Page 89 of Love You Like This

My suspicion was right. Xander spent the entire concert flirting with fans in the audience. Winking at them. Flashing his dimple. My blood pressure rose with each instance until I couldn’t take it and had to retreat to the green room to fume in solitude.

Obviously I know I’m in the wrong here for being hurt. He’s made himself vulnerable to me multiple times, and I keep pushing him away. But I don’t want to hurt him, whereas he’s doing it seemingly on purpose. To get under my skin. To hurt me.

Drawing a deep breath, I remind myself that he’s just performing. Honestly, those moments in the concert will make for amazing viral moments to post later when we get back on the bus for the Florida tour dates. That’s what I should be focusing on.

The concert is nearly over, so I decide to just go back to the hotel and call it a night. I grab Hazel as she comes out of the bathroom.

“I’m going to go back to the hotel. Can you tell the guys where I am if they ask?”

“Yeah.” Her brow furrows. “Do you want me to go with you? Should I grab one of the extra bodyguards to go back with you?”

“No, I don’t need security. I’m just going to go back to my room and try to relax.”

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I can’t walk down a hotel hallway to get ice alone without Tyler freaking out.”

“That’s different. You’re famous now, too.” I pull her into a quick hug. “No one knows who I am.”

She hugs me back tightly. “Have a good night.”

I make it back to the hotel quickly, not having to deal with the post-show traffic. Rain rolls down the windows as NPR plays a segment about the war in Ukraine. I listen intently, trying to drown out my thoughts with current events.

The driver pulls up to the hotel, and I dash up the steps calling out my gratitude as I rush through the rain. A shower is the first thing I think about as soon as my door closes behind me. I flip the bar lock and dead bolt closed before stripping off my clothes on the way to the bathroom. Steam rises from the stream of water within seconds. I moan as the searing spray hits my shoulders and runs through my hair.

It feels so good that I allow myself to take my time, working through every step of my everything shower methodically. My mind wanders all over the place, but when it slips in the direction of Xander, I immediately correct myself. He’s not infiltrating my relaxation time.

I flip off the water once I’m thoroughly washed, exfoliated, and shaved. To keep the cozy vibes going, I pull on a pair of sweatpants and the hoodie Xander gave me. Only because it’s the softest one I have. All my others are worn and the inner fleece pilled.

There’s nothing on television, so I turn it off nearly as quickly as I turned it on to browse. There are a few podcasts I want to catch up on, so I turn one on and lay down on the bed while I pull up a crossword puzzle on my iPad.

I get halfway through when I hear voices walking down the hall. Laughter from familiar voices and a few unfamiliar feminine ones. My heart squeezes in my chest. I ignore the sensation, reminding myself it is none of my business who’s bringing women back to their rooms.

None of my business.

After ten minutes of staring at my puzzle and tuning out the podcast, I get to my feet. I should probably just check in and make sure everyone is good. With Tobias struggling lately, it’d be good to keep a close eye on him. I swipe my hotel key off the table and glance at the one I took from Xander’s room. There’s a moment of hesitation before I pick it up and slip it in my pocket.

Just in case, you know? He did have a hard morning. There’s nothing wrong with checking in.

Delusional, thy name is Jade. I roll my eyes at myself but walk down the hall to Stone and Hazel’s room anyway. Knocking twice I hear muffled noise and then the door swings open and a shirtless Stone answers. His jeans are unbuttoned and his hair is a mess, but he doesn’t look annoyed at the intrusion.

“Sorry, I was just checking in. I can go.”

He reaches for me, grabbing my wrist and tugging me into the room. “Don’t be stupid. We were just,” he trails off and looks over at Hazel heatedly.

She blushes and adjusts her shirt. “Hi,” she squeaks.

“You were just about to fuck,” I finish his sentence. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not,” Hazel says. “Cute hoodie, know where I can get one?” Her eyes twinkle with mischief. She knows how jealous he gets when she wears merch with anyone but him on it.

Stone growls and yanks her to his side. “No.”

“Honestly, I didn’t need anything. I just wanted to make sure everyone got back okay.”

“Yeah, we’re all here. Plus some extras.”

“Stone,” Hazel warns.

“I’m not sure if anyone else will answer the door, if you know what I mean.” His lips tilt upward ruefully.