The Billionaire’s Fan (The Whispering Oaks Society)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jordyn

My nerves are getting the best of me. I’ve spent the last several days talking with IT professionals, getting my laptop set up, and being able to do everything that I need to do for Pie Squared remotely.

Everything that I need to do as a general manager, I can do from my laptop, from anywhere. I spoke to my parents about a possible leave, and we hired another supervisor to stand in my place, just in case.

I’ve thought everything through. I’ve rehearsed what I was going to say to Asher in front of the mirror in my bathroom. But now that we’re sitting beside one another, words have escaped me and I’ve been extremely nervous.

What if he wants nothing more to do with me?

What if I was just something to pass the time with while the band had a break?

My mouth has gone dry as the aroma of the pasta sauce invades my senses.

“Is everything okay?” Asher asks with a concerned tone.

I blink. That’s right. I started talking, but then my mind went blank.

“Yes. Everything is okay. I-I-I just have something that I wanted to propose to you, that’s all.”

“Alright. What’s up?”

I shake my head and take a deep breath.

Here goes nothing.

“I don’t want you to go.”

“On tour?”

“Yeah. But I know you have to.”

“I kind of wanted to talk to you about that, too.” He says.

“Do you want to go first?”

“I mean, I can.” I spin some noodles on his fork.

Feeling a brief reprieve, I nod my head eagerly. Both terrified of what he could say, and curious.

He chews, swallows, and takes a sip of his red wine.

“So, I leave on Saturday. We will travel from city to city, twelve of them. All on the east coast, over the next three and a half months. It’s cramped, it’s chaotic, it can be annoying. But it’s a fucking blast. We get on each other’s nerves, but we’re never lonely. However, this round is different. And that’s because of you.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to go without you. I don’t want to be lonely, and with you not there, I would be. I would like for you to join us on tour if you can, that is.”

“Are you sure?”

“Completely.”

“Are the others okay with it?”

“Yes. We talked about it yesterday while at the studio and we all agreed that it only makes sense. Mikey was a little apprehensive, but he came around.”

“Will we, will we all sleep on the bus?”

“Not all the time. We get hotel rooms in the cities that we’re in, but if we’re on the road, we have enough space in the bunks.”

“And you’re sure that this is what you want?”

“One hundred percent.” He nods.

“Well, that helps me with what I wanted to talk to you about. I was going to ask to come on tour with you.” I smile.

“What about work?”

“Covered. I can do the majority from my laptop, and I hired someone to be the day-to-day person on-site.”

“What if I would have said that you couldn’t come?”

“Then we would have had to have a lot of phone sex.” I grin.