Fucking Liv.
The vehicle stopped and I stared at the little whiskey bottle.
I tossed it to the seat, leaving it unopened.
Bill turned and looked at me. “Need anything, Nash?”
“More than I care to admit, Bill.”
He nodded. “Riding solo today.”
“It’s how it should be. Anything else makes things…”
“That’s love, brother.”
“What?” I asked.
“Love. That’s what it does. Love makes you run through a hotel to find her room. Love makes you bring her to the tour bus to watch the sun rise. Love makes you fight a dude with a camera because he has a picture of her. And love makes you walk away only because you’re afraid of what you feel.”
“Is that what happened to you, Bill?” I asked.
He laughed. “If you only knew how many fights I got into for my girl. I think she liked to play it too. She liked watching me defend her. She drove me crazy, Nash. There was one time I took on a guy and then his two friends jumped me. I ended up outside this bar in New Orleans, smoking a cig, my lip bloody and swollen. So my girl stood there, biting her lip, knowing she was wrong for starting that fight. I told myself… I said… Bill, you stick around with this crazy one and she’s going to do you in for good…”
“What did you do?”
“I flicked my cig away and kissed her. She took care of me that night and when we flew back home, I sold my motorcycle and bought her a diamond ring.”
I nodded. “That’s a good story, Bill. That could be a song.”
“You’re the rock star, Nash. Not me.”
I opened the door and got out of the SUV.
The other SUVs were right there too, the rest of the guys getting out.
“How many hookers and coke are you going to be loading up on, Nash?” a voice called out to me.
I turned and saw some guy hurrying toward us.
“Nash,” Jay called out. “Let’s get inside, bro.”
“Heard a rumor you’re desperate for a deal because you know you’re not the top band anymore,” the same guy said.
I normally didn’t engage with that bullshit.
But this guy was smiling. Pushing at me. Messing with me.
And when he got close enough, I attacked.
I grabbed him by the shirt and threw him against the side of the SUV.
“Assaulting me,” he said. “Oh, that’s going to get you some headline news.”
“What the fuck do you want?” I asked.
“Exactly what I’m getting,” he said. “You’re washed up, Nash. Your music sucks. Can’t wait to hear about you being bloated on the floor, choking on your own puke.”
“Go choke on something yourself, asshole,” I said. “Write your fucking story and go wipe down some tables.”
The guy opened his mouth and that was all I could take.
I let my right fist finish the conversation, dropping him to the ground.
Bill was there, throwing his arms around me from the side. “That’s enough, Nash. Go inside. I’ll handle this.”
I shook my right hand as I walked toward the band.
“He asked for it,” I said.
“Yeah, he did,” Dex said.
“We signed the contract,” Reed said.
“Good,” I said. “Now let’s make some fucking music and get on the road where we belong.”
Jay got in my way and put a fist to my chest. “We signed knowing damn well what needs to happen.”
“Meaning?” I asked.
“If you love her, go tell her,” Jay said. “And if shit goes south with this deal, then we’ll handle it.”
I shook my head. “Not your problem, brother. We both knew what it was. We used each other. Time came and went. That’s how life goes.”
“You know,” Sab said, “you’re missing out on the breakup fuck.”
“He’s got a point,” Dex said. “Fucking right before or after a breakup…”
“Or the makeup fuck,” Reed said.
“Thanks for worrying about my dick,” I said. “But I’ll be just fine.”
“Actually, I’m not sure about that,” entered another voice.
It was damn Toby’s voice.
I looked over my shoulder. “What do you want, Toby? We signed the contract. You got what you wanted.”
“No,” Toby said. “I fucked up. I didn’t realize what she meant to you. I just assumed… whatever.”
“Too late now,” I said.
“It will be if you don’t do something,” Toby said.
“Meaning?”
“I tried to track her down. Made a few calls. She’s leaving.”
“Leaving? Where?”
“She’s flying to New York, Nash. Today. Like…right now. She’s packing up and leaving.”
I turned and faced Toby.
My heart started to bounce around in my chest.
Even without whiskey, coke, or pussy.
Toby nodded.
I pushed by him and darted toward the SUV.
Bill was still dealing with the asshole I punched.
I got into the driver’s seat and started the SUV.
And just like that, I was doing something else fucking crazy.
Stealing a vehicle to find Liv and tell her I loved her before she left my life for good.
18
OLIVIA
We sat outside and sipped coffee.
“I don’t think I can process this yet,” Zoe said. “So you and Nash were a thing?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe. Maybe not. But it is what it is now.”
“Things must have been crazy for you then, Olivia,” Sky said.
Liv. Call me Liv, bitch.
I nodded. “It got all mixed up. I was just trying to understand him. Understand the band. You know? To make sure they enjoyed themselves but didn’t ruin the deal.”
“So he signed the contract and sent you packing,” Christy said, shaking her head. “Fuck him. What a loser.”
“No,” I said. “He’s not a loser. We both knew the ending. I just thought it would have been…”
“Like something you write,” Zoe said. She reached for my hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Wait a second,” Sky said. “What’s the ending?”
“Well, the ending is reality,” I said. “He’s a famous rock star. He’s going to record music and play shows. And then what? I mean, they pick out the women they want to fuck. Like right out of the crowd.”
“We know,” Zoe said.
“So what do I do with that?” I asked. “Sit home on the couch watching TV while he’s got some woman bent over a folding table in the back of an arena? What, because he doesn’t know her name or see her face it doesn’t count?”
“Wow,” Christy said. “That’s crazy.”
“I mean, from day one… it was simple. He needed to get his contract and I needed to get my book deal. It was about me getting to New York and finally having my own life.”
“Yeah,” Zoe said. “No. Wait. New York?”