Ben Bruce’s POV

“What the hell are you talking about Worsnop?” I snapped into my phone as I walked off the bus, shielding my eyes from the bright sun. I had the world’s worst hangover and the last thing was deal with Danny’s shit right now.

For the past month Danny had been getting on my last nerve. From his outlandish demands before going on stage to selling out my past relationships to the media, I was about done. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? Sure he was the lead singer and one of my best friends, but where the bloody hell did this diva attitude come from? If anyone had the right to be cocky about the success of our new album, if was me! I was the one who wrote all the bloody songs! Danny just recorded them and now he thought he was god’s gift to the music world?! Over my dead body! I didn’t know how much more of his ass hat behaviors the rest of the guys and I could take!

“I just wanted to make sure the dressing room was set up to my specifications,” Danny said nonchalantly over the phone. Why was I the only one running around the damn venue for Worsnop? I wasn’t his fucking lackey!

“What specifications?” I hissed, downing a few Advil and a bottle of water. I just needed my head to stop spinning for three fucking seconds! I really wasn’t in the mood for this shit.

Danny laughed and I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, Bruce! You know that I need the room to be the perfect temperature so I can warm up my vocal chords properly. I also need the following items for preparations…” he said and started to rambled off a list of completely useless items that I didn’t give a shit about.

“Are you drunk?” I asked, thinking that was the only explanation for his behavior. Hell, if he was drunk, then I was going to hit the bottle hard too. He shouldn’t be the only one to get to perform half in the bag. Not to mention I couldn’t wait to find some hot little groupie to take back to the bus after the show. Oh, Ben Bruce was a king between the sheets and any woman would be honored to join me, that much I was positive. Was I cocky? Fuck yeah! I had ever right to be with a number one record!

“Not yet, mate, but the day is young!” He laughed, making me pinch my eyes shut. When was the hangover going to stop with it’s bullshit? Not that the sound check blaring in the background was helping. Where was the damn dressing room? “But is the room satisfactory for my arrival? I should be there in twenty minutes and I am not bloody performing until my needs are met.” He wasn’t going to what? Was he fucking serious?! It was the first time we had been invited to perform at Rock on the Range and he was going to throw a bloody diva fit? Was he fucking serious?! We’d never get invited here again, no matter how our record performed! I would be damned if Worsnop was going to throw this opportunity away for us. “And how far is the dressing room from the stage?

“I don’t bloody know, Danny,” I grumbled, irritated by this whole conversation and my hangover. I had no idea where I was and I was getting more pissed by the second. “I am walking to our room right now. I haven’t fucking been here before…”

“Bu-but—what—did—I—”

“God damn it. Danny? Fucking battery low…” I angrily shoved my phone back in my pocket and looked down the hall. This wasn’t at all how I wanted to start my day, let alone our first Rock on the Range show. I just hoped Worsnop would pull his head out of his arse before got here because I wasn’t into the mood to deal with his shit. “Now where is the bloody room?” I muttered, looking up to see a man with dark hair and very familiar looking brown eyes staring back at me. Had I seen him before?

“Can I help you?” the man asked with a small smirk.

“Depends, do you bloody know where the Asking dressing room is? I walked like three times around the fucking building,” I cursed, running my hands over my face.

“Yeah, it’s here in the corner.” I nodded curtly and headed toward the door with our band logo outside.

“Thanks man.” With that I opened the door, a burst of hot air hitting me square in the face. What the hell was this?

“Matt there you—”

“Maya?” I said in surprise as our eyes met. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “What are you doing in our dressing room?” I asked, only to look around and see us standing in what looked like a large closet with multiple shelves.

“You’re dressing room?” She asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking confused. “This was supposed to be Avenged’s dressing room… but it looks more like a utility closet…” she shook her head and I couldn’t help but watch her hair move. She was just as beautiful as I remembered and she looked great—gorgeous actually.

I licked my lips and let my eyes wander down over her body. She was wearing a pair of black cut off shorts, a Vengeance University tank top, and a pair of boots. Her hair looked a little bit longer but those beautiful eyes were the same as always. Hell I missed her…


“This has to be a mistake, there is no way this is a dressing room,” I scoffed, looking around and taking over my leather jacket. Why was it so bloody hot in here?

