Matt’s POV

“So what are you planning for this double date?” Maya asked, plopping down onto my lap. Her eyes wandered over towards my computer screen and I quickly turned it away. I didn’t want to give away any surprises. I was hoping to make a night neither of the girls would forget, and I hoped Gates felt the same way. Though the look on his face told me he wasn’t too keen on the idea of a double date. Or was he distracted by something else? Either way, he needed to pull that stick out of his ass and help me plan this thing.

“You’re just going to have to wait and see, beautiful,” I told her before I kissed her cheek. She only pouted and wrapped her arms around my neck. That wasn’t fair and why did she have to be so damn cute? I loved the way her forehead wrinkled ever so slightly when she was frustrated. Man I sounded like a pussy.

“Come on, can’t you just give me a little clue?” She whispered in my ear, nibbling on my lobe ever so slightly. “I promise I wont tell Ave…”

I groaned lightly and wrapped my arms around her waist. Why did she always have to make this so hard? Or me hard for that matter? I could feel her lips trailing down my neck and I knew I had to do something before I lost control. Damn her and the control she had over me. I guess this is what being in love is all about.

“I’ll tell you what,” I said, trying to control my voice as I pulled her closer to my body. I could feel her perfect breasts rising and falling against my chest. “I’ll let you in on the smallest clue…” I breathed in her ear. Her body shivered and I loved that I had this kind of effect on her too.

“What is it?” Those chocolate orbs looked so damn excited that I wanted to tell her everything, but I couldn’t do that. I had to make this night count so that she would stay with me if Avery decided to go back to Huntington Beach. I couldn’t and wouldn’t loose her again—I was in way too deep and we both knew it.

“When we get to the hotel,” I walked my fingers up her sides as she melted into me. “I want you to take Ave and put on the sexiest fucking dresses…and meet us back downstairs at six-thirty. Can you do for me, babe?”

“Are you kidding me?” she giggled. “That wasn’t a hint at all!”

“Of course it is, I just told you what to wear. How about you go check on Rev…he’s been quiet for too long back in the bunks.” Where was that guy? Was he still planning that drink game from earlier? It was hard to say, but I had to distract her so I could finish planning the evening.

Maya raised a brow at me and sighed. “Fine, but only because I haven’t heard from Johnny either. I hope those two didn’t do anything stupid…like that choke hold challenge on the way to Detroit.” She quickly stood up and headed back towards the bunk and seconds later I heard Jimmy scream her name. Yep, he was fine but what was that motherfucker planning?

Once I was sure Maya was occupied with Jimmy, I opened my computer back up. I was trying to find a nice restaurant or club in Columbus with a private section and great dancing. I knew the girls loved to dance and have fun, so what better way to spend the evening. “Hey Gates, come check this shit out,” I called just as I found what appeared to be the perfect place. “Gates?”

I looked up to find Gates sitting on the floor with Avery cuddled up between his legs, watching what The Godfather. She appeared to be sleeping and I couldn’t help but notice the way that he was stroking her hair with a small smile on his lips. Though I could tell something was off with him because he almost looked torn. I hoped he wasn’t overthinking this whole thing. So what if he was in love? She said it back to him so what was the big deal?

“Gates!” I said a little louder. Both he and Zack looked over at me with a raised brow. Did they forget what we were doing tonight? What was it amateur hour here? “Come help me plan this shit!”

He furred his brows together and pointed to Avery as if to say he couldn’t move but I didn’t buy it. Zack was right next to them and he could easily pass her off. What was his deal? “Give her to Vee and get your ass over here. Don’t fucking give me that look, this if for your girl too.”

Gates sighed as he carefully passed the little gnome off to Zack after kissing the top of her head. Avery smiled in her sleep and immediately wrapped her arms around Zacky who looked like the happiest motherfucker to hold her.

“I don’t understand why you can’t plan this without me. I’m good with whatever you choose,” Brian grumbled as he plopped down on the bench. What was up with this guy? He’d been a bitch like this all morning.

