“What are you doing?” I demanded. “You’re not texting her, are you?”
“I’m texting Dana. Mywife. Jesus, just go do it already. The worst she could say is no.”
That’s what I was afraid of, though. Roxie saying no. Then things would be awkward between us for the rest of the tour. I didn’t handle rejection well. Violet claimed I had abandonment issues.
Which I probably did. But still.
I’d been thinking about asking out Roxie for weeks. Turning the idea around in my head like a Rubik’s Cube, planning out the best angle of attack. I wasn’t normally this reserved. I was usually too impulsive, as Cash liked to say. I rushed into things and worried about the consequences later.
But the stakes felt higher with a girl like Roxie.
I didn’t want to fuck this up. And I definitely didn’t want to screw with our group dynamic. Nothing destroyed a band faster than internal drama. I didn’t want Roxie to become our Yoko Ono.
“Come on, Milo,” I whispered to myself. “You’re fucking dope. Everyone likes you. Roxie would love to go out with you.”
I was so lost in thought that I rounded a corner and ran right into her.
My momentum caused her to stagger backwards, but I was a drummer, which meant I had great reflexes. I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward me before she could fall on her ass.
But the soup she was carrying exploded like a bomb.
I don’t really remember what happened next. I was jacked up on adrenaline and nerves, and tore my polo shirt off and started using it as a rag to clean up the mess.
And then, after giving up on that, Violet’s words echoed in my mind:Just go do it, pussy.
So I blurted it out.
“I was actually coming to see you. I was, uh, going to ask you out. On a… date.”
Roxie’s big, innocent eyes widened in surprise. The worst possible reaction I could have expected. I knew that look, and it filled my veins with ice.
But then she grinned. A big, genuine smile that warmed my heart more than a dozen containers of soup.
“I’d like that,” she said. “I’dloveto go on a date with you, Milo. What are you thinking?”
Shit. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Think fast, Milo.Think. She’s staring at you! Waiting for an answer!
“We’re in Minneapolis next,” I said. “But after that we’re playing in Denver. I kind of lived there for a year, so I know a lot of cool dive bars. Places with live music, stuff you wouldn’t know about unless you’re a local.”
“Oh yeah?” Roxie tilted her head to the side. “Are you big into music?”
She said it deadpan with a straight face, so it took me an embarrassing couple of seconds to realize she was making a joke. “Ah ha ha, yeah, you could say I’m into music. A little bit.”
“That sounds like a wonderful date,” she replied. “I’m in.”
“Yeah? Really?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” she teased, poking my bare chest with a finger.
That was a reminder that I was shirtless, and that there was at least a pint of soup running down the wall next to us. “Hell yeah. Sick. I’ll grab some towels and, uh…”
“Go back to your room and chill,” Roxie insisted. “This is my mess, so I’ll talk to the front desk and get it cleaned up.” She patted me on the arm. “Looking forward to Denver!”
I practically floated all the way back to Violet’s room.
“I’m beginning to regret giving you a key,” she muttered. “I never get any peace and quiet. Why the hell are you shirtless?”
