I waited a minute before I followed Jake into the main area of the bus. I'm sure they all would suspect something happened based on how red Jake's face was when he left. I'd have to answer to it at some point. 

Sliding open the door, I saw the guys all getting ready, tossing their shirts over their heads and attempting to share the one tiny bathroom that could barely fit one person. Sam peeked over at me smiling and motioning his head over towards Jake with an excited smile. I rolled my eyes smirking. He obviously knew something happened. 

I went back into my room to quickly get ready for wherever we were headed today. When I came back out, they were all waiting in the front of the bus, either on their phones or talking amongst each other. I grabbed my camera bag and sat next to Sam on the couch.

"What's on the agenda for today?" I asked.
"We're gonna get to the venue a little earlier today so we figured it'd be cool to walk around town, see what's around, maybe grab some lunch. Management said that people have started lining up earlier and earlier each show, so we thought it'd be nice to meet some of them before the show too."
"Oh, that'll be nice." I said.
"Yeah, so that'll be a great opportunity for more photos." Danny said.
"You got it." I smiled.

When we felt the bus stop, one by one we made our way down the steps into the hot sun. It was blaring today. Looking around, I couldn't even tell you where we were.
"Where's the venue?" Josh asked. Danny looked at his phone.
"Should be around this cover, one block down." 

I took out my camera, tossing the strap around my neck, letting it bounce against my chest as we walked down the street. Jake walked up next to me, gently brushing his hand against mine. I smiled, but before moving my hand into his, I noticed the line already fully formed outside the venue. I shook my head. He smirked, and moved his hand away, shoving them into his pockets.

"Hey guys!" Sam yelled out. I hung back and took a few photos of the ecstatic fans. Some screamed, some frantically waved. I couldn't help but smile at how excited they were. 

Click. Click. Click.

"Josh! Over here!" a group yelled. He smiled, walking over and gave them all hugs. Looking down the line, I noticed how many were already done up and looked gorgeous. I felt my cheeks burning. The fact that any of the guys could have whoever those chose. I felt my stomach drop a little, but continued taking photos.
"Jake!" another group yelled. He went over, smiling and leaning over the barricade to take photos with them all. I took one photo, and moved on. 

"You guys excited for the show tonight?" I heard Sam say to a few more fans down the line. He was signing albums, leaning over and taking photos as well. They all talked fast, and you could hear the nerves in their voices. It felt funny knowing Sam was in my bedroom just hours before, giving me advice on his brothers, and now there were girls outside crying over him. 

Click. Click. Click. 

I made my way down the line, snapping more photos until the fans eventually caught on to who I was and started posing, or asking for photos to be taken of them. I took a few to humor them, but continued down the line.

"Oh my god, how lucky.." I heard them whisper as I walked down the sidewalk, catching up with the guys. 
"She gets to be with them all the time." 
"I wonder if she's dating one of them.
"Oh my god, probably. Ugh! How?" 
"You're so much prettier than her, don't worry." 
"Don't worry, I doubt she's with any of them." 

I had heard enough. I could feel my face getting hot as I quickly walked down the street, and waited at the bus. I looked through some of my photos hoping that one of the guys would come back after they made their way down the line. There were a lot of them, so I didn't expect anyone for a little while.

Every photo I came across, I couldn't help but notice the way the girls stared at them. Admiring them. The boys nonchalantly smiled, and signed, gave hugs and posed for their photos, seemingly unfazed. There was a knot in my stomach. I hated the way they ogled at them, like pieces of meat. 

"There you are.." I heard from behind me. I jumped, shutting my camera off. It was Jake.
"I wondered where you went off to." He said with a smile. I sighed. 
"I, uh.. I got a lot. I wanted to give you all some time." I said quietly. 
"... what's wrong?" He finally asked. He stared at me, skeptical. I could feel my face get even redder.
"It's.. it's nothing." I said, forcing a smile. He didn't seem convinced.
"So, um.." he started "Can I.. maybe we.. do.. do you wanna get lunch with me?" he eventually laughed out. I couldn't help but smile. 
"...is this a date?" I asked. He smirked, his cheeks getting red. 
"This is me.. asking you.. if you want to eat with me." he said cautiously. I laughed. 
"I'd love to eat with you." His smile grew.
"Great." He sighed, taking my hand. He saw me look down at it as he intertwined our fingers.
"Don't worry, we're going the other way, no one will see."
"Thank you.." I mumbled. He gently rubbed my thumb with his. I felt my heart start to beat faster.

