Author's Note: Sorry for the incredibly long gap in between the last chapter and this one. I've experienced some significant writer's block lately and work has been kind of full on.
Anyway, here is Chapter Five, hopefully you won't have to wait so long for Chapter Six (it's written, but won't be posted until I finish Chapter Seven). As always would love to hear any thoughts you have. Enjoy!
Chapter Five
RAYNA
It hadn't been a long stay in Nashville, but after the drama and revelations that had unfurled she was more than ready to get the hell out of Nashville and get back on the road. She was also somewhat excited at the prospect of actually getting to spend some time with Deacon.
This was until Juliette managed to use her insistence of reworking her set list to monopolize almost all of Deacon's time. She had her entire band working tirelessly to learn several newer songs that she wanted to include and was constantly switching in and out the old and the new. She was twenty minutes late to sound check, over running by a further fifteen, meaning by the time Rayna was able to do her sound check, she'd barely walked off stage before they opened front of house.
She was closing the first show back and between hair, make-up and costume, there was just no time to spend with Deacon. After sound check, he had to get ready to go on, and she had to be in hair and make-up. Then he was on stage, then she was on stage. They had some interaction when they closed the show with Wrong Song but it was hardly quality time. It had been staged flirting, for an audience, much to Juliette's distaste.
Juliette had been almost unbearable ever since Rayna had had to cancel the last show in New York. Rayna knew that Deacon and Dante had had a disagreement over Dante, frankly way overstepping the mark, and she knew Juliette would not have taken Deacon's trip to Nashville well – even though he didn't actually miss any shows. Juliette seemed to have taken all of this as personal attack on her, and by the time Rayna walked off stage the first night back, she was exhausted and all she wanted to do was fall into bed, with or without Deacon (at this point it no longer mattered), and fall asleep. However, it appeared she was in no such luck.
"Great show Ray, really great. You've just got time to change, but you need to be at the after party, the press are desperate to talk to you." Bucky told her walking quickly beside her.
"What? Bucky, no. I'm not going to the after party tonight, I've only just got back, I'm exhausted." Rayna whined.
"Exactly, you missed the last one, so you need to give them something. They're probably just gonna want to know how your father is and what it's like touring with Juliette. You won't have to stay long." Bucky cajoled her, and she sighed deeply, relenting.
Rayna knew she would need to comment on her father's visit to hospital after it took her away from the tour, papers loved family drama, almost as much as they loved cat fights. Whilst she was certain Juliette was capable of a cat fight, she was not interested in inventing one for the press.
She breezed into her dressing room, and shut the door behind her, before she saw his reflection in the mirror. She turned around. Deacon had been standing right behind her door.
"Hey Ray." He said grinning.
"Deacon, what are you…how did you get here before me?" She smiled a little, and moved towards him.
"I'm a fast walker." He stepped forward and she felt her body relax a little as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Ugh, I'm so tired. But Bucky says I've got to do press at the after party. You coming to that?" She asked, looking up at him.
"I wasn't going to, but I can be there if you want me to?" She appreciated the offer, but knew that getting any quality time with him at the after party would be impossible, without having the press notice. Even if they were just seen looking half friendly, the press would jump on it after the article that followed her break up from Teddy.
"No, I have a better idea. Why don't you take my spare room key, and I will join you back at the hotel as soon as I'm done with the press. It shouldn't take too long." She smiled seductively, walked over to her purse and fished out a key card.
DEACON
The day had been exhausting, and he was more than ready to curl up in bed, preferably next to Rayna and just sleep. He had barely been able to see her, let alone speak to her all day whilst Juliette stormed around making ridiculous demands like some kind of power drunk toddler. He'd hoped to see her before sound check, but he'd had to go over the revised set list with the band. Then he'd hoped to see her after sound check, but Juliette had over run so much that once Rayna's sound check had finished, neither of them had time to talk as he had to get ready to go on stage and Rayna had to be in hair and makeup ahead of the show.
He knew there was a good chance she'd have to put in an appearance for the press after the show, but he wasn't prepared to wait any longer to see her. As soon as he could leave the stage, he weaved quickly through the band members, stage crew, sound guys and whoever else and made it to Rayna's dressing room about thirty seconds before she appeared. He couldn't help but smile when she walked into the room. She looked beautiful, all loose curls, rhinestones and heels. He loved the energy she had on stage, it was infectious and made everyone around her better. She'd always seemed most alive on stage, she'd always shined so brightly, even before all the glamour of make-up artists and stylists.
He was grateful that she'd sent him back to the hotel. Whilst he would have absolutely gone to the after party if she had asked, he was much happier going back to the hotel and waiting for her there. After parties weren't often his scene. Particularly after parties with Juliette Barnes and all of her entourage. He didn't begrudge any of them having fun, it just wasn't something that interested him anymore. He used to enjoy them when they were starting out, as openers or doing smaller venues. Rayna had enjoyed them too, getting her name out there, making useful contacts, but after a while, it became tiresome. He only went to drink and Rayna only went to keep an eye on him. After a while she'd stopped doing that. But now, it didn't matter, that was ancient history, he wasn't going to the after party and he definitely wasn't going to drink.
