Avery’s POV

“Ave…” Brian whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.

I smiled into the pillow, feeling his calloused fingers carefully running up and down my bare side as he held me close. “Mmm…” I murmured, pinching my eyelids shut to block out the sun. It felt so good to lay like this with Brian, feeling the rise and fall of his chest and his warm embrace. I couldn’t believe I would have to leave all this before I truly knew what this was.

“Wake up, beautiful,” Brian said while placing a line of kisses over my shoulder.

My eyes burst wide open, seeing the sun glaring through the bus windows. No, there was no way I fell asleep and missed time with Brian. This had to be some kind of joke. We still had a couple hours together before my dad would be here.

“What?” I groaned, rolling over to meet those dark brown eyes. I smiled as soon as I saw his face, my heart fluttering lightly. “I wasn’t sleeping.” I would play along with his joke.

“Is that so?” Brian raised an amused brow at me, his hands moving to brush a strand of hair behind my ear. “So those weren’t cute little snores I heard?”

“I don’t snore!” I argued, still not believe that I actually fell asleep. I mean, I felt extremely comfortable and relaxed in Brian’s arms, but I didn’t think I drifted off. I couldn’t have.

Brian chuckled and propped himself up on his elbow as his eyes raked over my body. “Okay, so maybe it’s not a Johnny snore, but it was a cute little squeak every now and then. Don’t worry, I thought it was cute.”

“No, no, no….I couldn’t have fallen asleep.” I frowned at him and shook my head. I was so angry with myself for falling asleep. How could I have wasted our time together like that? I felt so guilty and ultimately crushed. I was so selfish. The tears were starting to rise in my eyes because I didn’t want to leave him. I wanted more time. None of this was fair, not when we hadn’t even had a chance. I guess Maya was right in saying that we were all doomed from the get go and I hated that thought. I was never good at saying goodbye.

“Ave…please…I was just kidding. I didn’t mean to upset you, please don’t cry—“ Brian begged, pulling me onto his lap, shaking his head, and cupping my face with his hands. He almost looked like he didn’t know what to do with a crying woman.

“It’s not you,” I sighed, trying to remain strong even though my voice was shaking. I didn’t want to ruin anymore of our time together. “I-I just can’t believe I fell asleep…I-I wasted our time…I-I ruined our last night…” I felt a tear escape my eyes, opening the floodgate. How could our time be over, when it hadn’t even barely begun? How had I been so stupid not to give us another chance sooner? This was the one thing that I wanted and now that I had it, I didn’t know how I was going to let it go.

Brian quickly whipped away my tears and gently kissed my lips. “Shh…you didn’t ruin anything, love.” His voice sounded so promising and sure, yet I still found it hard to believe him. I knew I would have been upset with him for falling asleep, so why wasn’t he upset with me? “I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better night because I got to spend it with you.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” I sighed, looking away from his eyes. It hurt to look into them knowing that I wouldn’t see them again, though they would forever be engraved in my memory.

“No, I’m not,” he urged, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. “We had fun, we partied, we laughed, I got to know you a little better, and I finally got you back into my bed,” he chuckled, rocking me slightly on his lap. “I couldn’t have asked for anything else…and watching you sleep was the icing on the cake. I could do that every night and die a happy man.” He looked so happy as he smiled down at me. “So don’t you think for a second that I would want anything else.” A small smiled pulled at my lips from his words. He really was perfect in my eyes.

I placed my head on Brian’s shoulder as he leaned against the back wall of the bus. We sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other’s touch and company. My fingers lightly twisted his hair between my fingers while he gently moved his hands along my curves. His touch was so soothing and warm that I almost forgot that we were both still naked.

“Will you come back when your vacation is over?” Brian asked softly a few minutes later. “Come see us play and maybe stay on the road with us?”

“I would love to,” I admitted, though I knew it wasn’t really up to me. My dad would know something was up if Maya and I begged to go back on the road with his artists. Why would he believe that we would want to travel around on a stinky bus unless it had to do with boys? He was a smart man and I knew he would freak out if he ever found out I was sleeping with Synyster Gates. I would forever be banned from anything and every thing Avenged Sevenfold—but I was addicted now. “But…my dad…I don’t think he would go for it…”

“So this is it then?” His voice sounded so disappointed and I knew exactly how he felt.

I took Brian’s face in my hands and gently kissed his lips. “I don’t want it to be…” I breathed, my eyes pleading for him to believe me. “I want to stay with you…with the guys. I want to be with you, Brian. Last night proved that…I want you.”

