Chapter 34
34
JORDAN
T hings happen fast on the road.
One day, you’re the manager of the biggest rock band in the country. You spend your days making schedules and keeping plans. Occasionally, you fall into bed with your drummer because, hey, you two have needs. And why not? You’re good friends. Might as well.
The next day, a rock god kisses you in the shadows.
And you kiss him back.
I stare at my ceiling. I’ve been staring at my ceiling since last night, since I went downstairs to the bus and confirmed... what I pretty much already knew.
Bronson doesn’t feel the same way about me.
If he did, he would have said something. I mean, I set it up. I gave him the opportunity. I asked for a reason, any reason at all, for why I shouldn’t go out on a date with Christian. But there was nothing.
There’s nothing between us.
We’re just fuck buddies.
So, that’s that.
I force myself out of bed. I shower and pack up my things, prepping for another day on the road. It’s not a long trip, thankfully. About five hours between Philly and Boston. Plenty of time for Christian Myers and me to talk about our date.
Wow, what a sentence.
As I get dressed, I open the music app on my phone, navigating to Cobraville’s debut, chart-crushing album, Snake Bite. Gosh, I listened to this so many times in high school. I knew every lyric to every song.
And now, the lead singer is taking me on a date.
I pop my earbuds in so I can listen to it on my way downstairs to the hotel restaurant. Settling at the largest table with a pastry and a cup of coffee, I lay out my planner and focus on some work while Christian Myers coos in my ear.
“Wrap me up tight, twist me 'round,
You’re the hottest poison that I’ve ever found,
Your grip gets tighter. I can’t fight,
I’ll die happy in the heat of your bite.”
After a while, I feel someone pull out the chair next to mine. Expecting Chrissy, I look up, but my smile slips with surprise as Christian himself spins the chair around. He lowers down, sitting backwards on it in that cool guy way. His hair is damp and slicked back, as if he just got out of the shower and tossed a comb through it. He’s dressed casually in a pair of torn jeans and a T-shirt — a Break the Rules Tour T-shirt, actually. Must have bought it at the show last night.
His lips move, his head bobbing with a question.
I pull out a bud. “What?”
“I said, what are you listening to?” he asks.
“Oh—” I stutter as blood fills my cheeks. “Nothing. It’s nothing. Just a news podcast?—”
Christian snatches the bud from my fingers and holds it to his own ear before I can mute it. His lips curl into a sinister smile, and he looks at me playfully.
“Just a podcast,” he repeats.
I swallow hard, too embarrassed to say anything.
With the bud in his ear, Christian hums along to the song Dangerous Curves. One of their slower ballads. As the chorus approaches, he licks his lips and...
“She’s got that red-hot leather, drippin’ in desire,
Moves like a storm, set my body on fire,
High heels clickin’, like a loaded gun,
I’m revvin’ my engine, but there’s nowhere to run.”
As he sings, I do nothing. Frozen solid beside him, I let myself drift with the music, with his cool serenade. Even here, just sitting in a chair with no microphone and no real audience, he shines with that same frontman charisma that radiates from Knox every time he takes center stage.
“Damn,” Christian says. “That one brings back some memories.”
I nod. “It’s my favorite track on the album.”
“Really?” He cants his head. “Not Dark Flow?”
“Oh, Dark Flow is a single. For sure. But Curves spoke to me more, I guess. Me at sixteen, anyway.”
He hums softly, letting the rest of the song play out before popping the bud out of his ear and offering it back to me. I take it, politely removing the second one from my ear as well.
Christian stays twisted in his chair, his entire focus on me. “Does this morning’s choice of tunes mean you’ve given some thought to... what I asked you last night?” he asks.
“It might.”
He waits, curious. Eager.
“Yes,” I answer. “Yes, Christian, I’ll go out with you.”
He smiles. “Tonight?”
I hesitate. “I’m not sure. Travel days are always really messy.”
“Tomorrow’s show night, though.”
“Right.” I cringe. My schedule really sucks ass for dating. “Yeah. It is.”
“Boston is too beautiful to miss. And…” Christian bites his lower lip. “I was hoping to get another chance to kiss you today.”
I blush. “Were you?”
He nods, giving me a teasing smile.
“In that case…” I press my lips together. “Maybe I can fit you in tonight.”
“Excellent,” he says.
A chair across from us pulls out from the table. I break eye contact with Christian, looking up at Addison as she plops onto the chair.
“Hey, guys,” she says. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” I say, sitting tall. “We were just chatting.”
“About what?”
“Finalizing travel plans,” Christian says, lingering close. “Boston, baby!”
“Yay,” Addison mutters, not fully awake yet, but her eyes are sharp. “Boston.”
Christian swivels his head around. “I need coffee,” he says, standing up and turning the chair back to its proper position. “Gonna go flag down a server.”
“Yes. Coffee,” she hums.
Christian runs a hand along my shoulder as he walks away, sending a ripple of good tingles down my spine. I glance at Addison, hoping she didn’t notice.
Her brow arches. She noticed.
