Page 20 of Addicted to You
Back at the table, we ordered another round of drinks and chatted about the tour, including all the meals Jasper was planning to prepare for us on the road. Eventually, Jesse and Olivia called it a night, followed quickly by Elliott. After a few more minutes, I decided it was also time to say goodnight, leaving Malachi, Savannah, and Jasper to continue hanging out.
The hotel lobby was quieter than I expected, and I thought I might have a chance of getting back to my room without anyone recognizing me. The thought vanished when two women stepped through the front doors.
One of them spotted me and did a double take as she gripped her friend’s arm. “I think that’s Silas Hale.” I wasn’t sure if she meant for me to hear, but she didn’t seem to be making any effort to be quiet.
They were both hot, one with dark brown hair and the other with hair a gorgeous shade of red, and suddenly, I wasn’t so eager to get back to my room.
“How’s it going, ladies?” I gave them my most charming smile when they walked closer.
They exchanged wide-eyed glances before the redhead spoke. “Better now that we’re talking to you.”
I chuckled. “You here for the show tomorrow?”
“Yep. We drove from upstate New York,” the brunette answered.
“Nice,” I replied, not trying to hide that I was checking both of them out.
“I’m Lauren, and this is Alyssa,” the redhead said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “If you’re not ready to call it a night, you should come to our room and hang out with us.”
“It’ll be fun,” Alyssa added. “Promise.”
I slid my hands into my pockets and the bag of coke inside reminded me how easy it would be to keep the nightgoing if I wanted to. Still, I hesitated momentarily, Elliott’s words from a couple of weeks ago playing through my mind. The band needed me to be focused tomorrow.Ineeded to be focused tomorrow.
But it wasn’t tomorrow yet.
“Guess it couldn’t hurt to hang out for a bit.” I winked and pressed the call button.
The elevator doors slid open, and I followed them inside. Maybe I just needed one more night to get the partying out of my system.
8
Cash
I zippedmy suitcase and lifted it from the bed as Britt came out of the bathroom with an armful of toiletries.
“Think we’re forgetting anything?” she asked, packing her stuff in her bag.
“I don’t think so,” I replied. “We’re only going to be gone for two days, and it’s not like there aren’t stores in Toronto if we need to pick up something.”
“That’s true.” She nodded. “I’m so glad we’re finally getting a little time together, even if it’s just a couple of days. I thought living together meant we’d see each other more, but it feels as though our schedules haven’t aligned since we moved here.”
I watched her for a moment, thinking about how much we both had on our plate. As soon as we got settled in Boston, Britt started working long hours in the ER. It took a little longer for me to figure out my job situation, but after about a month, I began working for a local agency and had just finished up with my first client a week ago.
During all of that, Britt never complained about our time apart orher busy schedule, but the dark circles under her eyes and the way she sank into bed every night spoke volumes.
I reached for her hand. “For the next two days, let’s not worry about any of that other stuff, okay? We’ll just enjoy some good music, visit with your brother, and maybe sleep in for a change.”
She chuckled. “Sleep sounds heavenly.”
I gave her a peck. “Now, let’s finish packing. We’ve got to be at the airport by seven tomorrow morning.”
The drivefrom the Toronto airport to the hotel wasn’t long, but Britt still filled the time with stories about Silas and Surrender.
“I remember when they started playing local shows.” She pulled up an old picture on her phone of the band when they were teenagers. “They played at Flanagan’s a few times, but some of the other places were super sketchy—the kind of bars that let minors play as long as they were out before ten.”
I could imagine a young Silas behind a drum set in some rundown bar. “Their band must have been pretty good even back then if they were booking shows.”
Britt nodded. “They were, but that didn’t stop Silas from getting nervous before every gig. He’d pace around the house, tapping on anything he could get his hands on, but once he stepped on stage, it was like a switch flipped. You could see the nerves disappear. It’s like he was meant for the spotlight.”
