Breaking Point

Chapter 46 // Jesse

[New York City, NY]

"Preston's up to some shit," I told Lewis.

Lewis stared at me, his expression a mingled concoction of incredulousness and concern. Over the past few nights since my Baltimore concert when Chantelle confided in me that he tried to kiss her, I've been voicing my worries to Lewis more often than he would prefer to listen to. After he suggested to have a private word with Preston, I put my foot down. I'd already done that on behalf of Chantelle and I prior to when he tried to kiss her.

As we were all moving into the hotel in Pittsburgh when I first found out about him trying to kiss her, I cornered Preston just outside his hotel room, asking to have a private word with him as other members of our tour entourage were around us. I dragged him off to the side before promptly punching him squarely in the jaw, though not hard enough to leave his face marred with a bruise.

"What the fuck was that for, Harris?" Preston muttered incredulously, rubbing his jaw and providing me with vast quantities of appeasement to see him in pain like that.

"Stay away from my fucking girlfriend," I demanded. "If you try anything again or say anything else to her, I'll get you personally kicked off this tour. Don't tempt me."

Preston straightened and stepped closer to me. Annoyingly, he was taller than me and a lot broader with bigger muscles. But I was holding my ground because like I explained to Chantelle once, guys had an animalistic nature when it came to protecting the ones they love. Guys were like that. Which meant that Preston was going to behave similarly if his feelings for Chantelle were sincere.

"But he's not done anything since you took matters into your own hands," Lewis pointed out, raising his eyebrows and amputating me from my memory where I'd decked Preston.

I'd confessed about punching him, and while Lewis didn't condone violence, he also didn't condone Preston's current behaviour. He thought him and Chantelle were friends and was bewildered to why he was jeopardising that with her.

"That doesn't mean he's not plotting something. You've seen the way she's been acting."

He sighed. "I know I have. She's more withdrawn than normal. I've tried asking if Ally or Claire to have a word with her, but it's not enough. She just won't tell them anything. Has she said anything to you?"

I shook my head. "Did she tell you about her job opportunity she got?"

He nodded, wordless. "If things were different I would have cleared my schedule to go with her. I told her that."

"I told her that too. But it's Preston putting that shit in her head. If it wasn't for him, I don't think it would be affecting her as much. Surely he can't be staying on this tour now that tonight's the last show in America? He's not coming with us to Japan, surely?" I persisted.