Reid slipped his hand over the top of her thigh and squeezed. “Lemme see.”
“Okay. Be right back.” Chloe hopped to her feet and darted to the bedroom in the back of the bus. She looked around the space and laughed at the piles of clutter. There was barely room for one person, much less two. When she’d suggested staying in her bunk, Reid’s distressed expression shut down any possibilities where she wasn’t next to him. She loved it more than she let on.
A part of her felt bad for being so happy. Even though Reid chose to end things with Jess, she felt like she’d benefited from someone else’s heartbreak. It wasn’t an easy feeling to shake, but it was one she was willing to live with if it meant Reid was hers. And he was. Every single beautifully flawed part of him was hers, and it was nothing short of perfect. Grabbing her notebook, a giddy feeling bubbled inside her. She and Reid were going to make music together, and it was going to be amazing.
“What if we did this?” Reid asked, moving his hand down the fretboard of his guitar and playing a different chord.
Chloe hummed and leaned over her violin, plucking at the strings with her fingers to mimic the sound in a higher key. “Yes, I like it!”
Reid’s smile widened at her enthusiasm. He’d always been so protective over his music. The sound, the lyrics, the feel, all of it. He never imagined letting someone into such a personal part of his life, but he’d also never imagined any of the things Chloe made him feel.
“You two make me want to barf unicorns,” Inky snarked, throwing a Starburst at Chloe.
Reid cut his eyes toward Inky. “What exactly are we doing? Other than working on a song, that is.”
“Exactly.” Inky smacked the back of her hand on Drew’s arm. “You’re only playing around with chords and you still manage to make googly eyes. Tell ’em, Drew.”
Drew held his hands out in front of him. “I’m not dumb enough to get mixed up in one of your pissing contests with Reid. I’ve been around long enough to know better. Besides, I’ll take this over Europe any day.”
An unwelcome feeling settled in the pit of Reid’s stomach as he looked at Drew. He wondered just how difficult he’d been to deal with on the first leg of the tour. How much he’d let his personal issues affect the others.
Inky cleared her throat and stood. “Hey, Chloe. One of my favorite tattoo artists will be in Portland this weekend. Come look at the new ink I have picked out and help me decide which one to get.”
“Do you even have room for a new tattoo?” Reid asked, scanning Inky’s covered arms and legs as Chloe set her violin aside and moved next to Inky. His gaze drifted to Chloe, lingering on the spot just below her breast where his new favorite tattoo lay hidden. His eyes snapped to Chloe’s when she cleared her throat. Her brow was cocked, her expression colored with amusement. He shrugged. “Maybe she does.”
“Maybe she does,” Chloe echoed with a grin before following Inky to her bunk.
“You got it bad, man,” Drew laughed, propping his feet on Inky’s empty seat. “It’s cool, though. I’m glad you’re finally figuring everything out.”
Reid turned to Drew. “Europe was that bad?”
“Nah, not all the time. I had a lot of fun. It was just different. It was like you were never really there. I know you had a lot of shit going on, but it was more than that. The only time you seemed remotely happy was when you were with Chloe, and that only lasted as long as Greer wasn’t busting your balls.”
“Fucker,” Reid grumbled. “You’re right, though, I wasn’t really there. And when I was, well, I was being who I thought I was supposed to be.”
“But you’re straight now? This thing with Chloe, it’s legit, right? I’m not going to have to listen to another album of how fucking tortured you are, am I?”
Reid punched Drew’s thigh and laughed. “Screw you, asshole. But to answer your question, yeah. It’s legit. She’s the one.”
“No shit! It’s about time you figured out what the rest of us already knew. So the next question is, when are you going to ask her to join the band for good? I don’t think I can handle you moping around if we’re on tour and she’s touring with someone else, because you know it will happen. She won’t be sitting around twiddling her thumbs.”
“I know,” Reid sighed, pushing his hand through his hair. “It’s something I’ve been meaning to talk with you and Greer about, but I just haven’t found the right time.”
Drew waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing to talk about. Greer and I have been waiting for you to bring it up. We’re good with it. Chloe’s a cool chick, and she does good things for the group. Besides, it’s your band anyway.”
Reid smiled, relieved. “You sure? I know it’s my band, but I wouldn’t make a decision like that without talking to you guys first.”