Page 10 of Any Kind of Life
“Leave it with me. I’ll get you tickets.” Paige embraced Edie again, ruffling her hair as she moved towards the bedroom door. “I’ll see you downstairs, okay?”
“Kay.”
Paige left Edie’s bedroom and took the stairs two at a time. She heard everyone laughing in the living room, Juliet’s mirth noticeable and one of her favourite sounds. As she entered, everyone fell silent.
“Um, did you want me to go back out so you can carry on the conversation?”
Juliet reached out a hand, beckoning Paige towards the couch in the window. “No. I want you right here next to me.”
Paige flopped down and sighed. “Your kid is adorable, by the way. She’s under the impression that I won’t be your friend anymore now that I’m famous or something.”
Hannah tipped her wine glass towards Paige. “And I hope you gave her the correct response. Because if you change and I lose one of my best friends, shit is going to get serious.”
Paige dragged a hand through her hair. “Honestly? I can’t wait for this tour to end, and it hasn’t even begun.”
“Why?” Caz perked up.
“I just prefer to be here, like this, with the real people in my life. Not the band and Soraya and all of her group. They’re not my people at all. I don’t think the unexpectedness of it all has helped, either. Europe was great, but it was enough for me. It was never a plan to tour the UK with her, too.”
“Well, we’ll be here waiting for your return.”
“When I was speaking to Edie,” Paige sat forward and lowered her voice. “She was saying you tried to get tickets for one of the shows.”
“Yeah. It was a waste of time. The site crashed within three minutes, and then the tickets were gone.”
“Why didn’t you say? I can get you a few tickets if you want some. Since the supposed love of my life isn’t interested in taking even one, you guys are welcome to them. I’ll see what I can get my hands on, okay?”
“No, Paige. We don’t want to be those people. I’ll pay for them the next time you’re touring.”
Paige snorted. “Well, you’ll be waiting a long time. Once the UK leg is over, I have a lot to get on with here in Liverpool.” Paige squeezed Juliet’s knee. “Right, babe?”
“Mm. Though I have told you that you should consider continuing. It just makes sense.”
Paige rested her head on Juliet’s shoulder. This was where she wanted to be. Not in some hotel room with terrible TV. “I prefer the bar. It’s more my style.”
Caz whistled. “That’s a big sacrifice. You have the chance to travel the world. To perform to sell-out crowds. Yet you choose a bar on a back street in the city.”
“Correction, I choose Juliet. I understand what you’re all saying, and I appreciate that you think I’m capable of taking on something so mammoth, but Liverpool is where I want to be.”
Hannah relaxed against Caz, beaming a smile. “I admire that. It tells me everything I need to know about you.”
“I think you know me well enough by now, but yeah…I know what I want, and it’s not spending my life on the road. It’s here, in this amazing city, with this one.” She turned her head and smiled at the very woman who had effectively saved her life. In more ways than one. “And if you can’t get on board with that, then it’s your own problem, babe.”
“Oh, I’m on board with it. Of course I am.”
“Paige!”
Paige jumped at the sound of Edie’s voice. She shot up from the couch and followed the voice. Edie was standing at the top of the stairs, holding her phone up. “My friends are all on Zoom waiting to meet you.”
Paige poked her head around the doorframe, smirking at Hannah. “Be right back. Your daughter and my groupies are waiting for me. And as for those tickets…I will get you some!”
Chapter 4
Paige rested against the window frame, looking out at the city lights. She adored being here with Juliet; their apartment was their safe space. But tomorrow morning, that would end for the next month. Paige had considered whether she could come home for a few days between shows if they had an extended break, but it depended entirely on where in the country those extended breaks took place. Travelling back and forth was tiring without wondering if she’d make it back in time.
“All packed up?” Juliet’s gentle voice floated through the silence, sending the hairs on Paige’s neck standing on end.
She spun around, her arms wrapped around herself. “Yeah. All done.”