Jake's P.O.V

"We love you guys, thanks for having us." Kyle said.
"No problem, yeah, it's gonna be a great time." I said, now turning to Charlotte, who stared back up at me with wide-eyes and a gentle smile. I felt my cheeks burn as she reached out, holding on to my hand with both of hers.

"Can't wait." She said softly, her eyes now in a daze. I gently tried pulling my hand away, but she held on tighter. I could feel Jess' eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.

"I'm Jess." She finally said, holding her hand out to Charlotte. "Jake's girlfriend."  I felt my heart start to beat faster, a small smile escaping my lips. I'd never get used to hearing her say that, especially considering how long it took for her to finally want to.

"Nice to meet you!" Charlotte said. "It's so nice that there's another girl here. I'm usually the only one." She laughed. I could see Jess' jaw clenching.
"Yeah.. that's what it was like for me on the first leg." She said simply. Charlotte nodded, holding her stare on Jess. 

I couldn't tell what was going on here, I just knew I didn't like it.

I reached over, wrapping my arm around Jess. 
"Well, maybe we can all meet up when we get to the venue, we can get something to eat before the show." I said simply, avoiding Charlotte's eyes.
"Sounds good!" Kyle called out, grabbing his bag. I felt my stomach drop as Charlotte turned back to face me, flashing me another smile as she grabbed her guitar case and made her way onto their bus.

I sighed, turning back to Jess, pulling her back in. All I wanted to do was be alone with her. The last thing I wanted was to start off this tour on the wrong foot. I could feel that things were off between us, and I hated how I knew they were my fault. I just needed to figure out how to fix it.

"You didn't think to introduce me?" She asked. My heart dropped. I turned to her, my eyes getting wide.
"I.. I was going to.." I said softly, feeling my cheeks burn. I really didn't mean anything by it, I just.. wanted to get out of there. She avoided my eyes, staying quiet as we made our way back to our bus.

"They seem cool." Josh said. I nodded, shrugging it off, slowly tuning them all out. I just couldn't stop thinking about our fight this morning. I don't know why it was so hard to just talk to her. Everything was finally perfect until Sam came in and.. ruined everything. There was no doubt in my mind that she would've said yes if I had proposed that night.. until he barged in. I saw how she looked at him, and I knew.. it was different this time; different than it was with Josh. I don't know when it happened, but.. there was no denying it was there.

When I finally tuned back in, I saw Danny staring back at me, expecting an answer.
"Oh, yeah.. cool." I said simply, hoping that covered whatever he said. I zoned out again as they continued talking. I just needed to get her alone. I wanted to talk everything out but.. I didn't know what to say that wouldn't make me sound.. insecure or paranoid or just-

And then I felt her slip her hand into mine, my heart beating faster as she slowly intertwined our fingers. I couldn't help but smile, feeling my cheeks burn, but I just couldn't bring myself to look at her. Any wrong move and I felt like I would just.. break.

Then I heard her sigh, pulling her hand away. My heart dropped as she got up from the couch. I finally snapped out of it, looking back up at her, my face dropping.
"Where you goin?" I asked, feeling my cheeks burn. I didn't want her to go. The last thing we needed right now was time apart.
"I'm.. I'm just gonna call my dad, I told him I'd let him know when we were on the road again." She said softly, motioning towards the back room. I felt my heart start to beat faster. Her dad. If it wasn't for him, maybe we would be engaged by now. I don't know why I let him get to me, but I know if anyone's opinion mattered.. it was his.
"O-okay.." I said softly, watching her walk away before turning back to the rest of the guys.

The last thing I wanted to do was scare her away when I've never wanted her to be closer. I knew what I wanted, and it was her.. so why was the idea of talking to her so terrifying now? Was it because I was afraid of what she'd actually say? About Sam? About me? 

We have our own place together, we had almost had a family together.. and deep down.. a small part of me still wished that.. it was positive. I had never wanted this.. until it was an actual possibility and then suddenly.. I couldn't stop fantasizing about it.

