54. Chapter Fifty-Four
Ikeep a close eye on Poppy as she sleeps on the couch throughout the night. I’m exhausted, but after a quick shower, we arrive in some random town in the middle of nowhere for one of many radio interviews. I don’t understand why these interviews have to be in person instead of over the phone like we usually do in the States, but we just follow Reg’s instructions. Speaking of which, where the fuck is he? It”s not a big deal if he stops nagging me, but he”s usually here to keep me in line.
The rest of the band sits at the table eating breakfast and drinking coffee. Theo’s spouting his usual bullshit. Nate”s just doing his usual thing, sitting and watching. Ace looks like crap, so he must’ve pulled another all-nighter - his childhood monsters are back to haunt him again. No matter how much he drinks, they always find a way to break through.
As I make my way towards the others, my legs inexplicably lead me to Poppy instead. She looks so still sleeping on the couch. Her fever has vanished and her complexion is no longer pale and clammy. I find myself captivated by her beautiful face, gently brushing aside a strand of her hair that hides her features. Lost in my focus on Poppy, I fail to notice the conversation at the table has come to a stop. With tenderness, I caress her cheek with the back of my fingers, savoring the comforting sensation of finally being able to touch her again.
“When are you going to tell her how you feel?” Nate asks.
I retract my hand and notice three pairs of eyes fixed on me. I slide my hands into my pockets and take a seat on the opposite couch, not uttering a single word.
“You’ll end up losing her again if you don’t tell her,” Ace remarks, his words hitting me. How the fuck does he know? I give Theo a glare, the idiot who can”t keep his trap shut.
He throws his hands up like he”s surrendering. ”I swear, I didn”t say anything,” he insists.
I can’t discuss this with them. I can’t go there emotionally. There is an undeniable chemistry between Poppy and me. But it feels like I’m losing her again because she can’t stand to be near me. Even though the sex was amazing, I know she regrets it.
“Talk to her, dipshit,” Theo says. “Grow some balls and tell her you love her.”
I turn my attention back to the group, and they”re all staring at me with intense curiosity.
“It’s complicated.”
“It won’t be if you tell her how you feel,” Nate says.
“And when was the last time you were a fucking Romeo, asshole?” I add.
As Nate and Theo lock eyes, a silent exchange passes between them, leaving me with a nagging feeling that I may have misspoken.
Reg enters the room, talking on the phone.
“Lower your voice,” Theo grumbles. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”
Reg glances at Theo, who points to Poppy peacefully snoozing on the couch.
“Yeah, right,” he says to the person on the other end of the phone. “I’ll deal with it.” He ends the call and slides his phone into his pocket. “Fuck!” he yells, his hands pulling on his hair.
“Reg’s world looks like so much fun,” says Theo, with a smug grin.
Ignoring Theo’s comment, Reg turns in my direction. “There’s been a development,” he says, his eyes piercing into mine for a few prolonged seconds.
Ace, impatient as ever, jumps in. “Well, are you going to tell us, or do we have to be fucking mind readers?”
Reg opens his mouth, but then quickly closes it. I’m taken aback by his uncharacteristic silence. It’s rare to see him at a loss for words, so whatever he has to say must be significant. Finally, he breaks the silence, his gaze fixed on me. “You know that groupie you pushed to the floor yesterday,” he remarks, his gaze fixed on me, studying my reaction.
“You mean the groupie you set up?” I snap back, making it clear that I had absolutely no part in it. He did it, so he’s the one to blame. I want him to realize it all falls back on him.
He acknowledges my words with a nod.
“Yeah, what about it?” I ask, wondering what the fuck it’s got to do with me.
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he inhales deeply; the uncertainty written on his face.
“Just spit it fucking out,” I tell him. “If she’s saying I hurt her, then just pay her off.”
“She’s threatening to go to the media,” Reg yells, pacing back and forth. I can sense that something serious is happening.
From the corner of my eye, I notice Poppy sitting up, undoubtedly awakened by Reg’s loud outburst.
“So let her go to the press, Xander didn’t do anything,” Nate states.
“She is threatening to sell her story about how Xander kissed her.”
“I didn’t fucking kiss her. You-” I stand up from my seat, furious that I am being blamed yet again for something I never did.
“She”s planning to sell her story about Xander mistaking her for a groupie, asking for sex, and then kissing her.”
“I didn”t do any of that fucking shit. Why the fuck would I kiss her, damn it.”
“She was only fifteen,” Reg says, running his hands through his hair.
Ace hastily stands up, inadvertently jostling the table and causing coffee to spill from the mugs. I make my way towards Reg, intending to confront him, but Ace beats me to it.
Ace approaches Reg, his voice filled with fury. “Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You deliberately arranged for an underage groupie to approach Xander just to generate some media attention, and you didn’t even bother to check her age?” I recognize the familiar anger in his tone, the same rage he used to direct towards his mother’s boyfriends who would push his buttons. I know I have to intervene before things escalate like Ace throwing Reg off a moving bus. I can already envision the headlines: “Ace Roberts, Lead Guitarist of Broken Oasis, Kills Idiotic Manager.”
I step forward to intervene, but Nate beats me to it. “Come on, man. He’s not worth any of this. Remember what we discussed last night. That’s all that really matters.”
Ace takes a few calming breaths and nods.
“So, with this problem hanging over our heads, how do you propose to fix it, asshole?” I ask, fully aware that there’s no way we can possibly do the ten press interviews that Kit mentioned last night.
”She”s threatening to go to the press, so I might as well try to win her over with some merch or free concert tickets in Melbourne,” he says, grabbing his phone and heading back to his room.
Poppy rises from the couch and discreetly heads towards the rear of the bus. I suppress the temptation to follow her, but we must come up with a plan in case Reg cannot get this situation under control and everything goes haywire.