Page 98 of Don't Bang a Bandmate

I click it open, too damn curious not to.

I hope you enjoyed your accommodations, Jordan. There’s plenty more where that came from. Just say the word.

I take a breath, picturing that beautiful city skyline one more time before tapping DELETE.

“Never thought I’d see the day.”

I flinch, startled by Christian’s sudden presence standing over the table. He lowers onto the seat across from me, his head bobbing into the back.

“Criminal Records,” he says. “Utterlydestroyedby a New York all-nighter?”

“TwoNew York all-nighters,” I say, laughing. “We’re not as young as we used to be.”

“Don’t remind me,” he says, sitting back, his own eyes clinging to whatever youth they can. “Also... Knox? With a girlfriend?On tour?”

“It’s true.”

“Knox is locked down, Addison’s smitten with the opening act, and Jonah’s getting married,” he rattles off in quiet disbelief. “Next, you’ll be telling me Katrina’s hooking up with Bronson.”

I nearly choke. “Oh, no,” I say, laughing it off. “I highly doubt they’ve ever...” I shake my head. “No. They’re not hooking up.”

Christian’s gaze lingers on me across the table. “How about you?”

“I’m not hooking up with her, either.”

He laughs. “Thank you for that pleasant visual imagery, but I wasn’t talking about her.”

“Oh,” I say, willing myself to remain casual. “You meant Bronson.”

His eyes stray toward the back, where Bronson’s no doubt still passed out in his bunk. “You two seem pretty close.”

You’re a good friend, Jordan.

“We are, but we’re just friends.”

Christian lets those words linger for a moment. “Is there anyone special in your life lately?” he asks. “On tour or back home in Vegas?”

“No,” I answer with a squeak. “There’s no one special.”

“Really?” Christian asks, surprised.

“I’m usually far too busy for anything like that.” I shrug. “Comes with the job. But I don’t mind. I like to keep myself busy. It’s good to be focused, you know?”

“I used to think that, too. Back in the day, I was laser-focused on making Cobraville the best it could be. Didn’t eat. Barely slept. I only cared about the music.” Christian cants his head. “That almost killed me, so I don’t generally recommend it.”

I breathe a soft laugh as he does.

“Taking breaks is important,” he adds. “You gotta learn when to slow down, or else your body will break down. And, believe me, you don’t want that.”

I nod slowly. “Yeah, I’ve... been learning that lately myself.”

Christian sits back again, his smile touching his eyes as he gazes into mine.

For a moment, he does nothing, and my mind runs a little wild. Suddenly, I’m sixteen years old. I’m rushing from my biology class deep in the western wing of the high school, trying to get to my math class all the way up on the third floor. I have to stop by my locker first to exchange textbooks. As I go, I look at the photo of Christian Myers stuck against the door with magnets and blow it a kiss.

“You’ve done well, Jordan,” he says.

I blink and I’m back on the tour bus once again. “Thanks,” I say.

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