This town had an old style feel; cobblestone walkways and little mom-and-pop shops, the smell of fresh baked bread and super sweet pastries filled the air. It felt like a dream, a long ways away from home.

"So, what do you like?" he asked, peeking down at me from over his sunglasses.
"I'm not picky." I said, now swinging our hands, looking around at all the shops. We eventually turned into a tiny cafe with the classic bright red booths. I slid in and he slid in close beside me, keeping out backs to the door. I giggled.

"Oh no, you're one of those 'same side of the booth' kinda guys?" He laughed.
"Not until recently." He said sweetly, his leg rubbing up against mine.
"Next you're gonna order a milkshake with two straws." I joked. He shrugged with a sly grin. 
"What flavor do you like?" I shook my head, but eventually gave in. He was lucky he was so cute.
"Chocolate." 
"Chocolate it is."

After the waiter brought over the milkshake, Jake instantly slid it over in front of him, taking a huge sip. 
"Hey!" I laughed, pulling it towards me.
"You made fun of it! I get the first sip." He said, pulling it back.
"Well, I obviously still want some!" He sighed, smiling at me, and gently pushing it back over.
I took a big sip.

"So, what else should I know about you." he asked, now staring at me with those big, beautiful, brown eyes. I couldn't help but smile.
"What do you wanna know?" I asked. He shrugged.
"What else do you like to do outside of photography?" I thought for a moment, my cheeks starting to burn.
"I.. I like to write." I said. His eyes got wide.
"What do you write?" He asked, his voice getting eager. I was starting to regret telling him.

"I.. just like.. poems, I guess." His smile grew. I could feel my cheeks getting even redder. I had never really told anyone about my writing before.
"Could I hear any?" He asked, taking another sip of the milkshake. I bit my lip.
"Maybe.." I said "We'll see." He giggled.
"I'll take it." He said, staring back at me.

"... have you written anything about me yet?" He asked, his smile growing again. My cheeks were burning.
"I might have..." I said simply, avoiding eye contact.
"All good things, I hope."
"Of course." I sighed.
"Good." He said quietly, finishing the milkshake.

He left money on the table, and took my hand, leading me out of the cafe. I followed him closely as he lead us down the sidewalk again. I put on my sunglasses and kept my head down as we started to get closer to the venue. He noticed, lowering his sunglasses too, tying his hair up into a bun. I giggled.
"They'll still recognize you." I said. He giggled, side-eying me.
"We're not that big, Jess."
"They're here for you specifically, they'll know if they see you on the street. And they're not happy about me being around you." He peeked back over at me.
"What are you talking about?" He asked. I shook my head. 
"It's nothing." I mumbled. 
"Did someone say something to you?" He asked, his voice getting stern.
"They just.." I stopped walking. He stopped in front of me, looking down at me, concerned.

"They're beautiful, Jake." I trailed off, my stomach feeling sick again. He looked at me for a moment.
"So?" He said simply. 
"So.." I scoffed "So, you could have any one of them, and yet..." I looked away. He gently turned my chin back to face him.
"And yet what?" He asked gently. 
"And yet here you are." I shrugged, now crossing my arms. He was quiet for a moment, his eyes sad.

"They're not you." He finally said, holding his stare. 
"What if one of them is better than me." I muttered, kicking the loose gravel across the sidewalk.
"I'm sure any one of them wouldn't hesitate to hold your hand in front of anyone." 

"And maybe that's why they're not better." He said, reaching for my hand again. I let him. "They.. they like this idea of me. But you don't want that. You want to be with me when no one's around. You sit with me in old cafes and share milkshakes and wear my sweater just cause it smells like me.. you see me.. in private. They'll never know that version, and that's all you want from me. And.. that's pretty great to me." He was blushing now. I reached up, gently running my fingers down his face.

"You're pretty great." I said. He smiled.
"Can we head back now?" He asked, I nodded.

As we got closer to the venue, I could feel his grip on my hand loosening. I bit my lip, but held on tighter, intertwining our fingers. I could see a smile escaping his lips out of the corner of my eye. He gently rubbed his thumb over mine again. I smiled, looking up at him. Then, there were screams. 

I looked ahead to see the fans in front of the venue, screaming again for Jake, waving their CD's and posters in the air. Some of them saw me first, their faces dropping a little, and began whispering amongst each other. I could feel my face burn again, but I kept my head down and squeezed Jake's hand tighter. He gave a friendly smile and wave to the fans before leading me back into the bus.