"So.. someone seemed a little friendly." Danny said, flashing me a smile. I snapped out of it again, bringing my attention back to him.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my cheeks burning, wondering what I had missed in the conversation.
"I mean.. it was kinda hard to ignore the way Charlotte was looking at you, it made us all feel like we were intruding." He laughed. I could see Sam glaring at me out of the corner of my eye. My cheeks burned.
"She was just being nice." I said softly, looking down at my hands. I hadn't even really noticed. I had been stuck in my own head all morning, just going through the motions.

"Mhm.." Josh chimed in, visibly annoyed. "Well, she wasn't that nice to the rest of us." My stomach dropped. I could tell he was still bitter about everything.
"You guys are overthinking it. I'm sure she's just.. friendly." I said, looking away. Charlotte was honestly the least of my concerns right now.
"Mhm.." Danny said, flashing me wide eyes. "I'm sure she's very friendly." I peeked back up at him, my cheeks burning.

"Even if she was.." Sam chimed in, his voice stern. "It doesn't matter. Jake is practically engaged.. right?" My heart jumped. I turned to him, biting down on my lip, nodding.
"Y-yeah." I said softly, holding my stare on him. I had anticipated already being engaged before the tour had even started.

"So, when is that happening?" Josh asked, propping his arm onto the table, staring back at me. I shrugged, biting down on my lip.
"I.. I haven't decided yet." I said softly, avoiding their eyes. "I.. I want it to be.. special."

I just hated how I really didn't know what special would mean for her. I've always tried my hardest to give her the best, I wanted every moment with her to feel like a fairytale, because she deserved it. So I had no idea what I could do now to top all of it.

"Well, what do you think she'd like?" Josh asked, his face looking angrier. I felt my heart start to beat faster, my eyes shooting over from his to Sam's. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach. I hated how I knew that.. if given the opportunity, the both of them would know exactly what to do for her. 

"I'm.. I'm not sure yet." I sighed, running my hands through my hair. Then I saw Sam get up, making his way back to his bunk. I lied back down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. All I wanted was to be good enough for her, good enough to where she'd never think about anyone else ever again, but it was hard when.. both of them were clearly so much better for her than I was. And I knew that.

So how was it that I was the one who was lucky enough to be with her?

I closed my eyes, dozing off as they continued to talk. It felt like seconds had passed when Danny shook me awake, my eyes shooting open.
"Hey.. we're here. You wanna go sound check?" He asked. I sighed, sitting up, rubbing my eyes.
"Yeah.." I sighed, pushing myself up off the couch, following him down the steps of the bus.

"Hey!" I heard from behind me. I turned around to see Charlotte and Kyle making their way out of their bus, heading towards the doors of the venue.
"Oh, hi.." I said nonchalantly. Charlotte got closer, shoving her hands into her pockets, gently bumping me with her hip.
"What's up, not excited?" She asked cheerfully. I shrugged, moving away.
"Just.. got a long going on." I said softly.
"Oh, what's wrong?" She asked. I bit down on my lip, keeping my eyes forward.
"It's.. it's nothing. Hey, um.. we'll see you guys in there, okay? We're just gonna sound check really quick." I said, forcing a smile, and making my way inside.

"So, nothing going on there?" Danny asked, smirking over at me. I sighed, shaking my head.
"Absolutely nothing." I said softly, grabbing my guitar and starting to play.
"Cause it seems like-"
"Nothing, Danny."
"Okay, okay.." He laughed, sitting down behind his drums. At least for a little while I didn't have to think about anything and I could just play. It felt like I hadn't been able to focus on just playing in forever. 

But it didn't last long.

"Sounds amazing." Charlotte said, making her way out of the wings, coming over to me. I felt my cheeks burn, shrugging, and forcing a smile.
"Just a little warm up." I said simply. "Nothing crazy."
"How modest, that's your warm up." She giggled, standing a little too close for comfort. I felt my cheeks burn as I looked back down at my guitar, pretending to tune it again. I don't get why out of everyone, she had to keep bothering me. I had enough to worry about, the last thing I needed was this new girl hanging around. I could only imagine how it was making Jess feel. I felt my heart drop.

