Temptation(Petal 1) Chapter 9 - Cleaning and Vibrators

[itztigress3]

Chapter 9: Cleaning and Vibrators

POV:  Gabby

Word Count:3368

September 23, 2007

  We were in Connecticut, Hartford to be exact. The show was tomorrow but there was a hotel stay and I’d been tasked to clean the bus at some point today. I really wasn’t sure what they meant though, prior tours the bus was cleaned by someone else. I mean, I had to clean my own bunk but not anything else. I had woken up to the phone ringing in the hotel, which was odd because Maxwell, Abigail or the band would all call my cell phone. Being as I was awake I took a hot shower and found clean clothes. I then got my phone.

Uh..Ike..question..what exactly does “clean the bus” mean? Haven’t been given this task before…

Oh..it’s usual for our tours but not everyone does it. “clean” is deep clean. Everyone knew to clear their bunks so there shouldn’t be anything in them.

So…scrub it down?!

Well..not that clean! We do that at the very end as a group, but just make sure stuff is clean. The junk bunk can be ignored.

So just more than a quick run through but not quite scrubbing, gotcha.

I got a smiley face in return and then I went to the bus. The cleaning stuff was in a bay which I got first and then I went onto the bus. I figured, it would be easier to start in the rear of the bus. I cleaned the windows, seats, dusted everything. It was busy work that kept me from being bored at the hotel room. They’d been putting me alone and really I didn’t want to be alone, I would rather share with any one of them, Zac included, than be alone. I cleaned the seats and checked the crevices for candy wrappers or anything, clearing quite a few of them before I moved up. The bunks I planned last so the bathroom was next and you’d think that it would be epically gross with all the men on the bus, but they were shockingly pretty clean. So, it was just stocking and cleaning. I heard my phone ring and went to check, in case it was one of them but the number displayed on the screen I didn’t know. So, I let voicemail pick up. Cleaning out the fridge was horrible, apparently something turned into fuzz in the back. I finally got it cleared and my phone rang again, it was the same number that called earlier but again I let it go to voicemail.
There were 5 people that would call me or should have the number and they all have been added to the phone already.

“Gabby?” Taylor asked.

I nearly hit my head on the counter because I wasn’t expecting to hear any voices or anyone to be near me. Thankfully I didn’t hit the counter and I raised up, realizing Taylor was standing at the steps.

“Yeah?”

“We’re going up the street to Taco Bell, do you want anything?”

“Um, the taco pizza meal with a Pepsi?”

“Anything else?”

“No. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Zac was outside so they must be going together, I decided to take a break anyway and sat down at the table.  The number called again and I let it go to voicemail again, they weren’t leaving a message and I was sure by now they should know it was a wrong number. They were gone about thirty minutes before Taylor brought me a bag and a drink, but he and Zac headed inside. I was rather hoping one of them, yes, even Zac, would have stayed. But, I went ahead and ate.

I was about done when the number called again. I picked it up and looked at it, Maxwell had said not to answer any unknown numbers. So again, I let it go to voicemail and then I cleaned up the rest of the front area including the driver’s area. I was kind of timid on the bunks, the sheets were all cleaned last stop so they weren’t, or shouldn’t, be dirty. I knew my bunk was clean but I did use the vacuum to suck up the dust and debris that I couldn’t get any other way. I was pleased that beside random pieces of candy wrappers the bunks weren’t bad, I was actually afraid of Zac’s though.

Again, the phone rang and I checked but ignored it once again, I mean, how many times does someone have to call before they realize it’s the wrong number? All that was left was Zac’s bunk and his curtain was closed, which was kind of odd. He wouldn’t be there, he was inside and I knew that. I kneeled down in the floor and pulled the curtain back, then I just kind of stared at the pillow.

There was a box sitting against the pillow, it was white and purple and on the front was the picture of a butterfly vibrator. There was a note attached to the front lower part and I pulled it off.

Haven’t needed the ear plugs…I figured you needed something so I’d have a reason…

I left the box sitting right there as I cleaned up around the edges, more candy wrapped than anyone else on the bus and then I vacuumed, never moved or even touched the box. I hadn’t worried about how I was positioned and I was getting a cobweb from the back when I heard the camera click from a phone, who’s phone was not hard to guess.

“I figured you’d clean mine last.”

“Funny. Hope you kept the receipt for your little purchase, but then again you can’t return it anyway.”

“Now why I want to return it? I bought it for you. I really started to get the vibrating panties with the remote but I
was certain if you wore them you wouldn’t give me the remote. I felt safer with the little butterfly, that is what you recommended to your friend, right?”

I got up and dusted off my knees. “Yeah, but she actually uses them. I don’t.”

“Oh, I’m sure you have at some point and I’m almost more than certain that Taylor and I interrupted you last time. The little flushed color of your face, dead giveaway. Perhaps if you’d been using that you wouldn’t have been interrupted. Either way, it’s yours. I have no use for it.”

“Might feel pretty good to you.”

He laughed. “Doubtful.”

