[center]One week later…[/center] Jane sat against the cold brick wall that lined the back of the venue in an alley only illuminated by a few street lamps and a full moon that appeared blurry from the cloud coverage. Her black hoody was pulled over her unruly hair, leaving a few face-framing strands peeking out, and a cigarette twitched between her shivering fingers. A life of California weather did not prepare Jane for the beginning of fall in Europe, and she had noted earlier that she’ll need to buy a few more items for her wardrobe to compensate. They had played another show in Norway, two in Sweden, two in Finland, and last night, they played in St. Petersberg, Russia. They were now in Moscow. The night her and Rob shared had alleviated a lot of the tension not felt by just them, but by their band mates as well, and everyone seemed to be a lot more satisfied with the dynamic they now shared. Although they had planned to discuss their relationship more in depth than they had at the hotel, the opportunity never arose. Their schedule had been extremely busy and regimented over the course of the week, so much so that Jane found herself wanting to rebel like she was a kid in school again. Interviews one day, pictures the next day. A day-time show at a coffee shop followed by their usual nightly set at an intimate venue. More talk about writing new songs, mostly prompted by Harold. It was event after event after event, and it was beginning to wear on her. This is why she was sitting alone in an alley, away from both In Bloom and Vicarious, hoping for just a moment’s peace. Strangely enough, Jane never wanted to be alone, but now, the constant chatter and the high expectations were beginning to feel overwhelming. As she lit another cigarette, her mind couldn’t help but flash to thoughts of Rob. Jane had slept with Andy again since the night at the hotel, this time in a utility closet located in a back hallway of a venue they had played. It wasn’t planned, but it was fun; she enjoyed the risk factor that came with intimacy in unusual places. Part of her, of course, felt guilty for it. Things had yet to be worked out with Rob, so she wasn’t sure exactly where he stood, but if Jane wasn’t mistaken, Rob had been spending time with Zoe, too, who was another person who frequently crossed her mind. She felt as though she should try to make amends with Zoe, although nothing ever really happened, but the awkward energy between them was really starting to get to her. Maybe she’d get her number from Andy and send her a text to get coffee. “Jane Molloy?” a man’s voice armed with a thick accent cracked through the quiet alleyway. “You got five minutes.” Jane grunted as she stood up and stomped out her cigarette with her Doc Marten boots, a new purchase she had decided to treat herself with. “Thanks.” After reaching the side stage, Jane approached Rob and hugged his waist tightly as she looked up to him. “It’s getting too cold out there,” she said quietly. “If it gets any colder on the bus at night, I’m moving into your bunk permanently.” She reached up to his neck and pulled herself to her toes to kiss him. Jane didn’t want to get her hopes up, but this was the longest streak of happiness that her and Rob had for a long time. Could they have finally figured it out? “In Bloom, you’re up,” the same man barked again. She released Rob from her grasp and sank back down to her feet sighing. “Here we go.” [center]*****[/center] The set was Jane’s best since they had landed, partly because she had been trying to compensate for the fact that it was becoming more and more of a chore to perform each night. She danced around, interacted with the crowd, and nearly blew out her voice from giving it her all. Jane could already feel that she’d need to be on vocal rest for at least the night. She grabbed a water bottle form the craft table, chugged half of it, and then dumped the rest over her head. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t cold anymore. She peeled the flannel she was wearing off of her and used it to rid her forehead of the sweat that had accumulated during the show. Before she could fully catch her breath, Andy approached and patted her both her shoulders. “Sick set,” he smiled as his eyes scanned her. “Went a little hard, huh?” Jane nodded, remaining quiet but offering a smirk. “Killed your cords again?” Andy’s playful expression turned to a concerned one, and one hand remained on her shoulder. “You gotta be careful. Lots of great artists ruin their voices way too early.” She frowned for a moment before punching his arm playfully. “I’ll be fine.” Andy nodded, then leaned an arm against the wall next to him. “You wanna hang out later?” The tone of his voice suggested that he wanted to do more than just ‘hang out.’ “I’m exhausted,” Jane’s extremely hoarse voice whispered. “I’m probably just gonna hit the sack.” Andy shushed her, then ruffled her hair. “See you tomorrow, kid.” Yes, Jane was tired, but lately, she was [i]always[/tired]. If she had to be honest, she mostly turned Andy down so that, if Rob had no plans that night, they could lay in his bunk together. Although it sounded pathetic, it was all that she craved in that moment. That, and a joint. She scanned her surroundings and saw no sign of Rob, so Jane decided to head back to the bus on her own for a shower, and after, some much needed rest. [center]*****[/center] With the exception of Grant, no one else had reentered the bus yet as Jane got out of the shower. Enjoying the privacy, Jane closed the curtain and took her time getting dressed in only a long t shirt before crawling into Rob’s empty bunk. Jane knew that she’d have to at least try to diffuse the negative energy festering between her and Zoe, not only for her sake, but their band mates as well. Hell, maybe she’d think Zoe was awesome once she got to know her, and she could understand what Rob was so attracted to. The only thing stopping her was her pride. Zoe started it, right? She was the one who disliked her for no reason. [i]”Just do it, Jane.”[/i] She formulated a text to Andy: [i]Jane, 11:43 PM:[/i] [b]Hey. What’s Zoe’s number?[/b] [i]Andy, 11:46 PM:[/i] [b]You know, if you fuck her too, things will get a lot weirder.[/b] [i]Jane, 11:48 PM:[/i] [b]Har har har. Not trying to do that.[/b] [i]Andy, 11:51 PM:[/i] [b]720 555 8624[/b] Jane sighed. Should she do this? Would it backfire? Is there anything to even talk about? [i]Jane, 11:58 PM:[/i] [b]Hey Zoe. It’s Jane. I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I was wondering if you wanna meet up for lunch or something tomorrow. Or a drink, lol. Let me know.[/b] Once she sent it, she threw her phone up into her bunk above her and rubbed her eyes. Jane wasn’t looking to become best friends with her by any means, but due to the fact that Jane was sleeping with both Zoe’s ex-boyfriend and her current interest, maybe it’d be best if there wasn’t unspoken anger between them. Maybe. Jane groaned as she reached up to her phone once again to send a last text. [i]Jane, 12:04 AM:[/i] [b]In your bunk with a joint. If I’m asleep, you can wake me up.[/b] [i]Jane, 12:05 AM:[/i] [b]Voice is fried though, so I can’t talk.. :)[/b] Jane squeezed her eyes shut and hoped that Rob would come back to the bus, but she knew that he wasn’t obligated to. They were both still free to do as they pleased, but as of late, she found herself wondering if Rob was making emotional connections as well. That would hurt much worse than any physical relationship he could get involved with. She tried to stay awake as she waited for him, but she began to drift in and out of sleep. The sound of feet shuffling past her made her eyes pop open, but it was just Austin, who knelt down beside the bunk. “Good job tonight, J,” Austin whispered. “You doin’ okay?” Jane nodded in response with a faint smile. “Good. Let me know if you need anything.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead before moving back towards the shower. This was Jane’s last memory of waiting for Rob, so she must have fallen asleep shortly after with both her phone and the joint still in her hands.