Page 43 of Taste of Surrender
Rina orderedtwo vehicles to take us to get drinks after we finished with rehearsal. The SUV rolled to a stop in front of The Velvet Veil, a nightclub in West Hollywood. I could already see the flashing lights from the paparazzi, their cameras ready to capture every move we made. I took a deep breath to brace myself for the chaos. No matter how much I loved the rock star life, being followed by paps and having almost every move I made documented fucking sucked.
After opening the door of the Suburban, I stepped out and extended a hand to Savannah. The crowd of photographers surged forward, shouting our names and snapping photos. Her hand slipped into mine, and her golden hair caught the camera flashes as she emerged from the SUV. For a brief second, our fingers laced together. I glanced over at the other vehicle just as Jasper stepped out with Jesse and Silas. Jasper’s eyes locked onto our joined hands, and I dropped Savannah’s hand as if it were on fire. The cameras continued to click, questions being thrown out about the album and upcoming tour, but we ignored them.
“Ready to have some fun?” Savannah asked, looping her arm through mine as Elliott closed the door behind us.
“Absolutely,” I replied. I was ready to have a few drinks in hopes that would somehow make me more comfortable with Jasper around. It was weird, not only because we had our secret from the past, but I also felt as though I was cheating on him in a way. Maybe that was because seeing him again made me feel as though I still had feelings for him. Did I?
Our group walked inside, while the paparazzi faded behind us. The club was dimly lit, with music blaring and people dancing. Some turned and looked at us as Jesse led our group to the VIP section, where a reserved table awaited with a bottle of vodka in an ice bucket.
Jesse poured us all shots and then raised his glass and said, “To having Jasper with us on tour.”
“To Jasper,” we echoed, our glasses clinking together. I downed the shot and my eyes involuntarily drifted to Jasper. He was looking at me too, and we exchanged small smiles. What was he thinking? Did he find it weird that we were acting like there had been nothing between us before? It wasn’t as though we were about to tell everyone, but the entire thing was awkward. Would this be how the entire tour would go?
“Thanks for having me,” Jasper said sincerely, his gaze fixed on me. “I’m excited to be with you guys again.”
Savannah leaned into me, her hand brushing against my arm. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?” she asked, her voice low and flirtatious.
“Celebrating Jasper, right?” I replied, forcing a smile.
“Yeah, but after we leave?” She winked.
“We’ll just have to see.”
A cocktail waitress came over and we each ordered drinks or what we wanted to mix the vodka with. The alcohol flowed as the night wore on, except I stuck to only two, because eventhough it was assumed I lived the rock star lifestyle, I was still well aware about my family’s history with addiction, mainly my grandfather.
At one point, Jesse left to call Olivia. Elliott was on the dance floor with Savannah, and Silas was in the bathroom, where he frequently ran off to any time we went out. It was just me and Jasper alone.
“It’s been a while,” Jasper said quietly, his eyes searching mine.
“Yeah, it has,” I agreed. “How’ve you been?”
“Busy. I’ve been working as a private chef and my clients keep me on my toes. But it’s good. I’ve missed this, though. Being around you guys.”
“We’ve missed you too,” I said softly, wanting to elaborate and tell himImissed him the most. I caught a glimpse of the crescent moon tattoo on his wrist and smiled as I realized he hadn’t covered it up.
“Look—” Jasper started, but Savannah returned.
She slid into her seat beside me and rested her hand on my leg. “I’m ready to get out of here if you are.”
“I’m going to go get another drink,” Jasper muttered as he slipped out of the booth.
“Wait.” I reached for him.
“It’s cool. We’ll catch up another time.”
“Sorry, did I interrupt something?” Savannah asked as Jasper walked away.
I swallowed. “Just trying to catch up.”
“Well, I meant what I said. I’m ready to get out of here.”
No matter how much I wanted to get off, Savannah wasn’t the one I wanted to be with.
“Not tonight. I’m tired.”
She blinked. “Tired?”
“You’ve only been here today to rehearse our duet. We’ve been putting in long hours to get ready for the tour.”
