Sacred The Thread // Greta Van Fleet

Day two of having my kid in town and I'm called into work. I'd planned to take some time off, at least during this first visit, but Javier called off sick as a dog. Some kind of food poisoning. So here I am, making sure my team is on point and covering every angle. I took The Kid's post instead of shifting people around. He was slated to work stage side on Citizen One duty. We have specified details for each performer and The Kid's assignment was Ryan fucking Christiansen.

I am a professional, so I stuff the image of Ryan leering at Colleen's tits as far down as I can. It doesn't help that I'm picturing shoving it down his throat. At least it puts a smile on my face. I'll count that as a win, for now.

C1 wraps up their set and barrels off stage in a rush. Alex and Seth shoulder punch me as they pass. Jace is business as usual, meaning he avoids eye-contact. He has ever since Curt made his thinly veiled threats at their last court date. He hasn't been the same since. I should really pull him aside and have a chat, reassure him that we've got his back.

I'm concerned about Jace but not so caught up in my worries about him that I miss Ryan's approach. Unlike the others who clearly had places to go, he saunters his way toward me like a guy with all the time in the world, dripping sweat post performance. The smirk on his face tightens my jaw. He wipes his hands on his dark jeans before pulling his charcoal t-shirt away from his body to allow some cool air to hit his skin. If I was a chick, I have no doubt he'd pull the thing completely off just to show his abs but since I'm a guy he keeps it on. I look away regardless.

"You look like a man with an ax to grind," Ryan spins the cord to his earpiece. "And I bet you'd like to grind it right between my eyes."

I remain unaffected as possible when I speak. "Just doing my job."

Ryan nods, eyebrows raised. "Interesting. So," long, drawn out pause. "You're not hot for the nanny?"

I grind my teeth at the intrusive, violent thoughts running through my head. "Not the nanny. Colleen is my neighbor."

"She's here with your kid. Sounds like a nanny. I've read some smutty books about single dads and nannies."

"What the fuck?" I glare at Ryan. What the hell is his deal? He's fucking baiting me. Did he lose a bet or something?

Clarity dawns on me. "Oh." Fuck me. "You lost at Crazy Eights, didn't you?"

Ryan laughs. "Took you long enough. We played the dare version yesterday. I had to hit on Colleen to get a rise out of you. This," he gestures between the two of us, "is just a bonus."

"So, you weren't trying to get in her pants?" Fuck. The look on Ryan's face when I ask reminds me why I keep my mouth shut in real life. None of this had added up when I thought about it. Ryan isn't a bad guy. He doesn't nail everything in a skirt, usually. In the early days of C1, maybe. But not in a while.

"Forget I asked." I run a hand over my face, attempting to pull my shit together.

"Not likely. But I will give you a word of advice."

I look at him, reluctantly. Morbid curiosity, I guess. I really shouldn't listen to a word this guy says. He's nothing like me. But, I'm on a losing streak lately with following my own good advice, why change course now?

"Shoot," I say, giving him an opening to bestow upon me his sage wisdom.

"Exactly, my man." Ryan leans in closer. "Shoot.Your.Shot. Life's too short to wait. I watched you lean into her in the doorway. That is a move, my man. Put your words where your heart is and live a little." He punches my shoulder the way his bandmates did before walking away.

***

I walk the hallway to my hotel room wishing it wasn't so late. I spent the morning with Katie before I had to report to the venue, and I was hoping to see her before she went to bed. Colleen tagged along while we explored the city, stopping at a dollhouse museum and shopping for souvenirs. We had street tacos for lunch and grabbed ice cream on our way back. It was a fun day as tired as we were from being out late last night at Brianna's show. And then I had to do it all over again as The Kid's replacement. I'm wiped out from the full day.

I pause outside of Katie's door, right next to mine. I know she's fast asleep—at least she should be—but I also know Colleen is in there with her. The urge to knock is strong after Ryan's little chat, which did put all kinds of ideas in my head, but I bite it back and keep walking.

I made sure to keep a bubble between Colleen and I all day. The woman was already too damn tempting. I've been doing mental gymnastics to keep from going there with her. But after being told to shoot my shot, I'm getting weaker by the minute. Ryan doesn't understand everything at stake here. It's more complicated than he knows. I just need to get through the next fifteen or so hours before she'll jump on a plane and I'll be able to breathe again.

I open the door to my room and pause immediately upon entering. The connecting door to Colleen and Katie's room is open and a soft light shines near my window. Colleen looks up at me from her spot curled up on a chair, open book in her lap and hair twisted to the side in a braid. She's wearing soft blue cotton pants and a matching t-shirt, all undone for the night. And undoing me as I take her in. The peaceful scene I'm facing hits me right in the chest.

