on the floor and cock my head suspiciously. “Did you tell Tom to put my stuff in here?”
He laughs. “Did I tell him to put your suitcase in here with Garrett’s shit? No, El. He must’ve accidentally switched our bags and put mine in your room.”
My stomach growls loudly.
“You’re hungry.” He checks the time. “It’s getting late. We better hit the hotel restaurant before it closes. We can swap things around after dinner. Hey, which bed do you want?”
“The one farthest from the window. I hate morning light.”
“Fine by me,” he says, leading the way to the elevator. “I don’t sleep much anyway.”
“What do you mean, you don’t sleep?”
He touches a finger to his temple. “My mind is always full of shit.”
I smile. “Writing music in your sleep?”
He ignores my question, and I wonder if the shit his mind is filled with is that of monsters, not music.
Chapter Twenty-three
Liam
Crew, Bria, and Brad are sitting at a table in the corner of the restaurant, looking as tired as I feel. “Anyone see Garrett? I need to swap keys with him.”
“Maybe he’s still in the bar,” Ella says.
“We’ll check after dinner.”
Everyone orders something simple, burgers or salads. It’s been a long day.
“Where are we going to run tomorrow?” Ella asks while we eat. “There’s no beach nearby.”
“There’s a trail,” I tell her. “I asked the waiter when you went to wash up.”
She seems pleased. I’m getting into running, as she hoped I would. I’m keeping up with her for three miles. “There’s always treadmills,” she says. “I bet this place has a great fitness center.”
“Run inside? No way.”
She picks at her salad while I inhale my cheeseburger. “It gets super cold in New York in the winter,” she says. “What will you do then, or are you going to stop running when we get back?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Me?”
“Are you going to run with me when we get back?”
She smiles. Maybe she’s been wondering what will happen when the tour is over. I’ve been wondering the same thing. Will she still want to see me? After being with her every day for almost a month, I can’t imagine what it will be like going home and not having her with me.
Brad gets a call from Katie and waves goodbye, taking his food with him.
“I can’t believe the tour is more than half over,” Bria says. “This has been a lot more fun than touring with White Poison.”
Crew leans in. “That’s because you’re touring with the right guy.”
“There’s never been anyone more right for me,” Bria says. She pulls out a notebook and jots something in it, then she shows Crew. He nods and writes something.
He looks at us. “We have to go.”
They leave their half-eaten food and go out to the lobby.
“What just happened?” Ella asks.
“They’re writing lyrics. It happens like that. You’ll get used to it.”
“They’re really good together, aren’t they?” she says. “They’re wonderful singers, but as a couple, I’ve never seen two people more dedicated to each other. They are lucky.”
I turn away, not wanting her to see how distant I become when talking about things I can never have. I push my plate aside. “I’m finished.”
“Was it something I said?”
“I’m tired, aren’t you? It’s almost midnight.”
“I guess we should find Garrett.”
Garrett’s not in the bar. I text him but get no response. “Let’s get my suitcase out of your room, and I’ll text him to pick up his stuff and the key when he gets done doing whatever he’s doing.”
Her cheeks flush. We both know exactly what Garrett’s doing.
In her room, I say, “Good thing we’re switching. There’s no couch in this one.” I pull the suitcase behind me as Ella follows me down the hall. I tap my keycard to the door and open it, letting Ella step through first. She stops abruptly, and I bump into her. We’ve walked in on Garrett and a woman. She’s naked and straddling him on one of the beds. They don’t even notice us. Ella backs up, pushing me out the door before shutting it gently. Her expression makes me double over, laughing.
“What?” she asks, mortified. “That was messed up.”
I catch my breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone turn that shade of red before.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Sleep in your room, I guess.”
“But there’s only one bed.” She looks at the door, knowing there’s no way to retrieve her belongings. “And I don’t have my suitcase.”