Keeping Secrets

Finals

PEYTON

I'd spent most of my free time studying for finals, and while I knew the material pretty well, I was still nervous. Max had his own exams to prepare for, so I'd been seeing more of Becca and Lin lately since we studied together.

The three of us spent the last two afternoons in the back of the library with our noses buried in our books, until it was time for Lin and Becca to go to practice.

I only had a couple more chapters left to review, so I picked up a sandwich for dinner on the way back to my dorm. The building was unusually quiet, probably because everyone else was cramming for exams, too.

As I settled on my bed, my phone buzzed a couple of times. The sound was like an instant jolt to my system, and my heart rate quickened as I reached for it, hoping it was from Beau. When I saw his name on the screen, my heart beat even harder.

The first message was just a picture of an empty arena. I was getting used to those—he'd sent quite a few over the past few weeks, and they all looked about the same to me. But it was still surreal to think about how far they'd come. The same band I'd first heard playing in a cramped garage was now filling massive arenas.

The next picture was of him and Justin dressed and ready for the show. Beau had some kind of reddish bandanna around his head. It was a new look for him, and I wondered if that was all it was, just a new look. Or if it had a purpose. It did look like his hair was getting a bit too long, so maybe that was why?

"Rocked Copenhagen tonight," said the text that followed.

I looked at the time on my phone. It was close to six pm so after doing a quick math; I figured it was around midnight in Denmark. They had probably finished for the night and were either back at the hotel, or out celebrating.

I knew from tracking their schedule—something I'd never admit to anyone—that they were off for Oslo in the morning.

What's with the bandanna?" I asked.

"Need a haircut."

I laughed because it seemed like something he'd say. He was more focused on playing and sightseeing than sitting still long enough for someone to trim his bangs.

"Lol. Don't you have a stylist or makeup person who can do that for you?"

"Probably."

"Or are you letting it grow long like Justins?"

It was so fun and easy to have these bantering texts with him. I fluffed my pillow and leaned back, waiting for his response. Hoping it would come...

Beau had started texting me again not long after Thanksgiving break. The first message was a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in the background. It had been taken near sunset, the sky a blend of vibrant colors only enhanced the view of the lit-up tower, but it was Beau's grinning face that got me every time I looked at the picture. And I looked at it a lot.

There was something so effortlessly beautiful about him. The way his dirty blond hair fell over his forehead, the way his dark blue eyes seemed to twinkle with a hint of mischief, and that broad, teasing smile... Yeah, it all got to me.

And to most other women as well, unfortunately.

Trudge Lite was finishing up their wildly successful European tour, and the buzz for their upcoming North American tour was growing. They were set to kick off in California in mid-March, with plans to head into the studio in between.

It was a good thing they enjoyed it, because the scheduled seemed very intense to me.

But with the increased ads and the speculations about future albums, there were pictures of them everywhere. Seeing them, and especially Beau, did not help my crush.