We’re heading straight up the stairs of a swanky LA night club. Danger and I have been here before and now that we’re better known, they let us into VIP a hell of a lot easier. Especially with Oliver’s influence on the door. We were going to ask Nate and Matt to come, make a real guys’ night of it, but Danger said he just wanted to spend some downtime with his best mate and I was cool with that. Plus, Nate can be a wanker, and even though I live with and am in a band with Danger, it’s still good to hang out with him on our own occasionally—no girlfriends, no bandmates, just us, best friends against the world and all that.

“Wanna shoot some pool?” Danger asks as we hit the top of the stairs of the VIP area, which isn’t overly crowded.

I nod, and we head over to the offset which is set out just for the pool tables. I grab a cue and start rubbing the tip with the blue chalk. “So how’s life with Lunar?” I ask.

Danger smirks and sets up the balls in the triangle. “Awesome, I’m so glad she came to the States with us. Thinking back to when I thought I’d leave her back in Australia when we came home…” he shakes his head, “… I can’t even comprehend how my life would be right now without her.”

I nod and half-smile. “I know. Even I love the shit out of her, and I don’t get the benefits of banging her.” Danger throws the chalk at me and I chuckle. “But seriously, you screw her over and I’ll be pissed at you.”

He nods heading for the top of the table. He bends down lining his cue up with the white ball. “Dude, if I fuck this up, I give you permission to royally beat the shit out of me.” He thrusts the cue into the white ball and it slams forward scattering all the balls across the table sinking two smalls.

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” I say as he takes another turn, but misses. I walk around the table to take my shot.

“So, we all know that Lunar and Tillie are besties, and Lunar was telling me that she saw a date scene set up on the fire escape. She said she tried talking to Tillie about it but she shut her down, but you know what I think?” I groan. “I think you made a move on Tillie, but something’s gone weird. Did she reject you?”

I smack the ball with too much force and it hits the green ball and it smashes into the edge of the table with such force it flies over the edge and bangs onto the floor. I clench my eyes shut as Danger chuckles.

“Okay, there’s a story here. Talk to me, Ry, man to man.”

I stand back up, opening my eyes and sigh. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Do you like her?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“Does she like you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then that’s all there is, Ry. Don’t over think it. Don’t over complicate it. Don’t think about your past. I know you haven’t done a relationship since...” he trails off for a second then starts talking again, “… you’ve technically only ever been in one, I get it. But dude, it’s time. Tillie’s great, and she is great for you. You just got to get out of your own head.”

“I know, but I think I’ve fucked it up already.”

“What? How?”

“I—”

I’m interrupted by an abundance of women laughing and cheering as Danger and I turn to the entrance of the VIP lounge to see an entourage coming in. I roll my eyes as I see America’s leading rapper Debt Money moving in with a girl on each arm. Surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women and a crowd of oversized men, the VIP room has gone from relaxed and calm to buzzing and overcrowded in an instant. I look to Danger and curl up my lip in annoyance.

The women in his entourage are definitely groupies and I’ve been there, done that, bought and worn the fucking T-shirt. I don’t have the time or need for that shit anymore. Plus, the only woman on my mind right now is Tillie. I turn shaking my head and take another turn at the pool table wanting to continue on with my game. Suddenly, a hand slaps my ass and I jolt missing completely. Danger chuckles then coughs choking on his laugh as another woman runs her hand up his chest. I stand up as the ass slapper does the same to me.

“Can we play with you?” the girl asks Danger as he pulls her off him.

I gently pull the blonde away from me too.

“Not tonight, ladies. It’s boys’ night. Sorry.”

The girls both grunt in annoyance then stand back glaring at us with their arms crossed over their expensive fake tits.

“Don’t you know who we’re here with?”

“Yeah, but that means jack shit to us, darling. We prefer rock over rap,” Danger replies and I laugh fist bumping him.

The girls both smirk and run off. I shake my head looking at Danger who rolls his eyes taking his turn and potting another ball.

“That was fun,” I murmur.

He chuckles. “Yeah, not! Let’s not tell Lunar about that, she’ll hunt them down and gut them.”

I laugh knowing that that’s probably true when I turn to see Debt Money sauntering over toward us with a goon on either side of him.

“Harmony and Melody said you disrespected them and my music, dog.”

I’m dismayed at not only the girl’s names but the hoodlum way Debt Money talks, so I attempt to hide my smirk.

“Umm, no disrespect… dog, but me and my bro here are trying to play some pool. We’re not getting in the way of anyone,” Danger says.

“Yeah but, you’re in my VIP lounge, dog. So you will bow down to my demands or get the fuck out.”

