1.1 The Chronicles of Us - Vice & Virtue

Chapter seven

The rest of the afternoon went by fairly smooth. Tex kept his mouth shut for the most part, side-scowling me every now and then. His behavior seems odd to me. He's on edge all the time; always on the brink of being angry. I probably shouldn't have pushed his buttons earlier, but it's sort of fun to do.

Find another hobby.

I look up from the magazine Joey gave me and glance at the front of the bus. Axel, Joey, Santiago and Elijah are playing a card game, joking amongst themselves like friends do. I chuckle when Axel slaps the back of Joey's head because he won't stop drumming on the table.

They have all been very nice to me. I haven't spoken to Roy yet, but he doesn't seem to care that I joined. Tex wasn't wrong, Roy is either on his phone or behind his laptop. Maybe he's a workaholic.

Speaking of Tex, he's the only one who seems to find my company annoying. After our little trip, he has been staring out of the window and listening to music. I think he's regretting meeting me in the first place. Well, I'll be out of his hair as soon as I come up with a plan.

I return my focus to the words on the page. It was really nice of Joey to hand me the stack of magazines. It makes me feel a little less guilty about crashing their tour and taking up space in the already crowded bus.

An hour ago, I retreaded to the back. Tex' silent presence was making me a little hot under the skin. That kiss keeps popping up in my head and the blush it causes is hard to hide.

Stop thinking about it.

Determined to focus on something else, I flip through the pages. Ads for music equipment, pictures of rock bands and different interviews pass but don't hold my attention.

Ah, this article about photography should do the trick. I had a brief passion for it, until David decided that an artistic career did not fit our future. Strange how mere hours turned him into a complete stranger. The memories I have of us seem to belong to someone else, someone I used to be. Suddenly heavy-headed, I rest my forehead on my arms.

"How are you doing?"

I lift my face and find Axel sitting on the opposite bench, placing a can of soda in front of me. His easy smile lifts my spirits. "Better than expected, actually."

He seems surprised but relieved as well. "That's good to hear." He glances at Tex as if to make sure we're out of earshot. "You know, you should really try to cut Tex some slack."

What?

I blink profoundly. "I think he should cut me some slack."

Axel chuckles. "You're right, but Tex is not what you think he is."

Stubborn?

Handsome?

Great kisser?

Secretly funny?

I pretend pink didn't claim my cheeks. "I'm not sure what you mean."

He does a playful eye-roll. "What I mean is that he's not as much of an asshole as he wants everyone to believe." We both let out a burst of laughter. "Okay, he can be a real asshole, but it's all driven by something ... darker."

Darker? I guess, that doesn't surprise me. The mystery that shrouds Tex is hard to ignore. I'm way too curious to know more. I place my arms on the table and lean forward a bit. "Tell me about him."

Axel looks at Tex again, making sure he can't hear us. "Three years ago, our previous band broke up. Our vocals ditched us for another band." Apparently still angry about this, he grinds his teeth before continuing. "Joey and I had been searching for a lead singer; tried it with some other guys, but there was no click. Just when we were about to give up, we saw this guy sitting on a park bench, playing his guitar and singing along."

My voice drops to a whisper of awe. "Like a troubadour?"

"More like a guy who wanted to set the world on fire with music. Someone tried to give him a dollar, but he just yelled at him." Axel chuckles at the memory. "Anyway, he looked like shit—obviously lived on the street—but his sound was exactly what we were looking for. We asked him to try some songs with us and the rest is history."My eyes seek Tex. He's slumped in his chair, head resting against the window. I suddenly feel the urge to hug him and tell him everything will be all right. What strange feeling; I don't even know him. "Why did he live on the streets?"

Axel shrugs. "He doesn't talk about his past. I can come up with a hundred scenarios but the truth is, I don't know. Maybe something happened or maybe he was simply born angry."

I sigh a little too deeply. "Well, I hope he finds something to help him deal with all that."

Axel's fixes his gaze on me, slightly intense all of a sudden. "Yeah, or someone."

What does that mean?

I shake it off. My brain just wanted to think there was a subliminal message. "What's next?"

Axel mirrors my smile. "We'll arrive at the next gig soon. You can watch the show or stay here. Whatever you want."

Having some alone time is exactly what I need. There's still some unfinished business to attend to. "I'll stay here tonight. I have a call to make."

After a meaningful squeeze on my shoulder, he leaves me to join the rest of the group up front.

Not long after, we park next to a building similar to The Roxx. A small group of fans linger around the bus, laughing and having a drink. Axel hands me his iPod before heading out to have a chat with the crowd. The rest of them follow him, giving me a nod or smile before they do.

Tex didn't go. He paces around without really doing anything. Maybe he's nervous about the show? I can hardly imagine it, but I don't know him.

Without succeeding, I try not to stare at him. Especially not his lips. Or his tattooed arms. They felt so secure when he had them around me. Something electric stirs between my legs when I think about his tongue. I can almost taste him.

My indecent daydreaming gets disrupted when something big and soft hits me in the face. Startled, I look up and ask, "What's with the pillow-throwing?"

Tex does a whoops-face. "Joey forgot to give you one." He looks at the folded blanket in his hands. "I'll just put this on your bunk."

That's surprisingly nice. "Oh, thanks for thinking of me."

Instead of returning my smile, he frowns. "I wasn't thinking of you. I'm only following orders."

His voice sounded cold, mocking even. Axel's story warmed me up, but Tex undid that. I'm not on his mind like he is on mine. Of course, I'm not. I run my fingers through my hair to hide how wet behind the ears I am. "Thanks, anyway, and break a leg."

He nods once before leaving the bus. Now that he's gone, it's time for me to concentrate my thoughts on the man that should be on my mind on the day of my failed wedding ...

David.

♡♡♡♡

A/N

Naahhh ... just forget about David 😬

X Dionne