20
Ruby
I pushopen the door to the hotel room, guitar case on my back and rucksack over an arm. The neutrally decorated, narrow room barely fits the furniture and heavy brown curtains block out all natural light. I push the keycard into the slot and the lights come on revealing two queen size beds.Great.
Jax barrels in behind me and leaps onto the nearest bed, flopping back and looking at the ceiling. Will hovers in the doorway, chewing on his lip piercing.
“This it?” asks Will.
“What did you expect?” I ask. “The Ritz? Most bands our size don’t have a sponsor and have to sleep in the van!”
“Dunno, it’s… small,” says Will.
“Yeah, that’s what I heard the chick saying about you the other day.” Nate pushes him out of the way and walks in. “Seriously? We’re not spending much time here anyway.”
“I know, but what about the after party?” says Will.
“Cramped if you invite more than one person,” I reply.
“I bet Jem’s room is bigger—reckon he’ll let us party in there?” Nate asks.
“Sure, Nate. The recovering addict would love his room full of drunk and high kids. Great idea. Maybe we should ask him to dump us now if you’re going to piss him off! Dickhead,” I retort.
Will laughs. “Ohhh! Listen to you. You live with a rock star and now you’re his bestie?”
“Fuck off.” I prop my guitar against the wall. “Who’s sleeping on the floor?”
“Why does anyone have to sleep on the floor?” asks Nate, lying on the other bed and resting his hands beneath his head.
“Two queen beds, four people, three guys, one girl.” I raise a questioning eyebrow.
Nate smirks. “You’re not a real girl, Rube, not to us anyway.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to share a bed with any of you guys.”
Jax throws back the covers. “Me! You can sleep with me and we can work on the lead singer and guitarist relationship.” He pats the bed.
“I don’t think there’ll be room for me and your conquests,” I retort.
“You could share with me and Will, and then…” begins Nate.
I narrow my eyes. “One comment about threesomes and I’ll kick your ass.”
“If you’re in my bed why would I need to pick up other girls?” continues Jax.
“Shut the hell up.” I’m uncomfortable with his words. Jax is the only guy I’ve ever trusted and that was because he had no interest in me outside of my music—he never attempted to hit on me. Once over, I thought Jax saw me as the band’s fourth guy and not a girl, but recently I’m not a hundred per cent sure. Our banter fills with innuendo, always has, but Jax never looked at or touched me in a way to make me question if this meant more. But comments like this one niggle and have me on alert for any extra meaning behind his friendly kisses and hugs.
“I reckon Ruby will sweet talk Jem into sharing his room,” says Nate.
“Yeah, what’s the deal with you guys?” Will pokes around in the bar fridge. “Hey! Look at this! Beers!”
“There’s no deal. I’m just staying at his house.”
Will pulls a bottle out. “Have you done the dirty with him yet?” Jax throws a pillow at him. “What? I’m only asking what we all want to know.”
“What do you mean ‘what you all want to know’? Have you been discussing me and Jem behind my back?” I slam the hotel room door shut and glare at Jax.
“Aw, c’mon, Rube. You’ve lived with him two weeks and he’s Jem Jones. I even saw you on the internet as ‘Jem’s new girl’.”