Divided Road (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024)

Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

“There’s only three double beds,” Owen said finally. “At the risk of sounding like a romance novel, this isn’t going to work.” Naturally, Phil and Tyler would share, but that only left two double beds. Waking up next to Jared with a raging hard-on wouldn’t help Owen’s determination to keep their relationship in the friend zone.

“I could share with Clay,” Jared offered. He sat on one of the seats in the campervan that converted into a bed. “These are comfortable as.”

“I tried to find a seven-berth van, but this was the best available.” Rachel sighed. “The bigger ones book out quickly, and this did say sleeps seven, although that apparently means three doubles.”

“Whoever shares with me won’t get any sleep,” Clay admitted.

“I can vouch for that,” Owen confirmed. “I tried that on our South Island trip and was exhausted by the end of it. Nothing worked.”

“He snores?” Jared frowned. “What about earplugs?”

“Nope,” Clay mumbled. “Owen’s being polite. We had to explain his shiner to his family when we got back. His mum’s scary when she wants to be.”

“I can imagine,” Jared murmured but thankfully didn’t elaborate.

“The van’s only big enough for us and the gear,” Kaci added, “and it doesn’t have any beds or amenities.”

“I wasn’t thinking about that as an option,” Clay reassured her.

“Phil and I could book some motels and leave the van to you guys,” Tyler suggested. He ducked his head. “We want to test out accommodation that way anyway, for later in the year.”

Kaci raised her eyebrow. “Anything you want to tell us?”

“After Frays,” Phil said firmly, “and then… maybe.”

“Definitely.” Tyler squeezed Phil’s hand.

“I had trouble finding somewhere for Kaci and me to stay.” Rachel shook her head. “Frays is a huge festival. All of the decent places book out months ahead. There weren’t even any airbnbs available.”

“Sleeping bag on the floor of the van?” Owen suggested.

Rachel shot him a disapproving look.

“Or not.” Owen glanced at Jared. They’d been working long hours together to get all the music written for this gig. If he made too much of a point of why he wouldn’t share, Jared would work out why. Hell, and he wouldn’t be the only one. “It’s only for a few nights, so I guess Jared and I could share. I won’t practice my Tarzan movements, like Clay, promise.”

“Tarzan?” Jared looked between Clay and Owen. “That sounds very… specific. Should I worry?”

“Mum was a huge Tarzan fan,” Clay explained. “That’s why she called me Clayton. John Clayton, Lord Greystoke….”

“Tarzan’s real name,” Kaci added helpfully.

“Ah,” Jared said. “Sorry, I should have guessed. I’ve read a couple of those books.”

“Rachel and I need some help loading the van,” Kaci said. “Owen and Jared, why don’t you take inventory of the camper and check out how much storage we have in case there’s overflow.” She ushered everyone else out and paused at the doorway. “If you’re not comfortable sharing, we’ll find a way around it.”

“That was almost subtle,” Jared said, “and she’s right. We need to talk about this before we make a decision. In private, I mean.” He looked out the window for a few moments before continuing. “Sharing is the sensible thing to do. It’s only for a couple of nights, and I’ve been told I’m a sound sleeper.”

“Who told you that?” Owen narrowed his eyes, suddenly jealous of Jared’s ex, although he’d never met the guy, and Jared had only mentioned him once.

“Brigit.” Jared sounded distracted. “We went for a few trips with my parents before… This is very spacious and modern compared to our old caravan.” His tone grew wistful. “My dad would have loved this.”

“Perhaps he’s here in spirit?” Owen suggested, wondering if Jared’s dad would appreciate the quick prayer Owen needed to survive the trip. He gave Jared’s shoulder a quick squeeze. Like a friend would do. “We should take photos of the trip for Brigit.”

Jared brightened. “She’d love that. Thanks.” He bit his lip. “I’m not going to maul you in your sleep, you know.”

“I never thought you would.” Owen was glad he wasn’t the one addressing the elephant in the room. “I like you, a lot, but I still think we need to keep things professional until after Frays.” He fingered his cross. “To be honest, I’m struggling to think of you as only a friend. I want to hold you when you’re upset, and kiss you when you find the perfect lyric for one of our songs.”

“I want you to be able to do that.” Jared glanced outside, then back to Owen. “I think I’m already in so deep that my heart isn’t differentiating whether we’re friends or more. I enjoy our friendship, but I think we could make more than just beautiful music together. You’re the melody to my words, the counterpoint beginning to intertwine with my soul.”

