Ember

by K. T Fisher

  When Monday arrives, the mood is low. Everyone is feeling down. Lacey has been dreading this day, and until Mason and I cleared the air, so have I because today is the day that the guys go back on the road.

  Yesterday, Mason brought me back from a wonderful night. I’m just upset that it’s all over. God knows what he will be doing, and who he will be doing it with, while he’s back on tour. I know what happens; I’ve seen it all with my own eyes.

  I’m just happy that I now know that Mason and I are talking again and at least are friends, even though the word friend hurts to say. At least we’re not arguing or ignoring each other. I should be grateful.

  I look over at Lacey and she’s grabbing onto Cole as tight as she possibly can. Poor girl. It’s obvious she wants to go with him. I know she doesn’t want to be separated from him again, even if it is only for two weeks this time. It’s still a really long time for a couple in love, and those two are definitely in love.

  “Why doesn’t she just go with them?” Paige whispers next to me.

  “Because she doesn’t want to leave me,” I answer back just as quietly. “Even though I’ve told her so many times to go.”

  “She’s worried about you,” Paige says as we watch Lacey and Cole.

  “I know, but she really shouldn’t be.” Mason catches my attention and I follow him with my eyes.

  “So Crystal told me all about your romantic little getaway.” Paige nudges me in the side.

  “It wasn’t like that,” I say as I continue to watch Mason. I don’t say that even though Mason meant for it to not be romantic at all, I can’t help but feel that it was. I decide to hide that information from my little cousin because her romantic side can run away with her a little.

  An hour later, I see Lacey sitting by herself and she looks so miserable. I walk right up to her. “You need to leave.”

  Lacey jumps and looks up at me. “What?”

  “Leave with Cole,” I order her. “If it wasn’t for me, you would be going without a second’s thought.”

  Lacey looks over to the doorway, and then back at me. “I can’t leave you, Rox.”

  She looks torn and I don’t understand why. I mean, I’m telling her to go.

  “Listen, Lace, I didn’t want to say this, but you have to go. If you don’t, you’re just going to be sulking around this place, sexually frustrated, you won’t be any fun.” I try to keep a straight face, but it’s no use. As soon as Lacey frowns, my laughter spills out.

  “That’s not funny,” she says, sulking.

  “Yes, it is, because it’s true.” I sit down next to her. “Look, I don’t want you to be stuck here because of me. Don’t let me be the reason for missing your man. Go with him.”

  “You’re sure?” she asks, looking concerned.

  “Yes!” I urge. “In fact, can you take everyone else with you? I need the peace.”

  “Hey!” Ria shouts from behind me.

  “Please,” I silently mouth to Lacey, and she laughs.

  “Actually, I wouldn’t mind tagging along, if that’s ok?” Ria asks, and Lacey nods her head.

  Ria screams and I turn to see her running up the stairs.

  “See, she didn’t need convincing,” I laugh.

  “That’s because Ria is more selfish than me,” Lacey points out.

  “Paige!” I shout.

  Lacey frowns at me. “You can’t be alone.”

  “I’ll be fine!” I insist.

  Lacey doesn’t get time to reply because Paige appears between us. “You called.”

  “Lacey and Ria are going with the guys on the road. You wanna go, too?” I look up to her and see her excited smile.

  Back when Lacey and I knew nothing about Mason and Cole’s rock star status, Ria and Paige did. They were actually fans of theirs, and I know she would love to tag along.

  Her smile fades. “Is that such a good idea?” she asks me sceptically.

  I lean my head back and groan. “Yes, it is a really good idea. I need a break from you all.” I look between Lacey and Paige. “No offense.”

  Paige looks to Lacey. “What do you think about this?”

  Lacey shrugs. “I trust her.”

  At that moment I truly love my best friend. She knows me, and I wouldn’t ask for this if I wasn’t so sure of myself.

  “Put it this way,” I add. “If you don’t go, I will be upset because I am sick of spoiling your fun. I have put you all through a lot of shit lately. Now go.”

