As Jude stuffed the last of his things back into his bag, his cell phone rang. He didn't have to look at the name to know who it was. Cade Summers, the lead singer of Silverlight and one of Jude's closest friends.

"Hey man," Jude said as he answered the phone. "I don't have a lot of time."

"Oh? She that hot?" Cade said. "Maybe Black can find a place for me on her tour, too."

"Shut up, it's not like that. Besides, you know touring is the last thing I want to do, especially for someone else."

"Who are you kidding, Jude? You loved touring. All that road pussy," Cade said with a sigh, "I miss it too."

"You know it was never like that for me."

"Yes, yes, everyone knows, Jude Morrison is always falling in love. Who is it this time? Is it the kid?"

"She's not a kid," Jude said. "Plus she has talent. Something I know you'll find hard to understand."

"Oh, I bet she's talented. I hear all the chicks nowadays are easier than--"

"Shut up, Cade," Jude said sternly. "Be serious for once."

Cade sighed. "You take the fun out of everything, man. Just admit it though, you had to have been with thousands of women over the years. You loved every single one of them, didn't you?"

"At the time I really thought I did, but I don't think I knew what love was."

"But what about--"

"Don't say her name. Not now, okay? But yeah, I did love her. I think after her I kept looking for that same feeling and confusing what my dick wanted with what my heart was looking for," Jude said. "Not that any of that matters. You know how it is, you fuck up out there on the road and everyone knows about it. To this day, all anyone talks about is who I've slept with. I'm different now from that kid I was on the road. I grew up."

"We all did."

"Ha! Gimme a break, Cade. You haven't changed a bit."

"Nah, you'd be surprised. You really would," Cade said. "Enough about me though, it sounds like you got it bad."

"I do," Jude said. "She's perfect. Which is exactly why I need to stay away from her."

"Man, you confuse me. So you love her, but you're staying away?"

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, you know that. I don't want this girl to be one of them."

"Jude, let me tell you," Cade said. "Take some advice from me. We've both left plenty of broken hearts on the road, and we've both experienced plenty of heartache."

"Don't bullshit me, Cade. You've never had your heart broken."

"Fine, you got me there, but you know what's worse? Never having the chance with that one you know is the girl for you. You want to be a pussy and worry about getting hurt or whatever, then fine, be a pussy, Jude. But after you see her with someone else, trust me, you'll be wishing all you had was a broken heart."

Jude was silent. He wanted to be angry with Cade for what he said, but there was more that he didn't know.

"I'm not being a pussy," Jude said. "I'm being a man. Lucky hasn't been out in the world like you and me. All of this is new to her. I love her. I've never admitted that before, not even to myself, but it's true. All I think about is her. My days are brighter now that she's in them. And all I care about is her happiness. But she needs to experience the world and maybe even other people. I know you don't understand, man, and that's alright, but I'd rather be her last than her first."

"First? Well, you know that's my specialty," Cade said, joking.

Jude laughed. "Thanks, you always know the right thing to say. Talk soon."

After hanging up with Cade, Jude left his room and headed down the elevator to the bus. Climbing aboard the bus in his jeans, a black fitted t-shirt, and his favorite boots, he listened to the heavy thud of his footsteps and wondered where Lucky was.

Looking down the aisle, he didn't see Jordan either. They had to be running late. If they didn't get on the bus soon, they'd learn the hard way that Stan didn't wait for anyone. It was a fact Jude learned plenty of times on tour with Silverlight.

As he settled into his seat, he heard loud voices he didn't recognize boarding the bus. Ross and Mark threw their duffel bags on a couple of seats. The men were interchangeable with their college boy, clean-cut look. Both wore jeans and striped polos, the only difference being that Ross's was sky blue while Mark's was pale green.

Jude saw guys like them around all the female musicians. He never liked it. To him, male and female fans were completely different. The women seemed to genuinely care about the band and musician they were following. The guy groupies were looking for something different.

