Three Perfect Months ~Riley McDonough Story~

Chapter Four

Peyton's POV

I could hear the crowd cheering loudly from where I stood backstage. Crew guys went on and off stage as they set up the instruments for the next band. I snapped a picture of the large crowd as Riley came to stand behind me. He had his bass and in-ears on him.

"Pumped?" I asked.

He smiled at me and nodded enthusiastically. I backed up a little and got a picture of him looking out into the crowd. The smile on his face was broad as he anticipated what was coming next. The rest of Before You Exit came to join him and they got into a circle. I didn't pay close attention to what they were saying. The loud screams drowned them out as the lights dimmed down and the crowd grew louder. The guys came out of their huddle and their intro began as Thomas went out to get to his drum set.

"No kiss for good luck?" Riley asked sarcastically.

I smiled and began to lean in, his lips puckered for the kiss he was expecting, but I kissed his cheek at the last second instead. I back up and smiled.

"Good luck!" I exclaimed.

Connor, Toby, and Braiden laughed at Riley's bewildered expression. He knew I wouldn't actually kiss him, but I guess he was surprised that I tricked him into thinking I was.

"Can I get a good luck kiss?" Toby asked. I smirked at Riley and moved towards Toby. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a kiss right on the lips. It was only a peck, it lasted a second and yet he was still too surprised to kiss back. I pulled back and now Riley was the one laughing at Toby's shocked face.

I looked at Connor and Braiden's amused faces and cocked my head to the side. "I would ask if you two wanted a kiss too, but Braiden has a girlfriend and that would make me a whore. " I snickered. "Plus, I only did that to see little Toby here blush."

I pinched Toby's cheek and he mumbled something about not being a little kid as he rubbed it. Riley smirked at me as I moved beside him, but he didn't have time to say anything because they had to run out for their cue. I took one final shot as they ran out and then I turned to walk back to the green room.

"You're supposed to be taking pictures of us, not of your new boyfriend, Peyton." Rian teased as I entered the room.

"Ha ha, you're so funny." I said sarcastically. "No really, you should be a comedian." I sat down on the big leather couch in the room and took my phone off it's charger.

"What? It's the truth. That's what you're getting paid for, isn't it?" He asked as he sat down next to me.

I rolled my eyes. "I do take pictures of you, you just never notice." I paused. "And, anyway, Riley is not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, that's your story." Alex said as he walked into the room. "We all know you and Riley like each other, give it up already."

"I just broke up with my boyfriend!" I protested.

"Okay, so Riley's your rebound. It's no big deal." Rian said.

I groaned and got off the couch. "I hate you guys sometimes," I mumbled as I walked out of the room. I walked back to the side of the stage to watch the guys do their set. They were in the middle of End of the World and Riley looked back for a second. He did a double take and his eyes landed on me. I smiled and waved and he gave me a wink before turning back to the microphone to sing his part.

I rolled my eyes at his cheeky wink and looked down at my phone. Instagram was open and I scrolled down the screen, trying to keep myself busy. After some scrolling I came across a picture that had me biting the inside of my cheek. It was a picture of Malyssa and Jason with the caption, "Forgiving and forgetting." At first I thought it was on Jason's account and wondered why he chose such a lame caption, but then I realized it was on her account. I forgot that I even followed her on here.