by Meghan Quinn
“Fuck, that was nauseating,” Cruz said, who was sitting across from Landon. He took a shot of tequila and cringed as he sucked on a lime. He clapped his hands together and said, “Show time.”
An attendant working the red carpet opened the door for them, letting in screams and shouts from fans and photographers. Landon took a deep breath and stepped out of the vehicle. To his right was the media pit where interviews were conducted, photographers scrambled for a shot, and journalists were writing down notes frantically. To his left was a grandstand of bleachers that were full of adoring fans screaming their pretty little heads off. There were homemade signs scattered throughout the crowd, some for other artists, some for Twisted Perfection, and some for Shattered Souls. Seeing his band name scribbled in a fan’s handwriting on a poster board would never get old to him. It was an honor.
Stepping out onto the red carpet, Landon buttoned his jacket and waved to the crowd as they all screamed. Cruz stepped up next to him, grabbed him by the neck, and smacked a kiss right on his cheek, which only made the girls scream even louder.
The attendant pressed his finger to his ear and said, “Second half of Shattered Souls coming in next.”
Landon could feel his body tense, as he watched the limo behind them pull forward. This was it…he would be seeing his brother for the first time in six months. Holy fuck was he nervous.
“Smile, dickhead. That worry line on your forehead is not very attractive for all these pictures,” Cruz whispered, making Landon nod his head and smile.
The limo that was carrying Rook and Grey pulled in behind them, and the attendant went to open the door. Cruz and Landon stood awkwardly, as they waited for their other half to join them. It almost felt like Landon was going on a blind date for the first time; he was so damn nervous.
The attendant opened the door to their limo and Grey stuck his head out and then his feet. All their outfits went cohesively with each other. They were wearing different variations of navy blue, white, and brown in different textures; Quinn really knew their styles.
Grey looked up and made eye contact with Landon, a small smile played on his lips, and he walked over to him. Landon held his breath as Grey held out his hand as a greeting. Landon gripped Grey’s hand and instantly felt relief flood him until Grey pulled him into a hug and lightly said, “This doesn’t mean I forgive you. Let’s just get through the night, okay?”
Nodding his head, Landon pulled away and tried not to show the hurt in his eyes. For a second, a brief moment in time, he thought that Grey might have forgiven and forgotten, but the look in his eyes showed a different story.
Trying to hide the disappointment Landon was feeling, he shook his head of his thoughts and put on a happy face, just as Rook was getting out of the car. Landon was shocked to see his friend with a full beard, looking a little thinner with his hair completely different. It was swept up on top of his head and shaved on the sides; it suited him well.
“There’s my man,” Cruz said, as he pulled Rook into a hug.
Cruz was probably the closest to Rook, and even though Cruz didn’t show it, Landon knew he was terrified about losing Rook, so it was good to see the two embrace.
“Damn, you look like shit,” Cruz joked, as he pushed Rook away. Cameras flashed around them as they all gave each other hugs.
Landon pulled Rook into him and said, “You look good, man, a little skinny, though, but good.”
“Still have more muscles than you,” Rook teased in that deep voice of his.
“Too close to tell.”
“You wish,” Rook laughed, as he pushed Landon away and took a look at him. Landon did the same. Rook looked almost happy, but there was still a darkness in his eyes that Landon knew was from missing Maisy.
“Let’s do this, men,” Cruz said, as he clapped Rook on the back and pushed him forward. The crowd went crazy at the sight of Rook Tyler with his new hairstyle and facial hair. The fans always loved him, but it seemed that his absence from the spotlight did him some good, because the crowd was losing their minds.
“Can we get a picture of all four of you?” a photographer screamed.
Like second nature, they all wrapped their arms around each other and posed together for the media, who went wild with camera flashes and questions. Journalists were asking where they’d been for the past six months and what their future plans were. Like the label said, they stood as far from the question pit as possible and just posed for pictures instead. They weren’t ready to answer any questions about future plans because, frankly, they had no clue what their plans were.
