The Rocker's Muse

Emily: I could get fired if they think we have something going on.

Tristan: I’ll fire anyone who tries to fire you. There’s no one who’d go against me. Plus, we don’t have a company policy against dating people on the tour.

Emily: Have you ever dated anyone on one of your tours?

Shit.

Tristan: Never seriously.

Emily: You fucked someone who worked on a tour, then?

I sighed. I didn’t want to lie to her.

Tristan: I had a thing with our former PR person. The one before Veronica. Last time we were in Europe.

Emily: I see. So this is what you do—hook up with people on tour.

Fuck.

Tristan: You asked me a question. I was honest. Don’t use my answer as an excuse to minimize what’s happening between us. I’ve been with a lot of women. That’s not news. None of that has anything to do with you and me.

Emily: You and me? What am I to you exactly?

She’d given me an opportunity, and I didn’t want to fuck it up. I took a moment to gather my thoughts before typing.

Tristan: You feel like home to me. You’ve felt that way from the moment I met you, even when you were a stranger. I’m still trying to figure it out.

When she didn’t respond, I feared I’d said too much. But that didn’t stop me from continuing.

Tristan: Every time I’m around you, I feel like myself, the person I was before all of this craziness happened. I love how honest you are. You make me smile. And you make me wish I had all the time in the world to figure out how to make you happy. Because when you smile at me, it brings me joy. I don’t understand what’s happening here. But I like you. More than I’ve liked anyone in a very long time.

The dots moved around longer than normal, but she finally texted back.

Emily: You make me smile too.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Tristan: And sometimes I make you moan. Thank you for letting me do that, by the way.

Emily: Pretty sure I should be thanking you.

Tristan: I’d love the opportunity to do it again, even if you don’t seem to think it’s a good idea.

Emily: You were the one who said we needed to stop at kissing.

Tristan: I can be swayed.

Emily: It’s not a good idea.

If she had doubts, I had to take a step back.

Tristan: No pressure from me. Just know my door is always open if you decide you need me.

Emily: Everyone else in the world has the passcode to your room, so why not me, right?

Tristan: I can’t tell if you’re mad or joking.

Emily: I’m smiling.