Page 62 of Animal Beats

18

HAYDEN

The band offers the Madrileños one last wave and rushes off the stage. Bennett swings Jenna around in a circle while she protests his sweaty body. Coop, Tris, and 007 give each other high fives and grab the towels offered by Nese. Río approaches me with no shirt and a wide grin.

“How awesome was that?”

“You did great out there,” I reply to his exuberance, using the towel from Nese to scrub his glistening torso. Since we’re in public, I refrain from licking the water droplets off his ripped chest. Barely.

“Guys! Guys!” Luke yells. “Let’s go into The Closet—I have some exciting news!”

“Hell yeah,” Tris calls. We all walk into Nese’s domain.

“Before you change, I wanted to let you know we got a special invitation to the hottest club in Madrid tonight. Reporters will be there, as will tons of your biggest fans. Don’t get out of control”—Luke looks directly at Río—“but let’s enjoy some Spanish hospitality!”

Various forms of agreement raise up from the band. For his part, the drummer pumps his fist. “They say New York City never sleeps, but I know for a fact that Madrid is where it’s at!”

Warning bells clang in my brain. Yes, Río’s been away from alcohol since I’ve been his babysitter, but this seems like too big of a temptation. I approach Luke. “A club, huh?”

The manager cracks his knuckles. “I don’t expect Río to remain dry at a club. Keep him to two drinks, and he’ll be fine.”

“I think if he starts, he’s not stopping at two.”

“Listen, Untamed Coaster scored a coveted invitation. We can’t turn them down, as if the band would. Talk with our drummer. Explain what’s at stake. My odds are on you keeping him on the straight and narrow.”

“I’ll try. This is a big test.”

Luke puts his hand on my shoulder. “I have faith in you.”

He has faith in me, not Río. This is going to be a long night—better check in with Bennett to confirm his bet allows for a couple of drinks. I don’t want to lose out on the money on a technicality.

On my way to see Bennett, I spot Jenna standing by herself. “Where’s Bennett?”

“He’s getting changed. What do you think of this one for tonight?” She holds up a black shirt.

“He’d definitely rock it,” I reply. As she’s alone, now’s the time for me to ask something that’s been niggling in the back of my mind since, well, Philadelphia. I lick my lips. “I have a question for you, Jenna. And I need your honest opinion.”

“Uh-oh. Sounds serious.” She folds the shirt over her arm.

“You’re the only person I could think of to ask this. Uhm,” I clear my throat. “You were Bennett’s physical therapist before, and then you two got together, right?”

She tilts her head. “Are you asking if it’s okay to have sex with Río?”

I exhale. “Thank you for figuring out what I was trying to say. I mean, Río’s been wonderful, but he’s my job. What I’m trying to say is I’m doing PR for all of UC, but I was assigned to watch over him. Am I crossing some sort of line?”

Jenna’s blue eyes skewer me. “Listen. I tried to stay away from Bennett and was successful for all of a hot minute. A professional ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ can’t play into what happens in here.” Using her free hand, she touches my heart. “If you believe in him, in you two as a couple, I say life is too short not to try.”

A lesson she’s very recently learned. “Honestly, I’m not sure where things between us are going, but there’s so much more to him than I originally thought.” I smile. “He’s pretty amazing.”

Jenna replies, “I say to trust your heart. That’s all that really matters.”

A shirtless lead singer comes over to us. While he’s fine, my heart only leaps for the shirtless drummer. “I’m glad you’re here. I need to ask you a question, Bennett.”

His dulcet tenor voice, now raspy because of the concert he just performed, says, “Ask away.”

Before I can formulate my thoughts, Jenna says, “I’ll get you a tea for your voice while you talk with Hayden.” She hugs both of us before leaving to get his tea. The lead singer’s gaze never wavers from her, even as he slips into his shirt.

When she’s gone, I ask Bennett about Luke’s permission slip. He replies, “Listen, I’m shocked you’ve been able to keep him away from any alcohol for this long. You’ve done a great job so far. Let Río have two drinks tonight so he doesn’t feel like a corralled dog. The bet will survive.”