Good Girl Gone Bad: A Y/N x Bruce Kulick Story

Second Thoughts

Eric POV

I looked at my reflection as I changed back into regular clothes. I trusted Y/N, she was my little sister, and Bruce was my best friend, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. 

"I'm going to call my sister," I blurted out, walking to the phone in the dressing room and dialing her hotel room number.

I wrapped the cord around my finger waiting impatiently for her to pick up. As it kept ringing for longer I felt my heart race faster, blood running cold as the answering machine told me to leave a message if I wanted. I hung up, hand shaking.

"She's not answering her phone, I think something happened, what if--"

"Eric. Deep breath," Gene said, rising to his feet and walking over to me.

He put his hands on my shoulders, giving them a squeeze. 

"It's a thirty minute drive to the hotel. They left twenty minutes ago, and that's not factoring in the time it takes to call a cab. She's just fine. Besides, she's with Bruce!" he said with a smile.

"I know but I don't--" 

I faltered, biting down on my tongue. He was my best friend, we had hit it off as soon as he had joined the band. A part of me had always secretly been glad Mark had to leave since it meant Bruce got to stay. We had been best friends for the past five or so years, so why did I feel so uneasy with the way he was acting around my sister?

"Gene do you...do you think Bruce is trustable?" I asked slowly. 

"Trustable? How so?" he asked, letting go of my shoulders and crossing his arms quizzically. 

"I just...don't know, exactly. I'm worried. About my sister. I'm worried about her getting hurt or heartbroken or caught up in something she shouldn't be."

"Bruce is no heartbreaker. Regardless of the extent of their relationship, he won't do anything to hurt her," Gene said. "Besides, who would want to break the heart of such a pretty young woman?" 

"Don't even think about looking at her like that," I said, giving him a flat look.

He held up his hands defensively.

"Hey I've got a girlfriend!" he protested.

Paul and I scoffed in unison.

"And when exactly has that stopped you before?" Paul asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Mm touché," Gene mused. "But seriously, I do have a girlfriend and I'd like to remind you all I'll be having a kid in January, I'm not going to do anything to your sister. She's not my type." 

"Oh shut up, your type is any woman that has a pulse," Paul said with a smirk, and Gene just rolled his eyes as I laughed.

"Once again, I have a girlfriend and will soon be having a kid, I'm trying to be better about that." 

"Well you could certainly try harder," I teased, before sobering back up.

"But I am still worried about her. Maybe I shouldn't have let her come on tour with us, maybe I should send her home." 

"Aw come on Eric don't be so overprotective. I know you're her big brother and you want to keep her safe but let her have some fun! How often is she going to have the chance to tour Europe for basically free?" Paul asked, shrugging on his jacket.

"Well I know but--" 

"Come on, let's get back to the hotel. You can talk to her yourself and see you've got nothing to worry about," Gene said, once again slipping an arm around my shoulders and leading me down the hall. 

I still felt restless and uneasy the entire drive home. I mainly just sat staring out the window, lost in thought despite how much Gene and Paul tried to chat with me. Once we arrived, I muttered a goodbye and headed to the elevators.

Y/N opened the door a minute after I knocked, cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling, wide smile on her face.

"Hi Eric!" she said cheerfully.

I struggled to return her smile but she didn't seem to notice.

"Hey. Just wanted to check up on you before I go to bed, everything alright?" I asked.

She gave me a quick hug and I felt my heart soften.

"Everything's perfect! Now goodnight, you did amazing today!" she said, giving me a wave and closing the door.

I sighed, heading to my room. I carefully peeled off my clothes, getting into some pajamas. I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and unable to fall asleep. 

Bruce was my best friend and Gene was right, he'd never hurt her. So what if they dated? But at the same time, the overwhelming majority of my heart was screaming in protest against the idea. 

"She's too young to date a rock star," I muttered to myself, rolling over and burying my face in the pillow.

She was young, sure, but getting older, and maybe what I was scared of most was having her grow up and drift away.