Chapter Four
DANGER
After an interesting night, I return to the hotel and flop on my bed. Picking up my cell, I dial Ryan’s number.
Surprisingly, he answers quickly, “Fuck, dude! You haven’t called in over a month. I thought you might have died or something.”
I roll onto my back and sigh. “No, not dead. Drunk… a lot. But not dead.”
There’s a short pause, and I wonder if he’s hung up before he speaks again, “How are you? Are you drunk now?”
“Slightly. I was totaled earlier, but I met a biker, and believe it or not, he fed me coffee.”
“You met a biker, and he gave you coffee?” he states incredulously. “You sure you’re not completely wasted?”
I start laughing. “I know it sounds weird, but I swear, it happened. His name’s Steel, and I got talking to him… he offered us something.”
There is a deafening silence when he pauses again. He inhales deeply, then murmurs, “Us?”
“Yes, the band—”
“There is no band, Danger. I thought I made that perfectly clear. You fucked us over, remember?”
“I know, and I’m trying to fix it. Give me a damn break.
” Sighing, I roll on my side. “You know how you always wanted to see Australia? Well, now you can. Get Matt and Nate and fly over here. Steel has given us the chance we need. He told me we can play in their clubs, and his friend will attempt to set us up in the Aussie music scene.”
Ryan groans loudly. “Why would we uproot our lives and come to Australia? If, and I mean, if we were entertaining the idea of getting the band back together, why wouldn’t we do it here in the States and play to a larger crowd?”
Well fuck! I need to think of something and fast. Obviously, Ryan’s been talking to the boys about the band if he’s considering it.
“Simple! We tried the States. We tried the UK. We’ve got a break here, and now we need to regroup and try a different target audience.
Steel says his friend, Techie, knows people and can help us.
If we can get a helping hand and try a new scene, shouldn’t we take the shot?
I mean, think about it, look at the Australian bands who’ve made it…
INXS, ACDC, Jet, Powderfinger, Silverchair, Bee Gees, need me to keep going?
” I sit up taller on the edge of the bed, hoping my argument is working.
A loud huff echoes down the line. “Yeah, yeah, so? Some Australian bands have made it big, but we’re not Australian.
We’re Americans. There’s a big difference, Danger.
Australians accept homegrown talent far better than some hot-blooded Americans, who think they can break into the Australian music scene. ”
Shit!
“Ryan, I understand your doubts. But I know you’re aching to get the band together again.
If you’re anything like me, music’s in your veins, and I know you’re like me because we’re like brothers.
You’ve been my best friend for a long damn time.
Music floods your soul and encapsulates every damn molecule in your body like it does mine.
Sure, I had two years off and lived my life, but Ryan, I wasn’t living.
I had my girl and had my nine-to-five, but I wasn’t playing in packed-out stadiums and rocking to the beats of our best songs.
We make great fucking music together… you, me, Matt, and Nate.
And man… we fucking rock at it. Recoil needs to be reformed, and we need to make new music.
I may be intoxicated, yes… but I am seeing perfectly clear.
Ryan, we need this. Music is in our blood, it’s our life, and I’m not living…
” I pause before finishing with, “… are you?”
There’s a long break, the tension almost too much to bear.
My chest rises and falls rapidly, hoping I’ve been convincing enough.
Everything I’ve said is the truth. Sure, I worked in the music industry, but that’s not the same as making, producing, and performing your own sound.
I live for that, and fuck, I’ve missed it.
I need this.
I need Recoil.
And I know Ryan does too.
“You can tell you’re a songwriter, you fucking poetic douchebag,” Ryan quips.
“Shut up, dickhead, you love my lyrical genius.”
“Yeah, I fucking do. What do you say, boys?” he yells out.
What the hell!
“He’s pretty fucking convincing,” Matt’s voice comes over the phone.
“Matt?” I murmur.
“Yeah, I’m convinced too,” Nate chimes in.
A broad smile swipes over my face with genuine happiness I haven’t felt for a while.
“I didn’t know you guys were there,” I call out.
“Yeah, we’re here discussing the band and how much we’ve all missed it, how you left for Australia. You have a habit of running away, Danger,” Nate states.
“Ryan made it clear to me that Recoil was dead. But now we have an opportunity to reinvent ourselves in a new country. We can hone our sound, write new tracks, and meet the right people this time around. I have a good feeling, boys, just need you on board with me. I can’t do this without you.
” I wish this were a FaceTime call so I could see them because this silent treatment is killing me.
“So?” I ask, breaking the tension, not wanting to wait any longer.
“If we do this, no more running,” Ryan demands.
“No more running, I swear. We get settled in Australia, maybe do a tour here, then extend out to the rest of the world as we build our following again. We can do this, as a group, as a band, as brothers.”
“Fuck, yeah!” Matt and Nate call out.
“Ryan, you in?” I ask, my pulse increasing with anticipation.
It all rests on him now.
There’s another fucking pause. My heart leaps into my throat, and it pounds ferociously, waiting for the words I need to hear.
Recoil is nothing without its lead guitarist.
“Yeah… I’m fucking in.”
I throw my hand in the air silently. It finally feels like something’s going right. Something’s changing. The tide’s going out, and suddenly, my head is above water.
I can breathe again.
And I do just that. I take a deep breath while the weight and stress that have been weighing me down finally let up. “This will be epic,” I tell them, and the other guys laugh.
“So what’s the Australian pussy like?” Ryan jests.
A fit of laughter escapes me—he hasn’t changed.
“Oh, dude, you just wait and see. These babes are stunning.”
“Good,” Ryan states.
“So, when will you guys leave?” I ask.
“I’m checking flights now,” Nate says.
This is really happening.
