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At least this one seemed to start the right way.
“So, a sold-out arena tour. You guys must be pleased,” said the bouncy blonde sitting opposite Zac, who’d introduced herself as Amy.
“We’re happy that we’ll be able to give as many fans as possible a chance to come and see us play,” Connor answered. “We know a lot of people have missed out over the last couple of years, during our hiatus, and then with some of the smaller tours we’ve been doing.”
Amy nodded. “Right. That was a conscious decision you came to as a band, wasn’t it? To focus more on intimate performances?”
Connor nodded. “We’ve been in the business a long time. Touring year after year can be exhausting after a while. Going on hiatus allowed us to refresh ourselves as a band, spend some decent time with our loved ones, and come back with a whole new passion for what we do. And one of the things we wanted to do was show a more personal side of us. Doing those smaller tours allowed us to share that with our fans.”
“So why are you going back to bigger shows now? An arena tour this time. Will you be expanding back up to stadium tours next?” Michael, the dark-haired male host, asked.
“The energy you get from a big venue concert is incredible. It’s something we obviously enjoy. The albums we released coming off hiatus were personal. They were intimate. They suited those smaller venues. This latest one throws back a little more to our earlier stuff. It suits a bigger venue. We certainly won’t rule out stadium tours again in the future, but we’ll let the direction of our albums dictate what we do going forward.”
The hosts nodded, then Amy turned her attention to Zac. “Zac, as arguably the busiest member of the group, how are you finding being back on a national arena tour?”
“It’s great. Whatever venue we’re in, the love from the fans is the same. Connor’s right, the music should dictate where we perform, but the upside of getting back into arenas and eventually stadiums is that more of our fans get the opportunity to attend. Giving back to the fans will always be a priority for us.”
She smiled benignly before hitting him with the question he’d been dreading. “And how are you feeling after Fractured’s win at the AMAs last month? Particularly since your other band, Crossfire, missed out on an award?”
Zac didn’t allow his expression to change. “Obviously, I was disappointed for my Crossfire bandmates that they missed out. We’ve worked hard, and we’re incredibly proud of the albums we’ve produced. Being nominated is always a win. But the fans vote for the AMAs, and Fractured’s been around a long time. We’ve been lucky enough to attract a lot of very loyal followers. Having proof that we’re still making music they love is fantastic. And I’m sure if Crossfire keeps going, we’ll all be standing up on that stage one day too.”
Michael jumped in. “So, there’s a chance Crossfire won’t keep going?” His eyes were bright, as if he thought he was getting a scoop on the air.
Zac shrugged. “As much chance as any group has of disbanding. But we certainly don’t plan on going anywhere. We’ve got our European tour coming up and another album in the works. We’ll be around for a while.”
The host looked disappointed, which sent a spike of irritation through Zac.
Amy reverted to her earlier line of questioning. “Do you feel like Crossfire’s success rests on your shoulders because you’re the front man? Does it make losing more personal?”
Zac’s pulse kicked into high gear. He stopped his hand halfway up to the leather cord hanging around his neck.Right place, right time.The words echoed in his head.
He leveled a look at her, and the smile on her face withered slightly. “No,” he forced out through gritted teeth.
She continued to wait expectantly. With the base of his skull pounding, he continued. “I try not to take anything personally. Crossfire is a group effort, just like Fractured. We all have equal responsibility. We all contribute to the music and any major decisions. And at the end of the day, winning awards isn’t what’s important. Making music that we love—that our fans enjoy—that’s our priority. Not collecting statuettes to put on our mantelpieces.”
She nodded, her eyes narrowed and probing as if she was trying to detect the lie in his words. Unfortunately for her, he’d spent years perfecting his poker face.
Apparently satisfied, she directed her next question to Noah, asking about his recent engagement. As always, the drummer was more than happy to talk about his relationship with Summer. Zac tuned out. There was only so much gushing about love he could take. Since all three of his bandmates had partnered up over the last few years, he was used to thinking about other things when they went on about it.
His mind drifted to Cassie, all the talk about relationships making him think about how spectacularly hers had just fallen apart. He wondered if she’d made a decision about staying. He hoped she didn’t end up leaving, because while he could understand why it would be hard for her, he liked having her as his guitar tech. As much as it had disappointed him when Duncan, his previous tech, pulled out of the tour, having Cassie take his place had been a very pleasant surprise. He couldn’t guarantee it would be the same with a replacement.
He was brought back to the interview when Amy said his name. “So, Zac, what’s it like to be the last man standing now that the other guys are all coupled up?” He’d been asked variations of the same question for the last year, ever since Noah and Summer had started officially dating. It was getting old. Actually, it had been old the first time someone had asked him.
“I’m okay with it. As you said before, things are busy for me at the moment, and it’s not really fair to try to maintain a relationship when my focus is on the music. Maybe sometime in the future, I might have time to meet someone.” His stock answer rolled off his tongue.
“You’re notoriously private about your dating life,” she persisted. “Are you sure you’re not keeping some lucky lady tucked away?”
Noah jumped in before Zac could reply. “Actually, Zac had a female guest on the bus just last night.”
Zac slitted his eyes at the drummer, who gave him a smirk in response.
“Really? Wow, lucky girl,” Amy said with an avaricious expression. “So, there’s definitely still hope for all the Zac Ford fans out there.”
“Absolutely.” Tex joined in. “But ladies,” he drawled, “you never know when some lucky woman will snap up this prime example of manhood, so if you want a chance to ride the Zac express before that happens”—Connor snorted a laugh—“then you need to put the effort in. Be aggressive. Don’t let his surly demeanor put you off. If he tells you to stop touching him, he’s just being shy. Double down and go for the full-frontal grope. It’s the quickest way to his heart.” Tex shot a broad grin at Zac.
The others were laughing hard, including the two hosts. Zac shook his head, but he couldn’t stop his own smile at their antics. “Quickest way, huh? I knew you weren’t listening in biology class. It does explain why you shove your hand down your pants every time you tell Eden you love her, though.” For all that they were now in their thirties, one of them married, one of them soon-to-be, sometimes he was vividly reminded of the teenage boys they’d all been when they met.
“Well, there’ssomethingtrying to beat its way through my fly when I’m talking to her,” Tex said. “But I can guarantee you it’s not my—”
