“Oh, we already have those.” I rummage through my small, black leather fanny pack to get them out. We took the badges off at some point because they kept smacking into our faces with those sharp edges when we jumped to the music. I swear I almost lost an eyeball.
“These are special ones.” He winks, and Chloe takes the passes, giving one to me. We both put them around our necks. “If you can follow me, please.”
“Oh my God, we’re getting the VIP of the VIP treatment. I think I’m going to faint.” Chloe jumps on the balls of her feet as she lets out an excited scream. I honestly don’t know how she can do that and still keep her balance on those high heels with how much we drank until now. “Told you that mini leather dress was the way to go for tonight,” she whispers as she elbows me in the ribs.
I grunt and give her a dirty look because I swear she doesn’t realize how freakishly sharp her elbow is. “Wait, can we swing by the bathroom first? I need to pee.” At this point, my bladder is about to burst, and I’m beyond getting embarrassed talking about bodily functions in front of this mountain of a man.
“There’s a bathroom you can use on the bus,” he replies.
Chloe and I look at each other at the same time. Her eyes almost bulge out of her head. “Holy shit, we’re going to their tour bus!” She grips my arm so hard I am sure I’m going to have an imprint of her fingers the next day.
Twenty minutes later, we climb the steps and enter the bus as the bodyguard shuts the door behind us. It took us forever to get here since we had to wait in line as everyone made their way to exit the venue. The band is still outside, giving autographs to the mass of people waiting for them near the bus.
I let my eyes take in my surroundings as Chloe brims with excitement next to me. The front lounge is dimly lit and decked with two dark brown leather couches. A big flat TV screen is embedded into one of the shiny, dark wood-paneled walls. Everything looks luxurious and screams money.
Chloe takes a seat on one of the couches. “Damn, this leather is buttery smooth,” she says as she runs her fingers over the material of the couch.
I chuckle at her enthusiasm and hastily cut through the corridor in pursuit of the bathroom. I’m glad no one can see my weird attempt at walking with my inner thighs pressed together.
Passing the kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances and a round booth with a table in the middle, I stop at a closed door before the bunk beds. I turn the knob and thank God it’s the bathroom. I was about to pee in the middle of the bus, and I don’t think the band would have been too happy about that. The bathroom is nicer than the one in my small apartment. It has a full walk-in shower, two sinks, and a big LED-lit mirror that hangs above the black marble countertop.
After I’ve taken care of my business and am washing my hands, I suddenly become lightheaded, my breath coming out in shallow spurts. My reflection in the mirror whirls in a way that tells me I’m about to faint.Fuck. White-knuckling the edges of the sink, I try to stabilize myself.
My jaw starts hurting as a dull headache blooms in the back of my head. Bile burns the back of my throat until it spills into my mouth. I quickly open the lid of the toilet and start heaving my last meal along with all the alcohol I have ingested. The moment I finish throwing up, I stand up on shaky legs and throw some ice-cold water onto my face. Whatever reprieve that gave me, though, is shot to pieces when a sharp pain pierces my chest. It shackles my lungs with heavy steel chains and forces me down onto the toilet with my head between my knees, struggling to breathe. My fingers tremble as I push a wet strand of hair out of my face.
After a few minutes, the pain has subsided enough that I feel I can finally stand without fear of tearing down a towel rack. There is a bottle of mouthwash near the sink. I use it to rinse my mouth, hoping no one will mind or notice. Taking a tissue from the holder in front of me, I pat my face dry and fix my makeup as best as I can.
A loud knock reverberates in the small space, making me flinch. “Ava, are you okay? You’ve been in there for a long time,” Chloe’s voice travels through the door, thick with worry.
“Yeah, I got sick because of the tequila,” I say weakly.
“Do you want me to hold your hair?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“’Kay.”
I step out of the bathroom not into the sleek designer bus I left, but into a fully raging nightclub complete with blasting music and dizzying LED lights flashing blues and reds and purples. The band has arrived.
Knox is sponging every word that comes out of Chloe’s mouth as she animatedly gestures something. They sit close to one another on a couch in the front lounge, lost in their own bubble. She twirls her hair on one of her fingers and bats her eyelashes at him before taking a drag of her beer, a clear sign that she is into him. As I pass the kitchen, I quickly avert my eyes at the image before me. Slouched in the kitchen booth, a blissful look on his face, and gripping a fistful of blond hair, the bassist pushes down the head of the woman sucking his cock. I cringe at the slurpy, suction noises she is making.
So…that’s how a rock star lives.
The other two guitarists are in the lounge area on the couch opposite Chloe and Knox. They each have two girls sitting in their laps. As I advance on the corridor, I stop when I feel a hand at the small of my back.
“Hello, gorgeous,” someone whispers roughly in my ear, making a shiver pass down my spine.
I turn around, and I am hit full force with how good-looking Jude is this close. And he smells delicious. He definitely showered because he has fresh clothes on, now wearing black distressed jeans and a tee with their band name written over the chest in bold, bloody letters.
“Hey,” I say.
“God, you’re so fucking beautiful.” He leans closer and brushes a strand of hair out of my face, eliciting tingles all over my body.“What’s your name, gorgeous?” he purrs.
Damn, he’s good. I already feel weak in the knees. I bet he has a lot of experience seducing women. “Ava,” I shoot back.
His eyes rake over my body, stopping at my cleavage. “What do you say we party somewhere private, Ava?”
“Um…sure.” But as soon as I say it, my stomach constricts painfully, almost making me bend over.Mierda. I’m getting sick again. With a few deep breaths through my nose, I engage in a battle of wills with my rioting organ.You will not ruin this moment for me, you little shit,I mentally chastise,as if I’m in control over that sort of thing. Luckily, it finally settles.Thank God.Before I can change my mind, Jude takes my hand in his and drags me to the back of the bus.
