Recollection

The first concert didn't go over without a few issues, but the crowd still was very enthusiastic. Anna, Punk and I watched from the side of the stage. Punk stayed awake through the opening acts and to see the first song performed by the guys before losing to the sandman.

Anna took him back to the bus with no issues and I remained to see the rest of their set. The guys were very energetic out under those lights, feeding off the crowd. They wowed me into a stupor and it took Matty waving a hand in front of my face to bring me back to reality.

"Sorry!" I said embarrassed.

"Ashley mesmerize you that much?" he laughed.

I giggled before letting him know they all did. We had a short conversation about the guys and their fan base. Most were devoted to the band and some went way overboard in their devotion. He told me how some female fans were willing to literally do just about anything to get a pass onto the tour bus. He admitted while he pondered the idea, it wasn't up to him who was allowed on the bus or not. It was up to the guys and Jon.

I tucked that information into my memory bank for future reference.

By then, the boys had ended their first set and were heading offstage. Each was sweaty and still pumped up from the show, but each of them gave me a quick hug before we made our way back to the dressing room to wait to transfer to the bus.

Everyone sat and made small talk while we waited, mostly about the show. Once we got word that the bus had returned to the back entrance, we gathered up our stuff and slowly went in that direction.

As soon as the back door opened, we could hear the screams from the gathering crowd. I watched as the guys made their way over to fans for autographs and photos. I just kept going until I reached the bus and boarded.

I went and checked on Hunter in the back lounge as soon as the door closed behind me. He was sleeping peacefully so I took a seat on one of the padded benches and waited around for the guys to come aboard. When they did, they weren't alone. Female fans followed suit and were quite loud.

I wasn't impressed at all, so I made my way towards the front lounge. When I arrived, I saw red! Two fans bordered Ashley on each side and judging from the great big smile on his face, he sure was enjoying himself. The remaining fan sat cozy next to Jinxx.

"Really Ashley?" was all I said before turning away crestfallen. I wished what he said in his kitchen was true.

Ashley came back a few minutes later and took a seat next to me.

"Jealous much?" he asked.

"When it comes to you..definitely." No sense in lying to him.

"You honestly think they had a chance?"

He tried gathering me into his arms, but I pushed him away and got up from my seat.

"What the hell?"

"Yeah I did. I thought they had a great chance at jumping into bed and fucking you." my voice was raised.

"Autumn, I don't what happened to make you so damn insecure. But it's so hard to deal with." he yelled, getting up himself and leaving the lounge.

I slammed the door behind him as tears flooded down my face.

Hunter shifted in his bassinet so I checked on him, making sure he was alright. I took my seat again and sat in silence, crying and listening to the partying going on up front.

Ashley never returned to the room that night.

Notes