Matt’s POV

My head was spinning as I sat in the meeting with Larry, my thoughts anywhere but on the words coming out of his mouth. What the hell was I thinking taking Maya out like that? She looked so sad when I found her sitting on that bench and that thought crushed me. I knew this spontaneous shit wouldn’t work! But that’s what she wanted, right? A more spontaneous life with me? Fuck, I didn’t know what to do…

I just needed to sit down with her and talk everything through, make sure she was happy. Maya was the only girl for me and I wasn’t going to let her go. If she wanted spontaneity, I would make it happen but obviously we needed some ground rules. I refused to waste our time together again, especially when our alone times was so few and far between.

“Wait, there is one more thing. I was debating with myself to talk to you about it or decline it right away, but… its not really my decision, so…” Larry started and Jimmy whined “What else?! I need to eat, I am so hungryyyyy”

“Just a minute more, Jimbo.” Larry patted his back and then turned to face Gates and I with a raised brow. What was that about? He wasn’t going to ask if he could send the girls to help out another band, was he? There was no way in hell I was letting Maya go anywhere, not with all this press bullshit going on.

“I got a offer for you guys to play two days at the Rock on the Range festival in a couple of days.” Larry said and just as I opened my mouth to agree to the festival, he held up his hands. What was that about? “The thing is, a band had to cancel cause of illness, the spot is free and you guys were the first to be asked to fill in,” he explained. I still didn’t see his hesitation.

“The thing that made me rethink is, I don’t know if I can trust you guys to be all professional about this” Larry said, I raised a brow.

“What the hell is that suppose to mean?” I asked looking offended. Since when couldn’t Larry trust us to play a show? I mean, fuck, if he didn’t like what we were doing, he should speak up now!

“Well, the fact that Asking Alexandria will be playing there just a set or two before you is the main factor in it.” As soon as the name Asking Alexandria, left Larry’s mouth, my hands balled into fists. Oh, I hated those sons of bitches, especially that cocky, no-good, bastard, Ben Bruce. He was still number one on my shit list.

“We wont be doing that” Zacky said “I mean as good as this sounds, but… it will only end with murder, one way or the other.”

“That was my thought too, and that’s why I wanted to talk to you guys about it” Larry said, looking between Gates and I. “What do you say?”

What did I say? He was joking, right? I didn’t have any problems staying away from Asking at a festival, but I couldn’t say the same for those British tosh pots. I didn’t even like the idea that Bruce was still texting Maya occasionally, let alone the thought of them being at the same venue. The only way it would work would be to send the girls away for that night and leave early, and I didn’t want to do that. Though I couldn’t deny what a great opportunity it would be for the band. Why couldn’t this be a simple answer?!

“I need to think about this…” I finally said, my mind still reeling with the pros and cons of the situation.

“I need your answer by 7 this evening. Or the spot is gone over to the next band…” Larry said and with that he turned away and left us alone.

“Well the answer seems pretty clear to me,” Zack said as the door shut behind Larry. “The last thing we need is something in the press about a feud between Shads and Bruce. It will only stir up more trouble for the girls.”

Zack had a point. I couldn’t be held liable for what I would do for Bruce if he made a move on Maya. The whole thing could cause a press frenzy, putting the girls in the crossfires of the press. I would rather lose an opportunity for the band that put Maya and little Ave through that turmoil again. But then again… it could really advance our career to play Rock on the Range.

“But it’s a good opportunity,” Gates mused, looking at me with a frown. Was he struggling with this as much as I was? “We can’t give up on advancing our career just because those guys are there. We could just lock the girls on the bus with a task… you know to keep them busy.”

“Yeah, like that will work,” Johnny scoffed with an eye roll.

“Look, let’s just think on it,” I finally said, holding my hands up. “Gates and Vee both have valid points. “Let’s go to sound check and call Larry with a decision afterwards?”

“Fine, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” Zack said, leading the way out of the room. “I don’t want to have to bail your asses out of jail.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Yeah, but that’s only if they catch me,” I teased. “But let’s think about it…”

“You’re really going to play nice with Asking?” he asked again with a raised brow as the other’s quickly headed back up to their rooms to grab the necessities for sound check.

