Page 83 of Bulletproof
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Over the next two weeks, Derek exchanged random text messages with Travis, which surmounted to him asking if Travis was OK, and Travis replying with a mere thumbs up or a crooked smiley emoji. At least it was something, Derek had reasoned, and it helped him geton with his life, although the constant worry about how Travis was really dealing with everything that had happened never left him.
Tonight, Derek and the guys went to his restaurant for the first time since they’d been back from the tour, which really helped him forget about the bullshit in his life. The place was packed. Bulletproof’s presence turned the rock-and-roll themed eateryinto a spectacle. “We’re back here, and we love you!” Derek yelled into the air with his hands cupped around his mouth.
Sectioned off from everyone by velvet rope and a wall of security, which blocked the view from the front of the steakhouse, Brandon stood on a chair so he could see the crowd. He greeted them with a charismatic smile and a peace sign, which caused a round of screams from the fans that had packed the place.
“Get down!” Cam swatted at Brandon’s ankles. “This is a nice restaurant.”
“Thank you, Cam.” Derek looked up at Brandon, still standing on the chair. “Do I come to your burger joint and dance on the table?”
“I’m just acknowledging the fans.” Bulletproof’s lead singer seemed lost without a crowd gawking at him.
Jeremy held up his beer. “To Cam. Because if it weren’t for his lucrative idea, we’d be in a lower tax bracket and we wouldn’tbe stuffing our faces right now with choice cuts of beef.” He stole a marinated mushroom off Alan’s plate and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Hey!” Alan nudged Jeremy with his elbow and grabbed a forkful of garlic fries from his lover’s plate.
Too busy gorging himself on bacon-wrapped medallions of filet mignon accompanied by a gorgeous bright red lobster tail, which tastedlike pure heaven, Derek didn’t bother with the friendly exchange of conversation taking place around the table. Satisfying his belly came first, followed by draining his frosty pitcher full of beer. He pushed his plate away, leaned back and rubbed his hands over his abs. He’d been hitting the gym hard the last few weeks in an effort to keep his mind occupied. The new definition he felt throughhis T-shirt was an added bonus. “Problem,” he said, resting his eyes on the line of security in front of the roped-off area where they were seated.
“What’s that?” Brandon asked.
“I gotta piss.”
Alan dropped his fork. “Thanks for the visual. Can’t you do that on your own? Or do you need help?”
“No, dickhead. I gotta get through that crowd to thejohn.”
“Vincent will take you.” Brandon offered his personal driver/bodyguard, who often chauffeured them around, so that no one had to be the designated driver.
Jeremy snickered. “Derek needs someone to take him to the can.”
Derek waved to Vincent, who always had one eye on the group.
“What can I get you?” Vincent asked.
“A clearpath to the bathroom.”
“Sure. Give me a second to rally some of the security guys and have them empty the men’s room.”
“They’re gonna empty the men’s room for me.” Derek pushed his shoulders back and sat taller. “Wow. I feel like the president.”
Vincent returned a few minutes later with a small entourage to escort Derek to the bathroom. Most people were sittingand enjoying their meal, from what Derek could see through the beefy shoulders that surrounded him, but there were a significant number of people milling around trying to get a glimpse of Bulletproof, which necessitated the escort.
After Derek took a leak, he exited the bathroom into the little bubble of security waiting for him. A number of people had left their tables hoping tointeract with Derek now that he was on the other side of the velvet rope, and he had to navigate through them in order to return to his table at the back of the restaurant.
A flash of platinum blond hair appeared for a brief second through the silhouettes of bodies, and Derek froze. Travis? Here? With no more than a cryptic emoji in weeks? Maybe Travis heard that Derek was at therestaurant tonight and wanted to surprise him. The idea made Derek’s heart beat faster. He bobbed his head, searching through the crowded room for his estranged lover. His breath caught when he saw Travis. The guy looked happy, and Derek’s face lit up with hope. But, Travis always looked happy in public. Derek was probably the only one who knew what went on in the man’s head, and he really only knewa small portion of the turmoil that spun Travis in circles.
Watching Travis, smiling with light in his eyes, filled Derek with peace and relief, and his heart softened. He watched the animation in Travis’ face and the way he waved his hands around as he spoke to . . . Derek couldn’t see who Travis was speaking to. People in the restaurant and the security team blocked his view. Hewas about to tap one of the guards on the shoulder and tell him to let Travis through, when a hand reached out and touched Travis’ chest. Bright red fingernails and a wisp of light brown hair came into view as Ashley stepped closer to Travis. She said something that made him lean his head back and laugh toward the ceiling. Derek’s jaw fell open and the air left his lungs. Seeing the two of them togetherhit Derek like a fork in the eye. He brought his hands to his forehead and wiped his face. Why the fuck did Travis bring her to his restaurant? Was it a coincidence or did Travis bring her here on purpose? Were they back together and this was how Travis planned on telling him? It was too crazy. His head was spinning with ridiculous notions. Unsure what the fuck was going on, he walked as fastas he could back to the table and fell into his chair.
Jeremy was carrying on about his empty platter of fries, which Alan had apparently eaten. Brandon and Cam were deep in conversation about whether they should bring the dog to get groomed or give her a bath in the yard. And Derek was left staring into space with his heart floating on a string toward to the man who held it, hopinghis eyes had played tricks on him and he was wrong about what he had seen.