“That’s what I thought,” Maya said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking a little uncomfortable. Her gorgeous eyes darted to the floor as chewed her bottom lip, an awkward tension and silence settling in the room.

“Maya, listen I—” I started, trying to apologize for our last encounter.

I knew things hadn’t ended the best between us, but after some time apart I started to realize it was for the better. Did I still love Maya? Of course I did. I would literally give anything to have her back with me, though deep down I knew that she never would. I still wasn’t over her but I had learned to let go. Besides, deep down I knew I couldn’t be completely tied down. I mean there was nothing more fun than finding a new conquest every night.

“I better go find Matt,” Maya interrupted, waving her hands in front of her and moving towards the door. “He was looking for me… and obviously there was some mix up with the dressing rooms. It was nice to see you, Ben.”

“Sure, sure,” I shrugged, watching her walk past me. Damn she was still smoking hot, especially that ass in those cut off shorts. If she wasn’t so stuck on Sanders, I would totally have another romp with her, but I knew better. I knew she was totally lost with that fucking prick… “Will I see you at the after party?”

Maya gave a light shrug and chewed her bottom lip, reaching for the door. “Maybe but it’s probably better for both yours and Matt’s sake if we keep our distance.”

“Not even one dance for old time sake?” I teased and Maya shot me a pointed look. Damn I missed that look, well all of her really.

“Goodbye Ben,” Maya smirked, reaching for the door. The only door didn’t open when she turned the handle. She looked back at me and jiggled the handle a little harder only for the heavy wood door to barely rock in its frame. “What the hell? Why is it locked?” she asked, looking at me with eyes a blaze.

“What do you mean it’s locked?” I shot back, looking at her incredulously. “How could it be locked?”

Maya put her hands on her hips and turned to look at me with narrow eyes. Oh hell no! There was no way she thought I did this shit on purpose, though it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility a few months ago. But now? Nah, I was pretty much over her, though it was nice to see her.

“I don’t know Benjamin, you tell me,” she scoffed, brushing her bangs out of her face. I could see little beads of sweat starting to appear on her flawless face and I’m sure I looked the same way. It was bloody hot in his room.

“You don’t honestly think I locked us in this room, do you?” I countered, wiping the sweat off my brow. Maya rolled her eyes and tried the door handle again, only to no avail. “Here let me try.”

I quickly made my way across the small room and grabbed the handle, only for it to stay stationary when I tried to turn it. Maybe it was just one of those pull doors? With two hands secured on the handle, I pulled as hard as I could. Only the door didn’t budge and my sweaty palms slipped off the handle. “What he hell?” I hissed, kicking the door. “I swear I’m going to give that Rock on the Range employee a piece of my mind, trapping me in this hell hole!” I muttered under my breath.

“This is fucking perfect!” Maya raged, pacing the small room. “Now Matt his going to be pissed because I didn’t meet him after sound check and it’s all your fault!”

I raised my brow and leaned against the door. “My fault? Why the hell is this my fault?! I didn’t trap you in here!”

“Well you must have! How else would the door end up locked? You must have touched something on the way in!”

“I didn’t even touch the bloody door!” I argued, my head starting to spin even worse from the heat and my hangover. “One of the Rock on the Range employees let me in here, saying it was the Asking dressing room, so don’t even start that shit!”

“Please! There was obviously an Avenged tag on the door! You are just being as stubborn as ever and not will to accept that you got us locked in here!” Maya snapped, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail and fanning her face. “And why is it so freaking hot in here?!”

“Sorry to break it to you love, but there was an Asking logo on the door,” I smirked, rolling up the sleeves of my t-shirt. “Don’t get pissed at me because you were too obsessed with Sanders to read a sign properly.”

“Screw you, Ben,” Maya scoffed and moved over to the door, banging on it loudly. “Help! Someone help!”

