Page 61 of Hung Up
The crowd seems to enjoy it, and no one is booing. It even looks like a few ladies have tears in their eyes. We finish the show with the last song on the set list, a faster paced song. We go over on time a little bit but no one is leaving. It feels good to be back up here. I hadn’t realized how much I’ve missed it. Really it never mattered to me the size of the stage or the amount of the people. As long as I’m singing, I’m happy. But I still wrestle with the feeling of belonging in two different places. Part of me feels at home on stage and under the bright lights but there’s something that pulls at me and makes me feel like I belong at the ranch too. I don’t have time to figure out what it all means right now.
The show is finished, the lights go out, and we walk off the stage. Sorrel’s waiting in the wing, eyes twinkling as she watches me. I wrap my arms around her, lifting her into the air and give her a big sweaty hug.
“How did you like it?” I ask her.
“It was amazing—I mean you were amazing! All of it. I loved it really.”
“It felt really good to sing your song.”
She’s blushing and chewing on her bottom lip. Fuck, I can’t wait to get back on the bus with her. We really haven’t had any alone time and have been sharing a tiny bunk together. Her ass has been pushed up against me every night since we left and it’s starting to give me blue balls.
I booked us a hotel near a couple of the venues. If I don’t get her alone soon, I might lose my fucking mind.
All my post-show high flies out the window when Emily approaches us.
“Denton, we’re gonna need to talk about that extra song you threw in there tonight,” she retorts with a terse tone. “Boys, we have a few fans waiting for a meet and greet if you can all follow me.”
Fuck her, I think.
We do the meet and greet, and by the time it’s over, I’m exhausted. The boys are ready to party and I’m not sure if Sorrel wants to join them.
“Did you want to go out tonight?” I ask her.
“I’m actually pretty tired.”
I sigh with relief. Groaning, I lay my head on her shoulder. “I knew we were made for each other.”
She laughs and gives my head a little scratch.
When we get back to the bus, the guys get an Uber and take off to whatever country bar they can find in the city. Sorrel and I squeeze in the tiny shower together washing each other's backs, which eventually leads to me bending her over and finally the both of us get the release we’ve been craving.
By the time we’re done, I’m ready to collapse. We snuggle up in our bunk, closing the curtain.
“I’m so happy you’re here with me, baby,” I tell her, pulling her in closer to me.
Softly she says, “Me too.” And then she closes her eyes.
Within minutes, she's already drifted off to sleep and I’m not far behind her.
My mind is still thinking about the Emily problem, but I need to shut it off and get some rest. We’ll handle it soon enough.
26
SORREL
It’s been a few months now since we left for the Windsong Tour. Emily has been a pebble in my boot ever since she arrived.
If she wasn't ignoring me, then she was just being a plain old bitch. I’d had it with her and it was starting to get to me if I was being honest.
We're in Fort Worth, Texas, tonight. Denton is playing at the Dickies Arena. I’m shaking in my tiny sequin skirt with excitement because Charli is finally here with me, hence why I’m wearing a tiny sequin skirt!
Emily went into town before Charli got here and I can’t fucking wait to see her reaction when she gets back. If she doesn’t like me, she’ll loathe Charli even more.
We’re wearing matching skirts that she brought with her and tiny crop tops. I have to say Charli fills the outfit out a lot better than me with her curves and tiny frame. She’s wearing her brown curls straight tonight and I decided to curl mine. We totally look like groupies but I don’t care. For Denton I am a groupie. He likes the skirt anyways; he only told me he does about five times.
Johnny was practically drooling over Charli when she got here. They had been FaceTiming every day. I asked her if she was actually into him and she got all weird and nervous. I haveneverseen her act like that over a guy. She’s around cowboys all the time and never batted an eye at them, so she must have some kind of feelings for Johnny.
I’m more than okay with it. How fun would it be if they actually got together.
