“Whydo we have to talk about thisagain?” Greyson complained, throwing his head back and clapping a hand over hiseyes.
“It’sa part of life, kid.” Sebastian shrugged. “Sometimes women are moody as fuckbecause they’re bleeding out of theirhoo-ha’sforfive days. The least we can do is be sympathetic toward it.” He continued toflip through channels until he shouted, “Oh, holy shit, guys!Mean Girlsis on!”
“Oh,bro, turn that shit up.”
Ilaughed and headed back to my room to finish getting ready. All the whilewondering how I’d gotten so damn lucky. To not just have people waiting for meat home, but to also have these guys, filling a void that’d been left close toempty for far too long.
***
“Molly!”Morgan called from outside the metal barricade, accompanied by a bewilderedlooking man I barely recognized. She waved her arms wildly to grab my attentionand I ran to the venue’s security guard.
“Youknow her?” he asked in a surly voice, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.
“Yeah,she’s my friend,” I confirmed, and he grunted with a nod.
Shiftingthe barricade like it was weightless, he permitted her and her companion enoughspace to enter backstage. She ran toward me and threw her arms around my neck,squeezing tight and setting me off-balance.
“Oh,my God, girl!” she screamed into my ear. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“I’vemissed you, too,” I said, speaking into her hair. I meant it too; I really did.In a string of bad roommates, she had by far been the best. “How’s theapartment?”
“Good,”she replied, stepping back and slipping her arm around the waist of the guyshe’d brought. “Empty, but good. God, I’ve missed you so much!”
Ilaughed and turned to Benny. Tall, adorably nerdy, and clearly in over hishead. “It’s good to see you’re still around, Benny!”
“Hey!”he shouted over the noise. He wrapped his arm around Morgan’s shoulders andheld her close. “Pretty sweet deal you gotgoin’ onhere,” he commented.
“It’spretty good,” I agreed asSebcame up behind me,wrapping his arms around my shoulders from behind.
“Yougo on in five minutes, gorgeous,” he told me, planting a kiss to my cheekbefore eyeing my friend and her boyfriend. “Yougonnaintroduce me to your pals?”
Morganbit her lip and suggestively waggled her eyebrows at me. The urge to gagsmacked me in the gut as I said, “Sebastian, this is my roommate Morgan and herboyfriend Benny. Morgan and Benny, this is myfriend, Sebastian. Heplays the drums in Devin’s band.”
Sebextended a hand to Benny.“Nice to meetya, Benny-boy.”
PoorBenny looked like he was about to choke.
Icouldn’t help feeling guilty as I looked beyond my friend in search of my mama,Hank, and Chad. They promised they’d be here. Hell, they said they’d be hereearly. But now, with only a few minutesbefore I went on, I wondered if they’d be here at all. It was silly, needy andinfantile. I’d be home tomorrow for a couple of days, and Chad would be leavingwith me to finish out the rest of the tour. But I’d gotten my hopes up so high,that they’d be heretonight. Thenight before my thirtieth birthday. The last night of my twenties.
Morganand Benny announced that they were going to find a place to stand near thestage, and it was just Sebastian and me. Waiting. Looking.
“Turnthat frown upside down, girlfriend,” Sebastian teased, reaching out to pinchone of my cheeks.
“Sorry,”I muttered, unable to fight my forlorn sigh.
“Youneed a hug?”
“IfI say yes, will you make fun of me?” I eyed him skeptically, and he laughed.
“God,would I ever?”
“Yes,”I mumbled, but nevertheless, I fell into his arms and sighed against his chest.
“He’sgonnabe here,” he assured me.
“Iknow.”
“Areyougonnajump his bones when you see him? I’ll getthe camera ready.”
