Who Am I (A Jai Courtney Fanfic) Book 2

Chapter 16-Meg

Meg

I smile as I put on my green clothes for St Patrick's Day. I have on a dark emerald green shirtdress that I made along with some thick grey winter leggings underneath. I put on some comfortable black dressy walking shoes. I grasp my shamrock green corduroy winter coat I made and the fern colored infinity scarf my mom knitted for me when I told her I was going to this. I absolutely love it. It has a diamond moss knit stitch pattern and it's so incredible. I then grab my camera bag leaving the rest of my gear behind.
I hear a knock on the connecting door and I open it to see Jai wearing a green sweater.  He laughs when he sees me.
"You look very festive. I love the jacket," he says chuckling.
"Thank you. I made it," I tell him.
"Really?" he questions looking it over. "That's really nice."
"Christmas clearance fabric," I grin.
"You and your mum, right? Always getting the deals," he smiles. "Anything else?"
"The dress, too," I say twirling around.
He grins stepping closer and kissing me.
"Let's go. I don't want to miss them dyeing the river. Then there's a parade. There are apparently some this weekend, too," I tell him.
"So, let's go celebrate," he grins kissing me again.
We grab breakfast upstairs quickly and rush out the three blocks away to the river. From the top floor of the hotel, it didn't look like they started yet.
We cross through the streets that aren't too crowded so far and arrive quickly to see there are barriers set up. But I notice an area right along the railing that doesn't have a barricade. I pull Jai's hand and we walk a little ways down to right up at the river's edge. I put my arms up along the rail claiming our spot. I feel a kiss to my cheek as he huddles with me on this cold, windy Chicago morning.
"I think that's them," I say pointing to one of the boats in the river.
"I think you're right," he agrees.
He gets out his phone and starts filming as they begin to dump the coloring.
"It looks yellow," he laughs.
"Just wait and see. It should be like a beautiful jade green when they're done," I tell him.
I feel another kiss and he stops filming.
"Turn around. I want a picture," he insists.
"Alright," I agree.
We both turn with our backs to the river—me in front and him behind. I help him angle his phone so he can get the boat in the shot. I give the cheesiest smile and he laughs. I turn back around but he captures my lips with his. I kiss him once more before he lets go and we face the river again. It's starting to change as they continue to dump the color in and drive through the choppy water to mix it up. I see red powder getting put in, too. That's weird... but the color is growing and growing. The crowd starts to fill in around us.
"You weren't kidding. It's beautiful," Jai tells me kissing my cheek.
As soon as he speaks, though, those around us recognize him. He refuses to let me go but still talks to them. They all seem friendly as they ask him some questions, then talk about me. I shake their hands and pose for some pictures with them all. We get back to our view and probably outlast most people here just watching the beautiful green river.
"I thought you'd take some pictures, love," he comments.
"I'm still soaking it all in," I tell him in awe.
I do eventually get my camera out, taking a few shots of the glowing green river. It's such a gorgeous shade and even more so in person.
"Let's get to that parade," I say when I've had my fill for the moment.
"Alright," he agrees.
We start walking through the crowd gathered around the river towards the sidewalk. As we continue on, we get stopped by a group of five fan girls who call him by his character names. "Record these ones, love," he whispers softly into my ear. I immediately get out my phone and start recording making doubly sure it's working. I probably look like I'm just texting or scrolling to them. He greets them and chats a little but keeps both of his arms securely wrapped around my chest defensively.
"Is this your girlfriend?" one eventually asks him.
"She is... and the love of my life," he tells them kissing my temple.
"Lucky girl," another comments.
One whispers to me making a vulgar comparison asking if he's any good in bed. My face drains of color at the crude question.
"I wouldn't know. I'm a virgin," I reply quickly.
She laughs disbelievingly, "Fine. Keep the details to yourself." She rolls her eyes at me.
Then another from the opposite side of me asks close to the same question—just as nasty and indecent.
"I'm a Christian. So is he now and we're not married," I tell her. I tug on him and he understands.
"Let's go, love," he says.
They holler some angry obscenities at me as we stride away but we keep walking. We round a corner and step aside out of the pedestrian traffic near the entrance to a building. He takes me in his arms and whispers to me, "Sorry about that, love." I cling on to him so I don't cry. "What did they say?"
"I don't want to repeat it," I tell him. He takes my phone and stops the recording. I see him turn the volume down and hold the speaker up to his ear. He makes an angry expression and then stops it from playing.
"Let's get out of here," he says giving me back my phone but I notice he keeps looking behind us.
"They're not following us, are they?" I ask in disbelief.
"No, just making sure," he says.
"Okay," I whisper gratefully when he squeezes my hand.
We get to the parade just as it's starting. There are families and children around so I'm hoping this crowd will be a bit more cordial than some from the last. I see people with painted faces, green dyed hair, some wearing silly hats, and others with shamrock headbands and more festive decorations.
