Like A Villan

Chapter 1-Noah

God, I'm so tired of life on the road. I mean, don't get me wrong, I genuinely love what I do. But I miss home. When we first started this journey, the guys and I had no idea how things would blow up. We just enjoyed making music and sharing it with anyone who dared to listen.

Now-I'm not saying it was crazy out the gate. It's quite the contrary. We had to pay our dues just like any other band. The problem with constantly being on the road is also being constantly away from her. Not that she knows how I feel about her, not really anyway.

Leah and I met in high school. Instant friendship. We bonded over our mutual love of reading and music, often combining the two. She was a big part of the band's start and a huge supporter. Hell, she'd probably even be on the road with us if not for her responsibilities back home.

"Hey man we got to get on the road if we want to make the next show in time," Folio says gently punching my shoulder and snapping me out of my thoughts. He is our drummer and my best friend. All the guys are really, but Folio and I are the closest. "Nicholas and Jolly are already on the bus waiting." He says.

I grab my water and follow him out the door. Per usual, a few fans are hanging near the bus, hoping to catch an autograph or selfie with us. "Noah! Folio! Amazing show tonight guys!" I head over and shake his hand as everyone around him chimes in with their praise. "Any way we could get an autograph and photo? It would mean the world to us, man." He says. "Sure thing. How long have you guys been outside? It's freezing out here." I say as I sign the shirt he got from our merch booth. Interestingly enough-it's the design Leah helped create and of course a favorite of mine. "Just a few hours but totally worth it! We absolutely love you guys! This is our 4th show on this tour." He says with a huge smile. I hand him his shirt back and lean in for a selfie together throwing up a peace sign. After signing a few more and snapping some photos we head to the bus.

Once on and settled down for the long drive ahead we set out. Folio is like me. It takes a while after a set to come down from the high. Jolly is already in his bunk and out for the night. Nicholas is strumming silently on his guitar, working on some of the new stuff we've been tinkering with in our downtime on the road. We'll be able to tweak it once we get back home to our studio.

"Your missing home again aren't you?" Folio asks taking a swing of his water. What he doesn't say is 'who' or 'why' even though he knows. All the guys have tried to get me to confess my feelings to Leah. Being with each other sometimes 24/7 makes it hard to keep anything secret. Not that I want it to be a secret. There's just the fear of ruining what we have if it doesn't work out. What if she doesn't feel the same? Or if she does but it doesn't work out. It would crush me to lose her. So I keep it platonic.

"Yeah, man. I'm just tired and ready for this break. I think I'm gonna knock out. Breakfast in the morning? The usual?" We're heading to the final show in one of our favorite cities with one of our favorite breakfast spots. We never miss a chance to grab some grub there when we're in town. "You know it.. I'm sure you'll wake up first so just have a cup of coffee ready for me and we'll head out ASAP."

I head back to the main bed. Me and the guys take turns between shows since the bed is bigger and it's mine tonight. Once inside I strip down to my boxers, tossing my clothes in the hamper. Jolly gets pissed if we don't keep the bus tidy. Too tired to shower, I make a mental note to change the sheets tomorrow. Lying down, I take out my phone and pull up Leah's social media. She posted a pic with Mya, her tabby cat. Man, I even miss that fur ball too. Scrolling on, I notice a picture with some guy I don't recognize. Immediately my heart sinks. Did she find someone while we were gone? We talk on the phone fairly regularly, but she hasn't mentioned anyone. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. Even so, I have no right to whom she dates. Especially since I've decided to keep my feelings unknown. Sighing, I lock my phone and plug it up, setting an alarm for 8 am. It's 2 am now so at least I can get a few hours in. Hopefully, my dreams will stay Leah-free tonight. I doubt it since the last thing I did was stalk her page. Guess I'm a gluten for punishment.