Rock All Night

91




It all happened during the band’s stay in Seattle. Ryan and Riley were in the kitchen together, which was separated from the rest of the penthouse. Anybody inside the kitchen couldn’t see much of the rest of the suite, which is why they didn’t know I was there.

And no, I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping.

Although I didn’t exactly announce my presence, either.

Derek was in his room writing lyrics, and Killian was off in his getting baked or taking a nap or God knows what. I was attempting to avoid writing the article when I walked in and heard their voices over the sound of pouring drinks – ice clinking against glass, the glug glug of liquid.

“Riley, I need you to do me a favor.”

She sighed theatrically. “Alright, f*ck it. Whip it out, I know it ain’t been sucked in awhile.”

“UGH. Gross,” Ryan groaned, mirroring my own thoughts exactly.

Riley cackled. “Just kiddin’, Ry. I love you man, but you got one part too many, dude.”

“Well, we can both be glad about that, then. But I need your help.”

“Need me to get some chicks for you? Tired of moonin’ over Blondie?”

As soon as I heard my nickname, I froze in my tracks – still out of sight. More than anything, I didn’t want to see the look on Ryan’s face if he found out I had heard that comment.

“I’m serious.”

“So’m I. You need to get the f*ck over that shit, man. You’re too f*ckin’ good for her, anyway.”

My heart alternately swelled a little at her sweetness towards Ryan – and prickled at her bitchiness towards me.

Ryan used his ‘stern dad’ voice. “Riley…”

She huffed in annoyance. “Fine. What.”

“I need you to do the interview with Kaitlyn. A real interview, not some cutesy crap.”

I frowned in surprise.

What?

“Hahaha! That’s a good one, Ry.”

There was a long silence from the kitchen. I could almost see Ryan’s look in my mind’s eye: head tilted down, the I’m not kidding expression.

Judging from Riley’s reaction, my imagination was spot on.

“Aw, man – seriously? Come ON.”

“I really need you to do this for me.”

“Bullshit – this isn’t for you!”

“It is for me. You’d be doing this for me, not her.”

“F*ck that! This isn’t gonna make her fall in love with you, or whatever the f*ck you want!”

“I know that. I’m not asking because of that.”

“You’re askin’ cuz you’re totally f*ckin’ in love with that bitch, and she goes after the f*ckin’ moron instead of you! Seriously, man, why do you do this to yourself?”

Again, mixed emotions: my heart broke for Ryan, while my stomach raged on Derek’s behalf… and a little bit on my own, too.

“Riley… please? For me?”

“God dammit…” she grumbled. “…quit lookin’ at me like that…”

“Thank you.”

There were a couple of seconds of silence. Somehow I knew instinctively that Ryan was hugging her, and it made my heart hurt even more.

I must have been right, because after a couple of seconds, Riley started groaning again. “Aw, cut it out, don’t get all f*ckin’ mushy on me…”

“And don’t hit on her, okay? Don’t get her drunk and make passes at her, alright?”

“Maaaaan – ”

“Riley, I’m serious.”

“Does this chick even know how much you’re into her?”

Now I do, I thought, and I felt sick to my stomach that I was listening in on something so achingly private.

“And don’t tell her that, either, okay? …okay?”

“Okay, OKAY! Why are you doing this, anyway? Is it cause you want her to get the hell out of Dodge so you don’t have to watch Derek banging her? That would be a halfway decent reason.”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Because I want her to succeed. It’s important to me.”

My heart broke a little more, and for the first time ever, I wished that maybe I hadn’t met Derek first.

Riley sighed heavily. “For you. Only for you.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

“Hell yeah you owe me one.”

Before they could come out of the kitchen and discover me, I silently slipped out of the suite and back into the hallway.

When I came in five minutes later, I pretended I didn’t know anything.

Out of the blue, Riley told me – in a very annoyed voice – that she’d had a change of heart, and that maybe we should actually go ahead and do the interview for real.

I acted shocked, then suspicious, then warily happy – after extracting numerous promises of no ‘quid pro coochie.’

She grumpily agreed, and threw a couple of not-so-subtle scowls at Ryan.

He just smiled mysteriously over in the corner.

I avoided looking at him too much, for fear of giving myself away.

It was one of the toughest lies I’d ever pulled off, but I did it.

I felt terrible about it.

But I still should have been nominated for an Oscar.