The marching band music is happy and cheerful. I'm already feeling more at ease. I see the flag corp pass and I smile remembering my freshman year in the marching band. After that they needed someone on the drums, then the glockenspiel and xylophone. I did the latter ones for two years, the rest one each. There's a group of girls coming up doing some sort of Irish dance—like a folk dance or riverdance. They're in costume and they're really good.
"This is nice," Jai whispers kissing my cheek. "Much more wholesome than the other lot," he says.
"Yeah," I agree smiling as there are people in green leprechaun costumes tossing out candy to the kids.
I hear someone talking beside me and I notice her back is to the crowd. I glance over to see it's a reporter. She's got a microphone and they start filming the parade. I tap Jai on the other side.
"What is it love?" he whispers.
"There's a reporter next to us. You might get an interview," I tease.
"Wouldn't be the first time," he shrugs it off. He kisses my cheek.
I keep watching the parade pass. There's a whole band of men walking by in kilts playing the bagpipes. Then another marching band passes by and a woman in green wearing a crown is sitting in a convertible. I have no idea what for but everyone seems so enthusiastic and joyful.  I'm feeling so much better. I hear Jai talking and I look up to see that he has, in fact, caught the reporter's attention. The cameraman is filming the crowd but she asks if he'd do an interview. He looks to me and I nod that it's fine.
Little did I know that I was volunteering or I would've said no. He pulls me in with him and answers a few questions. Then the reporter turns her attention to me. I give her my name and tell her we're in town for my work and just happened to be here at the right time. I tell her that it's been a lifelong dream for me to come here on St Patrick's Day. Then she starts to ask more personal questions because of who Jai is and he thankfully answers for me. He tells her that we're dating and have known each other for a couple months. She asks how we met and he tells her about the mission trip, that it was a chance meeting. She asks what our plans are while in town and he mentions we're going to view some galleries. She compliments me on my style and Jai tells her that I've made everything. I correct him that my mom made the scarf. The reporter responds that I'm incredibly skilled and thanks us for the interview. The camera turns off and she faces us again.
"What line of work are you in? Fashion design?" she asks me.
I look to Jai.
"As long as you don't put it out for the masses, she can tell you," he says plainly.
She laughs in surprise. "Sure," she agrees. "I don't see why you wouldn't want anyone to know."
He explains what just happened with the five girls and how they treated me. Then he tells her how I got cornered at my previous employer by two other obsessive fans of his on another occasion.
"That's terrible," she says looking at him and then me. "I hadn't realized some fans could really be that nuts."
I find it surprising since she works in the news but perhaps she's new or typically handles things like parades and lighthearted subjects. I pull a copy of the mailer out of my purse and hand it to her.
"This is your exhibition?" she questions surprised.
I nod.
"These are incredible. I'm definitely going to the art district on Friday," she says in awe.
I laugh in surprise and thank her.
"Do you think it would be a problem if we interviewed you that night? You can say no, but it wouldn't air until you're probably closed up anyway. Those usually wind down close to eleven or midnight. We could air it the next day even and generally the artists aren't there on Saturdays or Sundays. That's when most of the sales and offers are made," she says.
I look to Jai for direction since I don't know what to say. He knows I'm asking him what he thinks when our eyes meet. "I think that would be alright," he nods.
"Great!" she says excitedly. "This is actually my first day and it's like a trial to see if I get the job. I think with your interviews I may have a chance."
I congratulate her. She hugs me and shakes Jai's hand. She waves since her cameraman wants to move on for a different shot. I wish her luck.
"That was interesting," Jai comments.
"Yeah, it was. She's nice. I hope she gets the job," I tell him.
"I'm thinking... that maybe you're right... that God is putting things in your path and helping you succeed," he tells me.
"It sounds like your faith is increasing," I tell him.
He smiles and holds me as we continue to watch the parade.
"What do you want to do after this, love?" he asks me.
"Let's go to Billy Goat Tavern," I say.
"You want to go to a pub?" he laughs in disbelief.
"I want to go to the most famous restaurant in town," I grin.
"Alright," he agrees kissing my head. "Let's get out of here and get a cab."
"We can walk. It's not far," I say.
"Lead the way," he grins.
"I feel like I should tell you," I laugh. "Have you ever heard of them before?"
"Never," he shakes his head.
I pull him aside and I play the old Saturday Night Live skit from the 70s.

He's laughing.
"So... cheeseburgers?" he questions.
"Oh, yeah," I nod.
We walk underground and it's actually not too busy right now. I think I saw lines outside of the bars in the area though. I can't believe people are drinking already. It's actually a little early for lunch but we got up before the sunrise and I'm hungry.
We walk in and I can already hear people calling out for cheeseburgers. Jai is laughing beside me.
I order a single and he gets a triple. We sit down with our chips and colas and enjoy the iconic meal getting a case of the giggles every time someone comes in and orders.
"This was fun," he tells me leaning over and kissing me.
"Yeah," I agree. Everything is better with him.