My phone rang again and I looked but just tossed it in my bunk, same number and they weren’t leaving messages, so who cared who it was. If they couldn’t just leave me a message then why should I bother?

I bent down to get the box, intentionally away from him and picked the box up.

“I find it ironic that you leave me a toy when I have my own private room. You did remember the batteries right?”

“There inside the box. Are you about done?”

“Just need to run the vacuum across the floor, can’t do that with you standing on it.”

I tossed the box into my bunk, and he went and sat down in the driver’s seat so I could. Once the floor had been vacuumed I cleaned out the bag, and put it and the other cleaning items back where they were kept. He took the bag of trash to the dumpster, shocked me.  My last thing was refilling the coolers inside with drinks and the cabinets with snacks. I was headed off the bus when he stopped me.

“You’re forgetting your present.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Still, do you really want someone else to walk onto the bus and see it?”

“Wouldn’t bother me.”

He picked it up and handed it to me. “Humor me.”

He wanted me to humor him? I didn’t want to argue so I just covered it with a shirt and we headed inside. He probably just wanted to think about it being used really, sorry for him. My phone rang again and it was the same number, and since they’d called multiple times I went ahead and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Gabriella?”

I stopped right where I was in the lobby and Zac ran all over me. Apparently he wasn’t watching to see that I wasn’t actually moving. The phone fell out of my hand and hit the floor, breaking into three pieces and the screen just shattered. I just stood there utterly confused and lost, of all the things to drop? I was positive there was no fixing that phone.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, my phone however is not.”

He got the pieces and looked at them, clearly coming to the same conclusion that there was no way to me or him to repair the phone.

“It’s fine, I’ll take you to the right phone company. I’ll even tell them it my fault, they should replace it.”

“The phone wasn’t in my name and they’re not going to let me do anything with the account.”

“Whose name was is in?”

“Maxwell’s, he added me to his plan.”

“Not a problem. Let’s drop your gift off first and we’ll go.”

I really didn’t want to be with him right now, I didn’t need him to take me anywhere.

“It’s fine. I’ll call him and see what I can do, I may not be able to do anything. I don’t need you to go with me.”

I got the broken pieces from him and went to my room. I dropped the shirt and the box onto the bed and sat down, sighing. Another failed item in my life, I wasn’t even capable of taking care of a simple cell phone. I had no idea how much he paid for the phone but Abby’s excitement meant probably a lot. I finally mustered up the courage and called him.

“Hello?”

“Maxwell? It’s Gabby.”

“Hey, why didn’t you use your phone to call me?”

“Because Zac ran all over me and I dropped it. It’s in like three pieces on the bed, he offered to go to the store but it’s in your name.”

“I added your name Gabby, you just need to go to the store. I got coverage on yours too, so they should just give
you another phone. It’s okay.”

“You um..didn’t give anyone the number did you? Besides Abigail?”

“Just Taylor, I presume that you added Zac, Isaac and the other members of the band that would need you.”

“Yeah. Okay, just checking. I guess I find the local phone company and see about a new phone.”

“It’s okay, take the old one and explain. If you have problems have them call me.”

“I will.”

I hung-up and checked the phone book but the closest store was almost twenty miles away. It was still fairly early, so I walked to the front desk and got the directions. What else did I have to do today? Zac would know why I wasn’t answering and I was sure Ike or Tay would call him if they couldn’t reach me.

I was hoping the long ass walk would help me, it couldn’t have been Simon that called me. He had been very adamant in March as he threw me out that he wanted nothing else to do with me. I could still remember the names he called me. Surely, I’d just misheard the voice on the phone. The walk seemed to both make me riled up and ready to cry and then calmed me down. I lucked out the person there completely understood and Maxwell had great coverage on the phone. However, they didn’t have the Iphone 2G, all they had was a 3GS which was the newest model available. So, they did have to call Maxwell to get approval on the upgrade.

I was really shocked that they were able to save and transfer the pictures, ringtones, and contact information from the old phone. Apparently the storage part wasn’t messed up, technology both amazed and scared me. I was walking out of the store when the phone rang and Isaac’s name and picture came up. So, I answered it.

“Gabby? Jesus I’ve been looking for you.”

“Sorry, Zac kind of ran all over me and I dropped my phone. Broke it. I had to come find a store and get another one. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, we were gathering people for dinner and I couldn’t reach you, I guess if I had called Zac he would have told me, but I didn’t think he’d seen you today. I was beginning to really worry, I knew you were alone on the bus and I checked and you weren’t there. Um, where are you actually?”

“I’m leaving Verizon. But, it took me two hours to get here.”

“Where the hell did you go?”

“It’s in town, just I walked and it was like 20 miles.”

“Gabby…”

“I didn’t want a ride Isaac.”

“Where are you exactly? I want the street address.”

I gave him the address and the directions they had given me from the desk.

“Do not leave the store.”

He then hung-up and that tone was strict so I sat down on the bench outside. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the tone of voice really. He pulled up twenty minutes later alone in the car and I didn’t need me to be told, I got up and got in.

“I’m sorry I just…”

“It’s not safe for you to just walk that far, you could have come and told me you needed to come here. Hell, Zac could have gotten off his ass and brought you himself.”

