CHAPTER TEN #3
Harris sighed and squeezed the bear in a hug, feeling warmth radiating through his body at watching his friend so peaceful.
He placed the panda on the couch next to Wolf and shut the TV.
He was about to go into his room but decided to leave a cute note on the bear so when Wolf woke up it would make him smile.
He silently read the note back to himself. Harris is sorry he was a jerk. You mean a lot to him. He’d rather cut off his right arm than do something to jeopardize your friendship. And that says a lot because he’s a drummer. ?? Hugs, Oreo the panda bear
***
The smell of fresh coffee, followed by the sound of the hotel room door closing, woke Harris.
He rubbed his eyes, stretched, and checked his phone.
It was barely nine. Why would Wolf be up before nine when they had the day free?
He didn’t care, because there was coffee, and it smelled delicious.
Wearing only his sweats, he headed out of the bedroom, but as soon as he reached for the door handle, he stopped dead as the previous night burst into his memory like a lightning bolt.
Fuuuck. He wiped his hand over his face and blew out a breath, hoping Wolf didn’t rush out of the suite early because he felt awkward and was avoiding him.
With nothing else to do, Harris walked out of his room and hoped there was a carafe of coffee in the kitchenette. He got about 10 feet before he stopped short again. Wolf didn’t split early. He ordered room service.
A food cart with covered plates sat near the small dining table. Wolf sat in one of the chairs, coffee cup in hand, and the giant panda sat in another. “What’s all this?” Harris asked.
“Breakfast,” Wolf answered. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Harris didn’t know what to say, so he poured himself a cup of coffee and brought it to his lips. He saw the panda again and smiled. “I didn’t know we were having company for breakfast.”
Wolf rested his eyes on the bear with sweet affection. “You went back down to the car last night to get him?”
Harris wished he would have thought of it before the bodyguard did. “No. One of the bodyguards brought him up after you fell asleep on the couch.”
“I’m glad. I’d be upset if something happened to Oreo.” The corners of Wolf’s lips curled slightly as he looked up at Harris. “I never said anything about them, but I love the little notes you leave me.”
Heat burned Harris’ cheeks. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“I keep them all in a little box in a drawer in my nightstand.”
“You do?”
Wolf nodded. “They’re very sweet. Thank you. For being so kind to me.”
Harris’ mind was reeling. It was as if Wolf had the night to think about the kiss and was having second thoughts or was starting to feel more than just friendship for Harris.
Or Harris was fabricating the whole thing in his head.
He needed to say something, though, because Wolf was still staring at him, and still wearing that adorable little smile.
“You missed Jaws.” Of all the things he could have said—I care about you, you deserve it, or you’re welcome—Harris chose to say, “You missed Jaws.” What an idiot.
“Jaws was on? The first one?” Wolf asked, excitement making his voice rise.
“Of course, the first one.” Harris answered, happy about the change in conversation. According to Wolf, Jaws 1 was the only Jaws. None of the subsequent movies came close to the suspense and fear, or the acting, that Jaws 1 had.
“Shit! You should’ve woken me up.” Wolf acted as if he hadn’t seen the movie at least 100 times before.
“We can watch it later, if you want.”
“We can invite everyone over and have a Jaws party!”
Harris wasn’t sure what that entailed but he imagined a lot of weird decorations, especially if Tyler got wind of the theme.
“OK.” He lifted the cloches to see what Wolf ordered and found all the traditional breakfast favorites: omelets, bacon, sausage, buttered toast, potatoes, fruit, and mini muffins.
“This is awesome. Thanks for ordering breakfast.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Wolf lowered his eyes for a moment. “To make up for last night. I was hard on you. The kiss was nice. Just unexpected. I overreacted.” He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Relief flooded Harris, and he began to think that maybe he was right after all and Wolf was rethinking the kiss. Hope made Harris’ heart balloon, and he couldn’t tone down the smile on his face.
They ate breakfast and talked as if last night never happened, and it was such a Goddamn relief.
Wolf sent a few text messages about the Jaws party. Mid-text, someone knocked on the door, and when he opened it, Tyler sauntered in.
“I hope everyone’s decent because we need to get this party started!” Tyler exclaimed, holding his phone up. “There’s a party supply store 2.1 miles away for decorations. We can cater everything from the hotel restaurant. Do you two have any ideas?”
