Defeated, I went to the canteen to pile my plate with pasta and pizza. Seeing Lily slumped over a table picking at her food. I slipped into the seat across from her. “Are ye holding up okay, English?”
She just groaned.
“Oh, it is that level of the tour huh?” I asked. “Youse should take a couple of days off, or at least a couple of concert nights. We can fill in for ye.”
“Oh great, I am so useless you can replace me so easily. Thanks a lot, ‘Irish’! As I am so useless, I will get my stuff and just leave.” She pushed back her chair to leave.
“Oh no, missy.” I grabbed her arm pulling her back down, “That is not what I said, I said we can cover ye for some time off. That’s what we do for greenies, rotating time off, I should have made sure you took some. I am sorry. I expected youse to tell me when it got too hard. Is someone picking on you? Anything I need to know?”
“I am just not doing anything useful! Errands, guitars, costumes, tea girl, anyone could do it. A child could!” she exploded.
I laughed, receiving a glare from her, “Ye are a runner Lily, that is what they do. It’s step one of tour work. The backbone of the tour along with the crew. What do you think would happen if we didn’t have our costumes ready? We don’t have time to do laundry? Hell, I don’t think I even have any clean socks left. What if we had no tuned guitars? Or no water on stage? Or if no one pinned the correct set list down in each of our spots and we all started a different song at the same time? It would be chaos! Ye are doing grand, darling. Better than I expected if I am to be honest. Most runners quit in the first week, finding it all too hard.”
“So, you don’t want me to quit? You like me being on tour?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Never!” I promised. “Youse belong here, now eat your food and think what full day and what show you want off.”
“Well, there was a date next week I kind of would like off.”
“Let Shelly know the details and she will set it up,” I assured her. “I mean it now, eat. You need the energy.”
“Why? Do you have plans for me later tonight?” She winked.
“I might have.” I winked back.
Chapter 18
Adrian’s POV
I looked at my phone for what felt like the twentieth time since the rehearsal started. Where was Lily? She never missed a rehearsal. Surely, she would have told me if something was wrong or if she had plans? “Hey guys, did you hear from English today?”
Harry laughed, throwing a drumstick at him. “You lovesick puppy, just ask her to marry you already!”
I blushed. “She ain’t ready for that kinda thing and I am not pushing her and risking losing the best thing in my life. Plus, I know her what, a whole six weeks?”
The band jeered at him, even Shelly laughed at him.
“Oh, fuck off!” I snapped, slamming backstage to ring her.
She picked up on the ninth ring, the wait seemed like an eternity. “What do you want? I told you not to bother me today!”
I paused, had she? I checked my notes on my phone and sure enough, today’s date read, “do not speak to Lily she is busy!”
“Oh sorry, so what are ye doing again?” I could hear her rolling her eyes, well not really, but I was sure she was.
“I am at a gig, remember? I bought actual tickets and everything. I am going to enjoy this without your endless dramas,” Lily complained.
“Oh, okay, enjoy it I guess.”
“Yeah whatever, bye.” She hung up.
I stared at the screen waiting to see if she would call back, but nothing. “So weird,” I muttered to myself as I dragged my ass back to stage to finish rehearsal.
“So, lover boy, how does it feel to have your girlfriend at the gig tonight?” Callum asked as he tuned his guitar.
I shoved passed him. “Lily is at every gig and she is not my girlfriend.”
“At least not yet!” Harry howled, almost falling off his drum stool.
“You really do not remember what gig she is at?” Callum asked.
I shrugged. “I got my mind on other things dude.”
“Like her ass!”
“Harry!” Shelly snapped. “Enough.”
“She is queuing out front, here, at this venue, for your gig, tonight, as a fan,” Shelly said, speaking slowly so her point was made like he was a five-year-old.
“WHAT?” I spilt half my glass of Guinness at the idea of it. “What the hell does she want to do that for!” I stormed off stage again to redial. “Why the fuck are ye queueing to be front of house here for my gig when you can just watch from the side of stage like youse do every night and pass me my guitars? And seriously, do ye have nothing better to do on your day off than come to the concert you work at every day?” I demanded.
“Shut up moron!” I
