9. Varian

"Ican't breathe."

"What?" Vallen asked, glancing over from the driver's seat.

"I think he just asked me for a dick pick."

Vallen coughed and swerved. "You can't do that to me. I'm going to veer into oncoming traffic and kill us all. What do you mean?"

I read them the text conversation.

"Holy mother of God. He might not actually be straight," Fox said, putting a hand over his open mouth before he wrangled his wallet out of his pocket. He pulled out a crisp hundred-dollar bill and passed it to Bronx.

I held up my middle finger. "Don't you jinx me. He's probably joking." But denying it to them didn't change the flutter in my heart.

"Do straight guys joke about that kind of shit, though?" Bronx took the bill and shoved it into his pocket.

"This is what I am saying. You gotta be at least a little." Fox cocked his head to the side and shrugged. "To joke like that."

Bronx held out a fist. Fox bumped it.

"I'm making all of you wait in the car," I said, only half joking.

"Don't worry, Daddy, we won't embarrass you," Fox put on his best baby voice.

I shuddered. "Don't ever call me that again."

"Bet if Arik said it, you'd change your tune!" Bronx burst out laughing, and my brother and Fox joined him.

"I hate all of you. I'm quitting the band." I hit the video call button, putting my headphones in.

Arik answered, circles under his eyes, hair a mess, and it looked like he was sitting in some studio type deal.

"You're not already recording another album, are you?"

"No, we have a thing we are recording for a radio show we are on tomorrow." Arik sat back. "You're not really in town, are you?"

I shook my head. "No, but I figured we could have a drink together like this. What do you say?"

He smiled, and it reached his eyes. "How late will you be up? We have to record this thing, and then I'm going to hop on a train back to my dorm."

"I'll be up a while. Call me back?"

* * *

We talked daily after that. I'd find him on Discord after midnight. As the date for our arrival grew closer, I got nervous. Would our relationship translate from text to real life? Funny how I thought not too long ago it wouldn't work online because of the intense connection we'd had in person.

Anxiety was such a fucking bitch.

We'd both be busy, and so much of the time on tour was loading up, unloading, and driving. There wouldn't be that much downtime. We'd never done anything like Warped, but I had to assume it would be less downtime than we got on our last tour.

Arik: When do you get in?

Varian: Later today. You?

Arik: We're already here. Our label got us a tour bus, so we splurged and flew out.

Varian: It's nice right? I love our bus, even if it's a POS.

Arik: I'm stoked to not be in the van for the next three months.

Varian: I bet.

My thumbs hovered over my phone.

Arik: Call me when you get in.

A smile stretched across my face.

Varian: Yeah?

Arik: Yeah.

We couldn't get there fast enough.