It's Hard To Say "I Do", When I Don't

Chapter 6

PAIGE'S POV

I followed the guys into a separate room that had all their band material set up. There was a microphone at the the front, drums in the back and a bass and electric guitar on either side.

I had sat down in a chair Patrick carried in for me and placed it in front of the microphone.

"Which one?" Patrick asked from behind the mic.

"Excuse me?" I had no clue what he was talking about. I watched as Pete placed his bass over his head and plucked a few times to make sure the guitar was in tune.

"What song Paige? We need the practice." Patrick made his question more clear from the first time.

"Um I like, hmmm." I bit the inside of my cheek. It has to be the right song. If I'm going to pick a song they're going to sing it has to be perfect. "How about, Where Did The Party Go?"

Without another word the boys started playing their instruments with Patrick chiming in with his perfect and unique voice to make everything come together. This was better than on the radio. Even better than being squished against a railing with 10 people on each side of you trying to jump over the railing like mad animals. Knowing that if you really tried you could jump over that thing run up the stage and kiss the men of your dreams, even with your boyfriend watching. Now there is no gate. No other people wishing to do the same thing, just me.

As I was listening to them play with my eyes closed until it all just stopped. I peeked one of my closed eyes open, praying that I didn't just wake up from the best dream of my life.

It wasn't a dream.

"Hold on! I knew I've seen you somewhere!" Patrick stopped singing and the rest of the band was glaring at me. "I knew once I saw you sing a long that I've seen you. I remember you Paige. All these fans just think I forget, but I remember you." I looked up at him and opened both my eyes. I could feel my eyes start to water. He actually remembers me. He actually remembers.

I just sat there with my eyes on Patrick and the world seemed to just shut out, just my eyes and his. I wish I could just stay like this forever, but as soon as I smiled I came back to reality.

"It wasn't just once either, I remember you going a few times. You told me that we were your inspiration to keep singing and if we weren't here you wouldn't either. Am I right?" Patrick kept asking me these questions and I tried so hard to not to give it away.

"Yeah." I put my head back to my phone and pretended like I was texting but I was just looking at my wallpaper on the lock-screen. They saved me. They really did and they all know it now.

Patrick came from behind the microphone and walked up to me. After standing over me for a few seconds I lifted up my head to look into Patrick's eyes. He bent over and grabbed my hands. I thought he was just going to stand there awkwardly holding my hands, but he surprised me he lifted me up from my seat and wrapped his arms around my back.

"If you weren't here, I wouldn't either. The fans are my inspiration." he whispered in my ear.

*
The drive back to the mansion was quiet and almost too awkward to bare. Pete was driving and I stared out the familiar back seat window for the second time that day.

Every once in awhile I would notice the man driving look through the rear view mirror at me. If I were to bring my eyes up to that mirror to look into his eyes he would force his eyes back to the road and pretend he was not paying any attention to me. This little game we had went on for a few more minutes until he decided to end the silence.

"Did you like the guys?"

"Yeah, they were nice. You guys played well." Avoiding all eye contact I just stared in my lap fumbling with my nails.

"Yes the guys are pretty nice and thanks that means a lot more to me than you think." We were at a red light and he turned around to look at me. "It really does." He gave me a half smile an turned his attention back to the road to drive.

"You hungry Paige? I don't know about you but I am so starving I could eat a horse!" Pete tried to get rid of the awkwardness by cracking a joke. His luck had run out, and the joke wasn't that funny.

"Yes I'm hungry but the joke doesn't really work, I'm a vegetarian." He looked at me in the mirror and I gave him an over exaggerated wink. He put his head down trying to cover his red face so I didn't see him blushing.

"So no slaughter house?" Pete asked grinning.

"Huh, that's romantic." After realizing what I had said I shoved my face back into the window. I can't believe I said that. Yes, he may be one of the sexiest men alive, but I have a boyfriend and I don't know if he got a girlfriend that the press doesn't know about yet after him and Meagan broke up.

"You up for American food that we call Chinese just so people think they're eating exotic food of some sort?" Pete asking jokingly.

"Yeah that works, Panda Express?" I asked him.

"Anything you'd like Paige Johnson." Pete Wentz looked at me and gave me a genuine smile. Not a smile to pass the time. A smile to show me that he has nothing to hide and he is telling me the truth. A smile to show that he cares, after all the stuff that's happened he does care.