Page 41 of Addicted to You
“Hey, man. What’s up?” he asked as he gave me a bro hug.
“Not much. Just trying to get to some of those burgers Jasper made. This one”—I hooked my thumb toward Cash—“has been making me drink some green shit the last couple of mornings.”
“I also fed you pizza,” Cash huffed.
Malachi barked out a laugh. “You must be Cash.”
Cash nodded and stuck out his hand. “Yep.”
“Nice to meet you.” They shook. “Hope you’re ready for life on theroad. Living in close quarters on a tour bus isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
“You say that now, but after a night of listening to Jesse snore, you might be singing a different tune,” I joked.
“I don’t fucking snore,” Jesse called out from the kitchen.
He didn’t, but I’d missed giving the guys shit. “Keep telling yourself that, Bennett.”
“Babe, I don’t snore, do I?” I heard him ask Olivia.
I laughed and turned to Cash. “Let’s go get some food.”
When we finished filling our plates, Elliott waved us over to the table where he and Savannah sat with his parents.
I made another round of introductions, and then we dove into our food.
Eventually, Malachi and Jasper joined us.
“Hey, guys.” I nodded at Malachi and Jasper as they sat down. “Cash, you already met Malachi, and this is Jasper, his boyfriend and our chef on the road.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jasper replied.
“Likewise. This guy raves about your food, and if this burger is anything to go by, I’m likely to gain twenty pounds on the road.” Cash chuckled.
“He makes some killer vegan dishes if you want something healthier,” Savannah said.
“I may have to try those as well.” Cash’s response was polite, but I could see the skepticism on his face. He may have stuck to a healthy lifestyle most of the time, but so far, I hadn’t seen him pass up any meat products.
We spent the rest of the evening chatting. The guys were eager to share a ton of stories with Cash. He seemed to fit in easily with the group and for the first time in a while, I wasn’t desperate for my next rush. Instead, I was enjoying the moment, surrounded by the people who meantthe most to me.
The momentI sat down behind the drum set at our first concert in Boston, everything clicked into place. The roar of the crowd had been deafening, and I fed off their energy for the entire two hours.
To think I could have lost all of that because of my addiction was a depressing thought, one I didn’t dwell on for long. I couldn’t change the past, but I could do everything in my power to make sure my future looked different.
“Wow! I didn’t think anything could top the Toronto show, but that was unreal,” Cash said as I stepped off the stage and walked toward him.
Rina had made arrangements for him to stay with her off to the side while we played so he wouldn’t have to fight the crowds to get backstage after the show—at least when he was there by himself. Britt planned to be at the next show, so he’d be in the front row with her for that one, while we’d have security ready to get him backstage quickly.
“Thanks, man. It felt damn good to be out there again.” I knew I was sporting a goofy-ass grin on my face, but I didn’t care. The night had been fucking awesome.
“So, what now?” he asked as we entered the green room.
I grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and tossed him one. “It’s usually complete mayhem.” I laughed. “We have a few minutes to get ready for our post-show activities. Almost every show has a meet and greet, and sometimes, there’s an after-party. Tonight, we’re just signing autographs and taking pictures before we head out.” I pulled on a T-shirt and took a second to relax.
My relaxation was cut short when, not five minutes later, Rina gathered us up and led the guys and me over to where a massive line of people waited for us.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Malachi growled, and I turned to see who he was talking about.
