Strike (Sphere of Irony 2)

Really?

Removing my hands from his skin, I cross my arms. “I’m not quitting school to go on tour with a rock band, Dax. So you’ll have to adjust. We have all summer, and then when you’re gone, we’ll talk every night and you can send me photos and text. Good thing you got me that mobile, yeah?”

Dax nods, but it’s stiff. He doesn’t like this at all. Stubborn, bossy Dax isn’t getting his way and he doesn’t know what to do. Did he really think I’d just give up my life to follow him around the country?

Taking another look at my sullen boyfriend I realize that yes, yes he did.

CHAPTER 9

Dax

Four months later

“This is un-fucking-believable!” Hawke exclaims as we head inside Madison Square Garden in New York City to start the U.S. leg of our tour opening for U2.

Adam walks right out onstage, stopping in the center. He looks out over the arena, bustling with the crew that is putting everything together for tonight’s show. I have to say, he belongs there. The gloom and doom mood that’s been over him for the last year seems to lift while he’s on the massive stage.

He turns to me and grins, waving me over. Once there, Adam slings an arm around my shoulders. “Can you believe this? A couple of years ago we were playing in dusty old an abandoned basement. Now—” he releases me, spreading his arms wide, “we’re in New York fucking City and we’re going to play to a sold out crowd.”

“Yeah, who woulda thought two blokes from Hackney could ever get here?” I look around at everything, the lights, the massive, four-story telly behind us, the twenty thousand empty seats that will have people in them tonight. “It’s bloody overwhelming, Adam.”

Adam’s grin dissolves into a frown. “If only—”

“Don’t do it mate. You can only go forward.” I give him the same advice I’ve been repeating since Ellie broke up with him a little over a year ago. Adam and I turned that advice into a song of the same name that has become an instant hit from our new album, You Can Only Go Forward.

“Right. I know. Forward.”

“Alrighty!” The tour manager, Aaron Shiftley, claps his hands to get us to gather around. “Your instruments are still being brought in so sound check won’t be for an hour. After that you have a pre-concert fan meet and greet, then wardrobe. Okay?” We all nod, not having any clue what to do except what we’re told. Ross is just off stage on the phone. He usually conveys the information to us as to what to do and where to be, but this bloke is in charge of everything, so if he wants to tell us directly, then he will.

We all nod and grunt in understanding.

“Then get backstage and rest up. I’ll see you out here in one hour. Do not be late. U2 has their sound check after yours and I will not have them held up, got it?” Satisfied we all understand, like we’re small children or something, he shoos us away.

“Well, that guy is something else,” Hawke whispers.

“Yeah. Real charmer, he is,” I agree.

We get to our dressing room, which is really just a large room with a few chairs and a sofa with a big rack of clothing in the center, and flop down to wait. Adam wanders over to a side table loaded down with snacks while Gavin and Hawke fire up some sort of gaming console.

I figure I should ring Kate now, since it doesn’t seem as if there will be time later. Slipping out quietly, I find an empty room right across the hall.

“Dax?”

“Hello, angel. I wanted to ring you before it got too crazy.”

“I wish I could be there tonight, Dax. You’re going to be amazing.”

Kate’s praise makes my skin warm and my heart soar. It’s nice to hear good things about yourself that don’t involve your ability to smash someone’s nose in with your elbow.

“Thanks. I wish you were here too.” Ross had said he could arrange for Kate to fly out for tonight’s concert, courtesy of our label, but, to my extreme displeasure, Kate has a football match tonight and an exam tomorrow so it was impossible.

“It’s going to be a long six weeks, isn’t it?” she says sadly.

Sighing, I flop down on a nearby sofa. “Yeah. It is. You can still join me in our next city.”

“Dax, I can’t. You know this. Let’s not have another row.”

I grunt, unhappy with her decision. “All right. I’ll leave it be.”