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Mav shrugs as he walks into the bathroom to take a piss. I’ve been living with this man for so long, it’s never phased me, so I follow him in to brush my teeth.
“I have a feeling, Sally the bat already has a standing date with us,” Mav sighs. “Nothing will change if we don’t at least try.”
Spitting before I rinse, I think about all of the times Mav and I tried to reach out to Lennon and the guys. “It’s been five years,” I grunt. “It may not make a difference, but we owe her after we walked out of her wedding. It was too hard to see how happy they were while Layla was there withhim.”
Tyler is the perfect damn boyfriend. Even when I think he should be moving faster or jumping on to help her, Layla looks at him as if he hung the damn moon.
“Can you check the phone while I finish getting ready?” Mav asks as it vibrates on the nightstand.
Nodding, I dry my face as I walk over to the table. I have to shave soon, but don’t feel like it just to go down to breakfast. We can decide if we’ll eat in the hotel or take a walk. There’s plenty of options in Cleveland. A diner sounds really good right about now.
Ignoring as Mav lumbers around the room pulling on clothes, I pick up the phone.
Draven: Yeah, I’m starving. I would die for pancakes and coffee. Is there a diner somewhere? I’m inviting Tyler and the chick to come with us. Attempt to be a better human than the one she brings out in you, for the love of God.
Blinking, I read the text twice. “Our best friend has become a pod person,” I complain. “He’s also inviting Tyler and Layla to come with us.”
“And another one bites the dust,” Mav confirms. Stomping as he puts his boots on and ties them, he shrugs as he grabs hiswallet and phone. “We had a feeling she was going to pull him into her web. Think she has a magical pussy?”
The thought of it makes me snort in derision. “I really hope Tyler isn’t proclaiming open season on his girlfriend’s pussy,” I tell him as I make sure I have everything.
Walking out the door together, I watch as Layla smiles up at Draven as they step out of their hotel room. Tyler follows behind them, looking amused. Why doesn’t he look annoyed by this?
Doesn’t he understand how Draven’s brain works? Give him any kind of inch, and he’s liable to invite himself to the rest.
“Good morning,” I murmur, surprising myself. Maybe little miss sunshine really is contagious.
“Morning,” Layla says, turning with a nod. The smile is gone from her lips now, her brilliant blue eyes slightly cooler. “I’m starving. Do we have anywhere in mind?”
“I was going to start looking for something on our way down,” I tell her. I’m not someone who tends to plan my every move.
“I found a diner earlier that will probably work,” Tyler says with a shrug. “I bookmarked a few food places within a walk’s distance as soon as we got here.”
“I’m not exactly a gremlin when I’m hungry, but I do tend to forget to eat when I’m in the zone,” Layla says with a small smirk. Tyler and she share an amused look as we head down to the elevator banks.
“Do we have any plans today? I know we had all of our interviews yesterday, but Kyle isn’t the best at being forthcoming about anything else,” Mav explains.
Draven rolls his eyes with a nod. “That’s for damn sure. I checked my email too, just in case, and there was butkus,” he says.
Draven may as well be allergic to his email, that’s how much he hates it. He’ll log in only to clear it all out typically.
“Kyle definitely didn’t email any of us,” Layla says. “I’m taking it as an excuse to practice. He said he wanted to give us some time to learn the music together, get used to our musical styles, so that when we perform it’s seamless. The fans deserve a solid performance.”
“Don’t worry,” Draven says. “We won’t need long to learn your songs, but we should spend the time going through it today.”
“If we’re good boys can we hear more of your new songs?” I snark as the elevator chimes, announcing its arrival.
Layla smirks, turning my words on its head without effort as we walk inside. “I doubt you’re a good boy for anyone except Mav, and even then, only when you’re on your knees for him.”
Mav and I flinch as if we’ve been slapped, surprised she’d joke about that. We’ve hurt her so often with our relationship, first unintentionally, and then by weaponizing it. Damn, what the fuck has gotten into her?
Layla ignores us as we descend to the lobby. “I really hope there are pancakes. I’m so hungry,” she groans. Draven glances over at her while Tyler throws his arm around her shoulders and cuddles her close to him.
“Next time I need to wake you up earlier or feed you a midnight snack if you’re going to be this hungry,” Tyler teases her. Draven’s eyes look as if they’re going to explode out of his head and he begins violently coughing.
“Draven?” Layla asks, turning toward him with a worried expression. Draven shakes his head as he waves his hand, trying to tell her not to worry. His face is violently red as he tries to figure out how to breathe around whatever he’s losing his mind about.
It’s not like him to be this flustered around, well, anyone. His saving grace comes in the form of the elevator doors opening to the lobby, and he rushes out to find a water fountain.
