CEM Book Five: DARK WATERS

Introductions

All the anxiety and fear came to light the moment Ester started talking to Rayne. They all felt it along with their own frustrations and anger. A slow hush fell over the others as the tension on the tour bus rose when Ester and Avi approached Rayne and Mitch. It was the moment that they all had been waiting for. The moment the sister met the girlfriend. It was hard to guess which would be more stressful, when the girlfriend met the sister or the tour manager met the woman she blamed for making the artist late. They didn't know that they would get both, but they sure should have.

The concern that everyone had over the introduction was well founded, in theory. They knew Ester well enough to be able to anticipate her reaction. There was real potential for yelling and screaming. The factor that they could not even begin to guess upon was Rayne. Not even Avi could have guessed the outcome of that introduction.

All the anxiety and fear came to light the moment Ester started talking to Rayne, then it simply fell away.

***

Ester watched Rayne as she sat and talked comfortably with Mitch. Avi simply got up and walked away, went over and started talking to Scott. She couldn't believe that he just left her sitting there chatting with Mitch. Just like that. She and Mitch seemed to be talking amicably. Whatever they were discussing it was serious business. She must be okay if Avi left her there and Mitch was actually talking to her. They were locked in a conversation that was hushed enough that their voices could not be heard from where she stood just a few feet away. Rayne commanded every bit of his attention and he willingly gave it to her. No wonder Avi went and found another conversation. He would have been shut out of whatever it was they were talking about, or they would be talking about something else so that he was included, it was hard to tell. Whatever it was that they were discussing it meant a lot to them both and Avi was comfortable leaving her there to discuss it. The smiles they shared were easy and light. Both sets of eyes smiling into the other. They both talked with their hands as they laughed and chatted. It was interesting to see. Mitch looked so relaxed and comfortable there, sitting on that little couch talking to Avi's girl. If Mitch liked her, then everyone was sure to like her. Like it or not, of which he most surely didn't, he was the litmus test for the band. They were focused on each other, wrapped and involved in their quiet private conversation.

Ester turned her attention to Avi and Scott just in time to catch Avi's incredulous expression turn to smiles and laughter. She wondered what Scott had said to him. Whatever it was it caught her brother off guard, he didn't like it, but he quickly recovered. He seemed to be back to his normal self, able to recover rapidly, instantly from being jolted. She couldn't help but smile. This girl had invaded her brother's heart. Had him on edge nervous worried and scared, then he spoke to her and he seemed to settle over the days they were apart. With her near, he seemed stronger than ever. That made her heart both smile and weep.

She was a very pretty girl. Far prettier in person than in her photos on her twitter account. Ester couldn't go over the girl's twitter account. It was private and she wasn't following her. But she was very curious so she borrowed Kirstin's phone. She could see why he wanted to keep her just looking at the shape of her body, but that was a little odd, not the girl's shape, Avi's attraction to her. Avi didn't seem to be attracted to super thin, non-busty girls. This girl was built like the athlete she was. Thin, narrow wasted, small busted, long legged, but her eyes! She caught a glimpse of them while the girl was talking to Mitch, they were a very striking green and they seemed to have their own light.

Ester then, looked at Kirstin and Kevin as they sat and talked. She didn't know what Kevin was explaining, but it was clear that he was explaining something to Kirstin that meant a lot to him. He was animated, his hands moving with just about every other word. Goodness did they all talk with their hands? She shook her head and laughed to herself. They did. She wondered if Rayne had noticed or if she did too. 'Shit!' She did.