“It’s not even ten in the morning,” Wolf replied.
“I know. That’s why we need to get things started if you want to pull this off in the next few hours. I suggest we limit our movie marathon to Jaws 1 because the others just don’t compare. If anything, they take away from the suspense and scare factor of the original.”
“Oh my God!” Wolf practically shouted. “I say the same thing all the time!”
“I knew it. We’re like twins separated at birth.” Tyler started tapping on his phone. “Jaws party 3 p.m. Theme attire strongly suggested but not required.” He looked up at Wolf. “Are we having it here?”
Wolf and Harris looked at each other and nodded.
“Perfect.” Tyler went back to texting. “Location: Harris and Wolf’s suite.
RSVP asap. That’s the announcement. Now let’s talk about the guest list. I have the three of us plus Ethan, obvz.
Marshall and the lovely Amy. Who else?” Tyler paused with his finger over his phone ready to fill in more information.
Harris shrugged. “That’s it.” He didn’t want a wild bash. He wanted his close friends.
“Six people is hardly a party,” Tyler complained.
“Aren’t you friendly with some of the roadies?
What about your manager? Wait. I know Paul Landry.
He’s so stressed all the time. I can’t imagine he’s a ball of fun.
” Tyler glanced up toward the ceiling. “But maybe the poor man needs to let off a little steam and loosen up.” He nodded once.
“I’ll add him to the list, as long as no one objects.
” He paused and looked to Harris and Wolf for their approval.
They both shrugged and nodded.
“What about the roadies?”
Again, Harris and Wolf just shrugged which made Tyler scowl. “This is your party,” Tyler complained. “Take more of an interest. You don’t want it to be a dud.”
If Tyler wasn’t an amazing hairstylist, or if that gig somehow fell through, he could make a lucrative career from party planning, because he had this totally in the bag.
“I guess we could invite some of the roadies,” Wolf said. “Luis is cool. And that guy with the mohawk—Jason.”
Harris started snapping his fingers. “The new guy who set up my drum kit. What’s his name? Carl? No. Charlie. It’s Charlie.”
“What about Richie?” Wolf asked. “Our bus driver. That guy pulls all-nighters and puts up with our shit.”
Harris nodded. “Yeah. He’s cool.”
Tyler tapped everything into his phone and waited. “Anyone else?”
“Check with Ethan,” Wolf said.
“Perfect. I’ll send Marshall another text as well. Or I’ll just knock on his door on the way back to my room. I got it all under control,” Tyler announced with the wave of his hand as he walked out the door. “Kisses. Talk soon.”
“He’s excited about this party,” Wolf commented, pouring another cup of coffee.
“I know. He scared me a little,” Harris joked.
They were just finishing breakfast when there was another knock on the door. Harris expected it to be Tyler again, but it was Ethan. “Did Tyler throw you out of your room so he could do his party planning?”
“No. He’s throwing you guys out of your room so he can prep for the party. Apparently, it’s going to be a big surprise, and no one can see the decorations before the start of the party. Not even you two.”
While Tyler worked his magic in the suite, the rest of them lounged by the pool which caused a bit of a commotion since fans weren’t used to seeing Marshall and Amy together.
But things quieted down quickly with security around.
Best of all, Wolf seemed relaxed and calmer than Harris had ever seen.
And Wolf kept glancing at him with the same tiny smile that appeared on his face at breakfast. Harris didn’t know what to make of it, but he kept taking it all in, and it made his heart fuller each time they made eye contact.
Ethan’s phone rang, and he brought it to his ear. “Hi, beautiful. Done with the decorations?” He listened for a bit, then replied, “I missed you too. I’m sure it looks amazing.” He paused again. “OK. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“Does that mean we can go back to our room?” Harris asked.
“He wants us all to go to my room first. There are instructions or something he wants to go over.”
“Instructions?” Wolf grunted a laugh. “For a party?”
“Let’s go,” Ethan said, standing and wiping his forehead with his towel. “Tyler went to a lot of trouble for this party. Humor him.”
When they all returned to Ethan and Tyler’s suite, Tyler was standing in the middle of the room waiting.