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Jason swallowed hard, then took a few deep breaths. “Okay.”
I gave him an encouraging smile, and we slowly walked back into the club. His hand twitched in mine as we passed the dealers, but I squeezed it, not looking in their direction but keeping my focus on where we were going. Jason’s palm grew sweaty in mine again.
“You’ve got this,” I told him. “We’re nearly there.”
He nodded, and as we reached our table, I let out another sigh of relief. I couldn’t let go of him for fear he’d run, so I picked up my bag and jacket with one hand and awkwardly juggled them into a comfortable position.
“We need to tell someone we’re leaving so they don’t worry,” I said. As panic crossed Jason’s face again, I added, “We won’t tell them why. We’ll say I’ve got a headache, and you’re taking me back to the bus.”
“Okay.” He swallowed. “Okay.”
I purposely didn’t look for Drew because I knew that would make Jason more twitchy. Instead, I scanned the crowds for Mack or Joey.
“There.” Jason nodded to the opposite side of the room. Joey’s head was visible as he jumped up and down to the music.
I chuckled as Jason led the way toward him. We weaved through sweaty bodies until we reached Joey, and Jason tapped him on the shoulder, grounding him. I couldn’t hear what Jason said to him, but Joey threw me a sympathetic smile before defying gravity with his dance moves again.
With that done, Jason and I pushed back through the crowds until we finally made it outside, and my ears got some relief from the pounding music. Telling Joey I had a headache was no longer a lie.
With the noise of the club and the tension from trying to keep Jason away from the dealers, a steady thud began to pound in my skull.
“Are you okay?” I looked up at Jason, and he nodded.
“I think so. Let’s get back.”
Thankfully, it was only a short walk back to the bus, and once inside, we sat beside each other in the small communal area, relieved to finally be away from Jason’s temptation. For the time being, at least. He took deep breaths, and I silently waited beside him until he calmed.
“I think you should call your sponsor,” I said.
“It’s three in the morning, Luce.”
“Well, if you can’t call when you need him, what’s the point?”
“Icancall him, but I don’t want to unless I really need to.” Jason sighed.
“You don’t think you need to?”
He shook his head. “It’s passed now. Almost.”
“So, if I go to bed and leave you alone, you won’t run back to the club? You’ll go to bed too, and you won’t be up all night thinking about it?”
He lowered his eyes. “I can’t promise that. I won’t go back to the club, but I’ll probably be thinking about it.”
“Call him, Jason. I’ll go to my bunk to give you some space, but I’m keeping the curtain open. If you try to get out of here, I swear to God, I will chase you down and kick your ass.”
I wasn’t trying to trivialize the situation at all. It wasn’t something to joke about, but if I kept being so serious, I was worried I’d lose him to his thoughts. Plus, I really would chase him if I needed to. He couldn’t get off the bus without passing my bunk, and I had no intention of letting him get anywhere near the club again.
Jason smiled. “Fine. I’ll call him.” I gave him a firm nod, and as I started to walk away, Jason said, “You couldn’t kick my ass.”
The smirk on his face made me laugh, and I pointed down at my shoes. “In these heels? No problem.”
Since we’d gotten on the bus, he had relaxed quite a bit. The banter calmed him even more. Before heading to my bunk, I gave him an encouraging smile. Then, despite what I’d said, I took off my heels and tucked them away before clambering into my bunk and flicking the light on.
I was way too buzzed to fall asleep. Even if I had been tired, I would have fought it off until the rest of the band got back. I knew they wouldn’t be much longer, and once they returned, we’d be leaving for Vienna.
A little ripple of happiness flowed through me at the thought of seeing Ellie. Although it had only been a few days, it felt like years since she’d waved us off. Funny how so much can happen in such a short space of time when you step out of your comfort zone. Several countries, foods, lifestyles, characters, the list of differences to life in the UK was endless.
I couldn’t wait to see my big sister, although I knew Drew was the main pull for her. I was just an added bonus.
