Page 49 of Too Little Too Soon
Travis took advantage of the moment by teasing his fingers along Ava’s thighs while he brushed her hair to the side so he could nibble on her neck.
More squirming ensued until she felt a definite bulge pressing against her backside.
By the time the hairdryer clicked off, Oz was done with his shower, and everyone was waiting on Lacey to finish her beauty routine so they could head down to the after-concert gathering with the fans.
“Okay, so spill,” Lacey said as she lined her eyes with a black pencil. “Since when are you guys a couple?”
“Since about ten minutes ago,” Travis said with a chuckle.
“But how and when before that? Like, I’ve not noticed you two be anything but friends. Plus, are we going to address the giant elephant in the room?”
“Which is what?” Ava asked.
Lacey traded the pencil for a mascara wand. “The fact that Travis has such a hang-up about dating anyone associated with the band. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cool, and I think you make a cute couple. It’s just weird how this is all shaking out, that’s all.”
Ava appreciated her honesty. Because she felt the exact same way, but she couldn’t seem to put voice to those words.
ChapterSeventeen
Travis chickened out.He’d decided to be honest, to tell Ava what was going on and ask her to pretend to be his girlfriend.
Except, real talk, he didn’t want her to pretend. Which was its own kind of revelation, and he was having areallyhard time processing that was how he actually felt.
And if that was how he felt, then he needed to tell her, to ask her for real if she’d be his girlfriend.
Yeah, while he was being honest with himself, he was afraid she’d say no.
He took all these tumultuous thoughts up on stage with him, beat on his drums, and for a little while, was able to forget what a cluster his life had suddenly become. The show had rocked, the fans were more rabid than any before, even Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Eve, and Travis had been riding on a high that he hadn’t felt in far too long, when he hustled off stage after the concert.
That had to explain why he simply walked up to Ava and kissed her like they’d been a couple forever by that point.
She’d been clearly shocked, but she’d kissed him back, and yep, he ran with it. Because this plan of action needed to start tonight, and he didn’t want to “practice” being a couple in front of all those fans waiting at the meet and greet. He’d start in front of the band, see how they handled it, and make sure he and Ava could be believable.
Turned out, they could.
“Come on,” he said, cupping her hips and lifting her to her feet before bouncing up next to her. Snagging her hand, he said, “Let’s go hang with our fans.”
Okay, yes, those incredulous looks from his bandmates were well-deserved, given how reluctant he’d recently been to have any fan interaction whatsoever.
He couldn’t very well admit this whole thing was a ruse—at the very minimum, Ava deserved to be told in private if he could ever work up the gumption to do it.
“Mitch said the label is taking care of the stalker situation,” he clarified.
It was true. Sort of.
Lacey’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s great. How?”
He forced himself not to tense. Ava would notice and figure out something was up. “Uh…not sure.” He cleared his throat. “But Mitch swears it’ll work.”
“What a relief,” Maria said, patting him on the back. “I know that girl was really getting to you.”
She could say that again. And the fact that the rest of the band had been able to tell only reinforced Travis’s decision to do this.
It was better if Ava truly believed they were a thing, wasn’t it? It would come across as more authentic, both in person and in the pictures that would inevitably be splashed all over social media.
Besides, what if he did tell her the plan and she balked because she wasn’t interested in him like that. Yeah, they were great as friends, and yes, they sizzled between the sheets, but there was no guarantee they could make both things work together at the same time for the long-term. It was a lot of pressure, and honestly, deciding to start up a committed relationship was something that ought to take time.
Time they didn’t have.
