Page 26 of Crimson Desires
“You better not have done anything.”
Jack pocketed his hands. “We didn’t. Both of us were too exhausted. Right, Aster?”
“Right,” I squeaked out.
Ava turned to me. I frowned as I noticed her dark eye bags. It was clear that she hadn’t slept much last night. “Ava, are you okay?” I asked.
Ava tightened her jaw. “Don’t change the subject.”
“You just look tired. That’s all.”
“I was up all night trying to make arrangements to get the bus’s AC unit fixed. Wouldn’t you know, every fucking mechanic from here to Illinois is booked up until next week,” Ava said. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know what? Forget about it. If you two had sex, I don’t want to know. We need to get moving. I managed to find someone who might be able to fix the bus before tonight, but that means we need to get to the venue three hours sooner than anticipated.”
Jack nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Ava shook her head and muttered something murderous before storming out of Jack’s room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Jack exhaled. “That went better than I thought it would.”
I didn’t respond. I slipped off the bed, grabbing the fleece blanket that I’d brought in with me and folding it beneath my arm.
“Aster?” Jack frowned.
“Thanks for the breakfast. But I should probably get to the bus.”
“Wait, why? What’s the rush?”
“Weren’t you listening to Ava?”
“She’s just tired. She’s not actually that upset.”
“Okay, well in the case that she is ‘actually that upset,’ I’d like to play it safe. She’s way more likely to fire me than she is to fire you.” I swallowed hard, looking at my feet. “Jack, can we please keep this professional?”
“Why? We like each other. We shouldn’t let Ava get in the way of that.”
“Okay, consider this: I need this job. Unlike you, I don’t have a rich dad who owns half of the music industry or a stadium full of people willing to buy my face on a shirt. If I lose this gig, which I was lucky to get in the first place, then I have no income. Which means I’d basically be fucked.”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Jack huffed.
My eyes flashed. I glared at Jack, fury building in my chest. “Are you serious? Because if you are, you can fuck right off.”
Jack had the audacity to look offended. “What did I say?”
I didn’t entertain his ignorance. I marched toward the hotel room door. Jack tried to stop me by standing in front of the door, but I pushed him aside.
“Aster, come on. What did I say?” Jack asked again as I stomped into the hallway.
I shook my head. “The fact that you have to ask is the entire fucking problem.”
When I got outside, I found the other crew members milling around the parking lot. A few of them were holding coffee cups and pastries wrapped in wax paper.
“Aster.”
I turned. Ava was standing behind me, nursing an energy drink. Her hands trembled slightly—a sign that she’d probably ingested way too much caffeine over the past few hours.
I grimaced. “I know you don’t believe me, but I swear, Jack and I didn’t-,”
“I believe you. This isn’t about that. I wanted to thank you,” Ava said. Her gaze swept the parking lot. “I have a feeling that Jack’s offer to buy the crew breakfast this morning wasn’t just a random stroke of generosity.”