“He offered and I told him I didn’t need his help.”

“You should have come to one of us.”

I didn’t say anything and the drive back was quick, but it was clear he was mad. He was acting tour manager and I didn’t know how he dealt with problems or anything. He parked near the bus and I just sat here, didn’t have a clue what to expect.

“Why are you shaking?”

“I don’t….”

“Gabriella look at me.”

I turned to look at him, sure he looked mad.

“Maxwell told Taylor and I that some of your previous tour managers were physically abusive when it came to things like this. I’m not going to hit you or anything like that. I don’t believe in that. It’s just twenty miles is a long way and you’re not familiar with the area. If you had gotten lost you couldn’t call us and worse, if something really happened I wouldn’t know about it for hours if at all. You know Carrick or Austin would have gone with you.”

I had no idea what to say to that, he would have been the first person to ever even mention if something occurred he wouldn’t know. There was no way Simon would have bothered to know and the previous bands crew members were replaceable, I’d seen it multiple times.

“It really is okay Gabby. I’m upset but not because you did something wrong. Just I got super worried when you didn’t reply and maybe a little sexist but I know you’re not one of the guys. I just got worried and maybe I sounded harsher than I wanted to be.”

“No. You’re right. I wouldn’t have had any way to contact anyone at least not until they replaced the phone.”

“It’s okay. But let’s just in the future if it’s more than a few miles we just take a cab or ask someone to go with us. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Let’s gather everyone and see if they want dinner.”

We got out and went inside. “I’m going to go change right quick.”

“Ok.”

I went to my room and got clean clothes, the ones I had on were dirty and the walk hadn’t helped. The phone rang and I looked at the number, it wasn’t in the phone and it looked like the one from earlier.

“Hello?”

“Gabriella?” he asked.

“How did you get this number?”

It was Simon.

“Itinerary for a show, listed you as the roadie with a number. You didn’t stay idle long but Hanson? Really? You know that’s not your style.”

“Yeah, it’s what Maxwell wanted, something not my style. What do you want Simon?”

“Another chance? I love you Gabriella. I just want for us to be able to talk and be together.”

“You don’t love me. You made that clear in March.”

“Yes, I do. I just didn’t know how much until you weren’t here.”

A text came in from Ike, telling me 5 minutes. “I..”

“I know you love me Gabriella, you should come home. We have a new tour now.”

“I can’t, I signed a contract this time and I can’t…”

“Funny your paychecks aren’t going into my account.”

“They shouldn’t be. I have to go.”

I hung-up and got my wallet and met them downstairs.

“Heard you had a long walk today.” Taylor said.

“Yeah, 19 miles or something. But I got a phone now.”

“Well, that’s good.”

I figured with so many people Zac wouldn’t get to sit anywhere near me, fuck he sat right beside me. The chosen spot was Chinese and once ordered everyone just talked, sometimes I had a clue like with sound check problems, large crowds and even bus issues. But political talk or anything world news was above my head. I was preoccupied anyway. As soon as we arrived a text came in, it was Simon. Asking if I was okay. When I didn’t reply he sent another one and eventually after 5 I had turned the volume down, because really it was driving me insane. Dinner for the most part went well most of us rode the elevator up to floors, mine was on the third and apparently Zac was too. Everyone else got off on the second floor.

“How did we get a floor up?”

“We were supposed to share a room and Taylor split us, only available rooms were on the third floor.”

“Guess that makes sense.”

“I was rather hoping he wouldn’t.”

“Why? So you can be a creeper and watch me sleep?”

I saw his tongue dart across his lips. “Wouldn’t be watching you sleep.”

The doors opened and I stepped off, knowing he’d follow, thankfully his room was before mine and I paused at the door.

“Private rooms fine with me, I can sleep in whatever I want, including nothing. Sleep well Zac.”

I went into the room and closed the door. When I checked the phone there were 25 messages and they just got more demanding as they went.

Simon – I said no. You claim to love me and yet your basically telling me what I will or will not do? No. The answer is NO.

I fell across the bed and the box fell against my leg. An idea occurred and I wasn’t sure if I could really do it. I got my suitcase and dug through it for something I wouldn’t mind him seeing, the pair he’d already seen won and they were dark enough that water would show very well. I checked the time and waited a bit. I then carefully wet a part of the cotton and sat down on the bed. A single picture is all I took and then I toyed with the idea. It would be wrong, but at the same time it could be quite fun to see how he reacts to me tomorrow.

I went to his name and hit message, added the picture and wondered what kind of message to include.

I told you…I don’t need them…

I considered it before I pressed send, I might regret it tomorrow but at least I wasn’t letting him just get away with shit. I pressed send and then I got ready for bed. I didn’t expect a return but I got one an hour later.

Mmmm and you tell me it’s not what you want. Are you sure about that Gabriella?

I was sure of it, maybe. I didn’t reply and instead I went to sleep. Yet, Simon sent a message hours after I’d fallen asleep, waking me up. Same shit, different wording.




**Incase you want to know what he bought her...**