“Then tell your dad you want to stay,” Brain’s brow pulled together and I closed my eyes with a sigh. He didn’t get it. This wasn’t my decision, especially if Francis was going to stay. “Stay with me.”

“It’s not that simple,” I sighed, tracing my fingers over his palm. Brian grabbed my hand and interlaced our fingers. They felt so right together and that feeling was making this so much more difficult.

“My dad would never believe that Maya and I would give up a spa package vacation in the Bahamas to work a merch table if it didn’t have to do with a boy. If he got one whiff that something was going on between us, he would pull us both out of here so fast that we wouldn’t even have time to say goodbye. I am his only child and he thinks no one is good enough for me…especially not a playboy rockstar,” I giggled, leaning forward and kissing his lips. “Besides, you’ll forget about me as soon as I’m gone anyway.” I frowned.

Brian scoffed and shook his head. “That’s impossible,” he said just as a knock sounded at the door. “What?” he groaned, throwing his head back against the wall.

“Just a heads up, Larry has landed at the airport. He’ll be here in about twenty minutes now,” Zacky’s groggy voice called through the door. He still sounded drunk but you couldn’t deny the sadness there.

“Fuck,” Brian hissed and ran his hands over his face. No, our time wasn’t over. We didn’t have only mere minutes left together. “Promise me something,” he sighed, his dark eyes meeting mine.

“What’s that?” my voice shook as bit down on my bottom lip. I didn’t know if I could promise him anything but I would try. I didn’t want this to be the end—it couldn’t be.

“Promise me that this wont be goodbye,” Brian’s voice was barely a whisper as his hands cupped my face. “Promise me that you’ll see me again…and sooner rather than later.”

I took in a shaky breath and slowly opened my eyes. There were those dark orbs staring into the depths of my soul and I knew I had to see him again. But what if he had moved on? “They say people always meet twice,” I whispered with a small smile, using his words from when we first joined the tour.

Brian’ smiled and pulled my face to his, kissing me with a hard tender kiss. He kissed me with such a passion that I felt it all the way down to my toes. It made my heart flutter, almost bringing me to tears and was enough to make me realize that I was already falling for him. I knew right then that I didn’t want to be anywhere else but with Brian and in his arms.

Brian gently pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine. “We need to go…” he rasped, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes were filled with sadness and I’m sure he could see the same thing in mine.

I slowly leaned forward and placed another kiss on his lips but pulled away before I got too invested again. This was one of the hardest things I had ever done. “I’ll see you again,” I told him as I slowly pulled away to put my underwear back on. I wasn’t sure if that was true, but I wanted it be—more than anything.

“Wait,” Brian said, just as I picked up my dress from the floor. “I’ve got something for you.” He quickly pulled on his pants and disappeared out the door. Within seconds, he was back with one of his Vengeance University t-shirts and a pair of black boxer shorts. “Put these on and take them with you.” I nodded and pulled the baggy t-shirt over my head and pulled on the shorts. “How do they fit?”

“They’re a little big but they’ll do,” I smiled sadly, taking his hand as he lead me through the bus. “It smells like you,” I muttered, pulling the fabric to my nose. God, I would miss this smell, as well as everything else about Brian. Fuck, I wish I didn’t have to go.

We walked hand-in-hand back to the roadie bus as a silence fell between us. We both knew what the other was thinking but neither of us wanted to admit that this might actually be the end. It hurt too much to say it out loud so we both lived in our delusional silence.

“Here we are,” I said sadly when we reached the door to the roadie but.

“Here we are,” he echoed, looking down at his feet. “I’ll see you soon, beautiful.” Brian’s fingers gently caressed the side of my face and nuzzled into his touch, trying to remember it and the feelings it sparked.

“See you soon,” I whispered before standing up on my tiptoes and gently kissing his cheek. As soon as I was done, I quickly turned to head into bus but Brian’s hand caught my arm and spun me back around. My back was suddenly pressed against the bus as Brian’s lips captured my lips in a desperate kiss. I slid my hand up to the back of his neck and began kissing him back, wanting more. Needing more. The man was as bad as a drug. The addicting kind. But as quickly as it started it was over, leaving my thoughts spinning.

“I’ll text you…” Brian breathed before kissing my lips one more time. “See you soon, beautiful.” He said and I took in a shaky breath, feeling the tears starting to rise again.

