Exotic

Book #1: Outdoorsy Rock stars

Chapter One

“So, have you guys planned anything interesting this weekend?” Danielle Forester ignores the look that her best friend Alex gives her.

Danielle looks around the table at the guys.

Alexia glares at Danielle before rolling her eyes and fixing a steady stare on the plate of pizza that is in front of her.

Most of the guys shrug. They are either too focused on the cards that have in their hands or not interested in the subject.

However Finn Torrance takes it upon himself to answer her. He sits up straight and a deep smirk spreads across his tanned face, “We plan on spending the entire weekend getting zonked because Alex is going out of town.”

It is a known fact that Alex despises everything about alcohol. Not a lot of people are sure why but all the guys respect this and normally keep their drinking to the bare minimum when she is around.

Tristan Sharp raises and eyebrow in Alex’s direction and cocks his head to the side. “Since when?”

Alex buries her face in her hands and groans, “Why did you bring this up? Are you trying to torture me?” She turns her attention to her best friend, Danielle.

Danielle tries not to laugh, “You had to tell them sometime, I was just helping the procedure along.”

“Did any of you know about this?” Tristan looks around at his friends and fellow band mates with a look of anger glistening in his crystal blue eyes.

“Yeah, but did you have to ask now? Now they’re all going to bug me. They all know how much I hate camping and now they’re just going to tease me about it.” Alex explains as she runs her slender hands through her pale brown hair that had fallen from her ponytail.

Jordan snorts, “You’re going camping?”

Alex whimpers slightly and pouts. “Yes.”

Mason, who had been quiet for most of the evening except when he discarded while they played poker, just shook his head but there’s a faint grin twitching at the sides of his lips and Alex can tell he’s trying not to laugh.

“Don’t you normally stay at a bread and breakfast when you camp?” Finn asks seriously interested. He’s known Alex longer then most of the people in the room (except Tristan and Danielle) and he knows more then anyone how much she hates not being able to have a bathroom and a shower.

“Normally we do, but the inns are all full and mom and I don’t want to have to get rooms outside of the camp site.” Alex tells Finn.

“Why?” Jordan asks her, “You do know there are spiders, snakes, bears, and psychotic men who just got out of jail at camp sites, right?”

“Not helping.” Danielle tells him when Alex had whined loudly.

“I go to this thing every year and I’m not going to miss it just because there aren’t any rooms at the inn.” Alex tells them firmly. Neither she nor her mom had ever been out-doorsy people. They only go camping once a year because that is when they head to New York for the annual family anniversary.

“And it’s not like you haven’t camped before. Remember when you came with me and my mom and dad when we went to the Pennsylvania state park?” Danielle proceeds to lighten the mood. “Besides, you won’t be alone, I’m going too.”

Alex smiles, “That’s true.”

“Why don’t you just tell the inn that you Alexia Gardener? They’ll let you in for free just for publicity.” Jordan asks although he knows the answer. Alexia may be a house hold name but she’d never use her name for something like this; it just isn’t how she is.

Alex shrugs, “What’s the point? Their full and me saying my last name isn’t going to change that.”

“Actually, they’d probably kick someone out or something.” Finn chuckles.

Alex frowns, “Why would I want to ruin someone’s weekend?”

Finn shakes his head, “You never seize to amaze me.”

“And she never will.” Tristan smirks. The anger vanished from his eyes and he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms.

Alexia, Danielle, Finn, Tristan, Jordan, and Mason are all in the band Exotic. They started the band three years ago right after college but they have known each other for more then eight years. Alex grew up with Danielle and Tristan and met Finn through Tristan. Jordan and Mason came into the group while they were in college and they all became best friends. They are all very different and you’d never guess that they were friends let alone best friends but they liked that. They like to be different, stand out in the crowd, and do things other people wouldn’t dream of.

Danielle nudges Alex’s side and Alex sends her a look which only makes Danielle gesture to the guys with her arm.

“Fine.” Alex says under her breath. She turns to the guys and takes a deep breath. “Actually, I was kind of wondering if you guys would come with me this weekend.” She tells them while using her soft doe eyes that she knew none of them could resist.

Finn gawks at her.

“There is no way in hell I’m going camping with you.” Tristan tells her firmly.

Mason remains silent like he usually does. Mason doesn’t talk much and he doesn’t trust most people. He came from a troubled family and has always had to work hard for what he has. He has jet black hair that curls because of the gel he puts into it and he has dark gray eyes. He looks dangerous to most people but Alex knows he’d never hurt her and trusts him with her life.

“Oh come on.” Alex continues, “It will be fun. There’s a pool, great food, a whole bunch of people to talk to, and we always play music at night. Last year we stayed up till 4 in the morning playing songs.” She tries to meet Tristan’s gaze; knowing that if she swayed him that the other guys would agree to go. “We can take our practice instruments and play some of our songs so it won’t be a totally wasted weekend on your part.”

“Besides you guys really need a vacation. We just ended a tour and in a few weeks we’re starting another.” Danielle tells them.

They keep really busy. Tristan doesn’t like taking time off and when he does he hardly relaxes. He thinks their time should be spent practicing, performing concerts, and making new songs. He’s the leader of the band and takes his role very seriously.

“How long would we be staying?” Tristan asks her as he leans back into his chair and casually props his foot on the bar of Alex’s chair from across the table.

