Chapter Forty-Two
Caleb
The tour is going smoothly so far. Well, as smoothly as anything can be with Annie spiraling, Aston miserable as hell and barely speaking to anyone, Anna and Dee constantly arguing over how to handle their kids’ ‘separation,’ and me missing Indi so much it physically hurts.
Annie and Aston being apart like this is causing a divide between all of us.
As much as I don’t want to pick sides, I feel sorry for Aston because, while I can understand Annie’s warped reasoning, none of it is logical.
I think she’s throwing something amazing away because she’s scared, and in the process, she’s making life difficult for everyone around her.
Don’t get me wrong, I love her. She’s my cousin, and I’ll support her no matter what, but I honestly think she’s making the wrong decision, and I’m slowly watching Aston give up on everything.
He puts on a brave face whenever she’s around because he doesn’t want her to feel guilty, but behind closed doors, the guy is dying inside.
More than once, he’s come to me completely broken, asking what the hell he’s supposed to do.
I’ve tried talking to Annie, but nothing gets through to her.
Nothing we say seems to matter. She’s drowning in her own agony and doesn’t realize she’s the one pulling herself under.
I hate watching it happen.
I keep talking to Indi about it, and she says the only thing we can really do is get Annie some psychological help, but that’s easier said than done when you’re traveling the world every second night.
Dee’s handling it the best she can, and as soon as we land back in London, Annie’s going to see one of the best psychiatrists in England.
She needs help, and right now, all any of us can do is be there for her whenever she lets us close enough.
On a happier note, two months into the tour it was Indi’s and my first anniversary, and I wanted to surprise her properly.
Luckily, the anniversary fell during a two-day break, so I arranged with Kenzi to have Indi rostered off.
I flew home and turned up on her doorstep with nothing but flowers and an overnight bag.
The second she opened the door and saw me standing there after two months of endless Zoom sex, late-night calls, and missing each other so badly it hurt, she burst into tears.
I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around her, and we stood there in the doorway for what felt like forever while she cried against my chest and I held onto her like she might disappear if I let go.
The rest of the night, though?
That was spent naked in her bed.
She was so damn happy that I’d flown home just for her, and honestly, seeing that look on her face made every second on a plane worth it.
I took her out the next day and bought her a necklace with a diamond-encrusted heart and a silver infinity symbol threaded through the middle.
It suited Indi perfectly—delicate, beautiful, meaningful. Our love wrapped in infinity.
Being apart was hard, but we were making it work. We talked every day. She was doing well at work, the tour was going well despite all the drama, and things between us somehow kept getting stronger, not weaker.
Leaving her again after the anniversary nearly killed me, but once I’d done the flight home and back, it made the distance feel less impossible. I knew I could see her whenever we had breaks, and she could come to me whenever she wanted.
Zoom became our lifeline. Most nights, I’d stay on the call until she fell asleep, just listening to her soft breathing through the speaker until I was too exhausted to stay awake myself.
And while touring was incredible—while the crowds, the music, and being with my family every day were the experience of a lifetime—nothing compared to the thought of going home to Indi and finally starting our lives together properly.
Especially now that Staked’s fame was reaching ridiculous levels.
The hype around us was insane. People were turning up to 12GAUGE-Slayed concerts specifically to see us, and that alone was surreal. We were finally building a name for ourselves, and now, with only two weeks of the tour left, there’s already talk about Staked doing a solo world tour at some stage.
Honestly? I can’t fucking wait.
Being the headline act instead of the backing band would be a dream come true for all of us. I just hope we get enough time off afterward for me to actually be with Indi before disappearing again.
Right now, though, I’m at an after-party in Germany, and we’re so close to being home I can practically taste it. I can taste Indi’s lips, smell her hair, feel her body pressed against mine and—
Oh crap.
Now I’m getting a boner.
I miss her like crazy, and somehow knowing I’ll see her in two weeks is making this stretch the hardest one yet.
She’s working tonight, but thankfully, the time difference is only an hour compared to some of the nightmare time zones we’ve dealt with on this tour.
I’m sitting in the VIP section of some ridiculously expensive club while Danger and Ella practically dry-hump each other on the dance floor.
Aston’s talking quietly with Chad. Annie isn’t here.
She’s probably locked away in her hotel room again.
She barely comes to the after-parties anymore, which honestly sucks because she is missing out.