  Paige eventually squeals, does a little jump, kisses me, and then runs upstairs as Ria did before her. Lacey gives me a very serious look.

  “Don’t make me regret this, Rox,” she warns.

  “I promise you I will be fine,” I assure her.

  “Ok then.” She smiles widely. “I’m going to pack!”

  When Lacey leaves me, I wander into the living area and see Crystal scrolling through her phone.

  “Don’t even bother trying to get rid of me, Roxie, I ain’t going anywhere,” she says loudly straight away.

  “How did you know I was going to say that?” I ask,

  She looks up at me. “I heard you in there, and as lovely as what you did is, you won’t make me want to go. I love being here far too much more than being on the tour bus.”

  “You’re not just saying that because you want to keep an eye on me right?” I ask as I eye her suspiciously.

  She smiles and shakes her head. “No, I trust you enough to know that you would never do that to yourself.” She makes a point of looking down at my stomach. A warm feeling spreads within me as I realize that my friends have faith in me, even after everything I did to them.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” she continues. “I love touring with the guys, and I love spending time with my brother, but I need to relax from everything.”

  “It can be hard,” I agree.

  Crystal nods, but I get the slight feeling she’s not just talking about being on tour. I hope she isn’t having any troubles.

  “Besides, all I want to do is chill out and watch as many movies as possible,” she laughs.

  “Sounds perfect.” Our hands slap in the air as we high five.

  “What’s happening here then?” I hear Cole ask.

  “We have your house all to ourselves while you’re away, so you better be nice,” Crystal teases him.

  “What do you mean?” Cole asks, his frown deepening and he looks confused.

  “I persuaded Lacey to go with you,” I simply answer.

  Cole immediately comes toward me with his hands clamping on my shoulders. “You did?”

  I nod my head. “She’s upstairs packing.”

  I start to laugh as Cole picks me up and begins to spin me around. “I fucking love you,” he growls and kisses my forehead before running upstairs, I’m assuming, to find Lacey.

  “You didn’t tell him about Ria and Paige,” Crystal snickers.

  “I know,” I laugh with her.

  We walk outside together to see how the loading is doing. Booker is leaning against the bus, looking down at his phone.

  “Taking a break?” I tease him.

  He smiles as he looks at me, but when he sees Crystal, the smile disappears.

  “Where’s your bag?” he asks her.

  Crystal clears her throat. “I’m not coming.”

  I’m shocked to see that Booker looks a little let down. “Why?”

  “I’ve decided to chill here with Rox,” she says, and then she slings her arm around my shoulder and widely grins at Booker. Something is going on here, I can feel it.

  “I thought you liked touring with us?” Booker asks, and steps closer.

  “I do, Book,” Crystal lets me go and places her hands on her hips. “Just not all the time. I need a break and I need to relax.”

  He stares at her for a little while. “Someone giving you grief?”

  I see Crystal tense. “What? No!”

  “Then why do you need to relax?” he demands. Something is definitely ha
ppening here. Booker wouldn’t be acting like this if it wasn’t.

  Feeling as if I need to give these two some privacy, I sneak back inside and literally bump into Mason.

  “Shit! Sorry, Rox,” he apologizes.

  “No, it was my fault.” I feel my cheeks burn from the embarrassment.

  “Where’re you sneaking off to?” he asks.

  “Nowhere, I just needed to get away from those two,” I point over my shoulder to Crystal and Booker. “It got a little heavy.”

  Mason laughs. “Yeah, I decided to stay out of that a long time ago.”

  “So I am right?” I knew it!

  Mason shakes his head. “Don’t get involved. It’s complicated.

  “My lips are sealed.” I’m acting like a fucking teenage girl!

  “I just heard the girls are coming along. You sure you’re ok with that?” He looks a little concerned. If it was anyone else, I would be annoyed, but, oddly, Mason’s obvious concern for me makes me happy.

  “I’m certain.” Mason nods his head, accepting it and moving on.

  “I’ll keep in touch,” he says, his eyes searching all over my face. “I promise this time.”

