Remi smiled at her and then winced, holding his jaw.
She handed over the plastic bag with his stuff in it.He stopped on the sidewalk, put his wallet in his pocket, pulled on his hoodie and the baseball cap.Before he could slip on the dark sunglasses, Skye grabbed his chin and turned his head to check for other wounds.“They didn’t give you medical attention?”
Remi let his face be turned right and left as she inspected him.“I refused.Didn’t want to go to the hospital in case the paps got wind of it.”
Skye nodded and dropped her hand.“Why didn’t you call Ollie or Liam or West to bail you out?”
Why did you callme?
Remi’s throat worked.He averted his eyes.“Things haven’t been good between the four of us.I didn’t want them to know I fucked up again.”He shrugged, staring at his shoes.“Plus I figured you’d have to use some demon tricks to get me out.”
Skye nodded.The explanation made sense, but something about it left her unsatisfied.
His blue eyes swung up to meet her gaze, and he said, “Thank you, Skye, for coming.”
She shifted from foot to foot, not knowing what to do with his genuine gratitude or sincerity.This entire interaction was so foreign and weird that she had no idea how to traverse it.
He must not have known either because they both continued walking down the sidewalk in a stilted silence.They passed by a dark spot between two taller buildings, and Skye pulled him in.She sifted them to the bedroom on the tour bus.Remi stepped back, catching himself from the sudden movement.
“Shit,” Remi said.“How do you do that all the time?Makes me want to hurl.”
“That’s probably the hangover,” Skye said and turned to the cabinet, reaching up to pull out a first-aid kit.
Remi sat on the edge of the bed.“Yeah, might be.At least I wasn’t burned this time.”
“What?”
Remi shook his head.“Nothing.”
She flipped open the first aid kit, pulled out an ice pack, and cracked it to make it cold.She gave it to Remi, and he held it against his jaw while she sorted through the items, pulling out bandages and cotton swabs.She found the peroxide and soaked one of the swabs.Sitting on the bed, she started dabbing the gash above his eye.
“Is this part of band manager duties?Playing nurse?”he joked, wincing a little as she moved along the wound.“Jim definitely wouldn’t have bothered.”
“Well, Jim is an idiot,” she said.“Records won’t sell if this face is bloodied and battered.Think people are going to swoon over your swollen eye?”
Remi chuckled, then grimaced as it jostled his face.“You don’t think I have a warrior-just-back-from-battle look?People go for that, don’t they?I look tough.”
Skye smiled and shook her head.“I think we might have found a look that you can’t pull off.”
“Damn,” he said with faux disappointment.“I knew this day would come.I just figured I’d be more emotionally prepared.How will I ever recover?”
“Hold still, and I’ll try to limit the damage to your face.”
“And my ego?”
“Could probably use a little beating anyway.Keeps you humble.”
He laughed, and Skye grabbed his shoulder, leaning in closer.“I said to hold still.”Her admonishment was gentle.
“Yes, ma’am,” Remi said.He put the ice pack down and turned his face as she worked on the smaller cuts on the other side.
They were both quiet for a time.She felt Remi’s eyes roaming around her face.She resolved herself to be completely focused on her task, but her body heated and stomach flipped at his attention, at his proximity, at the way everything about him still called to her just as loud as his soul called to her every day in the throne room.
Remi adjusted his position on the bed, but when he put his hand out, he brushed her leg.“Sorry,” he muttered.
“It’s fine.”She modulated her voice and pretended that the little touch hadn’t sent goosebumps through her body.She cleared her throat.“So I’m guessing you didn’t get into a fight with those guys for the publicity…”
Remi’s face darkened.“They were saying homophobic shit, and I just snapped.Today of all days—” He shook his head and wrapped one arm around his torso like he was protecting himself, though he didn’t seem conscious that he was doing it.“It’s the anniversary of Emerson’s death.”
