That Blue Gibson

CH 98

Sleep had evaded him completely and though he had tried to get comfortable, his tossing and turning finally irritated Liz enough that she rolled to the other side of the bed in an exhausted huff. Trying to be as quiet as he could while still under the effects of Crown Royale, he threw on a clean shirt and shorts and slipped out of the bus. 

The night kept replaying in his mind, over and over as he analyzed every second and wondered if maybe he was reading too far into things. 

"David!"

His head snapped up at Liz's mother's greeting and awkwardly accepted her hug as Josh, Jack Black and Kyle Gass hightailed it to the bar to avoid interrupting their conversation. 'Thanks, guys,' he thought bitterly and offered Nancy Josh's vacated chair. 

She glanced at it briefly and shook her head. "Oh no, dear. How about a drink?"

"Sure," he said quickly and led her to the bar, worried he might not have any alcohol she'd like. She wore a pink cardigan, pearls, dark jeans and ballet flats, more the picture of a woman asking for a white wine spritzer than shots of jaeger. 

But, she was Liz's mother after all, and she examined the back bar with a shrewd eye before asking for the entire bottle of Crown Royal. "Cheers," she murmured with a smile, tapping her shot glass against his and downing it before immediately pouring more. "So tell me, David. Why are you dating my daughter?"

He neared Taylor and Allison's bus, then stopped short when he heard the faint rhythmic creak of the suspension and rolled his eyes.

"Worse than rabbits," he grumbled and weighed his options. Nate, Pat, and Chris were most likely asleep, Rami's bus was probably getting its alignment blown out as well, leaving him with Josh. 

He stumbled along, swearing at the uneven ground and three buses over, he knocked loudly on Josh's door. There was some crashing and swearing before the door swung open and he was greeted with a platinum grin. "Dr. G..."

A bottle of tequila, an open journal, a laptop, and a guitar lay around the table where Josh resumed his place and watched his friend expectantly. 

"You writing already?" Dave asked, flopping onto the couch across from him.

"Just getting some shit out of my head," he explained and reclined back in the booth. "Missing my girl, I guess."

"Yeah...," Dave sat back on the leather couch and raked his hand through his hair. The whiskey Liz's mom had fed him was still coursing through his veins but was manageable now.

Josh studied him for a moment before grabbing the bottle of tequila and offering it to him. "What's on your mind, dude? You're a fucking wreck."

Any reservations he had about spilling everything to Josh instantly dissipated and he gladly took the bottle. "Her parents are fucking amazing," he groaned. "Her dad... fuck, dude! I would have killed for a dad like that growing up. And her mom-"

"Her mom's hot!" Josh barked a laugh. "And you know all women grow up to be their mother, you lucky son of a bitch. You're gonna be 80 with a Helen Mirren in your bed."

A pang of fear crashed into Dave's chest, the same one he had felt at the bar with Nancy just hours earlier. "I don't know, man..." he felt himself crumble under the weight, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop the flood of tears that hovered below the surface. "I just... I don't think she wants that."

"Liz or her mom?"

"Liz," his voice broke at her name and he angrily scrubbed away the tears. "Every time we reach a... a..."