Grand Adventure

Chapter 24

 Dani followed Eddie into the motel room, dropping her bag on the floor next to the door. They had decided it would be a good idea to follow what they did after the Metallica show and have an actual room with a bed. It would most likely be a late night. Dani was also looking forward to taking a real shower, especially after all that time in the ocean. Her hair needed it.

Eddie flipped a switch when they returned to the party after their desperate sex. Dani never really got the opportunity to ask him what was going on. He grabbed his guitar from the van and began jamming with a couple other guys while she sat in the sand and chatted with Brenda and Becky. Then everyone declared a night swim so they leapt into the ocean. She had to admit, there was something, almost spiritual, about being immersed in the ocean's vast blackness at night, just the moon's glow to light your way.

Eddie had quite a few more beers after that and by the time she headed to their sleeping bag, he was already snoring away, passed out. They'd woken up late this morning and been in a hurry to get on the road to ensure they made it in time for tonight's show at The Whiskey. So, they'd said their goodbyes, rolled up the sleeping bag, and headed off.

She'd tried to bring it up a couple times but he brushed

her off, assuring her it was nothing and then turned up the music so loud they couldn't talk. Dani had second guessed herself for a bit, wondering if she was making something out of nothing but no, she wasn't. Eddie was being weird...well, weirder than usual.

Dani turned to face him, crossing her arms, "Okay. What in the hell is going on with you?"
Eddie's head shot up from his bag, where he had been digging for what he wanted to wear tonight. His eyes widened, eyebrows crawling up his forehead, his tongue dancing around the corner of his mouth.

"What do you mean? I'm just grabbing clothes for the show," he shrugged, busying himself in the bag again.

Dani stomped over, grabbed the shirt from his hand and threw it on the bed. He made a sound of annoyance, reaching for it, but she pushed herself between him and the bed so he couldn't. She wasn't letting him weasel out of this. No more wandering around, trying to figure out what was going on in his head.

"I'm not doing this shit again, Eddie. You did this that day before we went to see your mom. You acted really strange and had me thinking something was really wrong all damn day. We are in L.A., about to go to the strip! This should be an amazing day for us and I am not letting it get ruined because I can't get out of my head that you're unhappy."

"Ugh," he groaned, running his hand over his face, the light from the window catching his rings, causing her to squint as they glared in her eyes. "Dani, I'm not unhappy."

"Well, you could have fooled me," she snorted. "We were having a great time at the party and then we wandered down the beach. I mean, sex is usually a guaranteed way to have you smiling but you got all weird."

"It was weird that I was telling you how much I love you? That I was telling you that I want to make you happy? That I don't want to lose you?"

"I..." Dani paused, unsure how to answer. She didn't want to offend him, but she also didn't want to lie. "You...no but also yes. You got very...I don't know, desperate or something, like I was going to vanish into dust in your arms and you were trying to keep me there."

"Desperate? Fucking awesome," Eddie huffed, backing away and turning from her. She could see his back heaving as he inhaled deep breaths before spinning on her again. "See, this is exactly what's bothering me, Dani! I love you so fucking much I could drown in it. You're the only goddamn thing I see. But you, the mention of marriage or kids or anything having to do with the future and you look like a fucking deer in headlights. You looked appalled when I wanted to get your name tattooed on me!"