Carrick
Whoever invented the six a.m. bus call needs to be dragged out into the street and shot. That was the thought running through my head as I inched along the parking lot that was US-75. I was one cup of coffee ahead of Zac, which is the only reason I’d been stuck behind the wheel. I glanced over at him in the passenger seat; his head was turned away from me, leaning against the window, but the soft snores told me he’d managed to fall back asleep. Lucky bastard.
Of course, to be totally honest it was our own fault we were so tired. The smart thing to do would’ve been calling it an early night and getting some solid rest in an actual bed. It would be our last chance for at least a couple weeks, after all. But no one ever accused either of us of being smart. So instead we were up until three, smoking and playing video games. We hadn’t seen each other since Fool’s Banquet a few months prior, and the time before that had been at least a year ago. We had way too much catching up to do, and both of us tend to be pretty impatient guys.
It was good to see him again, though. Zac and I had been friends ever since we met, almost seven years ago. It didn’t really feel like it’d been that long at all. Granted, it wasn’t until my band opened for his that we really hit it off, but even before that we’d just clicked. Something about how his sense of humor fit with mine, our shared love of smoking weed, and my ability to follow his insane thought process–most of the time–had struck a chord right from the get-go, and the rest was history.
We didn’t get to hang out nearly as often as either of us liked, but our friendship was so comfortable–so natural–that we were always able to pick up like no time had passed. It was like we’d been having one never-ending conversation over the last six years. Now that I was opening for him again, we’d have four whole months together. I was really excited for it, and I knew he was too. At least, as excited as anyone can be at six in the morning.
After what seemed like forever, but was probably only forty five minutes, I pulled Zac’s truck into the alley behind 3CG Records. I shut the car off and nudged him in the shoulder until he stirred, and then another couple more times until he sat up. He looked around for a minute, a puzzled expression on his face. It was adorable, like waking up a toddler. After a couple seconds, he realized where we were.
“Remind me who the hell decided the tour needed to start this early?” he asked, speaking through a yawn.
“That’d be the diva,” I chuckled, referring to Tay.
“Oh. Right. Remind me to kick his ass later.”
“I’ll help.” I undid my seatbelt and took a sip of my lukewarm coffee. “This is gonna be awesome though,” I said with a smile that Zac returned.
“Yeah … most fun I ever had on tour was the last time you guys went out with us.”
“Aw … missed me that much, huh?” I teased.
“Nah, just your weed,” he shot back with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes … I knew he was joking. At the same time, we both knew the stuff I could get my hands on in Cali was far superior to anything Oklahoma had to offer.
“Four months, man… I had to find all kinds of crazy hiding places.”
“Yeah?” Zac giggled.
“Let’s just say, if the bags get searched, we’re a little fucked. Not in the fun way,” I added with a wink.
“Well let’s hope they don’t look in all my xBox games.”
“Good one.” I smirked, impressed. I knew Zac had plenty of experience hiding his stash on tour, though, so I wasn’t too surprised. Still, he grinned proudly.
“I thought so.”
“Seriously though,” I said, giving a sincere smile. “It’s gonna be good to hang together again.”
“I know, man. That’s like the only reason I managed to drag my ass out of bed today.”
My only reply was a snort, to which Zac raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I’m kinda the reason you crashed so hard, too,” I clarified.
“True, but I’ve come to expect that when you’re around.” We both chuckled at that.
“Yeah, I think Kate has too, or do you really think she had a totally different reason for choosing not to be home the night before you left?” I raised an eyebrow, and Zac laughed.
“Oh, that was definitely not a coincidence. You missed her speech to me about ‘staying out of trouble’ on the road.”
“But that’s where all the trouble is!” I said, laughing hard. Zac’s wife had always had a stick up her ass, which was probably why she and I never got along, to put it gently.
“I know, right?” Zac paused, and put on a mockingly serious face. “So you gotta help me stay outta trouble. No drinking, no smoking, no drugs, no groupies… Basically, no fun.”
I held a blank stare for as long as I could–which was only a second or two–before cracking up. Zac giggled at that, and even more when I cleared my throat and donned an equally somber expression.
