The crowd roars on until Ash yells drinks on him. I don’t think he was thinking straight; the room is at full capacity and would cost him a fortune. I could have said something, but chose to teach the moron a lesson and ordered a drink myself.
Poppy and I hung out with the fans that joined us. They were a cool bunch, eager to chat but not so eager it was creepy. We drank some rounds, talked about the show, sung along to the songs that streamed over the speakers. We did a live Facebook video. Probably not the brightest idea but still a lot of fun. We crawled to another pub and by the time we got there, we began losing people to the copious amounts of alcohol entering their body.
“Kid, we’re heading back to the hotel,” Mom slurs, Dad almost passed out at the table.
“Did you want me to take you?” I ask, a little worried that Dad looked legless. “No, you stay here. Join us for breakfast tomorrow before our flight leaves?”
I kiss her cheek and follow her to the street to call a cab. Logan follows with his coach, Dad in between them as they carry him to where the cab waits.
“Are you sure we can’t help you, Mom?”
She shakes her head. “Enjoy the night, kid. I love you.”
“Love you too Mom.”
The cab drives off and we’re standing on the street watching it drive away. Coach Bennett calls it a night, reminding Logan he needed to be at the studio by half past ten tomorrow for a segment.
It’s just after two in the morning. The streets are deserted with only a few drunken people stumbling around. The night air is cool, prompting me to fold my arms to shield out the cold.
“I’ve got a room at the hotel the next block over. You cab it, I’ll walk it.” He slips something into the back pocket of my jeans. “And by the way, you look damn sexy in that jersey.”
“I’ll keep it on just for you,” I tease. “But what about Ash and Poppy?”
The two of them were surrounded by a small crowd, laughing and telling awful jokes that everyone found hilarious. I tell Logan that I need to say goodbye to Poppy, heading inside to talk to her.
“Pop, we need to talk for a sec.”
I pull her to the ladies’ restroom, checking the stalls to make sure they are empty.
“I need you to cover for me.”
“Okay? Like a secret mission. Oh, how exciting!”
“Not really,” I drag. “I’m staying at another hotel tonight.”
“Oh, I understand. The housekeeping is tardy at our hotel.” She nods agreeing. “Did you know that I found several pubic hairs on my pillow? I mean, why on the pillow? I’m not a princess but switching rooms seemed like the best thing to do.”
“I’m sleeping with Logan,” I blurt out.
There’s a giant pause, her eyes wide in shock. “Um, right. Logan as in . . .”
“Logan as in . . . Logan. I know what you’re thinking. I’m a cheater because of Wesley.”
“Honestly Em?” She rests her hand on my shoulder, easing the tension. “I know things aren’t great with you and Wes and rumors are a rife about how he has treated you. No judgment from me.”
“Oh Pop.” I hug her tight, almost in tears. “It feels good to tell someone.”
“So are you like serious?”
“No . . . I don’t know. We’re just having fun.”
“He doesn’t look at you like just that.”
“What do you mean?”
She opens the stall, placing the lid down and sitting on the toilet to rest her feet.
“The moment he saw you, his face lit up. You make him happy. And trust me Em, I’m great at reading faces. I could read anyone.”