“I don’t know if it’s possible, but I can try. Just keep that bastard Bruce away from me,” I shrugged. “I’m all for advancing our career… but someone would need to keep an eye out for Maya and Ave… and I don’t mean Trevor.” I frowned as Maya’s brother’s words came floating back into my head. What if he was right, what if Maya was turning to others while I was in all these meetings? Fuck, what the hell was I thinking? I knew that wasn’t true. Maya would never do something behind my back.

Zack raised a brow and shook his head in disbelief. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” he sighed. “But hey, I’ll see you on the bus. I have to change my shirt before sound check. See you soon.”

I nodded and quickly made my way out the backdoor of the hotel toward our bus parked at the back of the parking lot. I needed to make sure my earpiece was still on the bus before I went to get Maya for sound check. I knew she wasn’t happy with me and wanted to make sure I had time to make it up to her. Hell, maybe I could even set up a little romantic setting in the back of the bus. It would take a good twenty minutes to get to the venue, that would be a good warm up for what the rest of the night would bring for us.

With that thought in mind, I quickly punched in the code for the bus and made my way up the stairs. To my surprise, as soon as I stepped foot on the bus, I heard voices from the living room area. Who the hell was already on the bus?

“So you felt lonely?” Was that Matt Berry’s voice? And who the hell was he talking to? I carefully peaked around the front corner to see Maya sitting dangerously close to him, making the green demon rage inside of me. What the hell were they doing here? Shouldn’t Maya be with Ave inside? And what did he mean she felt lonely? When?

“I mean, we all know the lifestyle of these guys, and you know it too, right? I mean… this whole stunt with the stripper and—” He continued and my rage began to swell. Oh, he better not fucking bring up last night! I told them that topic was off the table.

But why were Maya and MB alone on the bus together? Were they having a secret meeting here behind my back, just like Trevor suggested? I felt my heart start to pound wildly in my chest as I tried to control the rage building inside. No, there was no way Trevor would be right about this… they were just talking… and nothing more…right?

“You were never to talk about this again,” Maya’s voice laughed, interrupting MB. Was it just me or did she sound like she was flirting?

I suddenly heard a muffled sound before a loud male laugh. Oh, I didn’t like this, not at all… or the unsettling feeling in my stomach. “What I was trying to say, when you were trying to suffocate me with your—”

“Oh stop it!” Maya laughed again and I couldn’t take it anymore. I was going to put an end to this now. “It wasn’t that intense” I took a step up the stairs just as Matt started to speak again, his words stopping me in my tracks.

“If there was something you want or need to talk about, and maybe can’t with Matt… I’m here for you, alright? No matter when or where, you can talk to me… and if there is something I can do, let me know… If you feel lonely or fuck… I don’t know, just talk or do something to make you feel better, I’m your man.”

I clenched my hands in fists as I listened, my brain on overload. What the hell couldn’t Maya talk to me about? We told each other everything, didn’t we? Fuck, what the hell was going on here? I didn’t like any of this and I certainly didn’t like finding my girlfriend hiding out on the tour bus with my head roadie. They couldn’t really be fooling around behind my back. I refused to believe what Trevor said, though the proof seemed to be right in front of me.

I shook my head and started up the stairs, watching Maya nod and say thank you to Matt for being there for her. I cleared my throat and watched the two of them turn to look at me with wide eyes. Why did they look like they had been caught red-handed?

“Matt! Is your meeting done already?” Maya asked, looking at me with a small smile as I crossed my arms over my chest. What did she mean already? We had been in that meeting for over an hour!

“Yeah, we’re done and about ready to head over to sound check. Why don’t you got get Ave and meet me back here in ten,” I said, my eyes glaring down MB. We were going to have a talk about boundaries because clearly he didn’t understand who Maya belonged to. “Oh and will you grab one of my flannel shirts from the room?” I asked.

“Sure babe,” Maya said with a slight frown that I didn’t understand. As she walked toward me I pulled her in for quick kiss, and whispered in her ear. “I hope you’re ready for when you get back. I have lots of making up to do for today… and it’s starting on the way to sound check.” I purred, feeling her melt into my touch. “Hurry back.”

