HATELOVE

9

In preparation for my first single dropping, I was flying to New York for a weekend in late May. I convinced Sadie to go with me. She'd completed that huge drone project and still had weeks until finals started. Most of her professors were waiving the final exam for graduating seniors anyway.

We flew to NY on Friday night, accompanied by my bodyguard. I wanted to go alone, but my manager insisted that I have protection.

A car was waiting for us at the airport and it took us directly to the hotel I liked to stay at in Brooklyn. Not surprisingly, there were fans waiting outside the entrance. I took pics with them while Sadie chatted with those who approached her.

I'd told my bodyguard to look out for her, since honestly I felt she was more at risk. We'd never encountered a crazy jealous fan when we were out, but I knew one could be out there, eager to say or do something to hurt her. I think most of my fans had accepted that we were serious and she was here to stay, but some continued to make nasty comments on social media. I'd blocked a lot of people in the last six months as a result.

After the fans dispersed, we went inside and got checked in. Sadie and I had a beautiful suite with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan. Since it was late, we decided to stay in for the night and to just order room service.

"This room is fabulous," she said as she stood at the window looking out at Manhattan. "I can see why you like staying here."

"I tend to stay in the same places a lot. You're not mad we're not staying in Times Square again, are you?"

"No! This is perfect. I love it."

I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on her head. "Get used to it, baby. We have a lifetime of trips like this ahead of us. I know you'll be working, but I plan on whisking you away for weekends like this one."

"Once I invent the device that will change Tony's life, I might take a year off to just follow you on all your rockstar adventures."

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Would you mind?"

I spun her around to face me. "I would love that. As soon as you get your dream job, get right on that invention so that you can tour with me the following year."

She laughed. "I doubt it will be that fast, if it happens at all. But we'll make sure we see each other frequently. You said you had lots of weeks off. Think of how fun they'll be. We'll be dying to see each other."

"Just thinking about it makes me want to get you in bed right now," I told her.

"I'm hungry. Can we eat first?"

I'd forgotten all about ordering room service. We took a seat on the couch and looked over the menu.

"I'm getting a burger and fries," I said.

"Hmmmm. It all sounds good. I think I'll just get the chicken caesar salad and a piece of the chocolate cake."

"Cake sounds great," I commented.

"Get your own piece. I'm not sharing!"

Sadie called in the order while I took a quick shower. The food arrived and we ate it at the small table in the living area of our suite.

After we ate, we went to bed. I wanted to try having sex in the hammock by the window, but Sadie said no. She said it wasn't worth the risk of having the whole thing crash to the floor. I knew I'd get her in it before we left on Sunday. I was damn good at persuading her to do things.

The next morning, Sadie went with me to do a bunch of interviews with various reporters. She didn't sit down with me as I was interviewed, but hung back it off to the side with my manager. I felt like I was saying the same things over and over. I talked about the single, how the album would come out over the summer, which festivals I was most excited about, and of course about Sadie.