Once they felt like they had given the press enough shots, they turned around and faced the crowd, so the fans had a chance to take pictures of all four of them together. Cruz ended up kissing Rook, and then flying into all of their arms, so Landon, Grey, and Rook were all holding him up. Fucking clown, but the crowd loved it. They always loved Cruz’s antics.
Once they were done posing for pictures, they all started heading into the building, and that’s when Rook stopped in his tracks. Landon looked up to see what the delay was and he made eye contact with a very rattled and very beautiful Maisy, and a protective Cole Meyer, who had his arm wrapped around her.
Grey leaned over to Rook and said, “Relax, buddy, nod, smile, and let’s get to our seats.”
Rook nodded and took direction from Grey, who rounded up the guys. To protect their bandmate, they put up a semi-protective shield around Rook as they walked into the building.
Kaid and Willow watched as the guys all walked in together. They both smiled politely, which Shattered Souls returned, but they didn’t stop to talk; there was no way they could, not with Rook barely hanging in there from the sight of Maisy and Cole being together.
“Let’s get some drinks,” Cruz said. “Fuck knows I need one after that delightful encounter.”
“I’m not drinking,” Rook said, as he looked around. He didn’t fool anyone; his head was snapping back, trying to get a better look at Maisy.
“You’re not even drinking water?” Cruz asked.
“I’ll take a Sprite,” Rook said, while still looking around.
Landon, Grey, and Cruz all stood there and stared at him until they laughed together in unison. Rook’s head snapped toward them, and he looked at them in confusion.
“What the hell is so funny?”
“Sprite?” Landon asked in between laughter. “Should we just get you a Shirley Temple instead?”
“Fuck you,” Rook laughed. “Sprite soothes my belly.” He grinned like an idiot, making all the guys laugh again.
Cruz ordered a Sprite from the bartender and said, “My man here needs to soothe his belly, so if you can get rid of some carbonation, that might be best. Wait, actually, can you just get us some warm milk and a bottle?”
“Even though I’ve lost some weight, I can still beat your ass up,” Rook said to Cruz.
“I would like to see that happen. What are you, in tween pants now?”
Cruz started feeling Rook’s waist, which garnered him a punch to the arm from Rook.
“Damn,” Cruz shook out his arm. “I guess you still do have some muscles.”
“Glad you figured that out.”
“Do you know where our seats are?” Landon asked the guys, trying to possibly bring Grey into the conversation.
“No fucking clue,” Cruz said, while looking around. “I bet you one of those hotties in the gold dresses could tell us, though.” He took a sip of his hard liquor and then lit up when he said, “Oh, fuck, do I have a story to tell you. Let’s just say, I had the hottest threesome of my life…”
“Save it,” Grey murmured, but Cruz didn’t listen, as he pulled Rook to the side and told him all about his story, leaving Grey and Landon alone.
No doubt in Landon’s mind, Cruz did that on purpose so the two brothers were forced to talk. The guy could be a considerate ass sometimes.
Breaking the tension, or at least trying to, Landon said, “You look good, man.
You’ve been working out a lot?”
Grey nodded his head as he took a sip of the beer that he’d ordered. “Nothing else really to do.”
Landon nodded in response and felt incredibly awkward as he stood there with his brother, racking his brain, trying to figure out what he should say. Never in his life had he ever fallen short of conversation when it came to being around his brother, but after everything that happened between them, their ability to talk was lacking.
“Listen, I’m really sorry…” Landon started, but Grey stopped him.
Leaning forward, Grey said, “I don’t want to talk about this here. It’s not the place nor time, but just for the record, Mom was right, I didn’t love Quinn anymore. That doesn’t mean I forgive you; it just means that I’m trying to move on.”
Landon nodded his head in understanding and said, “I want you to know, I’ve missed you more than anything, Grey. You’re my brother, and I would do anything to earn back your trust and friendship.”
