18. Hayden
HAYDEN
“How awesome was that?”
“You did great out there,” I reply to his exuberance, using the towel from Nese to scrub his glistening torso. Since we’re in public, I refrain from licking the water droplets off his ripped chest. Barely.
“Guys! Guys!” Luke yells. “Let’s go into The Closet—I have some exciting news!”
“Hell yeah,” Tris calls. We all walk into Nese’s domain.
“Before you change, I wanted to let you know we got a special invitation to the hottest club in Madrid tonight. Reporters will be there, as will tons of your biggest fans. Don’t get out of control”—Luke looks directly at Río—“but let’s enjoy some Spanish hospitality!”
Various forms of agreement raise up from the band. For his part, the drummer pumps his fist. “They say New York City never sleeps, but I know for a fact that Madrid is where it’s at!”
Warning bells clang in my brain. Yes, Río’s been away from alcohol since I’ve been his babysitter, but this seems like too big of a temptation. I approach Luke. “A club, huh?”
The manager cracks his knuckles. “I don’t expect Río to remain dry at a club. Keep him to two drinks, and he’ll be fine.”
“I think if he starts, he’s not stopping at two.”
“Listen, Untamed Coaster scored a coveted invitation. We can’t turn them down, as if the band would. Talk with our drummer. Explain what’s at stake. My odds are on you keeping him on the straight and narrow.”
“I’ll try. This is a big test.”
Luke puts his hand on my shoulder. “I have faith in you.”
He has faith in me, not Río. This is going to be a long night—better check in with Bennett to confirm his bet allows for a couple of drinks. I don’t want to lose out on the money on a technicality.
On my way to see Bennett, I spot Jenna standing by herself. “Where’s Bennett?”
“He’s getting changed. What do you think of this one for tonight?” She holds up a black shirt.
“He’d definitely rock it,” I reply. As she’s alone, now’s the time for me to ask something that’s been niggling in the back of my mind since, well, Philadelphia. I lick my lips. “I have a question for you, Jenna. And I need your honest opinion.”
“Uh-oh. Sounds serious.” She folds the shirt over her arm.
“You’re the only person I could think of to ask this. Uhm,” I clear my throat. “You were Bennett’s physical therapist before, and then you two got together, right?”
She tilts her head. “Are you asking if it’s okay to have sex with Río?”
I exhale. “Thank you for figuring out what I was trying to say. I mean, Río’s been wonderful, but he’s my job. What I’m trying to say is I’m doing PR for all of UC, but I was assigned to watch over him. Am I crossing some sort of line?”
Jenna’s blue eyes skewer me. “Listen. I tried to stay away from Bennett and was successful for all of a hot minute. A professional ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ can’t play into what happens in here.
” Using her free hand, she touches my heart.
“If you believe in him, in you two as a couple, I say life is too short not to try.”
A lesson she’s very recently learned. “Honestly, I’m not sure where things between us are going, but there’s so much more to him than I originally thought.” I smile. “He’s pretty amazing.”
Jenna replies, “I say to trust your heart. That’s all that really matters.”
A shirtless lead singer comes over to us. While he’s fine, my heart only leaps for the shirtless drummer. “I’m glad you’re here. I need to ask you a question, Bennett.”
His dulcet tenor voice, now raspy because of the concert he just performed, says, “Ask away.”
Before I can formulate my thoughts, Jenna says, “I’ll get you a tea for your voice while you talk with Hayden.” She hugs both of us before leaving to get his tea. The lead singer’s gaze never wavers from her, even as he slips into his shirt.
When she’s gone, I ask Bennett about Luke’s permission slip. He replies, “Listen, I’m shocked you’ve been able to keep him away from any alcohol for this long. You’ve done a great job so far. Let Río have two drinks tonight so he doesn’t feel like a corralled dog. The bet will survive.”
“Thanks. I don’t think I could stop him tonight.”
I turn to find the drummer in order to give him the ground rules when Bennett’s hand shoots out to me. “You’re good with him. I really appreciate what you’re doing. I couldn’t bear to lose him the way we did Darren.” He kisses my cheek.
“Hey,” Río barrels over to us. “You got your own woman!” He manhandles me so I’m standing with his arm around me.
Bennett’s green eyes round for a split second. He raises his hands. “I’m one hundred percent Jenna’s, dude. I have to say, though, I didn’t see this coming.”
Río pulls me in tighter to his body. “A babysitter can have several duties.”
“I can see that.” Bennett offers me a wink. “Good luck with this one,” he hooks his thumb toward the drummer, who’s still attached to my side. With an appraising look, he adds, “My money’s on you.”
