Chapter 8
8
As Lainey and I are unceremoniously dragged away from the new friends we were making, I try to ignore the weight of Jack’s arm on my shoulders. I should be annoyed at their show of alpha male BS, but I have always found it endearing how protective they are of Lainey. It’s cute seeing these megastars growl any time a boy flirts with their sister. I don’t know if it’s luckier for them or Lainey that their career kept them too busy during our years of college to check on her much.
The brothers lead us out the back door of the venue to the lot where the buses are parked. We give Bryce a big hug before we ascend up the stairs.
“Welcome to our humble abode,” Jack drawls.
Glancing around, I can’t help but think ‘humble’ is not the right word for where we are. This bus is incredible. Decorated in navy blues and wood accents, it is both masculine and cozy. The five of us stand comfortably in the front lounge area. On one side sit two recliners with a sofa on the other.
Past the seating area is a kitchen with a fridge and cooktop. I know the Ryders aren’t hurting for cash, but this bus is way nicer than I anticipated. I tell them as much. “I’m impressed.”
“Did you think we were slumming it, Ellie Bellie?” Grayson asks, ruffling my hair.
“Of course not. I honestly hadn’t given it much thought. But I never knew buses could be this nice.”
“This is nothing—you should see some of the pop stars’ buses. How about a grand tour?”
I nod, excited to see the space, but Lainey pulls out her phone and mumbles something about ‘seen one, seen them all.’ Humble brag harder, Laines.
Ignoring her pouting over the loss of her potential boy toys, Grayson shows me around. “Right now, you are standing in the living area. We use this for relaxing, getting creative, and beating each other’s asses in Mario Kart.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m undefeated,” Declan chimes in.
“That’s because your main competition wasn’t here but that’s all about to change,” my best friend taunts.
Continuing on with his tour, Grayson walks into the kitchen to show off the extensive drink collection in the fridge, coffee maker, and sparse pantry.
“We don’t make a lot of meals on the bus since the tour has catering, but we have the capability if we wanted to. And behind this curtain is where all the magic happens.”
“Ew. I don’t need to hear about all the groupies you’ve brought on to the bus, thank you,” Lainey quips with an exaggerated gagging noise.
“We haven’t fucked on the bus in years. This is strictly for family and friends,” Declan states. Lainey eyes him skeptically, but holds her tongue as we watch Grayson pull back the curtain with a flourish. Behind it are four bunks and three doors .
“Uh, I only see four bunks here.” Lainey comments as she turns to her brothers. “I thought your bus had more?”
“Our old bus had nine bunks when we shared it with the band. For this tour, we splurged on something that gave us more room. The band has the old one. We thought you would be more comfortable in a space that wasn’t filled with stinky, cursing men.”
“We would be more comfortable away from the band, or you would be more comfortable with us away from the band?” Lainey questions.
“Both,” Jack replies with a smirk. “Plus, between you girls and Bryce, we wouldn’t have fit.”
I can’t help but smile at their banter. As much as I love my little brother and as close as we are, we don’t have the easy rapport the Ryders do—especially Lainey and Jack. I think I spent so much time parenting him that our sibling bond got lost in translation. Mom was easily wrapped up in new boyfriends or mourning her latest break up. Not only did I have to make sure Finn was fed, I also helped with his homework, ironed his uniforms, and took him to extracurriculars.
I love my little brother and would do anything for him, but knowing he is safe and productive at the Naval Academy is a weight off my shoulders.
“How are six of us going to fit in four bunks?” I question, still unsure where I will be laying my head tonight. Something that I hope is soon. Running the merch table is no joke. People lined up the second the doors opened, an hour before the show, and continued long after Shonda dismissed me during the encore.
Jack points to one of the unopened doors. “There is a bedroom through there we thought the two of you could share. It has a king size bed. We figured you wouldn’t mind sharing a bed since you’ve done it approximately ten thousand times before. ”
“It’s a mobile sleepover!” Lainey squeals, bounding into the bedroom.
Following behind her, I am in awe of the space. The bed is way larger than I would have imagined fitting on a bus and even had a cubby on each side and a dresser with a TV across from it.
While taking in the room, I try not to notice how close the guys’ bunks are. I’ve slept at their house dozens, if not hundreds of times, but never this close to them. The idea that Jack will be sleeping only feet away from me has me tingling inside. Not that anything could or would happen, especially surrounded by his family, but the scenarios flashing through my mind after seeing him half-naked this afternoon don’t seem to take that into account.
“I take it, you find the accommodations suitable?” Declan asks half-sarcastically.
