Page 10 of Where You Are

“Not anymore?” he echoes sitting at the end of the lounge chair I’m on.

“Right, I uh… had my fun in college,” I offer with a sheepish smile.

“Oh…” he murmurs, catching on. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“It’s okay,” I shrug, surprising myself. I feel comfortable with him and telling him about my perfectly human past mistakes feels like no big deal. “My sophomore year at LVU…”

“In Chicago?”

“Yeah,” I gesture a hand in confirmation at him. “I partied, probably the normal amount for a person of that age, but there was one night that is completely wiped from my memory. I woke up the next morning without a single recollection of what had happened the night before, and you could say it scared me straight.”

“Whoa,” Matt exclaims straightening in his seat. “I can definitely understand that,” he adds, sensitively.

“Thanks,” I say, shrugging and offering a smile that conveys it’s no big deal. At least it’s not now, after a considerable amount of time with no repeats. But waking up that morning having no idea of anything I did or said shook me hard. The guy I was dating at the time was sweet and attentive to my state, reassuring me over and over that nothing crazy happened, and that he was with me the whole time. While I tried to take solace in that notion, I was done. I still like to kick back and have fun; I just don’t get drunk anymore. And when I have my allotted three drinks, they are from a sealed container and I don’t leave them unattended.

“So,” Matt changes his tone and in turn, the subject, which is seriously decent of him. “How was your time traveling?” I feel a huge smile spread across my face as I take in a deep breath.

“It was incredible,” I tell him adoringly. I love the light in his eyes, telling me he’s sincerely interested and not just making small talk.

“I’m glad to hear that. I know you dreamed about it and planned for so many years and it sounds like you got everything you wanted out of it. That’s good to hear.”

“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely.

“Where did you start?”

“I started in Europe, since it was the summer months which a lot of people would tell you is a big mistake because it’s so touristy. But I have a thing for warm weather and I didn’t want to explore it during the cold months.”

“You realize you’re from Michigan, right?” he jokes with a chuckle.

“Yep,” I nod, giving him a smart smile. “And notice I came home in the summer! I had to buy myself at least a couple more warm months!”

“Nicely played,” he nods with a warm chuckle. “And I’m going to stop you for just a minute and ask you a selfish question: What kind of musicians did you get into in the UK,besidesEd Sheeran?” Matt asks with a sly smile, sidling just a little closer to me on the seat with his arms on resting on his knees. “A lot of good music comes out of there.”

“Face it, you’re going to collab with him someday,” I say, quirking an eyebrow. That comment earns me a knowing smile with a humble eye roll before I go on. I straighten up to get into this with him. Jack may be the talent in the family, but I love my music. “But, yes. Great music from that region,” I say, agreeing. “Oliver James has some great songs, The Corrs, and I really love Gerry Cinnamon’s stuff,” I add pointing a finger for emphasis.

“You’re a Gerry fan?” he asks in excited disbelief. “No way, I love that guy!”

“You do?”

“Oh yeah…” he says, as he looks around the party like he’s deep in thought. “I’d love it if Turn it Up could try a mellow sound like that someday.”

“Why don’t you?” I ask, and he chuckles.

“We’ve only been at this a year and a half, little nomad. We have to pay our dues first…”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we releasedSee Her, a rock song, and it took off. That’s what fans liked, what they latched on to. Therefore, that’s what they expect from us. We change it up, they walk, and we either crash and burn or have to start all over.” I nod, getting what he’s saying as he continues. “Now, the bands that have been around for a while have a solid foundation of a fan base,” he demonstrates locking his fingers together. “They can do whatever they want and their fans will still follow them.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense,” I shrug a shoulder at him. “Do you think you’ll ever start singing the lead on some songs?”

“Nah. The fans love Jack and I’ve always been good with that. He’s got the right voice for the stuff we put out. Besides, I’m happy doing backup, out of the spotlight.”

“But… Jack never cared for the spotlight either,” I point out.

“Yeah but he rolls with it well, and the poor dude is stuck with it now!” Matt exclaims with a deep laugh that absolutely slays me.

We go back and forth for a while, him asking me about a few of the places I’ve been, and me asking him about tour life. Apparently, after parties can be a lot like what you see in the movies, but they don’t have to be. While it took them a while to learn the ropes, it seems they know how to keep things under their own control. Well, at least Jack and Matt do. Apparently, Josh needs to be looked out for sometimes, but not nearly as much as Chris.

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