Falling Asleep On A Stranger

Chapter 6

Tony:

Damn, I couldn’t believe she was giving me something so important to her. And honestly, it made me happy beyond explanation. I don’t know why I felt like this but the moment she had given me the necklace, I thought I was dreaming. What the hell, Tony? Fuck, I was messed up.

         I really did love that necklace though. The Death Star along with the tag was beyond sick and the guitar pick she had gotten was pretty cool too. It had a turtle on the back and my name etched in tiny letters while it had the Key Street name and logo on the front. It must have taken her forever to find someone to make it like that. Not to even think about how much it cost her. I felt guilty for taking it from her. I could tell she loved that necklace by the way she smiled sadly as she told me the story behind it.

        “No, thank you! I never thought someone could go through so much trouble to get something for me. It’s nice to know that some people will find the things that I really love and get good gifts. I’ll never forget this.” I don’t know why I said it, but since I had, I smiled to reassure Jenna that I meant it. Damn, watch your mouth Tony, before you say something you’ll regret.

I glanced at my watch. 1:58 “Oh shit! It’s already two a.m. and I hadn’t even noticed. I’m sorry to keep you out so late. Hell the guys are probably wondering where I am right now.” I reached into my pocket for my phone as I watched Jenna do the same. Sure enough I had two messages from Vic and one from Jaime.

First message from Vic: 1:16 a.m. Hey man, where are you? The meet and greet is over and we’re back at the bus now.

Second message from Vic: 1:32 a.m. Tony? You’ve been out for a while. Text me to let me know you’re alive and didn’t get kidnapped by a bunch of fans alright?

Message from Jaime: 1:40 a.m. Hey Turtle, we’re at the bus. Mike’s passed out and I’m about to hit the sack. Where are you? Vic’s been wondering. I think he thinks you’ve been kidnapped.

I laughed softly at the messages. It was so Vic to worry about everyone. I texted him back first. ‘Hey man. Don’t worry, I’m still alive. And no I haven’t been kidnapped by fans. Not really at least. I went out for a walk with a girl I met. We’ll be back in a bit.’ Then I tapped back to Jaime’s message and answered him as well. ‘What’s up, Hime. How’d the meet and greet go? Sorry I left. Got a call from Steph then I met this girl and we came out for a walk. Tell you the deets later. I texted Vic already but tell him to chill out alright? Be back soon.’ I looked up at Jenna to see that she was texting someone as well.

“Vic thought I had been kidnapped by fans.” I chuckled. “Well you weren’t taken against your will. That’s for sure.” She smiled. “Did your friends ask where you were?” I wondered. “Yeah, but they said they found an after party nearby and headed over there. They texted me the address to meet up with them later. They’re used to me disappearing to be alone so they know I’m okay. Out of us three, I can take care of myself the most. I’m more worried they’re going to end up drunk off their asses though.” She laughed shyly. “Underage drinking?” I asked raising my eyebrows in a questioning look. “Not for me. I’m not much of a drinker. Plus I’m driving. As for my friends, I don’t think I can say the same. We’re staying over at my friend’s house tonight and her parents are out of town so that’s their opportunity to get wasted. They’ll have fun today and I’ll have hell tomorrow dealing with their hangovers.” I laughed. “Well I’m pretty glad you’re not drinking tonight, I’m not sure if we’d talk the same if you were wasted. Plus if you did get wasted, you probably would not remember anything about tonight and I’m hoping you do.” There you go again with your big mouth you turtle! What was wrong with me? I’m seriously flirting with this girl right now. The smile I brought to her face made me feel good though. It made me happy, knowing I could make her smile. Fuck, I don’t know what’s going on with me.