“I would love to, but it seems that you’re already taken,” I shrugged, throwing my leather jacket on the shelf and leaning back, watching Maya bang on the door. She yelled and carried on for about five minutes before she turned around and looked at me with sweat rolling down her face.

“Aren’t you going to help me?” she asked, her eyes looking a little wild.

“Why don’t you just call your prick in shinning armor to come open the door,” I grumbled, knowing that I would have called already if my phone hadn’t died.

Maya looked at me before patting down her pockets and cursing. “It must still be one the bus…” she grumbled before her dark eyes met mine again. “Why don’t you call one of the guys?”

“I would have done that already but my phone’s dead,” I explained, only for Maya to let out an exasperated sigh. “What? It’s not my bloody fault we got locked in here together, okay? I went where I was told… and some bloody dressing room this is….”

“It’s more like a storage closet,” Maya nodded in agreement before sitting down on the floor. From all her banging on the door, it was clear to see that her black tank top was sticking to her skin. “Or a boiler room… damn…”

“Someone will come looking for me soon, we shouldn’t be here too long,” I mused, mostly to make myself feel better. The truth was that the rest of the guys were getting ready for sound check and probably wouldn’t even come down this hallway for another bloody hour. I just hoped someone found us quick because I was about ready to strip down to my skivvies.

Maya nodded and lay down on the floor, looking through the small crack and giving me a nice view of that perfect ass. She must have been looking for someone to walk by to start making noise, which wasn’t a bad idea. The only problem was that every time she tried, no one seemed to hear her.

“This isn’t working!” Maya groaned after a while, leaning back against the door. “There has to be some way to get out of here!” I wasn’t sure how long we had been trapped in the room but she was right, enough was enough.

“Maybe there are some tools in one of these boxes?” I suggested, standing up and pulling off my t-shirt. I couldn’t take it anymore, it was just too damn hot. My hair was already soaked and I needed some kind of relief, not that removing clothes helped too much.

“What are you doing?” Maya asked, watching me as I pulled off my belt. I wasn’t about to stand here in these jeans either.

“What does it look like? It’s hot as hell I here!” I said, pulling down my jeans and kicking them away. The removal of that layer of clothing was a small relief but not much. “You can take off some clothes too, it’s not like I haven’t seen it all already,” I smirked, earning a smack in the arm. “Now help me go through these boxes.”




Avery’s POV

“Where is everyone?” I muttered to myself as I paced the empty dressing room. Both Maya and the guys were supposed to meet me here and yet here I was sitting all alone. Did they change their plans and forget to tell me?

With a sigh I sat down on the old couch and pulled out my tablet. There were still so many things to get ready for the wedding in three weeks and I couldn’t wait until we were back home to finalize everything. Just one more week on the road and then we would be back in Huntington Beach. Then I could confirm numbers with the caterer, do the final fitting for my wedding gown that Maya made and designed, make sure all the centerpieces and favors were ready, make sure my dad got the right suite, and the list just went on. I just hoped everything would run smoothly and that Brian and I wouldn’t have any more fights… though I think we were pretty well made up after last night and this morning.

I bit my bottom lip and shifted on the couch just thinking about the way Brain made me feel. His fingers were magical and I couldn’t get over the trail of goose bumps he left on my skin every time we touched. It was like little bursts of fire that were addicting in the worst way. Hell, maybe if we were lucky we could get some alone time before and after the show. I smirked at the thought, scrolling through a few choices of lingerie for our honeymoon. I just hoped he liked it…

“Hey beauty, all alone?”

I looked up to see Trevor crossing the room and I quickly set the tablet down, a deep blush falling over my face. I hated feeling caught in my dirty thoughts; especially by someone I considered family. I just hoped that Trevor couldn’t read the embarrassment on my face.

“Yeah, I’m just waiting for Maya and the guys. Have you seen them?” I asked, tucking my blonde hair behind my ears as Trevor took a seat next to me on the couch.

“I haven’t seen Maya, no,” he frowned, his eyes moving up and down over me. Was it just me or was he checking me out? I mean, I wasn’t wearing anything special. Just a Vengeance University crop top that I designed, cut off shorts, and black combat boots. Nah, he was like my brother. I had to be imagining things. “And last I knew the guys were finish up sound check.”

