She wanted to slap that stupid smirk right off his stupid face. “Whatever. In the future, make out with the Tailgate Twins and keep your lips off mine. And man up and talk to me if you want to change the show instead of having your manager plead your case.” With that, she stormed back to her room on the bus.
As she left, she heard Trace yelling for Pauly. She felt slightly bad about getting the man yelled at, but she was too shaken up to care much at that particular moment. She paced back and forth, rubbing her temples in an attempt to rub the memory of that kiss out of her head.
“Hey,” Lulu said softly as she peeked her head in the room. “You all right?”
Kylie stopped pacing and met her friend’s concerned stare. “No. No I’m not all right. What the hell was he thinking? Why did he do that to me?”
The other girl looked like she was fighting off a smile as she shrugged. “I think he was throwing his hat in the ring.”
“What?” Kylie was starting to wonder if the whole world was going crazy. She had the distinct feeling she was missing something.
“Never mind.” Lulu waved her hand. “Something Mike said. Anyways, Kylie, have you considered that maybe you and Trace need to have a real conversation? About why you agreed to surprise him on stage and why you’re so upset about that kiss. I mean, I could probably lay one on you right now and you wouldn’t bat an eyelash.”
Kylie shot her friend a wry grin at the mental image. “Please don’t.”
“Watch yourself. I’m an awesome kisser. But that’s not the point.”
“Do you have a point, Lu?” Kylie sighed and rushed on before her friend could answer. “Because I feel like there’s some private joke going around and it’s going to be on me. And honestly? I’m doing the best I can here. This isn’t easy for me. But professionally, this tour was the right choice.”
“Right.” Lulu nodded. “Professionally. That’s the only reason you agreed to this, right? Because you thought it was the best choice for your career?”
She frowned at her friend. “Why else would I put myself through this? Do I look like a masochist to you?”
Her friend put a hand up. “Hey, I don’t need to know what kind of kinky stuff you’re into. But I do know that I have my own opinions about why you agreed to this tour specifically. Want to hear them?”
“No,” Kylie pouted, plopping down on her bed.
“Well, too bad,” Lulu said as she sat down beside her. “So I have a few theories. The best one I have is that you still have feelings for him, and maybe you really do think this is the best professional decision and you don’t want to disappoint your fans. But then there’s the issue of rocker boy.”
Kylie side-eyed Lulu. Her friend rolled her eyes and tossed her hands up.
“Come on. You wouldn’t have invited all that tatted-up hotness if you weren’t afraid of your feelings for Country Ken. But after what I just saw during that show and after, I’m pretty sure there aren’t enough tattooed guitar players in the world to stop this runaway train.” Her friend gave her a sympathetic look and then hit her with the naked truth. “You and Corbin have shit to work out, Ky. And the only way you’re going to make it through this tour is if the two of you actually work it out.”
“How?” Kylie whispered, afraid of hearing what else her friend might have to say. Pretty much everything so far had been dead-on.
“I’m not sure. Maybe just tell each other how you feel and get it out there. Who knows? Maybe by the end of this tour you’ll ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after.”
Kylie pulled her knees to her chest. “Or maybe we’ll destroy each other and everything we’ve worked so hard for in the process.”
And there was one thing she couldn’t even bring herself to tell her best friend.
She couldn’t tell Trace exactly how she felt.
She’d avoided dealing with it for so long, it was all she knew how to do. She wasn’t sure she even knew how she felt anymore. Because she’d forgotten how to feel.
“YOU KISSED her? Like on the mouth? Full-on kissed Kylie Ryans?”
Trace held the phone away from his ear. Good news traveled fast apparently. “Yes, Rae. I did. And she was pissed.”
His little sister laughed. “That’s a good thing, Trace. It means she felt something at least. But, um, next time, maybe do it in private and not in front of thousands of screaming fans. You know, take her to dinner, walk her to her door. That sort of thing.”
“Like I’m a normal guy instead of a self-assured jackass?”