I looked around, wondering why they were all hanging out here. “What is this?”
“Um, it’s the afterparty line?” By her tone, I assumed that was supposed to be obvious. “Are you VIP?”
I flashed her my badge, and she gave me a patronizing smile. “Must be your first time.”
A second girl said, “It didn’t used to be like this,” in a world-weary tone. “They used to treat us better.”
She was a brunette version of her friend, clean and neat, with caramel highlights threaded through a pair of braids. In comparison, I probably looked like a war refugee.
I texted Shane: I’m in the afterparty line. I guess I’ll see you when they let us in.
I turned my attention back to the ladies. “You go to a lot of these?”
The blonde girl said, “I always get into the afterparties. I’ve been to so many, they all know me by now. They’ll say, ‘You again?’ ”
Brunette girl said, “I’ve become accustomed to getting a hug from Micah after the show. He’s a huge hugger.”
Blonde girl said, “If he comes out.”
They nodded.
Blonde girl scanned me and said, “Just be sure to leave Noah for me.”
They both laughed.
“Hey, isn’t that Shane?” someone asked. Everyone turned toward the direction of the tent.
The blonde said, “That’s totally Shane. I wonder why he’s out here.”
He kept heading toward us. “Layla!” He waved his hand in a come-on gesture.
“Who’s Layla?” asked the brunette.
“That’s me. I’ll see you inside!” I savored their surprise as I stepped over the rope and met Shane halfway.
The afterparty was the lamest thing I’d ever seen. Granted, I wouldn’t have felt that way if I hadn’t hung out with these guys for longer than five minutes, but I couldn’t unring that bell, and this scene just seemed pathetic to me now.
The huge tent was spacious and air-conditioned with an actual bar and some music pumping in the background. It reminded me a lot of a wedding reception, except that instead of couples dancing in pairs, women prowled in groups around two major destinations: Micah and Noah. Rick had found a folding chair and sat in a corner unnoticed, scrolling through his phone and occasionally pulling a drag off a cigarette. Shane and I parked ourselves near the bar and shared running commentary.
“Watch these two,” he said, directing my attention to the girls I’d met before. “This should be good.”
When a path cleared, they approached Noah and engaged him in conversation. Unlike Micah, who could maintain a sunny disposition in the face of a barrage of fans, Noah didn’t even pretend he was tolerating any of this. His lip curled a little as the girls talked him into a picture. One of them handed a phone to someone, and each girl took a position on either side of Noah. At the count of three, as the impromptu photographer shot the picture, both girls turned their heads and kissed Noah on either cheek.
Shane chortled. “It’s always something.”
“They didn’t even ask him first?” I was horrified. “What the hell?”
Shane just shrugged. “Whatcha gonna do? It’s part of the job description.”
“Assault?”
“Just remember this, Layla. If you ever see compromising pictures of me at an afterparty, question your eyes. Not that I’ve ever been the subject of a kiss attack.”
I was shaking my head. “Gah. It’s so inappropriate.”
“At least they didn’t grab for his crotch.”
“Has that happened?!” I shouldn’t have been surprised.
The blonde girl had lingered after the picture, and she was leaning into Noah now. She put a hand on his shoulder, but he lurched back.
“Shit. Here we go.” Shane stiffened.
“What?”
“The come on.” He pulled out his phone and checked the screen. “I think we’ve been here long enough. I’m gonna go grab your carry-on out of the bus. We can get an Uber to the hotel. Wait here.”
I continued watching Noah who said something to the girl before striding directly toward the bar. When he saw me, he veered and made a beeline for me. He put an arm around my shoulder.
I drew away from him and backed up against the tent wall. “What the hell, Noah?”
He stepped closer and put one hand on a pole beside my head. “Layla, I’m sorry I was being a total dick to you before.”
“You’re kind of being a dick now. What are you doing?”
“Look. I just need your help for a minute.”
“What are you talking about?”
He leaned close, whispering in my ear. “Did you see that girl earlier?”
I nodded.
“She’s someone I got involved with once, and she will