“Huh?” He turned at looked at Ravi. Damn he looked good with his acres of smooth skin displayed against the crisp white sheets. Harvey dipped his head. He had no right to perv on him like that. He plucked at the sheet.
“I’m sorry you’re not there with them,” Ravi said. “You deserve to be travelling the world and enjoying the success of HyperOctane with the rest of the band.”
Harvey grunted. It wasn’t like he had any choice what with his injury the result of a stupid accident, something totally out of his control. “I’m glad Parker’s with them.”
“Still, you should be there too.” Ravi climbed from the bed. “I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me.”
“Hey, I love having you here. I’d be going stir crazy if I’d been holed up here on my own.” Harvey threw the covers back and Ravi was immediately at his side, helping as usual. “I mean it, Rav.”
Ravi’s lips flicked up in a brief smile, but he didn’t maintain eye contact, instead reaching for the bedside table and picking up the empty water glass. “I’ll start breakfast while you get ready, huh? Yell if you need a hand.”
“Sure.”
Harvey sat on the edge of the bed and watched him leave the room.Goddammit. Just watching Rav’s retreating back had him in a jumble. And the kiss? Well, he wasn’t totally ready to go there. But he should have asked him to stay, explained how much he actually meant the words he’d said, and not just because he appreciated the help. He loved spending time with Ravi, getting to know him as the man he’d grown to be, seeing how the shy teenager had matured into a thoughtful and more outgoing guy. But those thoughts only served to remind him how much he’d fucked up back in the days when Ravi was only eighteen and Harvey was old enough to have known better. He sighed. Fuck he’d made such a mess with the way he’d handled things.
And judging from Ravi’s reactions, it looked like he was well on the way to doing it again.
Chapter Six
3yearsago
Sweat dripped into Harvey’s eyes making them sting. He swiped at his forehead with the back of his hand and blinked. The lights were blinding, the crowd roaring as the last notes died off. He grinned.Hell, yeah!It was fucking awesome to be back on stage with the boys. It had been far too long since he’d felt the adrenalin rush and damn, he missed it.
“Thanks for tonight,” Rafe shouted into the microphone to be heard over the cheering. “Don’t forget to look out for us next time you’re in Sydney.”
HyperOctane was well-known on the Sydney pub circuit, but hadn’t undertaken any major nationwide tours, just played the odd pub here and there across the country. Tonight was one of those nights. All the boys were in town, so they’d arranged a session down at Freo and from the looks of things they’d managed to pick up some new fans.
Harvey bumped fists with RG and Gibbo then jumped off the stage following Rafe out the back. He stowed his guitar and chugged back a bottle of water, before he and the boys made their way out to the front. A few hardcore fans tried to strike up conversation with the band, but no matter how much Harvey appreciated the fans he wasn’t in the mood to stop. He wanted to hang out with the guys and talk about getting back out there.Fuck I need this.Making music and playing with the band was like oxygen and he felt alive again.
He fought his way to the back of the room and slid into the booth beside a grinning Bo. He couldn’t help himself and slung an arm around Bo’s neck, pulling him in for a hug. “Fuck, man, that was awesome.”
“Hey, that’s my line.” Bo chuckled. “You guys are bloody brilliant.”
“Says my number one fan.”
Bo laughed at the throwaway comment, the sound adding to Harvey’s elation, but it was true—Bo had always been one of his biggest supporters. When he’d initially been reluctant to travel across the country to follow his music career, leaving his family behind to risk it all on something that might never happen, Bo had always cheered him on, and for that Harvey was eternally grateful. It had helped to know he had support beyond just his mum and Parker, and he warmed at the knowledge that Bo was on his side. “It was great to play again. I’ve missed all this.”
“You’ve had fun these last few months, right?” Bo asked, forehead creasing.
“Yeah—”
“Here.” They were interrupted by RG sliding into the booth and shoving a couple of bourbons across the table.
“Thanks, man.” Harvey turned his attention back to Bo. “It was great having a break. I think we all needed these past few months off. The scene can be a real killer—late nights, too much booze.” He indicated the drink he held in his hand. “We all needed some downtime to regroup. Plus it was nice to spend some time with Parker before he headed off to London.”
Bo’s smile was bright. “It’s been great having you back. Like old times. Almost.”
“Almost?”
“It’s not quite the same without Ravi here.”
“No, it isn’t.” Harvey threw back the bourbon. He hated to admit it but he was sort of glad Ravi was in Singapore. It made things easier somehow.
“Anyway, here’s to good times and to the band.” Bo raised his glass, and clinked it with RG, then Harvey. “Cheers.”
“Hey,” RG said. “Thanks for coming to see us play. It’s nice to have a familiar face in the crowd.”
Bo grinned. “I wouldn’t have missed it. It’s great to have you guys in town, even if it’s only for a short time.”