“Wow.” Owen couldn’t have put his thoughts into such perfect words if he’d tried. “I miss you when you’re not with me. I… feel like I belong when we’re together.”

“Good. When this is over, I’d like to see if we can belong.” Jared kissed Owen’s forehead. “I’m telling myself that waking next to you will be a good start, even if we don’t do anything else. Besides, the thought of doing something so intimate with you, and baring everything to you with three other guys sharing our space, kind of doesn’t work so well, you know?”

Owen laughed. “God, no. We’d never hear the end of it, and when we do make love for the first time, I want you all to myself, with no audience.”

“Definitely.” Jared shook his head. “As I said, I’m a sound sleeper, but I do have a tendency to cuddle. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Another few days and Frays will be done and dusted,” Owen reminded him. “I can survive until then; now we know we’re both on the same page.”

“Yeah. Same. Cuddling and kissing okay until then?”

Owen answered him with a sweet kiss. “As you said, we’re already too far into this to fool ourselves that a breakup wouldn’t feel like a….”

“Breakup?”

“And there’s the reason why you’re the lyrist, and not me.” Owen struggled to keep a straight face. “You always know the right word.”

Jared threw a cushion at him.

The sound of Phil’s guitar filled the cabin of the campervan and was soon joined by Clay and Tyler singing.

“Wow, I didn’t know Tyler could sing.” Jared kept his eyes on the road but glanced at Owen, who sat beside him. They’d all taken an hour each at the wheel, with Jared taking over for the final leg of their road trip.

“He has no problem playing in front of an audience, but he freezes up if he tries to sing solo.” Owen shuffled closer to Jared. “We tried a few harmonies one time, but as soon as he heard himself, and realised others could too, that was the end of that.”

The drive usually took about four hours, but they’d stopped at Dannevirke for lunch to suss out the pub they’d be performing at on the way home in a few days’ time. Rachel had discussed booking a few gigs on the way up to Frays and then decided it would be better to play at the festival first and stay a couple of days in Napier before meandering home to Wellington over a few days to unwind via Carterton, so they could call in to see Owen’s Gran. The guy who ran the pub at Dannevirke was a friend and a fan, so the combination of a gig and catch-up there was a no-brainer.

“Wow, this scenery is amazing.” Jared loved the fields of lavender that soon gave way to row upon row of vines. “I haven’t been up this way in years. I’d forgotten how beautiful everything is.”

“One of the Great Wine Capitals of the World.” Owen shaded his eyes against the sun. “I don’t remember much about the last time Mum and Dad took Al and me to Frays, apart from the music. It was one of the last times we had a family holiday. Their careers took off after that, Al started high school, and life… got busy I guess.”

“We’re here a couple of days, so there’s plenty of time to explore. I’m looking forward to some downtime after the hours we’ve spent rehearsing.”

“Good thing we’re playing on the first day and getting our nerves out of the way. I want to hear all the bands, and make some memories.” Owen took Jared’s free hand and caressed his thumb. “Perhaps, if we have time, we could go into Napier for a meal, and take a look at the all the Art Deco buildings.”

“Brigit came here last year for the Art Deco Festival.” She’d asked Jared to come, but he’d decided to stay and run the Scone while she was away, so Julie could go with her. “She brought back loads of photos, but I’d love to see the town for real.”

Napier had been levelled by a huge earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in the architectural trend of the time.

“You’ve been to Frays before?”

“Yeah, our parents took us when we were kids.” Jared chuckled. “I think everyone’s been to Frays at some point. It’s huge. I still can’t believe we’re playing there.”

A signpost alerted them that they were almost there. The tents dotting the fields on the outskirts of the winery were part of a huge camping ground. Another field was set aside for all sorts of vans. The camper they’d hired was solar powered, so they’d booked a site a ten-minute walk away from the stage area.

The hotel-style accommodation at the vineyard had been booked solid for months, although Rachel and Kaci had scored a room at a cute little motel out of the centre of town. They were going directly to Frays to drop off the band’s equipment and would meet the rest of the band there.

“Rachel’s already arrived, so once we find our spot, we can wander over,” Clay called out from the back of the van. “They’ll meet us at the winery. Duncan’s organised a meet and greet thing for the bands.”

