Chapter 32 Rhyit
The phone rings on the nightstand of our hotel room in Seattle, the obnoxious noise pulling me away from watching Bristol shower. When the bus rolled into town late last night after another two weeks of our grueling tour schedule, the first thing I wanted was a bed and a normal sized shower. Bristol and I rented a hotel room, not the same hotel we stayed at the last time I was here, but in the same area. I hate being here, the whole city makes me itchy, and the memories cloak me like a starless night. I don’t want to play this show, I don’t want to go back to the last place I saw Alex alive, and I don’t want to play without him tonight.
I stalk over to the phone from the doorway of the bathroom and rip the receiver off the base.
“Hello.” I say, annoyed.
“Rhyit?” The voice says on the other side of the phone, it’s feminine, but I can’t place it.
“Yeah.” I say annoyed, Bristol is singing in the shower, and I’m fucking missing it.
“It’s Andy.” She says, and I pull the phone away from my face ready to hang up. She’s the reason we’re here, she’s the reason I’m not balls deep inside Bristol in the shower right now. She’s kind of fucking up my plans.
“Don’t hang up.” She says rushed.
“What do you want, Andy?” I sigh, already exasperated with this conversation.
“My dad wants to talk to you before the show tonight.” She states, her voice bored.
“And he didn’t call me instead of you because…” I bite.
“Because he’s not here yet. He told me to tell you to meet him at the hotel bar at 3:30.”
I look at the clock, that’s only a half an hour from now. Fuck. The water to the shower turns off, and I could punch Steve in his smug face for making me miss that.
“How long have you known this?” I ask, my tone biting.
I can almost see her cringe through the phone. “Since…yesterday.” She confesses.
“You’re really annoying, I hope you know that.” And I set the receiver back in its holster with a resounding click.
“I thought you were going to join me, who was on the phone?” Bristol asks as she comes out of the bathroom stark naked with a towel in her hand to dry her hair.
“Andy. Larkin wants to see me.” I cringe.
“Ew. Why?” She grimaces, and her disgusted face makes me laugh.
“Beats me.” I shrug. “Wanna come?”
“Pass. The less time I spend with him, the less I look at flinging myself into oncoming traffic.” She giggles and grabs her overnight bag to start getting ready.
***
The hotel bar is deserted when I finally walk in, the older bartender stands behind the bar drying a glass.
“What can I get ya?” He asks, setting a napkin down on the bar top.
“Seven and Seven please.” I say. “Is there a dark-haired guy here? About this tall?” I hold my hand up to show how tall Larkin is. “And skinny.”
“Looks like a Bond villain?” He asks with a smile.
“That’s it.” I smack the bar top and laugh hard at the imagery.
“He’s in the back. Do you need back up? Is he holding someone hostage? Blink twice if you’re in danger.” He says in mock-seriousness, making me laugh even harder.. Jesus this guy’s a riot.
“You a Plight fan?” I ask, my laughter slowly dying out.
“Hell yeah.” He says, nodding his head.