"Thanks, big guy. I appreciate it." I told him before walking out to my car, thankful the night was over.
My eyelids were closed, and I was tucked into bed when Kill called.
"Hey, Slick. How are you?"
I could tell by his voice he was pumped from their first show. A smile tugged at the sides of my lips. "I'm good, Killer. It was a long night; everyone asked about you guys. How was the show?"
"Holy Shit, Slick. It was amazing. It was the biggest crowd we’ve ever played for. They knew our songs! It was fucking fantastic. The only thing that would’ve made it better is if you’d been there. Amy took some awesome footage and said she’d send it to you."
"Tell her to email me. I can't wait to see it. I wish I could’ve been there. I'm so sorry I missed your first big show," I told him, infusing my voice with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. The thought of ditching Ray and flying out to be with the boys for a week or two ran through my head for the millionth time.
"I'll tell her to email you. Don't worry about missing these shows; you'll be there for the important ones. The guys want to go out and celebrate. We're going to be stuck on the bus for two days. I'll call you later." His voice was still full of excitement.
"Go; have fun. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I can't even keep my eyes open."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Killer. Tell the boys I'm so proud of them. Go have fun, and I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Alright," Kill said, his voice hesitant.
"I love you, Killer."
"Love you more, Slick."
I was asleep as soon as we hung up.
The next day I slept in and forced myself to go for the most boring run ever. Without Kill motivating me, I had to fight for every step.
Kill and I texted back and forth throughout the day. They were having spotty signal on the bus, making his responses come slower. To waste time, I ended up buying a book on my Kindle, something I hadn't done in forever.
D had scheduled The BackDoor Ninja's to take their spot at Ray’s. I wasn’t sure whether I was being biased, but they weren’t as good as my boys, but the ladies seemed to keep coming back, which meant Ray wasn’t complaining.
