Tangled weeds, p.12
Tangled Weeds, page 12
“That was different,” I said, but I knew it wasn’t. Devon was young and still figuring out what he wanted. One thing was obvious though. He wanted Johnny and Johnny wanted him, and as I watched Devon sending text after text to Johnny, I worried that them being together in the same band might complicate things. “Do you think they can make it work?”
“Babe, if we can make it work, so can they,” Liam said. We were on the way to Seattle where we’d play a few shows before returning to Sacramento.
“We’re meant to be,” I whispered to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
“So are they,” Liam said, without a lick of sarcasm. “Plus, it’s great having an opening act that shows up and isn’t complete shit.”
“Truer words have never been spoken.” I glanced at Devon again who was still tapping away. Johnny was on his way to the airport. Where we had the bus now to take us wherever we needed to go along with our equipment, they had a shitty van filled with their equipment, that one or two of them drove while the others flew because they didn’t have shit for a support team and still had to handle their equipment themselves. “I do not miss being where they’re at now. Just starting out hoping you get it right and knowing if you fuck up you might never get another chance.”
“They’re just finding their ground. But they’ll do fine, hopefully they’ll play Rocktoberfest next year. If they can keep up our pace and not burn out before then, they’ll be fine,” Liam said, and I knew he was right because he was always right.
“We should wear the kilts more often,” I said as the random thought hit me. “And I’m still considering that tattoo.”
“Whatever you want, babe,” he said.
“You know your boyfriend could have ridden with us, we wouldn’t have minded,” I said to Devon, who looked up like he’d just realized he was on a bus with a band headed to Seattle.
“I know, but he knows it’s important for the band to travel together and until I’m officially in their band then he’ll be riding with them, and I’ll be riding with you guys,” Devon said like it was something I should just know, and I guess it was.
“Have you played Seattle before?” Liam asked.
“Nope it’s all new for me. What about you?” I asked, knowing he hadn’t. He just grinned knowing I knew the answer to that question. My phone rang and I looked to see it was Vance. “Hey, man, what’s the good word?”
“Easy, can you put me on speakerphone?” he asked. I looked at Liam, who nodded his head. Rory moved a little closer so he could hear while Devon didn’t move and had a nervous look on his face. Which I noticed he did every time Vance called.
“Go ahead,” I said after setting the phone on the dining table in front of me.
“Hey, guys, I’ve been in talks with the planners of Rocktoberfest and they’ve already extended an invite to both Blinding Light.”
Devon’s eyes lit up as he now had his full attention on what Vance said next. “That’s great news, thanks, Vance,” he said.
“You’re welcome but that’s not all. It seems they want Blinding Light to play on the main stage next year,” he said and waited for it to sink in.
“Wait—can you say that again,” I asked because there was no way that could be right.
“You heard me right, Shamus. You guys will be headlining Rocktoberfest next year. So, get ready for even more madness.”
“What?” I yelled before jumping up and down on the seat I’d been sitting in. “Holy shit, guys, we’re headlining.” Everyone yelled and jumped around the bus hugging and being damn proud for all our hard work to finally be noticed.
“Shamus, I have more news,” Vance practically yelled.
“Guys, guys, quiet down.” Everyone froze in place from where they were all celebrating and listened for Vance to speak.
“Anchor Grey is confirmed too. They’ll be playing earlier in the evening, but they want them too. They said any band that’s good enough to open for Blinding Light deserves a shot at the bigger stage. You guys are on the way to the big time.”
Everyone was silent for a moment but then Rory grinned, and Liam laughed before I once again jumped up and down on my seat. Devon was playing the air drums above his head and all of us laughed at each other’s antics.
“You’re not done yet, go knock them dead in Seattle. We need to talk about a bigger tour when you get back, oh and bigger pay because we’re going to start charging more. I’ll see you guys in Seattle,” he said before ending the call.
“Fuck yes!” Rory said and punched the air before taking out his phone and moving to the back of the bus to call Kai.
“Looks like you’re not done with us yet, Devon,” I said while he stood there grinning like a fool.
“Looks like you’re not done with me either,” he said before punching the air one last time.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Devon
“Hey, baby, where are we playing again this weekend?” I asked Johnny, who rolled his eyes because he knew for sure there was no way I could keep track. We’d been traveling across the southwest for the past month hitting every place that would let us play and it was paying off. The bigger venues in New Mexico had taken notice and we were playing at one over the weekend. I just couldn’t remember which one it was.
“The Chili Factory,” Johnny said, and kissed me as he walked past me to the bathroom. We were staying in a house Tanner had rented since we’d be here for at least a week.
“That’s right,” I said.
“Hey, did you hear Jayne is now playing in another rock band?” Jeremy asked.
“No, but I thought she liked the studio music gig?”
“She did, but this is an all-girl band and they’re all just as talented as she is so there was no way she could say no.”
“Are we playing with them at all?”
“I’m not sure, I’ll ask Tanner though,” Jeremy said.
