lightning - jonah marais

chapter three

"This, is only the beginning!" the boys and their team shouted before lining up to go on stage. You squealed in excitement, overjoyed for the first show of the 8 Letters tour. From the side of the stage you heard Daniel start 'Trust Fund Baby' and you sang along to yourself. "C'mon kid, let's get some shots of the crowd." Zack said to you, gesturing for you to follow him. What Jonah told Madison was the truth, you were joining the boys on tour mainly for the photography credit. It was a huge perk that you were able to travel the world with your best friends and see them perform their hearts out every night. Zack gave you tips and tricks on how to get good, quality shots in the lighting of each song. You were having a blast, taking awesome pictures of the boys and close ups that you knew they'd want to post later on. You scanned the crowd for signs to take pictures of because those were always your favorite. There was something magical and inspiring about seeing fans hold up posters, telling the boys that they saved them or that their shows were their happy places. Along with the sweet ones there were funny ones, memes and inside jokes between the Limelights. As you looked into the crowd from the side of the stage, you spotted Madison in the VIP section. She wasn't even watching; she was on her phone--not amused at all by the show in front of her. The first show of the tour, not to mention that her boyfriend was in the band. You scoffed and shook your head in disappointment. You couldn't believe that she made such a fuss to Jonah about not being able to stay for the whole tour only to not bother paying attention. You turned your gaze back towards the boys, snapping a few more close ups. You got a really beautiful one of Jonah during Cold in LA, a bright smile on his face and his eyes sparkling in the spotlights shining down on the stage. You couldn't help but break out into a grin yourself while you looked through the camera lens. Right before the next song, you followed Jonah's stare over to Madison who was still glued to her phone in her hand. His face dropped and he furrowed his eyebrows a bit before shaking it off and continuing with the performance. Your heart broke for him, he deserved so much better than her. You could be so much better for him than she was.

The boys took their final bow and headed off stage. They were sweaty and tired, but on such an adrenaline rush. They came backstage whooping and cheering, big smiles on all five of their faces. You put your camera away and ran up to Jonah, hugging him tightly. You swung your arms around his neck and he held your waist, leaning back to lift you onto your toes. "I'm disregarding the fact that you're drenched in sweat right now because I am so proud of you!" you beamed and he smiled, squeezing you a little tighter. "Thank you, Y/N. That was insane! This was only night one and I'm already on such a high." he said, pulling away but letting his hands linger on your waist. "You deserve it, Jo. You really do." you said softly and pinched his cheek, walking away to go talk to the other boys. You hugged all of them and talked about your favorite parts of the set while Jonah leaned against a wall across the room, watching you. A small smile hung on his lips, butterflies erupting in his stomach as he watched you eagerly talk about the show. To Jonah, you really were beautiful. In more ways than just physical; he loved everything about you. You understood him, you cared for him, you were like the better half of him. His thoughts stopped abruptly when Madison came towards him, her heels clicking on the floor of the green room. "J! That was incredible!" she cheered and kissed him. He kissed her back, but in the back of his mind he knew that she probably didn't see much of the show. Jonah smiled and held her hand, trying his best to convince himself that she would change.

Everyone eventually made their way back to the bus, Jonah coming in later after walking Madison to her hotel down the street. When he came in you were in the lounge in the back of the bus with Zach, showing him the pictures you took with Zack's help. "Y/N, these are so dope. I can't wait to post some of these." he gasped and you smirked, "I am pretty good huh?" you giggled. Jonah cleared his throat and caught your attention, both of you looking up at him. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. I'll see you two in the morning, good night." Zach said and headed off to his bunk. "Night Zach!" you said and patted the seat next to you. "Come look at my pictures!" you said happily and Jonah smiled, plopping down onto the leather couch. He leaned back and you cuddled up to his shoulder, clicking through the film to show him. He stopped you once you got to the close-up picture of him, his eyes going back and forth between you and the screen. "You took this?" he said breathlessly, turning to look at you. "Yeah, you looked really happy. This outfit is probably my second favorite next to the red jacket." you said simply. Jonah kept eye contact with you, a small smile forming on his face. You raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled, "What are you looking at?" Jonah bit his lip and looked back to the screen, "My talented best friend." You shoved his shoulder and took the camera from his hands, setting it down on the table. You swung your body so that you were leaning on the edge of the armrest, your legs resting on Jonah's lap. "How was Madison?" you asked and he rolled his eyes. "She's being so difficult. I looked for her in the crowd tonight and saw her, eyes stuck to her phone. Like, why did she get so angry at me about coming to the shows if it obviously means nothing to her, ya know?" he rambled, his initial annoyance turning into more of a sadness. His eyes glazed over and you could tell he was very upset, more than he'd like to admit. You grabbed his hand and played with the rings he was wearing. "C'mere." you whispered and pulled him into a side hug. He leaned his head on your chest and let his arm drape across your waist. He sat there, cuddled into your side and took deep breaths. You did what you usually did to comfort him, you let your nails across his shoulder, up the side of his neck and played with his hair. It's worked for years. Jonah let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, "I'm so tired." he mumbled. "Let's go to bed then, c'mon." you said and moved to stand up, offering a hand to him. He took it and you two walked over to the bunks. He crawled into his bunk and shut off the light but before you could go to yours, he called your name. You turned your head in response and he smiled weakly, "Thank you, I love you." You smiled back, "I love you more, Marais. Get some sleep."

You lied in bed that night, staring at the blank ceiling of your small bunk. The way Madison treated Jonah infuriated you, but you weren't sure if there was anything you could without making it worse. Even if he did come to his senses and break up with her, there was still a likely chance that you wouldn't be with him.
You put in your headphones and turned on some music, deciding that sleep would stop your thoughts from racing about the wonderful boy across the hall from you.