Page 4 of Closer

CHAPTER ONE

A HOBO FOR CHRISTMAS

NOW

LEVI

Ihear Coop climb outof his bunk opposite mine. His boots thud heavily against the floor. Arsehole. I want to beat the motherfucker’s head in, but I’m trying this new thing where I don’t hate the lead singer of my band. It’s hard work.Really hard work. I don’t know where the other guys have gotten to, but we can’t check in to our hotel until after three, so we’re parked outside a stadium in Prague. I think Zed had an interview on some fucking community radio or some shit.I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Ash is probably at the gym, even though it’s some bullshit temp like minus-sixteen freeze-your-balls-off cold out there. And that leaves douchebag Cooper Ryan, and me.

I crawl out of my bunk and come face-to-face with the cuntfuck in question. It’s closer than we’ve been in months. Closer than we’ve been since there was a hot redhead between us.Who am I kidding? There’s still a hot redhead between us. Only now they’re the ones getting naked, and I’m ... I’m a fucking joke. Pining for a woman I can no longer have. Holding my dick in my hands and just waiting for the kind of invitation I know will never come—or I would be, if Ali were actually still on tour with us, but she’s not. She’s on a plane. Headed here. Because it’s Christmas Eve.

Ryan tucks something in his pocket, and due to a lack of nothing better to do with my time, I glare and ask, “What’s that?”

“Sock,” he mutters.

“What are you, saving that shit up as souvenirs for Ali now?” I glance down at the bulge in his pocket, but it’s not shaped like a sock.

“I gotta go run some errands.”

“In Prague?” I frown, wondering what the hell Cooper Ryan could possibly need in Prague, and then it hits me. “You haven’t bought Ali a present yet, have you?”

He flinches.

“Christ, Ryan, you’re a sucky boyfriend. It’s a good thing I’m here, or Ali would have a really shit Christmas.”

“You’re coming with me?” He looks downright panicked.

“Yeah, two cocks are better than one, right?”

“Pretty sure it’s brains.”

I roll my eyes. “So where the fuck are we going?”

“Really, man, you don’t have to come.”

“Sure I do. Someone has to make sure your arse is back in time to check in to the hotel or Ali’s gonna be hopping on the first flight back to Sydney.”

“Dude, seriously, I don’t need your help.”

“And yet, you have it anyway.” I clasp him on the shoulder and push him forward down the aisle towards the door. Our driver, Greg or Gary or someone, we’ve had a different guy this leg of the tour, waves to us and tells us to be back here by six if we want to grab our shit from the bus before he stows it at the depot for the holidays. I nod and salute him before climbing off the bus into the bitter cold Prague afternoon. We walk to the entrance of the car park to wait for Ryan’s Uber. I pull my coat tight around me and tuck my scarf in closer around my neck. Ryan stops to shield his cigarette from the cold as he lights up.

“Jesus fucking Christ, it’s colder than a witch’s tit out here.”

“Yeah, it’s bullshit,” he agrees. “How does everyone in this city not freeze to death?”

“Maybe they fuck twenty-four-seven to keep warm. Guess you’ll be fine once Red gets here, huh?” I feel like an arsehole at the look he shoots me.

The car pulls up and Cooper reaches for the handle, but stops. “You said you were fine with it.”

“Fine?” I laugh humourlessly. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”

He opens the door and climbs in, nodding to the driver. I slide into the tiny Prius, warm air blasting my face. It stings against my cold skin, but within seconds, my body begins to warm. Only marginally though.

“I know this isn’t easy—”

“No. You don’t know shit, Ryan. I’m not going anywhere, because I’m just going to have to get used to it, but don’t mistake this for being easy. It’s not fucking easy. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Silence settles over us, and I stare out the window at the gothic and baroque city around us.

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