“I don’t believe that for a second. You and Rev are the master planners and you never le me take the lead. What the hell is your problem?” I asked, looking back down at the screen and pulling out my phone to make reservations.

“Nothing, I’m still hung over and hate not knowing what happened last night.” Bullshit. I could read him like a book and there was more to that story. When would Haner fucking learn that he could talk to us about his feelings? And I mean all of us, not just Jimmy.

“We had a fun night and that’s all you need to know. Everyone had a fucking blast and we passed out in bed playing Never Have I Ever after strip poker,” I sighed. “And we may have crashed in on you and Ave after your little moment…” I couldn’t help but give him a sheepish smile, still feeling guilty for walking in on them.

“You son of a bitch,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re lucky I don’t remember…though part of me wishes I did.” Haner’s eyes wandered back over toward the little brunette with a frown. Was it because he wanted to take back the words he was saying over and over again when I walked in, or did he wanted to remember them? Eh, I’d let him figure that shit out on his own. “I

“It was a great night…now let’s plan this shit so we can have another,” I said clapping his back to get his attention. “What do you think of this place? Its got great food reviews, drinks, dancing, and a private section.” I spun my computer to face him and he quickly scanned over the information.

“They will fucking love this…Ave loves all that stuff and even better that it’s a restaurant and a club. One stop shop…” he agreed, leaning back and putting his arms behind his head. Gates had a slight frown on his face as he looked back over at Zack and Avery. She mumbled something in her sleep ending with Brian’s name before she wrapped around Zack’s waist and cuddled closer. “I’m watching you Baker,” he growled.

“Relax, she’s the one making the moves not me,” he chuckled in response as I called to make the reservations. In the background I could hear them bickering about something but I didn’t pay too much attention. They both knew Avery was crazy about Brian and that Zack just liked to stir up trouble. That was there relationship, constantly teasing each other about something. They were worse than children sometime, I swear.

“Yes, seven sounds perfect,” I told the receptionist. “And please book our the whole private section for our party. We need to be as discreet about our patronage as possible. No cameras no other access to anyone besides staff,” I reminded her as she told me about the rear entrance. “Even better. Yes, see you soon. Thanks.”

This night was going to be fucking perfect and I hoped the girls liked it. The next thing on my list was to order some flowers to have delivered to the hotel. “Yo Gates, come pick one of these out so they will be there before we go pick up the girls,” I instructed, pointing to the compute screen.

“We’re really going all out on this, aren’t we?” Gates chuckled, scrolling through the hotel florist website. “What are you afraid you wont get laid?”

I rolled my eyes before looking over at Zack. He just shrugged with a smirk on his face. So the mystery of Gates’ new bitchy mood would continue. Great, I just hoped he didn’t act this way around Avery or she would surely go home after the weekend.

“Hey, I’m just trying to convince them to stay,” I shot back. “If you don’t want to put in the effort, don’t come crying to me when your girl decides to go back home. I refuse to let Maya go with her.”

Gates let out a groan and ran his hands over his head. “She’s not fucking going home…over my dead body and get her the red roses. Do we need a car?”

“Why don’t you call for a limo or a town car to pick us up at six-thirty and I’ll order the flowers,” I suggested and I was thankful when he nodded and got right on the phone. I followed in suit and the flowers should be ready in an hour. Fucking perfect!

As soon as I hung up, Jimmy came flying out of the backroom followed by Maya who was laughing hysterically. I pulled her into my arms as he did laps around the small space. He was shrieking and carrying on about something and I just shook my head when Johnny came out from his bunk looking confused.

“W-what’s going on?” Avery’s groggy voice called. I saw the confusion in her features when she looked up to find herself in Zack’s arms. She looked around until her eyes landed on Brian who wouldn’t make eye contact. What was up with that

“We’re here! We’re here! Finally we are fucking here!” Jimmy screamed, continuing to run around the bus as we pulled up underneath the awning at the hotel entrance.

“Calm down, Jimbo, you know we cant get off the bus until they get us check in,” Gates said, watching him jump up and down with an amused look on his face. “Who lit the fire under your ass anyway?”

