The Next Day—Tour Bus, St. Louis
Avoidance is my friend.
When I climbed back onto the bus a few minutes after Tom, he was laughing and joking with the guys, acting like nothing had happened between us only moments before.
Of course, that was good. It was exactly what I wanted.
But the sexual tension between us was still there, smoldering with intent. It was to the point that I thought it was going to actually drive me insane.
I tried my best to act natural, but it was difficult. Every time Tom spoke, I would remember the feel of his lips on mine.
Cale knew something was off with me, and his questioning eyes weren’t helping my overall state. It was hard to keep myself in check when he pulled me aside and quietly asked what my stunt in the bar was all about.
He knew that was out of the ordinary for me.
I played it off. He wasn’t convinced, but thankfully, he didn’t argue me on it. Van and Sonny were oblivious. Sonny was still grumpy because he’d lost our bet.
It was long after that when I went to bed.
I woke up early, feeling restless, but I stayed in bed, not wanting to get up and risk finding myself alone with Tom. So, I waited until I heard the noise levels rise as the boys all crawled out of their bunks, and then I made an appearance.
I could feel Tom’s eyes on me when I came out to have breakfast, but I steadfastly ignored his gaze.
From now on, my plan is to avoid being alone with Tom under any circumstances.
It’s going okay so far.
Tom is currently in my bedroom on a conference call with Jake and Zane.
The guys and I are going over a song we’ve decided to add to the set. It’s a song I wrote a long time ago. I could never get the sound to work, but Van has come up with an amazing riff for it, which gives it the perfect tone. We’ve decided to try it out on the crowd tonight and see how it goes down.
I feel Tom enter the living area before I see him. That has been happening more and more lately, like I’m connected to him in some way.
He has his cell in his hand. “Got a minute, guys? I’ve got Jake and Zane still on the line. A few things are moving forward, and we want to bring you up to speed.”
I put my music sheets on the coffee table, but I keep my pen in my hand.
Tom places his cell in the middle of the table. He stays standing. “Jake, Zane, you’re good to go.”
“Hey, how’s it going?” Jake asks.
“Really great,” I answer for us.
“Cool. Okay, so we’ve made some decisions on how we’re going to move forward with you guys. Actually, this is Zane’s baby, so I’ll let him tell you.”
“Hey, guys,” Zane speaks.
“Hi,” we all say in unison.
“So, like Jake said, we’ve been working on things here. The album is cut, so Jake, Tom, and I have been discussing which song should be released first. Of course, you guys had input before you left for the tour, and I know you all felt that ‘Nonsense’ would be better as your first release. But after tests and looking at the market lately, we think that ‘Better Than You’ would be the perfect song to release first.”
There’s a silence, and then Zane says, “What do you think?”
I think on it for a moment and then look around the table.
We’re all looking at one another, waiting to see what the others think.
“What do you think, Ly?” Cale asks, the first one to break the silence.
It is a great song with commercial appeal, and I can see why they want to put it out first.
“It’s a great song,” I echo my thoughts. “I’m happy with that if you’re happy with that.”
“What about you guys?” Cale asks Sonny and Van.
“I’m easy,” Sonny says. “Just happy to be cutting a record and touring.”
“What he said.” Van smiles.
“So, we’re good?” Cale checks with me.
For some reason, I feel the need to look at Tom, almost like I need his reassurance on this.
My eyes slide to his. His are already on mine.
For the first time since last night, I actually speak directly to him. “You think it’s the right song?”
I see a flicker of surprise in his eyes, and then his expression softens.
“Yeah, I do.” He smiles. “The track will bring the right kind of attention to you. The kind of attention we want.”
I look back to Cale, who is glancing between Tom and me with a furrow of confusion in his brow.
“Then, yeah, we’re good,” I finally answer Cale’s question.
“Okay, so that’s settled,” Jake says.
“Zane’s team will hit up the radio stations across the country. We’ll concentrate mostly here in LA, but we’ll also hit all the areas where you’re playing now. We’re going for big coverage and fast. Then, we’ll see how it goes from there.”
“Sounds great,” Cale leans forward to say.
“So, I think we’re done here,” Zane speaks. “Unless there’s anything else anyone needs to talk about?”
“Nothing else from me,” Jake says. “Wait. What?”
Jake’s voice is muffled as he starts talking to someone in the background.
I hear the words, “What the fuck?”
Then, “Jesus fucking Christ.”
“Jake, all okay?” Zane says.
“Tom, take me off speaker. Now. Zane, I’ll call you after I’ve talked with Tom.”
Frowning, Tom scoops up his cell and takes it off speaker before pressing his phone to his ear.
I watch as he walks into my bedroom and closes the door behind him. I get an uneasy feeling in my gut.
“Wonder what that was about?” Van asks the table.
I shrug. “Beats me. Probably TMS stuff.” Even as I say it, it doesn’t feel right.
It’s feels like—
Oh no.
Holy fucking no.
I quickly pull out my cell phone from my pocket and type into the search engine, Tom Carter. Lyla Summers.
Then, I press enter.
And I watch in horror, my stomach sinking, as my screen fills with headlines and pictures of Tom and me.
THE MIGHTY STORM’S TOM CARTER CAUGHT CHEATING BY THE GIRLFRIEND WE DIDN’T KNOW HE HAD!
WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF TOM’S GIRLFRIEND CATCHING HIM WITH ANOTHER WOMAN. JUST MAKE SURE TO STAND BACK TO AVOID THE SPLASH!
TOM CARTER, WE THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER!
BAD BOY OF ROCK, TOM CARTER, CAUGHT CHEATING! FULL CONFRONTATION CAUGHT ON VIDEO! WATCH HERE!
CARTER CAUGHT CHEATING!