"Don't forget my tuner!" Lottie shouts from her bedroom as she packs while Riley's working on getting her guitars ready.

Riley hasn't been able to stop smiling since he got the news about the tour. A whole four month excursion with his best friend.

He gets her favorite acoustic and her only electric, a deep burgundy Gretsch hollow body guitar. She sold so many things to buy that guitar and she's been guarding it with her life.

"Careful with that!" She shouts from behind him. "That was three grand!"

He immediately stops what he's doing to look back at her with a fucking bewildered look. "!?"

"Remember that job I had working on Hoss' dad's farm?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot you did that. Kept you from me for a lotta days, especially in the summer."

"I worked my ass off, twelve hours days workin' with Hoss and I was able to get the money in a couple months." Lottie drops a bag next to the door. "That is my baby. Don't break it."

He takes in an over dramatic breath as he carefully lays it down in its case, latching the side latches with the same amount of caution just to mess with Lottie.

"Hey, we gotta get goin'!" He shouts from the front room when there's a quick honk outside. "Lot, let's go!"

"I'm comin'!" She yells back, picking up her bags.

She heads out to the small bus- it's more of an RV- and tosses her things in one of the four bunks. "You have everythin'?" Their manager Ryan shouts from the front.

"Shit, hold on!" Riley says then books it back to her house. He runs inside then back out in a split second carrying a huge plastic bag. "Sorry. All set now."

Ryan said something to the driver then they're off on their first ever tour.

+++

"Where're we goin' first?" Lottie asks, lifting her head from the back of the couch.

"Somewhere in Missouri," Ryan says. "St. Louis."

"I'm bored." Lottie huffs, looking over at the now empty spot next to her where Riley was sitting. She gets to her feet and makes her way to the bunks. "Riley."

No answer.

"Riley..." She whines, poking him in the side.

"What?" He groans back, turning on his other side away from her. He's been trying to take a nap to help subside the motion sickness that's starting.

"I'm bored."

"Take a nap." He grumbles, pressing his face against the pillow under his head.

"You still feelin' sick?" He groans and nods. "Lemme get you somethin'."

He's too stubborn to actually get it himself but Lottie is totally fine with taking care of him. She'd drop everything to take care of him.

She returns with a couple tablets of motion sickness medication and a water. "Here."

Riley sits up and takes the things from her. "Thanks, baby." She smiles and sits across from him on her own bunk. "So what do you wanna do?"

She bites her lip. "Wanna play cards?" She asks in a cute voice that Riley cannot say no to. "When you're feelin' better and all?" He smiles at her and nods. "Okay. I'll be settin' in the back." She presses a kiss to his forehead then walks away.

Riley watches her go, his entire body tingling.

He sits for a while, maybe half an hour, before he joins her, pulling the separating shade closed behind him.

"What're we playin'?"

"Uno?"

"Be prepared to lose, Lottie Cross." He lets out a slightly malicious laugh making her giggle and roll her eyes as she shuffles the cards.

"You're goin' down, Green."

+++

"I don't wanna play no more." Lottie playfully whines as she tosses her cards down.

"Tired of gettin' your ass kicked?" He teases back, licking his lips.

"Tired of lettin' you win." She yawns before flopping back against the couch. "How much longer 'fore were to St. Louis?"

"Should be there any minute." He responds, packing away the cards. He goes to their stuff to put the cards back and then grabs that plastic bag he almost forgot. "Lot."

"What?"

"Sit up, look."

"No."

"C'mon, sit up." He grabs her hands and pulls her back into a sitting position. "Here."

He drops the bag in her lap before sitting next to her. "What's this?"

"Open it!"

She pulls a rather large box out before tossing the plastic bag to the floor. Her smile falters when she reads the top of the box. "Ri..." She goes to say something else but nothing comes out. She keeps her eyes stuck to the name as she keeps her emotions in line.

"C'mon, open it." He rubs his hand across her back.

She glances at him then pops the lid, tears swelling in her eyes. He got her a new pair of boots. The boots she's had her eye on for years but hasn't been able to buy them since the ones on her feet are still wearable.

Wearable.

The damn things are hanging by their last leg, the shaft themselves split but held together by duct tape on the inside. There are huge holes in the heels and the tread is gone. She's had these boots since freshman year of high school and has been wearing them almost every day since.

"I- I can't-" She stutters off, shutting the box awkwardly.

