“Why don’t we stop talking about how many times you got laid and instead start practicing. It’s just a party but I don’t want to sound like shit.”
Luckily, nobody argues and they get up. I was right; we’re all a little rusty. We get back into our routine and eventually we’re fully back into the music and can start working on the song I wrote. I get a complete surge of energy when I’m around these guys. I don’t know what it is but every time we practice, time just flies by. Before we know it, the day is over.
The guys are dead on their feet. There’s no point in trying to continue. All in all, it was a great first practice back together. I like the direction everything is headed for us. We perfected the new song, which gets me itching to write another one.
In the past, I usually wrote the lyrics and Jax would help me write the music. It was different today. We got everyone involved, even Hudson helped me tweak the lyrics and they’re kickass. Our new song is our best one yet. There will for sure be more writing sessions in the future, and I can’t wait to get started.
Hudson is the first one to speak up but all of the guys are thinking the same thing. “Today was amazing but I’m beat. You can all just crash here since it’s so late.”
Everyone just nods their heads and starts to shuffle out of the room and head off into the direction of the various bedrooms. Not ready to sleep, I park myself in the living room and get out my phone to text Ashtyn.
Holy shit! It’s after two in the morning. There’s no way she’s still up, but I send her a text anyway. Worst case, she finds it in the morning.
Flynn: Hey sorry I didn’t text u sooner
Ashtyn: That’s okay. I’ve been up reading. Did you guys just now finish practice?
Flynn: Yeah
Flynn: I always forget how fast time flies when we practice
Ashtyn: So good practice?
Flynn: Yep
Ashtyn: Well that’s good. Sorry I need to cut this short but I’m about ready to pass out.
Flynn: Shit
Flynn: Sorry
Flynn: We can talk more tomorrow
Ashtyn: It’s okay. I was up reading but I’m getting sleepy. Goodnight Flynn <3 <3 <3
Flynn: Goodnight Ashtyn
I’m wired and I’d rather not try to sleep right now. My day is always better after talking to Ashtyn, even if it’s just by texts. I’d rather not ruin my good mood from our awesome practice or the short conversation with Ashtyn by laying my head down on my pillow.
Shit. I didn’t tell her about the party, which is the real reason why I sent her the text in the first place. I’ll have to remember the next time we talk.
Finding myself too bored to just sit here, I go outside and get a fire going in the fire pit. I’m content sitting here by the water. I can tell it is going to be my year. Or rather, it’s going to be our year.
Since I met Ashtyn, I feel different. Better. This new song is one of the best I’ve ever written, if not the best, and I know good things will follow. The guys think I’m crazy but I just know it. Something big is right around the corner for us. I don’t know what it is or when it’s coming but it’s coming.
The back door opens and closes. I’m surprised when Jude comes and sits down next to me. “Hey man, what’s going on?”
Looking at the fire, he stays quiet for a minute, and I almost think he isn’t going to say anything, but then he looks over at me. “I couldn’t sleep and I saw the fire going, so I figured I’d come out and check on it.”
Shit. Of course the fire would reflect on the house and wake someone up. Douche move on my part. Not everyone is screwed up and awake half the night like me. I reach to put out the fire. “Sorry, dude. I feel like an ass. I didn’t even think anyone would still be awake. I’ll just put it out.”
He put his hand on my arm to stop me. “No really, it’s not a big deal. I don’t sleep much anyways. I thought my exhaustion might take over tonight but no such luck.”
This is the most Jude has ever said before and it’s kind of weird that we have something else in common besides the band. I guess we’re just a bunch of insomniacs. Not Jax, though. He gets pissy if anyone tries to wake him up before noon. Beauty sleep and all.
“Trust me, I get it. I don’t think I’ve ever slept a full night in my life. So what’s your story? What keeps you up at night?”
He’s quiet again and I look over to find him staring off. I know he heard me, so maybe he just doesn’t want to answer.
Should I ask him again?
Nah.
If he wants to answer he will and if not, well, it’s for the best. We sit in silence for a while, just enjoying the crackle of the fire and the water washing against the shore. I’ve never been a big nature buff but it’s peaceful and I get why some bands lock themselves up in a secluded cabin to write.
“You guys don’t know a whole lot about me, but that’s my fault not yours. I don’t like to talk about my life all that much. Honestly, there’s nothing good to say so I don’t see the point. If you want to know, I can tell you, though.”
Do I want to know what keeps him up at night? I asked the question but will it make me feel any better about my own demons? Probably not. So I don’t see the point in talking about each other’s misery. Everyone has a secret or two but Jude’s and mine might be a little more similar than I previously thought.
“Nah, it’s okay. I don’t know why I even asked. If you want to share, you can. But you don’t have to.”
He nods his head and we go back to sitting in silence. Getting the feeling he actually does want to talk about it, I say, “You know, if you don’t want me to say anything to the other guys, I won’t.”
“Thanks. I figured you wouldn’t. I just deal with a lot of stuff outside of the band; it’s kind of nice to keep the two worlds separate. But it can be hard sometimes when I have no one to talk to about all of this stuff.”
