Traveling by bus to see the beauty of New Zealand was amazing. Granted, I had lived here my entire life and never set foot out of the country, but it didn't diminish my awe. In my mind, this was the best place on earth. Our two little islands had it all: beaches, rainforest, glaciers, forges, and snow topped mountains. Whenever I was missing my wife, I would simply look out the window and think of all the places I'd like to take her, kiss her, make love to her.

Today we rolled into Wellington, the southernmost tip of the North Island. We were doing three gigs, so we got to check into a hotel. After check-in, we were escorted to a local radio station for another interview.

"Hey there listeners, I have got a treat for you. I'm thrilled to have Tia Sympathy in the studio with me today. How ya' going?"

"Great, thanks for having us," Tia replied.

"So you guys are taking off like a rocket. Your first single, Burn For You, was a top five hit. I gotta tell you I love that song. It is super sexy. What inspired you to write it?"

"I wrote that while I was dating my wife," I explained.

"You're married?" the DJ said with a tinge of disappointment. "Sorry girls, he's off the market."

We all laughed.

"You sing it as a duet. Tia, how much input do you have in the songwriting process?"

"It's probably fifty-fifty. Hunter and I feed off each other's creativity. He'll have a piece of music he's working on and I add some lyrics or vice versa. Sometimes we sit together and things just happen organically."

"How long have you been playing together?"

"We met in uni about ten years ago," Pax replied. "We started messing around for fun. Eventually, Tia and Hunter started writing some tunes and we booked local gigs in bars."

"Yeah, it grew from there. We just love playing together," Mick added.

"Well, you have your instruments here today, so you listeners are in for an acoustic treat. Can you start with Burn For You?"

We played the song and then broke for more questions.

"You're doing a headlining tour of New Zealand now. What happens when it's finished?"

"We're going to be opening for a very special singer when she tours New Zealand and Australia next month," Tia answered.

What the hell! No one had spoken to me about another tour. I gave Tia a sideways glance, my eyes bearing down on her. I was not happy that she was keeping things from me.

"Ah, go on then, give us a hint," the DJ pleaded.

"It hasn't been announced yet. I'm sworn to secrecy. How about we play our new single, Who's Your Lover Now?" Tia deflected.

I was mentally calling out the chords to myself to keep calm and professional, but my blood was boiling. I could not wait to get out of the studio and confront Tia. All I had to do was smile and play nice for fifteen more minutes. I could do that, couldn't I?

* * *

The chauffeured car took us back to the hotel after the interview. We rode the lift in silence. We had two rooms. Tia and Mick shared one. Pax and I shared the other. When we arrived on our floor, Pax and I followed Tia into her room. "What the fuck was that all about?" I said in a threatening tone.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Pax asked.

Pointing my finger at Mick I said, "Do you know about this?" He shook his head no.

Tia's smile was wide and bright. "Hank told me Lorde wants us to be her opening act when she tours New Zealand and Australia next month."

"And you didn't think to fucking tell the band!" I shouted.

"Will you calm down. I just found out before the interview. Hank sent me a text," she explained.

"Why couldn't he text all of us?" Mick wondered aloud.

"Whats going on with you two? You defend him when I hit him and now he is sending you private text messages."

"What are you playing at?" she glared, none too happy with my innuendo.

"Are you sleeping with Butler?" I asked her.

Tia made a fist and cocked her arm back to take a swing at me. Mick, who was standing beside her, grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the floor. "Put me down, Mick! Let me at the bastard!"

"I thought you had my back," I said with disappointment.

"I do! This is an amazing opportunity for the band."

"One that we should all have a say in," I reminded her.

"Do you guys want to do it?" she asked, looking at both Pax and Mick.

"Yeah, I'm in," Mick replied, cautiously losing his grip on Tia.

"Yes," Pax agreed.

"Majority rules, sorry Hunter," Tia smirked.

I shot Pax a dirty look for taking her side. "Hey mate, I quit my job to do the band full time. I've gotta take it as far as it will go. I don't want to go back to shitty jobs driving a delivery truck."

"I need some air," was all I could manage to say and left the room.

I decided to walk down to the docks and try to clear my head. Looking out over the harbour, I took a few deep breaths. I needed Alicia. Slipping the cell phone out of my pocket, I dialed her number.

"Hey babe, what's wrong?" she asked with concern. I never called her during working hours.

"I just needed to hear your voice," I said closing my eyes and imagining her next to me.

"Something is troubling you. I can hear it in your voice," she countered.

"Tia just let is slip in a radio interview that we're going on a tour of New Zealand and Australia with Lorde next month. Butler told her before any other members of the band."

"That doesn't seem fair to you guys," Alicia replied.

I let out a heavy sigh. "I'm so glad you get it and didn't get excited about the news. Butler just rubs me the wrong way. This is just another example of it."

"I know you are not his biggest fan, but maybe there is a logical reason he told Tia first. Did you ask her about it?"

"She said she found out right before the interview."

"So there was no time for a band meeting before the interview and after you were too busy shouting at Tia." My angel was the voice of reason. Sometimes I hate that she is always right. "Hunter, you are a stubborn alpha male. I love you dearly, but sometimes you need to think before you blow up at people."

"I know, love."

"You don't want to go on another tour, do you?"

"No, I just want to come home to you." Running my fingers through my hair, I let out a long exhale. "My mind is made up. I need to talk to them. I just have to figure out how to tell them I'm leaving the band."

"Just be honest with them, Hunter. Do you know any musicians who would want to take your place? Maybe if you have a plan so the band can carry on without any major upheaval, Butler and Tia will be more accepting of your decision."

I smiled, "You are brilliant!"

"I like to think I have my moments," she laughed. "Babe, I've gotta go into a meeting. Call me tonight after the gig so we can talk. I don't care how late it is."

"Okay, I will. Love you."