Page 42 of Hard Rock Deceit
August didn't need to strive forperfection.
He was perfectalready.
ChapterThirteen
The first wordsout of Damon's mouth as we stepped into the tour bus that morning were, "And where the hell wereyoutwo?"
"I took Cassie out for breakfast," August liedeasily.
Damon raised an eyebrow but didn't commentonit.
"If you were any later, we would have left without you," was allhesaid.
"No you wouldn't have,"Augustsaid.
"Sure would." Damon smirked. "We'd get that spit-fire drummer from Cherry Lips to take your place. Bet he'd jump at the chance to fill August Summer'sshoes."
The look that crossed August's face was worrying. Cloudy and dark, with a hint of panic and vulnerability. It was a startling expression to see on someone so self-assured. Surely he wasn't really worried about them leavingwithoutus?
"We can't take off without August," Ian said. "Cameron would open his big mouth and Noah would end up strangling him withinminutes."
Instead of laughing at the joke, the band members nodded in agreement. What an odd relationship thosetwohad.
Because we'd been up all night, I feigned a restless sleep and went to take a nap in the bedroom at the back of the bus. I didn't know if August also slept. When I woke up, we were already parked outside the concert hall the nextcityover.
Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and grabbing my camera, I followed the others off the bus and into the building for rehearsals and soundcheck.
I tried to busy myself with work until the concert started, but it was no use. I was too distracted. My gaze kept wandering over toAugust.
Last night had been magical. I could still taste August on my lips. I still inhaled his scent with every one of my breaths. It was like all my senses were attuned to him and himalone.
As much as my mind scolded me to focus on my work, my body had no objections to mereminiscing.
I missed the moment the band took the stage. I decided instead of taking my usual pictures of the band for the first half of the concert, I'd keep my camera on the audience. August didn't only want me to capture the band's passion. He wanted me to capture the excitement, the fervor, oftheirfans.
I snapped photo after photo. Soon, a shiny black piano was rolled out on stage for Noah's solo. The audience hushed in anticipation of his heartfelt, moving performance. The other members made their way backstage for a shortbreak.
Even as I kept my attention on the audience, I couldn't help but follow August out of the corner of my eye. We hadn't had a chance to speak alone since that morning. Was he having just as much difficulty concentrating as I was? Was he still wrapped up in the memory of lastnight?
The frown lines between his eyebrows were familiar. It was the same strained expression I'd seen at the first concert, when I'd helped him take off hisshirt.
And wasn't that just another delicious memory tosavor?
It was also the same look he'd had when I'd helped him with the ice pack. Lowering my camera, I studied August's posture. I couldn't tell if he was favoring his shoulderornot.
Concerned, I started to make my way over to him. I stopped when I saw him speaking to a roadie. Maybe those frown lines had to do with the concert. Something might have gone wrong and August needed to tell someone tofixit.
The roadie pressed something into August's hand. I wouldn't have caught it if I hadn't been looking right at them. Probably new drumsticks, I reasoned. I didn't know what else a roadie might have to give him before his nextperformance.
August nodded to the roadie and approached an assistant for a bottle of water. He turned his back and swallowed down a mouthful. The water must have helped cool him down, because some of the tension left hisshoulders.
When Noah's piano solo and the twins' dueling guitar performance were done, all the band members took the stage again. I made my way to the pit, making sure my VIP pass was firmly and securely placed aroundmyneck.
Photos from the front of the stage were some of my favorites. Noah's eyes burned with an inner fire. The twins entertained the audience with their playful antics. Cameron strutted around like he owned the place. August's muscled arms became a blur as he gave everything he had into theperformance.
All of it combined to create one picture perfect moment that encapsulatedDarkestDays.
Even as the crowd squished me from all sides and tossed me about, my gaze was fixated on August. With the way he hit each beat in strong fluid motions, the way his hair whipped around his face, the way his cheeks flushed with exertion, it was no wonder I couldn't concentrate onanythingelse.