“So, you two seem tight,” she says, her lips thinning.
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” I say “We’re just?—“
“Sitting really close to each other?” she asks pointedly. “Sharing earbuds?”
I look down. “Maybe.”
Addison playfully clicks her tongue. “Jordan Peck, are you and the great Christian Myers hooking up?”
“No.” My cheeks burn. “No, of course not. But we are going out on a date. Tonight, actually.”
“Does Bronson know?”
I blink in surprise, though... it’s not that surprising of a question coming from her. “Bronson?” I repeat.
“I know you two have been hanging out lately,” she says.
I pause. “Right. Yeah. Actually, Addison, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I know that you and Harvey know that Bronson and I have been?—”
“Hey, girl.” She raises her hands. “You don’t have to explain it to me. I’m all for a little mutual back-scratching now and then. I’m more on the side of looking out for my friends and I don’t want anyone’s feelings getting hurt over this.”
“Me, neither,” I say. “And to answer your question, yes. Bronson knows.”
“He does?”
“He’s all for it, in fact.”
Addison’s brow rises slowly. “He is?”
I nod. “I talked to him about it last night, after Christian asked me out. He told me to go for it.”
“Oh.” She sits back in her chair, thoughts spinning behind her eyes. “That’s good, then.”
“Bronson and I are just friends, Addison,” I say as my chest clenches. “No one’s feelings are getting hurt here.”
“I hope not,” she says. “Either way, I’m happy for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Christian was your go-to heartthrob back in the day, wasn’t he?” she says, her lips tugging into a half-smile. “How many girls actually get to say they bagged their teenage dream guy?”
“Yeah,” I say, exhaling. “It’s pretty wild, isn’t it?”
“What’s pretty wild?” Katrina asks, easily inserting herself into our conversation as she arrives and takes the empty chair on Addison’s right.
“Jordan,” Addison answers. “And Christian Myers.”
As she sits, Katrina’s eyes grow wide. “What about you and Christian Myers?”
“They’re dating.”
A little gasp. “You are?!”
“No,” I say. “One date is not dating.”
“It’s not not dating,” Addison says.
Katrina’s enormous eyes fill their sockets. “When?” she asks.
“Tonight,” I say. “In Boston.”
She squeals. “Oh, that’s so exciting! Congratulations!”
“What’s exciting?” Harmony asks as she and Knox arrive at the table. She appears lucid, her eyes wide and awake, while Knox practically stumbles into the table, still half-asleep.
Katrina can hardly contain it. “Jordan and Christian are going out on a date! Wait, did you ask him? Or did he ask you?” she spits at me.
“He asked me,” I answer.
“What?!” Harmony gasps.
“Seriously?” Knox asks, more intrigued than surprised. “Why?”
Harmony slaps his leather jacket-covered arm. “Knox.”
“What?” he asks defensively. “What’d I say this time?”
“Because he obviously likes her, that’s why.”
“Oh.” He looks at me tiredly. “You guys bone or something?”
Katrina rolls her eyes. “Not everybody bones before the first date, Knox.”
“Why not?”
Harmony gives him another slap on his leather-bound arm and he sits back, silently agreeing to stay out of it.
“No, Knox,” I answer him anyway. “Christian and I haven’t boned . He approached me during the show last night and asked if I wanted to spend an evening with him in Boston. I said yes.”
“So, you can date people we’re on tour with, but the rest of us can’t?”
“Knox,” Harmony scolds.
“I mean...” He nods, choosing his words carefully now. “That’s so cute!”
I smile. “Thank you, Knox. I appreciate the kind sentiment.”
“And this is different,” Harmony argues on my behalf.
“How?” he asks.
“Because he’s Christian fucking Myers!”
Knox thinks on that for a moment, then shrugs it off. “I’m way too tired to argue, so I’ll just say congrats and live another day with my balls still attached to my body.”
He smiles as Jonah falls into the chair next to him.
“Yo, Jo,” Knox says.
“Yo,” Jonah replies, stifling a yawn as he adjusts his blue beanie.
“Myers and Jordan are hooking up.”
Jonah’s eyes widen as the rest of us sigh. “Cool.” He bobs his head at me. “Hit that, Jordan. Get it, girl.”
“I’m not hitting anything,” I correct. “It’s just a date. But, thank you.”
“Does that mean we have tonight off?” Knox asks me.
As Harmony goes to scold him again, she stops and looks at me instead for my answer.
They all bat their eyes at me, actually.
I heave a fake sigh. “Oh, I guess you can all have one night for yourselves.”
They celebrate with a few high fives and fist bumps. Before the hype can subside, Bronson arrives and takes the empty chair next to Jonah.
“Hey, buddy,” Knox says. “Night off tonight. Get hyped for a Boston bar crawl.”
Bronson barely reacts.
“Jordan’s got a date,” Jonah says.
“With Christian Myers!” Katrina adds. “Don’t bury the lede now.”
To that, Bronson bobs his head before flashing me an approving thumbs-up.
Deep inside, my stomach tightens.
“Thanks, Bronson,” I say.