How We Deal With Gravity(66)
Chapter 18: Right At Home
Mason
“Ben, you can drink until you vomit after the show. But for now, for the love of god, man…can you just stick with beer?” I plead. I’m tuning my guitar on the side of the stage, playing through a few riffs on some of the songs we’re going to do.
“Come on, loosen up, princess. It’s just one shot,” he says, carrying a tray over to me and the guys. I know Ben; one shot turns into twelve out of nowhere. But it’s our first gig together since we all split and headed different directions a couple of months ago, and I’m actually excited about some of the songs we’re playing tonight. We’re even playing the one I’ve been working on. It’s going to be a little rough, but I don’t care.
I give in to Ben’s pressure and tip my glass back fast, the tequila burning on its way down. “Wooooooo!” Ben yells, smacking his hand hard on the table. “Okay, just one more…”
I look at him instantly, and he slaps my back. “Just kidding!” he laughs, his breath foul as f*ck in my face.
Avery is next to me seconds later, and I can’t help but smile at the sneer she gives Ben. “You want some, Birdie?” he says, breathing out in her face.
“Knock that shit off,” I say, shoving him away from her. I don’t care if it ruins our show for the night; I’m not letting Ben treat her like that.
“Damn, lighten up, Mace. I was just messin’ with her,” Ben says, his balance a little wobbly when he walks over to the stage steps. He’s had more than just one shot, and if I had my guess, he tipped a bottle of Vodka right before we downed that tequila.
“It’s okay. I’m used to Ben. He’s an *,” Avery says, her breath against my neck, lulling me back to a happier place.
“It’s not okay, and I’m sorry you’re used to it. He won’t do that again, I promise,” I say, kissing her lightly, and squeezing her hand.
“I’m covering the back, so I can sit with Max for a while. My dad’s going to hang back there with him, too. But I’ll come up front sometimes so I can get a good look at that sexy lead singer,” she winks and actually reaches around to grab my ass.
“That’s all I am to you, just some piece of meat, huh?” I tease. Honestly, I don’t care what Avery wants me for, as long as she wants me.
She smiles while she backs away, and when she spins on her heels to go back to Cole and turn in her orders, I watch every step her long, sexy legs take. “I gotta hand it to you, man. If I knew Birdie was going to grow up and turn into that, I would have made a play for that piece a long time ago,” Ben says over my shoulder, the words coming out a little rough.
“Yes, I’m sure she would have found you completely irresistible,” I poke back at him. He’s trying to get under my skin; it’s his new thing. But tonight is about starting over, so I’m not going to let Ben push my buttons.
“You ready, kid?” Ray asks, his hand flat on my back. For some reason, every nerve in my body is firing, and for a brief moment, I fear my fingers are so jittery that I won’t be able to pick out a note on my guitar. I shut my eyes, take a deep breath, and look at Ray.
“Ready,” I say, turning around to get with the guys while Ray announces us to the crowd. Dusty’s is full beyond capacity tonight. It’s not just me, but the whole band. And as much as I’ve felt like a failure the last few years, it seems that the people around here think just the opposite. There are people waiting out in the parking lot, just hoping to be able to hear enough or find a way in.
“Okay, guys. Look, I’m not gonna lie. The last few times we’ve played, we sucked. We hit bottom, and we f*cking wallowed in it. We’re better than that. Let’s find it again, right now. You ready?” I say, looking into their eager faces, Ben probably more eager than he should be.
“Fuck yeah, man!” Ben shouts. I just laugh and shake my head, shouting along with him. Matt and Josh grab their guitars and climb the steps to take their spots; Ben gets comfortable behind the drums, tapping out a few rhythms that make the crowd go absolutely nuts. As soon as Ray is done introducing us, I take the mic, and I look out at hundreds of faces, a few of them familiar.
“So I brought my band this time,” I smile, and the girls eat it up. I’ll never get used to this reaction, and it makes me blush. I rub my hand over my mouth and chin, hiding my red face until I finally spot Avery in the back. I wink at her, and the group of college girls hanging at the front of the stage goes crazy, screaming my name and telling me exactly what they want to do to me. A month ago, that would have had me ready to fly through the show just to get them up to a hotel room or the trailer after. But I’m so far from interested now, and I actually find them comical.
“We thought we’d play some oldies, cuz…y’all know Ray, right?” I say, drawing everyone’s attention to Avery’s dad, sitting in his usual spot at the edge of the stage. He stands up and gives a cursory wave; he hates it when I do this.
“Well, Ray…he’s reeeeeallllly old,” I joke, and Ray’s wave turns into him giving me the finger in a flash of a second, which only makes me laugh even harder. “But I love this man. He gave me my break, taught me everything I know. So tonight, Ray? This is for you.”