“Excuse me?” Danger snaps throwing the pool cue on the table. I step up putting my hand on his chest as he rushes toward Debt Money, who flashes his gold-toothed grill at us while his two goons step forward.

“I think I told you to get the fuck out.”

“Fuck you!” Danger says, and Debt Money smirks.

“I don’t think pasty white boy is my thing.”

“Good, then get out of our faces and let us play our game. You go back to Harmony and Melody and everything will be peachy,” I say.

He looks at me and tilts his head. “Did this bitch say peachy?”

“I think he did,” one of his goons says.

“Well, this bitch ain’t going nowhere, dog. You got the 411 there, homeboy?” I say not knowing why I’m talking like a prepubescent teen.

He raises his eyebrow at me and growls, like a dog, he literally bares his teeth and everything. “You dare mock me, son? Well, I’m gon’ show you bitches who the mac daddy is right now! Beau, Jangles, sick ‘em.”

I smirk at his goon’s name but it quickly falls as I see Jangles’ fist flying right for my face. I don’t have time to duck before his fist the size of a dinner plate smashes right into my nose. A sharp pain radiates right through my face as I groan out loud hunching over while another blow lands in my stomach, forcing my knees to give out and I collapse to the floor. I hear muffled moans coming from Danger too, and I squint opening my eyes to look at him.

He’s on the floor, his face covered in blood too.

“Oh, you showed them Debt Money, you’re my big teddy bear daddy,” Harmony or Melody, I don’t know which one she is, jumps up into his arms as he chuckles above us, while the other girl records it all on her cell.

“And that’s called getting your ass whooped by the man,” Debt Money says as he leans in kissing the girl.

“Now get out,” Jangles says grabbing my shirt and hoisting me off the ground. I wipe my nose and blood smears across my arm and runs down my chest. I guess Debt Money has no idea who we are, that we’re in the same industry, and I have no doubt we’re going to make it bigger than him. And when we do, we’ll be the one throwing him on his ass!

Danger staggers over to me and we turn heading for the exit as they laugh at our backs.

“You okay, bro?” I ask.

He slaps my back. “Yeah, just a sore jaw. Nothing’s broken I don’t think. Except there’s a cut to my lip. How’s your nose?”

I crinkle it and it aches but it’s not agony. “Not broken, I don’t think.”

“Fucking rappers thinking they own the joint,” Danger sneers.

I chuckle. “They’re not all like Debt Money, he’s just an exception to the asshole rule.”

“You’re telling me!”

“Let’s go home. I’m sure Lunar’s gonna flip when she sees us,” I say.

“Shit! She’s gonna kill me for getting in a fight.”

I laugh. “A fight? I don’t think that qualifies. We’d have to have thrown a punch too for it to equal a real fight. No, we had our asses handed to us,” I say, and he chuckles as people look at our bloodied faces while we walk to the car.

“Yeah, we kinda did, hey? Damn it… we were pussies!”

I chuckle. “No, we were smart. We know when we’re outnumbered.”

He nods opening the car door. “True.”

I slide in the driver’s side and start the car to drive us home.

 

***

 

We walk through the front door to see Lunar on her cell. I prepare myself for when she turns around to see us and she slowly turns her head, her eyes open wide and she stands up tall and lets out a small ear piercing scream making Danger and I both jump slightly.

“Jesus Christ! Mum, I’ll have to call you back, Ryan and Danger have tried to kill each other.” She hangs up her cell and stands up pursing her lips, folding her arms across her chest, tilting her body to one side. “Okay… someone talk. Talk fast… and I want the fucking truth.”

Danger smiles as we walk in and we both take a seat at the dining table. “We were at the VIP lounge and Debt Money came in with his crew.”

She opens her eyes wide. “As in the rapper?”

Danger nods as she gathers a clean dishcloth, wets it and comes over wiping away the blood from his face. He winces slightly from the pain and she smirks enjoying the show.

“So anyway… his whores wanted to play pool with us. We said no then they dibba-dobbed on us. So Debt Money wanted us to leave,” I say and she raises her eyebrow and murmurs out a groan.

“Let me guess… Danger got all pissy?” she asks.

He chuckles and she pushes harder as she wipes his mouth. He winces and I smirk at her.

I love this chick.

“We didn’t really do anything and he set his goons on us. They attacked us unprovoked, we didn’t fight back. Some skank was recording it.”

Lunar groans shaking her head. “You know that’s going to end up online, right?”

Danger and I both exhale slumping in our chairs as she grabs another cloth and comes over to me wiping at my nose. It stings but at least she’s gentle with me.

“It better not end up online! I don’t want people seeing us being beaten and not fighting back, we’ll look like pussies,” Danger says.

