Kiss and Tell (A Shinedown Fanfiction)

Chapter Fifteen

The cool blue glow outside the window that greeted Brent when he awoke told him it was around 6 o'clock in the morning. He slowly shifted to his back and stared up at the ceiling of the moving bus. Jade was still sound asleep, cuddled up to his chest. Nova whimpering in her sleep under a blanket at their feet. The bus itself was quiet aside from the low humming from the road.

He knew the guys weren't going to be awake for another three to four hours, and he didn't really know how early Jade woke up since she was always awake before him.

Brent laid in bed, holding Jade with one arm, scrolling through his phone to keep himself busy. He felt Jade squeeze his body closer to hers as she nuzzled deeper into his neck. He smiled to himself and carefully kissed her forehead as he didn't want to wake her.

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The sun was up and shining when Jade stretched her arm out and dropped it on Brent's chest. She reached up for his face, patted his cheek, and smiled to herself.

"Good morning." Brent whispered on her forehead where he kissed her earlier that morning.

She popped up onto her elbow and brushed his prickly face with the back of her hand. "You're always asleep when I wake up. This is new." She sleepily smiled.

"Been up since six or so..." He shrugged the shoulder she wasn't on.

"How come?" She asked.

"I just couldn't go back to bed." Brent rolled his face into Jade's neck and kissed her warm skin.

She smiled at his kiss and watched as Nova was breathing eveningly under the blanket at the foot of the bed. "Oh, I thought I was keeping you here, in bed."

Brent shook his head. "Nope, not even close Jay."

"Shouldn't we be quiet with the guys sleeping?"

"No, we're good. We're rockstars, baby, we can sleep through anything. Years of napping backstage and napping in the studio. You learn to block out the noise." Brent was keeping his voice low when he spoke.

Jade ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his warm forehead. "That's pretty fascinating, honey." Brent's eyes began to close in her neck. "Are you falling asleep?" She asked when she felt his lashes drag down her skin.

He nodded. "Mm-hmm..."

"Do you mind if I get up and go to the bathroom real quick?"

Brent shook his head and laid back on his side, giving Jade enough space to maneuver. "Not at all," he replied as she rubbed his back, and patted Nova on the hip.

Quickly, Jade stood up and stepped over Nova. She stepped into the hall and almost collided with another body. Startled, she jumped, holding onto her chest.

"Oh, sorr–" Zach instantly stopped talking when he saw who it was.

"Can I just ask you something?" She asked Zach. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a small nod. Jade closed the sliding door and let out a breath. "Can you just tell me why you don't like me? What all this shit storming is about? What have I done to make you not like me?"

Zach gently took Jade's arm and brought her into the small bathroom, shutting the door after. "I've seen that man hurt before. It's not fun to witness. I know people who get used and I don't think it's fair. I don't hate you, Jade, I just don't know if I can trust you. At least not yet."

"Because I'm a fan, right?" She crossed her arms. "Is that why, Zach? Because I'm a fan and you don't see anything good coming from this? Right? Isn't that what you said?"