Truth or Dare

Three weeks into the new tour and the loneliness and boredom had already started to set in, we hadn’t been on the road long enough to have gotten comfortable with it yet. All of us were missing the luxuries of home, the tour bus was great, but you can’t beat sleeping in your own bed, especially when I had a gorgeous girlfriend waiting for me back home!

We’d just got off stage after another sell out show, the crowd had gone wild for us tonight and we were just glad that after all these years together, the fans still loved us.

“Another long night ahead of us guys” said Howie as he pulled off his sweaty t-shirt backstage and grabbed a towel ready for the shower.

“Urgh, don’t remind me” groaned Nick as he fiddled with his blackberry, no doubt updating his Twitter – he was addicted to it! I heard him chuckle to himself, whatever he was looking at was keeping him amused.

Brian was nowhere to be found, but knowing Brian, he was probably showered, changed and having something to eat by now, he wasn’t one to hang about like the rest of us.

I decided I needed to get out of these sweaty clothes, so I left Nick and Howie where they were, grabbed a nice fluffy towel and headed for the shower. I felt so much more relaxed after a nice hot shower, and ready for the long night of travelling we had ahead of us.

After we’d all had something to eat (which was supplied by the venue) it was time to get on the bus. We could’ve flown from Glasgow to London, but no, we were doing it the long way. I had no idea how long it would take to drive from one end of the UK to the other, but at least we had a day off tomorrow.

“So, what’re we gonna play tonight? Poker again?” asked Brian as he got the pack of cards out.

We’d played this almost every night so far and I was a little tired of it “what else is there?” I asked. To be honest, I wouldn’t have minded just crashing out on my bed with my iPod, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“I know…charades!” said Howie eagerly.

“And have to put up with Nick’s crappy acting? No thanks” I teased and dodged a cushion that was coming straight for my head.

“You’re just jealous because I’ve been in films” Nick retorted, pretending to be offended

“Children!” Brian chastised us, although he too was laughing.

“OK, no charades” said Howie to keep the peace “any other ideas?”

“How about truth or dare?” Nick suggested and smiled that crooked smile of his, the one that drove all the ladies wild. It was wasted here.

“What are we…teenagers?” Brian laughed

“Come on, it’ll be fun. We’ve not played in such a long time…please?” Nick begged.

“Well, I’m up for it” I replied “it’s obvious that sleep isn’t gonna happen any time soon, so bring it on”

“Oh god, d’you remember last time AJ? When we dared Kevin to pluck his eyebrows?” laughed Nick

“Hell yeah, that was hilarious…and he did it!” I laughed and thought back to that night. Kevin had gotten a little too tweezer happy and ended up with ridiculously thin eyebrows, he had to draw them on for the next couple of weeks until they grew back. “Good times” I giggled.

“Yeah good times” agreed Howie.

We grabbed some snacks and drinks and all sat around ready to begin our game, this guaranteed to be fun and would certainly pass the time.

“So, who wants to go first?” I asked “shall we say oldest begins…Howie?” I looked towards him and he agreed. “And shall we say that anyone who refuses their task has to drink from this?” I said and held up a carton of gone off milk which I’d found lurking in the back of the fridge.

“Urgh” came everyone’s reply.

Howie smiled evilly at Nick “OK Nick, truth or dare?”

“I’ll go for truth” Nick said and sighed “go easy”.

“What do you really think of AJ’s new hat?” he asked and looked towards me, smirking.

“Honestly…I hate it. That was too easy!” he laughed and I shot him a 'what the fuck' look, I loved this hat! “Now it’s my turn. Brian, truth or dare?” Nick asked.

“Dare” Brian replied after a few moments thought “no…truth”

“Damn!” Nick said “I had a good one for you too”

“That’s what I was afraid of” Brian laughed

“OK then…what do you really think of those bags your wife sells?” Nick raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“Urgh, do I have to answer?” Brian moaned and looked towards the repulsive looking milk.

“Yeah, you do” Nick said, smirking

“They’re ugly” Brian said and buried his head in his hands “but please don’t tell her that. Now my turn…AJ, truth or dare?”

“Truth” I replied, this was going to be easy.

