“I promise I will call when we get there.”
“How about a text every night from whatever hotel you stop at, letting me know you’re still alive.”
“I can do that.”
“Good, because I’m trying to do less worrying about you.”
“Then I guess it’s only fair that I give you less reasons to worry.”
“That would be appreciated.”
“It’s not like we’ll be separated for long,” Winter reminded him. “We’ll see each other at Rocktoberfest. Wouldn’t the fans go apeshit if we cross-played a few songs?”
“No shit. Especially if we all did it,” Tripp muttered, excitement creeping in as he realized what playing Rocktoberfest could mean for the three of them and their upcoming tour.
“Yeah, I was thinking about that too,” Winter admitted. “Just need to get a certain someone on board with my plan.”
“If you mean me, I’m all in,” Tripp replied.
“You are only one of the people I mean,” Winter said. “The other is still straddling the fence about it, so we’ll see.”
He left it at that. Typical Winter, being mysterious, only, this time Tripp didn’t let it bother him. If his brother had a plan, he was going to trust Winter to see it through. Besides, not knowing about it meant he didn’t have to get himself worked up wondering if it was going to play out the way his brother had planned or be sheer and utter chaos. If he’d employed that philosophy sooner, perhaps he wouldn’t have wound up in the ER puking blood. It was food for thought anyway.
Even after sunbeams snuck past the shades, they kept playing, rotating the controllers each time one of them lost.
Finally, Winter yawned, leaning back and refusing the controller that was passed his way. “I’m close to exhausted. Gonna go swim some laps until I’m ready to crash for the day.”
“You’re planning to sleep through all of it, aren’t you?”
“Yup. At least I’ll be well rested when it’s time to go.”
It was more Winter logic. Sleep banking. Tripp just shook his head as he watched his brother walk away.
“Gonna miss that fucker!” Tripp growled when Winter was out of sight.
“Make sure you tell him that tomorrow,” Zakk advised. “I think he’d like to hear it.”
“I will.”
“Good. But in the meantime, how about one more round?”
Tripp groaned, even as he accepted the controller. “Wasn’t one more round an hour and a half ago?”
“Maybe, but who’s keeping track?”
“The sleep fairies, who all say we need to get some before we shamble through the day like zombies.”
“Which is exactly why this round is the last one.”
“Uh-huh…select your damned character.”
Chapter 22
The space between
“Look, I know I don’t handle things the way you want me to. I don’t think things through the way you do and maybe I do go out of my way to piss you off sometimes….”
“Only sometimes?” Tripp interrupted, tapping his fingers against his thigh as he regarded his twin.