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Hayden clicks well with her, the two of them often in the back of the bus during long stretches between cities playing video games together.
Nikolai hasn’t stopped flirting with her, but it’s just how he is and I know there are no feelings behind it. He enjoys riling me up and Scar’s quick tongue rejecting him.
As for Reid, I can’t tell if he’s remained standoffish with her because of the growing tension working on the next album, or if there’s something else there.
I expected Boone to give me some sort of warning to be careful with her, as he first entrusted me to keep him in the loop if she appeared to be struggling at the start of the tour, but when I saw him the morning after the club, he simply shook my hand and told me he was happy for the both of us.
So far, it’s been relatively smooth sailing, which I’ve enjoyed, but I can tell Scar has been on edge, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.
What she’s waiting for, I don’t know. I’ve tried to ask her about it and she’s brushed it off, assuring me it’s nothing more than still getting adjusted to being more of a public figure. Which I completely understand. Going from relative anonymity to then having your face splashed across headlines and social media is a hard adjustment for any normal person. I’ll forever be thankful that I had Jane and my parents, as well as the guys to keep us all in check as our fame grew.
The sun is starting to set, taking with it any slight warmth it provided throughout the day here in Iowa. A chill settled in everyone this morning as stagehands unloaded the equipment and got things set up for tonight. The cold won’t keep me from not wearing sleeves tonight, but I tuck my leather jacket close to my chest as I step off the bus and cross the lot to the backstage door. I nod at the security guard posted as he opens the door and allows me through.
“Hold up!” a voice calls out behind me just as the door is about to close. I turn around and hold my hand out, propping it open as Hayden jogs across the lot, black hoodie pulled over his head and hands tucked into the pocket.
“How you doing, man?” I slap a hand on his shoulder as Hayden passes and walks stride for stride with me backstage.
“Fucking freezing,” he answers. “It’s crazy how quickly you can forget what a cold winter feels like after moving.”
“Amen.”
Growing up in Pittsburgh, we understood the cold. We could weather the low temperatures just fine.
But living in California for the past eight years has turned us into whiners when it drops below 70 degrees.
We walk through the maze of hallways, following the flow of stage hands and crew members until we reach the stage for tonight, currently being set up for Scar’s set.
The arena is empty, the doors not opening for another hour and somehow it seems so much scarier to stand up here with no one in the audience than it is when it’s packed full. There’s a level of anonymity that’s missing now. I’m not one of thousands of people, I’m one of only a few.
I feel naked, exposed.
“Hey, guys,” Boone calls out in greeting as he strides across the stage, arm thrown around Scar’s shoulders with her walking by his side. My eyes immediately go to hers, locked in and blurring everyone else around.
As soon as she’s within arm’s length, I reach out and pull her from under Boone’s arm, wrapping her in my own and tilting her head for a kiss. Her body leans into mine, small frame overshadowed by my large one.
“Get a room,” Boone jokes.
“We’ve been trying,” Scar says against my mouth, annoyance coloring her tone.
Boone groans, clearly not wanting to hear it. “Can you believe we’re over halfway done already?”
“It’s wild, man,” Hayden says.
Scar and I pull back from each other, and I press another kiss on top of her head before spinning us to face Hayden and Boone, joining in the conversation.
“Although y’all got a full summer schedule lined up, I heard?”
Hayden and I nod. We have summer festival season coming up, so even once this tour is over, we only have about a week off before we begin that cycle. Although the schedule is much less intense. We only have a few shows each month, so we have longer times in each of the cities if we want to stick around, or time to fly back home in between.
It’ll be nice to have some sense of privacy back that you lose on the bus.
“You doing any festivals this summer?” I ask Boone.
“Nope. I have a residency at a nightclub in Vegas, so I get to stay in one place for a couple months.” His shoulders relax and by the long sigh that expels from his chest, I can tell it’s a relief.
“You got shows booked after this?” Hayden asks Scar.
I peer down at her, curious about her answer myself. We haven’t talked about anything to come post tour. We’ve just been taking things day by day, sometimes hour by hour.
