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Trash the Dress Online Chat
Mae:Anyone hear from Cailin yet? I’m listening to 5 Leo Hearts and dying of jealousy.
Alexandra:Ah, Oliver….
Tori:I liked Cute Boys Band better.
Alexandra:@Tori I don’t know if we can be friends anymore.
18
LET THE LIES BEGIN! JAX SLATER KICKS OFF NEW TOUR
CAILIN
Jax stepsout of the SUV wearing the same jeans and T-shirt I nestled my face on not too long ago. He’s wearing sunglasses now and gosh, he is so sexy. He runs his fingers through his hair and suddenly I’m jealous of his fingers. Everyone claps and begins cheering for Jax.
“What up, everyone!” Jax says. He stops a second longer in my direction before turning his head back to the group. “Sorry I’m late. Got tied up on some last-minute things. Who’s ready to do this?”
Jax is pumped and everyone is feeding off his infectious energy. He walks over to high-five all of the crew members. Harry pulls him in for a hug. Hayley and Jax fist bump. Then, it’s his turn to greet me.
Harry intervenes. “Jax, this is Cailin.”
Jax pulls off his sunglasses and sets eyes onto mine, sending a secret message only we know. My stomach is doing gymnast-worthy flips as he shakes my hand. “Nice to officially meet you, Cailin.”
“Nice to meet you, too. I’m looking forward to this.”
“Well, now that we’re all acquainted, let’s hit the road,” Harry says. “Cailin, I’ll show you to your bus and introduce you to your driver, Ken.”
A driver. I forgot my bus would have a driver. Someone who would know my every move. This might make things tricky.
“Hello, ma’am,” Ken says.
My fears instantly disappear. Ken is a gentle grandpa, who is obviously keeping himself occupied during retirement.
“Hi Ken. Nice to meet you. Thank you for driving.”
“You’re in good hands, my dear. I’ve been on the open roads my whole life. Started driving as a second job to support my family when my kids were younger. Loved seeing the country, so I kept at it. And don’t you worry, I bunk with the crew at night. But if you ever need anything, you come knock on our bus, you hear?”
“I will. Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“Now let’s go get you settled.” Ken directs me towards our bus.
My tour bus is a show-stopper. It seriously looks like a luxury hotel room. I should have expected no less from Jax. He can afford to treat his crew well and obviously does. I don’t even feel like I’m on a bus. There are couches with plush pillows, a seated dining nook, kitchen area, and my choice of bunk beds that sit behind private curtains. I instantly love the curtains because then I can store all my stuff and my space will still look neat. Even the bathroom is better than I expected. It looks just like a bathroom on a plane. I can deal with that. I’ll just miss the shower, but I know we have daily hotel stops.
I sit down between two pillows on the couch and pull up the tour schedule. We’re going to Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Atlanta, Raleigh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Asbury Park, and end in New York City. When I first agreed to go on tour, I was excited to see all these new cities. I figured I’d explore each area on my own, bring my laptop to various restaurants and work. Maybe do a little shopping in-between work. I’d hope to casually run into Jax during my days and make small talk. Now, he’s calling my phone.
“Hey.” Jax has a deceivingly rough voice over the phone.
“Hey, you.” We’re so close, yet so far away. I’m yearning to feel the warmth of his body against mine again. Such a brief moment of bliss.
“How are you settling in on the bus?”
“Oh, this shabby thing?” I pat a super soft couch pillow. “Seriously, you are spoiling us. We can rough it on less luxurious buses, but I am not going to complain.”
“Hey, you only live once right? Might as well enjoy the ride.”
“Wow, that was such a corny pun, Jax. But I’m impressed yet again. You’d make a great writer.”