“Hell yeah,” Lainey answers for both of us. “It’s way better than the van we had to use when you guys first started out.”
Before landing their show, Lainey’s parents drove her and her brothers all across Texas to perform at county fairs, rodeos, and anywhere else that would give them a chance. It was at one of those festivals they were discovered by a big wig exec. and signed to a label. One thing led to another and now they have a tour bus that is fancier than my apartment.
“The bathroom is right outside the door to your room and a storage area is on the other side. Most of our stuff is stored underneath, but we keep some things up here. There are two small closets in this room the two of you can use.”
“Thank you, this is great,” I say as a yawn escapes me.
“I think that is our cue, boys,” Grayson laughs. “We’ll let you girls settle in. Since we’re in New Orleans tomorrow, too,, you don’t have to worry about the bus jostling you awake. Though, the ride is smooth most of the time.”
After the guys leave, I make quick work of my nighttime routine and slide into bed while Lainey does the same. She nods off almost immediately in a way I envy. It has always taken me a long time to fall asleep, even more so in a new place with unfamiliar noises. I know who is on the other side of the door, but my fight-or-flight reaction is close to the surface.
Popping in my headphones, I turn to my favorite ASMR creator and hope his voice will distract me enough to drift off. Tomorrow is our first full day of the tour and I don’t know yet what that means for me. Closing my eyes, I focus on the deep voice lulling me to sleep and push out all thoughts of another voice I’d rather be listening to instead.
The brothers are blessedly gone doing press for a local radio station when we wake up. Since Lainey and I don’t have to report until later in the afternoon, we explore the city.
In typical touristy fashion, we enjoy beignets and shop in the market. After I pick up a notebook featuring a cover design by a local artist, Lainey convinces me that we need to commemorate our time on the tour. Her idea was to get matching tattoos, but I talked her down to necklaces instead. The delicate gold chains feature alternating aquamarines and citrines—our birthstones.
After the stress of finals and graduation, spending time bumming around New Orleans with Lainey was exactly what the doctor ordered and helped me forget about our current ‘living’ situation. I knew I would be close to Jack during this tour, but I didn’t consider the logistics. I should’ve asked more questions.
The bedroom Lainey and I are in is super nice and cozy. But being in a confided space with her brothers is asking for embarrassing moments. On show days it will be fine, but what about when we’re traveling? I can’t hide in the bedroom the entire time. They’ll think something is wrong. I definitely can’t say being around one of them turns me into a bumbling, blushing idiot.
I have no desire to tell Lainey that, like every other girl we knew growing up, I have a crush on her brother. Had! I had a crush on her brother. I am a twenty-three-year-old college graduate. Crushes are for middle school girls.
I had a crush on Jack Ryder because he was cute and playful and how could I not? But it wasn’t a real crush. It was the same way every other girl did. Or similar to my crush on Aladdin. A silly celebrity crush . . . except it feels different. It feels more like the crush I had on the surfer boy I met the summer I turned thirteen when I went on a trip to California with my mom. Or the crush I had on Brad Swift, my ‘boyfriend’ in high school.
As soon as we are back at the arena, my thoughts turn back to the man I’ve been trying not to think about all day. I hope I don’t have to take anything to his dressing room again. I can’t live through the mortification of seeing him freshly showered again, a knowing glint in his eye. No thank you.
The merch booths were a mess when I arrived. Even though we stayed in the same city, the products are still locked up on the trailer to prevent things from going missing. It makes sense based on the number of people coming and out of the arena, but it creates more work for us. However they were put away must have been disorganized because I walked up to a cursing Shonda.
“Everything okay?” I ask hesitantly.
“Thank God you’re here,” she answers. “It is chaos. The roadies loaded things up last night in the dumbest way conceivable. They didn’t mark what products came from which booths and put things up in a snake pattern. I have some XXL vintage tees mixed with XS silhouette tees. It’s madness.”
“Yikes. Don’t worry. I am here to help. And I’ll be sure to stick around for clean up tonight to make sure things go into the trailer more orderly.”
“That would be amazing, thank you.” Gratitude shines on Shonda’s face. From what I gathered, the merchandising assistant isn’t a position they’ve had before. She’s never had anyone to help her aside from venue staff and the roadies.
As we unload the crates and divvy them up between the booths, my mind spins with the best way to pack for easy set up at our next stop. This position may have been created for me as a stopgap for my future, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to slack off. I want to prove I deserve to be here and am not freeloading on a free tour experience.
