Page 45 of Never To Suffer

“Pervert. But also, yeah, you’re right. SMILE!” She glances down at the screen and groans. “I look like roadkill! Whatever, I’m sending it. He’ll probably find that as hot as you do. Fucking boys.”

“Literally.”

“Shut it! Where are my pants?”

“You don’t need pants.” She ignores me and moves toward the bathroom, but I grab the hem of her shirt and bring her colliding back into me before I drop us both onto the bed. “I lied; I can’t wait for the restaurant. I’m starving for a taste of us.”

Ding.

“OH MY GOD!”

“Uh, I haven’t even touched you yet.”

“No, not that, this!” She holds the phone out as she giggles. Xander one upped our selfie because he’s in bed with a head of salt and pepper hair against his back. I can’t see the guy’s face, but the way he’s wrapped around him gives Xander a glow that matches my own.

Xanadu

I’ll tell you all about him when I’m back from Japan. Miss you, Beetle. Tell Skylar they’re a cocksucker.

“Oh, come on!” I laugh. “It happened once, but to be fair, I’ll totally do it again as soon as we get back to Los Angeles. Who is the silver fox?”

“I have no idea. We aren’t seeing anyone right now, or, well, I mean. You, now. But that’s obviously not you!” She puts the phone down and pinches her brows together. “Wait, you sucked Xander off?”

“Mhmm. Send him a picture of this as payback,” I hum, pushing her legs apart. Her stomach rumbles beneath me and I lean down and kiss it. “Alright, I hear you. Pancakes?”

“God yes!”

We weren’t the only ones to have the idea of hitting the diner for breakfast, and when she sees the rest of her band at a booth, she drags me over. Her drummer either has a hangover or might still be drunk, her guitarist has a computer open and headphones on. No bassist sits with them. Dani nudges Connor further into the booth’s half circle before she pats the seat next to her, but it still feels intrusive.

“Hey, come on, headphones off, out of your phone, wake up Connor.”

“You can’t make me!” He mumbles, folding his arms on the table and dropping his head into them.

“Where’s Toddifer?” She asks, getting a blank stare from Noah.

Connor lifts his head and answers her in slurred mumbles, hungover, or still drunk. “He left last night after we…never mind. He couldn’t stay on since his other band picked up a new gig.”

“Jesus, we’re so screwed.” Noah mumbles, headphones still on. “They changed the damn tour dates again! Now, instead of a week and a half off, we’re on again in three days. In Anaheim!”

“Fuuuuuck.” Connor groans, sticks a straw in his coffee, and buries his head again with the straw sticking out. Resourceful.

“That’s not enough time for someone to learn our stuff,” Noah scoffs. She’s right, they’re never going to find one in time. Even if they found one, learning an entire set overnight won’t be easy, especially for a bassist. They might get the music down, but not the flow of the band or the song when it’s live shit.

“What if they know them already?” I ask as the waiter sets coffees in front of Dani and I. He winks at me, flashing a coy smile. “Oh, uhm, thank you. Canweget a stack of pancakes and a double side of bacon? The pancakes on a different plate, though, if you don’t mind?”

He rolls his eyes and walks away. Steve used to hate how often people hit on me, I’ve learned to ignore it. Besides, right now I’m more focused on Dani. “Beetle? Come out of that spiral for me. Please?”

“Hold on, what did you mean by that wholewhat if they already know the songsshit?” Noah asks, folding the lid of her laptop down. “Do you mean, like, begging Rory to come back or some shit?”

“No, I, uhm, I mean me. I play. In fact, I playyoursongs.”

“Yeah? How many of them?” Connor slurs.

“All of them. Unless you’ve come out with something over the last month or so.”

Dani registers what I’ve said, because her head moves slowly from Noah to me, eyes widening as she does. I shrug, but she grabs my face and pulls me in for a crashing kiss I didn’t expect. “Oh my god, I love you!”

I smile against her lips, hoping this won’t blow up in our faces.

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