“How was Kitt?”
“Perfect. We’re good now. Everything is great, and as soon as we’re back in England, we’ll tell my dad. We’re going to let him see us grow closer, so it’s not such a shock when we tell him we’re together.”
She tilts her head, and I can tell what she’s thinking, but this will work out. It will.
KITT
TUESDAY, MAY 19
LISBON, PORTUGAL
I force myself to do something while Texas is out with Peyton because, frankly, I’m like a lovesick puppy, and I’m pissing myself off.
How can you miss someone you’ve only been separated from for an hour?
It doesn’t make sense. But love rarely does.
Falling for Texas has made me throw my morals right out the window. I didn’t exactly have an abundance of them before, but now, I’m betraying Mark and lying to everyone who matters to me. And though it makes me sound like a wanker, I don’t care. I’m with her, and that’s what matters.
They’re going shopping, so that means I probably won’t see her again until much later. Milo and Coop probably want to be out, lining up tonight’s shag, but I’m making them work. Milo is into it and happy to be here though, so I don’t feel guilty. Coop…well, after last night, he’s just happy.
Something has been simmering between him and Peyton for a while, and although they’re probably not going to pursue anything, it’ll be good not to feel dirty around them. The looks they give each other should be classed as sex itself.
I sent Tex a message a while ago, but so far, she’s not replied. I very much hope it’s because she’s busy buying underwear for me to peel off her tonight.
“Are you sure this is how you want the chorus to go?” Milo asks after reading it through a couple of times.
I deadpan. “No. That’s why you’re here!”
“Is it shit?” Coop asks, not looking up from his phone.
My educated guess is that he’s sending Peyton obscene messages and thoroughly enjoying it. The poor girl really should make better life choices.
“No, dick,” Milo replies. “You could help, you know.”
He chuckles. “Oh, I know.”
I roll my eyes at Milo, and he shrugs.
“I vote we kick him out of the band,” Milo says.
Coop scoffs. “Then, you’d have no band.”
“Milo, focus.”
Since Texas has had my mind tied up in figuring her and us out, I’ve not written much. I’m still constantly jotting down random lyrics, but I’ve got nothing solid. If we want to follow this tour and the album with something epic, I need to pull my finger out.
The show is over, and I’m back in my hotel room. Tex is messaging Peyton because, even against her better judgement, she’s with Coop right now.
“I want to take you out tonight,” I say, wrapping Tex in my arms.
She puts the phone down. “Yeah, I’ll just get my mask. Come on, Kitt. You know we’d never get away with that.”
She’s right, of course. I can’t buy a pint of milk without it being photographed, and neither can she. We can’t risk going out on a proper date, not until we’ve told Mark. He can’t hear it from anyone else. We owe him that much.
“Actually”—letting go of her, I step back, and she pouts—“give me a couple of hours, and then come to my suite at one.”
Tilting her head with intrigue, she asks, “What are you going to be doing that you need me to leave and come back at one a.m.?”
“You’ll see later.”
“But I don’t like surprises.”
“You’ll love this one.” I give her a quick kiss because if I don’t get my lips off hers straight away, I’ll never get out of here, and I want to do something for her. So far in our relationship, I haven’t taken her out to dinner. We’ve had a lot of room service on a lot of beds, but that’s it.
Some things will have to be the same—room service—but I want to make it special, romantic.
I leave her room, head down the corridor and call Hank. He’ll know what to do. It’s his job to know what to do. Well, it’s not, but he’s very good at this sort of shit since he’s been married since he was eighteen.
He answers on the second ring. “Everything okay? You need to go out?”
“No, I need a favour. It’s for Tex.”
“Go on,” he says.
“We can’t go to a restaurant because Mark doesn’t…”
“You want me to set something up in your room?”
“Er, not exactly. I want you to tell me how to do it.” I mean, I have the number for room service and the local pizza place, but I kind of need tonight to be more special than that. “What’s good around here? I want decent food brought in, and I want something to make the suite not look like a hotel suite.”
“I don’t think they’ll let you change the interior, man,” he teases.
“I can fire you, you know.”
“Oh, come on. It’s good to see you whipped, but I’m not going to miss an opportunity to take the piss.”
“Hank…”
“Leave it to me. I’ll message you with some options.”