“Anything? You would leave Quinn?” Grey asked with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Knowing the answer to his question, Landon shook his head and said, “Anything but that. I love her more than life itself. I would never give her up.”
With a quirk to his lip, he said, “I was hoping you were going to say that, because if you threw away our relationship for a good fuck, I would be twisting your nut sac off right now.”
At that, a little chuckle came out of Landon…this was the brother he knew and loved. Together, they walked over to Rook and Cruz, who seemed to be in a deep conversation about different three-way positions. By the look of pain on Grey’s face, Landon could only imagine who one of the participants was.
**Maisy**
The dress she was wearing felt three sizes too small. It felt like it squeezed all the air out of her lungs; she couldn’t breathe; she needed her dress to be removed, now.
Releasing herself from Cole’s grasp and pulling Willow to the side, she said, “I can’t breathe; I need to get out of this dress; it’s too tight.”
“It’s not too tight,” Willow said, as she looked Maisy up and down. “You’re just having a minor panic attack.”
“Get me out of here,” Maisy begged, wanting to get away from prying eyes.
Willow looked around and said, “Okay, hold on.”
She grabbed her hand and walked her casually toward the bathrooms, where the line was out the door. Swearing under her breath, Willow glanced to the side, and then pulled Maisy into the men’s bathroom and locked it. Luckily, no one was in there.
Willow swung Maisy around and unzipped her dress. Instantly, Maisy felt her lungs start to inflate with air again, as she pressed her hands against the wall to hold herself up. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her raging heart, as Willow rubbed her back.
“Calm down, Maisy. You’re going to be fine. You can’t let him see how affected you are by his presence.”
How could Maisy calm her racing heart? The minute she heard the crowd scream out Rook’s name, her head snapped in his direction, and she drank him in. He was wearing a navy blue suit with a white shirt that had a couple of the buttons undone. His shoes were brown and his hair, fuck, his hair looked spectacular, and the sexy as sin beard that grazed his cheeks, it all took her breath away. His face looked thinner, but overall, he was just as sexy, if not sexier than he was a few months ago. The mere sight of him had Maisy’s heart swinging into overdrive. It was too much for her to handle. It was too soon.
“Did you see him? Willow, he…he looks so damn good.” A small tear trickled out of the corner of Maisy’s eye, and she quickly swiped it away before it could ruin her make up.
“He looked…normal,” Willow responded, but the lie was evident in her tone of voice.
“Nice try,” Maisy turned around. “He looked good, and you know it.”
Agreeing, Willow said, “Alright, so the beard and stylish hair he can rock, but that doesn’t mean he still isn’t a tool bag. Remember what he did to you?”
“I do; I don’t need reminding,” Maisy said, while holding up her hand. “It’s just, Kaid seems to think that maybe Rook…”
“No, you’re not listening to what Kaid said. Rook cheated on you, plain and simple.”
“Why are you so against him?” Maisy asked, wondering why Willow hated Rook so much.
“Are you really asking me that? Maisy, he destroyed you. I sat with you for hours on end, on the floor of our tour bus, holding you while you sobbed into my arms over what he did, and I’m just supposed to forget about that? Sorry, but I can’t. You’re my girl, and I don’t ever want to see anything bad happen to you.”
“I know, and I appreciate that. I just wonder why Kaid has a slightly different opinion.”
“Because the idiot misses his little bro-mance and would do anything to get it back.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Maisy defended Kaid. “He loves us and is just protecting us.”
“Maybe a little too much. I feel like I can’t breathe around him. He’s always up my ass about everything.” Willow sniffed and wiped her nose. “He stresses me out when all I want to do is relax.”
“He’s just worried, Willow. “You’ve been acting different lately, like you’re mind hasn’t fully been with us. Tonight is one of the first nights that your eyes look clear, and it doesn’t look like you’ve come off of some crazy haze.”
“I haven’t looked like that,” Willow stated, instantly growing defensive. “It’s just been tough lately with the album and appearances. I’ve just needed some time to myself, that’s all.”
