Page 61 of Before Now

REMI

Now…

“Here’snext week’s scene list.”

I copy it from the notes on my phone and send it to Glory and Nate in our group chat. “The key one will be the meet and greet. We’ll go over specifics that morning, but I want all of us on cams, getting as much footage as possible since we haven’t snagged much fan interaction.”

Thanks to Mac Records for that one.

Felix mentioned they had more time with fans up until this leg of the tour. From what I can guess, it was the easiest cut to make to account for the extra shows, other than days off for the band.

Who cares about the artists and fans so long as the former performs and the latter buys, buys, buys?

Of Men and Wolves are feeling the effects of their tightened schedule. They won’t admit it, but the entire point of me being here is to see them. Audible sighs when climbing on the bus without downtime after a show. Ducking the cameras more often to do what I assume is coke. Even with it, Dev and Felix crashed during their writing session yesterday.

All of us could use a breather. I want to sleep while standing still. A shower not shared with four dudes. Maybe even a break from toting my camera around—a short one. Like a day.

“Who’s the best bet for spy glasses there?” Glory asks.

She slips on her own glasses so she can scan over what I sent. Nate’s doing the same, the third side to our little triangle in the parking lot by the buses. I’m sure they’re feeling the bars on the cage, too. Which is why I opted to meet out here rather than on their bus like we have been.

I worked with the two of them a few times last year on different shoots with Heath. When the label and band came back with the requirement for minimal crew, I easily decided on them. Glory has a similar instinct to me for grabbing a camera to capture what others might overlook. Nate’s quick to learn and mimic different styles.

Heath calls them the twins even though they are in no way related. In fact, they didn’t even meet until he started throwing together his original crew. But their hair might be a shade of dirty blonde apart. Nate has had his glasses on since coming off the bus, and both have dimples in their chins.

“Adams would be ideal,” Nate answers absentmindedly. He looks up fast, panicked he overstepped. “I’m sorry.”

A symptom from working under Heath. We’re still working it out of my crew’s systems.

“Don’t be. You’re right.” I toss in a smile, hoping it comes across as encouraging. “Adams would be perfect. He knows how to work the glasses best to frame a shot.”

Almost like he’s experienced—or the reason I started using them in the first place.

All the sprinkles of Foster’s influence along my path are glaringly obvious from the glasses to the damn industry I work in the most. Fortunately, he’s the only one who can play connections with it all. Unfortunate, too, considering he might very well hate me.

“We’ll plan on him wearing a pair,” I tell them, checking to see if we need to cover anything else ahead of time.

Since I might change my mind by the day of, I keep it vague most of the time. They’ll get an equipment list each morning, but nothing’s ever set. It’s one of the alluring parts of filming unscripted, realizing you havetheshot halfway through it.

“When is the group interview?” Nate asks, so cautiously it almost hurts. I think his hand even trembles. “It’s the last scene on here, but without a date or time.”

“Call that one wishful thinking on my part. I want to try to get them as a band before the break in Texas next week, but Christian won’t commit to anything yet. Depending on how much time he can find us and how much of a heads-up he gives me, we’ll figure out the logistics.”

“And the one-on-ones will be when we’re back on the road?” Glory finally looks up from her screen.

“Either then or during the break since they’ll be easier to coordinate.”

She nods. Nate nods. Then the not-twins-twin energy really kicks in when they share a furtive glance before Nate throws my smile from earlier back at me, his equally supportive.

I’m not sure what exactly I need supported until he clears his throat, staring at our circle of feet.

“The, uh … Adams interview.”

A half-second of silence from me sets them both into a panic.

“Sorry,” Nate blurts.

“He’s only asking because of the second round of one-on-ones,” Glory rushes out with a squeak. “We can totally get away with editing one interview to look like two, if that’s what you want. Or three, if you want to wait until the end of the tour. Whatever you decide, Remi.”

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