Page 48 of Just Wait

It’ll get ugly.

Hell, it already is.

Emotionally, I’m done for.

I woke up raw and exhausted, despite getting eight hours of sleep. Leaving the bedroom on the bus felt like a lot of work, but luckily, being around Malcolm cheered me up. It’s hard to be depressed when he’s like a hyper puppy, desperately trying to make me smile.

Watching their practice is unreal, and it’s just engaging enough that I manage to forget what a shit show my life is.

I’ve procrastinated making any calls, and I don’t even know why. I think it’s that once I do, it becomes real. When I tell my friends or my dad, they’ll know Theo cheated on me, and I’ll have to talk about it all over again.

By the time Liminal makes it off stage from practicing, I’m ready to retreat to the bus.

Malcolm doesn’t hesitate to throw his arm around my shoulder. “I need a shower. I’m sweating buckets.”

“The air conditioning in this place leaves something to be desired,” Riser says, pulling up his long sleeve T-shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. His olive skin is covered in dark tattoos, but I can’t make out what they are before he pulls the material down. “I also need a shower before we head back to the bus.”

“Me too,” Kincaid says, pulling his hair up into a bun on the top of his head. His bright teal eyes stand out in stark comparison to his tan skin and blond beard.

“Yeah, I’m ripe.” Malcolm pats my shoulder. “You can chill in the greenroom. I promise I won’t be too long. Then we can see what catering has available for dinner.”

It’s only three or maybe four p.m., at the latest, which is crazy early for dinner. No wonder they get late-night snacks delivered to the bus. I’m not hungry in the slightest. The single line I did earlier has mostly worn off, and I miss the energy and numb feeling.

“I’m heading back to the bus,” Tennyson says, swiping his blondish-brown curls back from his face. “I’ll grab a shower before the show, but I wanna chill right now.”

“I’m going with him.” Parish’s head bobs, and his long black hair falls over his shoulder as he turns to me. “You’re welcome to come with us, if you don’t want to hang out alone in the greenroom. You will miss out on watching their naked asses bounce as they try to get themselves into their too-tight jeans, though.”

“Oh, fuck you.” Kincaid snorts.

“Up to you, baby doll.” Malcolm kisses my temple. “It might be more comfortable to wait on the bus.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “I’ll head back with them, if that’s okay?”

Malcolm’s stormy, electric scent is so much stronger now that he’s sweaty, and it makes my head swim. I’ve had a mild reaction to Theo’s scent on occasion, but this is like that turned up to a thousand.

My mouth waters, and I have the strangest urge to ask for Mal’s sweaty tank top. It’s so unexpected that I take a step away, making his arm fall against his side with an awkward thump.

Jesus.

I need to get myself together.

It’s October in Charleston, and it’s still hot. This place really does need better air conditioning. Hopefully it’ll be cooler once we’re outside because at least then there’s a chance of a breeze.

I’m used to it from living in Florida my entire life, but one of the things I was most looking forward to was seeing the seasons.

Parish and Tennyson seem to do their own thing within the band. I’m not sure if that’s because they’re the two new members or if they’re just naturally close.

They’re polite, either way.

“Go on, sugar.” Parish holds the door open, winking as I pass through.

Tennyson steps aside, waiting for his friend to join him, but I linger around so they’ll go first.

They’ve been here the same amount of time that I have, so I have no clue how they remember where everything is.

I’m basically a lost puppy.

They take the lead, walking down a long, covered sidewalk that loops around by a parking lot. The buses finally come into view, and my heartbeat picks up. All I have to do is make it inside Liminal’s bus without anyone from Tangled Desires spotting me.