Page 68 of Reckless
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Gage
“You okay, Gage? You haven’t touched your food.” Bryan looked me over from across the table.
I blinked against the harsh lighting of the hotel conference room we’d booked so the band could get together over breakfast brought in from a retro-themed diner nearby. I’d been lost in thought, thinking about the diner Kelly and I used to meet at, and reminiscing about a time when I could actually sit down in a restaurant without being bombarded by fans.
“Sorry. I was off somewhere else entirely.”
“Penny for your thoughts, man.” Bryan, the whole band really, had been on my ass ever since either Ben or Andy literally scraped me off the floor at that party. Can’t remember who, but it was for a damn good reason. I couldn’t keep my head in the game.
But I was done sharing. I’d talked things through with Andy, and it hadn’t helped me feel any better. I’d gone right back to where I always ended up, thinking about Kelly twenty-four-seven and feeling like a jerk. I’d picked up my phone about a million times to call her, but what would I say?Hey, why don’t you fly out, let me fuck you senseless so that I’ll feel better, then I’ll book you a flight home. Right.
“I’m just tired. It’s been exhausting.”
“Yeah, we’ve been working our asses off, but at least each show has been a sellout.” Bryan didn’t saydespite you being an asswipe,but I heard it all the same.
“Hey, man, if there’s anything you want to talk about, we’re game.” But Ben’s body language saidawkward. He wasn’t the type to have a sit-down and looked like he would rather stuff his over easy eggs up his nose than have that discussion.
I picked up a slice of toast from my plate and chewed it slowly. It tasted like cardboard, the same taste everything had these days. But because the boys would worry if I didn’t eat, I kept chewing and swallowed it down.
“I’m doing much better.” Bryan’s eyebrow quirked up at me. “You don’t need to worry quite so much. The shows have been good, haven’t they? The reviews are on the uptick. It’s all going well.”
Ben and Bryan exchanged a knowing look. It was time to change the subject before I had to deal with whatever was on their minds, and I could guess what that was.
“Where’s Andy today?” I asked, deflecting.
Bryan looked down at his plate. “He had some errands to run.”
“In San Francisco? What sort of errands could he possibly have to run here?”
Ben snorted. “I don’t know, but it must have been important. You know he wouldn’t miss breakfast.”
“Maybe he knows someone here,” I offered. “Does he have any family this end of the country?”
The boys both shrugged.
“Are you finished?” Bryan asked as he checked his phone and rose. “We better get ready for the radio interview.”
Ben’s eyes widened, and he stood too. I studied them. They were behaving strangely, like they had something up their sleeves. But I played along.
“Ugh. Ron’s a hard fuck to work with, not a moment of rest. We have the night off, right?” I stood and pushed my chair in.
“Tonight’s free, but tomorrow we’re playing in New York. Should be a good one, it’s always awesome going home. The crowd in New York is wild.”
“New York? Isn’t that the last date?”
“It is, but then it’s straight into the recording studio to get the next album together. Ron wants new music released as soon as possible.”
“Of course he does.” I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes. “No rest for the wicked. But at least we’ll be at home.”
“Exactly, so let’s not piss Ron off this late in the game.”
The idea of being in my own home soon, having some privacy, drove me to follow Bryan and Ben to the elevator. Back at home, I could do what I wanted, and it wouldn’t affect the boys as much. If I wanted to drink, I could. If I wanted to sleep, I could. As long as I kept my transgressions out of the public eye and got to the studio on time, no issues.
“I fucking hate radio interviews,” I commented as we wandered down the now familiar hall toward our rooms.
Ben and Bryan were quiet, which was strange. They were never quiet. I guessed they weren’t happy about the interview either.