The band is getting back together.
After one big fuck up, I can right a wrong with my boys.
“There’s a flight that leaves in two days in the evening. That should give us enough time to prepare and get our affairs in order, right, Ryan?” Nate asks.
“Yeah, just gotta quit our jobs, tell our families, and pack. That’s about it, and we already have passports,” Ryan tells me.
Nodding, I smile. “What? How? You’ll need visas too.”
“When you rang and told me you were leaving for Australia, we decided to come see you. We applied for visas and were going to surprise you, but now we have a real reason to come.”
“Well then… I guess I’ll see you in about five days.”
“Yeah, I’ll let you know when we’re at the airport. Can you make arrangements for us at the hotel you’re staying in?” Ryan asks.
“Of course, leave that to me.”
“Oh… and, Danger?”
“Yeah, Ryan?”
“It’s good to have you back, dude.”
“It’s good to be back.”
“Right, we gotta go. Got lots to do. Talk to you soon. Later, dude,” Ryan says, and the boys call out their goodbyes.
“See ya soon!” I reply, then end the call.
I walk around the room smiling. I did it! I managed to get my band—my brothers—to agree to reform and come to Australia to get us back on track.
This is probably the best day of my life.
I race over to the minibar, and even though I’ve drunk a lot tonight, I feel like a celebration is in order.
So I pull open the tiny refrigerator and grab a bottle of beer, twist off the top, and take a long sip.
The cool liquid refreshes my throat, and I grin against the seal of the bottle, reflecting on all the events of today.
What a day this has turned out to be.
It can’t get any better than this.
This feeling of elation and satisfaction is overwhelming.
Unexpectedly, my cell beeps, so I pull the beer away from my lips and bring my cell up to eye level. I swipe the screen while smiling wide and check the text message.
Lunar: I don’t have much to do tomorrow. I’ll be bored. Wanna hang?
Letting out a half laugh, I walk back over to the bed. My cock twitches in my jeans, just thinking about Lunar before I type back my reply.
Me: I might be able to fit in some time between my crazy, hectic schedule. If you’re lucky, that is ;) When and where?
I hit send and sit back with my head on the headboard and my feet crossed while I take another sip of my beer.
Lunar: Thought I might come to you. I need to get away from this club for a bit. I’ll get to you around lunchtime. Just text me the hotel and room number. We can order room service.
I grin slightly and wonder if there’s a hidden meaning or if she just wants to have lunch with me. I’m unsure how to take it, so I’ll be my usual self.
Me: You can come all you like ;) I can help you along with that if you need, or I can just watch. I’m not fussy. LOL. Or we can just have lunch. Second option is tamer, but I’m cool with either.
My finger hovers over the send button. My overly sexual nature gets me into trouble, and I don’t want to scare Lunar off, but I have the feeling this will only excite a girl like her.
Fuck it, I hit send and take a courage-filled gulp of beer.
She replies quickly.
Lunar: How ’bout you watch as I come all over your face! How’s that for tame, big guy?
A mouthful of beer flies out in surprise at her message. Wiping the beer from my chest, I chuckle and reply, but another message comes in while I type.
Lunar: You may not be fussy, but I like my men with the guts to say what they think, and you have that. You’re cool. But don’t take my sexual nature for a done deal. I’m harder to tame than you think ;)
Smiling, I nod in acknowledgment. I get her. I like that she tells me how it is. It looks like I will have to work for it, which makes her all the more intriguing.
Me: Well, you know how to make a man spit out his drink. You’re cool too. Although I get that your way of talking might be a front, I won’t push things with you. You’re safe with me, Lunar.
I hit send, trying to be honest and open with Lunar. No bullshit, no innuendos, just genuine honesty. I think that’s what she’s looking for right now.
Lunar: Good idea, ‘cause otherwise, you’ll have an entire biker club come after you. And that, pretty boy, would not be good for your gorgeous face.
Smirking, I type my reply.
Me: Meh… I could handle those bikers. But the main issue is… you think I’m hot as fuck, and you wanna fuck me! lol
Lunar: Fuck you, and… maybe ;)
I let out a loud laugh. It’s good to have someone into me again, even if I’ve only met her once.
I loved Ella, and I still do in some ways and probably always will.
But even though we were getting married and preparing to spend our lives together, I never felt the same level of love and commitment from her after I asked her to marry me.
Something was always a little off. I knew it, even though I didn’t want to accept it.
I know now that something was Chad fucking Everly.
It’s clear she was always in love with Chad, and I kidded myself into thinking she loved me more than him.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong. The indicators were always there—the way she would look at him and him her, the chatting in a corner, the giggles and intimate touches—I was a damn fool and overlooked them all, thinking she was mine and nothing could get in our way.
It was a disaster years in the making, but in the end, I’m better off without her.
The point here is that someone is showing a genuine interest in me, which is the confidence boost I’ve needed for the past two years.
I always felt that there was a problem. If I look deep enough inside myself, I know there were issues.
Always doubts, always challenges. Why? Because Ella wasn’t my type of girl.
I changed for her when, all along, a person should never have to change the essence of themselves for someone else.
Me: Okay, well, you’re hot as fuck too. I’ll see you tomorrow with no expectations other than lunch. Urban Oasis, Room 110.
Lunar: Perfect. Night, big guy. xo
After taking another big gulp of my beer, I smile and shuffle down the bed.
Meeting Lunar was the best thing that could have happened to me.
She’s awoken something inside me. Sure, I’m not looking for anything serious, but if she’s down to fuck, so am I.
I’ve got to go back to my rock star roots and be the type of man I was pre-Ella. So a good time is just what I need.
It’s my time to shine, and fuck am I going to shine like the goddamn sun.