They wanted more than just a sexual relationship, they wanted a piece of the pie. He'd seen it too many times before. The male followers wanted a little bit of that stardom for themselves.

He didn't trust Ross and Mark. Jude recognized weasels when he saw them. He only wished he could say something to protect Lucky without appearing jealous. Then again, why couldn't he? He was Jude Morrison. He could do whatever the hell he wanted.

"Get off the bus," he growled at them as he approached.

"Hey Jude! Dude, I've been dying to meet you," Ross said.

"Get. Off. The. Bus."

"Jude dude, relax. Lucky invited us. She wants us here."

"I'll make this easy on you. Leave now and never bother her again, or I will personally throw you off the bus myself."

"Hey guys!" Kat said as she entered the bus. "So glad you could make it."

Jude felt his anger burn even more. Grabbing Kat by the arm, he pulled her out of earshot from Ross and Mark.

"You should know better. I know Olivia wouldn't have invited those pricks along unless someone else pushed her to."

"Olivia? Oh, you mean Lucky. I think those loud drums have done something to your brain. She wants them here. It was her idea. I think she's into Ross. Can you blame her? He’s dreamy and he's always ready for a good time."

"Stay away from her," Jude said. "She's dealing with enough right now. She doesn't need a bad influence."

"What are you talking about? I'm a great influence. She's a big girl, Jude. I didn't realize you were here to babysit her."

Kat walked away and sat near Ross and his friend before Jude could say anything else. Furious, Jude sat in his seat quietly growling as he wondered how he could protect Lucky from whatever those guys had in store for her. His only choice was to convince her to send them home.

Once Lucky and Jordan arrived, he kept his eye on Lucky. Her long light brown hair was loose and wild except for two braids like a crown on her head. She spoke excitedly to Jordan and he wondered if it was about him. He hoped it was.

He had to stop that. He had a bad habit of falling in love on tour. Sometimes every single night. He couldn't help it. He loved women. If he had to list his vices, women definitely topped the list. He simply couldn't resist them. There were a lot of reasons why he needed to stay away from Lucky, and not knowing whether he was falling into his old habits was one of them.

Dylan, alone with Jordan's attention being held by Lucky, sauntered towards the back of the bus. Jude remembered being that young and on tour. Dylan reminded him a lot of himself.

"Hey man, can I join you?" Dylan asked.

"Sure, I don't own these seats. Sit wherever you like."

"Thanks. Listen, I just wanted to say it’s amazing to play with you. Like dream come true amazing," Dylan said.

"Well, I have to admit I'm having a good time. I didn't expect to."

"Why are you here? I mean it’s awesome for us, but what do you get out of it?"

"Freedom," Jude said. "Whatever you decide to do, either stay as a touring musician or join a band, make sure you always have an out."

"Is that why you left Silverlight?"

"Yes and no," Jude said with a shrug. "Silverlight was great. We were the biggest band in the world, who wouldn't love that? But the band didn't work right anymore. Was I to blame for their split? Yeah, in a way. But only because I didn't have the freedom to do what I wanted to. A lot of factors were at play."

Plenty of people called those factors many things--ego, stupidity, ambition. Jude called them Donna. Just thinking about her was enough for him to rebuild the wall around his heart.

"I'm still trying to figure out what I want," Dylan said. "I thought I'd keep touring until I found the right band. Every band I've been in, we just ended up fighting."

"That's how bands are. Eventually everyone thinks they're right."

"I've been touring non-stop since I was eighteen," Dylan said. "I didn't have a choice, I didn't have a place to live. My dad split when I was little. After that, Mom starting going out to parties and clubs. She'd leave me home alone and I'd take care of her. By the time I was eight, I was cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry."

Jude listened, not wanting to interrupt Dylan, but he wondered if family dysfunction was a prerequisite for a music career.

"My mom made some new friends and suddenly she was drinking more and doing drugs," Dylan said. "We lived in an old apartment development. You know the kind, the red brick buildings that faced a common court."