“What stuff?”
Super quietly, he replies, “I’m kind of homeless right now.”
I’m shocked. I don’t even know what to say. I don’t even understand how this is possible without us finding out about it. So I say, “Wow. Can’t say I was expecting that one. What happened?”
He sighs heavily and says, “Just your typical teenage sob story. My dad’s in jail and my mom’s a wreck of a parent. A revolving door of boyfriends. I was sick of it. The last one laid a hand on her and I tried stopping it. I tried protecting her and you want to know how she thanked me? By kicking me out.”
“That’s fucked up, dude. I mean my dad’s a douche but nothing like that. Sorry. That sucks.”
“Well, you can’t choose your parents, right?”
“So where have you been staying?”
“Before my dad got hauled off he bought me my car. So that’s been home sweet home all summer.”
“Shit, Jude. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“Like I said, I want to keep my worlds separate. I didn’t want to bring this drama onto the band.”
“I get that but it was still dumb to keep it to yourself. You can move in with me. It’s not much but I have a futon you can crash on. And I’m sure Conner can give you a bussing job down at the pub. I don’t have to say anything to the guys if you don’t want me to.”
“Thanks, Flynn. You don’t have to do any of that, though.”
“Yeah, I do. I might not know you very well but you’re a part of this band, Jude. That makes us brothers and brothers help each other out. So don’t think anything of it.”
He nods his head with a smile, and I know that’s the end of the conversation. It’s crazy how you can get in your own head so much that you aren’t aware of the rest of the shit going on around you. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and pay attention to everyone else.
It pisses me off that Jude has been going through this all on his own but I’m glad I know now and I can help him out. I wasn’t lying when I told him we’re brothers. We’re in this band together and that makes us fam
ily.
He was right about one thing, you can’t choose your blood family, but you can choose who you call your family and spend your life with. As far as I’m concerned, the band is my family. Somehow, Ashtyn has quickly found her own spot as well.
I don’t know if I’m ready to think about what that means or what happens when she finds out the truth. I know she feels what I feel, but are our feelings strong enough to withstand the secrets that I’m keeping? I don’t know but I hope they are.
Chapter 8
Ashtyn
The rest of the week flies and drags by at the same time, if that’s even possible. I don’t get to see Flynn at all because between work and practice, he’s really busy. Since Hudson and Jax are back in town, they’ve been practicing like crazy. Something about them sounding like shit and needing a lot of practice, but if any of the other guys are half as good as Flynn is, there’s no way that’s possible.
Flynn’s probably a perfectionist, though. I can tell he’s very serious about music. I’m interested in meeting the other guys in his band. Plus I’m curious to find out what they sound like. Knowing Chloe, she’ll want to meet hot guys as soon as she gets here. Vacation in Chloe’s world means hooking up with new guys that she won’t have to see again.
Even though we haven’t seen each other, we’ve been texting like crazy, and have started sort of a random game. It all started when I accidentally sent Flynn a picture of a cloud shaped like a penis. Chloe thought she was being funny and sent it to me and instead of saving it to my phone like I planned, I accidentally forwarded.
I was mortified until Flynn sent me a picture of a tree shaped like a penis. Now it’s a competition to see who can find the most random and creative picture. I’m starting to think he’s cheating and taking pictures off the internet or creating them in a photo-editing program because there’s no way he saw ground pork actually molded that way at the grocery store.
So gross.
I shudder just thinking about it.
All grossness aside, I’m finding I like talking with Flynn. As I scroll through our previous texts, I come to a conversation we had the other night before bed. After Flynn, I’m not sure the book boyfriends even compare anymore. He’s left me ruined because my reality is so much better than my fantasy.
Flynn: What r u up to?
Ashtyn: Failing at reading my book.
Flynn: What’s it about?
Ashtyn: Oh you know typical girl meets boy, he’s a manwhore but she tames him and they fall madly in love and have a HEA. Blah, blah, blah.
Flynn: Hea?
Ashtyn: Oh. It’s short for happily ever after. You know, typical romance novel.
Flynn: Lots of sexy times ;)
Ashtyn: Haha! Maybe ;)
Flynn: Maybe I should read one
Flynn: For research purposes of course
Ashtyn: Of course ;)
Ashtyn: Don’t worry you don’t need to do any research. I like you just the way you are.
Flynn: Good
Ashtyn: Really that’s all? Just good?
Flynn: I like you too
Ashtyn: Good. :)
Flynn: So what r u wearing?
Ashtyn: Haha! Definitely not answering that one.
Flynn: :D ?
Ashtyn: Goodnight Flynn. <3 <3 <3
Flynn: Goodnight Ashtyn
We’ve been talking every night before bed too but it still isn’t the same. I haven’t slept as well, either, which is weird because the night I spent with Flynn was the first night I had slept in the same bed as a guy. Chloe used to complain that I kick like crazy and eventually my parents got me a trundle bed so she had somewhere to sleep when she spent the night. Flynn didn’t complain that night but it was the best night sleep I’ve ever gotten.
