engine, waiting for it to warm up. “I had a good time tonight. Thanks for bringing me.” said Lena, biting her lip. David turned towards her and cupped her face. “No problem. Thank you for coming with me.”