Remi nodded.“Just getting rid of some baggage.”
West grabbed his shoulder, shaking it lightly, and smiled.“About time, dude.She was fucking awful to you.To you both.”
Remi chewed his lip, but nodded.“Yeah, she really fucking was.I’m not putting up with that kind of bullshit anymore.”
“Good,” West said.
Remi took a step back and appraised his bandmates.“God,” he said.“We’re some pretty motherfuckers.”
They all laughed.
Skye’s gaze found his, and her smile faded as her eyes slowly trailed down his body.She blinked once, averted her gaze, and turned back to Ollie’s nails.Wariness and confusion churned in his stomach, but before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
“That’s security to escort you guys out,” Skye said.
The band made their way to the door, but Remi hung back and grabbed Skye’s arm as she started to leave.“Everything okay?”he asked.
“Yeah,” Skye said, texting on her phone.“I’ll film everything since we don’t have a new publicist yet, and—”
“Why are you barely looking at me?”
She bit her lip and slipped her phone away.One of her fingers looped into the waistband of his skirt and tugged him close.He could feel the heat of her breath on his neck as she whispered, “Cause if I look too long, I might not let you off this bus.”She nipped at his earlobe, and desire zipped through his body.“I’m probably going to try to get up your skirt tonight after the show.Just so you know.”
His dick started stirring at the sound of that, but the skirt would do very little in the way of hiding a boner, so he forced himself to step back.
Skye gave him a wicked grin and winked, before turning and practically skipping off the bus.
Remi took a few deep breaths to cool himself down, and then followed her out.
The security team escorted them through the venue and out the doors toward the line of fans.The bigoted shouts from the protesters were drowned out by the fans cheering and screaming as they saw Tilted Haze walking toward them.
Liam, Ollie, West, and Remi spent about an hour, taking pictures, standing next to homemade signs, and signing anything and everything that was thrust into their faces.
Remi was overwhelmed by the intensity of the fan’s fervor.Girls, boys, enbies—everyone in line had a story and was excited to tell them how much their music meant to them, how it saved them, how it changed them.He tried to sear it all into his memory, all of their faces and the feeling of community that they gave him.This was what he wanted the fans to feel every night he was on stage.This was what he wanted to create in his life.
It’d been here all along.He was just looking for proof of it on social media and in comment sections, but it’d been right there in front of him.In the connection with the crowd every night that he sang.
Skye tapped his shoulder when time was up.They had to get backstage to prepare for the show.But there was one last thing they needed to do.
Liam bent down, and Remi climbed onto his shoulders.Skye handed him a megaphone.
“Hey there,” Remi said, his voice booming down the line of people.
Fans yelled a greeting back at him as the protesters continued their screaming behind him.
“Just wanted to thank everyone for coming out to the Tilted Haze show tonight,” he said.
Rousing applause cascaded through the area.
“We wanted to say a special thank you to the lovely people in line for showing their support.It means the world to us, and it also really fucking pisses these guys off”—he threw a thumb toward the protesters, who, as if coordinated, yelled and shouted their anger louder—“so good fucking job, ya’ll!But we were wondering if you’d mind if Liam, Ollie, West, and I did something that would piss them off even more?”
People applauded, stomped, and thundered their approval.A chorus of “Do it!Do it!”started.
Remi shrugged, extra exaggerated.“Okay,” he said into the megaphone.“Well, we gotta give the fans what they want, guys.”
Remi handed Skye the megaphone and climbed off Liam’s back.Skye angled the phone camera toward them as they took off sprinting to the front doors of the venue, where the protesters were congregated.
Remi loved putting on a performance for adoring fans, but the deviant in him would always get a special kick out of giving a show to appalled people who had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
