Page 112 of Saving Graces
“Rosalie Carlson. Are you angling for a ride on the fucking tour bus?”
“Ugh,” Rosalie said, pulling her down on top of her to kiss, “shut up and just take me with you.”
They ate breakfast in a little cafe at the waterfront, then wandered the beach past the lighthouse, Kinsey literally nearly dying when Rosalie slipped her fingers through hers as they walked.
They picked up Rosalie’s bag from her completely unslept-in hotel room and met the tour bus right before it was due to depart. They had just boarded the steps together, when a voice shouted down the bus at them.
“Kinsey!” Coral yelled, “what are the fucking rules?” Kinsey blinked, hesitating, as Coral arrived in the aisle midway down the bus, her hand on her hip looking ferocious. “No groupies on the tour bus!”
Rosalie laughed out loud, her green eyes sparkling bright. She grabbed Kinsey’s hand, jerking her into a pair of empty seats and pulling Kinsey against her body like a human shield.
Coral stalked down the aisle, pushing her way into the seat behind theirs. Her expression cracked immediately into a blinding smile as Rosalie nudged Kinsey away from her to stand up so the two women could embrace tightly over the back of the seat.
“Never really pegged you as a cougar,” Coral teased Rosalie who rolled her eyes. “Suits you though. You’re glowing.” Coral cocked her head at Kinsey. “What did you do to her?” Kinsey simply raised her eyebrows and Coral laughed.
“That’s why you scared the crap out of me and ordered me out the door last night,” Kinsey said, turning in her seat to gape at Coral.
“Yeah, that was an orchestrated ambush,” Coral informed her with a smirk. “She’s into you, but not enough to wait out in the cold all damn night.”
“What did she even say to you?” Kinsey wished she’d been a fly on the wall for that conversation.
“She called and told me she needed to seduce my opening act drummer and have her way with her.” Coral shrugged. “Standard Rosalie shit. So I threw you to the lions.”
“Well,” Kinsey said, deliberately widening her eyes to look as doe like as possible. “Thank you.”
Coral cackled and Rosalie sank down in her seat, more than a little pink, pulling Kinsey in close again. The bus jerked into gear and Coral went back to her seat.
“It’s possible you’re enjoying this a little too much,” Rosalie said.
“It only just hit me how ridiculously cool you are,” Kinsey said. “Friends with both Savannah Grace and Coral Sanchez before they even got famous. You like to disguise it but you’re a fucking hipster,” she accused.
Rosalie laughed and Kinsey couldn’t stop her smile at how much she liked this version of Rosalie, the one with the mischievous eyes who was more than comfortable on a tour bus full of musicians. She tugged her in and kissed her.
“I honestly have no idea how I didn’t notice you two were fucking.” They pulled back to see that Cassidy had arrived into the seat in front of them, sitting up on her knees to observe them. She fixed her blue eyes sharply on Rosalie. “Did she give you hell?” she asked hopefully.
“She did,” Rosalie said, her face completely straight. Kinsey wondered if for Rosalie just being invited to talk about her inner self was in fact, her idea of hell. She loved that she had done it anyway.
“Okay good,” Cassidy approved. “So you’re sorted?” She looked from one to the other. Kinsey met her eye and nodded, barely able to hold back her happiness. Cassidy smiled widely. “Great. Because you look fucking amazing together. It took me a minute to get my head around it, but now that I see it… I really see it.”
“She’s like, obsessed with you,” Lane announced, sliding in beside their girlfriend. “She’s got your whole lives together planned out for you now, in case you need any pointers.”
Rosalie quivered slightly beside her, but when Kinsey turned to look at her she saw that it was with held-back laughter.
“I do not,” Cassidy huffed. “All I said was that the two of you are a good match. Kinsey could do with a mature, stable partner when our lives start to get insane soon enough and Rosalie could use the excitement.”
Rosalie burst out laughing, her hand sliding into Kinsey’s.
“You know, Cassie,” she said, “I’m pretty sure you’re right.”
That night, they all hung out backstage before they were due to go on and Kinsey felt like her heart could burst. Her band was about to play, Cassidy and Lane were goofing around looking adorable and Rosalie was sitting in her lap, eyes lit up, laughing at something Coral said, sparkling with happiness and so damn pretty Kinsey could die.
It felt like everything.
Just before they were due to play, Rosalie kissed her on the mouth in front of everyone, then dragged Lane with her to go smoosh into the crowd and see them play from the audience. When the lights came on and the crowd gave them a roar Kinsey found she could barely stop smiling. They played a great set, Kinsey understanding now why Cassidy lit up on stage so brightly, knowing there was someone out there in the crowd with eyes only for you.
Afterward Rosalie stole her away into a dark corner backstage to make out.
“I love your band,” she said from under her lashes. “Want to come home with me?”