“He has?” Jared thought they’d be lucky to see much, or anything of Duncan, over the long weekend. “Wow, I’m impressed.”

“He seems like a good guy,” Clay said. “He’s been checking in on Lincoln too, which he didn’t need to do.”

Owen arched an eyebrow. “Now, that is interesting. Lincoln never mentioned it.”

“Rachel told Duncan about our change in lineup and why, and he wanted to help. He has a friend in Wellington who offered to drive Beth to the hospital for treatment when Lincoln needs to go into the office for work,” Clay elaborated.

“I read up about Frays and the winery, as I haven’t been here before.” Tyler added. “Apparently, Duncan lost his mum to cancer, so maybe he wanted to help?”

“Maybe.” Owen looked thoughtful but shrugged when Jared raised his eyebrow. He dug out his phone. “The turnoff should be up ahead on our left.”

“It’s well signposted.” Jared would have been surprised at anything less. The festival had been going for decades, so Frays would have the details finely tuned by now.

Owen consulted his phone again, checking the map they’d been sent. “Oh, that’s cute. All the different parking spots are named like streets but with musical names. Someone’s had fun setting this up. Left at Gershwin, first on the right at Mozart, and we’re booked into spot number four at Marley.”

Jared drove slowly. The spots were already filling up, with only about half left vacant. The festival didn’t start until midday the next day, but it looked like most people had arrived early, which was sensible, considering what traffic in the area would be like soon.

He found their spot, pulled in, and turned off the engine. After he’d undone his seatbelt, he rolled his stiff shoulders.

“Nervous about tomorrow?” Owen asked quietly once they’d exited the van. He reached for his cross, a sure sign Jared wasn’t alone in his pre-performance nerves.

“Yeah.” Jared’s shoulders always played up when he felt anxious. “We’ll be fine once we start, though, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Owen looked around and swallowed. “I mean, I knew this festival was big, but I wasn’t envisioning this many people.”

“I don’t think any of us were.” Clay came up behind them and slung his arm around Owen’s shoulder.

Jared narrowed his eyes.

“Way bigger than our usual crowd,” Clay continued. He glanced at Jared and frowned.

“Oh, really?” Phil said.

“He means, yes, yes, it is.” Tyler pecked Phil on the cheek and grabbed his hand.

“Yeah, sorry.” Phil shot Jared an apologetic look. “Fuck, there’s already a lot of people here, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“We’re not on the Titanic, baby,” Tyler reassured him. “And I’ve always got your back.” He squeezed Phil’s hand. “We’re going to go on ahead, okay?”

“They’re sweet together,” Jared said once they were out of earshot. He let out a long whistle. “Looks like we’re all nervous about this.”

“I’d be worried if we weren’t.” Clay let go of Owen and then turned to Jared. “I’m not making a move on your man. We’ve always been touchy-feely when we’re wired. If it’s not okay, I’ll stop it.”

“My man?” Jared bit his lip. Shit, had the momentary flare of jealousy he’d felt been that obvious?

“Please tell me you’ve both worked that out already, and I haven’t just put my foot in it.”

Owen chuckled and lightly shoulder-bumped Clay. “We have, so you haven’t.” He kissed Jared’s cheek. “Still early days, but….”

“And yeah, sorry, I would prefer you didn’t.” Jared hoped that was okay with both Owen and Clay. The two had been friends for a long time. “Fuck, that just slipped out. You’ve known each other way longer than I have and?—”

“We’re all good,” Clay said. “I got into the habit of doing it to give Deb the hint that their relationship was over, as she really wasn’t getting it.” He grinned. “I need to stop doing it. Nat gives me a weird look, too. Hey, I’ll introduce you two this weekend. She’s coming to the festival, but only one day. Her cousin lives in Hastings, so she’s already in the Bay.”

“Nat?” Jared hadn’t seen much of the band outside rehearsals, apart from Owen, aside from the few evenings they’d gone out for a beer afterwards.

Clay didn’t talk about his private life much. “My girlfriend.” He glanced at his watch. “Shit, is that the time? We better get a move on. Don’t want to keep Rachel waiting.” He took off after Tyler and Phil.

Owen slipped his hand into Jared’s. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. And don’t apologise for saying what you feel about anything, especially something you’re not happy about. Clay would be more upset if you didn’t.” He kissed Jared again, this time a sweet, brief touch of lips. “And so would I.”