Page 17 of Killer Notes
“That’s what we’re riding in to Rocktoberfest?” I ask, but the guys ignore me; they are too embroiled in the disagreement.
“That’s bullshit,” Connor grates out, pushing up from where he’s sitting. “I think we should draw straws on who gets to sleep in the room or the bunks.”
“Does it matter?” I ask, taking the seat Connor vacated. And yes, I’m totally avoiding eye contact with Tobias, who’s standing by the door.
“There is only one bedroom on the bus. The main suite with a bathroom, and four bunks with a bathroom between them,” Callum explains.
“I said we should give the main room to you since you need space, but Connor is being a selfish dick bag,” Bobby huffs out.
“Fuck off, asshole,” Connor shoots back. “I didn’t say Danny couldn’t have it. I said we should be fair about it and draw straws.”
“But isn’t that the same, since we would rather give it Danny, but you want to draw straws?” Raef throws his two cents in with an evil grin.
“You can suck my dick.” Connor flips him off.
“Only if you pay me,” Raef counters with an air kiss.
As my band argues over sleeping arrangements, the overwhelming urge to look at my bodyguard has me side-eyeing Tobias. With Ron’s condo being an open concept, it’s easy to watch Tobias from my vantage point, and I catch him watching me. His face suddenly flushes with pink and he darts his eyes to his partner.
Shit… There’s no doubt now that he saw me jacking off.
I want to hide away from my embarrassment, but if I don’t handle what’s going on between my friends, this tiff could turn into something much bigger. So I tamp down the humiliation and turn back to my bandmates and raise a hand. All of my friends stop talking and shift their attention to me. Yep. Just like children.
“Is everyone done arguing?” I ask, keeping my hand up. They all nod and I drop my hand. “Good. Now I don’t care where I sleep. If you want to draw straws or pick a number out of a fucking hat, I don’t care. But I’m done listening to this whiny bullshit. Grow the fuck up and let’s make a collective decision like adults. Like friends.”
“Danny’s right,” Raef says and snags a piece of paper out of the notebook he uses for writing lyrics. “Let’s pick numbers. One through five. That’s fair. Agreed?”
We all agree. Then Raef rips the paper into the five pieces and writes a number on each one. He folds them and drops them in a plastic bowl John brings over.
“Connor, you go first, since you’re the one who started all this,” I say.
Connor retrieves a number, and a frown appears on his face. He flashes us the number five. “Fuck it,” he says, crumples the paper and tosses it over his head.
“Danny, you go next,” Callum says.
I reach for a piece and open it. I shake my head and turn the paper around with a grin. “One.”
“I knew it,” Connor laughs, grabs my paper, rips it up, and tosses the pieces onto the table. “Danny, you take the back room and us stupid fucks will take the bunks.”
“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying?” Bobby says, slapping Connor on the back.
I look over at Tobias again, but he’s nowhere in sight. In his place is John, who is looking at me strangely. Not sure why. And really, I don’t care. I have bigger things to deal with than my bodyguard disappearing.
“Hey.” Connor touches my shoulder.
I meet my friend’s eyes. “What?”
“You good?”
“Yeah,” I lie, as I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I get up and grab a plateful of food. “Just hungry.”
When I sit back down, Connor’s attention is on John, who’s returning my drummer’s stare with equal intensity. Talk about combustible. But I don’t mention it to my friend. Connor will only deny the chemistry between them.
I wait a few minutes, hoping to catch sight of Tobias. But I don’t see him the entire time it takes me to eat. So I head back to my room, pick up the guitar that’s laying on the bed, and work on my music.
CHAPTERSIX
Tobias