“I know it’s only been a month, but I miss the guys from Blinding Light,” I said.
“Starting next month, we’ll be opening for them in Arizona so I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to be sick of them,” Mateo said. “How’s their drummer’s arm?” They all knew about Glenn breaking his arm since that was the reason I’d been able to play with Blinding Light, but they didn’t know him as well as they did the other guys.
“It’s good. He says it’s as good as new, but I doubt that. He snapped that fucker in half.” Mateo cringed and Jeremy made a gagging sound. “It’s not like the bone was poking out,” I said and laughed at them.
“Still gross,” Jeremy said.
“They took this month off so he could get used to playing again,” I said.
Johnny walked out and sat on my lap. “So, I’m thinking we can get there early and watch the band that’s on before us and see what we think.”
“Sounds good. Is it anyone you’ve heard of?” I asked.
“No, they’re local but have a great following.”
“So, the next big thing?”
“No, that’ll be us, baby,” Johnny said and leaned in to kiss me. We never hid how we felt from Mateo and Jeremy, which I was happy for since I really sucked at keeping secrets. And so far, they didn’t seem to mind.
“We need to work on the new song,” I reminded him. Usually, Johnny wrote the songs for the group, but the past few months he’d been so busy he’d only been able to jot down some lyrics.
“I think we should all work on it. I know usually it’s me doing it all, but I like the idea of us all contributing. It’s not like you guys haven’t written songs before,” Johnny said and looked at Mateo and Jeremy.
“Yeah, but our music sucks,” Mateo said and laughed.
“If we all work on it together it’ll have a little bit of us all in it. That’s how it should be,” I said, and they both looked at each other and shrugged.
“We’ll give it a try, but if it sucks then we’re back to Johnny doing it,” Jeremy said.
“We’ll probably play four songs at Rocktoberfest so we’ve got plenty of time to write something new and get it down before then,” Johnny said, always the one in charge and driving us to be better.
“I still can’t believe we’re playing there,” Mateo said. “Weren’t you nervous, Devon?”
“Ah, yeah. I threw up and basically forced myself not to look past Easy the whole time we were playing, but once we started, I just focused on the music and that helped a lot.”
“I’ve seen videos you did not look nervous,” Jeremy said.
“Fake it til you make it right?” I said, but deep inside I remembered how terrified I was of fucking up and how relieved I was when we walked off the stage triumphant and I fell into Johnny’s arms.
A few hours later we were on our way to The Chili Factory. I forced myself not to tap my hands on the seat in front of me as we made our way through traffic and finally pulled the van up to the place that looked more like a warehouse than a bar and grill. “Is this right?”
Johnny checked the address and nodded. “Yes, this is the address Tanner gave me.” Jeremy pulled the van around to the back of the place and Johnny and I walked inside to find out where they wanted us.
“Do you think it’ll be busy tonight?” I asked.
“Hard to tell. Thursday is a wildcard,” Johnny said as we walked back to the van to tell everyone where we’d be setting up. The other band was already setup and ready to play so we brought everything in but stacked it in the back of the stage out of the way. We walked out just as they were starting and they opened with an explosion of sound that made everyone in the restaurant take notice.
“They’re good,” Johnny said as he focused on each of them.
“Yeah, now we need to show them how good we are,” I said, and he met my eyes with a smirk.
“Yeah, we do,” he said before kissing me hard. The first band only played a fifteen-minute set, so as they were walking off, we were walking onstage to set up. More people were streaming in, so it was a little different setting up while people were eating. But we had it down now, and it wasn’t long before we were ready to go. After a final soundcheck and a nod to Johnny, he stomped out to the front of the stage.
“Hello, Albuquerque, we are Anchor Grey!” he screamed, and we blasted out the first song. Before it ended most people in the restaurant had forgotten their food and were dancing in front of us. We went right into the second song and when Johnny ran behind where I was playing and grabbed a handful of my hair to pull my head back for a kiss, I didn’t mind one fucking bit. He took and I gave, just like I took, and he gave. We were equals and both of us were focused on two things. Making the band great and falling in love with each other over and over every day.
The End! (Until next Rocktoberfest)
About the Author
BL Maxwell grew up in a small town listening to her grandfather spin tales about his childhood. Later she became an avid reader and after a certain vampire series she became obsessed with fanfiction. She soon discovered Slash fanfiction and later discovered the MM genre and was hooked.
Many years later, she decided to take the plunge and write down some of the stories that seem to run through her head late at night when she’s trying to sleep.
BL Maxwell loves to hear from readers who enjoy her stories, so feel free to reach out at any of these links:
Website: https://blmaxwellwriter.com/ (Free book)
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Also By BL Maxwell
Thank you for reading Tangled Weeds
Check out the other books in the Blinding Light Series.
