Page 98 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
My stomach falls. Shit. The guys.
How the fuck am I going to explain this to them?
How am I going to explain it to Becket?
I pull my sundress over my head and take inventory of the bruises, heaving a sigh of relief when I realize all but two could be hidden by a regular crew neck T-shirt. The others I can probably cover with makeup. Hopefully.
God. Come to ArtFusion a sexually-inexperienced virgin, leave thoroughly fucked and covered in hickeys by a rock star. I roll my eyes.This is like some low-budget porn script. Never in my wildest freaking dreams.
I pee and feel relieved when there’s only a little bit of blood on the toilet paper, then slip my underwear back on. I wash my hands and pull my hair over my shoulders, trying to hide the hickeys, then take a deep breath before stepping back into the bus. Jonah is sitting at the small table, scrolling on his phone, and he doesn’t look up when he addresses me.
“He’s outside.”
“Thanks.” I walk toward the exit, stopping briefly to glance back at the guitarist. “Um...see you later.”
His jaw ticks as if he heard me, but he doesn’t respond and doesn’t look up, so I let myself out. I find Torren waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. He’s wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, but he doesn’t have shoes on his feet. When he sees me, he gives me a small smile.
“I’m going to have Beau walk you back.”
I furrow my brow. “Why?”
“Cover’s blown.”
Ah. The crowd of fans behind the fence makes sense now. Someone must have finally recognized one of them. He reaches up and brushes my hair off my shoulder, then rubs his fingers over the large hickey just below my ear.
“Sorry.”
I arch a brow. “Are you really?” He smirks but he doesn’t answer. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Do you want to see me tomorrow?”
Excitement swirls in my stomach, and I try my best to swallow back my nerves as I nod.
“There’s a band playing tomorrow from four to five on the west stage. Think you can make it out to watch?”
“They any good?”
I smile and shrug. “I think so, yeah.”
He smiles back. “I might be able to make that happen.”
“Cool.”
Torren leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead, then winks as he steps away from me. It takes all my restraint not to reach for him.
“Sweet dreams, Firebird,” he says, then I watch as he disappears back into the bus.
27
CALLIE
PAST, ArtFusion Day Five
“Are you ready, Cal?”
Rocky’s excitement brings a smile to my face, despite the nerves swirling in my stomach. I get nervous before every live show. I always have. But this? This is next level, and paired with exhaustion and budding dehydration, I have a real fear that I might vomit on stage.
I don’t tell Rock that, though. Instead, I nod and flash him a thumbs-up.