"Sorry. I didn't want to wake Katie, but I wasn't tired yet. I came in here to read for a bit." Colleen uncurls her legs and starts to rise. "I'll go back over."

"No, you don't have to go." The words are out of my mouth before my brain registers what they are. Fuck. I watch to gage her reaction, the air trapped in my lungs as I do. Colleen looks at me. Quiet surprise is the look I'm reading. Giving her the opening to stay is not the move I should be making. What I should be doing is backing away instead of pulling her in. I've been a standoffish asshole with her this entire trip, my feeble attempt to hold the line. She's one of my best friends, of course she's noticed I'm keeping her at arms-length. I close my eyes, running a hand down my face.

I'm fucking this up.

"Clinton," her voice is barely a whisper. "I don't think you want me in here."

"Fuck." Again, I haven't tamed my mouth. I take the five steps or so over to her, kneeling in front of her where her bare feet are on the carpet ready to run and hide. I grab the arms of the chair on either side of her, careful not to touch her. I don't think she'd want me to at this point.

"I'm sorry. I've been..." I look away, trying to figure out how to say this without digging the hole deeper.

"A grouch?"

I grumble, shaking my head. "Yeah, that's a good way to put it."

"Did I do something?" Her question is so quiet I look up to confirm she even asked it. And by the look on her face, yeah, she did.

"Shit." I reach up and wipe the tear trickling down her cheek. "No. Not even a little bit. This isn't about you."

Well, it is. It's absolutely, 100% about Colleen but I'm not telling her anything about why I've been torn up. But I do tell her all of the effects she's had on me.

"I haven't been sleeping well." True. "My stress level on this tour is off the charts." Also, true. "But I needed my girl here." The biggest truth I've told so far. And if I really dig deep, I'm not only talking about Katie. "I'm sorry I've been a mess."

"God, I've missed you," she says, emotion heavy in her voice.

"Yeah, this tour has been tough." I nod, running a hand down my beard.

"I wasn't talking about the tour, Clint." Colleen's gaze softens as we look at each other. My hand finds a spot to rest against her arm. The skin to skin contact is warm. I should drag my hand away, but I don't. Instead, I take a deep breath, reveling in the sensation of her against me.

"You've pulled away and I can't help but feel like something's wrong," she says, looking away. "I hate that we can't talk anymore. I'm guarding my words with you, now."

"You don't have to guard your words."

"Yes, I do." Her eyes close. "I know what will happen if I say what I'm feeling."

My heart picks up about ten beats a second at her words. My mouth goes dry and every part of me is vibrating with need. I can't even swallow it down the way I normally do.

"What would happen." My voice is rough as I ask the question. I'm not sure I want to know, but I need to. The need to understand her is vital. I'm so far past survival mode with this girl I can't even see it anymore. Survival mode was living next door to her for a year, ignoring the attraction. I'm in self-deprecation mode now, touching her but not having her. Being near her but not with her. Needing her but never giving in.

I'm killing myself slowly.

"Everything I have in you would be lost," she says.

I drop my head back. Eyes closed at the torturous thought. "I didn't know how much I fucking needed your friendship. I'm twisted up because you're not right there after work, telling me all about some character you're working on, reading me a paragraph from your latest manuscript to get my opinion, complaining about remote work and how isolating it is."

"Hey, remote work is isolating." The teasing in her tone finally draws my eyes back to hers. The brightness in her eyes brings a smile to my face, so fucking needed after the heaviness of this conversation.

I stand up, pulling Colleen with me, and throw my arms around her.

"I don't understand how to handle what's happening, but whatever it is, I can't lose your friendship."

Colleen presses her face against my chest, nodding as her arms snake around my back to pull me closer. Goddamn I could get used to this feeling.

"Can we...keep talking when I go home? I've missed it so much. It's lonely with all of you on tour."

Damn, it hurts to hear that. I've let her down when she needed me because I've been in my own head.

"Every day. Do you want a wake-up text, too?"

Colleen laughs. "If only."

I laugh, too, not fully understanding what's so funny. "It's not a big deal to text good morning."

"Right."

That seals it. I'm texting her every morning, just because she doesn't think I will. And I realize the line is now fuzzy as hell, but I hated the eggshells we were walking on. This has to be better. This has to fix what I fucked up.

I'm sure it will.

EEK!! It's only getting hotter from here... and see? Ryan didn't deserve to get knocked out.

I have a question for you: is the lack of location naming bothering anyone? I purposely didn't name cities on this tour for a whole bunch of reasons. But I'm wondering if readers would prefer to be grounded in reality by having a specified location. I'd love your feedback!!

Also, here is another GVF song I really like. Thought the mood was a good fit for this chapter ❤️

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Thank you so much for reading and loving my little universe!!