Page 21 of Love You Like This

Tobias has his eyes closed and head leaning back against the seat. His leg bounces up and down to some unknown beat. He’s never still. Energy seeps from him regardless of what he’s doing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t tap his feet or drum his fingers even while sleeping.

Hans sits by the door with Adam and Andy, Stone and Tobias’s respective bodyguards. The three of them speak quietly while keeping an eye on what’s happening out the windows. They like to walk in a triangle formation when it’s just the three of us out. Hans takes the lead because when you’re six foot eight and built like a brick house people get the fuck out of your way.

As we pull up to the back of the restaurant, my assumption proves correct. Hans is first out of the van and scans the alley. He takes a few steps out and Adam follows along with Andy. I let Stone and Tobias go first. Being taller than both of them, I like to be at the back of the pack, so I can see over and know what’s happening just in case. We’ve been mobbed more than once, and it always sends Tobias into a panic. He’s on the edge as it is this tour, we don’t need anything to happen to him.

The scent of trash and piss fills the air, but it’s thankfully free of any spectators. I’ll take the awful smell over a crushing crowd any day. At least in terms of daily life. Crushing crowds are great when you’re selling out stadiums.

The manager greets us at the back door and leads us down a hall to the back of the dining room. Most of the tables are full, but we don’t draw much attention as she takes us to a booth in the corner partially blocked off by Shoji screens. The six of us settle around the round table and take the offered menus.

A server comes quickly and sets two chilled, tall, glass bottles of water on the table for us. Stone stiffens as none of us order any alcohol.

“Relax,” I say under my breath. “We’re not abstaining because of you. It’s because no one wants to be hungover and playing a sellout show of sixty thousand people.”

He snorts. “As if we haven’t done that nearly every night of every tour.”

“We’re not in our twenties anymore.”

He meets my eyes and smirks. “Thank fuck for that.”

“No kidding.” I glance at the menu and settle on my order quickly because I always get the same thing. “I was wondering if I could crash your writing session tonight? I have a few ideas for the next album.”

His face lights up. “Hell yeah. You don’t even have to ask, you know I’m always happy to have you join in.”

“Yeah.” I pour water into my glass. “It’s not just composing the music this time though, it’s also some lyrics.”

For the past thirteen years he’s been the one writing lyrics for us. I might toss in an idea here or there, but I’ve never had as many ideas as I do now. I’ve stayed up several nights just filling my notes app with ideas.

“Really?” His smile widens. “Hell yeah, brother. I can’t wait to see them.”

“Wait to see what?” Tobias asks looking up from his menu.

“Xan has some lyrics he wants to put on the album.”

“Maybe,” I correct him quickly. “They might suck.”

“They won’t suck,” Tobias says with authority. “Nothing we do sucks.”

“Fuck yeah,” Stone raises his glass to Tobias. “We’re unstoppable.”

After we get back from dinner, I go to my suite to change into a pair of sweatpants and grab my guitar, forgoing a shirt. I’ll get hot and then it’ll be hard to focus. Stone has a notebook with all the lyrics, so he can just add my thoughts into that. I know he has a system that I don’t want to mess up.

Nerves flutter in my stomach as I walk across the hall to his suite. He answers the door wearing the exact same thing as me minus the baseball cap I put on backwards to hold my hair back. He takes one look at me and laughs.

“You look nervous as hell.” He steps aside, so I can enter.

“I fucking am, dude. I’m usually the melody guy.”

“I’ve waited for someone to help me with lyrics for so long. This is the seventh happiest day of my life.”

“Glad I made the top ten.”

“It’s all Hazel and then you.”

“Speaking of Hazel, where is she?” And more importantly, where is Jade?

“Still out to dinner with Jade.” He checks his watch. “They’ll probably be back any time now.”

I nod. At least I’ll know when Jade is back by Hazel coming in. She’s been so shifty the past few days. If we finish at a decent time, I’m going to stop by her room, so she’ll finally listen to me. She won’t be able to brush off me so easily that way.