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)
“I am,” I said. “It’ll be nice to see my mom and not have to stay at the hotel. I got special permission to leave the tour for a bit.”
I’d opened up to Tristan pretty easily, yet I wouldn’t dream of telling Kieran the truth about my past. Right off the bat, somehow I’d sensed that Tristan wouldn’t judge me. Sharing that with him had been a risk, but I didn’t regret it. Kieran, on the other hand, seemed like the type of person who might be shocked by my truth.
“There’s nothing like an actual house with home cooking,” I added. “You forget how much you miss it.”
“I hear ya. I’m already dreaming about the next time I get to go home and eat.” He smiled. “What do you think you’ll do once the tour is over?”
“I’m not sure. That’s why this experience is good for me. It’s sort of like a palate cleanser. I’m hoping by the end of it I’ll have some clarity about which direction I want to go careerwise.”
“What are you narrowing it down to?” He twirled some pasta around his fork.
“Well, my major was communications, so I was thinking of applying for some PR positions or maybe marketing jobs. I might have to work some internships, though, to get more experience before applying for paid positions.”
He nodded. “That sounds like a great idea. It’s amazing how similar our situations are. That’s exactly why I asked my uncle Atticus if I could come on this tour. I needed something to do while I figured things out…”
Kieran reached for the jug of water on our table and poured more into my glass. He was so considerate and respectful. Perhaps that’s why I struggled to feel anything. As of late, I seemed to have a penchant for rough-around-the-edges, older men I had no business crushing on. Tristan had popped into my mind way too often tonight.
Ever since he’d come to see me on the bus, I’d been thinking about him, though we’d had no further interaction. So when Kieran had asked me to dinner this morning, I figured I had nothing to lose—anything to get my mind off my sudden obsession with Tristan Daltrey would be good.
The Chicago performance wasn’t until tomorrow, so this was a night off for the band and crew. I couldn’t help but wonder what Tristan was doing, how he was spending his free night, and whether he was nervous about the show, given his voice issues back in Minnesota. I found myself more and more nervous for him with each performance. Being the only person he talked with about his struggles felt like a weight on my chest.
I continued to force myself to make conversation with Kieran. “So, how does it feel to have a famous uncle?”
“Atticus is more like a father to me,” he said. “My dad died when I was younger. He’s not around as much as he’d like to be, but he makes up for it whenever he’s home. He takes my brother and me on these weekend getaways, just the guys. He’s really cool.”
“It’s nice for you to have that. I’m sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks.” He sighed. “What about your parents?”
“My dad left us—my brother and me—when I was three. My parents were never married. Growing up, my mother had a lot of boyfriends who’d come and go. It wasn’t the most comfortable home life, but we did the best we could.”
When our dinner was over, Kieran and I walked back to the hotel. As we bid each other goodnight at the elevators, he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek. It was awkward and sweet at the same time. My body had no more reaction than if a baby blew a raspberry on my face. I knew in that moment there was no romantic future for us, as nice as he was.
I went back to my room to find Layla lying on her bed, watching TV. She sat up when I entered. “How was it?” she asked.
“He’s so sweet.”
Her brows lifted. “That’s it?”
I kicked off my shoes, hesitant to say anything negative. “I don’t know. It’s not really a good idea to get involved with someone on this tour anyway, you know? If it doesn’t work out, then what? You’re stuck having to see them all the time. There’s no escape.”
“You couldn’t have felt too much if your first thought is to look for reasons why it would be a bad idea.” She saw right through me.
I sighed. “There was nothing wrong with him. He’s super nice. But I have this problem where I tend to be attracted to guys who are all wrong for me.”
“Join the club.” She pointed to herself. “So Kieran has a lot of good qualities, and that makes him less attractive?”