Page 120 of Electric Touch

Adrestia looks over and rolls her eyes, then goes back to her guidebook. She had her nose in it the entire flight over. Memorizing every single place, time and date for the events happening during the festival. The Tulip Festival. Yes, I’ve brought her to Holland to see the annual tulip festival that runs for two months every year. There are over eighty-five places across the country where you can go and see the tulips, I’m reliably informed.

Hearing her reeling off these random facts is still endearing for me. I love how passionate she gets, how she wants to learn everything, to the point where she becomes an expert. It might annoy another man, but not me. I love watching her when she’s reading about a subject that interests her. Her lips pooch in concentration, and her nose wrinkles when she finds something else she needs to look up.

Jordan was right when he said, ‘who wants a relationship with someone who isn’t weird?’

I don’t see Adrestia as weird. Others might, but not me. To me, Adrestia is perfect. And the last eight months have been amazing. We’ve been apart for some of it. The band took off after that first headlining tour. We’ve been working on a new album, which can be soul destroying at times. Not the writing part, that part I love, especially drawing inspiration from Adrestia. She is a fount of knowledge I love tapping into. She inspires me daily.

No, the recording sessions are the hard part.

Declan is having a hard time booking us in for studio work. Trying to keep those who can’t be in the same room separate, while still working together is a fucking disaster at times. He’s trying to keep it all from the execs. His answer has been to put us in a room at the same time, so there can be no division. He thinks it’s better than trying to figure out a schedule of who can and can’t work together.

I’m not sure the tactic works. Things are a mess, despite the band going from strength to strength with the fans, album sales and more tours being organised.

It first went to shit when I confronted Riley about that photograph before we headed out to California. I didn’t want it to take up any of my headspace while we were on tour. We fought, because she denied it at first. Then she got pissed at me. Said nasty shit about Adrestia again. That I would not stand for. It resulted in us not talking to each other for the rest of the tour.

Tensions were running too high and Declan lost his shit with us. We had another emergency band meeting. Riley threatened to quit after the tour. It shocked her no one begged her not to.

After a few more days of her sulking, she slipped back into her role and didn’t mention it again. We steered clear of one another. I tried. I really fucking did, but she went a step too far with that picture. And not just taking it and sending it to Adrestia. She fucking arranged it. I never told Declan about it, even though I trust him, it could put him in a bad place with his bosses.

Declan and the label have the power to fire any one of us from the band.

I believe that’s what stopped her from taking her tantrum any further. She could threaten to quit and it might backfire on her. It wasn’t about doing what was right, about not being a bitch to me or anyone else. It was for her own self-preservation. So I stopped trying.

I thought Adrestia might get pissed about it, because she kept telling me to let it go. It wasn’t worth my time or energy worrying about someone else’s issues. I’d figured she meant try to find a way to get along. But when I stopped communicating with Riley all together, she hadn’t questioned it. It didn’t make for the best atmosphere in the band, and people were struggling.

I took the time to speak to everyone else individually to explain shit from my point of view. Ciro was never going to like Riley and hadn’t liked her from the moment he met her. Jack still tried. He included her in stuff, or they did things together. Alessa was hot and cold. Mostly cold, but that didn’t come across as anything new. They went out occasionally, but it wasn’t as tight a friendship as before.

My brother wasn’t a prick about it, but he has grown close with Adrestia too. That alone meant he’d picked his side as far as Riley was concerned. We’re coming close to needing all of the songs finalised for the album. Declan is threatening to lock us all up together and force us to finish it.

Which was why I booked this vacation. I had to get away from everything and re-set. I can’t fix everything, but if I am settled, that’s all I care about. What better place to bring Adrestia than the Dutch tulip fields?

This is the last thing on Ariella’s list for her to complete. And, rather fortunately, the festival fell when Adrestia isn’t working.

“Noor-door-stopper,” I stutter out, reading the word on the sign.

“Nash,” she nudges me. It’s “Noordoostpolder.”

“That’s what I said,” I grin.

She doesn’t look amused. I grab us both a coffee from the hotel restaurant while she pours over her guides and brochures. Heaven forbid, she asks the experienced hotel staff for advice. We’re staying in a village called Creil. Adrestia chose it because it has a tulip experience field, which means you can walk through the tulips, getting up close and personal with the flowers. There are places where you are not allowed to touch any flowers, so this seemed like the right fit.

We’d spent the morning exploring the Rotterdamse Hoek on hired bikes, wandering around the lighthouse. According to legend, it’s haunted by sailors from all the ships that ran aground here. I’d joked it wasn’t much of a lighthouse. Now we’re going to the experience field. From browsing the leaflets myself, I know it’s only a short walk from the hotel.

I exchange a look with Blake, who is sitting by the entrance reading a newspaper. He looks at his watch and I smirk.

“Come on Christopher Columbus. Let’s just go walk along and enjoy this without having your nose in a book.” I take it from her hand and walk her to the door. Blake gets up and I pass him the guidebook before she can argue.

“I was only finding the best route.”

“You think Blake doesn’t already know?” I glance at my bodyguard.

I’d become good friends with Blake. He’s professional when he needs to be. He’d stopped a couple of incidents from happening back in the US. So far, things have been going okay here. I’m not hiding, but I am being careful and tend not to make eye contact with people we encounter.

When we arrive at the field, it’s pretty busy, given the weather is so nice. There are lots of families here, and a lot of elderly people too. There is a small café with outdoor tables, some rides for the kids and then the field where people are wandering around, taking pictures.

I follow her while Blake takes up a spot out of the way, but close enough to get to us if anything happens. He’s under orders to make sure Adrestia is safe too. I’d fucking kill him if he pulled me out of a situation and left her behind. I had pissed him off when I asked, because he would do it anyway. He likes Adrestia.

I smile when Adrestia crouches down, holding a bright red tulip close to her face. I snap a picture of her. She looks fucking beautiful.

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