“Are you sure that’s all?” Maisy asked, searching Willow’s eyes.
Kaid and Maisy had a conversation just the other day about how worried they were about Willow’s erratic behavior lately. She hadn’t been the same for the past week, as if she was living on another planet. She was either drunk beyond repair or she didn’t even show up at the house. It was scary to see her so easily slip down a path that wasn’t one to be traveled with her kind of history and need for love.
Willow shook her head and smiled. “This isn’t about me; this is about you and sticking your chin up, going out there, and acting like the fact that Rook Tyler is in the same building as you doesn’t affect you the least bit. You have Cole wrapped around you and Kaid and I behind you. He will not come near you…that is a guarantee.”
There was a knock at the door, starling both Maisy and Willow, who began to laugh at how high they jumped at the loud knock.
“Let’s get you zipped back up. You’re going to do great, and when we go up there to call out the best song nominations…”
“Wait, what?” Maisy interrupted her.
“Lady Antebellum couldn’t make it; Pete told us in the car we were doing the nominations.”
“What? When?”
“Apparently, when you weren’t paying attention.”
“Willow, I can’t,” Maisy said, as Willow zipped her back up. “Shattered Souls is a nominee.”
“I know, but there’s no way they’ll win. That Meghan Trainer song is way too popular for Shattered Souls to win. Now, let’s go out there; we don’t have much time to get into our seats.”
As they left the bathroom, Willow smiled and twiddled her fingers at two of the men from Mumford and Sons, who were waiting outside the bathroom, and walked past them as they rolled their eyes.
“Oooh, they’re hot,” Willow cooed, as she looked behind her at the two men who quickly retreated into the bathroom. They must have started their drinking early.
“Focus, we have to find Kaid.”
There was a sea of glitz and glam in the hall of the theatre that was slightly mesmerizing. Stars were everywhere…in some pretty odd outfits and then some very classic ones. The pop artists made the biggest statements with their barely there dresses and weird shaped hats. Maisy didn’t understand what the appeal was of worrying whether or not you were going to have a nip slip the whole night; she would just rather be cov
ered. The men were either in suits or had their own kind of style going on. Maisy thought back to Shattered Souls and how well they were put together. They didn’t do the whole rocker vibe. Instead, they were classically tailored and hipster. They were…perfect.
“There you are,” Cole came up beside her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I thought I had a wardrobe malfunction,” Maisy lied. She was wearing a light pink gown with a sweetheart top, and the fabric was a beautiful chiffon with a glittery brocade that cascaded all the way down the dress. She paired the dress with gold heels and clutch. Her hair was pulled up into a low bun, and she wore a gold headband around her forehead, making her look almost goddess-like. Kaid wore a brown suit with specks of gold in it, and Willow wore a cream colored dress that hugged every inch of her body with gold accents as well. They looked good.
“Everything all set then?” he asked, still concerned.
“Yes, thank you. We better get to our seats.”
“Yes, well, I seem to be sitting all the way on the other side of the theatre, so I’ll have to catch you after everything. Wait for me?”
“Of course,” Maisy said, as she gave him a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth and took off with Kaid and Willow, who were rushing to get to their seats. The lights in the hall were flashing, letting them know that everyone had to take their seats immediately.
“Twisted Perfection, you three are sitting right in front of Shattered Souls on the aisle,” the attendant said to them, as they walked up to the aisle way. Maisy’s vision started to run black, as Kaid and Willow escorted her down to their seats. She couldn’t even feel her feet moving; it felt like she was almost gliding down the aisle. This was some kind of sick and twisted joke the music gods were playing on her; it had to be.
“Breathe, baby girl, I got you,” Kaid said into her ear. “You got this. Remember, you are stronger than you think you are.”
Maisy nodded and spotted Shattered Souls, all sitting together. Rook was on the end, with his foot crossed over his knee, looking relaxed as hell, as if her mere existence didn’t disturb him one bit.