“Oh,” I sighed, biting down on my bottom lip. Where would Maya have run off to then? She still couldn’t be in the shower on the bus, could she? It wasn’t like her to take this long to get ready, especially when we were supposed to have lunch plans with the guys after sound check.

“Buut…” Trevor continued, pulling out a little piece of paper from his pocket. “One of the stage hands did give me this to give to you.”

“To me?” I questioned, taking the paper and looking at it with a puzzled expression. “Why would one of the stage hands give me a note?” I thought out loud.

Trevor shrugged and patted my knee. “I don’t know, beautiful, but my guess is it’s from Gates. He had the Berry’s running all over the place making phone calls this morning for some lunch or something.”

Both of my eyebrows shot up in surprise as I looked at Trevor. Was he serious? Had Brain really gone through all that trouble to set up a lunch date for us? I wasn’t sure but my heart was racing with anticipation as I quickly unfolded the paper.

Ave,

A drive will pick you up at 12:30 by the buses. Dress nice because a special surprise awaits.

Love,
Brian

I let out light shriek as I jumped up off the couch, excitement flooding my veins. Brian had a surprise for me? He really had a surprise for me?! I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over my face as I grabbed my purse and tablet and bolted from the room.

I quickly made my way back onto the bus and changed into a little white dress with a skin-tight bodice with a black lace overlay. I danced around in front of the mirror as I curled my hair and applied just the right amount of make-up. When I was certain that I couldn’t make myself look any better, I slipped on a pair of black studded heels and climbed into the town car that was waiting for me.

“You look very nice miss,” the driver said, looking through the rear view mirror. “Hot date at La Lune for lunch?”

My jaw dropped as the car pulled away from the venue. Did I hear him correctly? La Lune? That was only one of most premiere restaurants in the whole country! How the hell did he get us reservations there on such short notice? My heart was thundering wildly in my chest as the car pulled up to the rear entrance. It was like I was living a dream.

“Reservation for Haner,” I said, walking up to the hostess stand when I entered the door. My eyes darted around for any sign of Brian but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He was probably still finishing up sound check but I’m sure he would be here soon. It was normal for me to wait for him after a work event.

“Ahh, yes, please follow me.”

The next thing I knew, the hostess was leading me through this very fancy Italian restaurant towards the back room. She directed towards a very cozy corner booth that over looked a small band playing on the other side of the room. There were floating candles in the middle of the table that illuminated our table in the dimmed atmosphere. To my left, you could see a beautiful garden erupting with flowers and it was honestly one of the romantic set ups I had ever seen.

“Wow,” I gasped, looking around at the beautiful restaurant and then out the window at the garden. I slowly slid into the booth, gapping at everything. I hadn’t been anywhere so fancy, romantic, or nice in months—not since the paparazzi nonsense started. I literally felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

“Can I get you started with a glass of wine while you wait, Miss?” The waiter asked and I happily nodded.

“Yes, please. Something white and also a glass of merlot. My fiancé should be here any minute,” I practically gushed, looking around the room.

“I’ll your drinks for you right away, Miss,” he said with a light bow, leaving me alone in large private room.

About two glasses of wine later, I found myself nervously chewing on my bottom lip. Where was Brian? It wasn’t like him to be this late, let alone not to send any kind of message. Granted, it was probably me fault because my phone was undoubtedly still in the back room of the bus. God, how could I have been stupid enough to forget my phone?

With a sigh, I stood up from the table. Maybe the hostess would let me use the restaurant phone to call Maya or Brian. They were the only two phone numbers I had memorized besides my father’s and he was the last person I needed to call right now. He was a last resort.

“No, you don’t understand,” a very familiar voice sounded as I walked back out into the reception area. “I’m here to pick up a to-go order. I don’t have reservations and I sure as hell don’t have time sit down. There must be some kind of mistake!”

“James?”

Notes

So... it seems that things are not working our according to plan... How do you think everyone will respond? Comments please!