“Shut up! You’ll look like you were being attacked unprovoked… fucking cock sucking mother fucker. If I ever see him out I’ll sucker punch him myself for doing this to my favorite men,” Lunar jibes.

I smile loving the protective mother hen instinct she has going on for us.

“Well, hopefully, it won’t go live and we’ll have nothing to worry about,” I say.

“Yeah, ‘cause Tillie would love to clean up this mess,” Lunar murmurs making my stomach flip, but in a very bad way.

 

***

 

I wake to the sound of my cell ringing. My nose is aching and my head is pounding so much the incessant ringing is like a sledgehammer to my skull. I struggle for my cell and when I finally find it I pick it up placing it to my ear. “Mmm,” I murmur as a hello.

“Okay, first… are you okay? Is anything broken?” Tillie’s concerned but beautiful voice soothes my aching head instantly.

“Nothing’s broken. I’m fine. A little sore and bruised. A dented ego maybe, but everything’s fine…” I pause. “Wait, how do you know?”

“Because it’s all over the entertainment news, Ryan. Debt Money posted a clip of him ‘taking it to the man’ as he put it and it’s gone viral. People have identified you and Danger in the clip and tagged you in it. Debt Money came out saying he thought you guys were locals, not celebrities, and he has publicly apologized. I don’t think it’s good enough, though, and his apology is more of a ‘well if they weren’t there this wouldn’t have happened’ type of thing. Very insincere and definitely fake. Everyone’s commenting saying how the apology is a joke and how we should take action.”

She’s talking so fast I can barely keep up. “Take action?” I question.

“I’ve talked it over with Oliver and if you and Danger agree, we’re going to sue Debt Money and the men who attacked you. I’ve already contacted the police with the footage. The two men who hit you… unprovoked I might add, as the video shows complete evidence… they’re going to be charged with assault and battery. We can’t let them get away with this.”

Opening my mouth wide, I smirk slightly and nod. “Okay, I agree. Let’s have them charged and sue their asses. Make people realize that they can’t treat people this way.”

“Exactly, Debt Money has apparently been doing this for a while, but it’s never been caught on video in full before. Whoever uploaded the video obviously were only supposed to upload the punch up, but they put the whole thing showing the entire incident.”

“Well, thank you Harmony… or Melody… whichever dumb blonde it was,” I say.

“Huh?” Tillie murmurs.

“Never mind… how’s Las Vegas?”

She exhales. “It’s good, things are progressing well. Looks like a deal will be made with Zaria, Ryan. I was so worried when I saw that video, though. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Warmth encases me that she’s so concerned, and it makes me feel so fucking good that the pain in my face almost completely disappears. “I’m good, I promise… wishing you were here, though,” I say honestly.

She’s quiet, a little too quiet, for a little too long. My heart starts to pound as I wonder if she’s changed her mind about us.

“You mean that?” she says so quietly I barely hear her as she finally breaks the tension, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course… I miss you.”

She sniffs, and my chest squeezes at the sound. I hope like fuck she isn’t crying. I’d hate it if I’ve made her upset.

“I miss you, too. I thought… I thought from our last call things were… well, different between us.”

Exhaling, I run my fingers through my hair. “I was a dick, Tillie. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She sighs and is quiet again.

“When are you coming home?” I ask breaking the silence.

“This afternoon.”

“Can I pick you up at the airport?”

“I’d love that. Then you can take me back to mine and we can have dinner?” she says more like a question.

“Yeah, I’d love to see your place.”

“Great, it’s a date. My flight lands at ten past five. Don’t be late.”

Chuckling, I nod. “I won’t. I’ll be there three hours early just waiting to see your beautiful face.”

A noise like a gasp echoes down the cell and I smile.

“Smooth talker.”

“Only for you.”

“Are you really okay? Did you go to the hospital to get checked out?”

I smile at her concern. “I didn’t go to the hospital, but I don’t need to. I’m fine, I promise.”

She exhales. “Okay, I’ll see you a bit after five.”

“See you then, beautiful.”

“No more fights, okay?”

I chuckle and nod. “I promise. Now go snag us an Oscar winner.”

“It’s practically a done deal, just have to see when she can fit us into her schedule.”

“Shit, really?”

She giggles. “Yep, I’m that good. Don’t tell the others, though, I want to tell them when I get back, well tomorrow anyway.”

“Okay done. Can’t wait to see you.”

“You too, but really I have to go this time. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“See you in a few hours.”

“Bye, Ryan.”

“Bye, beautiful girl.”

She hangs up and I sit in my bed feeling so much happier than I did last night. My face still hurts but at least I know Tillie’s tension with me has now eased. At least something good came from the disaster that was last night.

Getting up, I head downstairs to find Danger and make sure he’s okay this morning.