Blinding Light https://books2read.com/BlindingLight
Faded Dreams https://books2read.com/FadedDreams
Just The Right Chord (Holiday Short) https://books2read.com/JTRChord
Preorder Nuts and Bolts Holiday! https://books2read.com/NutsNBoltsHoliday
Enjoy a FREE copy of A Night To Remember . A short story with Andy and Link from Remember When.
https://books2read.com/u/baDrw8
Enjoy a FREE copy of The Cemetery Tour a Valley Ghosts Short Story.
https://books2read.com/CemeteryTour
It was just a fun Halloween activity until the ghosts showed up.
Jason Thomas has always loved the supernatural, and anything to do with ghosts. But when it comes to going on haunted tours he’d rather not. His boyfriend Wade books a tour for them at the local cemetery before Halloween thinking it would be fun way to get in the mood for the holiday.
Being connected to the other side of the veil, it doesn’t take long for Wade to start noticing a few strange happenings. When ghosts from the past show themselves followed by other paranormal events, they both know there is more going on than a haunted cemetery tour.
This is a Valley Ghosts short story and also foretells events that happen in The Things We Lose. #MM Paranormal Romance, #FREE reads, #Ghost Story
Below Deck
https://books2read.com/BelowDeck
JJ Carrington was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He’s used to flying in business class and spending all his holidays at the nicest resorts in the world. But lately he’s tired of the same vacation over and over again, and the one-night stands that seem to plague him.
Cory Wynn has been working on a cruise ship for the past year. He’d never traveled before that, and now he’s seen more of the Caribbean than he even knew existed. He hoped to meet someone to fall in love with while at sea, but so far all he does is work.
When JJ ends up partying late into the night with some of the passengers from a cruise ship, he follows them onboard. But when Cory finds him sleeping in a deckchair after the ship has sailed, he takes him to his cabin. JJ is used to getting his way in everything in life, but he may have met his match in the cruise worker who can’t wait until the next stop to get him off the ship. #oppositesattract #smalltown/city #vacationromance
Divided
https://books2read.com/BLDivided
The four Stroud brothers were all born into magic, and when they all come of age their powers will be revealed. It all sounds like a fairytale, but not all magic is good. Their mother embraced the darkness and paid with her life.
Finn Stroud was happy working on the family farm until the day his father announced it was time for them all to go out and find their place in the world, and their magic. He and his four brothers knew this was the tradition of the Imagi people who were meant to wield elemental magic, but Finn soon finds how ill prepared he was for the real world.
Alwin travels from town to town using his own brand of magic to get what he can from anyone that crosses his path. His luck runs out and he’s left along the side of the road in a rainstorm. Finn offers him shelter and Alwin offers to guide him in the ways of magic, but everything has a price. A dark fairytale retelling of The Four Clever Brothers.
#mmromance #mmfairytaleromance #mmfairytaleretelling #magicalrealism #gayromance #darkfairytale #darkromance
Faded Dreams
Blinding Light Book Two
https://books2read.com/FadedDreams
Blinding Light: https://books2read.com/BlindingLight
Rory Smith has been playing bass for Blinding Light since the beginning. Sure, he left a few times temporarily, but he’s always gone back to the only life he’s really known. It was all fun and games in his twenties, but lately he wonders if there’s something more out there besides traveling show to show.
Kai Marshall has always been a huge fan of Blinding Light, but the real reason he goes to every show he can sneak into is to get a glimpse of their hot bass player. Everyone else worshiped the lead singer Easy Rian. When they found out, he was out and proud, and in a relationship with the new guitar player, many hearts were broken. But not his. His heart only beats for Rory, the white-blonde haired rock god that he can’t get out of his head.
Rory’s played the rockstar game for many years. Not one time in all those years has he met anyone who made him feel the way the cute guy off to the side with the haunting blue eyes does. He’s always kept his heart of lockdown, but maybe it’s time for a jailbreak. His dreams have faded, but they’re not completely gone. #agegap #oppositesattract #friendstolovers #rockstarromance
https://books2read.com/ColdBlood
Cold Blood Warm Heart
A Consortium Trilogy Short Story
Leon is adjusting to his new existence as a vampire, but so far Ben has kept him safely isolated in the wilderness of Alaska where he was created.
It’s past time for Leon to prove he can control his urges and Ben thinks he has the perfect solution. He wants Leon to spend time with his friends Brennan and Lucas, and hopes his new mate is ready to be out in the world of humans.
Ben and Leon are newly mated vampires trying to find their place in the world. Somehow spending Christmas with two more vampires is the least shocking thing in this new world Leon is trying to navigate.
#ParanormalRomance, #MMParanormal, #FatedMates, #Vampires
BETTER TOGETHER Series
Better Together
Chains Required
The First Twelve
The Better Together Boxset
VALLEY GHOSTS Series
Ghost Hunted
Ghost Haunted
Ghost Trapped
Ghost Hexed
Ghost Handled
Ghost Shadow
Haunting Destiny
THE STONE Series
Stone Under Skin
Blood Beneath Stone
Stone Hearts
The Stone Series Box Set
