Picking Up the Pieces

It was around seven o’clock when we got back from the aquarium. We entered the empty bus hand in hand, but separated when Tony told me he had to shower, leaving me alone.

I decided to clean up my bunk a bit, since it was getting a bit cluttered. I put everything back in its appropriate place, be it a bag, my suitcase or on the bunk’s wall, which is made of velcro so I can hang stuff from it. I also plugged in my phone, which was close to dead, and made my bed so it didn’t look quite as messy.

Wow, Tony takes long showers for a guy. Oh well, I guess, whatever makes him smell good. I shrugged, figuring I still had a few minutes to goof around.

I was going to watch tv in the back lounge, but when I went to get the remote, I noticed that the bus had a printer. How had I not realized that? Ugh. Then I got an idea. I went back to my bunk to get my camera from my purse, then I took out the memory card and put it into the slot on the printer so I could print the pictures we had taken today. I printed two of each, so both me and Tony could have one.

“Whacha doin?” a voice suddenly said from behind me.

I squealed and jumped about ten feet in the air, but quickly regained my cool. “Just printing pictures,” I replied. I turned around to see a curly-haired Tony, who was wearing nothing but jeans and his trademark grin. I quickly turned back to the printer, blushing madly and hoping I didn’t drool.

He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and squeezed. I could practically feel his muscles pushing into my back. “Like what you see?” He whispered. His lips were brushing my ear, and I nearly moaned just from that. I gulped and nodded stiffly.

He detached himself from me and took a seat on the other side of the table that the printer was on, picking up one photo carefully. It was the one where we were both kissing each other in front of the big fish tank. He smiled warmly at it, and I couldn’t help but do the same.

“We’re cute,” he said, looking back up at me.

“I know,” I replied smugly, taking a seat next to him.

He put an arm around me and pulled me close to him, his wet hair tickling my neck. “What do you wanna do now?”

I shrugged and cuddled up to him. “Cuddle with you.”

I felt him twirl my hair in his fingers. “Sounds good, I’m sleepy,” he said, standing up and pulling me to his bunk. He laid down flat, then patted the spot next to him.

I climbed in and snuggled up to his side, with my head on his bare chest and my hand resting on his tattooed belly. He wrapped an arm around me and rubbed circles on my shoulder with his thumb, then kissed the top of my head lightly.

Within a matter of minutes, he was asleep, and I was getting close to dozing off myself, until I heard my phone ringing from inside my bunk.

Really? Now, of all times?

I groaned and carefully detached myself from him, making sure I didn’t wake him. He mumbled slightly in his sleep when he felt I was gone, making me giggle at him.

I walked begrudgingly to my bunk, where I picked up my phone and fell lazily onto my bed as I pressed the answer button. It was my dad.

“Hey there kiddo!” His happy voice said. “How’s tour?”

“Hi dad,” I replied. “Good, we’re in Minnesota right now, I just got back from the aquarium.”

I heard him laugh over the phone. “It’s like you’re five years old, Zoe. Make any friends?”

“Yeah, actually. The guys in this band are all very nice and brotherly, we get along great.”

“Really? Tell me about them.”

“You won’t believe who the guitar player is, dad.....