I tried to put on a smile as we drove north and picked Violet up on the way to Kansas City, where our next show was scheduled. Dana gave me a threatening look again, which the guys joked about once we were on the road again.
“You’re a threat,” Riot said. “Dana knows it.”
“Why does she think I’m a threat?”
“Because you’re super hot. It’s self-evident.”
“Youaresuper hot,” Violet agreed, “but Dana does that with every woman I’m around. Don’t take it personally.”
“If I were a woman,” Milo said, “I’d totally bang you.”
“You’re already banging me,” I pointed out.
Milo frowned. “Yeah, but, like, if I were a woman? I’d still want to.”
“Can you guys sit down?” Cash called over his shoulder. “It’s hard to drive when you’re moving around in my peripheral vision. It’s distracting.”
Everything was lighthearted. We’d picked up right where we had left off two weeks earlier.
But I still couldn’t stop wondering what would happen when the tour ended in a few weeks. The topic began to consume me to the point that I struggled to focus on my freelance work.
I waited until we’d spent a night parked in Kansas City before casually asking the others what they were going to do when the tour was over.
“No plans!” Milo said. “I’m keeping it that way. I’ll see what happens. It’ll be nice not to have to follow Cash’s strict schedule.”
“It’s not my schedule. It’s the band’s schedule,” Cash sighed, like he’d explained this to Milo several times before. “I bought a house back in July, and I have a long list of projects to work on. That will basically be a full-time job for a while.”
“I’m handy with a hammer if you need any help!” I offered.
Cash smiled at me. “I will take you up on that.”
“I play keyboard in a sapphic band,” Violet said. “We’re touring in January and February, so I’ll be on the road until the spring.”
“Nice,” I said. “If you’re playing in Austin, I’ll come see your show.”
“Fucking right you will! I’ve got a ticket already set aside. I want you in the front row screaming your head off.”
“I can do that!”
The conversation shifted to her band and their style of music, which frustrated me because Riot hadn’t chimed in about his post-tour plans. His silence was deafening, especially as he joked about other stuff. It felt like he was deliberately avoiding the question.
My mind filled in the vacuum with the worst case scenario.
I watched the Kansas City show with only mild enthusiasm. Afterward, I conquered my fear of heights and climbed to the roof to where he was drinking his beers in honor of his brother.
“You doing okay?” I asked as I sat next to him on the roof.
He frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure what to say to that without coming right out and accusing him of hiding his plans.
Instead, I bluntly asked the question. “What are your plans for when the tour is over?” I tried to make it sound casual, but it still felt like an interrogation to me.
“Not sure, honestly,” he replied while staring out at the view of the city. “I’ve been so creative lately, I might hole myself up and continue working on our next album. Everyone else has to fill in their parts, but they can’t do that until I lay the groundwork. If I can put my head down and focus, I might be able to get all of that work done by the time Vi gets back in March.”
“I thought you were almost done with this album,” I said carefully. It still sounded like an accusation in my ears.
Riot glanced sideways at me and flashed a smile. “I am. But I’ve been so motivated that I’m already jotting down notes for thenextalbum. I want to take advantage of this creativity while I can.”