I sip my orange juice at the bar while watching Danger all over Ella. Those two have been getting closer this entire tour, and right now, Colt’s disappeared to the bathroom, so Danger’s taking full advantage.
I place my cell phone on the bar and take another sip.
Chad walks over and drops onto the stool beside me, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “Do you think she knows?” he asks.
I raise an eyebrow. “Knows what?”
“That he has a tiny cock?”
I burst out laughing and glance over at Danger grinding against Ella. “Mate, if you’re into her, why not just tell her?”
Chad scoffs. “What good would it do?”
“Well, you could always tell her your cock’s bigger than his. You two can flop them out in front of her, and whoever wins gets the girl.”
He snorts. “My cock would defeat his tiny dick every time.”
“Yeah, because you’ve got a super cock.”
“Damn right. Wears a cape and everything.”
I slap his shoulder, laughing. “Seriously though, you should tell her.”
He glances toward Ella, and for once, all the usual joking disappears from his face. “No. She seems happy. That’s all I want.”
I stare at him for a second because that’s probably the most mature thing I’ve ever heard Chad say in his life.
“Danger won’t even be around in a couple of weeks. Then you can beat his cock off…” I pause. “Oh, wait. That sounded wrong as hell.”
Chad bursts out laughing. “Mate, I’m not beating off anyone’s cock.”
Ryan from Recoil walks over. “What’s so funny?”
I jerk my thumb toward Chad. “He wants to beat off Danger.”
Chad rolls his eyes while Ryan smirks.
Suddenly, a cold chill snakes down my spine, and not the good kind.
“Right… I clearly walked into the wrong conversation,” Ryan says. “Anyway, I’m gonna go talk to that new girl. She’s been following Recoil around for days and keeps staring over here. She definitely wants one of us.”
“Go ahead,” I say.
Chad watches him walk off before glancing toward Ella again.
“Yeah… go ahead.”
I shake my head. Chad’s got it bad.
Across the room, Colt reappears from the bathroom, and Danger instantly puts about two feet of distance between himself and Ella. Poor girl notices immediately. She folds her arms and storms back to the booth, looking pissed off.
I chuckle because it reminds me exactly of how Annie used to act whenever Colt walked into a room, and Aston suddenly pretended she didn’t exist.
History repeating itself.
“Here’s your chance,” I tell Chad, nudging him toward Ella.
He looks between her and Danger nervously. “Dude, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”
“Just be her friend.”
He nods and heads over, sliding into the booth beside her while I sit back, smiling to myself. I’m honestly ready to call it a night. I’m tired, bored, and all I want is some sleep before Indi calls me after work.
That eerie feeling creeps down my spine again, but I ignore it and stand up.
“Hey Caleb, can my groupie chick get a photo with you?” Ryan asks suddenly.
“Sure,” I reply automatically.
I turn around just in time for an arm to snake around my neck and a pair of overly wet lips to slam onto mine as a camera flash explodes in my face before I can even process what’s happening.
I stumble back, temporarily blinded while frantically wiping my mouth.
What the fuck?
“Caleb, it’s so good to see you again. It’s been far too long,” Sasha says brightly. “I gave you some space, but once I heard you were nearly back in London, I couldn’t stay away. Plus, I came to see Ryan.” She immediately wraps herself around Ryan like we’re all best friends.
I stand frozen, my entire body going numb.
“Well? Say something,” she says.
I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches. I’m in public. I can’t lose my shit here. “Sasha, what the hell are you doing here?”
Ryan looks between us. “Dude… wait. You know her?”
I nod stiffly while Sasha giggles and starts tapping away on her cell phone.
“What are you doing?” I demand.
“I’m posting our photo to Insta.”
Pure rage floods through me so fast my hands start shaking. I haven’t felt anger like this since the last time she destroyed my life. “Absolutely fucking not. Delete it. Right now.”
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “Fine.”
I watch her remove the post while trying not to explode.
“Thank you. And whatever game you think you’re playing, stop. Stay the hell away from me. If you come near me again, I’ll have security remove you.”
She scowls. “Whatever.”
Then she leans close enough for me to smell her perfume and whispers in my ear, “You’re throwing away a really good thing, Caleb. For what? Indi? I know you’re still seeing her even though you want everyone to think you’re not.” She kisses my cheek, and I physically recoil.