Page 32 of Loved Out Loud
“With security?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Tobias groans. “Yes. They’re also both adults in case you missed it. The two of you need to calm the fuck down.”
I look over at Xan, confused by him being lumped in with me. His expression is shuttered as he slides picks into his pocket. He likes to switch back and forth between fingers and picks depending on the song, but he always has a pocketful just in case.
I’m not going to apologize for worrying about their safety, but it is time to block the world from my mind. The thousands of people filling the arena paid good money to be here and it’s our job to give them a damn good show. Luckily for me, the stage has always been the one place that centers me. The place I don’t need to escape from.
We go out into the hall, grabbing all crew members we can for our pre-show rituals and get ready to take the stage. The cheering from the crowd vibrates all around us, from the floor to the walls as the opening act exits the stage, giving us quick nods of acknowledgement as they pass.
Tobias sneaks on stage first tonight, as soon as the spotlight hits him, he bangs out a fast beat. While all attention is on Tobias, Xan walks out. He plays a few bars of our intro as another spotlight shines down on him. I drag a deep breath in and walk out in the darkness.
My arms fly open wide as soon as a third spotlight lights me up. The crowd goes absolutely ballistic. I give them my biggest smirk.
“Hello, Toronto.” I pause to take in the whistling and screaming. My ego soaks it in like a sponge. “We’re Blue Sunday, and we’re here to blow your minds with this show.”
Sweat runs down my temples as I hand my guitar off to a crew member as soon as I’m offstage. The energy of the crowd was palpable tonight; I can still feel it reverberating through my bloodstream while I take out my in-ear. I need a shower, my notebook, and a night of nothing but guitar strings and starlight.
Darren follows me into my dressing room when I beckon him with a gesture of my head.
“I’m going straight back to the hotel. I have a ton of ideas and the energy to harness them,” I say as I whip my sweat-soaked shirt over my head.
“Do I need to go with you?” His voice is hesitant, as if he’s not sure whether or not to believe me.
“No.” I stand with my guitar case in hand. “But I’ll let Adam into the room until you get back to check on me.”
I don’t care if Adam babysits me while I work. He’ll just pull out one of his books and start reading, I’ll forget he’s even there, to be honest. He’s a mountain of a human being, but he’s also really adept at fading into the background.
“Okay. If you hurry you can probably grab the car that Hazel is taking back to the hotel.”
“I’ll tell Dan to hold it for us,” Adam says, turning to pass the instruction through his headset.
Part of me gives a second thought to showering really quickly here. I know I smell awful and would rather not expose Hazel to my post-show funk, but my creative urges are too great to ignore right now. I need to get back to my room.
I follow Adam out the back, waving to the crowd around the fencing before sliding into the waiting SUV. Hazel is tucked back in the third row, a frown marring her face as she texts on herphone. Dan is in the front seat, and Adam takes the one behind him.
I wait to speak to her until she sets her phone down on the seat beside her. “Did you enjoy the show tonight?”
She looks up at me, her eyes flaring as she takes in my shirtless form. “Are you allergic to shirts?”
I look down at myself, running my hand over my tattooed skin. “Why would I want to cover this work of art?”
“You’re so humble.” She gives me another glance. “And sweaty again. Twice in one day, what did I do to be so lucky?”
“Come back to my room when we get to the hotel, and it can be a third time.”
“Pass.” Her phone lights up, and she frowns as she looks at the notification. “I need to write tonight, anyway. I got hit with a wave of ideas earlier, and I want to capitalize on it.”
“Must be in the air because so did I. You’re welcome to come hang with me while I work. Body doubling is a proven method to stay focused.”
“Body doubling?”
“Yeah, like parallel play almost but work. You’d work on writing your book. I’d write my songs. Unless occasional guitar playing and me mumbling lyrics would distract you.”
“Parallel play? Like toddlers?”
“Yeah.”
“How’d you learn about that term?”