As soon as I heard her footsteps stop and the bus door open, I turned to MB with narrow eyes. “You…” I hissed, pointing my finger at him and grabbing him by the front of the shirt. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you have some nerve.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Matt asked, pushing me away and smoothing out his shirt.

“Maya is my fucking girlfriend ands he doesn’t need you to just talk or do something to make her feel better,” I hissed, inches from his face. “That’s my job and I swear if you ever make a move on her again, I will shove my foot so far up your ass that you wont remember your own name!”

Matt rolled his eye and shoved me backwards. “First of all, I didn’t make a move on Maya and second of all, maybe you should take better care of your girlfriend so that I don’t have to be her shoulder to cry on. What the hell were you thinking taking her out there without a plan?!” He said and I narrowed my eyes.

“It’s none of your fucking business what my plan was!” I hissed. MB really had a lot of balls today. “Back the fuck off, MB. I’m tell you now!” I warned.

“Then do a better job of not being a dick to your girlfriend,” he said, pushing past me towards the door.

As I turned to watch him go, I saw Maya looking back at me with her arms crossed and a pissed off expression on her face. Great fucking day…


Avery’s POV


“So what did you think?” Brian’s voice was husky and I had to swallow thickly a few times before I could even concentrate on the question. I decided that nodding furiously would be the best way to go. Didn’t he know what kind of affect his music had over me? It was like someone cast a spell, causing my heart to race a mile a minute and all I could do was stare at him with the love, desire, heat, and longing that coursed through my veins. “So you liked it? Did it inspire your art?”

“My-my what?” I gapped, feeling my heart rate speed up even more as he set down his guitar and walked closer to me.

“Your art,” he chuckled, walking over to look at the canvas. “Let me see what you drew.”

I opened and closed my mouth at him, trying to clear the fuzzy feeling that had washed over my body. He wanted to see my art? Art? What was art? My brain was reeling as my eyes darted around, trying to come back to my senses.

I shook my head and followed his gaze to the blank canvas sitting in front to me. “What—I-I don’t understand?” I stammered, still not knowing what exactly was going on, or what he expected from me. What was this whole surprise date about? Not that I minded some private time with my fiancé.

Only he didn’t reply, he just walked away from me and started to pace the room. The look on his face was a mix between hurt, confusion, disbelief, and anger. I gapped at his pacing form in shock and confusion, having no idea what happened in the last five minutes to put me on his shit list. I mean, seconds ago he was playing the most amazing music and now he was pissed? What the hell was going on?

“Bri- I don’t—” I started, reaching out for his hand but he instantly pulled it away. That motion alone felt like someone had punched me in the stomach, knocking the air out of m.

The next thing I knew, he was looking back at me with hurt eyes and that look alone crushed me. What had I done? “You didn’t feel a fucking thing just now? You didn’t even fucking put the pencil on the paper! I didn’t do anything for you?” Brian practically yelled before pacing the room again, pulling at his hair in frustration.

What did he mean? Of course I felt something when he played—I felt lots of things every time he played! But drawing? This was because I didn’t draw anything?! He had to be joking, right? How could anyone in their right mind draw a picture, let alone move a muscle while he was playing? Everything about him was mesmerizing! Brian was the only thing I could think about—Hell, he was the only thing I could ever think about. He was my life and every time he played for me, I felt like I was hypnotized. Didn’t he understand the effect he had on me?

“Brian, listen to me, that you did this, it was—overwhelming… and seeing you play, that does—” I tried to explain, my eyes pleading as I put my hands on his chest. I had to make him understand what kind of power he had over me. Hell he had that power of thousands of fans every night! How could he think I would be any different? He was like a walking god for Pete’s sake!

Brian’s eyes finally met mine and I couldn’t read what he was hiding there. He looked confused, torn, and was that hurt? I didn’t know what to make of that. What was all this about anyway and why was it so important for me to draw something? And where would he get the idea that I didn’t feel anything when he played? God I was confused!

