Matt and Val’s house was booming with people before they even arrived. Matt and Jason Berry had snuck over early and, using their spare keys, set everything up as more of a “Welcome Home” party than a “We’re Home” party.

Aubrey was surprised to see how big and extravagant Matt and Val’s house was considering how down-to-earth and low-key they both were. It was crafted modern-style, very white and bright and open. It was beautiful, and the size and openness made it the perfect house for hosting parties.

Their backyard held a huge patio that led down to a pool and deck that overlooked the ocean, which was about 500 feet away from their house and seemed to be on a private beach.

“Aubrey!” Matt Berry greeted when he saw her. “My replacement!”

“Hey!” She greeted happily, despite feeling like she did not know him well at all. She did his job on the tour but she only knew him for two whole days.

“Thank you so much for holding down the fort while I was gone,” he said kindly to her. “I hope they didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“Hardly any,” she said with a wink then her expression changed to a sympathetic one. “Hey, I’m so sorry to hear about your grandmother.”

Sadly, Jason and Matt’s grandmother passed away three days ago.

“Ah, thank you,” Matt sighed. “I was able to spend so much time with her in her last few months and I owe that all to you.”

“It wasn’t a problem at all,” she said.

“Here, babe,” Brian said as he appeared beside her, handing her a beer.

Matt gave her an interesting glance but didn’t say a word about the interesting interaction.

“Thanks,” she replied as she glanced at Brian then took the beer and took a sip. She couldn’t help but think how handsome he looked in his button-down plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his lean tattooed arms.

"Welcome home, Haner,” Matt acknowledged with a nod.

“Thank you, sir,” Brian replied, tilting his beer toward his friend.

They had a quick silent conversation through the expressions in their eyes, something only the closest of friends could do, then Matt smirked.

“Well, let’s get this party started, huh?” Matt shouted, throwing his hands up and turning around to the growing group of guests, who simultaneously shouted happily in response.

Throughout the day, she met so many of their friends. She had been so cooped up with the six of them for so long, she found it interesting to see all these other people that they knew and loved. And she especially enjoyed hearing stories about their childhood and adolescence from friends who had known them for years.

That evening, she found herself sitting on Brian’s lap in a lawn chair by the pool as all their friends sat around listening to Jimmy tell stories from tour.

“Listen, I woke up snuggling a burrito,” Jimmy said with a snorting laugh.

Their friends let out booming laughter as they pictured the scene.

“Johnny was using his taco as a pillow,” Val noted, chuckling. “An open taco. As in, he was laying directly in his food.”

Despite having lived through the story, Brian and Aubrey were as hysterical as the rest of the guests who were hearing this story for the first time.

“At one point, he sat up and looked at us, and there were pieces of lettuce and ground beef hanging off of his cheek,” Aubrey added through her laughs.

All of their friends were doubling over in laughter.

“Zack’s was still wrapped but he was using his as a pillow too,” Brian continued.

“I smelled like a soft taco supreme all day,” Zack informed. “I couldn’t wash the smell off of me.”

“That might top falling asleep in your own barf,” Tal, one of their friends, stated to Jimmy, who simply shrugged in response.

“How were the shows?” Another friend asked.

As the guys began to talk about how awesome and fun their shows were, Brian’s hand began to travel up the back of Aubrey’s shirt. It distracted her immensely from the storytelling, sending heat straight to the core between her thighs.

He made sure to be discreet, not garnering any attention from their friends, who were so invested in telling stories and listening to them that they genuinely didn’t notice. He slowly trailed up to her bra, around her side, then down to her hip. He just barely slipped his fingers into the waistband of her pants, and tightened his grip on his favorite place to hold her.

Brian could tell, by the way she subtly fidgeted in his lap, that she enjoyed his touch a little too much. And she wasn’t the only one. Just feeling the soft, warm skin of her back against the calloused pads of his fingertips sent blood flowing straight to his groin. Not to mention the troublesome friction she caused every time she squirmed against his crotch. He was rock hard in a matter of sixty seconds.

“Food’s ready!” Matt Sanders and Matt Berry called from behind the smoking barbecue pit.

That grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Fuck yeah, let’s eat!” Jason shouted as he rose to his feet, starting a chain reaction of guests standing to their feet and making their way over to the patio to prep everything for dinner.

Aubrey started to rise but Brian held her to his lap.

“You can’t get up yet,” he said gruffly.

“Why?” She asked, though she had an idea.

He thrusted his hips ever so slightly, pressing his erection into her ass.

“That’s why,” he said simply.

Feeling wicked and equally as turned on, she discreetly gyrated in his lap. His hips jerked reflexively as an involuntary grunt escaped his lips and his fingertips dug deeper into her side.

“Ohh, you’re gonna pay for that later,” he whispered haughtily, exhaling. “Okay, this isn’t gonna work.” He nudged her to stand up then did the same. “Just walk in front of me.”

She laughed but did as he requested and walked in front of him, blocking anyone from seeing just how much she turned him on, staying that way just long enough for him to soften to the point that it was no longer obvious.

They joined the large group of friends, filling their plates with barbecued meats and scoops of all the side dishes, then took their seats at the end of one of the big picnic tables.

“Damn, Aubrey, how are you not 500 pounds? Looks like you put away as much food as the rest of us,” Matt Berry teased, acknowledging the amount of food on her plate.

“You should see her drink,” Jimmy added.

“Whaaat?” Matt Berry laughed. “A girl who can eat and drink? No wonder you did so well on tour!”

“She and Val drank us under the table multiple times,” Johnny admitted shamefully.

“My girl!” Matt reached across the table to high-five her.

She smiled greatly, adoring the comradery, and high-fived him back.

Brian cherished seeing her get along so well with his friends. It was like she belonged, like she had always belonged, like she had been there the entire time. Had he really only known her for four months?

Ø

After everyone ate, the heavy drinking began. Half the guests began setting up multiple drinking games outside, dangerously around the pool, while the other half began cleaning up the mess from the barbecue.

Inside the house, Aubrey helped Valary wash and dry dishes as people brought them inside. The high stacks of plates and utensils were dwindling down quickly thanks to the team effort with Val cleaning the dishes and Aubrey drying them.

Once the two girls were alone, Valary took an encouraging deep breath. “Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to convince you to come back out on tour with us?”

Aubrey glanced over at her friend, unsure of where the sudden request came from.

“You just fit in so well with all of us on tour,” Val explained, handing her a plate to dry. “And now I can’t help but notice how well you’re fitting in with all of our extended group of friends as well.”

Aubrey sighed. “I know. Y’all have been so great to me.”

“You could stay with Matt and I if you don’t want to permanently move here,” Val offered. “Well, I’m sure Brian would want you to stay with him, but if you don’t want to do that, we have room for you here.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Aubrey began softly. “It’s just... My life is in Phoenix.”

“Well, you have a whole month to get things squared away in Phoenix before the next leg of the tour starts,” Valary reminded her.

“I...” Aubrey tried to find the words to express the thoughts that she hadn’t even truly realized she was having. “What if Brian doesn’t want me on tour?”

Without hesitation, Valary laughed. “You’re joking, right?”

Aubrey shrugged, drying off a plate. “Okay, I mean, now he does, but it’s made things complicated. What if something happens between us and we end up hating each other, yet we still have to be stuck on a tour bus together for weeks?”

“You’re both mature adults,” Valary pointed out. “I can’t imagine either of you ever hating each other, unable to be in the same room together, even if things do go sour between you two.”

And though she had to admit that Valary had a point, it didn’t feel right to invade Brian’s life like that. Even if he wanted her to. They weren’t dating, they weren’t a real couple, and it would be so stupid for Aubrey to attach herself to him like that. Even if she wanted to.

Aubrey shrugged again. “I just don’t think I’m ready for it yet.”

“Hey, I understand that.”

“If things progress between Brian and I, maybe,” Aubrey inclined. “But, to be honest, it doesn’t feel right to go back out on tour with y’all. It especially doesn’t feel right to just up and move to Huntington. Not yet, at least.”

