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Jude
The buses were gettingready to pull out, leaving Germany for Czech Republic, when Michaela climbed on our bus with her hands on her hips.
“How many empty beds do you have on here?” she asked.
Hector spoke up. “Two.”
“How disgusting is your bus?”
He looked personally affronted by her question. “You know me, Mic. I run as tight a ship on this bus as I do on stage. All the guys clean up after themselves.”
She nodded decisively. “All right. Well, one of the buses broke down, so we need to stash two people on this bus for the ride to CR. If anyone’s been storing their things in the empty bunks, tell them to clear it all out now. Tali and I will be joining you momentarily.” She waved her finger at the two of us. “And maybe be gentlemen and help us with our bags.”
Hector mumbled something about giving him a damn chance, and we both climbed down the steps to help. Hector got in front of me, grabbing Michaela’s bag before I could reach for it. Tali waited with a bag in her hand, a backpack on her shoulders, and one at her feet.
“Hey, Stripes.”
“Hey, Jude.”
“You hitchin’ a ride tonight?”
“It appears so. I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience.”
One of my brows shot up. “Are we going back to being formal with each other like we didn’t just share pastries less than a week ago?”
Her mouth quirked. “I hadn’t realized sharing pastries was so significant.”
Picking up her bag, I gave her a stern look. “It is. I don’t share pastries with just anyone.”
She let out a small laugh. “I’ll have to remember that. I wouldn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”
Stuffing a hand in my jeans pocket, I let my eyes roam over her briefly. She was a sight for sore eyes. I’d become accustomed to seeing the grown-up version of her: spiky-heeled boots, expensive-looking jeans, and sharp blazers. Accustomed, but not used to, since every time I saw her, my lungs were sucked dry. At the same time, a part of me unfurled, having Tali so close again.
“Let’s go, Stripes.”
We climbed on the bus, going through the front lounge, back to where the bunks were. Six of us shared the bus, but there were eight bunks. Michaela had already claimed one of the empty ones, which left the one directly across from mine.
“We’re going to be neighbors.” I tossed Tali’s bag onto the bed.
Tali looked over her shoulder, raising a brow in question. I patted my bed. “This is me.”
Tali turned to face me. “I hope you haven’t turned into a snorer in your old age.”
“You’ll have to let me know.” Leaning against my bunk, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
I’d missed her. Missing Tali over the years was like a dull ache in the back of my mind I learned to live with. But now, three days apart, and I was going a little bit crazy without seeing her face.
I’d been tempted to text, but hadn’t known if she’d welcome it.
She let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I had to fly to Baltimore to deal with some Rein Records business. One of our artists is leaving us and…” She sighed again, her shoulders drooping. “Two transatlantic trips within three days combined with some hard discussions is not fun. So, even if you do snore, I have a feeling I’ll sleep right through it.”
I jerked my head toward the lounge area. “When you get settled, come out there. Hector was in the middle of cooking us second dinner.”
She rubbed her eye, and my chest ached at seeing her so worn down. “Second dinner, huh? Is that an official thing?”
“It is when we work until midnight.”
She paused, chewing her lip. “All right. I need to change into something comfortable, then I’ll be out.” She slipped her backpack off her shoulders, and I did a double take when I saw it. She smiled at my shocked reaction, rubbing a hand over the patches on the canvas material. “I kept it and added some of my own patches over the years.”