He stepped off the elevator onto the top floor and followed the signs to Penthouse 1. The room was exactly as lavish and luxurious as he had expected it to be. It was a far cry from the rooms they had stayed in when they were coming up. He remembered a number of nights when they'd been lucky enough to stop somewhere long enough to stay in a hotel, where they'd be given the most basic rooms, just a bed and a bathroom, more often than not. As Rayna's popularity grew, along with the venues, the hotels gradually became nicer, more comfortable and the rooms larger. This room was definitely one of the larger rooms she'd stayed in, it was much bigger than his room down on the sixth floor. His room was nice, it was a nice hotel, but this room was amazing. There was a ceiling to floor window that looked out over a glittering city skyline. A chaise lounge, flanked by two arm chairs around a wooden coffee table. Down a small hallway was a bathroom with a claw foot tub, a walk-in shower and two wash basins.
Further a long was the bedroom and Deacon sighed in longing when he saw the bed. It was a super king size bed, covered in too many pillows and a soft cream comforter. Deacon was exhausted and he knew if he didn't do something to keep himself awake, he'd be in a deep sleep long before Rayna arrived back at the hotel.
He decided that having a shower was probably a sure bet in terms of staying awake. Standing under the hot spray felt good and he was beginning to feel more awake as the suds ran down from his shoulders to his feet as he washed away what had been a very long day. He stayed in the shower for quite some time, enjoying the warm water surrounding him, the pressure of the spray so strong on his shoulders, he imagined it working out the knots that had formed throughout the day. He finally decided to vacate the shower, when he noticed his fingers has become all wrinkled and prune like.
RAYNA
The press had taken longer than she had expected. They were like rabid dogs with their questioning, yet all asking the same questions, with little variation in wording.
"Ms Jaymes, can you tell us about your father's health?"
"Ms Jaymes, what has it been like touring with Juliette Barnes?"
"Isn't it true, Ms Jaymes, that Deacon Claybourne left your band to join Ms Barnes' band?"
"How does it feel, being on tour with Mr Claybourne in someone else's band?"
The questions about her father were straight forward enough.
"My father was hospitalized earlier this week, he's now at home, recovering. He's gonna be just fine." She smiled widely as she finished her well-rehearsed answer. The questions about touring with Juliette were also simple.
"I love Juliette. She's an amazing artist and a good friend. We're having a wonderful time." It wasn't strictly true, but it was the story she had stuck to.
The questions about Deacon, she could answer, but they required a more cautious answer. She knew the press were baiting her. She knew that they knew that she had effectively fired Deacon several weeks before he joined the tour, he'd been out on tour with the Revel Kings when she and Juliette began the first leg of the tour.
"Deacon and I stopped working together way before he joined Juliette's band. But it's great bein' out on tour with him again, We're great friends." This, Rayna knew was also not strictly true, but she hoped it sounded plausible. She would rather have the press print this than print another story (albeit a more accurate one) about her and Deacon rekindling their former romance.
But just when she'd thought the questions had finished.
"Ms Jaymes, are the rumours about you and Deacon Claybourne true? Wasn't he seen leaving the hospital where you father was being treated? Did he come to the hospital to see you?" She realised, she really should've seen this one coming. Of course, the press would've kept an eye on the hospital. They probably couldn't believe their luck when they saw Deacon there.
"Uh well, as I said, Deacon and I are good friends…and Deacon's known my father almost as long as he's known me, so he came to the hospital…because he was concerned. Goodnight, thank you. Goodnight y'all." Rayna hurried away from the press with Bucky, who led her out of the building and into a waiting car.
"Deacon came to the hospital?" Bucky asked her once the car doors shut.
"Yeah, he did." She answered quietly.
"Why would he do that?" Bucky asked her, but Rayna could tell from his tone, he'd already guessed why.
"He was concerned." Rayna sighed.
"For Lamar?" Bucky knew better than most that there was no love lost between Deacon and Lamar.
"For me. He was concerned for me." Rayna admitted. It wasn't like she'd be able to keep it from Bucky for long.
"So, then you two? You're together?" Bucky asked raising an eyebrow.
"We are, but I haven't told the girls and we are not going public until I have, so we're keeping it quiet for now." Rayna explained. She didn't need to ask for Bucky's discretion. Bucky had known her almost as long as Deacon, he was the closest thing she had to brother and he'd always had her back.
By the time they arrived back at the hotel she was even more exhausted and the only thing she wanted to do was sleep. It was all she could do in the elevator not to lean against the mirrored wall and close her eyes. She wandered along the hall to her room and fished her key card from her purse to let herself into the room.
The suite was silent as she closed the door, the lights were on and Deacon's shoes were by the door, but there seemed to be no movement. She shrugged off her coat, and toed off her heels, before making her way toward the bedroom. She smiled softly at what she found as she entered the room. Deacon lay on the bed, with a towel round his waist, fast asleep. She supposed he'd tried to stay awake, but she couldn't blame him for dozing off.
Once she was washed up and ready for bed, she roused Deacon just enough to pull the covers back and got into the bed. He fell right back to sleep, and only seconds later she followed him.