“I mean, of course, Zachary. I shall lead you not into temptation, but to the path of the just. The righteous, the straight and narrow.” I smirked, and Zac gave a chuckle, eyeing me.
“Yeah, I’m sure you know all about the ‘straight’ and narrow.”
I gave him a look. He teased me from time to time about my sexuality–he was one of the few people who knew I was bi. But it was always in a playful way, not judgmental at all.
“Right … you’re the expert on that.”
“I’m a perfectly good little Christian boy,” he said, with an angelic smile that didn’t last. “Until the tour starts.”
“So … the tour started last night, then?”
“Yes,” he giggled. “Yes it did.”
“Well,” I said with a sigh after killing my coffee. “Shall we?”
Zac nodded, and we both dragged our exhausted asses out of the truck and grabbed our luggage from the back.
“Looks like we’re the last ones to the party,” I said as we came around the corner to the front of the building. The tour bus was already waiting, and everyone was loading their suitcases.
“Wow, so it does. Even the Diva is here on time,” Zac added, pointing at Taylor, who was carrying his laptop onto the bus.
“Nah … We’re probably just even later than him.”
We got our bags loaded under the bus, then headed on with our more personal items. Taylor was at the table, typing away at his laptop and sipping on something frothy from Starbucks. Zac often joked about wifi and coffee being Tay’s addictions, and I couldn’t disagree. There was a box of doughnut holes sitting open on the counter, calling out to me; I grabbed a handful and turned, grinning at Zac.
“Goodbye, good little Christian boy,” I teased, walking backwards towards the lounge. He giggled, grabbing a few of the sugary snacks for himself before following. I stepped aside and let him go first, closing the door behind me, then plopped onto the couch next to him. I pulled out the joint that had been sitting behind my ear, and grinned.
“Belated wake ‘n bake?” I asked, even though I knew what his answer would be.
“Hell yes.”
I lit up and took a hit, then passed it to Zac. “Here’s to as much debauchery as we can squeeze into a four month tour,” I said, winking for emphasis.
“Indeed.” He took a deep hit, holding it for a few seconds before passing it back. I took mine, eyeing him.
“That’s a lot of trouble… you sure you’re man enough to take it?”
“I’m a big boy,” he answered, one eyebrow up. “I can handle it.”
I looked him up and down quickly, catching the probably unintentional innuendo. Zac followed my eyes and smirked. My mind was pretty close to the gutter when I was sober; getting high usually sent it plummeting. But Zac was almost as bad, and with what he’d told me recently, I wondered how much worse–or better–it would get.
“Well then…” I didn’t pass him the joint, choosing to present it to him, pinching the nub between my fingers. He leaned forward and took the hit. His eyes were on mine, almost challenging. I laughed and shook my head, mostly to clear it of the dangerous thoughts running around. I inhaled slowly, looking him up and down again.
“Seems like ages ago,” I sighed. “The last tour, I mean.”
“It was ages ago.”
“We’re not as young as we used to be…”
“Hey, speak for yourself. I’m still in my twenties.” Zac grinned, and I gave him a playful shove.
“Yeah, yeah, kid. I can still beat your ass.”
“Yeah, right,” he scoffed, and I cocked an eyebrow.
“You wanna go?”
“Let’s just save you the embarrassment and agree that I would win.” He smirked.
I flipped him off, even though he was probably right. I was at least six inches taller than him, but he definitely had me beat on muscles. We passed the joint back and forth a couple more times until it was gone. I leaned back and stretched my arms out, one of them behind Zac. He sighed and relaxed, his hair brushing against my arm. It tickled a little, but I was too high to care.
“Hey,” I said, smirking at him.
“What?”
Instead of answering, I grinned, wrapping my arm around his neck in a headlock. He yelped and fought back, thrashing enough to knock both of us to the floor. Somehow I got the upper hand, grabbing his arms and pinning him down.
“Told ya I could beat your ass, man.”
Zac groaned, and managed to wiggle out of my grip and flip me over. “Yeah?”
