nightmares." Eric looked at the ground. "He has night terrors. They’re really bad. He has no idea what he’s doing, it’s like he’s dreaming and has turned into someone else, but he can get a bit violent and crazy. Especially when he's stressed – and, on tour, he's going to be stressed."
I mean, it really was none of my business but they’d all had this secret and no one had said anything to me. Hannah was supposed to be my friend and she’d kept all this to herself. Not that I’d wanted to know in a sticky-beak kind of way, I just felt sad that she hadn’t thought I’d support her.
S till, it wasn’t about me. People were hurting and I wanted to fix it all, rescue them like they were injured puppies.
"Can he take something? Aren't there meds for this?"
Eric shrugged.
"Who knows if he'd even take them if there were?"
I finished my cigarette, not talking but thinking. There wasn't anything I could do but it felt wrong to just ignore it.
Spud bashed on the window.
"We're going now," he called out. "See you on the flip side."
With that, he and Denise were gone. Typical Spud, disturbing everyone and then leaving. And who knew what was going on with Jack and Hannah?
"She'll probably get sick of him and leave after the first few nights."
I assumed he meant Denise and not Hannah. Probably.
"I'll see if your mum needs any help in the kitchen," I said.
I walked back in and helped Eric-Mama clear the table. She'd made so much food and it'd all been outstanding. She should relax and let me clean up, even though it wasn't my house. Actually, Jack and Eric should be cleaning up but, since she didn’t actually stop me from helping or snap at me, I figured it was a step forward in our relationship.
I stacked the dirty plates in the dishwasher.
"I hope those boys will be alright," she said.
For a moment, she didn't look like a fierce dragon waiting for a chance to take a shot at me but like a concerned mother. To be honest, I didn't blame her now that I knew about Jack.
"I'm sure they'll work it out," I said. "Hannah will arrange something. Maybe Spud and that chick can sleep in the van."
A twitch of a smile flickered at the corners of her mouth.
When we'd finished cleaning up, they decided to head home.
“Eric, I’ve packed some food in containers. Take it with you so you have something wholesome to eat on the road. I don’t want you living on junk. You’ll get sick and maybe put on weight.”
She hugged him goodbye.
“Make sure Jack has something to eat when he gets back. He needs to keep his strength up. And Hannah too.”
That left just Eric and I.
"I guess I should go too," I said.
I wavered. I wavered so much. I wanted to pounce him right there and do all the crazy shit that I'd been thinking about but my stupid brain stopped me, telling me it wasn't the place or time to do that.
He wavered too. I could see him wavering. The two of us just stood there, looking at each other. Wavering. Like massively wavering things. Flags or something.
"I've got to be the sensible one. I'm driving the van tomorrow..."
I nodded. Of course. Sensible. That was what we had to be.
But before I could answer, he pulled me to him. When his lips touched mine, I wondered if I could hold back. He was so gentle, it felt like if I let loose the full force of my passion, it'd destroy him.
Then he grabbed me even tighter and our lips melded into some amazing dance of sexy times. I fell into the spiral of kissing him. It made me think that nothing in this world meant anything except for kissing him.
Then bloody Hannah and Jack came home. Bastards. If they hadn't interrupted, we'd have totally been making sweet love and then not so sweet love then sweet again before my brain started functioning. Instead, we jumped apart as though we'd been caught doing something wrong.
"It's settled," Hannah said. "They can get separate rooms. It's going to blow the cost of the tour way out of budget but it's what we have to do.
Eric
I mean, it really was none of my business but they’d all had this secret and no one had said anything to me. Hannah was supposed to be my friend and she’d kept all this to herself. Not that I’d wanted to know in a sticky-beak kind of way, I just felt sad that she hadn’t thought I’d support her.
S till, it wasn’t about me. People were hurting and I wanted to fix it all, rescue them like they were injured puppies.
"Can he take something? Aren't there meds for this?"
Eric shrugged.
"Who knows if he'd even take them if there were?"
I finished my cigarette, not talking but thinking. There wasn't anything I could do but it felt wrong to just ignore it.
Spud bashed on the window.
"We're going now," he called out. "See you on the flip side."
With that, he and Denise were gone. Typical Spud, disturbing everyone and then leaving. And who knew what was going on with Jack and Hannah?
"She'll probably get sick of him and leave after the first few nights."
I assumed he meant Denise and not Hannah. Probably.
"I'll see if your mum needs any help in the kitchen," I said.
I walked back in and helped Eric-Mama clear the table. She'd made so much food and it'd all been outstanding. She should relax and let me clean up, even though it wasn't my house. Actually, Jack and Eric should be cleaning up but, since she didn’t actually stop me from helping or snap at me, I figured it was a step forward in our relationship.
I stacked the dirty plates in the dishwasher.
"I hope those boys will be alright," she said.
For a moment, she didn't look like a fierce dragon waiting for a chance to take a shot at me but like a concerned mother. To be honest, I didn't blame her now that I knew about Jack.
"I'm sure they'll work it out," I said. "Hannah will arrange something. Maybe Spud and that chick can sleep in the van."
A twitch of a smile flickered at the corners of her mouth.
When we'd finished cleaning up, they decided to head home.
“Eric, I’ve packed some food in containers. Take it with you so you have something wholesome to eat on the road. I don’t want you living on junk. You’ll get sick and maybe put on weight.”
She hugged him goodbye.
“Make sure Jack has something to eat when he gets back. He needs to keep his strength up. And Hannah too.”
That left just Eric and I.
"I guess I should go too," I said.
I wavered. I wavered so much. I wanted to pounce him right there and do all the crazy shit that I'd been thinking about but my stupid brain stopped me, telling me it wasn't the place or time to do that.
He wavered too. I could see him wavering. The two of us just stood there, looking at each other. Wavering. Like massively wavering things. Flags or something.
"I've got to be the sensible one. I'm driving the van tomorrow..."
I nodded. Of course. Sensible. That was what we had to be.
But before I could answer, he pulled me to him. When his lips touched mine, I wondered if I could hold back. He was so gentle, it felt like if I let loose the full force of my passion, it'd destroy him.
Then he grabbed me even tighter and our lips melded into some amazing dance of sexy times. I fell into the spiral of kissing him. It made me think that nothing in this world meant anything except for kissing him.
Then bloody Hannah and Jack came home. Bastards. If they hadn't interrupted, we'd have totally been making sweet love and then not so sweet love then sweet again before my brain started functioning. Instead, we jumped apart as though we'd been caught doing something wrong.
"It's settled," Hannah said. "They can get separate rooms. It's going to blow the cost of the tour way out of budget but it's what we have to do.
Eric
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