“Yoube quiet!” Milo shot back.
Cash’s mother leaned forward and said, “You two are a cute couple. Robert and I used to bicker like that when we were young. It was our love language.”
“Hah!” Violet scoffed. “We arenota couple.”
“Don’t act so offended,” Milo said.
“Trust me: I’m not acting.”
Cash met my gaze from across the table and rolled his eyes. I covered my mouth with my hand so they wouldn’t see me laughing.
Cash spent the night there and we picked him up in the tour bus the next morning. That required Violet to drive, which caused Riot and Milo to buckle their seatbelts and hold on for dear life.
“I’m a fine driver!” Violet growled at them from behind the wheel.
“Sure you are,” Riot said, before turning to me and mouthing, “She’s not.”
Despite the challenge of driving a forty-five-foot-long bus, Violet got us to Cash’s house safely. We hopped out to quickly say goodbye to Cash’s parents before loading up again.
“Take care of my son,” the mom whispered to me when I said goodbye. “He needs a good woman in his life.”
“Oh, we’re not… we’re just friends,” I said.
“Sure you are, honey.” She smiled at me knowingly. “Cash’s father and I were friends before we started dating, too. And he looked at me the same way Cash looks at you.”
I thought about her comments for the entire four-hour drive to Chicago.
Our hotel wasn’t super fancy, but it felt like a palace after living on a tour bus since our last hotel in Boston. I carried my bag up to my room and spread out on the bed, sighing at how soft the mattress and sheets were.
I couldn’t wait to get them dirty with Riot.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
27
Roxie
When we met downstairs to go to dinner a few hours later, Riot was nowhere to be found. After calling his phone and texting him, we all took the elevator up to his floor and banged on the door.
“He’s probably not dead,” Milo said.
Violet punched him in the arm. “Dude!”
“I’m just saying!” We heard movement inside the room. Milo pointed and said, “See? Not dead.”
Riot opened the door, and we immediately knew what was wrong. His face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“I had a tickle in my throat this morning,” he said in a hoarse voice. “Thought it was from the show, but now…”
He ducked his head behind the door as a coughing fit hit him.
“Don’t get us sick!” Violet said, backing away.
“Do you need a doctor?” Milo asked.
Riot shook his head. “Just. Rest. I’ll. Be. Fine.” Another coughing fit hit him.
“We’ll get you some medicine at the pharmacy,” Cash promised. “And some soup.”