I quickly nodded and darted back into the bus, almost crashing into Matt in the process. His large arms grabbed me and pulled me into a hug before. I broke down in his arms, not knowing how to handle the array of emotions that were surging through my system. “Shh…Ave…We’ll get you back. We will find a way,” Matt whispered, but his voice didn’t sound very confident. “You girls take care of each other, and we will see you soon.”

“I will…you do the same. Tell Zacky…I-I’ll text him…and Brian.” I cried, whipping away tears. He nodded just as someone announced my father’s arrival. “Thank you for everything, Matt…”

“No problem, Little Gnome,” Matt sighed with a sad smile before kissed my forehead and followed the other roadies off the bus.

I quickly made my way into the back room and pulled Maya into a hug, both of us breaking down into tears. This was the hardest thing either of us had ever done and there was nothing we could do to change this. “We’ll find a way,” I said, though I had no idea how. “We can’t give up, M. We will see them again…just maybe have a little vacation in the middle.”

“Yeah, right,” Maya scoffed, as she pulled way and threw her clothes into the suitcase. “It’s the same thing it always is. Saying goodbye to another person I care about, knowing that no matter what happens, we’ll never see each other again. Either he’ll move on or we will. It’s just how it always works,” she said, bitterly whipping away her tears. “Come on, I heard dad is here.”

I sighed and grabbed my suitcase before I made my way off the bus. When I got outside, my dad pulled Maya and I into a hug. “There are my girls,” he said but I couldn’t even muster a smile. He noticed. “What’s wrong baby girl? Aren’t you excited to go on vacation?”

“Yeah, just not feeling very well,” I lied, crossing my arms over my chest as I followed him to the cab. I looked back towards the buses to see the guys watching us and that alone was breaking my heart. I didn’t want to leave but what other choice did I have?

Dad looked over his shoulder at me as he put our luggage in the car. “Well, I bet some nice warm weather and a tropical breeze will make you feel better,” he smiled.

“Shoot, I forgot something, I’ll be right back,” Maya said before sprinting back towards the bus.

“Hurry back, you girls aren’t the only ones who have to catch a flight. Mine leaves in an hour and you have an hour and a half before you take off,” Dad called after her and I sighed. “So what’s this shirt? I didn’t know you liked Vengeance University,” he teased. I swallowed thickly, remembering that I didn’t change out of Brian’s shirt. I just couldn’t give away his smell yet, especially since it was the only thing holding me together right now.

“You know me, always trying something new,” I said halfheartedly as I climbed into the car.

“Really? You going to start wearing t-shirts?” Dad laughed, like it was funny to see me wearing a t-shirt. What? Was it really that outside of my normal style?

“It’s comfortable, what can I say?” Thank goodness Maya joined us and he started talking to her instead.

“And here we go!” Dad called as the cab pulled away. I sadly watched out of the window, feeling like I was leaving a piece of myself behind. “Bahamas here you come!”

Matt’s POV

I paced outside between our bus and the roadie bus with my hands in fists. How could I have let this happen? The girls were leaving right now and I couldn’t do anything about it. I felt so helpless and lost right now that I just wanted to run up to Larry and stop him from taking the girls. Would it really be that bad if he knew about my relationship with Maya? I mean, how many times had Larry told me that I was a good guy? Would I be good enough for his adopted daughter?

“Matt!” I looked up to see her standing in front of me and we both bolted towards each other. I picked her up and hugged her close to my body as he legs wrapped around my waist. Our lips were instantly glued together and I felt electric charge through me.

“What are you doing here? I thought you had to leave,” I said against her lips in between kisses.

“I do,” Maya said, kissing my lips before pulling away and looking into my eyes. “I just had to see you one more time…” her small delicate hand moved down my cheek, making me shiver. “I told Larry I forgot something…I’ll have to go back soon…”

“I’m glad you did,” I admitted, hugging her close. “I’m going to miss you like crazy, Maya.” I sighed, trying to kiss as much of her as I could.

“I’ll miss you too…god, this sucks.” Maya’s head was pressed against mine as I stared into her beautiful eyes. My heart was racing in my chest, knowing that this wasn’t the end of us—It couldn’t be.

“I know…but we will get you back. I promise you that, My. I promise you…don’t give up on us. Even if we have to kill Francis to get you back in two week after vacation,” I chuckled, though I was dead serious. There was no way that asshole was staying with us. There had to be some way to get rid of that bastard.

