Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
The cold air against my face was a welcome sensation at first, but then I realized I was freezing my ass off. When had it gotten so cold? And damn, I wanted a cigarette right now. That would warm me up. But alas, I wouldn’t be smoking tonight; I’d quit when my voice started going to shit. I didn’t need the effects of smoking on top of everything else, even if I wasn’t always known for my great judgment. At least I’d gotten that one right.
I looked over to the bus parked across from ours. I’d bet it was mighty warm in there. I’d also bet there were no groupies to run away from. That seemed like the perfect escape right now. Didn’t it?
I walked across the lot, unsure where I was going with this. Or, did I know precisely why I was headed this way? I wanted to see Emily and ask her if I’d sounded worse to her tonight. That might’ve just been an excuse, though. I had her number; I could’ve texted.
It had been a week since the jaunt she and I took in Detroit. I hadn’t spoken to her at all since then, which was quite deliberate. Nothing good could come from her spending time with me, even if I’d had fun the last time we hung out. I’d probably divulged too much that night, but she’d made me feel comfortable.
When I stepped onto the bus, every head turned in my direction.
“What are you doing in here?” Veronica, our PR manager, asked.
“I can’t come say hello? I haven’t thanked you all lately for how hard you’ve been working.”
Veronica narrowed her eyes. “You’ve never once stepped onto our bus, Tristan…”
“Well, then it’s about time I did.”
I looked over to the back corner. Emily was reading a book, but she closed it when she spotted me.
“Excuse me,” I said as I moved toward the rear to talk to her.
Guess I hadn’t wasted much time getting to why I was really here. I could sense everyone’s eyes on me as I took a seat next to Emily.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, seeming genuinely surprised.
Fuck it. “Feel like taking a ride with me? Getting a bite to eat before we have to leave Minnesota?”
“It’s late, and we’re taking off soon. So no.”
I checked the time on my phone. “We have over an hour.”
“I don’t feel like going out. It’s cold.”
Rejection wasn’t something I was used to, but the fact that she didn’t jump made me like her even more. Fuck. I was screwed. “You’re right. It’s cold as balls out there. I don’t blame you.”
“You could’ve asked one of those groupies who got on your bus tonight to go out with you,” she said, her tone almost bitter.
Ah. “You noticed them, huh?”
“Yeah. I notice them almost every night.”
Maybe she was being standoffish because she was annoyed with the groupie situation, rather than general ambivalence about seeing me. That gave me a little hope, even if I shouldn’t have cared.
“What do you think goes on in there with them?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to know.”
“It’s not always what you think.”
“Oh, really?” She raised a brow. “What…are you playing Monopoly with them? You expect me to believe there’s anything going on in that bus besides the obvious—”
“That’s part of the reason I came over here. I wasn’t into it and needed to escape.”
She tilted her head. “You weren’t into tonight’s particular selection of girls, you mean?”
“No. Megan Fox could’ve walked in, but I wasn’t in the mood tonight.”
“Even I wouldn’t turn down Megan Fox.” She finally cracked a smile.
I chuckled, loving her comeback. And loving the visual of Megan Fox and Emily that flashed through my mind.
“Good to know you swing both ways.” I winked.
“Well, I don’t typically. But you know…there are always exceptions.” She picked some lint off her shirt. “So you left the groupies on the bus to come see me? Why?”
“I’m not into you like that,” I assured her. “I just wanted to say hello.”
“I’m no Megan Fox. I get it.” She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for the compliment.”
I felt myself sweating. Why the fuck had I said that? I cleared my throat and attempted damage control. “I meant I don’t have ulterior motives.” I looked around the bus, noticing a few eyes still on me from up front. “It’s actually way better over here. Calmer. You think they’d let me switch buses permanently?” I teased.
“I wouldn’t want you here,” she said.
My eyes widened. “Why not?”
“You attract too much attention.”
“Everyone’s but yours. You didn’t even know who I was when you met me. Which I loved, by the way.”
“That’s because you looked like a grizzly bear with that beard.”
I cackled. “See? This is why I miss you, Emily. You make me laugh.”
“I’m surprised you feel that way. You haven’t said a word to me in a week.”