Page 38 of You Rock My World
DORIAN
October
Being on tour rewires me. The second my boots hit the stage, I become a live current, buzzing, too charged to think about anything other than the beat, the melody, and the thousand voices screaming my name.
But then the shows end. And the energy doesn’t know where to go.
That’s how I feel stepping off the plane, back in LA after weeks of back-to-back concerts, my body still thrumming, my mind not sure how to shift back into normal mode.
If I even have a normal mode anymore. My break is only four days.
If it were a regular tour, I wouldn’t even have come home to LA.
But if I can steal even only a night with Josie, it’ll be worth it.
As I get off the jet, it’s already dark outside.
I take in a lungful of air. The city smells the same—heat, concrete, and the faintest trace of salt from the ocean in the distance.
I pass security and emerge on the other side of the terminal for private flights where Ned, my driver, is waiting for me.
I slip into the back seat of the dark SUV, stretching my legs out, silence creeping in. After weeks of city-hopping and being swallowed by the noise, the sudden quiet makes me too aware of what’s missing. I haven’t seen Josie in too long.
The VMAs were the last time we were alone. She came to the airport to say goodbye the day after, and this is my first break since then.
Despite the miles traveled and commitments keeping me busy, I thought about her non-stop.
And we talked. Constantly.
Texts between soundchecks. Calls squeezed into time zones that made no sense.
She’d text me ridiculous things—articles about how fish can recognize themselves in mirrors, debates over whether a hot dog is a sandwich, pictures of Penny’s latest art project.
I called her every night, before her bedtime because I enjoy hearing how soft her voice gets when she’s tired.
Even if I had only a few minutes before going on stage.
And she made sure I’d find a good-morning text when I woke up.
The distance has been hard but for the best. We need to learn how to be close and whether we can survive when we’re apart. She can’t follow me around the world every time I go, so we need to test this aspect of a future relationship, too.
I tell myself that, anyway.
As if on cue, my phone buzzes.
A picture.
It’s a close-up of a red sequined fabric. The caption below reads:
Josie
I have a proposition
I smirk, thumbs already moving over the screen.
Dorian
If it involves you and red sequins, I’m in
Josie
You should ask what you’re getting into first
I settle deeper into the seat, tapping the side of my phone with my finger, already too invested in whatever game she’s about to start. No point in playing it cool.
Dorian
Alright, what am I getting into?
Josie
A mix of carrot and stick. Want the carrot first?
My mouth goes dry.
Dorian
Sure
Josie
The dress is going to be short, and the horns sharp
I bite my knuckle, grinning like an idiot. If she keeps this up, I might tell Ned to make a U-turn and drive me to her place when I can’t be seen there. Not yet. The weeks apart, if nothing else, must’ve thrown Billie off our case. But we can’t go public yet.
Dorian
And the stick?
Josie
We won’t be alone
I shift in my seat, gripping the phone harder.
Dorian
Explain
Josie
Tomorrow night I have to take Penny trick-or-treating. I was thinking you could come… wearing a mask, so no one recognizes you
She wants me to be with her and her family. Even if it’s just to run around the streets collecting candy.
Dorian
Sure Penny won’t mind?
Josie
Are you sure *you* won’t mind?
Penny is relentless on Halloween
She’ll want to hit every house in the neighborhood
You’ll be begging to go home before she does
Dorian
I don’t scare easy
Josie
Also, prepare for sugar-related crimes
Dorian
Noted. Should I come armed with candy bribes or accept my fate?
Josie
Accept your fate. She’s going to wear us down then be high on sweets and impossible to put to bed
Dorian
Wow, you really know how to sell it. Total exhaustion and the risk of being held hostage by a tiny sugar gremlin
Josie
So a definitive yes?
Dorian
Yes. I have a high pain tolerance. And an even higher appreciation for short red dresses
What about tonight? What are you up to?
Josie
Just finishing Penny’s mermaid story on my tablet
Hopefully, it’ll help sedate her tomorrow night
Dorian
Could I tempt you with an adults-only night?
Her name flashes on the screen a second later.
I tap the green button, and she doesn’t even let me say hello. “You’re home early?”
I let my head fall back against the headrest, closing my eyes, picturing her on the other end of the line. “Yeah, a flying slot cleared tonight, and we took it.”
“Is it safe for me to come over?” Her voice dips, cautious but hopeful.
“You want to?”
“Dorian.” She exhales a soft rush of breath into the receiver that makes my grip tighten on my phone. “I haven’t seen you in six weeks; I’m dying to be with you.”
“We’ll be alone,” I clarify. I don’t want to dance around what nearly happened the last two times we were by ourselves. “No Tessa to interrupt. No awards to get.”
“Do I have to bring handcuffs?” Her tone is light, but there’s a breathless edge to it.
“Kinky. I like where this is going.” I grin, adjusting the AC vents as the car grows hotter—or maybe it’s me.
“Wait, that did not come out right. I meant so that you’ll keep your hands to yourself.” She rushes to correct herself, her words too fast and flustered, and it makes my smirk widen.
I straighten, rolling my neck, the tension not entirely from the flight. “I know what you meant, but what about your hands?”
“I’ve been working on impulse control. Worst case, I’ll sit on them.”
I laugh. “Can you be ready in thirty?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m still on the road. I’ll come pick you up.”
I signal to Ned. Turns out, I will ask him to make a U-turn after all.