“Does that mean you’ll come?” Alex perks up and is practically sitting on the edge of her seat with a shining smile across her lips.

Tristan fixes her with a firm gaze, “That means I’ll think about it.”

Alex nods her head and sits back into her chair.

Danielle waves her hand slightly as she unnoticeably combs her fingers through her long raven hair in order to get Alex’s attention. Alex turns to face her and Danielle grins goofily at her.

Alex rolls her eyes and turns back to the table as Finn and Tristan start to argue about the rules of Black Jack and hides the small grin and slight blush that had spread across her face; knowing that it won’t be that hard to get Tristan to agree.

EXOTIC

Later that night everyone had left the main room of the apartment they shared. Alex is in her and Danielle’s room going over one of her own songs, a ballad, that she wasn’t sure if she should show anyone.

She writes a lot of ballads. She likes them: their flow. She loves to sing them and feels that she can relate better to people through them. However she isn’t sure how Tristan would feel about putting them in their concerts or albums. He likes rock and roll.

“Why don’t you go talk to him now?” Danielle is sitting on her twin size bed across the room. She has her guitar in her lap and is quietly strumming one of her favorite songs, Key of Heart by Boa.

Alex groans lightly as she gets off of her bed and heads for the door. When she comes to the doorway she turns around to face Danielle. “Are you sure I should ask him now?”

“We leave in two days. Now is the best time.” Danielle tells her firmly.

Alex nods to her and looks around their room.

Danielle’s bed is unmade and has her dark blue comforter and checkered quilt thrown carelessly over the foot. Beside her bed is a white bookshelf that she has all her Manga books and anima drawings in. On the top shelf she has a reading lamp and an illuminant clock. There are lyrics thrown across the floor of the room. Alex doesn’t see any organization in where they are laid but Danielle always tells her that she knows where everything is. Across from her bed is her dresser. She has all of her jewelry hanging from her necklace trees and her Japanese porcelain doll is sitting contently over the surface.

There is a wooden hand crafted racking chair in the center of the room over top of a sea shell rug. The rocking chair was made by Danielle’s grandfather and is one of her prized possessions. She normally sits on it while she writes songs or draws Manga.

Alex’s side of the room is the complete opposite of Danielle’s. Her bed is made up of a soft green comforter and a few square shaped soft pillows at the head of the bed. There is a dark green and white crochet blanket folded neatly at the foot of it. Alex has a bookshelf beside her bed just like Danielle except Alex’s is full of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Lord Alfred Tennyson, and Harry Potter. She also has five notebooks on the bottom shelf. She has all of her songs written in them. On the top shelf of her bookshelf are a picture of her and her mom, her cell phone that is charging, and a cup of apple juice. The dresser across from her bed has some random books stacked up on either end and her clean clothes are sitting on the surface because she hasn’t had time that day to put them away.

The walls are painted a cream color and the floor is covered with a darker shade of cream carpeting. The walls have framed pictures of them and their family and the band. All in all they have a regular teenage girl bedroom (even though they are both 21 years old, they still act like teenagers. They take pride in knowing that they still act like kids because neither of them have a big desire to grow up too quickly).

“Go on before you loose your nerve.” Danielle mocks an angry tone.

Alex smiles before turning away from her comforting room and heading into the living room of the pent house apartment.

No one is in the living room which means everyone is in their rooms.

Alex walks slowly across carpeted floor and she notices that there is a light underneath Tristan’s bedroom door. She leans against the frame and gently knocks.

“Come in.” Tristan replies gruffly.

Alex opens the door and pokes her head inside. Tristan’s room is nothing like Alexia’s and Danielle’s room. He has dark navy painted walls, cream carpeting, a king size bed with navy and black covers, and dark oak furnishings. He also has a black leather couch that is against the right wall that faces the television that he has beside his nightstand. It reflects that even though he is 22 he is more serious and willing to be an adult then both Danielle and Alex.

Alex frowns when she doesn’t see Tristan and starts to search the room with her eyes. She finally sees him lying on the floor on the other side of his bed doing push ups.

“Hey.” He grunts slightly as he pushes himself up and then lowers himself back down. Alex watches his muscles move and is suddenly very aware that he doesn’t have a shirt on.

She turns away quickly and hopes he doesn’t notice how red her face had become.

“Hi.” She greets him and walks over to his couch and sits down.

Tristan stands up and then pulls on a Rolling Stones gray t-shirt as he walks over to her and then sits down. “Anything I can help you with or did you just come in here to stare at the floor?”

Alex laughs a little as she notices she had been staring at the floor the whole time. She looks back up at Tristan. “I was just thinking about this weekend. It’d make me really happy if you and the guys would go with me and Danielle.”

Tristan groans lightly and stretches his legs.

“Please, Tris, I want you guys to come. So then my family doesn’t think I made you up.” Alex jokes. Everyone knows the band. They haven’t really met formally but they’ve all gotten pictures of the band that Alexia sends them through emails.

Tristan turns and meets Alex’s gaze. “Does it really mean that much to you?” He asks.

Alexia nods her head frantically.

He groans again, “Fine.”

“Yes!” Alexia throws her arms around Tristan’s neck, kisses his cheek, and then starts towards the door. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She calls back to him as she heads back across the apartment to her room.