The bus is loaded and we’re just waiting on the guys to join us. Logan and I are sitting at the small U-shaped dining table. My hands are resting on my lap, palms sweaty as what I’m about to do sinks in. I’m traveling with Soul Serenade. That’s a lot to wrap your head around.
It’s really happening.
“This is a new bus. I guess the old one only had bunks, and Kacen insisted we have a bed.” Logan places a hand over her belly.
“That’s a good man you married,” I say with a smile.
“He really is. Anyway, there is a bedroom in the back and then four bunks, a full bathroom and this living area that you see.”
“You’ve seen the bus before?” I ask her.
“Just plans and pictures. This is my first time being onboard. The guys designed it.”
“It’s not exactly roughing it.”
“Is that what you expected?”
“Honestly, Logan, I don’t really know what I expected. I’m still a little shocked that this is my life for the next three months. I’m nervous and excited. I don’t want to let you or the band down.”
“Impossible. I knew nothing about this life when they hired me. It’s not hard, just a lot of detail and organization. You have that in spades. Besides, it’s not just you. It’s both of us. We’re a team.”
“Let’s get this party started,” Cole says, climbing onto the bus, the rest of the band trailing on behind him. He slides in next to me, Kacen next to Logan, Gavin sits next to Kacen, and Tristan next to Cole. Logan and I are surrounded by musical hotness.
“Now what?” Logan asks.
“Now, we wait. Our first stop is Atlanta, which is about a four-hour drive,” Kacen explains.
“That’s a short jag compared to some of them. There will be nights that, as soon as the show is over, we pile on the bus and drive all night and some of the next day to get to the next show,” Tristan adds.
“So, what do you do?” Logan asks.
“Play cards, but most of the time we sleep. It’s exhausting at best. We write music, play Xbox. I’m not going to lie; it gets old fast, but with you here, I can see it being a hell of a lot more fun.” Kacen wags his eyebrows.
“Who’s up for a little gaming?” Gavin asks.
“You ready for me to kick your ass again so soon? I just demolished you yesterday,” Tristan goads him.
“Bring it, fucker,” Gavin fires back. They both move to the small couch that has a large flat-screen hanging on the wall across from it.
“Have you seen our room?” Kacen asks Logan.
She shakes her head, and that’s all the answer he needs as he stands and pulls her with him. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
I watch as they walk to the back of the bus and disappear.
“Have you seen where you’ll be sleeping?” Cole asks.
“No, we didn’t make it past this point.”
“Follow me.” He stands and holds his hand out for me. I don’t accept it as I stand on my own and follow him in the direction our friends just disappeared.
“This is it.” He opens a door to a room that has four bunks. “The couch and the table also turn into beds, so if you ever want a change of scenery, that’s an option as well,” he explains.
“Which one is mine?” The space is not as small as I was expecting. Each one has a small TV that flips down from the top and what I assume are Bluetooth speakers in the corners. Thick curtains block out the rest of the room, giving a semblance of privacy.
“You can choose whichever one you want.”
I survey the bunks. “Which one is yours?”
He shrugs. “We haven’t picked yet.”
I think about it and know immediately that I need to be on the bottom bunk. They all have a lot of height on me, so it will be easier for one of them to climb into the top. “I guess I’ll take this one.” I point to the bottom right.
He nods then goes to the door and opens it. “Stacy and I have claimed the right side, so you all can duke it out for the left,” he yells to Gavin and Tristan.
“You picked the right too?”
He steps close, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Yeah, it puts me closer to you.”
I expect a come on, a wink or even a smirk. I get none of the three. Just Cole surprising me again.
“So, what now?” I ask, stepping around him. I need the distance.
“Hmmm, how are you are cards? Rummy?”
“It’s been a while, but I’m game.” He nods and starts to reach for my hand. He must change his mind as he quickly drops his hands to his sides and stalks back to the living area. I follow behind him. He reaches up into a cabinet over the table and grabs a deck of cards and a notebook.
“Play to five hundred?” he asks.
“Isn’t the name of the game five hundred rummy?” I question him.
“Yes, smartass.” He taps the end of my nose with his index finger. “We often play longer. These road trips are brutal, and sometimes five hundred just isn’t enough.”
“Gotcha. Yeah, I think five hundred works for now.” I slide into the booth and wait for him to deal the cards.
“So, why teaching?” His question takes me by surprise.
“I’ve always loved kids and school came easy to me. I had a few teachers who made it fun. That’s important, and I thought I could be that person.”
“So, why the pharmaceutical company?”
“It’s hard to find a full-time teaching job. Most settle into a position and stay there until they retire. Unfortunately, with tight budgets, classrooms are filled over capacity and teachers can’t give their students the attention they need.”
“So, what happened with the pharmaceutical company? I remember Logan saying you were unhappy with it.”
“Nothing specific, really. They talked a good game, had me convinced that I would be helping to educate physicians and nurses about the vaccines.”
“Is that not what you were doing?”
“Yes and no. What they don’t tell you is how busy the office staff and physicians are. It’s hard to get even a few minutes of their time to listen to what you have to say. Not to mention here I am, an education major, telling a physician what treatment to recommend for their patients. They didn’t treat me bad, but you could tell they were just listening because they had to when we would bring lunch or provide them with samples.”
He nods. “I can see that. They’re saving lives and all that shit.”
I laugh at his comment. “Yeah, so I always felt as though I was a thorn in their side. It’s just uncomfortable and not teaching at all, really. I have no clinical background, but that didn’t matter; education major and nurses are who they hire. My team leader was a nurse, and she would travel with me to my sites once a month. It just . . . wasn’t for me,” I confess.
I watch as Cole concentrates on the cards in his hands before he lays out a spread and discards. “What about you?” I ask. “Has it always been music for you?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve always loved it. I started playing the guitar when I was ten. My grandparents bought me my own for birthday. The first time I played I was hooked.”
“Did you ever think about what you’ll do when this,”—I sweep my hand around the bus—“stops. When you all decide to stop?”
“Of course I’ve thought about it. The guys, we’ve talked about it. We’ve thrown around ideas such as starting our own label.” He shrugs. “Who knows? I know the four of us have always been smart with our money and invested wisely. We could stop playing, touring, stop it all tomorrow and still be set for life.”
Not able to make a play, I discard. “That’s good, but what would you do?”
He seems to think about my question. “I don’t know. I guess it just depends on if we start a label or what direction we go in. I’d like to think that I would find a place in the music world, but I don’t know. I’ve never been much of a planner, really. Investing our royalties is the most planning I’ve ever done. I live each moment to the fullest.”
“I didn’t have a backup plan either. I’m a twenty-three-year-old college graduate who lives with her parents.”
“Just recently. You lost your roommate, that’s understandable.” He’s quick to defend me.
“Doesn’t make it any easier. I was in a job I hated with no prospects of positions to use my education.”
“It’s all good, though.” He stops what he’s doing and grins. A grin that brings out his dimple, which I just discovered, and lights up his big brown eyes. “Now you’re here with us. You’re one of us. We’re your backup plan.”
“Yeah, I guess you are.” I find myself grinning at him too.