I rolled out from under him, twisted his arm back and shoved him belly-down against the floor, sitting on his legs.
“Yeah,” I laughed, panting for breath.
“Good thing you locked the door,” Zac said over his shoulder. “Wouldn’t wanna have to explain this to anyone who walked in.”
I couldn’t actually remember if I had locked the door. So instead of saying anything one way or the other, I laughed and gave Zac’s ass a smack.
“Hey now,” he said after a gasp.
“Aw, what’sa matter,” I cooed teasingly. “Afraid of a little discipline?”
“You’re fucking sick, dude,” Zac said, one eyebrow up skeptically.
“Might wanna watch your tone… Not really in a position to talk back, are ya, kid?” I tilted my head, letting my tone darken. “Hm, what to do…”
Zac smirked and reached his free hand–which I thought I’d pinned under him–back, grabbing my shirt and yanking me down to the floor.
“Oh, fuck,” I groaned between laughs. “You’re gonna pay for that.”
“Oh, yeah?”
He may have had more muscle, but I had longer legs. I wrapped them around his, grabbing his other arm and rolling onto him again. This time I used my whole body to pin his, leaning my head on the floor next to his.
“Now what, huh?” I panted.
“Ugh,” he groaned. “Just because I’m still like half awake… and stoned… Not a fair fight.”
“Sure, sure.” I leaned my forehead on his shoulder, trying to catch my breath. I was a little out of shape, and Zac wasn’t exactly easy to take down.
“You okay there? Wear yourself out trying to kick my ass?” he chuckled. I tried to shove him, but with my body basically laying on top of his, it came out a little more like grinding. Zac’s eyes shot wide when he felt it.
“Um…”
“Shit,” I cursed. “That, uh…” I rolled to my side, letting him go entirely. He laughed it off, but there was no denying the awkwardness. “Anyway …”
“I know I’m sexy, but damn, dude. Have some control.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I fired back with a playful glare. “You know me when I’m high.” I tried to smile, but the haze of awkwardness was still hanging between us.
“Don’t worry about it, man. I know how you are.”
I looked him up and down, and thought I saw … something. I shook my head, blaming it on wishful thinking. Still, his uneasy laugh made me wonder. Maybe it wasn’t my imagination after all.
“Yeah,” I said, smirking. “But don’t forget I know how you are too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just saying,” I said, shrugging and trying to look innocent, which as a bit of a stretch for me. “We’re not that different.”
“Is that so?” Zac asked, his eyes wide as if this was totally new information. I smirked and leaned closer, lowering my voice.
“Or did you forget telling me all those thoughts you sometimes have?” I said slowly. His eyes shot even further open.
“I… what?”
I blinked, confused, until it hit me.
“You, um… you did forget, didn’t you?”
“It kinda seems that way.” He laughed uneasily, and I felt horrible. I let out a heavy sigh.
“Shit man, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright… no big deal,” he sighed, but I wasn’t buying it.
“You sure?” I moved closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You know you can trust me.” I didn’t think this would hurt our friendship at all, especially since we flirted with each other all the time anyway, but I was still worried about how Zac would act around me now.
“Yeah, I know,” he said, nodding. I rubbed his back a bit, hoping to ease some of the tension.
“Do you wanna know what you told me? Or do you remember now?”
“Umm… I have a very, very vague recollection. might as well refresh my memory,” he added, laughing nervously, again. I let out a sigh, trying to think where to begin.
“Well, you were asking me about what I’ve done and you kinda admitted to thinking about it once or twice.” I watched him closely, gauging his reaction.
“Okay… That’s … that’s true.”
“Well…” I went on, carefully. “You kinda changed your story a bit, though. Once or twice became once in awhile… But that’s all you told me.”
Zac nodded slowly. “Well… I mean that’s all it is. Curious, you know?”
I nodded, and pulled my hand away. “Yeah, I guess all guys get at least a little curious.” I paused, and smirked. “I’m not really one to talk, though.”
“Yeah, you’re a little more than just curious, aren’t you?” he chuckled.