“Ave, you don’t get it, do you?” Brian moved so quickly that I gasped in surprise when his face was suddenly inches from mine. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought he was going to either kiss me or hit me, but he did neither. He just angrily opened and closed his mouth a few times like he was struggling with what he wanted to say.

The look on his face was somewhere between hurt and thoroughly pissed off and I didn’t understand either of them. What had I done wrong? Was this really because I didn’t draw anything? His eyes were burning a whole through my heart and I was having a hard time finding my breath. How had everything turned down hill so quickly, especially after he had gone through all the trouble of getting this beautiful set up?

“I don’t inspire you, huh? I don’t do anything for you or your arts? Is that it?! What do I need to—” He yelled in my face, only stopping when he was interrupted by his phone ringing in his pocket.

Brian’s words cut like a knife as he turned away from me to answer his phone, making me even more confused. What was he talking about? Of course he inspired me—hell most of my clothing line was created because of him! But what did that have to do with anything? Did he really think he didn’t influence my work? That was ridiculous!

“Fuck!” Brian groaned and letting out a long sigh. “Larry is here…” he said. I took in a ragged breath as I stared at him, the tears starting to form in my eyes. No, this couldn’t be happening and I had no idea what I had done. “I gotta go.”

Oh no! He wasn’t going to leave without telling me what was really going on. I reached out to grab his arm and pull him back towards me. There had to me more to this than what he was letting on. “Don’t just go without us—”

Only I never got to finish because the door burst open, Brian pushed me away, and he and Matt disappeared down the hall for the meeting with my dad. I shook my head as the tears started to run down my face, watching him walk away from me for the second time today. I had no idea what I had done to piss him off so badly. All I knew was that he didn’t let me explain and that killed me inside. What happened between us? What caused all this?

I slowly slid down the back of the door with my face in my hands, feeling the tears coming full force now. I didn’t understand any of this and sitting alone in this beautiful room was only making things worse. I had to get out of here… I needed to find Maya.

Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I pressed my speed dial for Maya. I hoped she wasn’t busy with something for the shop because I really needed my best friend right now. Unfortunately after a few rings, my call went straight to voicemail.

“Shit,” I hissed, hiding my tear soaked eyes in the crook of my arm. What was I going to do now? I couldn’t go back to the room we shared, not when I didn’t know where we stood, and I certainly couldn’t stay here. No, this room made everything seem worse, and worst part was, I didn’t even know what freaking happened!

I mean, was he really that upset because I didn’t draw anything? And if so, why was it such a big deal? He usually didn’t write his songs in front of me, just like I didn’t usually sketch in front of him. We enjoyed our limited time together away from work, and over the past week we hadn’t had much alone time. Is that what this was about? Was he afraid he was going to lose me if he couldn’t inspire me with his music? That was far from the truth and I hoped he knew how much he actually influenced my art and business. All I knew was that my heart ached from Brian being so angry at me for nothing. What could I do to fix this?

Chocking back sobs, I pulled my oversized sweatshirt around me. I buried my face in the crook of the sleeve, letting the confused and hurt tears flow, taking all my makeup with them.

“Ave? What are you doing in here? I thought you were with Gates,” I heard a familiar voice asked.

I sniffed and slowly picked up my head to see those familiar dark brown Brandon family eyes staring back at me. Too bad they didn’t belong to my best friend who I needed the most right now. I shook my head and put it back down in my arms, hoping he would just leave me alone, or better yet, go get his sister. I didn’t need the whole crew to know about my problems.

Trevor leaned down next to me, pulling me into the circle of his arms. “Ave, what’s wrong? What happened?” He asked, sounding more concerned than I had ever heard before.

“Nothing… I-I’m fine,” I lied, trying to stop crying so he would believe me.

Trevor sighed pulled me even more into his embrace, his hand running over my blonde locks. “Bullshit. What is going on?”

“I-I don’t want to bother you. You’ve got a busy afternoon of set up… I-I’ll be fine. I promise,” I sniffed into the sleeve of my sweatshirt, willing the tears to stop falling but all I could see was Brian’s angry expression. I didn’t want to burden him with my problems when he had all that work to do setting up the booth in a little while.

