Page 119 of 4-Ever

It was the weirdest pre-show experience in my life.

What the fuck was going on here? Brodie was pacing the length of the dressing room, anxious in a way I’d never seen him before. Then he sat down on the couch and gnawed on his fingernails. And he wasn’t the only one acting strange. Holls was busy typing on his phone, instead of telling us every detail about his night with Dawson. And Ronin? He was sitting beside Holls, staring into space like a zombie. He wasn’t cracking jokes or shooting the shit.

I was the least vocal member of the group, but I was done remaining silent.

“Knock it off!” I yelled out suddenly.

Brodie stopped walking. Holls stopped typing. And Ronin finally looked up at me.

“I know we got the shit scared out of us the other day but we’re all fine. The guy’s been arrested, and we’re safe. It’s over. Are we upset? Yes. Are we going to let this setback screw with our music? No! We have fans out there expecting a kick-ass concert. Not just a good one, but a great one. One that they’ve saved for. One that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.” I paused and ran an agitated hand through my hair. “This isn’t just what we do, this is who we are. Now get the fuck up! We have a show to rock!”

I stood there, hands on my hips, out of breath. My heart was pounding so fast it was about to crash right through my rib cage.

Brodie was the first to move, stalking up to me with that wicked glint in his eye. I prepared myself for a verbal whiplash.

Instead, he gripped my shoulder tight and nodded.

“You’re right,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Say what? Brodie never apologized. It was as rare as me losing my shit just now and yelling.

“Faise is right,” Brodie said as he turned to Holls and Ronin. “Look at us! It’s like we’re ready to run and hide. And that’s fucked up. We’ve always performed no matter what—sick, stoned, and everything in between. Not to mention, we’ve done it despite the nasty trolls and the haters. We always, always, get out there and give it our all. No matter what. And tonight is no different. Fuck that asshole! He’s gone and we’re here. We can do this. I’m ready.”

Holls stood up next, offering a smile that had the knot in my stomach finally easing.

“Me too,” Holls nodded. “We’re not going to stop doing what we love. Haters gonna hate, but fuck them.”

Ronin was the last one to stand up.

The look on his face was absolute shock. I worried for a split second that he was going to do a runner.

Until he walked up to me, gripped my neck tight, and pulled me in for a hard kiss that knocked the remaining breath right out of me.

“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he whispered against my lips, oblivious to our band brothers standing beside us. “And how sexy you are when you call us out on our own shit?”

“You liked that?” I teased, nipping his lips.

He nodded.

“Someone had to do it,” I added. “You guys were too quiet. Even for me.”

“So,” Holls interrupted. “Are we all in?”

Ronin kissed me again, not letting go. “Baby, I’m ready to rock this fourth of July because you’ve lit all my fireworks.”

“Holy shit, could you be any cheesier?” Holls called out. “Your dirty talk is so lame.”

“Faise, I think your dick’s melted Ronin’s brain,” Brodie snarked.

I let out a laugh, relieved that things were back on track.

Someone tapped my shoulder, and I gave Ronin one last kiss before turning to our friends.

“What?”

“Suck face later,” Brodie reminded me. “We have a show to do.”

Yeah, we did.