Jimmy turned on Gates with narrow eyes and a pointed finger. “You Gatesy-poo are going to have to wait until later to find out!” he roared before filling the bus with the signature evil laugh. “And you!” he turned to Avery next. She looked so confused it was almost funny. “You are going to be my little helper later. Together…you, Knife Girl, and I will rule the fucking hotel…one sword wielding ninja at a time!”

I wasn’t even going to ask but that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t. “Dude, what the hell are you talking about?” Johnny stupidly asked, only for Jimmy to launch himself across the room and press the little punk to the wall.

“That’s not what your mother said last night…” he said in a deep voice and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “She liked it long and hard…no questions asked.”

“Get out of here and don’t fucking talk about my mom,” Johnny grumbled, pushing away. “Sicko…”

I shook my head and looked down at Maya, her brown eyes watching me carefully. Was she trying to read my mind and figure out what I was thinking? She usually just asked, but then again she had been spending time with Jimmy. He made you think anything was possible, including mind reading and mind control—crazy loveable bastard.

“Are you sure you want me to go right off with Avery?” Maya finally asked, her hands trailing underneath my shirt. I loved when she touched me like this—skin against skin—because it made all my nerve endings come alive. “We could make a little detour to your room first…maybe shower together and then I could go with Ave…”

“As tempting as that sounds love…” I breathed, trying to control myself. I felt my dick already throbbing in my pants and I wanted nothing more than to press her against the shower wall and fuck her senseless. Damn the thought her walls felt around me was enough to make want to spill right here. I knew that if I gave into this request that we would never make it to the date and I wanted to give her that. I felt like I owed Maya a fun night before sex. “We don’t have much time. We’ve got about an hour and half before we need to head back out. But I will make it up to you later. I promise,” I said with a wink.

“You owe me,” Maya pointed at me with a threatening look.

“I owe you something alright,” I growled playfully before I pulled her back towards me and crashed my lips hungrily against hers. She immediately opened up to me and moaned when our tongues touched. Soon we were in a battle for dominance and I won when my hands moved to tangle in her hair. I couldn’t get enough of her and I wanted more. Damn she tasted goo.

“Get a fucking room! It’s time to go, come on!” Someone yelled, bringing me back to reality.

I slowly pulled away and cupped her face in my hands, staring into those eyes with all my love. She had to feel this electricity between us, I was sure of it. There was no way that she didn’t feel the same way. If that were the case then we would never be able to ignite the spark and we were definitely on fire right now—she had to feel that. I just had to be patient and wait for her to realize it.

“You’re amazing,” she breathed, her eyes full of lust and something else. That right there was enough to satisfy me and I smiled and pulled her closer.

“I’m so glad you’re here with me, M,” I breathed, holding her tight. I was afraid that if I let her go that she would disappear forever, and I didn’t want to risk that. I loved her too much.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else, babe,” she smiled. I took her hand and slowly lead her into the hotel since we were the only ones left on the bus. As we entered the hotel, I could see the rest of the group sitting in the lobby waiting to get instructions from Matt Berry for tomorrow.

“That was quick,” Zack teased as we joined them just as Matt started to pass out the schedules. I flipped him off and looked down at the page. So we had sound check at one and the show was eight. Perfect. “And look, there is even time scheduled in for Gates’ hair…perfect. We shouldn’t be late,” he chuckled looking down at the paper.

“Hey, I’m sorry that I only accept perfection,” Gates shot back, but he and Jimmy exploding with laughter. Avery sat on his lap, with a small smile on her face but not the full smile I had seen yesterday. What the hell was going on there?

“Any questions on the schedule, guys?” Matt called over the group. “Everything look good? Oh, and Larry mentioned something about sending over a new merch guy to help out Maya this morning.”

“You didn’t tell him Ave was here did you?” Brian interrupted.

Matt gave Brian a pointed look. “Do you think I’m an idiot? She wasn’t on my bus so she’s not there,” he chuckled and I saw the little gnome visibly relax. “So if there are no questions, go have a rested evening…or at least trying not to get arrested. I don’t want to have to call Larry to bail any of you assholes out of jail.”

