“The energy. The house lights were so shitty, and I remember halfway through the set the tech failed.” He gestured as he spoke, lost in the memory. “When I say failed, I mean mics, lights, everything. The only thing lighting up the place was the emergency lights on the exit signs. It was eerie. But so fucking awesome.” The cold bit at him as he waved his hands and he shoved them in his pockets. “That wasn’t even the coolest part,” he continued, and glanced over to take in his companion. Bay’s short blond hair was ruffled in the icy breeze, and his thicker frame was hunkered down in his jacket, but he hung on Travis’s every word.
“The crowd started singing the rest of the song I was in the middle of and turned the lights of their phones on. I had my acoustic guitar, so I did the rest of the set intimately. It was fucking amazing. I mean, halfway through the rest of the set, everyone sat down on the floor and it was so personal. The energy was still there, the excitement, but it was like we were trapped in this little perfect moment that was just us. We didn’t exist outside of that venue. We didn’t exist outside of the music…” He trailed off once he realized he was rambling and got back to the point of that story. “I was going to go there and hole up for a bit, but the town had grown a lot since I’d been there, and I just didn’t want to risk it. The name of this place caught my eye, and after a google search I just said fuck it.” He shrugged. “And here I am.”
“For how long?” Bay pressed.
“I dunno. However long it takes me to…”
Feel normal again? Find himself outside of partying and drinking?
Sounded a lot easier than it really was.
He let the thought lie, and Bay hummed as if he understood why he hadn’t continued.
“It’s nice here,” he said and then chuckled. “That sounds lame, but it really is. The people, the food, the scenery.” Their feet hit the pavement of the McAlister’s driveway, and Travis glanced over just as Bay shook his head. “I sound like a commercial. But seriously, if you’re looking to wind down or decompress or detox or whatever you want, this… is a damn good place to do it.”
“What makes you think I need to detox?” Travis questioned, and stood a little taller.
With a wry smile, Bay met his gaze. “You were about to face-plant in the ladies’ room an hour ago.”
A flush of annoyance rose through Travis and burned his cheeks almost as well as the cold did. Their footsteps echoed on the porch as Travis opened the door. Unlocked, just like Dana had said.
“I was not,” he retorted, tugging off his beanie and shaking a hand through his dark curls as he headed toward his room. “I was pissed off and had a few beers. I was fine.”
“Sure, if that’s what you wanna tell yourself.”
The dismissive humor in his tone pissed Travis off, and he turned at the mouth of the hallway to face Bay.
“Look, do you want an autograph, or what?”
He cocked his head, his brows forming a knot that Travis suddenly wanted to smooth away. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what do you want? Getting me out of the bar, buying me coffee, following me here?”
If he hadn’t imagined it, Travis could have sworn his face fell a bit before he hid it.
“Just welcoming you to town. I told you, everyone here is nice.”
He slipped his hand in his pocket before coming out with a white card. Travis didn’t look at it even as he automatically reached to take it, but instead kept staring at Bay. Unfortunately, he got nothing from his expression.
“So, what, you wanted to get the first scoop on the rock star who burned his own career?”
Bay’s eyes widened just the slightest before he stepped back and ran a hand over the back of his neck.
“No. Listen, all I’m saying is… if you need someone to talk to, give me a call. Even if you’re running from your problems, you gotta face ‘em.” He nodded at the card Travis still held and turned his back and walked away.
Travis let out a long, slow breath before turning and retreating to his room. The heat in the house was on, and running strong apparently, because he was relieved to feel the coolness of the room hit him as he undressed for bed.
Without looking, he tossed the card on the nightstand where it landed facedown, the corner tucked under the lamp. Scoffing at the audacity of a small-town guy psychoanalyzing him, he stalked into the bathroom and chugged a glass of water.
He wasn’t running from his problems. He just needed to get away from everything.
Narrowing his eyes at his reflection, he frowned. Those two sounded awfully fucking similar, and he grumbled in annoyance as he flicked the light off and dove between the covers.
It wasn’t until he was seconds away from sleep that a thought occurred to him.
How the hell had Bay known where he was staying?
TRAVIS
The morning light streaming through the curtains and straight into his eyes was the first thing that woke up Travis. But the thing that convinced him to get up was the smell of bacon.
He hadn’t awoken to the smell of anything cooking since he’d lived at home, and that had been…
Far too long ago, he decided.
As he rolled over, he realized his head didn’t hurt, which was a surprise considering how much he’d drank the night before. With a wince, he remembered what an ass he’d made of himself in the bar—and sent a silent thanks up to whoever had sent the mysterious Bay his way.
Tossing the covers off, he frowned. He didn’t think he’d told Bay where he was staying—so how had he known?
Chalking it up to small town talk, he shrugged and rolled out of bed, and used the adjoining bathroom to his advantage. After showering and brushing his teeth, he glanced out the window—
“Holy shit,” he mumbled.
Pure white covered the ground, which explained why the hell it was so bright in the room. The sunlight reflected off the snow, several inches deep at least, to create a beautiful winter wonderland. He glanced forlornly at his worn sneakers, and regretfully slipped them on. Looked like he’d be getting those new boots sooner rather than later.
In jeans and another sweater, he left his room and brushed a hand through his wet hair. Voices drifted up from the kitchen, and he paused at the mouth of the hallway before taking a deep breath.
Socializing. He could do this.
But why do I have to do it before coffee?
Releasing a long sigh, he closed the remaining distance between himself and the kitchen, and pulled up short.
The deep voice he’d heard talking to Dana hadn’t been another guest and instead was…
“There you are,” Dana greeted him with an excited smile and a bounce of pure energy. “We wondered when you would join the rest of the living.”
Travis offered a half smile, gaze trapped and locked on the pools of chocolate brown belonging to his mysterious rescuer from the night before.
“Good morning,” Bay offered, hiding a grin behind his coffee mug.
“Morning,” Travis answered out of reflex.
“Would you like some coffee?” Dana interjected, but before Travis could even answer she was holding out a steaming mug of heaven.
He thanked her quietly as his head spun, and he sipped the black coffee without adding cream or sugar.