friend.
Seeing that I was alone at the front of the bus, Jon slid out of his bunk, buttoning his jeans as he walked towards me. "Everything okay up here?" He grabbed the beer I had hidden from Rain when I realized how bad off she was.
"Definitely not okay. Rain's mom has cancer. Sounds like they're not giving her much of a chance to beat it."
"Shit. What's she going to do?" Jon scrubbed his hand down his face as if he was trying to clear the mental cobwebs.
"Ignore it. She told her dad she'll go home after we're done with the tour." I stared through the windows on the opposite side of the bus, debating whether or not I should share my concerns with him. Fuck it, he needs to know. "Hey, we need to stick close to her. I'm worried this will tip her over the edge again."
He needed no explanation. Jon and Travis knew Rain almost as well as I did and they loved her like a sister. If I couldn't be around, I knew they'd make sure no one slipped her anything. We had worked too hard to get to this level to let that shit bring us down.
"Thanks for letting me know." Jon made his way to the cabinets and started trying to find something to eat. "Is that all that's going on?" I looked at him, confused. "You were staring pretty hard at your phone when I came out here. What's going on?"
"Stalker," I replied. It wasn't a total lie; I felt like Tanya's obsession with me qualified as stalking. The difference was that she had an engraved invitation to follow me, a schedule so she knew where I would be at all times and I helped pay for her hotel room.
"Turn it over to Dexter," Jon said as if it was an easy solution. We didn't have a large security team with us, just a few of the bigger crew members with law enforcement backgrounds and connections to take care of any needs that might arise.
"It's not that simple. She says she has pictures." I would have rather been having any other conversation with Jon, even listening to him lay into me about my unrequited infatuation with our lead singer.
"Let me guess, someone you hooked up with and she wants more now?"
That was one way to put it. I dug deep in my mind, trying to find a way to avoid coming clean with him. "Yeah, but it's even more complicated than that."
"Jesus, Colt! Tell me you didn't get her knocked up. Please, tell me there's —"
"No, nothing like that. Shit, that might be better, to tell the truth." That was one bullet I was glad I had dodged. I shuddered at the thought of tying myself to Tanya for eighteen miserable years.
Jon leaned forward, scratching his head. "Okay, you'd better start talking because, personally, I can't think of much worse than getting a chick pregnant."
"It's Tanya." I swallowed hard, waiting for Jon's wrath to be unleashed. When it didn't come, I lifted my eyes to meet his. The look on his face was one of shock.
"You screwed our manager? What the fuck were you thinking?" He growled. I would have preferred screaming to the sharp, quiet tone his voice took on when he was livid.
"I obviously wasn't. It was supposed to be one drunken night back home, but then she kept calling." I tipped back my beer, emptying it. "And now she's threatening me with pictures of me leaving her hotel room in Shreveport, saying she'll tell everyone that I said I'd have her fired if she didn't sleep with me."
Jon laughed. "Yeah, because you have that kind of power here. Seriously, tell her to take a leap. If she tries anything, we'll cut her ass loose." The bus went quiet while he grabbed a cup of coffee. Lucky for me, he had more decency than to continue our talk while he wasn't close to me. "You do realize if Rain finds out about this, you can kiss any chance of getting with her goodbye, right?"
My shoulders slumped at hearing him voice the very fear that gripped me constantly. "You think I don't think about that? Fuck!"
"Dude, chill the fuck out. We'll figure it out. For now, that girl needs you there for her. Even if she says she doesn't, don't listen to her. We have
Seeing that I was alone at the front of the bus, Jon slid out of his bunk, buttoning his jeans as he walked towards me. "Everything okay up here?" He grabbed the beer I had hidden from Rain when I realized how bad off she was.
"Definitely not okay. Rain's mom has cancer. Sounds like they're not giving her much of a chance to beat it."
"Shit. What's she going to do?" Jon scrubbed his hand down his face as if he was trying to clear the mental cobwebs.
"Ignore it. She told her dad she'll go home after we're done with the tour." I stared through the windows on the opposite side of the bus, debating whether or not I should share my concerns with him. Fuck it, he needs to know. "Hey, we need to stick close to her. I'm worried this will tip her over the edge again."
He needed no explanation. Jon and Travis knew Rain almost as well as I did and they loved her like a sister. If I couldn't be around, I knew they'd make sure no one slipped her anything. We had worked too hard to get to this level to let that shit bring us down.
"Thanks for letting me know." Jon made his way to the cabinets and started trying to find something to eat. "Is that all that's going on?" I looked at him, confused. "You were staring pretty hard at your phone when I came out here. What's going on?"
"Stalker," I replied. It wasn't a total lie; I felt like Tanya's obsession with me qualified as stalking. The difference was that she had an engraved invitation to follow me, a schedule so she knew where I would be at all times and I helped pay for her hotel room.
"Turn it over to Dexter," Jon said as if it was an easy solution. We didn't have a large security team with us, just a few of the bigger crew members with law enforcement backgrounds and connections to take care of any needs that might arise.
"It's not that simple. She says she has pictures." I would have rather been having any other conversation with Jon, even listening to him lay into me about my unrequited infatuation with our lead singer.
"Let me guess, someone you hooked up with and she wants more now?"
That was one way to put it. I dug deep in my mind, trying to find a way to avoid coming clean with him. "Yeah, but it's even more complicated than that."
"Jesus, Colt! Tell me you didn't get her knocked up. Please, tell me there's —"
"No, nothing like that. Shit, that might be better, to tell the truth." That was one bullet I was glad I had dodged. I shuddered at the thought of tying myself to Tanya for eighteen miserable years.
Jon leaned forward, scratching his head. "Okay, you'd better start talking because, personally, I can't think of much worse than getting a chick pregnant."
"It's Tanya." I swallowed hard, waiting for Jon's wrath to be unleashed. When it didn't come, I lifted my eyes to meet his. The look on his face was one of shock.
"You screwed our manager? What the fuck were you thinking?" He growled. I would have preferred screaming to the sharp, quiet tone his voice took on when he was livid.
"I obviously wasn't. It was supposed to be one drunken night back home, but then she kept calling." I tipped back my beer, emptying it. "And now she's threatening me with pictures of me leaving her hotel room in Shreveport, saying she'll tell everyone that I said I'd have her fired if she didn't sleep with me."
Jon laughed. "Yeah, because you have that kind of power here. Seriously, tell her to take a leap. If she tries anything, we'll cut her ass loose." The bus went quiet while he grabbed a cup of coffee. Lucky for me, he had more decency than to continue our talk while he wasn't close to me. "You do realize if Rain finds out about this, you can kiss any chance of getting with her goodbye, right?"
My shoulders slumped at hearing him voice the very fear that gripped me constantly. "You think I don't think about that? Fuck!"
"Dude, chill the fuck out. We'll figure it out. For now, that girl needs you there for her. Even if she says she doesn't, don't listen to her. We have
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