Page 5 of Stuck With My Rockstar Boss
“Shit, thank you, by the way,” I cry out.
She turns and smiles, her lips curling to the side. “Don’t mention it. Hopefully, none of them run to the gossip rags and say you’ve got a new girl.”
I can’t help but blush. “That rumor is always out there. They haven’t gotten it right yet.”
We stare at each other maybe a moment longer than we should. It feels like something is unspoken, although I have no idea what. “Sorry you keep having to save my ass from – “
“Oh god, Lucas, don’t mention it. They’re pain in all of our asses,” she snorts.
Suddenly, it hits me. I have an idea. “Would you…” I stop. It’s stupid.
“Hm?”
“I… you can say no,” I say. God, I’m selling this well. “You’re really good at making them all back off, and I really appreciate that. And I wonder if maybe you could do that more often?”
Mika narrows her eyes. “What?”
“Fuck, I’m not making sense. Can we sit?”
I lead her over to the small table that juts out from the wall of the bus with booth seats on either side of it. “Fans never leave me alone. Even in Houston. It’s fucking nightmarish. But it was… you were able to just get them to all clear out.”
“Yeah, cause I’m an asshole,” she chuckles.
“No, because you’re badass,” I reply. And she is. For her little, birdlike frame, she could have rammed them all down. A one-woman army. “I’m not badass.”
Mika’s eyes widen. “Are you crazy? You’re Lucas Tremaine!”
“Okay, onstage, sure. But off. I’m…” I swallow. “Look, let me just get to the point. I want you to be my chaperone.”
She raises an eyebrow.
“And like, just be with me. In public. And if things go sideways, just do what you did.”
“Um… I don’t know, Lucas, that’s– “
“I’d pay you, obviously.”
She goes quiet at that. Her eyes fall to the table and her lips twist. She’s thinking. Then, she speaks. “Look, Lucas, I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. If people think we’re dating or anything, I could lose my job. I know that’s not what you’re asking, but– “
“No one has to know. We can keep it a secret, I know we can.”
She still doesn’t seem convinced. I’m gonna have to tell her.
“Look, I have this… ever since last tour, my anxiety is through the roof. It’s always been there, I guess, but now it’s just impossible to deal with and–” I stop and take a deep breath. “After what happened last tour, I know you really have my back. It would mean a lot to me.”
Mika’s worry melts off her face.
“Just give me a chance. One day. Tomorrow. You can just take me wherever you wanted to go. I won’t be a pain in your ass, I promise. Just to try it out.”
She nods and I think I’ve hooked her in, but then she says, “Let me sleep on it.”
At least it’s not a no. But fuck, I hope she says yes tomorrow morning. “Sure. Sure, just come by the bus whenever and we can chat.”
Mika smiles and gets to her feet. “Sounds good. You sleep well, okay?”
“I will.” At least, I’ll try.
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