CHAPTER SEVEN #2
“I’m gonna fall right out,” Wolf said on the walk to the bunks and yawning.
“I can barely keep my eyes open.” He turned toward Harris, and his friend was staring back at him.
With the limited space between the bunks, they were face to face.
A weird feeling made Wolf’s chest feel all fluttery. His breath hitched.
Harris dropped his eyes for a second and then looked back up at Wolf. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “Night.”
“Night.” Then they both slipped into their bunks and shut the curtains. Wolf could feel his heart beating and hear it in his ears. His whole body was buzzing, which he assumed was from the weed, but he wasn’t still high. Was he?
His phone chimed with a text message.
HARRIS: Pleasant dreams sweet boy.
Sweet boy? Wolf stifled a laugh. Obviously, Harris was still high. Wolf read the message again, but this time he didn’t find it amusing. It made him feel special, and he re-read it again. And again. And again.
The arrival in Sacramento had Paul boarding the bus to wake everyone and escort them into the hotel and up to the rooms. Two bodyguards accompanied them even though no one was around, and all of them shoved into one elevator.
“That was some night,” Ethan commented, shaking his head.
“I haven’t slept that good in years.” Marshall took a deep breath that puffed out his huge chest.
“We know.” Ethan shot him a daggered look. “You sounded like a chain saw.”
While Ethan and Marshall had a lengthy discussion as to whether Marshall was or was not snoring, Harris and Wolf turned toward one another.
“Sleep OK?” Wolf asked.
“Like a dream,” Harris replied, then remembered Wolf’s dreams weren’t always pleasant. “I slept great,” he amended. “You?”
“Yeah, but I kept thinking about that pie. I almost got up and finished it.”
The mention of the pie brought back memories of sweet cinnamon and sugar, apples, and a flakey, buttery crust. “It was good.”
“I know. We should’ve taken it up to the room with us. Can you get us the apple pie that’s in the refrigerator on the bus?” Wolf asked one of the bodyguards, who nodded.
The elevator stopped and the two bodyguards exited first to make sure the floor was clear. Paul always booked the entire floor for the band and the crew, but you can never be too careful.
“How are the rooms split?” Marshall asked.
It used to be Ethan and Wolf sharing one two-bedroom suite and Marshall and Harris in another, but that all changed once Ethan met Tyler. Wolf and Ethan weren’t sharing a room anymore.
“Two-bedroom suites in the right corner. One-bedroom suites in the left corner. Single rooms in the middle,” Paul answered. “Take your pick and let me know where you end up.”
“I’ll share with Ethan.” Marshall displayed a sinister grin. “Since he thinks I snore.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Great. I’ll buy extra earplugs.”
“I guess that leaves me and you,” Wolf told Harris. “More pie for us,” he whispered under his hand.
Marshall placed his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “I’ll be sure to keep it nice and cool in the suite too.”
By cool, Marshall meant ice cold. The battle of the thermostat had been an ongoing issue since they first started touring. But that was Ethan’s problem now. Wolf was Harris’ roomie on this tour, and he couldn’t be happier. He slung his arm over Wolf’s shoulder, and they went to their suite.
“I don’t know whether to wait for the pie or go back to bed.” Wolf rubbed his eyes and yawned.
The guy looked out of it, obviously having had a deep sleep on the bus, and Harris wanted Wolf to continue with it. “You go crash. I’ll wait for the pie.”
“Thanks.” Wolf pointed his finger at Harris. “Don’t eat it all. Save me some.”
“I’m not making any promises!”
After Wolf disappeared into the bedroom, Harris was stuck sitting on the couch waiting for the damn pie.
His eyes were getting heavier and heavier, after staying up half the night with Wolf, and he wanted to go to bed.
He started to doze off but knocking woke him.
Finally! He rubbed his eyes, stretched, and opened the door.
Ethan was standing there holding the pie box in his hand. “I can’t believe you guys ate the whole fucking pie.”
“We only ate half.” Harris took the pie box and lifted the lid. Obviously, someone snuck into the kitchen before the bus stopped and ate another quarter, leaving only one big slice. “Fucking Wolf.”
Ethan chuckled. “I remember when we were kids, he’d walk around the house sometimes in the middle of the night because he couldn’t sleep.
My mom would wake up and sit with him in the kitchen, and they’d share a snack and a glass of milk.
I’d get up in the morning looking for that last piece of cake or that last cookie, and it’d be gone. ”
While Ethan had a faraway look in his eyes as he reminisced over a fond memory, Harris was stuck on the fact that Wolf would walk around the house in the middle of the night when he was a kid.
It was a very real issue that had been going on, most likely untreated, for far too long.
Harris had seen a documentary about sleep disorders, and it was terrible.
It affected people in a multitude of ways.
Some were barely able to function. Others lived in constant fear of sleep and did anything they could to stay awake.
“Can I talk to you about something?” he asked.
“What’s on your mind?”
Harris pulled Ethan into the hallway in case Wolf was still awake. “What’s up with Wolf’s nightmares?”
“What do you mean?” Ethan frowned and worry creased his forehead. “Has he been having nightmares? He didn’t tell me anything.”
“Yeah. He’s had a few. I witnessed one of them. It was bad. So fucked up. I didn’t know what to do. I almost called you.”
“You were with him?” The crease between Ethan’s brows deepened.
“Yeah. We nodded off at his place watching TV, and I woke up to him thrashing and sweating. He was so fucking scared, Ethan. I . . . it was . . .” Harris couldn’t finish his sentence because just thinking about it left him rattled, so he just shook his head.
“Was he OK?”
“Eventually. I stayed with him on the couch.” Harris didn’t want to mention that Wolf also spent the night in his bed, even though nothing happened. “Does something trigger them?”
“I assume so, but I really don’t know. He doesn’t talk about them. We shared a room growing up. No one knows how bad his nightmares are better than me, and he’s never told me what they were about. Not a single one.” Ethan ran a hand over his face and sighed. “I’m worried about him.”
“Me too. But I’m gonna keep an eye on him. We’ll keep the rooms like this. You and Marsh. Me and Wolf. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him. I’ll let you know if he needs anything.”