Keeping Secrets

Late Morning

BEAU

Justin was in the middle of pouring himself a cup of coffee when I walked into the kitchen. I wasn't surprised that he was up before me. That happened more often than not, but it surprised me that he was already dressed and looked ready to go.

Usually, he and I would spend some time lounging around in the morning, drinking coffee and catching up on the news—especially after a late-night gig. But as it was, Justin didn't seem to be suffering any effects from New Year's Eve. He looked completely put together in black jeans and an oversized gray button-up shirt with his long hair pulled back into a bun.

I groaned as I ran my hand through my hair. I needed to get ready, too, but I didn't feel like putting a lot of effort into it. If we weren't traveling, I wouldn't even bother, but I knew the label would appreciate if I didn't get off the plane looking like a homeless man.

It was already late and a quick glance at the clock on the wall above the couch in the living room showed it was much later than I'd expected, and that we were in fact overdue to check out. I hadn't realized just how little time I actually had.

After Peyton left, I'd stayed in bed for another hour or so caught in that in-between state—not quite sleeping, not fully awake. I knew that as soon as I got out of bed, the craziness of my new life would come rushing in. We were heading straight for the airport, then had a couple of days to settle into the rental house and a new city before we started recording the album in LA.

"Hey," I greeted Justin, grabbing an empty cup from the cabinet.

"Morning," he replied.

I held my cup out, and he poured coffee into it.

"Not sure it still qualifies as morning."

He chuckled. "You're probably right."

I blew on the hot liquid that smelled amazing.

"Want this?" Justin asked and handed me a tiny glass bottle filled with a white cream-like substance.

"Cream?" I asked.

"I think it's half and half, but I'm not sure. Tastes good though."

I poured a generous amount into the cup and used Justin's spoon to stir it.

I took a couple of long sips, giving the caffeine a few seconds to make me feel more human. The coffee was dark and bold—just perfect. There was no way this was hotel coffee.

"Ally?" I asked, figuring she must have dropped the stuff off. She knew exactly what we liked after managing us on tour.

Justin nodded. "There are some muffins and stuff over there," he said, pointing to a basket on the counter behind him, which I hadn't noticed until then. "And sandwiches in the fridge."

I opened the fridge and found a tray full of gourmet sandwiches. It was a bit much for me first thing in the morning; I needed something lighter to start the day. Too bad, because they'd probably go to waste.

Closing the door, I walked over to the baked goods basket. It held assorted muffins, each individually wrapped, along with a couple of large coffee cakes and a few danishes. I selected a coffee cake and tore into the wrapper.

"Give me a blueberry muffin," Justin requested, holding out his hand. I found one that looked like it could be blueberry and placed it in his hand.

"Where are the others?" I asked, taking a bite of the coffee cake. Ally had nailed it again—the cake was as good as it looked.

"Lucas is sleeping. I have no idea where Dane is, other than he's not here."

I groaned again.

Fucking typical Dane.