Always There || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 128: Leave It at That

And she was right.
I never wanted to take my ring off.
As far as I was concerned, this was mine.
And I was going to be wearing it for the rest of my life.

I knew what I felt that day; that moment he gave it to me and told me what it meant to him, it only made me that much more sure of how I felt too.

But I was surprised that Jake hadn't taken his off either, considering that this time it was his idea for us to sneak around. Part of me felt guilty, now understanding how he felt back home when it was my idea, but things were different now. I understood not wanting to hurt Josh's feelings but.. what about mine?

"How much longer until we get there?" Leah asked, reaching over for Sam, running her fingers through his hair. He smirked, peeking over at her.
"We get there when we get there. You knew what you signed up for when you agreed to come." He laughed.
"I know, but.. I thought it would be.. a little more exciting."
"Maybe one day we'll have a bus, but until then.. you're gonna have to get used to this." He laughed. She playfully shoved him, rolling her eyes.
"I'm sure you will."

Looking over I could see Jake still fast asleep, his face shoved into his pillow as he tightly squeezed it against his chest. I never thought I'd be so envious of a pillow. I slowly stretched my leg out, just enough to lean it against his when I saw his lips curl into a tired smile, but then quickly shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep as I saw Leah turn back around again.

"See, look at them.. they can't even sleep without touching." She whispered. "Did Jake.. even mention why?" Sam was quiet for a minute, peeking back at us through the rearview mirror.
"He just said that.. it was for her own good, whatever that meant. I didn't ask questions, he didn't seem too happy, so-"
"Well, of course he didn't. He loves her more than anything." Sam was quiet again.

"Do you think I should talk to her?" She asked. I heard him sigh.
"No, I think.. that's the last thing that either of them would want to talk about."
"But I just-"
"We just need to leave them alone, Leah." She stopped, turning back around in her seat.
"It was just nice.. to finally hear a guy talk like that about someone. You never see that anymore. Especially.. someone like him."

Later That Night

As we pulled up to the venue, I couldn't help but notice just how much bigger this one was than the last.
"Is this.. normal?" I asked, leaning in close to Josh. He shrugged, smiling back down at me.
"Honestly, I have no idea, I guess this was the only venue available out here."

I couldn't imagine having to get up and perform in front of all these people. Their hometown shows were one thing, but I could only imagine once the lights went down, you wouldn't even be able to see the back of the crowd, just an endless sea of faces.

"Are you excited?" I asked as he lead me into the venue, always sure to keep his hand readily available for me if and whenever I decided to grab onto it. I hated how it felt like it was teasing me, practically begging me to hold it.
"Yeah, I.. I think so." He muttered, not sounding entirely convinced, perhaps still trying to convince himself.
"Well, you're gonna be amazing." I said, flashing him a wide grin. And I'm sure he would be. He had never been anything short of amazing, in everything he did. And tonight would be no different.

"Do you think you could help me get ready?" He asked timidly, now stopping just outside one of the dressing rooms. He leaned back against the door, holding his stare on me, as if it wasn't just me who wondered where we stood now.
"Sure." I finally said. "W-what do you need help with?" He grabbed the doorknob, leading us inside, quietly shutting the door behind us.