“When are you ever going to finish that solo CD?” Brian asked

“Hey, that’s not fair! You know it’s not because I don’t want to, it’s everything else. But since you ask, the new CD is almost done, as soon as we have a break in the tour I’ll have it completed” I replied and poked my tongue out like a child would. “OK, my turn. Howie, truth or dare?”

“Well, seeing as no one has gone for a dare yet, I’ll volunteer” Howie replied

“Brave man” I said and then tried to think of a good dare for him. “Ah, right then. I dare you to kiss a girl in the audience at the next show”

“Is that all? No problem” he sounded quite smug.

“Make it look good and convincing” I added “maybe some tongue action”

“I’ll try” he smiled, up for the challenge. “Brian, truth or dare?”

We carried on like this for a while, the truths and dares becoming a lot more outrageous, we were all falling about laughing.

“Last one. AJ, truth or dare?” Nick asked.

“What the hell, I choose dare” I replied. How bad could it be?

“I dare you to go without sex for two weeks” Nick said, a huge smile across his face “that also means no jerking off in the shower”.

“No problem Nick” I said. And it really wouldn’t be a problem either. All of our girlfriends and wives weren’t due to join us until we got back to the US in another few weeks and I wasn’t about to throw my relationship away by screwing some chick whilst on the road, no way, those days were over for me. I could wait, we had indulged in a bit of phone sex over the past couple of weeks and that was enough for now.

“Then I guess I should tell you that Bryony called whilst you were in the shower earlier, she’s coming to London” Nick said, laughing so hard he had to hold his sides “I wonder what she’ll think of your sex ban”

“What!!! When? Why didn’t you tell me?” I shouted and lunged at him. I wanted to wipe the smirk off his face.

“She’ll be arriving tomorrow morning and she can’t wait to see you” he replied.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I asked again

“I meant to, really I did, but I forgot and then we started playing truth or dare and it was too good an opportunity to miss. I knew you’d take a dare” Nick was laughing again.

“Fuck!” I muttered. What the hell was I supposed to do? I couldn’t not have sex with my girlfriend, but I also knew that I couldn’t break the dare or the consequences would be bad…that milk was going to get worse!

“Not for you, my friend” Howie chuckled. They were all laughing at my expense, the bastards.

“And don’t think we won’t know either. We all know how vocal Bryony is, if you know what I mean” Nick giggled.

I knew exactly what he meant. Bryony was a screamer in bed. Fuck!

I eventually managed to get some sleep; the motion of the bus was kind of soothing. Before I knew it, we’d arrived in London and were pulling up outside our hotel. I’d be glad to get inside and crash out for a few more hours before Bryony arrived. Wait, didn’t Nick say she was arriving in the morning? Shit!

I walked into my room to be met with the sight of my stunning girlfriend sprawled out, fast asleep in bed. I sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and contemplated whether I should wake her. In the end I slipped my clothes off, leaving my boxers on, and climbed into bed with her. She murmured in her sleep and snuggled close to me, my arm instinctively wrapped around her. This was going to be a hard dare to pull off!

“Alex” she mumbled as she began to wake “mmm I missed you so much”. She curled her body around mine and I pulled her closer to me, feeling her warm and welcoming body, and wanting her so badly.

“I missed you too baby” I whispered in her hair and then brought my mouth down to hers, kissing her softly “you have no idea how much”.

“You could show me” she teased and I froze. What was I to do?

“Erm…Bryony…about that, I’ve got a bit of a problem there” I began and she sat up and looked at me curiously.

“Alex?” she said and I could see her mind working, obviously thinking something awful. I had to re-assure her that it wasn’t anything bad.

“This is going to sound ridiculous. Last night, me and the guys played a game of truth or dare and I was dared to go without sex for two weeks, including no jerking off” I said, looking at her apologetically “if I break the dare then I have to drink some awful rancid milk”. I shuddered at the thought, but maybe it would be worth it.

She started to laugh out loud “let me guess, Nick dared you?”

“Yeah” I said shaking my head and wanting to strangle Nick.

“Well, there are other things we can do y’know” she said and winked at me “we don’t have to have sex”.

“Now you’re talking” I said, grinning from ear to ear. I could think of plenty of other things!



THE END