“Yeah, we got it, Matt,” I chuckled before leaning down to whisper in Maya’s ear. “Now you better go put on something sex for me and I’ll see you in about an hour…” I breathed and then spanked her ass. She smirked over her shoulder at me before grabbing Ave from Brian and disappearing in the elevator.

About an hour later, I was pacing the hotel room with two bouquets of flowers in my hands. Gates had better fucking hurry up in the bathroom or we were going to be late for our reservations. “Come on Gates, we’ve got to fucking go! I’m sure you look fucking gorgeous!” I called through the door. “If you don’t come out in the next thirty seconds, I’m taking both girls out with me alone. Then you can watch as I have my way with them later…”

Seconds later the door opened and Brian frowned at me, looking down at his phone. He quickly answered a text message before he narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t you ever fucking say that again…you don’t fucking touch her.”

“We’ll don’t make us late then,” I chuckled again. We were both dressed in black dress pants and I had on a white button down shirt while Brian went with a light blue polo shirt. We looked damn good but we knew the girls would look better. “Let’s go.”

I lead the charge down the hallway to Brian’s room where the girls were getting ready. I passed Gates’ his flowers just as I knocked on the door. “Wow…” I gasped, when the door opened to reveal two breathtakingly beautiful girls. “You girls look…fuck…maybe we should stay in.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Maya giggled, taking the flowers from me and smelling them. “These are beautiful, Matt…” she looked so happy that I knew I had done the right thing. And I knew I looked happy after seeing that little black dress and those heels. Damn.

“Not as beautiful as you, love,” I said before giving her a light kiss. “Now we’ve got to go, the car is waiting.”

When we arrived at the club I couldn’t help but notice the strange awkward tension that was sitting between Avery and Brian. The car ride had been rather quiet, while both of them were talking to Maya and I but not really to each other. They were also behaving normally, there was just a little disconnect. What the hell was going on?

“So we thought you ladies would like a fun evening of dancing and a nice dinner,” I said after we all got out of the car at the rear entrance.

“That sounds like fun,” Avery smiled looking at Maya and then over at Brian who nodded. “I’ve been wanting to move around all day!” She moved over next to Maya, doing this movement with her hips in her long black dress with an elegant floral pattern. She looked stunning too and I think that was one of the only things I had heard Brian say to her all night.

Within seconds of arriving we were seated in the private section of the club with the music blaring. I was right, this place was fucking perfect for our girls and I could tell just by the looks on their faces that they loved it. Thank fucking god!

“I propose a toast,” Maya said, after each of us had a glass of wine. “A toast to us, to being young adults that are out doing exactly what we want to and not giving a fuck what other’s think. To us!”

“To us!” we all cheered.

“Now, I want to dance while we wait for our food,” Maya said, grabbing me by the tie and pulling me out to the dance floor. I watched Maya move as she came teasingly close to me and moved away with a mischievous smirk. I pulled her back to me, feeling her warmth and soft skin against me.

“Did I tell you how fucking hot you look tonight?” I breathed I her ear, feeling the forces of gravity pushing us together and our skin glistening with energy with each touch.

“Yes, but I don’t mind you telling me again, big guy,” she giggled, turning around and dipping low before running her perfect ass over my erection. If Gates and Avery weren’t sitting at the table, I probably would have fucked her right here on the dance floor. Damn she had spell on me. “But this evening has been perfect so far.”

“I’m glad you like it,” I told her, closing the distance between our lips after spinning her back around to face me. “And this is just the beginning of the evening…”

I closed the rest of the distance between us and pressed my lips against hers. I could taste the wine that lingered on her soft lips and it teased me like a drug. This kiss was deep and passionate, and very different from the one we shared earlier. This one had meaning and it left me feeling dizzy. When I slowly pulled away to look into her eyes, those three little words escaped my lips before I could stop them.

“I love you…” I whispered, holding her close. “You don’t have to say anything…I just wanted to remind you…” I quickly added hoping that she wouldn’t freak out again. I mentally kicked myself for getting caught up in the moment.