"You guys all ready?" Danny asked, looking over at Kyle.
"Oh yeah, our setup isn't nearly as demanding as you guys." He laughed. I looked over at him, giving him a gentle smile as I moved away from Charlotte again, trying my best not to make it obvious. But she pulled a chair up from the wings, moving in closer.

"So.. I'm starving." She said, looking up at me. She had spun the chair around, sitting with her legs on either side, balancing her head on her propped up hands, staring back at me with dazed eyes. "You wanna go get something to eat? The guys ate on the bus already, but I figured maybe you could show me around." She really was forward.

"Oh, um.." I managed, peeking over at Danny, looking for any sign of help, but it was no use. He was turned the other way, too involved with his conversation with Kyle. I bit down on my lip, holding my guitar closer, keeping a barrier between us the closer she got.

"Y-yeah, sure, um.. I can ask everyone what they're up to, and we could all-"
"If they want, or.. you and I could just go. Guitarists gotta stick together, right?" She laughed, now reaching out, gently touching my arm. I stared down at her, my cheeks burning red as I pulled away.

"Y-yeah but.. I.. I think everyone was talking about getting something to eat so.. I.. I can see what they're doing. The more the merrier, right?" I said, now turning back to Danny. He finally looked over, giving me a quick thumbs up. I could feel Charlotte holding her stare on me, now getting up from her chair.

"Okay, great." She said, forcing a smile. I could tell she wasn't happy with that answer, but the last thing I was going to do was spend any time alone with her.
"But maybe later.. you and I can just talk? You can give me some tips. We've only done one other tour before this so, any advice you have would mean a lot." She said sweetly. I bit down on my lip, eventually nodding, looking back down at my guitar.
"Y-yeah, maybe, we'll see how much time we have before the show." I said nonchalantly.

But I knew, no matter what, I'd make sure there would never be enough time before the show. No matter what I had to do.

"Um.. Danny, you.. you wanna come with me to find everyone? Then we can go grab something to eat." I called out, moving away from her again. She just couldn't take a hint, could she? I lifted the guitar over my head, placing it down on the stand. Danny nodded, getting up from behind his drums and made his way over.

"I"ll come with you!" Charlotte called out, now starting to follow me. My stomach dropped.
"Oh, no, it's okay, you guys check quick, we're all done." I said, moving away from her again. "We'll be back when we get everyone ready to go." She flashed me another smile, her cheeks burning bright as she stared back at me with dazed eyes. I quickly looked away, making my way off the stage.

Then my heart jumped, my face burning bright red as I saw Jess standing next to the doors. I flashed her a toothy smile, reaching out, wrapping my arm around her, pulling her up against me. This was all I wanted right now.
"Hey, how long have you been standing there?" I asked cheerfully.
"Not long." She said, reaching up and pulling me into a kiss. I couldn't help but smile as my heart started pounding.
"What's that for?" I asked softly, pulling her in closer. She shrugged, staring back at me with dazed eyes. I sighed, my eyes moving down to her lips. I wish we could just.. leave everyone and be alone together. Maybe if I just had some time with her we could.. figure everything out. I pulled her back in, kissing her again.

"Well, I like it. You hungry? We're all going to get something to eat." She bit down on her lip, peeking over at the stage where Charlotte and Kyle had begun to sound check. My stomach dropped. I wondered if she had been here long enough to see everything that happened. I hope she had, cause then she'd know I had no interest in any of it. Charlotte then looked over, her eyes locking on mine. I quickly looked back at Jess.

"We all?" Jess asked. I knew what that meant. I would prefer if it was just us but..
"I was gonna see what Sam and Josh were doing, and then us.. of course.. and then.. whatever they want to do." I said, carelessly motioning over towards the stage. She bit down on her lip, nodding.