Suddenly Trevor’s of hands were on my face, forcing me to look into his eyes. “You are never a burden, Ave. Now tell me what’s going on,” he said, staring back at me intently. “What happened? Is it Gates?”

I swallowed thickly, willing the tears to stop falling as I slowly shook my head. “We-we had a fight…” I sighed, pinching my eyes shut to prevent the fresh batch of tears from falling. “And he-he just left before we could talk about it…”

“Shh… It’s okay, Ave, relax. Everything is going to be okay,” Trevor said, petting my head after he pulled me onto his lap. “I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding and he will come apologize. He is your fiancé after all,” he said, but I couldn’t miss the dark tone that he used. Did he know something about Brian I didn’t?

I took in a shaky breath and slowly opened my eyes, trying to control the lump that was sitting uncomfortably in my throat. “You didn’t see the look that I saw…it was like I crushed him… and what hurts the worst is I don’t know what even happen. We were having a good time and then all of a sudden he was mad…”

Trevor raised a brow and gave me a questioning look, obviously not understanding what I was saying. “You crushed him?” Was that a smirk on his face? I quickly shook away the thought and told him about the whole romantic set up, the amazing private concert, and then our fight.

“He thinks he doesn’t inspire me…” I cried, frustrated tears still running down my face. “Where would he get that idea? He inspired my whole freaking clothing line! He the whole reason Maya and I have that business! And now he automatically thinks I don’t care because I didn’t draw a picture while he was playing? It doesn’t make any sense!”

Trevor whipped away the tears from my eyes and pursed his lips, looking deep in thought. “Sounds like he’s insecure about your relationship,” he said with a shrug. “But maybe he has a point, look at your relationship.”

“What about it?” I asked, feeling confused again. I thought we had a great relationship. There wasn’t anyone else in the world I would rather be with and I thought he knew that, but then again, maybe it was just me?

“Nothing beside your particular arrangement.” What arrangement was he talking about? He must have more information than he was letting on because I had no idea what he meant. “But don’t worry about that, it seems to work for you two. My point is it’s not his fault that you couldn’t draw anything,” he said and I frowned. What did he mean? “Maybe he just isn’t the right person to inspire you and your work.”

“No, he does inspire me,” I said, shaking my head. “I just can’t think when he plays the guitar or sings for me. It’s like his fingers, voice, and music brainwashes me or something.” I tried to explain but Trevor just shook his head sadly.

“Don’t blame yourself for this, Ave. It’s not your fault that he didn’t inspire you either. It takes a very specially person to be a muse, trust me I know,” he said, his fingers playing with a strand of my hair. “Maybe you just haven’t found that person for you yet… and vice versa.”

“But—” I started to counter, feeling my head spin. Was Trevor right? Did I feel brainwashed when he played because I was uninspired? God why was all this so confusing?

“Shh… it’s okay, Ave,” he interrupted again, patting my head. “I wouldn’t let it bother you, especially since he inspires all the other pretty women he sees. He will get over it or he wont. I’m sure his ego is just hurt right now because he can’t please everyone.”

I frowned and shook my head. “But that’s just it, Brian does please me… and inspire me. I-I just have to make him see that,” I corrected, whipping away the last few tears from my eyes. I refused to believe that we didn’t inspire each other—It couldn’t be. “I have to let him know what he does for me…”

“Oh Ave…” Trevor sighed, helping me a struggled to my feet. “I admire your optimism… I just don’t want you to be upset when you realize the truth. It’s okay that he doesn’t inspire you. You don’t have to force something that isn’t going to happen,” he continued but I didn’t want to hear it. I needed to make this work with Brian. He was the only one I wanted—the only person I ever wanted. “Besides, he’ll probably try to find another girl to inspire to night at the after party.”

I stopped in my tracks and looked at Trevor, my heart beating wildly against the inside of my chest. Brian would do what? Did he hear something?

“He’s not like that,” I said, quickly shaking off the words. Trevor still didn’t understand that Brian and the guys weren’t like other rock stars. They loved Maya and I like family and they would never hurt us. “We will work this out…” I said more to myself than Trevor. “It’s just a misunderstand.”

