Page 100 of Sky Full of Stars

“And these women are all queuing up to get this book signed. Man I have so many questions,” Archer got up to grab himself more coffee. “Like, does she do research and shit. Does she get involved for authenticity, or is it all just in her head?”

“Like method acting?” Nick says, rubbing his hand across his stubbled chin. “Wonder if she lines up volunteers?”

“Like you’d step up,” Jordan nudges him. “Dude!” he shrieks when Nick shrugs.

“Why the hell does our resident manwhore sound so appalled?” I laugh.

“Gimme a bed full of women all wanting this,” he waves a hand down his body. “Sign me up. With dudes, nope.”

“Performance would obviously be an issue, yeah?”

“Dickhead,” Jordan throws a pillow at Archer who dodges out of the way just in time to avoid it hitting his coffee mug.

We are in his suite having breakfast and have a night off tonight before our second London gig, so we’re taking it easy this morning. Dex chose to stay in his room. He isn’t antisocial, we get on well enough, but he wants to chat with his wife and has other stuff to deal with, so we left him to it.

“We should go down there to the book signing and ask her.”

“Ask who?”

“The author, the one Jenna is with,” Nick clarifies.

“She didn’t write this one. Actually I’m not sure what kind she writes, just one guy and one girl I think. This is a different author.”

“Damn.”

We all stare at Nick for a second, then burst out laughing.

“Jenna banned me from going with her anyway, said I’d cause a riot. I think the four of us showing up, asking about orgies and how we sign up for research purposes for a reverse harem novel, may cause an international incident.”

“Yeah, try spinning that, Bianca,” Jordan laughs.

“Things seem to be getting serious with you two,” Archer sits back down so he and Nick are opposite me and Jordan around the coffee table.

“Yeah,” I nod. “She’s special.”

“What about when we get home, you live in LA, she’s in New York. That’s some long distance dude.”

“Is this why you want us to record in New York?” Nick asks. When I nod, he looks thoughtful. “What about after the album is finished?”

“Not really thought that far ahead…but if I’m being honest, if things keep going the way I think they’re going...”

Everyone goes quiet. I hadn’t planned on bringing this up yet, I still don’t know where Jenna and I stand on the longevity thing, although coming to the realisation last night I am in love with the woman went a fair way to making my mind up. But moving across the country would be a big deal for the band. If we are on opposite coasts, it will make things difficult. Asking Jenna to uproot her life and move to LA with me isn’t an option. She won’t go for it and it didn’t piss me off she wouldn’t be willing to compromise. Everything that meant anything to her is in New York. Hell, my family is there too, and the guys family. We went to LA because that is where the label was when we started out. We just stayed. This was a big thing I’d thrown out there and it brought the mood down.

“You that far gone for her?” Jordan asks, in the least Jordan-like voice ever. Like he’s being totally serious.

I blow out a breath. I can’t tell these guys, not someone else before I even say it to her. But from the way they’re looking at me, they know. “Look, I don’t want anyone getting worried about this right now. It’ll be a few months of writing and recording before anything concrete needs to be decided.”

“But if you wanna be with her, and she’s out in NYC, then it makes it pretty obvious what is going to happen, Adam,” Archer states.

“Never thought we’d have a Yoko.”

“Fuck off, Jordan,” I snap at him. “Jenna isn’t asking anything of me. This is all me, she doesn’t know what I’m thinking, do not blame her.”

He holds up his hands but this is a genuine concern for them. It’s Nick who speaks up and surprises me.

“You love her?” My lips tighten. “Simple question, man. Do you?”

So much for not spreading it around, but these guys have been my best friends for years. We’re a team, we do everything together and we’ve never made a drastic decision like this without talking it through, so it has to be for a good reason. I nod, looking at them all in turn.

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