“I hear you,” Val conceded. “You’re thinking more clearly and responsibly, with your head and not just your heart. I respect that. Just know you always have a place to stay and a family to help you get on your feet if you ever do want to move here. Whether Brian is in the picture or not.”

Aubrey smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Val. Really.”

Val winked and turned off the sink. “The rest of the dishes can wait. Let’s go see what everyone is getting into.”

Ø

Brian watched from the sidelines as Aubrey and Jimmy teamed up against Matt Berry and one of their friends, Jackie, as they battled in an intense game of beer pong. Both teams each had one cup left to sink. It was Aubrey’s turn to toss her ball and if it landed in the cup, she and Jimmy would win.

“Alright,” Jimmy encouraged quietly, rubbing his hands together as he leaned toward Aubrey. “You got this, AC. You got this.”

Aubrey rolled the small ping pong ball between her hands, eyeing her goal carefully, strategizing in a game that really didn’t require strategizing.

Matt and Jackie danced and moved in funny and distracting ways to throw Aubrey off, but she was focused. She lifted her hand and flicked the ball with ease. It sailed through the air and landed directly into the red solo cup in front of the opposing team.

“YES!” Aubrey shouted, throwing both of her fists into the air.

“YEAAAHHH!” Jimmy screamed, pointing forcefully at his friends on the other side of the table. “DRINK THAT SHIT, BERRY!”

“Dammit!” Jackie groaned in defeat and dropped her own ball.

Reluctantly, Matt Berry picked up the cup and downed the warm beverage, relinquishing the game to the winning team.

Jimmy and Aubrey high-fived.

“That’s my girl,” Brian encouraged, high-fiving her as well.

His words sent fluttering butterflies in the pit of Aubrey’s stomach.

“I want a rematch!” Jackie insisted with a whine. “We were so close!”

“NOPE!” Jimmy shouted simply. “We won. AC and The Rev OUT.” He opened his closed fist, mimicking a ‘mic-drop’ move and walked away.

“He’s such a butthole,” Jackie laughed playfully. “Good game, girl.”

“Thanks,” Aubrey smiled. “You too.”

“Hey!” Jimmy shouted from a distance. “It only works if you walk away too when I say AC and The Rev out; otherwise it’s just The Rev out!”

“Oops,” Aubrey laughed, quickly moving away from the table and closer to Brian.

“Nice beer pong skills,” he teased, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Thanks, babe,” she replied with a wink.

He stilled and stared at her. She looked at him with slight confusion. His heart thumped in his chest and a smile spread across his face. Hearing the word “babe” leave her lips got to him in a way he never anticipated.

Seconds later, he slid a hand to her neck and his other arm around her waist to pull her close. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her cutely and playfully since their friends were nearby, but she could sense the heated undertones.

“Call me babe again,” he murmured against her mouth.

“Why?” She wondered, running her fingers through his hair.

He nipped at her bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and letting it go with a smack. “Because I love the way it sounds coming out of your mouth.”

A smile twitches at her lips, as warmth flooded between her legs. “Babe.”

“Mmm,” he hummed into her mouth. “Again.”

“Babe. Babe. Babyyy.” The last one came out far flirtier and haughty than she intended.

Reflexively, his hips jerked into hers, as his dick twitched in his pants. He held her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. She was so beautiful, so perfect.

Damn, he never expected her. He was going about his business, like he always did, on tour, doing his thing with his friends, having fun, and suddenly there she was. And now, he couldn’t figure out how he ever lived without her. How had they lived on the same planet for so long and never knew each other existed until four months ago?

“Come home with me,” he whispered between kisses that were growing more and more urgent as he held her face. “I need you, Aubrey. I need you in my bed.”

“Take me.” She nodded. “Take me home, Brian.”

She quickly said her goodbyes to everyone, hugging each one of them for extended periods of time, promising to call, text, and stay in touch, promising to visit and come to all their shows that were within a reasonable drive for her. And then, in a hurry, Brian led her out the door.

Notes

Ahh sorry to end the chapter on that note but don't worry, it will pick right back up in the next chapter! Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting and being patient with my sometimes-delayed updates! <3