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“You’re such an idiot,” Harlow mumbled as she took the spiral staircase to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and leaned up against the counter.
It had been years since Harlow shared a space with anyone, let alone someone she didn’t know. She liked her alone time too much to ever invite someone into her life. Harlow had never had a serious relationship because of that. Well, that and the fact she identified as asexual. Attraction took time for Harlow; more time than most people wanted to give her. But Harlow hoped the right woman was out there somewhere for her.
“Hey,” Riley’s sheepish voice startled Harlow. She watched as Riley slowly walked over to her with her head hung slightly and her hands clasped in front of her. It was almost like a dog approaching her with its tail between its legs. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew about the whole bus thing.”
“It’s fine,” Harlow snapped, not knowing why she felt the need to lash out at Riley. This wasn’t her fault. “I’m just used to being alone, that’s all. I need some time to process sharing my personal space with a stranger.”
Riley perked up. Gone was the nervousness from a moment ago and in its place was an eagerness Harlow had never seen before. “I don’t have to be a stranger. We can be friends.”
“Friends?”
“Yeah.”
It was clear Riley was used to befriending everyone she met. And Harlow couldn’t blame her; she seemed genuinely lovely. But Harlow wasn’t in the mood for making friends on the tour. She wanted to do her job, get paid, and hopefully live the next few years comfortably thanks to her paycheck from the tour.
Riley DeLuca wasn’t any part of that plan.
But those damn pleading green eyes made Harlow want to say, Sure, let’s be friends!
Because as much as Harlow loved her alone time, she hated confrontation just as much.
“Look,” Riley smiled, still seeming a bit nervous, “I know you all have done this before. But touring with Maine Event is something I have literally dreamed of for years and now I’m being paid to live that dream, so I want to live it to the fullest. And I don’t want to start it off on a bad note. I’d really like us to be friends. If nothing else, it’ll make it less miserable that we have to travel together if I know you don’t hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.”
“You don’t?” Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion.
Harlow laughed. “No. I just met you. Why would I hate you?”
“That’s just the vibe I got when you found out we had to share a bus.”
Harlow wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. She hated that she had made Riley feel that way. On more than one occasion in her life, Harlow had been told her resting bitch face made her appear unapproachable. Usually Harlow just shrugged it off and went about her way. But now, after seeing how her unintentional actions hurt someone, Harlow wanted to make them right.
“Look, I’m not someone who has a lot of friends. I like being alone and I work from home, so my social interactions are few and far between these days. I know I need to do better about controlling my face…”
“It does give you away,” Riley shyly smiled.
“I know, and I need to work on that.”
“Well, that’s a good goal to have for this tour then. Especially since I could use your pretty face in some content.”
“The content should be the band,” Harlow dryly stated. “But I’ll work on my face.”
Riley laughed again. “Good. So, we’re good? The bus thing is good? And before you say anything, just know that despite what I may seem, I’m actually pretty low maintenance.”
Harlow had a sneaking suspicion that wasn’t true, but she kept her thoughts to herself. “We’re good.”
“Good!” Riley clapped her hands excitedly. “Well, I should probably get back down there and make some content. I’m so excited about this tour.”
Bounding away not unlike a bunny, Riley disappeared down the spiral stairs and Harlow was alone again in the kitchen. She refilled her glass of water and took several deep breaths. Maybe sharing a bus wouldn’t be so bad. After all, they would primarily be working or sleeping anyway. Whenever they arrived at the next venue, Harlow would be busy getting things set and Riley would be off taking pictures of wildflowers or whatever she did to make content.
Maybe it can work.
After all, it was only for a few weeks. The tour was twenty shows long over twelve weeks in the summer. They would both be extremely busy with work, and once they were on tour it would fly by quickly. Harlow knew that all too well. Every tour she’d been on felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. This one would likely be the same.
Sighing, she finished off her cup of water and sat the glass in the dishwasher. She could do this. Hell, she had to do this if she wanted a paycheck. Taking the stairs back to the basement, Harlow inhaled sharply before opening the door to the recording booth as Maine Event rehearsed another song.
She smiled at Johnny as she sat back down beside him. Riley was out with the band, recording intently with her phone. Harlow caught herself watching her, the way she moved methodically to create a seamless video capturing every band member. When Riley paused and looked toward the booth, Harlow averted her eyes away quickly.
