Page 50 of Bulletproof
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After receiving the award a few daysago, Travis felt as if it somehow solidified Reckless as a band. At least to him it did. Sitting on the small loveseat in the corner of the room he shared with Ricky, he contemplated the complex relationship of his bandmates. Watching firsthand the friendships that the members of Bulletproof shared made him wonder if, by some miracle, time together could strengthen the friendship between his bandmatesas well. He knew Reckless would never be as close as Bulletproof, but maybe achieving the gold record was a step in the right direction – something they could bond over.
Ricky was still in the shower, which meant Travis had to wait in order to use the can. He compared his meager surroundings to the posh penthouses that Derek occupied, and wondered if his band would ever be as richand famous as Bulletproof.
The sound of the shower died down and the bathroom door swung open, sending a wave of steam into the room. “Hey, Ricky.” Travis called to his bandmate. “Wanna go for a hike or something?”
Ricky stuck his head through the open doorway, surprised at the invitation. “A hike?”
“Yeah. Boise has some beautiful mountain trails. Then wecould hit a pub and grab a burger.”
“Sorry, man. I got plans.” Dismissing Travis with five words, Ricky stuck his head back inside the bathroom and turned on the faucet.
Travis didn’t bother to respond. He took his phone and walked onto the small balcony, closing the sliding door behind him. He texted Troy.
Travis: What’s up? Wanna hang?
It tookalmost a full minute before a reply came through.
Troy: Another time. Meeting a chick. Gotta run.
Disappointed, but not really surprised, Travis sank into the lounge chair and clunked his boots on the edge of the railing. He stared at his phone, wondering if he should bother to call Mark or not. He shook his head. Things were civil between them, but they hadn’t graduatedto the point of hanging out together.
The phone vibrated in his hand and Derek’s name flashed across the screen. “Hey, you.” Travis’ voice was lighter, his mood lifted.
“Hey. We’re just heading out. You up for dinner and some drinks later?”
“Sure. Give me a buzz when you get back.”
“So what did you and your bandmates decide to do today?”
Travis squirmed in his chair, embarrassed that his bandmates each had their own agenda when he had told Derek earlier that he planned on organizing something to do together. “Um. They all had things goin’ on.”
“You mean they bailed on you?”
Technically, no, since there weren’t any plans to bail on. “Nah. They already had shit lined up today.”
“Well,then you’re free. Come parasailing with us.”
Travis could hear the other members of Bulletproof in the background – the boom of Brandon’s deep baritone laugh, the banter of Jeremy and Alan chiding each other, and Brandy barking playfully while Cam played with her. It embodied the good time happening on the other end of the phone. He wished he could be doing the same with his bandmates,or at least be on their way to doing something fun. Or together. “I’m just gonna hang out here. Maybe write some music.” The last thing he wanted to do was tag along like a lost puppy, and he really needed to finish the lyrics to the tracks for their upcoming album. Stress had been preempting his concentration and he had hoped to have them completed by now.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m cool.”
“If you say so. I’ll give you a call later. Write some rad lyrics.”
Travis smiled into the phone. “Will do. Have fun today.”
After he ended the call, he leaned back in the lounger and stared into the blue sky. He heard the door open and close as Ricky left the room, and felt the solitude. Today could be a relaxing afternoon doing nothing,a break in back-to-back tour dates, but it was just another day reminding him that he was alone. And it sucked.
A few minutes later, pounding on the door startled Travis.
“It’s me,” Derek yelled from the hallway.
A sigh, filled with affection, left Travis’ lungs, but he didn’t move from his chair.
“Open up! We saw you on the balcony.” Now Alan’svoice came through the door.