  “I know.” My voice comes out quiet and thick with emotion.

  Mason takes a step closer to me and caresses my cheek softly. “I’m here for you, at any time.”

  I nod my head, unable to say a word, and then watch him as he collects his bag and walks outside to the tour bus. Ria comes running down the stairs, her large bag in hand and jumps to my side.

  “I am so excited!” she squeals.

  Really? I didn’t notice.

  “Where’s the rest?” I ask her.

  “Paige is nearly done packing, and well, I don’t know about Lacey.” she giggles.

  “Don’t tell me,” I laugh. “Cole is giving her a thank you fucking?”

  Ria laughs. “Coming from the noises, you’re spot on.”

  We laugh and gossip as we make our way outside. Crystal is standing there alone, and I can’t see Booker anywhere. He’s probably on the bus with Mason. I try to get information out of her, but she doesn’t give me anything. Paige soon joins us, but it’s another twenty minutes before Lacey and Cole to turn up. Cole has a cheeky grin fixed on his face, and Lacey is looking very flustered.

  “Dirty bitch,” I murmur quietly to Lacey and her cheeks brighten.

  Each member of the band gives us a kiss goodbye. I notice Booker sticks to Crystal a little longer than everyone else. From the corner of my eye I see him whisper something to her, and she shakes her head and backs away. Not a good sign. Mason is right behind Booker, so that means Mason stands in front of me for a little longer and I’m not complaining about that. He gives me a lingering kiss on my cheek. “Remember Rox, I still love you. Look after yourself while I’m gone,” He softly whispers.

  His words bury themselves deep and settle. God, I fucking wish that I’ll have the nerve to finally come clean about the pregnancy when he comes back.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Roxie

  The house feels so empty now that everyone has gone, but the silence is really nice. I made an excuse of needing a drink to escape to the kitchen alone. The thought of telling Mason scared me to the bone, but I know it’s something I need to do and soon. However difficult, he has a right to know that he might be a father.

  “Hey, Rox?” Crystal shouts from the living room. “You wanna get started on those films?”

  “Sure!” I return from the kitchen and see her searching through huge racks of DVDs. I place her drink on the table and sit down on the large comfortable couch. Seriously, this couch is amazing! I’ve fallen asleep here a few times during my stay.

  “What film do you want to watch?” she asks, still searching.

  “Surprise me.” I sip on my water and relax into the sofa. I can feel the stirrings of my sickness returning, though, and I really don’t want to be sick. I’m pretty sure I’ve lost weight since becoming pregnant. I try to eat, but so many things make me feel queasy and then there’s the nausea. The little I do manage to stomach comes right back out! I have no delusions that I’m not going to pile all the weight that I lost back on again. I am pregnant, after all. I’m going to be chubby with a huge bump. Fuck, Mason isn’t going to want me back when he sees me like that.

  “How about The Hunger Games?” Crystal asks, holding up the DVD.

  “Sounds perfect,” I say as my stomach rumbles.

  Crystal laughs. “Why don’t you go and get the food and I’ll set it up?”

  I groan, reluctant to leave my seat. “Can’t you get the food?” I ask her with a mock pout.

  Crystal stands and huffs. “Fine, but you put on the film.”

  I hear her curse mockingly as she walks away, and I can’t help but laugh. I have no intention of moving at all.

  When Crystal returns, she has goodies of all kinds in her arms and throws them down on the table in front of me. She places her hands on her hips and quirks her eyebrows up at me. “So I see you haven’t put on the film.”

  “Whoops.” I smile from my place.

  She points down at me. “You’re going to be more work than if I had decided to go on tour, aren’t you?”

  I laugh up at her. “Don’t be silly, I just can’t move right now. Now be a good girl and start the film.”

  “Fuck you,” she says, but she’s laughing.

  Once the film starts, she decides to sit down next to me. We watch the film in silence, stuffing our faces, until it becomes too much and I have to say something.

  “So you and Booker, huh?” I ask.

