“Ugh, gross, dude. Come on—”
Tank bursts into loud laughter, putting up both hands in surrender as he doubles over, clutching his stomach. “Oh man, your face… fuckin’ priceless!”
I reach out and slap the back of his head, grumbling while he follows me out the door, still laughing.
“So… you stayed here again last night?” he asks.
I nod. It’s going to be weird seeing Effa again after not talking since the night before last.
“Why didn’t you come to the hotel with us? You know your room’s paid for, right?”
I blink, surprised. “What? That’s not usually how this works.”
Tank shrugs. “Yeah, well, these girls look after their people. They’ve got a whole floor rented out for both bands and crew. I’m pretty sure there’s a room with your name on it. Might have to share, but at least it’s got a real bed and…” he sniffs dramatically, “… a shower.”
He smirks as I glance down at myself and chuckle under my breath.Fair point.“Okay. Right.” I quickly sniff under my arms. “Is this something they do at every stop?”
“Yep. If they can’t rent an entire floor, they’ll get the penthouse and put us up in nearby rooms. These girls are something else. They really care about everyone on their team.”
“Yeah… I’m starting to see that.”
We enter the backstage area, and it’s already buzzing with crew getting things ready for tonight’s final show. After this, we’re heading to Colorado for an intimate performance at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I’ve had to rework the entire lighting dynamic just for that venue because it’s way smaller, the stage is barely half the size of their usual setup, and the crowd tops out at just over nine thousand. No interactive effects. No waterfalls. Just light and atmosphere to highlight the girls and their sound.
From what I’ve seen online, it’s supposed to be magical. A natural, acoustically perfect amphitheatre carved into the mountains, surrounded by plains and rock formations. It’s one of a kind.Sting, U2, The Beatles—they have all played there. Honestly, it seems like the kind of place Effa would pick herself.
Jay strolls up as we near the crew hub, grinning like a jackass. “Yo! Heard you crashed here again last night. You know that’s weird, right?”
Everyone nearby laughs.
“Okay, okay, I get it. Don’t worry. I’ll stay at the hotel with the rest of you tonight.”
A round of loud cheers erupts backstage, and I can’t help but laugh as they crowd around.
“Wow. Didn’t know you all liked me this much,” I tease.
“Shut up,” Tank replies. “We want the whole team together. Doesn’t feel right having a man down.”
Suddenly, a round of wolf-whistles rings out down the corridor. We all turn to see the girls approaching. They’re not in their stage outfits yet, but they’re looking stylish as hell.
Except Effa.
She’s barefoot, barefaced, hair down in extra waves, and wearing pants that look like a psychedelic dream. Her top is a shoelace-strapped thing that shows off her midriff and the fact that she’s not wearing a bra.
I swallow hard.
She looks like… Effa.
Totally effortless.
Totally her.
Anyone else in that outfit would look ridiculous. But on her? It’s sexy as hell. She’s so small, delicate almost, but I know better. There’s steel under that soft exterior.
“Cool it, guys,” Luke calls from behind them, and the moment between us shatters.
Effa walks past without a word, chatting with the girls. But I catch the glance she tries to hide as she passes. Alana shoots me a quick wince, and I sigh, dragging a hand over the back of my neck. The weight in my chest tightens. I barely know Effa, so her being pissed at me shouldn’t matter, but it does.
It really fucking does.