"Yeah, sure." She said, sliding her hand into mine, intertwining our fingers. I felt my heart start to beat faster, a small smile escaping my lips.
"Great." I said, squeezing her hand tighter, leading us outside. I felt her pull me in as we were hit with the cold air, now tightly wrapping her arm around mine. I sighed, pulling her closer, getting a small whiff of the sweet perfume she wore that I loved so much. It always reminded me of that night we spent on the roof of the bus, how she lied close enough for it to linger in the air, and I later smelt it on my shirt as I was falling asleep. It was intoxicating. I shoved my other hand into the pocket of my coat, feeling the little black box in my fingertips. If I could just get her alone.. 

By now, there were fans already waiting outside of the venue, and Joe, Sam, and Josh were towards the end of the line. I could see them perk up, trying to wave us down once they noticed Danny and I. I flashed them a smile, waving back at them. I waited for Jess to let go as they looked over at her, but she never did. She held on tighter. I felt my cheeks burn as I did my best to contain my smile.
"We'll be out later!" Danny called out to them, waving back. "We promise!" They all smiled, waving back enthusiastically.

"Sam, you wanna run back in and let them know we're ready to head out?" I asked, turning to him. He nodded, quickly making his way inside. I bit down on my lip, peeking down at Jess who kept her eyes forward. My heart started beating faster as I tightly gripped the ring box in my pocket. I finally forced myself to lean down, whispering into her ear.
"Hey, do you-"

Then, Charlotte and Kyle made their way out of the venue with Sam following close behind. I sighed, biting down on my lip, gently backing away from her as I forced a smile in their direction.
"Oh, good, you're able to make it too!" Charlotte said to Jess, then turned to me, flashing me a wide grin. I bit down on my lip, looking away.
"Of course." Jess said, forcing a smile. Charlotte held her stare on me until she eventually gave me a smirk, turning around to catch up with Kyle and Joe as they made their way down the sidewalk.

I could feel myself zoning out again as my mind ran a mile a minute. This was the last place I wanted to be right now. Maybe.. once we got in, I could get a separate table for me and Jess. As we walked, I felt her grip on my hand get looser. My stomach dropped.

All I wanted was to go back to how we were back home, back when we couldn't take our hands off each other. My heart started beating faster the longer I thought about it. It was probably one of the best nights of my life. I just felt like.. it was finally me. To her, I was the only one in the world.

As we reached the restaurant, I reached out and grabbed the door, quickly making my way inside. The sooner I could get in and get us our own spot, the better. As I turned back, I saw Jess standing there in the doorway, tears in her eyes. My heart sunk. What happened? I quickly moved out of the way of the door, letting everyone else inside. Maybe it would be better if they sat down first, then I could just pull her aside. 

But then I saw Sam lean in close to her. My cheeks burned and my chest got tight as he reached over, placing his hand on her back, moving her out of sight. What were they doing? Why was she talking to him?
"You coming?" Danny called out to me. I bit down on my lip, holding my stare on Jess, my heart beating faster. Was there something going on with them this whole time?

"Y-yeah.." I said, finally turning away, following them to the table. I hesitated before sitting down, waiting for everyone to grab their seats, keeping my eyes locked on the door. But still nothing. As I waited, I nervously fumbled with the ring box in my pocket. The felt was staring to feel comforting. I felt like I've been carrying this box around in my pocket forever, just waiting for the perfect moment. 

And she had no idea.

"You gonna sit?" Josh laughed, looking up at me. I felt my cheeks burn as I kept my eyes locked on the door for another moment. Still nothing. 
"Yeah." I sighed, plopping down into the booth. Then Charlotte got up from her chair, making her way around.
"You know what, you're right.. the booth is so much more comfortable. Scoot over!" She said, sitting down, and forcing her way in. I felt my face get hot as I kept my eyes forward, moving further down so she wasn't touching me anymore. 

When I looked up, my stomach dropped. I saw Jess standing at the end of the table, staring down at me, her eyes bloodshot and her face blotchy. She had been crying. She quickly looked away, going over to the other side of the table. Sam followed her closely, glaring over at me as he sat down next to her.