Page 75 of Chronicles of a Rockin' Mess

“Noted,” Tiffany says. “Anyhow, I’m glad we got the terms you asked for. I’ll call you next week and work out the details once his attorneys get me a contract to look over.”

“Excellent,” Lark says as she beams. “And, Tiffany…thanks.” Tiffany nods and heads off to her car.

“We should go out and celebrate!” I say to Lark.

“Honestly, I have lots to think about,” she says. The blood drains from my face. I don’t like the sound of that.

“OK,” I say slowly as we get in the car. I drive us back and neither of us says a word.

After I let Asher out, I turn to Lark. “What’s up?” I ask her.

She swallows. “If I’m going to be singing, I can’t be your PA anymore,” she says to me. This thought had been in the back of my head, but I hadn’t wanted to admit it.

I lean against the counter and look at her.

“You can stay here, if you like,” I offer because I want her to stay here. I realize how awkward that sounds. We haven’t even discussed our relationship yet, and I basically just asked her to move in but not in my room.

“I…think I should move out,” she replies as she picks at an invisible crumb on the countertop.

“Lark, I…I know this…thing is new between us, but I don’t want you…not living here,” I try to string the words together, but they come out as a mess of a thought.

“I’ll stay until the concert, and then I’ll look for a new place,” she says quietly. “Asher,” she adds, pointing to the door. I go to let him in, and she walks away toward her room. I let her go because I don’t know what to say or how to say it.

I sit down on the sofa, and Asher jumps up and wags his tail. “I think I fucked up, buddy,” I say to him. He tilts his head to the side as though he’s listening to me.

My phone pings, and I look down. Kade.

I call him because I simply don’t have the energy to text.

“Hey, man. How’d it go with Roger?” he asks me. “I called Lark but she didn’t pick up.”

“Great, he’s drawing up a contract,” I say to him.

“So, what’s wrong then?” he asks because, well, he’s Kade and his crazy superpower senses always know when something is amiss.

“She’s moving out,” I say.

“But…I thought…” He trails off.

“Dude, I pussied out. I need to tell her, like really tell her,” I admit as I run my hand through my hair. Asher lies down and places his head on my leg. I mindlessly stroke his fur as I tell Kade everything that’s happened. And by the end of the call, we have a new plan devised. I need Lark and not just as a friend or a PA. And maybe it’s cliché that I figured this out when she said she wanted to move out, but my entire fucking life is cliché, so in all honesty, it makes perfect sense.

Chapter 31

Thirty-six hours later, Kade, Harry, and I are getting ready backstage. I’m feeling all the pre-show vibes. I walk into Harry’s room and roll my eyes.

“Harry, seriously?” I say on a groan. Harry asks for the most ridiculous shit. He has candy bowls with the candy separated by color. And he also has an entire wing buffet.

“What? You never know when you might need a wing.” He grabs one off the buffet and takes a bite, probably trying to prove his ridiculous point.

I shake my head. “And the candy?” I motion to the six bowls on a nearby counter.

He shrugs. “Sometimes you feel like lemon and sometimes you feel like strawberry, man. What can I say?”

“Whatever. Are we ready for tonight?” I ask him.

“Dude, shit is gonna be epic. If you don’t win her over after tonight, then you will never fucking win her over,” Harry says. I know this is Harry’s version of a pep speech, but he’s not killing it.

Kade walks in and looks at the chicken wings. “Harry, dude, you do know we have to pay for all this shit, right?”

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