Page 112 of Sky Full of Stars

“Is it because you don’t want me with anyone, or is it just Jenna?”

She rolls her eyes. “You have work to do, Aidan. I’m not about to stand here and waste time on this conversation. You need to get on with sound check then go get ready for your performance.”

“There never seemed to be an issue with me dating before.”

“None of those relationships were serious.”

“Erica was.”

She pinches her lips together. Erica and Bianca showed at the bar together that night. Not that we wouldn’t normally invite our manager, but Jordan didn’t want to be scrutinised all night and Bianca would do that. Erica would have had an invite as part of the crew.

“Fuck me,” Nick mutters.

“What happened to my phone?” I ask in a low voice.

She looks as if she doesn’t understand what I’m referring to. “Your phone is right there.”

I smile grimly at her. “The night of the show in London. I lost my phone.”

“You got it back.”

“Are you deliberately being obtuse?” I shake my head at her.

“What?” she holds out her hands.

“My phone goes missing, a crazy fan vaults the table and we’re rushed out of the venue. You told me you would let Stone know to bring Jenna to the hotel. Stone told me they didn’t know we’d left, they sat in the green room waiting for us to come back. Then he took her to the wrong party because that was where he was told to go, and he left her. She didn’t know where we were. Jenna told me she called my cell,” I look away for a second. “But I told her I lost it and…”

I’d been so relieved to find Jenna in my room that night, then we were all caught up in that crazy reverse harem book of Jenna’s when my phone was returned, I never thought to check but I recall clear as day now.

“There were no missed calls or texts on my phone when I got it back.”

“What are you saying?” Nick looks over at me.

“You took my phone?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Bianca says angrily.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Nick holds up his hands. “Am I hearing what you’re saying?” he gives me an incredulous look.

“Depends on what you think I’m saying?” I raise a brow at Bianca, never taking my eyes off her. She shakes her head vehemently and looks mighty pissed off.

“Did you take his phone, Bianca?” Nick asks.

“Of course I didn’t. It was handed in by one of the roadies, you can ask him yourself.”

“Okay, who is he?”

“Well,” she shrugs. “I don’t know every roadie on the tour.”

Arch laughs but there is no joy in it. He’s suspicious too.

“Well, this shit looks tense, who pissed in your cornflakes? Was it a collective dousing on the complimentary buffet?”

No one answers Jordan as he lopes across the stage. He has a goofy look on his face as he comes to a stop, one hand in his jeans pocket, his cast hanging at the other side, covered in scrawl and stickers from the fans yesterday. Jordan may be a dick at times, the joker of the crew who always ends up in trouble, but he’s one of us and can see the tension immediately.

“What’d I miss?”

“Don’t know, what did we all miss, Bianca?”

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