Page 25 of Love Notes and Late Nights
The curtain to his bunk flew open, and Harris’ face appeared in the darkness with a flashlight up to his chin while he let out a macabre laugh, and Wolf almost shit his pants. He grabbed his chest, let out a girly scream, and jumped to a sitting position. “What the fuck? You almost gave me a fucking heart attack!”
Harris was grinning. “I bet you’re not high anymore.”
“No, I’m not. I’m struggling to get my blood pressure down.”
“You’re welcome. I scared the THC right out of you. It’s like when you have the hiccups.”
“Shut up and go to sleep!” Marshall yelled from his bunk.
Both Harris and Wolf chuckled softly under their hands. “Do you want to go up front and talk? Maybe grab a bite?” Harris asked.
“Sure.”
They both headed to the refrigerator and looked inside. It had been fully stocked and there was an apple pie. A whole fucking apple pie! Just like in the song! Wait. The song was “American Pie” and not about a pie at all. Wolf shook the thought from his head and held up the pie, smiling from ear to ear.
“Is that an apple pie?” Harris asked, his hungry eyes boring into it.
“Yeah, and we’re gonna eat the whole thing. Grab a fork and some plates,” he said, taking the pie out of the box and placing it on the table in the dining booth.
Harris grabbed the plates and utensils, as well as a container of milk and two glasses. It was perfect, and delicious, and they ended up eating a little more than half the pie before they decided to save some for the guys and moved to the couches.
“Did you really write a song about a brownie?” Wolf asked.
Harris looked up to the ceiling. “Yeah. But I don’t remember it. I’m sure it was stupid.”
“Was I really singing ‘Peaches’ out loud?”
“Yeah.” Harris chuckled. “You were enjoying it too. Swaying back and forth with a silly grin. It was adorable.”
“Oh God.” Wolf covered his eyes with his hand and laughed on an exhale. “What a night.”
“We should just go to sleep,” Harris said. “We’ll be in Sacramento in a couple of hours.
“I know,” Wolf replied, but I’m having a good time. I always stay up late, and I don’t usually have any company, so this is nice.” Harris had been there to fill that void lately, and Wolf had come to rely on and appreciate their friendship.
They sat together and talked about everything, jumping from one topic to another before they finally decided to turn in.
“I’m gonna fall right out,” Wolf said on the walk to the bunks and yawning. “I can barely keep my eyes open.” He turned toward Harris, and his friend was staring back at him. With the limited space between the bunks, they were face to face. A weird feeling made Wolf’s chest feel all fluttery. His breath hitched.
Harris dropped his eyes for a second and then looked back up at Wolf. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “Night.”
“Night.” Then they both slipped into their bunks and shut the curtains. Wolf could feel his heart beating and hear it in his ears. His whole body was buzzing, which he assumed was from the weed, but he wasn’t still high. Was he?
His phone chimed with a text message.
HARRIS: Pleasant dreams sweet boy.
Sweet boy? Wolf stifled a laugh. Obviously, Harris was still high. Wolf read the message again, but this time he didn’t find it amusing. It made him feel special, and he re-read it again. And again. And again.
The arrival in Sacramento had Paul boarding the bus to wake everyone and escort them into the hotel and up to the rooms. Two bodyguards accompanied them even though no one was around, and all of them shoved into one elevator.
“That was some night,” Ethan commented, shaking his head.
“I haven’t slept that good in years.” Marshall took a deep breath that puffed out his huge chest.
“We know.” Ethan shot him a daggered look. “You sounded like a chain saw.”
While Ethan and Marshall had a lengthy discussion as to whether Marshall was or was not snoring, Harris and Wolf turned toward one another.
