56 | watch your backs

WATCH YOUR BACKS

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The highway stretched endlessly outside the tour bus window, dark and dotted with streaks of orange from distant streetlights. It had been three days since they'd pulled out of Vancouver, and though the memory of the city still lingered — the roar of the crowd, the way the night lights hit the stage just right — life on the road had settled into its familiar, rhythmic hum.

Inside, the bus was alive with quiet energy. Someone's playlist played low from a speaker near the kitchenette, half-muffled by the sound of laughter and the soft rumble of the tires below. The lights were dim, casting everything in a warm, honey-colored glow that made it feel more like a cozy apartment than a bus barreling down a highway.

Diana sat on one of the couches, legs crossed beneath her, hair loosely braided and falling over her shoulder. Across from her sat Dani, who had one hand wrapped around a mug of tea while the other absentmindedly smoothed Nikita's curls as the little girl squirmed on her lap. Pasha lounged nearby with his laptop open, watching clips from the show earlier that week. Ezra and Britt had taken over the back lounge, and their laughter occasionally drifted through the narrow hallway.

Nikita spotted Diana and immediately wriggled free from her mom's arms. "Auntie D!" she squealed, holding out her chubby arms.

Diana's face lit up. "Hey, my favorite girl!" she said, scooping the two-year-old up into her arms and spinning her once.

Nikita giggled so hard she hiccuped, her curls bouncing as she clung to Diana's hoodie strings.

Pasha looked up from his laptop, chuckling. "You know, I think she likes you more than us these days."

"That's because Auntie D lets her play with sparkles," Dani teased.

Diana laughed, shrugging. "A little glitter never hurt anyone."

"Tell that to my laundry," Dani said, mock-glaring before dissolving into a laugh.

The bus bounced slightly over a bump in the road, and Nikita snuggled closer to Diana's chest, her head fitting perfectly under her chin. The tiny warmth of her made Diana's heart melt in that quiet, steady way only Nikita could.

Across the aisle, Ezra appeared dramatically, leaning against one of the seat backs. "Okay, Auntie D, how come you get hugs and I don't?"

Diana smirked. "Maybe because you scare her."

Ezra gasped, clutching his chest. "Scare her? I'm delightful!"

"Tell that to the time you made that dinosaur noise and she cried," Pasha reminded him.

"That was one time!"

"She didn't talk to you for two days," Dani added, laughing.

Nikita peeked up at Ezra, then turned her face back into Diana's hoodie.

Everyone burst out laughing, including Ezra himself, though he dramatically collapsed onto the couch. "I'm wounded," he said. "Betrayed by a toddler."

"She's got high standards," Diana teased.

Ezra gave her a mock glare, then brightened. "One day, she'll love me. You'll all see."

"Keep dreaming, dude," Britt called from the back, laughter lacing her words.

The bus filled with that kind of easy, warm laughter that came from people who'd been on the road long enough to feel like family.

When the laughter died down, Dani shifted to get more comfortable. "It feels like every show goes by faster," she said, her voice softening.

Diana nodded. "I know. It's weird. It's like time just... evaporates."

"Maybe that's what happens when you're happy," Dani said, smiling at her.

Diana smiled back, thoughtful. "Yeah. I think you're right."

They fell into easy conversation after that — not about work, not about fame, not about anyone waiting somewhere else — but about life. About how Nikita was already obsessed with dancing, how Britt was secretly keeping a tally of who fell asleep first on each bus ride, how Pasha was convinced he could master espresso-making in a moving vehicle (he couldn't).

Diana told Dani about how surreal it still felt to step out on stage every night and hear people cheering her name. "I still get butterflies," she admitted. "Every single show."

"That's how you know you love it," Dani said, sipping her tea. "If you ever lose that feeling, then I'll start worrying."

Diana leaned her head against the couch cushion, watching Nikita play with her stuffed penguin on the floor. "It's funny," she said quietly. "I used to be terrified of all this — the pressure, the travel, the long days. But now... I don't know. It feels like home."

Dani's smile softened. "That's because it is home. Maybe not the kind with walls and a yard, but this—" she gestured around the bus, where Britt was quietly singing to herself, Ezra was still pretending to pout, and Pasha was nodding off mid-scroll "—this is family."

Diana let the thought settle. She looked around, taking in the messy comfort of it all — the laughter, the noise, the love — and felt a wave of gratitude rise in her chest.

A few minutes later, Nikita crawled into her lap again, dragging her blanket with her. "Sing, Auntie D," she mumbled sleepily.

Diana chuckled softly. "What do you want me to sing?"

"'Twinkle.'"