  Crystal looks at me from the corner of her eye and then goes back to watching the film. I look at the screen and watch as Katniss volunteers for her sister.

  “What did he say to you?” I try again.

  Crystal leans her head back on the sofa. “You’re not going to drop this, are you?”

  I shake my head. “Nope.”

  She turns to face me and for this first time, I see a look of worry on her face. “Look, I’m not going into detail, but I will say that yes, Booker and I have had a weird thing going on for a while now, but that’s it. Nothing else.”

  “What sort of weird thing are we talking about?” I ask again.

  “Promise me you won’t tell my brother?” she asks.

  “Promise,” I agree.

  She takes a deep breath before giving me the gossip I’ve been needing. “The first time I met Booker, we slept together that night. It was one of the best nights of my life, but it had to end there, because the next day I realized who Booker was to my brother. Tate would never allow that to happen. So I moved on, but every time we meet, we just can’t help ourselves. We end up sleeping together and it’s always as good as the first time, but I’ve put a stop to it. I’m here solely to get away from home and see my brother.”

  “Do you love him?” I ask her.

  Her eyes widen for just a second, but I notice it. “Of course I don’t.”

  For some reason I don’t believe her. I’m feeling too much emotion coming from her to think she’s telling me the truth.

  “So, what are you running from at home?” For some reason, that part in her speech stood out to me the most. Why would she want to get away from home?

  “What? I’m not running from anyone,” she says quickly.

  “I didn’t say it was a person, Chris,” I point out her mistake.

  She closes her eyes and pauses the film. When she looks back to me, there’s a scared look in her eyes and I don’t like seeing her look like that. She’s hiding something.

  “Look, you’re right. I am running from home. Let’s just say I made a mistake and the only way to live through it is to be here.”

  I nod my head and squeeze her hand. “You don’t have to say anymore. I know all about secrets, remember?” I smile. “But think about this: I’ve had my own problems and look what they did to me. I’m not going to force you to tell me, but just know I’m here.�
�

  She squeezes my hand back. “Thank you.”

  Then she hits “play” again, and we watch the rest of the movie as well as the second instalment. Those films kick ass.

  Later, when we’re eating dinner, Crystal begins to laugh. “Oh god, I wonder how they’re coping with Ria and Paige.”

  At the thought I can’t help but laugh along with her. “How they are not coping,” I point out. “Fuck me, I love those girls, but they’re a handful.”

  “Plus they are Black Inferno super fans,” Crystal adds.

  I laugh so loud. Fucking hell, Paige and Ria are going to be in heaven, which means everyone else will have to suffer.

  “If Shelly knows what’s good for her, she will stay away,” Crystal adds, and I hear the hate in her voice.

  “I just wish I was there to see Lacey punch her.” I imagine the sight and smirk.

  “I was so proud of Lacey, she broke the bitch’s nose!” Crystal laughs. “And what Mason did to Joe, too,” she adds quietly.

  I swallow down my food and stare down at my plate. At the mention of Joe, the nausea returns.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, Rox,” Crystal apologizes.

  “No, it’s fine.” I put away my plate and begin to tidy up the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry if I hurt you by saying his name, but if you saw what Mason did to him you would have been proud. He loves you, Rox, he did that for you, and he has to suffer seeing him during the tour again.”

  I freeze in place. “Joe is still working on the tour?”

  I would have thought, with what happened, he would have been fired!

  “Didn’t you know?” she asks, and I shake my head. “Fuck! I can’t believe nobody told you. You have a right to know.”

  “You’d think so,” I add, still frozen in place. “So why is the bastard still working there?”

  “It’s not the band’s fault, they went to their manager, and he said the company who supplies the extra roadies won’t do anything. Joe is with that company; if he was independently hired by the band it would be different, but, sadly, he’s not.”

  What has this world come to?

  The thought of Mason anywhere near Joe breaks me into a nervous state.

  “Don’t worry, the guys will watch over the girls. They have extra security that won’t leave their sides no matter what,” Crystal hurries to assure me. At least I know Joe can’t bring any harm to them as he did to me.