“Don’t make promises you’re not sure you can keep.” Maya’s eyes met mine and I knew she was right. But what she didn’t know was that I was going to make sure I saw her again. I refused to let this be the end. I was too deeply invested in her to let her get away this easily.

“I’m going to keep this one,” I assured her as she slowly pulled away with a frown.

“I hope you’re right, Matt.” That was honestly the saddest look I had ever seen and it broke my heart. “I’ve got to go before Larry gets suspicious,” she sighed and I nodded. I reached out and pulled her into a quick kiss before she turned and walked away. As she turned the corner, Jimmy grabbed her and hugged her tight. Moment’s later she and Avery were gone, leaving me feeling angry and crushed.

“Shadz, let’s go, we’ve got a meeting,” JB called and god he looked miserable. I guess we were all taking losing the girls hard.

I slowly made my way back onto the bus and instantly saw red when I saw who was leaning against the wall with a smug look on his face. Fucking Francis the ass. God, this was the worst fucking day. Now we had to listen to his bullshit list of things to keep us from losing our manager. But wasn’t losing the girls bad enough?

“All right get on with it,” Brian growled, sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He looked like he was ready to strangle someone and I knew exactly how he felt. He just lost Avery after they finally admitted their feeling to each other. It was the worst timing.

“Yeah, what the fuck do you want?” Zack said, not sounding any friendlier.

Francis chuckled and pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to me. I scoffed and read down the list, not believing my eyes. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” I raged, slamming my fist down on the table. Jimmy moved over and took the list out of my hand, shook his head, and passed it onto the rest of the group.

“Are you fucking serious?” Zack laughed out loud. “You want the back room of the roadie bus, free meals, a raise, and for us to hook you up with groupies? What do you think we can just hand you women, you sick fuck?”

“These are my terms or else I will take my evidence to a higher source,” Francis said smugly. “I’m not in the mood to barter, so it’s my way or the highway.”

I scoffed and clenched my fists. Was there anyway to get rid o this guy? “Your way or the highway, huh? How about I put my foot so far up your ass that you can taste the rubber?” I growled, standing up.

“I wouldn’t threaten me if I were you.” Was this fucker seriously taunting me? Did he enjoy being knocked on his ass before? If that was the case, I had no qualms with using him as my personal punching bag, especially since it was his fault we lost Maya and Avery.

“And why is that?” I was a few inches from this guys face and I could see the nervous look in his eyes. That’s right, asshole, you better be afraid of me. I was his fucking boss and I didn’t deal well with someone blackmailing me.

“Because I could totally ruin you. I know your manager keeps you assholes in check and if I told him what you’ve been up to, he will drop you quicker than you could punch me. It would be a shame if you had to cancel the rest of your tour because you couldn’t keep your shit together without a manager, let alone assault charge.” Oh, this little fuck though he had all the answers did he?

“I’ll give you fucking assault charges,” Zack growled, jumping up at my side, his eyes narrow. I stopped him with my arm from charging the guy. As much as I wanted to beat the shit out of him, it wasn’t going to change anything. He was right without Larry we would be screwed.

“You are all a bunch of hot heads aren’t you?” Francis laughed, and I ran my hands over my face.

“What do you want, huh? Why are you here and what do you want?” I finally asked, moving away to sit back down. I couldn’t take this anymore.

“I’m here to have fun and make a nice little paycheck. Hence why I put an increase in salary on my demands.” So he wanted his chance at fame through stealing our funds, huh? Well fuck him. “Not to mention I want to get my name out here.”

I scoffed and looked between the guys, shaking my head. They all hung their head but I could tell they were thinking the same thing I was. What could we do to make this guy go away?

Brian sighed and sat up, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “So Franny, what’s it going to take for you go away quietly?” He asked, and I looked up to see a smile come over the bastards face.

“I have a price…” he admitted. “But are you willing to pay it?”

“How much is it going to take for you to be gone for good?” Brain growled, his temper breaking through his tone. He was just as pissed as I was.

Francis laughed and leaned back against the wall. “I want $100,000...and for you to mention my band in your next interview.” This fucker had a band? Are you kidding me? Did Larry do a background check on this guy to know that he hired a fucking psychopath?

I looked between the guys, receiving a small nod from each of them. “Fine, we’ll pay you and mention your band. Then you’ll be fucking gone?”

“For now,” he grinned, standing up to his full height again. “But you know what they say, you always meet twice.”

Notes

So is Franny really leaving? What does that mean for the girls? Will they come back or are they gone for good? Comments please! :)