“But she will be eventually.”

“What makes you say that?” Chase’s words surprised me. Was he trying to say he thought we had a serious chance of staying together long term?

“Jimmy, you should go.” I was all about taking care of myself now.

“If you want, but I’m serious about the green thing. If it’s okay, I might buy you some more green clothing. You don’t seem to have much in your wardrobe.”

“How would you know?” Jade eyed him skeptically. “You’ve only seen her twice before this.”

He shrugged. “I’ve seen you other times.” Then he ran off before anyone could say anything.

“Did that guy just admit to stalking you?” Kyle asked.

“Why? You going to push him for her too?” Jade laughed.

“I think Cara can take care of herself with him, but man he’s a weirdo.” Chase rubbed my back gently. “How am I ever going to sleep again?” He buried his face in my neck. “Are you a magnet for this stuff?”

“I attracted you, and you’re normal. Well, at least you’re weird sexy.”

He turned me around in his arms. “Well, this weird sexy guy of yours needs you.” He brushed his lips over mine. “I’ve missed you so much it hurts.”

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“I feel the same way.”

“Get a room, guys.” Jessa finally walked over. “Preferably after the show. I don’t feel like explaining to the crowd why the lead singer in the headlining band disappeared.”

Chase groaned. “Just a few more hours.”

“Did you tell her where she’s sleeping yet?” Len grinned. “There’s still time to find a room somewhere, so out of concern of my brother not getting any, I thought I’d make sure she knew.”

“Uh, what’s he talking about?” I tugged on the corner of Chase’s shirt.

“I thought we’d do something fun.” He ran his hands through my hair.

“Fun?”

“We’re camping out tonight. Not near everyone else, don’t worry. There’s a quieter area I know about.”

“Camping out? As in sleeping in a tent?”

“Uh huh.”

“And you expect me to do anything with you outdoors?” I released his shirt.

“See, man, I told you.” Len seemed very proud of himself.

Chase eyed me a little bit nervously. “You really don’t want to?”

Then I laughed. I had to. “I’ve been camping before. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Len.”

“Really? You’ve been camping?” Len eyed me skeptically.

“Uh huh. My dad’s into it, and since I’m an only child, we did lots of those father-daughter bonding camp out things.”

Jessa smiled. “See, I told you she wasn’t prissy, Chase.”

“Oh yeah? Is that why you wouldn’t bet with me on it?”

Chase turned to Len. “Wait what? You were betting on whether she’d sleep in a tent?”

“Looks like I won.” The drummer smiled. “Nice tits and she can handle the outdoors. Nice choice, Chase.” Then he looked at me. “And that cancelled out the apology.”

“It’s fine. I’m just going to take it as a compliment.”

There was something so normal about hanging out at the festival. I didn’t feel out of place. I actually felt just as comfortable as I would have if I’d been at a frat event. I guess the old saying is true: it’s the people you’re with, not where you are that makes the difference. If someone had told me I’d have enjoyed standing around in an open field with thousands of people, I would have told them they were crazy, but I had a smile on my face the whole time.

We listened to more acts, and Chase took us over to the VIP tent to introduce us to some of the other bands. We were going to have enough Sleeping with the Band segments to span into the next semester. I had a drink and enjoyed every minute of watching Chase in his element. The fact that he was one of the bigger names was immediately obvious, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was more concerned with making sure my friends and I were part of the conversation.

Finally, it was time for Chance of a Lifetime to go on, so I hung back with my friends to watch. Chase came to life on stage. I hadn’t seen him perform live since the night I discovered who he was. But this venue was bigger—the crowd more excited, and the few months had helped launch the group further into the lime light.




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