Page 22 of Don't Fall For A Rockstar

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear my bandmate, Otis, slide onto the couch beside me. Until he nudged me with his elbow and grabbed the bag of chips that I’d nearly crushed in my hand.

“What?” I asked him, grumpy as fuck.

I should’ve been on top of the world today. Instead, I was tired, horny, and missing Tommy something fierce.

“Can you believe this is our bus now?” Otis commented. “It’s fucking awesome.”

With our record deal came a decked-out tour bus. One that had a living room, a kitchen, and plenty of space to sleep. The perks of signing with a label. But I was too much in my head to enjoy any of it.

“So, you and Tommy, eh?” Otis muttered and slapped my thigh with his free hand. “Give me all the deets.”

I turned to my best friend, unsure that I should say anything at all.

“I can see the two of you together,” he continued, then opened the bag of chips and shoved a handful in his mouth. “You’re fire and sass, and he’s cool and quiet. And I can’t blame you at all. He’s hot as fuck with that ripped body and those tattoos. I’d pay to watch that man work anytime.”

I glared at Otis, and he laughed in turn, a spray of chip crumbs flying out of his mouth. Some days I swear, we were twenty-four going on fourteen.

“He’s not quiet. And I don’t know what this is,” I confessed, running an agitated hand through my tangled hair. “It was one night, Ti. One incredible night. And for some reason, I can’t let it go. But I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

“Obviously, it’s more than sex. You like him.”

“I do. That’s the problem.”

“Have you told him how you feel?”

I shook my head and sighed.

“We talk about everything, except that. How do I even start? ‘Hey, Tommy.I want to see you exclusively. Oh wait, we won’t be in the same city for more than a day or two, every two months. Do you mind waiting for me?’ Right.”

“Come on, now. We’re not gonna be on the road every month of the year. Our new home base is Nashville, just like him. And outside of the tours, you can still see each other.”

“What if he doesn’t want that? I mean,Iwant that. Just him. Fuck, I haven’t been with anyone else since that night, but he might not be the same. What if this is all me?”

Otis choked on a chip and began to cough.

“You okay there?” I asked him, patting his back.

“Fine, fine,” he rasped and reached for a bottle of water. “Just never imagined you could go two months without.”

I gave Otis my favorite finger, but he just smiled at me. With his long, curly hair, full beard, and many,manypiercings, my friend was fierce. Not just in appearance, but in spirit.

“If you really want a relationship with Tommy, tell him. See what happens. Don’t let him walk out of your life ‘cause you’re scared.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s real interesting coming from you. You get hives if the guy you fuck asks for your name.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “But that’s me. Not you.”

“Itwasme. Before I met Tommy.”

“Aw, my bestie is fallin’ in love!” Otis shouted.

“Shut up, you’re gonna wake the guys,” I hissed.

I was hoping like hell that Xander and Heath wouldn’t remember the phone call from last night or I’d never hear the fucking end of it. They’d probably text Brodie and the rest of the guys from Wayward Lane, and news about me and Tommy hooking up would spread like wildfire. Not that I wanted to hide, but maybe Tommy didn’t want anyone to know.

After that night with Tommy, I was honestly too overwhelmed to say anything to anyone. And I assumed he was the same. But Tommy did seem anxious to get off the phone last night when my bandmates interrupted the call. Like maybe he wasn’t comfortable with them knowing.

A painful knot formed in my stomach.

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