BloodLust // yungblud fanfic

Chapter 16

They arrived in Portland later that afternoon, after spending a miserable hour sitting in traffic on the Interstate. Traffic stressed Holly out even when she wasn't the one driving. There was something about sitting and not knowing what was going on or when you would start moving again that just drove her absolutely nuts. So by the time the bus parked on the road behind the hotel, she was more than ready to get off.

Gavin handed out the schedule for the next day. "Load in starts at noon. Soundcheck is at 4:00, and you're on stage at 9:30. Bus call is at 2:00. This is our last hotel stay until Saturday night, so make the most of it. Michael, Tom, and Dom, the three of you have phone interviews and a conference call with Travis this afternoon, so you'll come with me. The rest of you are free until tomorrow."

"Phone interviews," Dominic groaned.

Gavin shot him a sharp look. "No whining."

"I'm not whining," Dominic said. "I'm expressing my emotions. Open communication is the basis for every healthy relationship - "

Gillian, standing beside Holly, glanced over and rolled her eyes. "Men." Holly grinned. Seriously.

"Me and some of the crew are going to head downtown and take the tram," Gillian said. "You should come with us."

Holly didn't know what the tram was, but it sounded way more fun than sitting around the hotel all afternoon. She was pleased to be invited, and she knew better than to reject an overture from one of the roadies. There wouldn't be a second offer. "That sounds awesome," she said. "Just let me grab my backpack."

She spent a fun afternoon roaming around Portland with Gillian and some of the sound guys, a mixture of Chase Atlantic's crew and the Yungblud crew. She had been to Portland before, but only for a few hours to play a show. There hadn't been any time to explore. The weather was incredible - sunny, clear - and they could see several snow capped volcanoes from the top of the hill the tram delivered them to. Holly snapped a picture with her phone and sent it to Dylan. When they arrived downtown again, one of the roadies led the way to what he swore was the best dive bar on that side of the river, and they ate cheese fries and drank cheap beer and filled Holly in on all the tour gossip. Most of it wasn't very exciting - rumors about hook ups and who had the best weed - but it was nice to feel included.

People had started making noises about dinner when Holly's phone buzzed with a text message. It was from Tom: Have dinner w us? Best Korean food in Portland.

She wondered who "us" was, and hoped it meant Dominic. She would accept wither way, of course. Just as she hadn't wanted to offend the roadies earlier, she definitely didn't want to offend Tom. Sounds great. Im downtown, should i come back to hotel?

"I gotta go," she announced. "Dinner with Tom."

The roadies booed loudly. "You're selling out!" Gillian said.

"I know!"Holly said. "Sorry. Thanks for inviting me today, though. I really had a lot of fun."

"You're cool, Holly," one of the roadies said, Leonard she thought, and held up his hand for a high five. "Hang out with us again."

"I will," Holly said, warmed by their collective approval and welcome. "Thanks."

She went outside and texted her location to Tom, and about fifteen minutes later Dominic pulled up to the curb in a sweet little red sports car. He leaned out the window and grinned at her, his eyes hidden behind his ridiculous sunglasses, and Holly felt her heart skip a beat, just the way it always happened in stories.

"Where on earth did you get that car?" she asked.

"Come on, sweetheart. We're rock stars." Dominic said. "We have people to take care of these things for us."