“Keep going,” he commanded in a rough voice and tightened his hand around my hair.
The door to the bedroom flung open with a loud bang. Oliver whipped around, the buckle of his belt nearly swiping against my face in the process. I jumped off the bed and pulled my shirt tightly around me before I even saw who it was.
Jamie.
A hot wave of embarrassment blanketed my entire body. The singer’s eyes were wide as he took in the scene before him. He frowned at me, then moved his attention to Oliver. “What are you doing?” he snapped at the guitarist. “Do you know who she is?” he asked, jerking his head into my direction. His fists were clenched by his sides.
My fingers trembled as I started to button up my shirt. I felt like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t have been doing which was ridiculous. Who the hell was Jamie to make me feel this way?
Oliver scoffed. “Fuck off.”
I couldn’t agree more. This was none of Jamie’s business. Doing up the last button, I stepped toward the door.
“Move,” I fired at the singer, who was blocking the way out. Slowly, he dropped his gaze to me. His light-gray eyes were clear, but I thought I could pick up on a hint of booze. Maybe he was just getting started for the day.
“Does your brother know what you’re doing with him?” he asked in a low voice.
I sneered. “You’re joking, right?”
His eyes flashed with something awfully close to regret, but I didn’t care what the hell he was feeling. “Who do you think you are? Did you forget what you did to me in that dressing room? Get off your high horse and stay out of my life.”
I forced my way past him, pushing against his arm as I made my way out of the bedroom. Within seconds, I was off the bus, frustration and embarrassment prickling across the back of my neck.
* * *
“What’s up with you, Ivy?”Cole asked after a late lunch on Thursday, during which I’d barely said a word to anyone. We stood outside the Chinese restaurant, a few feet away from the rest of the guys, waiting for the bus to pick us up from the strip mall and take us to the venue. Tonight, we had a special treat waiting for us—a night at a hotel. “You’ve been prickly like a cactus for the past two days.”
I hadn’t seen Oliver since Jamie had walked in on us. Our little thing with not exchanging phone numbers was massively backfiring now, but what was worse was that I suspected he’d stopped trying to find me. Why would he do that? Had the singer said something to him after I left? But what could he have said to possibly keep Oliver away from me?
“Seriously. What’s up?” Cole asked again. He reached over to ruffle my hair, but I ducked away from his hand.
“Do that to a cactus, and you’ll get stung.”
My brother frowned. “Something’s going on. You’re not like this normally.”
“It’s nothing,” I grumbled, kicking at a branch on the pavement. There was no way I could tell Cole what was really bothering me.
“C’mon. Maybe I can help.”
I shook my head as I saw the bus turning into the parking lot. “I’m fine. I’m just…getting tired of tour life,” I lied. “Never thought that not having the ground moving under your feet would be considered a luxury.”
Cole’s face fell. “Are you ready to go home already?”
For a second, I felt bad, but at the same time, Cole was still spending a lot of time frolicking somewhere with Amy and leaving me with his bandmates. I didn’t think he’d be all that upset when I was finally gone.
“I don’t know,” I murmured. Of course, I wasn’t ready to go home. The prospect of leaving Oliver was hanging over me, impossible to ignore as the days ticked by. What if this was the end for us? Just entertaining that thought made me want to break out in tears.
Cole rubbed at his chest. “I get it. Took me our entire first tour to get used to it, and you’ve only been here for a week and a half. Look, there’s going to be a little get together at the hotel after the show. Should be a lot of fun, yeah?”
I perked up at this news. “Like a party? For just you, or all of the bands?”
Cole smiled, sensing my enthusiasm. “Everyone should be there, but it won’t be too crowded. Not unless Ritual Disruption blows up their guest list.”
I had to see Oliver at this party, and we had to talk. My birthday was tomorrow, and I was leaving the very next morning. I’d already tried to find a way to extend my time here, but there was no way to do that with my upcoming move to LA. There was simply not a day to spare if I wanted to be in UCLA for orientation, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered the option, but I knew that even my parents wouldn’t be okay with that. They would know that something was going on, and Oliver had asked me to keep us a secret.
What if he just got bored of me?
Cold fear grew inside my stomach. It wouldn’t be the first time. When I was with Oliver, I didn’t feel like my old self, but what if that was an illusion? What if he’d finally realized I wasn’t interesting enough for someone like him?
