Chapter 3 - Aussies, Swedes and Americans

Lines on Maps finally meet up with THEM SWOOPS and the Royal Concept. At a bar in Seattle. Now it's serious time.

Trevor had to wake me up at the end of our flight to Seattle, I had been asleep almost the entire time dreaming about the things that could happen over the course of four weeks. As we landed, I looked at my phone. Lines on Maps had arrived in Washington right on time. I rubbed my eyes and got up from my cramped isle, happy to stretch my everything. Sean and Isaiah met us at the front of the plane with carry-ons and we slowly made our way out of the airport.

 "What did Dave tell you again?" Sean asked while we waited for a taxi to drive us into town to meet the boys from Swoops and TRC at some down-low bar that David (Royal Concept frontman) held close to his heart from their first tour here in the U.S.

 "Meet us at the Badger's Hole as soon as your flight lands." I said, mocking Dave's Australian accent. I was a third Aussie, so secretly I made that a random mutual connection I shared with THEM SWOOPS. Chris and Dave just didn't really know it. Sean nodded and pointed at an oncomming cab that slowed and stopped in front of the four of us. The window rolled down and a chubby driver looked us over, guitar cases an all.

 "Lines on Maps?" He grunted.

 "You betcha." Trevor replied with a dorky smile.

 "Get in then." 

 

     The Badger's Hole was a small brick building sitting under an overpass. The outside made it seem like a trashy, typicall peice-of-s**t-sitting-under-a-highway bar. But the familliar sight of Povel Olsson and Filip Bekic standing out front smoking ciggarettes and laughing in Swedish made the place... cool. That was just my fangirl talking. I needed to relax. I was going to perform with them, not going to get a CD signed with a cheap black sharpie I found in the parking lot. Povel looked up and smiled. He punched Filip's shoulder and pointed to us, then shouted a hello.

 "Hallå där!" Swedish. Good thing I studied up long before I knew about this.

 "Hej!" I called back. I motioned the boys to follow me to the bar's doors. I made them shake hands with The Royal Concept's guitar player and drummer. Filip dropped his smoke butt and pointed to the door.

"Lets get inside then. We gotta introduce you to the others. Well, Nicole not included."

"Good to see you too, Filip." I joked.

 

     The six of us shuffled inside, and instantly were greeted by a mixture of accents. I noticed David's first. Alcohol slurred his speech just a tad, but it made his unkept blonde hair and slight blank expression even sexier. Then Magnus. He lifted his glass and smiled from his spot at the counter. The Royal Concept's bass player was honestly my favorite. He taught me, "I love you" in Swedish the first time I met him at a show, and the inside joke remained with us ever since.

 "Jag alskar dig!" I smiled back. Then out of nowhere, I was sandwiched in a group hug from Dave and Chris. My favorite Australians.

 "G'day Nicoleo! It's been a while!" Dave said after releasing me from his grip. Chris bumped my fist then stepped back. Isaiah, Trevor and Sean didn't move from the far corner. The look they all shared was confusion. My boys were suprised I was such good friends with everyone.

 

Three different countries in one tiny room.

This was gonna be a wild ride.