Page 1 of Addicted to You
1
Silas
The low humof the plane’s engines didn’t do much to help the pounding in my skull from the party the night before. I leaned back in the private jet’s plush leather seat, my sunglasses shielding my eyes from the sunlight streaming through the windows, and took another sip of the bloody mary in my hand.
Across the aisle, Malachi, the lead singer of our band, Surrender, was scrolling through something on his phone. “Check this out.” He held up his cell, and I could see a gossip site on his screen. “Apparently, I’m dating some actress I’ve never even met.”
“Lucky her,” Jesse, our guitarist, snorted, and his girlfriend Olivia, who was curled up beside him, giggled.
Malachi groaned and tossed his phone onto the seat next to him. “It says I’m bringing her home to Boston to meet my parents.”
“I wonder what story they’ll come up with when the photos of us boarding the plane in Los Angeles prove she didn’t travel with you, and they don’t see her in Boston,” Elliott, our bassist, mused.
“Who knows.” Malachi ran a hand through his hair. “This gossipshit is only going to get worse when our album drops and we go on tour. Hope you’re all ready for it.”
“Maybe these couple of weeks back home will give us a chance to relax before the chaos begins,” Elliott suggested.
Our album,Neon Nights, was scheduled to release the first of the year, and we would be headlining our first tour through Canada and the U.S. in the spring.
“Maybe.” Malachi propped his feet up on the table between us.
I shifted in my seat and winced at the ache in my head. Elliott seemed to notice and smirked. “Rough night, Silas?”
“Don’t start,” I muttered, taking another sip of my drink.
Jesse glanced over, shaking his head. “Dude, you look like death warmed over.”
“What else is new?” I shot back.
Malachi crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve got to pace yourself, man. Tour’s coming up. We can’t have our drummer falling apart before we even start.”
“I’m fine.” I tried to wave away their concern. “Just blowing off some steam.”
Elliott raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure you’ve been blowing off steam since we moved to LA four years ago.”
“And?” I pulled off my sunglasses. “What’s the point of all this if I can’t enjoy it?”
He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, what’s everyone’s plans for the holidays?”
“Just family stuff,” Jesse said. He glanced at Olivia, a small smile crossing his face. “We’re staying with my folks for a few days, then hers.”
“What about you, Silas? Anything exciting planned?” Elliott wondered.
I shrugged. “Nothing really, other than a ski trip with my family. Might also hang out with some friends I haven’t seen in a while. Oh, and there’s that Silenced Misfits party the day after Christmas.”
From the corner of my eye, I caught Elliott and Jesse exchanging a look. The Silenced Misfits were a local band we’d gotten to know when we used to play at the same bars prior to us leaving for LA, and they’d invited the four of us to their party since we were going to be in town. It was likely I’d be the only one from our group to go. Jesse preferred quiet nights at home with Olivia, and although Malachi and Elliott liked to hit up the clubs, drink a little, and hook up with chicks, neither of them partied quite like I did. But hell, I was twenty-three years old, the drummer for a popular rock band, and living in LA. How could Inotwant to live the rock star lifestyle?
“Just don’t do anything stupid,” Malachi said. His tone was half-joking, but I heard the warning loud and clear. “We don’t need any bad PR.”
I gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”
“I might hit up the party too. Someone’s got to keep you out of jail.” Elliott chuckled.
Jesse snorted. “And who’s keepingyouout of trouble while you’re watching Silas?”
“No one needs to watch me. I’m a saint.” Elliott tried to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth turned up.
“Right.” I put my sunglasses back on. “I’ll remember that the next time the paparazzi catches you in a compromising position with a groupie.”