"Yeah, you can and you will." He states, opening the box back up. "Think of it as an early birthday gift."

"Riley, I-"

"Just say thank you."

She looks up at him with tearful eyes. "Thank you." She wraps him in a tight hug, her nose in the crook of his shoulder and her hands gripping the back of his shirt. "That was incredibly thoughtful."

"Don't start cryin', Lot." He whispers back knowing that she's already there. He knows the girl like the back of his goddamn hand. Riley rubs her back then runs his hand over her hair. "C'mon now."

"Sorry." She sniffles, wiping her face.

"We're here!" Ryan shouts, tapping against the curtain. "Let's go!"

"Comin'." He says, standing. "See you in there." He kisses her temple then shoots her a wink before ducking his head as he exits the RV. Lottie takes a few seconds to compose herself before she heads into the venue.

+++

"I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Lottie mumbles, her hand resting on her belly. "Oh my god."

"It's just nerves." Riley says. "You're gonna do fine."

"What if I forget my words or- or-"

Riley drops his hands on her shoulders. "Take a deep breath, Lot." She nods, tears in her eyes as she does as she's told. "You're going to be fine."

"But-"

"Lottie! You're on!" Ryan shouts.

Riley wraps her in a hug, holding her close before gently nudging her toward the stage. "Knock 'em dead, Lottie Cross!"

As she's performing, her phone rings in Riley's pocket. Phones aren't allowed on stage so he's holding them and when he goes on she'll hold them. Morgan comes up on the screen and Riley feels himself get angry.

He can't help himself so he answers it. "What?"

"Uh, is Lottie there?" He says, somewhat shocked at the man's voice that fills his ear instead of Lottie's sweet one.

"No."

"Uh." Morgan clears his throat. "I guess I'll call her later? Thanks." He awkwardly says before hanging up.

Lottie's been on Morgan's mind since she left Big Loud and he misses her. He really doesn't have the right to miss her after what went down at that bar the other night and the way he left her but fuck. He needs her with him again.

"You look pissed."

Riley turns around and sees Lottie standing there, sweating like hell with a smile on her face. Riley pockets her phone then wraps her in another hug. "You feelin' any better?"

"Yeah." She lies, her grip tightening when he goes to pull away. She takes a deep breath in, the side of her face pressed against his chest.

He definitely keeps his arms around her, running his hand over her hair with his chin on the top of her head. He sees tears in her eyes when she pulls away.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She lies again and nods. "Shit, you're on!"

He looks her over. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Go- You're runnin' behind!" He looks her over again then heads to the stage.

Riley glances over his shoulder one more time at his best friend before he hits the stage.

This isn't like her.

If she's upset, she'll talk to him. She's not usually emotional except in the right context. She has so much on her mind that she feels lost but doesn't want to drag him into it.

Lottie sits on the ground against a case. She notices that the phone app is open and sees Morgan called her. Her heart starts battering around her ribcage and she calls him back.

"Hey." Morgan says when he picks up on the first ring. "Hi."

"You called?"

"I just- I just been thinkin' 'bout you and was wonderin' how you been."

"I'm fine." Her voice cracks. "What, uh, What about you?"

"Good." He nods. "I've been missin' you, Lottie."

She pulls the phone away from her ear as she takes a deep breath in.

Don't get sucked back into this, Lottie. It's always ended badly. Don't do this to yourself again.

"Thanks." Is all she can say but her heart aches at his voice.

Maybe she does miss him.

Her brain hurts with all the different thoughts and emotions rolling through it. She's gotta talk to someone about this.

"Hey, I gotta get goin' but I'll call you later." Before she can respond, he hangs up.

"This next one is one my best friend wrote." Lottie's too distracted by the thoughts rolling through her head to listen. She jumps when she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"Fuck! What?" She looks past Ryan at the eyes looking back at her. "What?"

"Riley's askin' for you!" She shoves the phones into Ryan's hands before rushing up to the stage to join her best friend on the duet she wrote.

"There's a worn-out track on a jukebox, an old Keith Whitley song. You spun me around that old dance floor all night long. And a rope burn on an old oak tree hangin' high over Miller Creek. Lord, I was scared to death but boy, you could talk me into anything. Yeah, you could..."

Lottie bites her lip as she looks at him.

She has too many things going on in her head.

She doesn't know what the fuck to feel anymore.

+++