"'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,' coming right up," Diana said gently. She began to hum, her voice soft and clear over the low hum of the bus. Dani watched, smiling quietly as her daughter's eyelids fluttered, her tiny hand clutching Diana's sleeve.

By the time the song ended, Nikita was fast asleep. Dani lifted her gently, settling her against her chest. "You've got the magic touch," she whispered.

"Only because she likes my voice better than Ezra's," Diana teased.

Dani chuckled. "Well, she's not wrong."

The bus lights dimmed as Pasha flicked the switch, and the world outside blurred into dark streaks of passing light. Britt stretched out across one of the benches with a yawn, and Ezra disappeared to his bunk.

Dani draped a bigger blanket over Nikita and Diana, her movements slow and careful. Diana sat back against the couch, pulling the blanket up to her chest. The motion of the bus was soothing, rhythmic — a heartbeat against the highway.

"You think she'll remember all this?" Diana asked quietly, watching the rise and fall of Nikita's tiny chest.

"Maybe not in detail," Dani said softly. "But she'll remember the feeling. The laughter. The love."

Diana nodded, her eyes drifting toward the window. "That's what matters."

Silence settled again — the comfortable kind that didn't need to be filled.

Outside, the night rolled on. Inside, the hum of the road, the warmth of tired friends, and the soft breath of a sleeping child created a cocoon of peace.

For the first time in a while, Diana didn't feel pulled between places. She just felt present.

And as the bus carried them toward another city, another show, another bright stage waiting to come alive, she relaxed — content, safe, and surrounded by the people who'd become her home between all the miles.

The air backstage was warm and faintly humming with pre-show energy—the sound of shoes on the rehearsal floor, the rhythmic thud of bass from soundcheck bleeding faintly through the walls, crew voices calling out cues, and somewhere down the hall, the soft laughter of dancers filming something for social media.

Inside one of the side rooms, Diana was stretched out on a narrow physical therapy table, her face pressed into the cradle, her cheek resting against her arm. The faint scent of eucalyptus oil drifted from a diffuser in the corner, and the low whir of a portable massage gun hummed intermittently as her physical therapist, a kind middle-aged woman named Erin, worked through the tension in Diana's calf.

It had been a long few days on the road. Long drives, quick rehearsals, and endless hours on her feet had left Diana's legs aching. She'd been grateful for the chance to sneak away to the PT room before call time.

Erin's hands moved firmly but carefully along her calf muscle, easing through knots with practiced precision.

"You're really tight here," Erin said, her tone calm and clinical.

Diana gave a quiet groan in response. "Story of my life," she mumbled into the table. "I think my legs are officially made of stone at this point."

Erin chuckled softly. "You'll feel better once we're done. Just breathe."

And Diana did. For a few minutes, she let herself relax into the massage, her thoughts drifting. She could faintly hear Dani's voice somewhere outside, laughing with Pasha. Probably filming something for the tour's TikTok. It made her smile faintly. Things had felt good lately—light, funny. The kind of easy rhythm that came with long friendships and shared chaos.

Her peace lasted all of another minute before she heard footsteps in the hallway, fast and mischievous.

"Diana!" Ezra's voice echoed just before the door swung open.

Her head lifted slightly. "What?" she said, her voice muffled against the face cradle.

He appeared in the doorway, a grin already plastered across his face, his hand closed tightly around something. Behind him, Gleb followed, phone in hand, recording.

"Oh, absolutely not," Diana said immediately, recognizing that look.

Ezra's grin widened as he strode into the room, holding his closed hand out like a prized treasure. "You busy, D?" he said casually, ignoring her tone.

"She's in the middle of her session," Erin said, looking mildly alarmed but amused.

Ezra gave a mock gasp. "Perfect! That means she can't run away."

"Ezra," Diana warned, her voice rising as she pushed up slightly on her elbows. "If you throw something at me—"

He cut her off with exaggerated innocence. "Throw? Me? Never. I just thought you'd want to see what we caught outside."

Gleb snorted behind the camera, already laughing. "Oh, this is going to be good," he said under his breath, zooming in on Diana's face.

Her eyes widened, suspicion turning quickly into horror. "No. Nope. Absolutely not. I'm not looking. Get that thing out of here."

Ezra took another step forward, his hand still tightly closed. "Come on, Diana, it's not even that big—"

"EZRA!" she squealed, pushing herself up on her forearms. "No! I swear to god—"

Gleb was full-on laughing now, shaking as he tried to keep the camera steady.

Erin, ever the professional, tried not to laugh as she moved back a step to give Diana space, clearly used to the backstage antics by now.

"Do you want to see it or not?" Ezra teased, inching closer to the table.

"No! No, I don't! Get it away!"

"Are you sure?" he asked with faux innocence, moving his hand closer to her face.

