Eventually, I gave up trying to mingle and stood back to watch Gray and my brother. My nausea, which had calmed down for the most part during the day, came back with a vengeance and I just couldn’t deal with stupid or high people.
Travis, a glass of some kind of clear liquor in hand, came up beside me. “Having fun?”
I shrugged, moving back a step so that, if Gray happened to look over at us, he wouldn’t think I was flirting with Travis. “Are all after-parties like this?” I muttered, watching as one girl in the hot tub suddenly pulled her bikini bottoms off and started kissing the girl sitting on the lap of some guy I didn’t recognize.
Travis laughed. “This one is pretty tame, actually. No one’s started a fight yet, but the night is still young.”
“It’s two in the morning!”
“These things can go on until dawn if it’s done right.” He shifted, stepping closer, but I took another step away from him. “Two more weeks and then we head home. Would you like to grab dinner with me one night?”
Before this tour had started, I had liked Travis. He had seemed like a nice enough guy, didn’t take shit from anyone, and had a good job. The two of us could have been friends, just as I was friends with Nate. But, unlike Nate, Travis didn’t seem to take the hint that I wasn’t interested in more than just friendship. Gray had been seething over it since before the tour had begun, and Travis was one more “accidental” touch away from getting his face rearranged—by me.
I gave him a tight smile. “Uh, thanks, Travis. But I think we’re going to fly back to Bristol when we get home. I feel like I haven’t seen Alicia in forever, and I want to spend a little time with her before college starts back in the fall.”
His face, which had been relaxed and smiling just moments ago, turned hard. “And you wouldn’t want to upset your boyfriend.”
My hand tightened around the bottle of water I had brought with me from the bus. Gray and I had kept our relationship quiet, just as he had promised me he would until I was ready to share us with the rest of our friends. It wasn’t that I was ashamed of our relationship or thought that it wasn’t going to go somewhere. I just knew how our friends were, and I wanted to enjoy the newness of there being an “us” before they got to butt in. Not to mention, I knew how Jace was going to react and I didn’t want to deal with him until Kin was with us so she could attempt to talk some kind of reason into him before he went completely ballistic.
But, lately, I had wanted to give in and tell everyone that I was with Gray. That he was mine and I was his, and if anyone—Jace—didn’t like it, then they—Jace—could suck it. Especially when dickheads like Travis thought they knew what they were talking about when they didn’t know jack shit.
“No, I wouldn’t want to upset him,” I told him honestly, my stomach churning too much for me to care if I hurt his feelings or not. “But, actually, it’s mostly because I just don’t want to go out with you. Even if I wasn’t with Gray, I wouldn’t be interested. This tour has shown me your true colors, and you’re nothing more than a tool who hides behind the job title to one of the most badass chicks I have ever met.”
His face burned red as he stepped back from me, his cold eyes glaring daggers at me as he sneered. “Being that you’re just a groupie that will be replaced in about two weeks with someone knew, I’m pretty sure I don’t give a fuck what you think about me.”
I was the one who stepped closer to him this time, my anger only making my nausea that much worse. “I’m not a fucking groupie, and if you keep talking to me like that, I’ll happily show you all the self-defense my brother and Gray have taught me over the years. Because I don’t need either of them to kick your wimpy ass.”
“Whatever,” he muttered. “You’re not worth my time anyway.”
“Keep telling yourself that, dickhead.” I gave him a tight smile despite the nausea roiling around in my stomach and making me miserable, and then I stepped away from him. “And I’m sure Emmie would like to know about our little chat here. You’re here to do a job, not hit on m
e, dumbass.”
He paled, his mouth falling open, but I wasn’t interested in what he might have said.
Turning, I walked away. I moved through the crowd, ignoring anyone who tried to get me to stop and talk with them. Reaching the couch where Gray was sitting with Sin and Kale, I glared down at him, too pissed at Travis to care if I ruined his night and so nauseated that I felt like I was going to vomit at any minute.
“I’m leaving,” I bit out, trying to keep from emptying my stomach all over poor Sin.
He jumped to his feet, his eyes full of concern. “Whatever you want, baby.” He didn’t even give the other guys on the opposite couch another look as he took my hand and pulled me through the house and out the front door.
We had taken a limo over from where the tour bus was parked, and he signaled the driver, who pulled up in front of us. In the back seat, I lay with my head in his lap as I fought my gag reflex, making deals with the devil and anyone else I could think of as long as I didn’t vomit. Gray, knowing that I didn’t like to talk when I was feeling so bad, stroked my hair until we got back and carried me onto the bus. He helped me get changed into my usual long night shirt and panties, and then we crawled into the same roost together.
There was already a small bucket at the end of our bed, something that had become my best friend over the last few weeks. I moved it so that it was within easy reach because I was going to have to use it before the night was over.
Gray held me loosely, knowing I would need the bucket, but as he hummed the lullaby he had always hummed to soothe me, I began to relax a little. The more I relaxed, the less my stomach tossed and turned. I closed my eyes, relieved that the nausea was easing up enough that I wasn’t scared I was going to blow chunks at any moment.
“Better?” he murmured, still lovingly stroking my back.
I nodded.
“Did something happen at the party to upset you? Was that why you felt sick?” His tone was concerned but commanding, and if I didn’t tell him, he would only aggravate me until I gave in.
“Travis asked me to dinner when we got home in a few weeks,” I told him and felt him go still. “I told him no.”
He waited for a moment, as if expecting me to say something else, but I wasn’t sure he needed to know anything beyond that. “That’s it?”
I shrugged.