“He might be, but I don’t think Alex would hang around a boxing gym. She always hated violence of any kind.” Alex was always so sweet and innocent when we were kids. She’d be the only one running in the opposite direction if someone started fighting. There was no way she was hanging around to watch. “She fought once when some drunk chick at a party tried to crawl up on me to kiss me. It wasn’t much of a fight, though. Alex just grabbed the chick by the hair, threw her on the ground, kicked her once, and told her to fuck off. It was awesome, but then she cried about it for three days. She even tried tracking the girl down to send her an apology note.”
“Yeah, ok,” Devon says with a chuckle. “It doesn’t seem likely that a boxing gym would be her favourite hangout then. Are there any coffee shops or bars on this street that you think we should check out?”
“This is stupid.” I blow out a breath in frustration. “Let’s just go back to the house for now. She probably went home to keep packing, anyway. I doubt we’ll see her anywhere tonight.”
“I was kind of thinking the same thing. She said that Becca was grabbing beer too, and it didn’t really sound like they were heading out again tonight.” Devon tells me while turning the Escalade around so we can drive the block one more time on the way home. “Sorry, man. I feel terrible for not getting her number for you. I honestly thought you had it already.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “You didn’t know how we left it that night. If you’d asked me at the meet and greet if I’d be seeing her again, I’d have said yes, absolutely. I had no idea the after party would turn out the way it did.”
“Right?” It’s Ryder again. “I was there and I still don’t really believe that it turned out that way. I saw the way you guys were looking at each other man, there was something there.”
“Thanks, Ryder,” I tell him without turning around. “I felt something as soon as she gave me the whiskey bottle back at the venue. Like, an electric current or something, giving me the feeling that I’m finally home. Or whole. Or… fuck, I don’t know. It feels like a part of me I didn’t even know was missing is finally back where it belongs. Does that even make sense?”
“I don’t know, dude. What Idoknow is that you’re making me want to puke.” Ryder laughs. “Fucking singers, man, y’all just have so many feelings. Seems like you’re just complicating things. You should have just taken her into the bathroom and fucked her. I’m sure you’d feel pretty good after that. I know I would.”
Aiden reaches over and punches Ryder for me. “Shut the fuck up, Ryder. Don’t think I don’t know that you’ve been trying to fuck your feelings away. I’m pretty fucking observant.”
Ryder looks a little surprised. Aiden rarely calls anyone out, so for him to get involved this way is serious.
“You’re right, man.” Ryder looks at me. “Sorry Connor, you know I’m just an asshole.”
“You’re not wrong about that,” I say. “But it’s fine. Don’t do it again though, or you and I will have words. Somehow I am going to make sure Alex is in my life, and I don’t want anyone making her feel uncomfortable.”
“You got it, buddy. You’ll see nothing but the utmost respect from me from now on.” Ryder actually looks like he feels bad. Good. Alex is too important to me to let him run his mouth about her. “Well, regarding Alex, anyway. Other chicks are still fair game.” And he’s back. Ryder can’t stop being Ryder for long.
I’m a little surprised when I look up to see that we are already almost at my place. I guess Devon has been driving the entire time, and I just didn’t notice. We pull up to the garage and wait for the door to open so Devon can pull the Escalade in. Once we’re all in, we head back to the kitchen and start eating the pizza that we left out. Stalking is hungry work, I guess.
“You guys hanging out or heading home tonight? Your rooms are all set up if you’re staying. I’m fucking beat though, so I’m probably going to crash right after this.” I’m already yawning and stretching, while eating a piece of the Lexi Girl pizza. It’s fucking weird, but it tastes ok.
I am completely exhausted. After a tour ends, I usually want to sleep for about a week straight. The label has given us a tight deadline for this next album, though, so the guys and I all figured we should get started right away.
Not that we’ve gotten much done this week. We were all a little out of sorts, but I was the worst. I’m all twisted up over Alex, and I don’t know how I can fix it. Tomorrow I’ll go to the gym early and see if Mike knows anything. He’s been in that neighbourhood for so long that if anyone knows anything, it’s him. After that, who knows? Maybe I will have to try waiting around to see a moving truck. It might be my last chance to find Alex before she moves away for good.
Chapter 24
Alex - Packing and Planning
“So who are you going to be working for, anyway? A six months, all hours, live in contract sounds pretty intense. It must be someone important for them to require a background check and an NDA.” Becca is finishing up her third beer while we relax on the couch and watch a movie.
“I’m not sure yet. The woman was supposed to tell me after I passed the background check and signed the NDA. I guess she forgot about that part though, because her text just said that I passed the check and could move in tomorrow. I still need to let her know what time I’m going to be there though.”
“I vote for afternoon,” Becca hates mornings. She would sleep until noon every day if she could. Unfortunately for her, the wedding business usually requires her to spend her mornings in meetings or behind the camera. “Then you can make me a delicious breakfast before we go and you disappear from my life for 6 months.”
“Haha, hilarious,” I deadpan. “I’ll still be able to see you. I’m going to work, not prison.”
“Wait, how is me helping you move in going to work, anyway? Am I allowed to be there? I haven’t signed any agreements or anything.” Becca sits up quickly, concerned that she won’t be able to help me after all. She really is a good friend.
“I will move into the pool house and the clients will remain in the main house for the duration of the move. It’s already been all arranged. That’s why I have to let Denise know what time I’ll be coming. She will have to arrange to ‘have all concerned parties in the appropriate locations’ or something like that.” I had thought of that too, so I asked about it when my background check came in clear. “But that means that we will go in the morning. Pops wants to help too, and he is only willing to step away from the gym in the morning tomorrow. He doesn’t have any clients booked early, and he’s fully staffed with other trainers.”
“Aw man,” Becca pretends to whine, “but if it means I get to see Pops outside of the gym, I will get up early. I can’t remember the last time he was even out of the building. Sometimes I wonder if he’s just a ghost who haunts that place.” She’s joking. Pops goes home every night to sleep. He just spends every waking minute at the gym.
“Right?” I can’t believe that he’s leaving his gym to help me move, either. “I’m pretty sure it’s less about helping and more about making sure I’m going to be safe. He’ll probably wander off to the main house and try to get a peek at who I’m going to be working for. He’s a little worried I will be stuck with a dirty politician, and I can’t lie, I’m a little worried about that too. That’s the worst of all the possibilities I’ve gone through in my head.”
“I’m thinking it’s some famous movie star. You said the chick who interviewed you was wearing a leather skirt and a GNR shirt. People who work with politicians usually wear something a lot more conservative.” Becca seems pretty sure of this. She has a point. I have never seen a business person of any sort wearing a leather skirt, let alone a politician. Even those on the more Liberal end of the spectrum dress pretty conservatively. “I’m a little sad that I won’t get to find out, though. I sort of want to come by for a pool party now that I know you’re living in the pool house. I don’t exactly get a lot of opportunities to lounge around at pools, you know. I refuse to go to public pools because I can’t deal with all the staring.”
“Hey Becca?” I approach this subject carefully. “One day, will you tell me what all your tattoos are covering? Only if you want to, of course. I’ve loved you for this long without knowing, and if you don’t want to tell me, it won’t change anything. Just, if you ever want anyone to talk to, you know?”
“I will, one day.” She chews her bottom lips and avoids making eye contact with me. “Very few people know what happened, and I haven’t talked about it in years. It’s not a pleasant story.”