"Ezra, I mean it!"

But he didn't stop. He was grinning, clearly enjoying every second of her panicked expression as he reached the edge of the table and leaned in, his closed hand hovering over the face cradle.

Diana screamed. A loud, dramatic, full-volume shriek that echoed through the hallway. "STOP! I hate you! I hate you both!"

Gleb was doubled over now, recording through tears of laughter.

Ezra couldn't hold it in anymore—he burst out laughing as he finally opened his hand.

Nothing. His palm was completely empty.

For a second, Diana just blinked at it, her chest heaving as adrenaline coursed through her. Then realization hit.

"You—there's nothing?! Are you kidding me?!" she yelled, smacking his arm as best she could from her prone position.

Ezra was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "You should've seen your face!"

"I thought you had a spider or something!" she said, her voice caught somewhere between fury and laughter. "You can't just come in here and—"

"—and prank a helpless dancer on a table?" Ezra finished, still laughing.

"Yes! That's exactly what I mean!"

Gleb finally lowered the phone, still grinning. "I got the whole thing. That's going on TikTok, for sure."

"Oh, no it's not," Diana said immediately, glaring at him.

"Oh, yes it is," Ezra countered, wiping tears from his eyes. "You're too funny not to share."

Erin, unable to contain her amusement any longer, shook her head with a smile. "You two are ridiculous," she said. "Can I get back to her calf before you give her a heart attack?"

Ezra grinned, still slightly out of breath. "Yeah, yeah. Mission accomplished anyway."

He turned toward the door, clearly proud of himself. Gleb followed, still holding the camera, but before they left, Ezra leaned back around the doorframe.

"Love you, D!" he called out.

She didn't even look up. "You're dead to me!" she shouted back.

That only made him laugh harder.

When the door finally closed behind them, the room fell quiet again except for Erin's gentle laughter and the steady hum of the massage gun.

Diana dropped her head back into her arms with a dramatic groan. "I can't believe I fell for that," she muttered.

Erin chuckled softly. "In their defense, you do have a very expressive face."

"Yeah, well, it's going to be all over social media now," Diana grumbled, though a small smile tugged at her lips despite herself.

Erin resumed her work, and Diana tried to relax again, though her heart was still racing a little. "He really came in here while I was getting my calf worked on. Who does that?"

"Friends who like to keep things interesting, I suppose," Erin said lightly.

Diana shook her head into the table, laughing quietly. "Remind me to get him back later. Big time."

A few minutes later, the door creaked open again. This time, Dani and Britt peeked in.

"You okay, D?" Dani asked, trying to hold back laughter. "We heard screaming from across the hall."

"I hate them," Diana said immediately, not even looking up.

Britt snorted. "Let me guess—Ezra and Gleb?"

"Yes! They said they caught something, and I thought it was a bug—"

"Oh my god," Britt cut in, already laughing. "Please tell me there wasn't actually a bug."

"There wasn't!" Diana said, gesturing helplessly. "He just came in here while I was stuck on the table and—ugh!"

Dani was already giggling. "I saw the video. You looked terrified."

"What?!" Diana shot up halfway, glaring at them. "He already posted it?"

Dani nodded, trying not to laugh harder. "It's going viral. Everyone's commenting 'poor Diana' and 'Ezra's a menace.'"

"Oh, I'm going to kill them," Diana muttered, but she couldn't hold the smile back this time. "They're lucky I can't walk properly right now."

Nikita's little laugh suddenly echoed from down the hall—Dani's daughter toddling around somewhere with one of the crew. The sound softened the room instantly, easing the last of Diana's annoyance.

For the rest of the session, they stayed there—talking, laughing, teasing. Ezra and Gleb peeked back in once or twice, each time met with a pillow thrown their way. The crew's laughter echoed down the hall, mixing with the faint buzz of pre-show energy.

And as the noise built around them—the clatter of makeup kits, the sound of dancers warming up, the hum of excitement before another night on stage—Diana found herself smiling again.

Even after all the chaos, all the travel, all the exhaustion—these were the moments she loved most. The family they'd built, the ridiculousness of it all, the memories that would live long after the tour ended.

ezrasosa just posted a tiktok !

Ezra Sosa • 2-20she loves us 😊                                    ♥️ @Diana Sinclair                    570k                                                                                                                      💬              9,262

usershe's so me 😂

Diana Sinclair i hate you

Diana Sinclairwatch your backs

userher instant panic 🤣

Malachi Bartonthat was good     Diana Sinclair      don't you dare get ideas

useri'm dying 💀

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just a cute and fun little chapter

i literally have one official chapter left to write and then i still have to write the momager chapter and then im doneAHHHHHHHit literally does not feel real

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