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“I’m going back to the bus.”
“Okay.”
“Are you going to let me walk back alone?”
Harlow’s brain was foggy from the alcohol but she’s read enough romance books to assume what Riley was insinuating. Although Harlow knew that sex was off the table for them, she knew Riley didn’t know that. For all she knew, they’d go back to the bus and have sex all night long. She needed to clear that up now.
“I’ll walk back with you, but I’m going to sleep when we get there.”
“Me too,” Riley yawned. “I’m exhausted.”
Wait. Was I reading her all wrong? Did she legit just want someone to walk back to the bus with her?
Harlow didn’t know. She also didn’t understand why she felt sad over the fact she might have misunderstood what Riley was insinuating. Maybe the drink was too strong for her.
Paying their tabs, Harlow and Riley left the bar and headed back toward the bus. Their shoulders were almost touching, meaning their swinging arms occasionally brushed against each other. But neither made a move to hold hands. Not that Harlow wanted to hold hands; she didn’t. However, it felt like something they should be doing.
They made it back to the bus without a word or holding hands. Harlow held the door open for Riley as they walked inside. The silence continued as they took turns changing into their pajamas in the bathroom. When Riley walked into the bedroom, Harlow was sitting on the edge of the bed. She didn’t say a word as she laid on the bed beside Harlow and pulled the sheet up to her chin.
Shrugging, Harlow plugged in her phone and lay down in bed beside Riley. Apparently having the pull-out bed fixed while they were out of the bus for the day meant nothing to Riley. Harlow lacked the desire to kick her out. After all, the bed was big enough for the both of them. They could share it for the next few weeks.
Besides, it didn’t mean anything.
Right?
Chapter 8
Riley
With a month of touring under her belt, Riley wasn’t sure she could do it year-round. She was exhausted—physically and mentally—and found herself sleeping way more than she usually did. Riley had even done what she said she’d never do and turned off the Maine Event social media page notifications. The near constant alerts she was getting were no longer exciting and instead stressed her out. Responding to everyone, or even a majority, was no longer an option. Boundaries had to be set.
Another place Riley had set boundaries was with Harlow. It was clear after their night at the bar that Harlow wasn’t interested in her. Hell, Riley didn’t even know if she was interested in women. They hadn’t had that conversation yet. But at least they had had other conversations. Riley now knew Harlow’s favorite food—spaghetti—and her favorite color—blue. She knew Harlow lived in Colorado and had an older sister and a younger brother. Harlow hadn’t elaborated on her relationship with them or her parents, so Riley hadn’t pushed the subject.
But the problem was Riley wanted to push the subject. She wanted to get to know Harlow. And she wanted to get to know her as more than a roommate. There was no doubt in Riley’s mind that she was attracted to Harlow. It had nothing to do with the fact they’d been sharing a bed platonically for the last few weeks and had everything to do with Harlow herself.
Harlow was mysterious, and that seemed to add to Riley’s intrigue. Each time Riley went back through the photos from the show the night before, she found several candid ones of Harlow. She had a folder on her laptop just of pictures of Harlow. Riley knew how creepy it sounded, but she hoped to give them all to Harlow at the end of the tour. After all, they were stunning. Candid looked good on Harlow. The way she smiled when no one was watching or how she always had that same intense look when she was reading over an email on her phone. There was no doubt Riley was smitten.
Ugh.
Closing her laptop, Riley tucked it into her bag and walked out of the venue. She’d found it best to work while the venue was empty; no one bothered her. Riley had all the posts for their show in Oklahoma City ready to go and was all set for the night. A nap sounded great, but Riley needed to talk out her feelings for Harlow with someone. Her mother had squeezed the details out of her a couple of weeks ago, but Riley wasn’t in the mood to talk to her mother about it. All she would say is to suck it up and ask Harlow out on a date. No matter which way it went, Riley would at least have an answer.
But that so wasn’t how Riley handled things. Riley was more of an overthinker. She had a habit of dragging her feet to make a decision until the time to make said decision had passed. However, she didn’t want that to happen with Harlow. Anything could happen after the tour. They might never see each other again.
Riley didn’t want that to happen. She wanted Harlow in her life in some capacity for forever. And if being girlfriends was ever an option, Riley wanted that to happen, too. Of course, that meant she’d have to actually ask Harlow out.
Walking past her bus, Riley knocked on the door to Skylar’s bus. She waited a beat for her to answer. Riley loved having someone from the Cove so close. It allowed her to feel at home. Skylar opened the door and smiled at her.
“Hey, Riley. What’s up?”
“You have a minute to talk?”
The color drained from Skylar’s face. “Talk? About what? Nothing going on. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“What?” Riley laughed. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” Skylar shook her head, forcing a smile. “Just paranoid I guess.”
“Paranoid about what?”