With Flynn being so busy, I’ve been able to build my relationship back up with Mom too. We’ve gotten back into our old routine of eating dinner and junk food while watching sappy movies. It’s been a lot of fun and it makes me sad at how different our lives had become when we were still living in Santa Barbara.
Mom’s work schedule isn’t as crazy as it’s going to be because they’re still remodeling the studio but it’s nice that she comes home by six p.m. Back home the earliest she ever came home was eight and most nights it was a lot later. I know she loves her job, so I would never say anything but maybe her life will slow down a bit here.
I can’t imagine there being a huge supply of good hidden talent here. But maybe I’m just naive about the music industry. Don’t most people head out to Nashville to be discovered? Or is that just for country singers? For a kid raised in the industry, you’d think I’d know more about it.
On top of all of that, I’m excited because Chloe’s finally going to be here. I’ve been spending my days alternating between binge reading romance novels and tanning by the pool. I’ve added quite a few guys to my book boyfriend list but none of them even come close to how amazing Flynn is.
My current flavor of the week, Eli Park, is amazing and sweet but he still has nothing on Flynn. Maybe it’s because Flynn’s real and not made up in someone else’s head.
Time with Mom has been lots of fun, but nobody can ever replace your best friend. I can’t talk to Mom like I can to Chloe, and I’ve been missing that. We’ve been best friends almost our entire lives, and I don’t know what I’d do without her. When Mom gets off work, we’re heading over to the airport.
I check the time on my phone for the millionth time today and notice she’s late. Now I’m not only antsy but annoyed as well. What could be keeping her?
Her phone rings twice before she answers. “I know I’m running late, Ashtyn. I’m on my way—there’s a lot of traffic right now. Apparently everyone in this valley gets off work right at six.”
I sigh heavily and try not to sound too annoyed when I reply. “I know you’re trying to get here. Wait, why are you on your phone while you’re driving?”
She lets out a small laugh, angering me in the process because her safety isn’t something to joke about. Too many people die in car crashes these days because of cell phones and it’s just ridiculous. No phone call is ever important enough to put your life on the line for. I’m surprised and relieved by her answer.
“It’s illegal to use your cell phone while you’re driving here. One of the guys set up the Bluetooth in my car. I can talk to you and have both hands on the wheel right now. That should make you happy.”
I smile.
“Okay, I just pulled in,” she says, but I’m already standing by the front door waiting. Locking the door, I get into the car so we can be on our way. “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey comes on the radio, and I turn up the volume so we can sing along.
Our mini karaoke session makes the short car ride fly by and before I know it, we’re pulling into the very tiny airport parking lot. Maybe I’ve been to LAX too many times, but I wasn’t expecting the smallness of this place. It should take us no time to find Chloe.
Mom parks the car and we head inside. There’s only one plane arriving right now, and we work our way through the very small crowd that has gathered and wait.
It doesn’t take long to find Chloe; I would know that platinum blond mane of hair anywhere. It glows almost as bright as the sun. I’ve always been jealous of her perfect hair.
I start jumping up and down in excitement, and Chloe takes off running when she notices me. We engulf each other in a ridiculous hug and cause a scene in the middle of the airport.
The luggage carousel takes longer than it should, considering the size of the airport. This is just another reason why California is so much better than Oregon.
But whatever.
Mom starts heading back to Ashland, but I’m not paying attention at all.
“Ashtyn, what have you been doing in this dreadful place without me?”
Before I even get the chance to reply, Mom speaks up for me. “It’s not a dreadful place. But Ashtyn met a boy. Tell her about him, Ashtyn.”
Great. Just what I didn’t want to do. I’ve always thought Chloe is prettier than me and guys have always flocked to her. The sooner Chloe can meet the guys in Flynn’s band the better. There has to be at least one other hot guy in the group. I play it off as less than it is and hope she will just drop the subject.
“Oooh, a boy? You must tell me everything. Did you meet him after we talked? If it was before, I’m really mad you never said anything.”
“It’s no big deal. We have hung out a few times. He’s just some guy I met.”
“So when did you meet him?”
“The first night we came to town. He works at the pub I had dinner at after the fight I had with my mom.”
“You mean to tell me you had already met this guy and didn’t tell me about it when we talked before? Obviously, there’s something up or else you wouldn’t have felt the need to hide him.”
I forget how well she knows me. Chloe will see through any lie I come up with. The best choice is to tell her the truth about Flynn. I just need to stake my claim now, and we can spend our time trying to find her a hot fling for the summer.
I cringe. Now that I’m going to say this out loud, it sounds stupid. “So, don’t get mad at me but I was kind of hiding him from you.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Flynn is ridiculously hot and you’re model gorgeous, Chlo. I knew if you wanted him, then you’d be the one to get him. Call me insecure, but I wanted to keep him to myself.”
“Seriously, Ashtyn? I would never steal a guy from you. Besides, if he’s that hot, he obviously has hot friends. They come in packs.”
Finding Flynn Page 6
