Page 40 of The Devil's Tattoo
Chapter10
It tookmost of the next day until I could get Dee alone to talk to him. We’d rocked up to sound check early and were hanging out with the venuestaff.
We’d stopped in a coastal town on our way to Canberra for a show, and the place had that small-town vibe—wide open streets and sandy beaches. The old pub had been converted into a music venue in recent years, so bands had started passing through. It was the kind of place that saw us staying upstairs, and when I said upstairs, I literally meant over the front bar that moonlighted as a motel slash backpackers. It was the lap of luxury, endsarcasm.
“I took your advice,” I said, cornering Dee in the tiny room backstage where we’d stashedourgear.
“Which bit of advice was that?” he asked, knowing full well what Imeant.
“Dee.”
Leaning against the wall and crossing his arms, he regarded me for a moment before saying, “How’ditgo?”
“It went,” I saidslowly.
“See, Itoldyou.”
“Yeah.” I sighed, thinking back to the compassionate side Will had shown me while we were writing that song together. “Wewrote—”
“You wrote a song with him?” Dee’s eyes widened. “Holyshit.”
“It wasn’t a big deal or anything,” Iargued.
“Are you into him? I mean, more than an attractionthing?”
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “I don’t know which is therealone.”
“What doyoumean?”
“There’s the manwhore we’ve all come to know. The arrogant a-hole. Then there’s this nice guy who is interested in what I had to say,youknow?”
Dee could see how confused I was and beckoned me over. Without a second thought, I pressed into him, wrapping my arms around his waist and taking comfort in hisfamiliarform.
“Give it some time,” he said. “The tour isn’t the be all and end all. It doesn’t have to end when wegohome.”
He led me out into the pub where Simone, Frank, Louie, and Sticks werehangingout.
“I’m going to get a drink,” I said before Dee could sitmedown.
Simone caught my eye and stood. “Metoo.”
“What’s up?” she asked, standing beside me. We leaned against the bar as a middle-aged man with a wild beard poured us our order. He raised an eyebrow at us but didn’t say anything. I bet he could feel the boy issues looming intheair.
“Friend zone,”Isaid.
“Ooooohhhh,” she exclaimed morosely. Shegotit.
“I’m soconfused.”
“Aren’tweall?”
“Chris?”
She just shookherhead.
“Don’t give up,” I said. “I want to see both of youhappy.”
“And I want to see youhappy.”
