Ryder (Resisting Love #2.5)(26)
I stand up, and do a quick check of the hotel room, making sure I haven’t forgotten anything. Then I pick up my bags, and head out.
Time to face the music.
*****
Ryder
I gulp down my bottle of water. We've just finished another opening act, and I’m still high on adrenaline. I can’t wait until Morning Alliance gets our own tour instead of just opening. Still, every show for Cold Nation, we get to do about four songs as an opening act, and I’m not complaining. We usually do two of our own songs, and two cover songs. We've gotten so much publicity its crazy. We've been asked to do interviews, to pose for a whole heap of photo shoots. We even have our own groupies. The whole thing is insane.
Things have been better with Sax and me, but still a bit tense. When I dedicated a song to Lexi, even though it was only by her nickname, he started pulling back again. Sax is our drummer, and if it wasn’t for that I think he would have dedicated a song to her too. He has an amazing voice, and I’m sure he's dying to sing ‘Breakeven’ to her. He thinks I let Lexi go for the band, but he doesn’t know the events that actually went down. He knew I was seeing Nikki for a little while, but that's finished now. I haven’t seen him hook up with any other women. While Kidd and Jet are out hooking up, Sax and I sit in the hotel room, pining over the same woman. It’s f*cking sad, really.
Lexi changed her phone number, and I haven’t even spoken to her since she saw me with Nikki. Nikki and I ended things; we both knew we were better off as friends. We didn’t even have sex, it didn’t feel right. She wasn’t who I wanted, and I wasn’t who she wanted. If Lexi finds out I even attempted a relationship with Nikki, that’s another strike against me. I've f*cked up so bad, it’s not even funny.
I can only hope that I get a chance to make things right.
*****
Chapter 17
Three months later
Lexi
I’m back in Perth, at the apartment with Tee, and things are going well. Ryder is still on tour, and my life has gone back to normal. I’m back to working at the bar at Steele, after Chase asked Payton to take me back. I’m working here full time now, as my office job has already been replaced.
I even started seeing someone. His name is Derek and he's a friend of Kade and James. He asked me out about ten times before I actually agreed to go on a date with him. The man is relentless, that’s for sure. He's also quite delicious, with brown hair and eyes, and a charming personality. We aren’t serious or anything, in fact, we've only been dating for a week.
“Well, if it isn’t my favourite bartender?” Derek flirts. I grin.
“I’m pretty sure you like anyone who gives you alcohol, Derek,” I tease. Derek chuckles and shakes his head at me. I’m pretty sure Derek and I are destined for friendship only, which I clearly stated to him, but he seems dedicated to proving me wrong.
“So, you ready?” he asks.
“No,” I say. Tee and Layla talked me into performing a song at the club. It has taken them about a month to wear me down, and I’m at the point where I'll do anything to get them off my back.
My point of relenting was when they got Kade on my case. The man's been playing pranks on me and annoying the hell out of me for the last month. He sends me video messages constantly, giving me a play by play of his day. He has also started trying to hook me up with James, and he keeps sending me pictures of James in various states of undress, and I’m pretty sure James has no idea. The latest one was of James in nothing but a towel, and the view was good, but James and I are just friends. When James goes away on business, Kade finds other ways to harass me.
Last night he sent me a picture of himself shirtless (wow) and the caption said ‘Kade and Nikki.’ There was no Nikki in the picture, so I texted back and told him so, thinking he sent me the wrong picture, but Kade texted back saying ‘she’s on her knees so you can’t see her.’ I choked on my coffee when I read that. Kade has no shame; he also sent me a message casually asking if I wanted to come over for a threesome. He better have been joking, you can never really tell with him.
I've met Nikki, the woman I found Ryder embracing. I obviously knew who Nikki was, heard about her from Layla and Kade, but I had never actually met her, so when I saw her with Ryder, I had no idea it was her. She admitted to knowing about me too, and when she heard I dumped Ryder, she took her chance. She was on the rebound from Kade, and she thought since Ryder was also recently single, it was a good idea.
At first we were both wary around each other, but we've become friends. She keeps telling me about Ryder and how much he cares for me, but then she let it slip that they dated after I left. I had no idea about it, for some reason I stupidly thought it was just the one kiss. That was the moment I agreed to go out with Derek. After I had left, heartbroken, Ryder resumed a relationship with Nikki. It didn’t matter to him one bit that I was gone. I’m not gonna lie – it hurt to hear it.
I walk around the bar, and groan out loud. I can see Kade, Chase, James, Nikki, Layla, and Tee, all sitting there, wearing smiles. Evil! The lot of them. I get my guitar and walk up on stage, taking a seat on the stool in the middle. The good thing is that it’s during the day and not many people are here. Steele turns into a restaurant lounge during the day, but today is pretty empty. Only a few customers are at the table besides Tee and the gang. I clear my throat and say into the microphone, “Just to clarify, Kade will leave me alone after this, right?” Everyone laughs, but I'm dead serious. His TMI messages and videos are driving me around the bend. The man is perfect until he opens his mouth.