“Oh… then I must have misunderstood him and Matt walking down the hallway before I found you,” Trevor mused and my heart stopped. “I just thought they were talking about someone else, but then you told me what happened and it all made sense.”

“What made sense?” I practically whispered, feeling my heart constrict painfully.

“I heard Gates say he didn’t know what to do anymore. He said something about letting someone go since they weren’t inspired anymore. I thought he was talking about one of the guys… not you… but now that you told me about the argument, it all makes sense. I’m sorry, Ave… I didn’t want you to find out like this, but I also didn’t want you to be blind sighted,” Trevor said and shook my head. No, Brian wouldn’t break up with me over something so trivial, especially when he didn’t even let me explain.

I shook my head as we reached the room Brian and I shared, disbelieve, doubt, and hurt all running through my system. What if Trevor was right and Brian wanted to end our relationship? I took in a shaky breath, trying to force air into my constricted lungs. It was like I was in shock. No… no he wouldn’t do that. We promised never to leave each other again…

“Ave? Are you okay?” Trevor asked, seeing my look of panic. “Do you want me to stay with you?”

“No… I-I’ll be okay… I just need to think,” I said, pulling out my keycard with a shaking hand. Without another word I disappeared inside the room, feeling like my world was crashing down around me.

I gapped and shook my head. No, that couldn’t be true. Brian couldn’t have said that, or if he had, he didn’t mean it, right? I mean we were supposed to get married in three weeks! Was he really going to throw all that we had away so quickly?

My eyes darted nervously around the room, everything in here making my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. I had to get out of here, to talk to someone one. I didn’t want to believe it—no I couldn’t. Brian couldn’t have really said that after a little argument.

Almost as quickly as I entered the room, I pushed my way back into the hallway, looking for somewhere to escape. I needed to talk to Maya but she still wasn’t answering her phones.

As I pushed open the door to the patio open, the warm Nevada air hit me in the face, slightly calming me in my panicked state. I couldn’t get Trevor’s words out of my head and it was just spinning around and around. Feeling my frustration peak, I collapsed down on the patio chair and put my head in my hands. This couldn’t be happening right now!

I groaned and pulled out a cigarette, lit it up, and took a few deep drags. Not even the nicotine was helping me, great. My heart was racing a mile a minutes as I pulled my cigarette to my mouth again, my mind racing with thoughts. What the hell just happened?

Without thinking twice, I pulled out my sketchpad and started to draw, my cigarette still dangling from my fingers. I let every emotion inside me pour out through my pencil; every frustration, every tear, and every ounce of love I had spilling onto the page. By the time I was done drawing, my body was shaking and I felt spent. There on the page was a dark scene with the mood shining down of a girl sitting in the middle of a deserted field all alone. It was an ominous drawing but it described exactly what I was feeling.

“Avery?”

My eyes shot up from my sketchpad to see Brian walking onto the patio, looking around the patio until he spotted me. It didn’t take him long to spot the smoke and join me. “What are you doing out here? I thought you’d be back in our room.”

So now everything was supposed to be okay after he just freaked out on me and left? I still didn’t know what all this was about and my talk with Trevor made me even more confused. “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.

“You and me both,” Brian chuckled and that alone sounded like music to my ears. I loved to see him smile and hear his laugh. Why did everything feel so weird between us right now? It was almost like there was a giant elephant in the room, keeping us from talking about what was on both of our minds. “Though I wish you would have told me where you are going.”

“So you can pull away before telling me what is going on again?” I sighed, my voice shaking ever so slightly. I couldn’t take it anymore, I needed to know what was going on. Was he really going to break up with me because I didn’t draw a damn picture?

Brian groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking down at the ground. “Ave look I—”

“There you two are!” MB interrupted, barging out onto the patio looking out of breath. “We’ve got to leave now for sound check or we lose our spot! C’mon!”

Notes

So will the guys take the Rock on the Range show? What will Maya say to Matt after hearing him and MB fight over her? And will Brian and Ave be able to make up, or will Trevor's master plan succeed?