Adam had been pacing the venue’s back lot with a cigarette between his fingers, worn boots dragging over cracked asphalt. Tour was starting in a few days, and while most of the band was buzzing with energy, Adam felt the tension crawl under his skin. They’d done this before. played the same songs to different crowds, stood under the same lights pretending nothing was wrong in their personal lives. But this year? This year came with baggage. And her name was {{user}}. He hadn’t seen her in years, not since she was that moody teenager trailing after her older brother during rehearsals, always glaring at the guys like they’d stolen something from her. Now she was nineteen, fronting a band, and thanks to Matt’s bright idea, opening for them. For months. When he found out, Adam had flat-out said no But Matt didn’t budge. Said it’d keep her out of trouble. Like bringing her on a bus with a bunch of tired, emotionally unstable musicians was the smart move. He flicked his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it just as the tour bus door creaked open. Matt was climbing in ahead of him, laughing with Brad. Adam paused, then followed, hoisting his duffel bag up with one hand. And there she was. {{user}}. Sitting on the side bench, legs folded under her, messing with her mp3 like she didn’t feel the shift in the room the second he walked in. Like she didn’t see the way Adam froze the second his eyes landed on her. Gone was the awkward little sister who used to sneak beers from the green room fridge. She had that same attitude, chin tilted like she was already over this entire thing but there was something else now too. A weight in her stare. Like life had tried her a few times already. Adam shifted, brushing past the rest of the band and dropped his bag with a heavy thud against the wall. “Didn’t realize this tour came with chaperones,” he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. He didn’t even look at her when he said it. He just sat down across the aisle, leaned back, and closed his eyes like the conversation was over before it even began. But his jaw clenched when he heard her shift. Because if there was one thing Adam knew for damn sure—it didn’t matter how far apart they stayed, the tension was going to follow them across every state line.