Chapter Twelve
landon
New Orleans
April 14
I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I opened my eyes sleepily. Cedrick’s lazy grin greeted me. “We in New Orleans.”
“I can’t believe I slept the whole flight.” Flying unnerved me, and usually, I had trouble relaxing. Talking to Janae until the wee hours of the morning, though we would see each other later today, had helped. My body was too exhausted to be anxious.
Brian leaned over the back of my seat. “Bruh, you were snoring and farting the whole time.”
I laughed. “That would be the man sitting beside you.”
Santiago’s smiling brown face appeared next to Brian’s. “Hey, leave me out of it. I never talk about how you can’t dress worth shit and have never met a barber.” He knocked my hat and bandana off my head in one big swoop. “See?”
Before I could react, Cedrick picked up my hat and gave it back to me. He glared at Santiago, who raised his hands.
“Hey… you good?” Brian asked, his expression full of concern.
They knew I was sensitive about touch and my hat and had never made fun of me. Grateful for my chosen family, I smiled. “Only my brother can do that and get away with it.”
“In that case…” Cedrick pulled me into a headlock. “When are you going to do something with this hair?”
“Hey… hey.” I playfully pushed off him. I slammed my hat back on my head and stuffed my bandana in my pocket. “Don’t push it. I did punch the fuck out of Cash.”
The men roared with laughter before we gathered our bags and took pics with the passengers in first and business class as we waited for the door to the plane to open. We were slowly becoming celebrities. I didn’t believe we had the star power of Janae, but we were making a name for ourselves in the industry just being who we were. I had all I needed growing comfort in my own skin, fellow musicians who accepted me, and a woman who was becoming a confidante and a friend.
As we headed to the SUV that Del had arranged for us, soft hands covered my eyes. I froze at the unexpected contact until she whispered, “Relax. It’s just me.”
I moved her hands from my eyes to around my waist and looked over my shoulder at a radiant Janae. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She gazed up at me with those pretty eyes of hers, wearing a black Hollow Bones T-shirt and jeans that molded to her like a second skin, and I ached to kiss her.
Correction: I ached to claim her as mine until Cedrick cleared his throat. I looked up and belatedly realized that the guys in the band and a small group of people, including Janae’s film crew, seemed amused by our happy greeting. We appeared to be the couple in love that the media said we were.
The heat of embarrassment coursed through me, and I started walking again, practically dragging Janae, who still held my waist. I hadn’t made a statement or asked Del to denounce the reports of our relationship. A part of me believed the rumors would die down on their own, and the other part of me didn’t want to hurt Janae’s feelings. In the course of a month of conversations, I’d learned how sensitive and insecure she often felt regarding herself and her career. Still, I actively ran from the spotlight, and being linked publicly to Janae put me front and center in the public’s eyes.
“Can you slow down?” She tugged on the back of my shirt.
“This isn’t me,” I said. “I don’t want people to think we’re more than what we are. I don’t want to be a fake couple.”
“We’re friends who are happy to see each other, Landon. We’re going to be in different cities, traveling together and staying in the same places. We will be photographed together. Let people think what they want as long as we know the truth.” She struggled to keep up with my fast pace and much longer legs. Everyone else behind her did as well.
I saw a couple of flashes from phones while she trailed behind me. I’d never believed a woman should walk behind a man, so I slowed down until we were able to walk together. Janae looked hurt, though she beckoned Charles to walk on the other side of me, and the other three members flanked us, so she was the center of the group. Admittedly, it was the perfect picture as Janae and The Hollow Bones hit the first city of our limited-run tour.
I kept my distance as our luggage was loaded into two SUVs in a flurry of activity. Between the film crew, Janae’s glam squad, and the guys trying to make sure the airline hadn’t lost anything, it was a little chaotic. At least our equipment and tour gear were already taken care of, driven down ahead of us by part of our hired crew who handled that side of the show. In the midst of my grabbing my guitar case from one of the handlers, my cell buzzed.
Can we talk?
I looked around for Janae, sitting on the second row in one of the SUVs. She stared at me, and I could feel her deserved disappointment. The guys were still sorting out luggage, so I casually eased into the space next to her.
“Landon, we’ve spoken to each other every single day since we left Houston. If we’re going to be friends in real life as well as on the phone, you can’t treat me like you just did,” she said calmly, though her hands were balled into fists and her chest heaved.
“You caught me off guard. I didn’t expect to see you, and when I did…” I shook my head. “I honestly don’t know how this is going to work. I like simple, and you and I are definitely not that.” I glanced back at our group and caught Cedrick’s disapproving glare.
Janae frowned. “No, Landon. You can’t get scared now that we’re here together and your friends are around. I admit that I like like you, but I need your friendship more. Don’t you feel the same?”
“I do.” I flopped my head back against the seat and admitted quietly, “This attention isn’t easy for me.”
“I know, but how lucky are we to do what we love and get to visit these amazing cities like the one we’re in right now? If I have to stay sober, then you have to be more social. Live a little. Have some fun and get out of your head. Whenever it gets hard for either of us, we talk it out.” She held out her hand. “Life jacket?”
I picked up the other still-clenched hand, straightened each finger, and held it to my heart. “Life jacket.”
Janae’s eyes softened again before she reached up to my hat. “What’s going on with your hair sticking out? Did you forget to tie it down? Good thing your hair is curly, or it would look a hot mess on all these pics people took of us while going through the airport. I swear I’m going to do something with that wild bird’s nest of yours,” she threatened as she jumped back out of the SUV when one of her glam squad beckoned her.
Cedrick approached me as I stepped out too. “You’re playing checkers with a woman who understands chess. She’ll break your heart.”
I quietly assessed the man who’d been my best friend since we were teenagers. Cedrick had his faults, and there were aspects of him I didn’t like, but acceptance was a two-way street. He’d taken his role as my big brother seriously, and I understood his concerns regarding Janae because they were also mine.
Her joyful laughter while she spoke with her crew made me smile without looking her way. I genuinely liked her infectious energy and rapid way of speaking.
I. Liked. Janae.
I rubbed my guitar pick in my pocket and wondered how long before her interest in me flitted away like an elusive butterfly.
I shrugged helplessly. “You’re probably right. But I hope we’re both wrong.”
Cedrick’s jaw tightened, and he nodded before returning to the other SUV.
I jammed my hands in my cargo pants pockets and observed the determined, anticipatory, and happy expressions of The Hollow Bones, Janae, and her crew. We were about to embark on a new journey together, and we wouldn’t be the same people once our time on the road ended. I was willing to bet my heart on that truth.