Avery’s POV

I sat at the table of the restaurant, chewing my bottom lip as I looked over at Brian. He had been acting a little weird all evening and I was starting to doubt whether I should have come. Was my dad right? Was I just a fling for Brian or was it something else that was bothering him? I knew that I had fallen in love with him an that he said those words to me too last night, but he acted like he wanted to take them back. Had he changed his mind so quickly?

I looked down at our hands that were interlaced over the table. Brian was slowly tracing his calloused thumb over my skin but he wasn’t saying anything. Hell, he hadn’t said anything to me all evening besides telling me that I looked beautiful. And to make matters worse, Matt and Maya had been all over each other and lovey-dovey all night. They were the worst and I was actually jealous. What happened to the guy I had the amazing date with in Huntington Beach? Where was he?

After Matt and Maya finished their dance and little make-out session on the dance floor, our food arrived and I was thankful. I was fucking starving and maybe some food would liven the mood.

“So what was Jimmy doing back there?” Matt asked, after feeding Maya a bite of his dinner.

“He was scheming for later but I have been sworn to secrecy, and so has Avery. So don’t even ask,” Maya said, pointing between Matt and Brian. I still had no idea what was going on there. I just knew that Jimmy said he wanted my help when we got back. I had no idea what for but I was intrigued. I bet it was something to do with the drink part he was planning.

“I bet I could get it out of you,” Matt said, leaning into Maya to whisper something. She just giggled and pushed him away.

“One thing I’ve learned is to never interrupt Jimbo’s master plan,” Brian finally said, though he was looking down at his phone. Who the hell had he been texting all night? What was so important?

“Aint that the truth?” Matt said, leaning back in his chair after finishing his dinner. “Damn that was good. I haven’t had a good steak in ages…we should do this more often.”

“I agree,” Maya nodded, looking between Brian and I. He was still holding my hand but he refused to make eye contact with me. “Come on, let’s go dance again. That means you too Gates.”

“I’ll join you in a minute. I’m just going to finish my wine,” He said, his eyes one his phone again.

“Please…” I asked him, my eyes pleading as I put him hands on his chest. Brian’s eyes finally met mine for the first time this evening and I couldn’t read what he was hiding there. He looked slightly confused, torn, and was that hurt? I didn’t know what to make of that. “Please come dance with me, babe?”

“I’ll be there in a minute, love,” he assured me and I nodded with a small smile.

I quickly made my way down to Maya and Matt just as my favorite song came on. My body took control and Maya and I danced like fools, throwing our arms up in the air and singing as loud as we could. It would have been a perfect end to the evening if I didn’t look up to see Brian talking and laughing with the waitress. She had her hand on his shoulder and I suddenly felt like I was going to be sick.

“I’m going out for a smoke, I’ll be back,” I whispered to Maya and headed out the back entrance that we came in.

My head was reeling from everything that was happening. Was I the only one that noticed that Brian and I were just going through the motions tonight and that there was a big elephant in the room? What was he thinking? I came all the way out here and lied to my dad for him. Hell, I knew that I loved the guy…and I wanted to scream it to the world. I wanted to tell him those three little words, but after seeing his face after the video, I thought I would just freak him out.

“Avery?”

I looked up to see Brian squinting outside through the dark to find me. It didn’t take him long to spot the end of my cigarette and join me. “What are you doing out here? I looked up and you were gone.”

He noticed that did he? Well he was more observant than I thought. “I just needed a smoke break,” I sighed, passing my smoke to him. I knew that he was craving a drag just as much as I was. “Plus it was a little crowded on the dance floor…”

“Yeah, they are the worst,” Brian chuckled and that alone sounded like music to my ears. I loved to see him smile and hear his laugh. Where had that been all night? “They just need a fucking room…”

“Well, at least they were having a good time,” I sighed, earning a raised brow and a confused expression. Okay, so he didn’t get it.

“What are you talking about? You looked like you were having a great time,” he shot back, blowing out a cloud of smoke.

“But you’re not!” I finally broke down and said, a frown coming over my face. “Look Brian…if you want me to leave…just tell me…”

Notes

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