Page 23 of Addicted to You
Good.Food might help get rid of the throbbing in my head.
As I sat on the edge of my bed, contemplating if I really wanted to get up or if I should try to sleep some more, Malachi suddenly appeared.
“Hey, have you seen my hat anywhere?”
I shook my head. “Nope, but that’s not surprising, seeing as you leave your stuff everywhere.”
“Well, aren’t you helpful,” he deadpanned before disappearing for a second and then returning with his hat in hand. He pulled it on, adjusting the brim as he glanced at me. “You look like shit, by the way.”
“Thanks.” I hopped off my bunk. “Are you going somewhere?”
He nodded. “Jasper’s heading to the store to pick up a few things for dinner, and I’m tagging along.”
“What about lunch?” I scrubbed a hand over my face.
“I’m going to get something while we’re out,” he replied. “Catch you later.”
Once he was gone, I decided to grab a shower and then joined my otherbandmates outside.
After lunch,we all took advantage of the opportunity to chill. Usually, we tried to do as much sightseeing as possible because we didn’t want to miss out on seeing places we might never visit again. However, our schedule was set up in such a way that we’d be able to go out the following day.
I spent the afternoon in my bunk, playing games on my phone and scrolling through my social media accounts. About an hour before sound check, we headed back outside for dinner with the crew and Midnight Thunder. Their lead singer, Brad, dominated the conversation with stories of other tours he’d been a part of over the years.
“Man, I can’t believe this is our last Canadian show. The last month has been a blast, and you guys have been absolutely killing it.” He lifted his beer in our direction.
“Thanks,” Malachi said, leaning back in his chair with a grin. “You guys aren’t too bad yourselves.”
“Not bad?” Brad pressed a hand to his chest like he’d been wounded. “We’re fucking phenomenal.”
Everyone laughed, and I found myself relaxing despite the slight ache still lingering behind my eyes.
After we finished eating, sound check went smoothly, and before long, it was time for the concert to start. The surge of adrenaline that coursed through my veins as I stepped on stage never got old. It was similar to the high I found inside a plastic bag, except no one had a problem with me indulging in this addiction.
During the meetand greet after the show, fans lined up for pictures and autographs while security tried their best to keep things orderly. I went through the motions of smiling for endless photos and signing whatever people shoved in front of me, but I was running on fumes. By the time the after-party started, I was ready to call it a night.
While I was trying to think of a way to slip out unnoticed, Elliott caught my attention and called me over.
“You looked like you were trying to escape.” He laughed and handed me a beer before taking a sip of his own.
I shrugged. “Was thinking about it.”
“You’re usually the last one to leave an after-party. Is everything okay?”
It wasn’t an unreasonable question. The guys were used to me staying out late every night, so it probably appeared odd to him that I was trying to take off. But what they likely didn’t realize was how often it was the coke that kept me going for hours. Without it the parties just didn’t hold the same appeal.
“I’m fine,” I replied, hoping I sounded convincing. “Just a little tired.”
Elliott smirked and leaned closer. “Good, because that blonde over there has been staring at you since she walked in. Pretty sure she’s waiting to shoot her shot.”
I followed his gaze to a tall, gorgeous woman in a purple bodycon dress. When her eyes met mine, she bit her bottom lip and I had a good feeling how the night would end.
I set my bottle down and grinned at my friend. “Hmmm. Suddenly, I’m not tired anymore.”
He snorted. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Let the guys know I’m headed back to the bus, and I’m not alone.”
We all had an understanding when it came to bringing people back to the bus. Since Jesse had Olivia, and Malachi was pretending to date Savannah for PR, it had only been Elliott and me hooking up with random women on the road. We’d agreed that when one of us found someone, and we weren’t at a hotel, the others would give us some time and privacy as long as we were quick and ourcompanydidn’t linger for too long. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.