In more ways than one.
Bennett saunters into The Closet to get his tea from Jenna. I pull away from Río. “The purple shirt looks great on you.”
“Thanks.” He plays with the cuffs. “Feels weird to be wearing one, but I suppose the club would prefer me to wear it.”
I smile. “Good call.” Glancing around, all the other band members are still getting dressed. Might as well rip off this bandage. “I want to talk with you about when we’re at the club.”
“Hayden, I love you, but I’m not going to drink Shirley Temples all night.” He punctuates his sentence with a kiss on my lips.
Love? I mentally smack myself. He doesn’t mean anything by it. I can’t afford to get caught up in him, no matter how right our connection feels at this moment.
Stepping back, I say, “I wasn’t going to tell you to drink mocktails. How about we strike a deal?”
His head tilts. “What sort of deal?”
I raise two fingers. “For every drink you have, you need to drink two glasses of something non-alcoholic. Your pick. Water, soda, zero percent beer.”
“Two to one?”
I nod. Better be clear. Don’t want him drinking a hundred glasses of water. “Limit is two.”
“Let me get this straight. I can drink two Gold Rushes and four glasses of pussywater? All night? That’s it?”
I scrunch up my face at his descriptor. “No. You can have two Gold Rushes throughout the evening. You must have four glasses of water or a soft drink as well, but you can have as many of those as you’d like.”
“But I can drink two Gold Rushes?”
“Yes,” I nod. “You may have two.”
Río whoops and picks me up. “Alright! I got my babysitter to bend her rules. I’m counting that as a win!”
My feet touch the floor as Coop approaches us, elbowing Río in the ribs. “Ready to hit it?”
“Damn straight. Especially since my babysitter gave me a free pass!”
I rear back. “That’s not what I said.”
Coop laughs. “I bet it isn’t. What say you, Hayden?”
I give the guitarist my ground rules. “They seem reasonable to me.” He turns to the drummer. “How about this. I’ll drink with you, one for one. So you won’t be alone.”
Wow. To have a best friend like that with you on tour is something. Río has to understand even though he didn’t start out life with love, he’s surrounded by it now.
My musings are interrupted by Luke, who ushers everyone to the waiting SUV’s.
Please let this be the right call. When we arrive, we’re greeted by who I guess are the club’s owners.
Seems as if they put the word out that UC was coming, since the streets are lined with people shouting for the guys.
Like the pros they are, each band member shakes hands and pauses for selfies.
Doesn’t seem to matter that Bennett’s with Jenna, as the women still paw him.
I turn my attention to Río, who has his hands filled with Spanish women.
I shove jealousy down deep. This is his job.
Río separates from the group, and I follow him over to a guy selling fans on the street. He opens a couple and waves a black and red one toward me. “Think Mila would like this?”
My heart puddles. He’s fresh off a gig and going into a popular club, but he’s thinking of my sister? I can’t form words, so I simply nod.
He pays for two fans—Mila’s and an all-black one for me—and waves mine in front of my face. I eek out, “Thank you.”
His head points up to the night sky and he laughs like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “This is the best night ever!”
We return outside the club, and are taken to the VIP area. New fans in my purse, I follow behind Río, who orders a Gold Rush from the bartender assigned to this section. I also order my favorite, an Aperol Spritz. One drink tonight is all I’m allowing myself, no matter the drummer’s limit.
Río approaches and clinks his glass against mine. He takes one swallow and his eyelids shut, clearly savoring the drink. “Ah. This is what I’m talking about! Are you sure you don’t want to try a sip?”
Shaking my head, I say, “I’m good. I got my Aperol Spritz. Somehow, I don’t think it’ll mix well with your lighter fluid.”
He laughs. “Your loss.” A DJ sets up in the corner of the room, diverting his attention. “Looks like we’re in for some great music.” Using his drink to point at the DJ’s setup, he doesn’t notice a fan approaching him. His glass collides with her body and then the liquid splashes all over him.
“?Disculpo! ?Lo siento!” The fan appears upset. For his part, Río calms her down rather than deal with his now-wet shirt.
I leave the pair to get seltzer and napkins.
When I return, they’re taking photos with her phone.
I stay in the background until they’re done.
“Río, let’s get you cleaned up.” He gives the woman a kiss on her cheek and follows me to a quieter area.
Without preamble, I pour seltzer onto the napkin and try to dab the alcohol out of his shirt.
“That’s cold,” Río complains.
“Better than smelling like a distillery, right?”