It doesn’t hurt that this is the kind of problem my brain enjoys. Merch storage reminds me of a mix of a logic puzzle and Tetris—two things I love to solve. My thoughts focused on the task at hand and then on working the booth that the show passes by in a blur. Before I know it, Donny and Trent are there to help me load up what we didn’t sell.
Before they start loading, I grab the duct tape we use to help hold the shelves together and walk them through my new plan for packing.
“That’s actually a good idea,” Trent says once I finish explaining the plan. I bristle at his use of ‘actually.’ Did he think I wasn’t capable of having good ideas?
“Thanks. I aced my logistics course,” I quip. I normally find it rude when people point out their accomplishments, but I don’t want these men assuming I’m some dumb blonde brought to pal around with the band. I can be an asset here.
“Oh, we got a college girl on our hands,” Donny coos. “Pretty and smart. You’re the total package. It’s no wonder you’ve been swooped up by a famous musician.”
“What?” I question, then remember the night before when Jack claimed I was ‘with them.’
“I’m not dating one of the Ryders. They were being overprotective of Lainey last night, and I got caught in the crossfire. Although, they should be protecting you guys from her, not the other way around.”
Trent perks up at that. “Is that so? I love a strong woman.” Hmm, earlier comment forgiven, then.
“She might eat you up and spit you out,” I joke.
“I’d love every moment.”
Poor guy has no idea what he’s in for. Before I can tell him that, Donny chimes in. “I thought it was weird they had their girl slumming it with us. Figured she’d be backstage enjoying the VIP access. How did a smart cookie like you end up on tour with bums like us?”
“I grew up next door to them. I guess they think of me as their honorary sister. When Lainey and I graduated, they offered me a spot on the tour and with nothing else lined up, I thought ‘what the heck?’ When would I ever get a chance for an adventure like this?”
A mischievous smirk takes over Donny’s face at my declaration. “Don’t you worry, beautiful. We’ll make sure you get the full tour experience.”
The way he sizes me up and licks his lips, tells me everything I need to know about what he has in mind. I’m no prude, but I don’t think hooking up with someone I have to spend time with every day for the next twelve weeks is a good idea. I’m about to tell him as much when Lainey finds us.
“Ellie! You need some help? The sooner you finish, the sooner we can catch up on our show. Mace and Alexis are waiting.”
Lainey and I are obsessed with Singing Sensation , a reality show where contestants are coached by superstars as they compete for a record deal. The first episode premiered last week, but Alexis and Macy couldn’t catch it. We agreed to wait until we could all watch it at the same time. We used to watch it together when we all lived in the dorms and then our apartment. It’s kind of our thing .
Now we settle for watching it at the same time when we can and texting each other about it. We even have a group chat specifically for the show to avoid spoilers in our main chat.
“Hi, Lainey,” Trent greets before I can say anything.
I fight in to hold in my laughter as Lainey eyes the roadie. Lainey doesn’t have a type that I’ve been able to pin down. She tends to go for quiet men who balance out her big personality. And who have no problem giving in to all her whims. She may lust after dominant book boyfriends, but in real life, she enjoys running the show. At least until she is ready to move on to the next guy.
“Hey, Trent. How’s it going?”
“Better now that you’re here. I gotta say, it’s lucky for your brothers that you’re a girl because you’d outshine the three of them combined if you were a dude.”
“Is that right?” she asks, giving me a ‘can you believe this guy’ expression. I’m getting the vibe Trent does not have a way with words. It’s cute that he tries, though.
“For sure. I understand why they’re protective of you. I’d never let a guy near my sister if she was as gorgeous as you. I’d lock her away and throw away the key.”
I can tell by her expression that whatever she’s about to say is either going to crush Trent’s spirit or make his day.
“Maybe if you’re a very good boy, I’ll let you lock me up,” she drawls, running the tip of her finger down his chest.
Poor Trent’s jaw hits the floor. He reminds me of a glitching computer as he tries to come up with a retort. Luckily, Donny saves his friend.
“We’re good here, girls. We’d hate to keep you from your show. Maybe the four of us can hang out at the next stop?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lainey replies, grabbing my hand. Once we are far enough away, we both bust out laughing .
“This is going to be fun,” she says. “Come on. The boys are still at their meet and greet. I grabbed some food from catering to take back to the bus since I’m guessing you forgot to eat.”
On cue, my stomach grumbles.
“Thought so. What would you do without me to take care of you El?”
“Surely perish,” I reply seriously before we break out into another fit of giggles. We make it back to the bus without running into her brothers. Maybe avoiding them won’t be as hard as I expect.