Jude nodded then stole a glance at Lucky, who was scribbling in her notebook. They had so much in common, but he knew he couldn't open up to her. It wasn't right, she needed time on her own. She needed to live.

"One of our neighbors realized how often I was alone and called Family Services," Dylan said. "I know he thought he was doing the right thing, but after that I spent my life in and out of foster care, moving whenever my mom got custody back and changing schools. I ended up with no friends, nothing.

"The only consistent thing was my music," Dylan said. "My dad had been a musician and when he left, he left behind one of his guitars. I always thought it was his way of giving me something. Of making sure I had something in my life. Maybe even a future.

"I taught myself how to play and when I turned eighteen and was on my own, I went to every audition I could find. I'd sleep on people's couches, stay the night in a shelter, I didn't care. I wanted to call the road my home."

"How'd you get into bass?" Jude asked.

"Less competition. Everybody wants to be a guitarist and get noticed. Not many appreciate the bottom end. So for three years now I've been touring. It's great. I have no complaints. But..."

"But what?"

"But Jordan," Dylan said, lowering his voice. He leaned into the aisle to get a glimpse of her as she took random photos. "She's it, man. She's the one. I knew it when I first set eyes on her. And now she's thinking of moving to LA, and I want to get off the road. I just want to be with her."

"Then what's the problem?"

"That wasn't the plan. I know I can get studio work, and maybe she can come on the road sometimes, but the fact that I'm thinking of all of this right now scares me."

"Don't think about it then," Jude said. "Sometimes you should listen to your heart and not your head."

Even as the words came out of his mouth, Jude recognized the irony. It had been a long time since his heart beat the way it did for Lucky. Then again, it had been a long time since he had been on tour.

As Lucky stood up and stretched by her seat, Jude found himself following the hem of her shirt, wishing it was shorter and he'd get a small flash of skin. He thought about how soft her skin was, how good it felt to hold her so close. Closing his eyes for a moment, he smelled the coconut of her shampoo.

"Jude!"

"What? Oh sorry, Dylan, I thought you were done. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh yeah? Wild night? I've seen you leaving with some pretty hot chicks after the shows."

"Yeah, the one last night was the hottest. I could get used to waking up to her every morning," Jude said as he thought about Lucky.

"You don't get tired of it?"

"Nah, it’s the lifestyle. It’s why we're in rock ‘n’ roll, right?"

Jude was tired of the same old line and he realized he was becoming less convincing, too. Unfortunately, it was a role he felt he had to play. He didn't want the world to know about his personal life, that was messed up enough as it was. It was easier to play the dog, as a lot of women called him, than to risk the truth making the news.

"Gimme a break, Jude," Dylan said, shaking his head. "You think we're blind? You think none of us see how you look at her? You keep saying you don't want to be here, but you sit in the back of the bus instead of hiding away in that room. I bet you sit back here so you can watch her without being too obvious."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't? I didn't come back here to whine about my life story. I came back here because I know you're going through the same thing." Dylan shifted a little in his seat to get a better look at Jordan. "And also because Jordan was busy talking to Lucky and this was the best place I could find to stare at her without looking like a fucking stalker."

He grinned at Jude, who started laughing. "Then welcome to stalker central," Jude said. "But let’s keep this between us."

Jude hadn't been on the road since Silverlight and hoped he would never return. There were too many women in the world and it seemed like every time one walked past, he found someone new to love.

He couldn't do that to Lucky. If there was ever going to be something between them, he needed to be sure he wasn't just looking for a warm body. He needed to listen to something other than his dick. Besides, she was young.

It wasn't her age, they were less than ten years apart. But Lucky was so sheltered and naive, he didn't want her to wake up one day and realize she missed out on life. She would resent him for that, he knew he would if it was him. His heart had been broken enough times. He didn't want to go through that pain again.

He had no choice but to keep Lucky at a distance. Even if that distance kept shrinking.