“Curious is for the inexperienced,” I said with a grin. “I know, baby.”
He chuckled lightly, but glanced away. I wasn’t trying to flirt, any more than usual anyway, but I just couldn’t seem to help it with Zac, especially with what I knew now. I looked away for a second, but when I looked back his eyes were on me, his lower lip caught between his teeth.
“So yeah,” I said, giving him a playful shove. “Told you I could beat your ass.”
“Yeah, whatever,” he laughed. “I’ll beat yours next time.”
“That a promise?” I asked quietly, before I could stop myself.
“Umm…”
“Just playin’,” I laughed, but of course he didn’t believe me.
“Yeah, sure you are. Fucking perv.” He gave me a playful nudge, so I knew I hadn’t done too much damage. I snorted, shoving him, and he shoved me right back.
“Ready for round two already?” I asked as we shoulder-checked back and forth.
“You think you can handle it?”
So he was challenging me with my own words. Interesting. I raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“Oh I can definitely handle it. Question is, can you?”
“You bet your ass I can.”
Our pushing had gotten steadily more aggressive right along with our banter. I shoved my shoulder hard against his, leaning against him. He put his weight into it, and I tumbled back onto the floor. I stared up at him, looking so smug. I grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down with me. He landed half on top of me, but I quickly rolled him over, pinning his wrists to the floor.
“Still got ya.”
He struggled against me, but in the position I had him, I had the advantage. His struggling was starting to cause a reaction, though, and not just a physical one. I’d never thought of myself as a dominant type, but there was something about him laying under me, completely at my mercy… I tilted my head, smirking.
“Seems like you’re stuck.”
Of course, he had to answer back with that damn face. The puppy-eyed pout I was pretty sure he’d been perfecting his whole life. Usually it was for another joint, or for me to go get us munchies, and usually I was able to ignore it. But this whole situation was already anything but usual. I let my grip on his wrists loosen just a little; I didn’t want to actually hurt him, or to think I’d ever do anything he didn’t actually want.
Serves me right for falling for it.
Before I knew what had happened, he had pulled his hands free and flipped us over, pinning me the same way I’d had him. Unfortunately, that pesky muscle mass made sure I wasn’t getting away easy.
“Sneaky little bastard,” I muttered, shaking my head. I struggled against him, even though I knew it was pointless. Worse than pointless, even–friction in certain areas was causing a whole new problem or at least making an existing one worse. My eyes went wide, and so did his. We both froze, which only made the problem more obvious… and apparently it wasn’t just me.
If it was anyone else, I would’ve cracked up… but no. Zac and I had gotten into a pissing contest that ended up with us wrestling on the floor, grinding against each other, until we were both hard. Like I said; hilarious, if it was anyone else.
About that door I either had or hadn’t locked… I hadn’t. Taylor–because of course it was Tay–chose that moment to walk in.
“Hey guys, we-” He stopped, hand on the door, one foot raised mid-step. His eyes were wide as saucers, and a lovely shade of pink spread across his face. Without another word he disappeared, the door slamming shut; I could practically see the cartoon puff of smoke where he’d been standing. It wasn’t until after he was gone that Zac snapped out of it, scrambling off of me and onto the couch.
I stayed on the floor, catching my breath from the damn-near heart attack I’d just had. After a few seconds I rolled over and sat up, looking at Zac.
“So, about that control,” I said, chuckling. Someone had to lighten the mood, and Zac looked like a scared rabbit, so I was pretty sure it was up to me. “Looks like I’m not the only one that needs some.”
“Trust me dude, that was… I mean…” Zac ran a hand through his hair, looking away. “Don’t get all smug on me. Not like you’re my type anyway.”
Ouch. I knew it was bullshit, but it still stung. But hey, if he wanted to live in denial, whatever. I got up and brushed myself off, trying to look cooler than I felt.
“Yeah, likewise. Not really into married men.” I waited for a reaction, but Zac just picked up a magazine off the table and started flipping through it.
“I need a drink,” I muttered, mostly to myself as I left the lounge. Great way to start the tour.