Excerpt
But bus life stripped everything down. Back home, I had imagined late-night bonding and guitars being passed around as a show of brotherhood. Instead, I experienced relentless cramped conditions. The bunks barely fit me. I had to curl my knees and tuck my shoulders just to get comfortable. Every bump in the road rattled my spine, and the engine hummed constantly—a vibration that made real sleep impossible. You didn't rest on the road; you survived.
After the shows, we drank. At first, we played harmless games and laughed, but it never stayed that way. One night, Noah, who was already drunk, started the decline with a game of "Never Have I Ever." He wanted chaos, and he got it. When he said, "Never have I ever hooked up with someone I shouldn’t have," Quinn and Harrison drank instantly. Aydin didn't move, and for some reason, that stuck with me.
The questions grew sharper, cutting closer to things we didn’t want to say. When the topic of jealousy within the band came up, Harrison drank slowly and deliberately, making no effort to hide his bitterness. I didn't drink, but I felt a twinge in my chest anyway. Then came "Truth or Drink," which was worse because there was no hiding. When Noah asked me about my last real crush, I said Ember. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either.
Harrison leaned forward then, his eyes locked on mine. "Truth or drink? Have you ever felt something you weren’t supposed to?" The bus went dead quiet, and my stomach dropped. I thought about Aydin immediately—the bunk, the closeness, and his voice. I grabbed the drink and downed it quickly without offering an explanation. After that, Quinn watched me differently, as if he saw something I wasn't ready to admit.
By the fifth round, everything was a blur of loud voices and sharp jokes. Harrison became meaner and hinted that some people were in the spotlight too much. Nothing was resolved; it just ended in silence with things left unsaid. Hours later, I climbed into my bunk with my head spinning. I wasn't ready to admit what answering that question would have meant.
The aux cord became a nightly war zone, with everyone blasting different music just to annoy one another. The tension was always present. However, the night between San Francisco and Portland was different. The show had been insane, and I was too buzzed to sleep, so I went to the bunks to get some space. Aydin was already there.
"I’ve never clicked with anyone like this," he said quietly. When I asked him what he meant, he said it wasn't just the music; it was me. He said that I just understood him without him having to explain anything. My pulse spiked. I was instantly hit with panic; I told myself that I liked girls, that I was with Ember, and that I knew who I was. But I didn't move. I stood there with his shoulder against mine until Noah yelled for more shots from the front, and the moment vanished.
Izzibella
Beau has been crafting stories since 2012, weaving emotionally charged
narratives that explore desire, danger, and the deep connections that change
everything. Now revisiting and rewriting her backlist while creating bold new
material, she writes across several genres, blending cinematic tension with
heartfelt romance and unforgettable characters.
With
a background in film production and screenwriting, Izzibella brings a visual,
immersive quality to her work—stories that feel as vivid as scenes unfolding on
screen. Expanding her creative world even further, she is also developing
original songs inspired by her books, offering readers a unique, multi-sensory
storytelling experience.
A
passionate animal advocate, Izzibella believes in giving a voice to the
vulnerable—both on the page and off. When she’s not writing, she stays happily
busy with her kids and pups at home in Georgia, always chasing the next story
waiting to be told.
https://www.tiktok.com/@izzibellabeau
https://www.instagram.com/izzibellab/
https://www.facebook.com/izzibella.beau
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7374615.Izzibella_Beau
