Well, I'm not about to snub an old friend because my ex is jealous.
I hug Tom hello. "I don't flirt with married men."
He steps back and shows off his wedding band. "I don't flirt with anyone but my wife."
I laugh. "I haven't seen you in forever."
"You look good. That's a nice top. Garbage is the shit." Tom leans in to stage whisper. "Plus, you get to remind Ethan what he's missing with your tits on display like that."
"Uh…" My cheeks are burning.
"Hey, if I had those tits, I'd show 'em off too. Do me a favor, Violet." Tom looks me in the eyes.
"Depends what it is," I say.
"Fair. I'm a demanding man." Again, he leans in to stage whisper. "Keep making Ethan's life hard."
"What do I get?" I shrug as if I'm not thinking about making Ethan hard.
"My undying devotion isn't enough?" He mimes being stabbed in the gut.
I laugh. "If you were single, maybe."
"I can throw in making Ethan miserable and horny," Tom says.
Dammit, I'm hot all over.
Tom laughs.
Ethan cuts in. "You want to play with Joel's drum kit or something?"
Tom laughs. "No, I'm playing exactly how I want to play. It's real good to see you, Violet. Give him hell for me."
Tom winks at me, then at Ethan. He moves on to giving Joel a hard time, grabbing one of his drum sticks and attempting to play half Joel's part.
Ethan steps closer. He's not wearing his frustration anymore. His blue eyes are bright and his lips are curled into a half-smile.
"Let me take care of this." He motions to my suitcase. "I'll show you to the bus." He looks to Piper, still hanging out by the sidelines. "You want to grab dinner?"
"Have to talk to Mal," she says.
Her eyes tell a different story. Her eyes are fixed on a handsome guy dressed in a black button-up, designer jeans, and motorcycle boots. Oh, that's Kit. The Dangerous Noise bassist has a mass of curly black hair, dark eyes, and sculpted features. He's also got an eyebrow piercing. The man is beautiful enough to grace magazine covers. And he's got that whole tall, dark, mysterious thing going on too.
Rumor has it his tongue is pierced and said piercing is divine, but then I'm not about to admit to reading celebrity gossip.
"Always going over my head," Ethan teases her.
She manages to pull her eyes away from the bassist. "He's the boss-man."
Ethan hugs his sister goodbye. "I know it's a school night, but say goodbye before you leave, okay?"
She nods and whispers something in his ear.
He whispers back.
I try, hard, not to swoon over what a caring brother he is.
After Ethan releases her, he turns to me. "The four of us travel on our own bus. Well, plus you and our driver. The rest of the crew, roadies, and our tour manager, travel on their own bus."