But we did. Of course we did. We celebrated our asses off with that fucking hundred bucks. I think there might be a picture somewhere of me and Missy pressing said asses againsta window of the bus, mooning whoever drove by on the deserted highway in the middle of the night.
The high of that first concert is something I’d never encountered before, and I think I never will again, because each time it gets a teeny bit easier. It still is the best thrill, though. The gush of adrenaline that floods through my veins is the ultimate goal. It’s why I do this. It’s what Ilivefor.
And yes, even with that first concert, when we were still just an unknown opening act, we aced that shit.
People didn’t know our songs then, notreally. We had a hit on the Gram, sure, but they didn’t sing along. They cheered, of course, when they found out how awesome we are. We could hype them up, definitely… but these folks weren’t there for us. No, they bought tickets to see Mick fucking Heart and his band, not us.
But with every show that followed, it changed, the focus shifted. It didn’t take long for the media to pick up on us, for the public to chant our songs as well, to cheer louder, scream harder, holler formore, more, moreevery time we got on that stage.
Encore for real.
They’re cheering forusnow. They’re buying tickets to seeusas well.
The tour wasn’t sold out when we first joined, but it sure as fuck is now. That’s why the label insisted we kept on for the second part, why they prolonged it even after the break. Jodie says sales are way up because of us, and she’s sure that when our first album goes live next week, we’rereallygonna explode on the scene. They’re already planning ourowntour. Shit’s about to get real.
One can only hope.
“I have an idea,” Mick says as he hops from the wall and starts walking beside me, hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. He’s around my size, maybe smaller, but he has this larger-than-life presence, courtesy of his enormous ego, and alwaysseemsbigger than he really is, like gravity bends toward him.
I arch a brow in question. Usually hisideasinvolve trying to get me into a dark alley, or insinuating we get somewhere private. The audience’s attention wasn’t the only one that shifted to me. The louder they get, the more popular we get, the more Mick seems focused on me, to my ever-growing annoyance.
I would never take him up on his one too many offers, but Jodie’s warning always keeps ringing in the back of my mind:play nice.I swear it sometimes feels like she’s pimping me out.
“Why don’t you get up on stage with us tonight for the last song? We can do ‘Blackest Heart’ as a duet. I think they’ll walk away with it.” He nudges me with his elbow. “I mean, I heard you aren’t flying back home anymore to your boyfriend right after your set, so you can stay for ours, right?”
I rub my heart over my runner’s tee; itaches.Ihatethat I can’tgo see Tyler for his birthday. “Yeah, I have to stay because we have those joint interviews with you guys tomorrow, so we could do a duet, I guess.”
I have to talk to Jodie today because Ineeda solution for this. I don’t want to wait ten more weeks to see Ty. I thought I could handle it, could hack it, could survive show to show, venue to venue, until I’m back home.
But I don’t think I can. I don’t thinkhecan. I can feel him slipping, can feelmyselfslipping.
The bastard flashes his teeth at me and leans in. Of course, he’s loving my misery. “I can always keep you company if you’re feeling lonely. Life on the road can get tough,” he almost fucking purrs.
I scoff, pushing away from him, aiming for the parking lot where the buses are. “I’m doing just fine, thank you.”
He follows me. “Hey, I’m just offering. I’ve been there. Just remember, there’s always a spot available in my bed if you want to cuddle some should you feel alone. I’m a superb cuddler.”
I pause and cock my head at the persistent celebrity. “You want tocuddle, really?”
“Yes, after I’ve fucked you into oblivion, of course. I’m all about the aftercare.”
I can’t help it and snort out a laugh as I shake my head. Jesus. Was I this persistent while pursuing Ty? It’s like I’m looking into a mirror sometimes. Maybe I should apologize to Tyler for my relentlessness back then. Or maybe not, because in the end, I definitely got what it is I wanted.
Mick smirks. He’s all darkness. Black hair, dark scruff, the deepest brownish-green eyes I’ve ever seen, more tats than I can count. Add in the piercing in the corner of his bottom lip, and he looks every bit the rock star he is.
He sees me watching and licks the damn thing.
It’s not doing shit to me, though. Yeah, despising him a bit more, maybe. It’s not even that he’s really the one I hate; it’s this situation.
“How’s yours doing?” he asks, eyes dropping to my mouth for the gazillionth time today.
Yes. Imighthave gotten my tongue pierced last month. I was drunk, missing Ty, and acting young and stupid while being on a rock tour. He doesn’t know about it yet. I was planning on revealing the barbell to him tonight after I flew over, showing him exactly howhotit could be by giving him a pre-birthday blowie and testing if I could improve my oral skills with that thing. Now that plan has failed spectacularly. Mostly.
“At least your lisp is gone,” Mick goes on when I don’t answer. “Maybe next time when you pierce something in your mouth, wait to do it when you have a couple of days with no shows.”
I continue to walk and chuckle in agreement because yeah, itwasfunny. I could barely sing the next night, but with some painkillers and some much needed support from a couple of extra guitar solos from Missy and additional vocals from Asher, we managed. “Noted. But I think I’ll keep it at this one. I’m not sure it’s even properly healed yet.” I roll the ball around in my mouth. It still feels funny.
“You can test it on me?” He tilts his chin toward the buses when we enter the parking lot. “You can come shower with me, see if that tongue ring has the desired effect. I mean, I could kiss you right here, but what if they get stuck? We might need some tools to get them loose.” He sticks out his tongue, where his own piercing is visible.
