Five

Jerrin

My guiding light; my very air

Some might think the things Sky and I did were mundane, but to me, everything held a sizzle of excitement. Maybe, it was just being with her and having the sensation, the realization, she'd been meant for me all these years, that I'd been waiting for her.

Between last night, this morning and all our overnight texting, we'd gotten to know so much about each other, and nothing had risen any red flags or irritation inside me. Was I ready to propose? Fuck, no. However, I was quickly beginning to believe in love at first sight, but we weren't there—I couldn't tell her that. Yet.

Really, the only reservation or major issue looming ahead was me explaining I didn't just work for the band. I basically was the band. That wasn't an egotistical over-exaggeration. It was my voice and the music I wrote that were our lifeblood. I hoped Sky and I could get past that—especially with her aversion to concerts and especially crowds. And of course, the fact I'd been lying to her by letting her think I was crew. She might not like the traveling aspect of my job, either, or all the things her sister had said about the tour. It was a whole ball of problems.

The travel issue was the easiest to solve. The music festival was the tail-end of our tour, and we didn't need to launch right into another. The band was due for a break then some studio time. I had to work on some of the songs I'd been writing before sharing them with the group, so we could make decisions on which ones we'd record. The past few days, I'd had some new ideas percolating, too. All about Sky, of course.

Strumming my guitar at rehearsal, I checked the tuning, though that was the job of my backline guitar tech. Behind me and to my sides, I heard Stone, Blu, Kyson and Stix all testing their instruments, too. I was only half paying attention, my mind elsewhere.

I couldn't help but smile as I thought about Sky while crew milled around the five of us on the stage. Like worker ants, she'd said. Tomorrow, we'd be performing at the end of the day's back-to-back lineup. This was the only chance they had to make sure all our marks were noted, so they could quickly switch to our setup before our performance. For the next few minutes, all I really had to do was stand here.

I tuned out everything while I thought of my woman. She was so different from her sister. While Marley was like sharp-edged ice, Sky was a warm ray of sunshine and full of bubbling joy. Earlier today, she'd kicked my ass at laser tag, hooting every time she lit me up, yet dodging before I could get her. She'd been a regular monkey, fearless and agile, on the ropes course we'd ended up doing afterward. Once again, I acknowledged she captivated me. It was so foreign how hard and fast it had hit—foreign but undeniable.

Arousal slid through me and sparked in my dick when I recalled pulling her to me on one of the rope course's platforms. Pressing her close to me, I'd devoured her lips until her knees buckled and we'd nearly fallen. I never would have let anything happen to her, though. I just couldn't get enough of her.

Tonight would be difficult and exhilarating. I wanted her under me; I wanted in her. But I was determined not to rush.

Something hit the side of my head, and I looked down to see a balled-up event program bouncing to the floor.

"Hey, space cadet," Stone called. "You ready or are you going to fritz out some more?"

I glared at him. "I'm ready."

"What's up with you anyway?" Kyson asked. "You've been all… weird …since yesterday."

"Yeah…since you asked me to cover for you," my brother added, the two of them questioning me as if we didn't have our whole crew, plus some, listening in on our business.

"Are you kids going to keep chatting it up, or are you going to get some work done?" Marley growled from where she stood on the lighting and sound scaffolding.

"Who pissed in her Cheerios?" Kyson muttered.

Stone shot him an amused look. "You tell us."

Kyson held up his hands. "Wasn't me this time. Blu, you punch someone?"

"Not yet," she replied. "I'm open to the possibility. You volunteering?"

"Let's just practice before Marley has a real conniption," I said. "Stix, bring us in." During the actual show, she'd slide in through an opening behind her drum kit while the stage was dark. The lights would slowly come up during her epic drum solo then the rest of us would run in toward the end, launching into our first song. We weren't running in this time, as we were mostly testing for sound and lights and positioning.

We ran seamlessly through the first part of the set, up to where I'd speak, before I called a halt, with my hand in the air. I slowly closing my fingers, so we finished together.

"And then yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah, thank you for coming. We're fucking glad you're here. And how's our sound and lights, guys?" I asked.

"Don't say fucking," Marley yelled through her own mic at the control stand.

"Only fucking for you, Mar," I replied.

"Fuck yeah!" Stone yelled.

"I don't get what's the fucking problem with it," Kyson added.

"Because you guys are fucking idiots," Blu answered.

"Stone…" Stix called. "Since we're at it. I'd like to take this opportunity to say, fuck off. And all of you who have the pool on Stone and me can fucking fuck the fuck off, too."

"Okay, okay…" I held up my hands. "Huddle."

Stone and I handed off our guitars to our backline guys in charge of our instruments while Blu handed off her bass to her tech. Crossing my arms, I waited in the center of the stage for everyone to gather ‘round. Marley and the light and sound techs, George and Stan, came over from the control scaffolding, while the backline chiefs and our production manager, Devon, joined us on the stage to go over tech details and the abbreviated set we'd be playing, which was about half of what a regular concert would be. Tomorrow, the stage crew would do the smallest of sound checks, just to see that everything was connected, but that was all since the break between acts was only about fifteen minutes.

The heads of each team brought out their notes for us to address, but there wasn't much. We'd been on the road together for a year and a half. In the thick of things, we had two road crews running, one working the set up for current show and one working the next, but this core group of professionals traveled with the band and worked every performance, each of their jobs as important—if not more important—as what we did onstage. They made it all possible.

A couple hours later, after one more practice and a final set of notes, we all headed in separate directions while Marley went to a dinner with the festival organizers and Devon remained to oversee the crew.

"Are you going with us to see the fireworks?" Stone asked. "We're taking to the shuttle over to the lake."

Pulling out my phone, I checked for a text from Sky. We were having a picnic tonight. As I flicked open my screen, her message proclaimed: HERE .

"Nah. I have plans. I'll see you later."

He crossed his arms, glaring at me. "Bro. Are you screwing some groupie? That's not like you."

"I am not screwing anyone. And she's definitely not a groupie."

"Ha!" He jabbed a finger at me. "I knew it! You're hooking up with some pussy."

Anger boiled up my throat in a choking fire. "First of all, don't ever ever call her that. Second, the fuck, man? I told you I'm not fucking her."

"Yet," he countered, ignoring everything else I'd said.

Fair point to my brother, not that I'd tell him.

"And third," I went on refusing to indulge his one-word statement. "She's Marley's sister. So shut the fuck up."

"Marley's sister?" he hissed, looking around as if the dragon herself would descend on him. "Are you fucking stupid?"

"No. Well, maybe. Her sister's not a fan or a groupie or whatever. She knows about us but doesn't know us. She thinks I'm with the road crew."

Stone stared at me. "You're an idiot."

"Probably."

"And what are you going to do when she finds out? What is she going to do? Because she will find out."

I shook my head. "I don't know. Hopefully, I'll figure out how to tell her and find a good opening for an explanation tonight."

And hopefully, she wouldn't be so pissed and hurt she'd leave me stranded on the side of the road. Or worse, call her older sister who would murder me. If I hurt Sky, though, I'd just go ahead and give Marley the gun.