I had some help

Twenty-eight

The bus made its last stop of the day in Mississippi. Alex got off the bus alone to check everyone in. There were five rooms: FGL shared one, Michael and Ernest shared another, and Alex, Morgan, and the bus driver each had their own rooms. The only reason three people weren't sharing a room was because the rooms only had 2 twin sized beds.

Alex walked back to the bus, not looking at the keys in her hand. "One for you two," She said, handing two keys to FGL. "One for you," She said to the bus driver. "One for you two." She said, handing keys to Michael and Ernest. "And one for you and one for-hold on. She only gave me four rooms. I booked five." Alex said, walking back into the hotel.

"Hi, I booked five rooms and I only got four." Alex said to the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, but we were overbooked. We had to take the fifth room." The receptionist said apologetically.

Alex walked back to the bus. "Well, I guess we're sharing." She said to Morgan. "She said there's two twin beds, so we should be fine."

Alex walked into the room she was supposed to share with Morgan, but what she saw made her stop in her tracks. There was only one queen-sized bed.

"What the fuck!" Alex mumbled, turning toward the door to leave.

"Alex, where ya goin'?" Morgan asked.

"To give that receptionist a piece of my mind. Does she think this is funny?!" Alex yelled before Morgan grabbed her wrist pulling her into him.

"Hold on, Al." Morgan said gently. "At least calm down a bit, I can sleep on the floor."

Alex took a deep breath, her frustration evident. "This isn't what I signed up for, Morgan."

"I know." He said, his voice calm and reassuring. "But we're here now. Let's make the best of it. It's just for a few nights."

Alex sighed, knowing he was right. "Fine. But if you snore, I'm kicking you out."

Morgan chuckled, releasing her wrist. "Deal."

Alex started to unpack her things, her irritation slowly ebbing away. "Morgan, you can share the bed with me." She said, looking at him. He nodded, not sure what to say.

Once everyone was done unpacking and resting, they headed to the venue. The hustle and bustle of preparing for the show helped distract Alex from the awkwardness of the sleeping arrangement. The band set up, sound checks were conducted, and the anticipation of the evening's performance began to build.

Tonight, Alex was set to sing with Michael again but she was going to sing both of her songs. Little did she know, Morgan had set up a surprise for her to sing "Need You Now" with him.

As the show was about to start, Alex stepped onto the stage. "HOW ARE WE DOING TONIGHT, MISSISSIPPI?!" Alex yelled out, her voice ringing through the arena. The crowd erupted into cheers, the energy palpable.

"I'M ALEXANDRIA WILSON AND I'M SOME OF OUR GUESTS' MANAGER!" Alex introduced herself, her smile wide and genuine.

"I hope y'all have an amazing night!" She continued. "We've all practiced so much, and today we have Lainey Wilson with us! No, we're not related." She added with a laugh, eliciting more cheers and laughter from the crowd.

With that, Alex walked off stage, the crowd's excitement still buzzing in her ears. Backstage, she was met by Michael, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Ready for our songs?" Michael asked.

"Always." Alex replied, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

As they prepared to go on, the venue manager approached Alex. "Hey, there's been a slight change in the setlist. Morgan wants to do a song with you first."