“Do you want to head back to the bus for a while then? Since your friends are out partying?” It was 2 a.m. in the morning, but I really didn’t want her to leave. She nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.” We turned around and headed back the way we came. “So tell me, what are your friends like?” She laughed and looked up at me. “They are true fan girls. Leila is about eight months younger than I am and she is in love with Jaime. She talks about him all day, every day. Then there’s Kristi. She is a year younger than me and loves Mike. I love them both, they’re amazing but you have no idea how annoying it gets to hear them argue about who is the hottest band member every single day. After a while, I learned to block out those pieces of conversation and just laugh at them. They’re really nice girls though. Leila is a sweetheart until you get her mad. I pity the fool who tries to pick a fight with her. They will suffer. Kristi on the other hand is pretty much out there. She is the girly girl of the group. She’s popular and is always dressing pretty. I have no idea how she ended up with Leila and me but we became great friends. She’s cool to be around.” “Wow, sounds like one hell of a friendship. Are you anything like them?” I asked way too many questions, but Jenna didn’t seem to mind. “Actually, I’m nothing like them. I think that’s why we all get along. We’re completely different from each other. I’m normally the quiet one out of the three. They’re both a bit chatty. And while Leila is a dancer and Kristi an artist, I’m a musician.” “You don’t seem very quiet.” I raised my brows at her. “Oh, for some reason you’re just easy to talk to. It’s new to me, but believe me, inside I think I’m hiding in a shell. I’m like a turtle, come too close or knock on my shell and I’ll hide.” I laughed at the comparison. “Well you’re pretty lucky I happen to like turtles.” She laughed.

“So what do you think?” I asked looking at her. “About what?” she asked confused. “About who’s the hottest band member.” She laughed, “Let’s keep you in the dark about that one. You might not be able to take the answer.” She was teasing me. “Hey, I’m a man. I can take it.” “Oh I don’t think you can.” She looked at me smiling. Gosh, I couldn’t get over her smile. It was lovely. “Aww, come on! Is it Jaime?” She shook her head, no. “Mike?” again she denied. “Vic?” I asked raising my brows. Again, denial. “Wait, you’re not crushing on one of our techs are you? I mean technically they’re not part of the band.” She laughed out loud. “Wow, Tony. You’ve exhausted your options and still missed it.” I thought for a bit. If it wasn’t Jaime, Vic, or Mike, then that only left . . . “Me?” She nodded. Oh shit! She thought I was the hottest band member. The thought of that made me blush and smile like a fool. She found me attractive. Shit, shit, shit, shit! Excitement was filling me up. Why did knowing this make me so damn happy? Many girls have told me I’m the hottest band member, but why was it now making me want to laugh and smile like an idiot? Was it because she said it? It couldn’t be. I barely knew the girl. I definitely didn’t have feelings for her. I felt knots in my stomach at the thought. I didn’t have feelings for her right? I couldn’t, I had only been talking to her for two hours. Two hours, after I broke up with Steph. Two hours where she could have walked away, or not try to keep up a conversation. Two hours in which I could’ve said goodnight and let her go out partying with her friends. No Tony, what are you thinking? She’s way too young. Not even legal yet. At least not for another year. Was it really that bad? Maybe we could become great friends in a year, or more than that. No, I couldn’t think like that. She’s just a girl. A really mature, really beautiful girl.

“Tony?” Jenna’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She had stopped a couple of steps ahead of me. Why did she stop? Then I realized, it was me who had stopped. I was shocked from the fact that she thought I was hot. How long had I been standing there looking like an idiot? I blushed a bright red and shook my head to clear away all my thoughts. “Wait, sorry. You think I’m the hottest band member?” I started to walk again and she followed. “Yeah, why is that so hard to believe? You probably have a thousand girls each night telling you the same thing.” She shrugged. I didn’t know what to say. “No. . . I mean yeah. . . I do but well I never would have imagined that you thought I was the hottest.” My heart was beating fast. What the hell? “Do you think I would have left my spot in line and miss out on meeting the hottest band member if he was there? I mean, no offense but if I had thought any of the other guys were amazingly hot, I don’t think I would’ve noticed you leave.” I realized she was right. I nodded, “Okay, true. Well thanks, that’s. . . umm. . . cool.” I sounded like a complete moron at the moment. I looked at my feet as we walked, my face burning with embarrassment. What kind of response was that? Cool? She probably thought I was a fool. Well, fuck!