The morning quickly faded into early afternoon, fingers playfully gliding across every inch of exposed skin, legs intertwined and gentle heartbeats echoing through bare chests. Coffee stained lips enamored over our first day of forever, where bare feet would replace stiff dress shoes, golden bands on left hands that would soon hold our name. Exchanging eternal words within the sunset's warm embrace to dancing by moonlight, who's radiant glow could compare to only that of his eyes; how I longed to weave my way into every detail of his romantic daydreams.
"I wish we could spend every day like this." I said softly, lying across his chest, staring back up at him. He ran his fingers through my hair, staring back with lovestruck eyes and a gentle smile.
"Me too." He sighed, gliding his fingers down my bare back. "But you know, once the tour is over.." He started, but stopped himself. I shot him a look, shaking my head.
"When do you find out about the award?" I asked. He shrugged, brushing it off.
"We don't have to think about that today." He muttered. I crawled back up next to him, laying my head on his shoulder.
"It's exciting, of course we should think about it." I could see a smile escaping from his lips.
"Yeah, but I'd rather not get my hopes up." He mumbled.
"Why do I think you're gonna win more than you do?" I laughed, leaning up, gently kissing his cheek. He smiled back down at me, his cheeks burning.
"Because you love me." He sighed. I nodded, holding my stare on him.
"I do."
He pulled me into a long kiss before finally rolling out of bed, going over to his bag.
"We should start getting ready to go though. I told Addison we'd be over earlier. She'll get us settled in and who knows how long dinners gonna take." He laughed. I leaned over, propping my head up on my hand.
"I think you're offering to make dinner so I'm the one who has to watch Sophie most of the night." I laughed. He smirked over at me, shaking his head.
"You'll be lucky if I hand her off to you." He giggled to himself, sliding on his jeans.
"So then what do I get to do?"
"You get to sit around and look pretty." He smiled, leaning over and kissing my forehead. I felt my heart beat faster.
"Well.. I'm gonna need practice too." I said softly. If anything, I was the only one who would need any practice. He was already.. perfect. And sometimes I worried if.. when the day finally came, I would have no idea what I was doing. I watched him dig through his bag, grabbing a t-shirt and quickly pulling it over his head. He flashed me a wide grin.
"Why? You won't have to do anything when it's our turn." He said simply. I bit down on my lip, containing my smile.
"That's nice of you to say but.. let's be realistic." He shrugged, his smile growing.
"We'll just have to have two so we can share then."
"Let's not get crazy." I laughed, rolling my eyes. He leaned down, kissing the top of my head.
"Alright, alright. I'm gonna go get cleaned up, I'll meet you out front?" I nodded, staring back up at him. He playfully messed up my hair before going out into the main area of the bus, shutting the door behind him.
I sighed, rolling back over into the middle of the bed. I couldn't help but smile, feeling like finally.. everything was going right. The more we talked about the wedding, the more excited I got. I couldn't wait to see him there as I walked down the aisle, but couldn't help but wonder.. who I would have on my side. I didn't really have many friends back home and.. my only other friends would.. be on Jake's side. I guess there was still time to figure that out.
I quickly got up, rummaging through my bag for whatever comfortable clothes I could find. Deep down, I loved not having the pressure of needing to get dressed up tonight. I was much more of a casual date kind of girl, so tonight was going to be perfect.
When I picked up my bag, I saw Josh's card lying on the floor. My cheeks burned as I leaned down to pick it up, seeing his stuffed elephant under the bed. I reached under, grabbing it and placed it back on top of my pillows, shoving the card into my end table drawer before going out into the kitchen.
My heart jumped when I saw Josh sitting at the kitchen table, book in hand. My face got hot as he picked up his head, flashing me a smile.
"Hey.." He said cheerfully, motioning towards the door. "Jake's outside." I nodded, avoiding his eyes, shutting the door to the back room. I couldn't help but think of last night's dream; the way he held me, the way he kissed me, my hands moving up his bare chest, him effortlessly removing my clothes, piece by piece. It had all felt so real; too real.
"What does Jake have planned for you?" He asked. I finally brought myself to look over at him, feeling my heart beat faster. "I knew he would make it up to you. I saw him carrying everything in this morning." I nodded, biting down on my lip.
"Um, y-yeah, we're just.. we're.. babysitting for Addison tonight. Nothing crazy." I said, quickly making my way to the door.
"Oh, well, I'm sure it'll be nice. I hope you have fun." He said simply. I nodded, hopping down the steps, shutting the door behind me. I could barely look at him, how in the world was I supposed to be around him for the rest of the tour? I quickly shook the thought. I shouldn't be feeling like this. I couldn't be feeling like this. Just a few minutes ago, I was lying in bed, planning my wedding.
How could one stupid dream do this to me?
I had never thought of him that way before.
What was happening?
My heart started beating faster as I looked up, seeing Jake leaning against the van. Great.
"So, I was thinking.." He said, tossing me the keys. "Why don't you show me how good you are now?" My stomach dropped.
"Oh, n-no. That's okay. You drive." I said, tossing them back. He stared back at me confused, his smile growing.
"What, is that just a Josh thing?" He asked. I felt my body get cold.
"N-no, it's.. it's not a Josh thing.. I.. I just-" I stuttered, feeling my cheeks burn red.
"Alright, alright." He sighed, finally jumping into the driver's seat.
As I got in, my eyes instantly shot to the backseat, the vision of Josh and I together replaying over and over in my mind. I went into the glovebox, pulling out his sunglasses to try and hide my blushing face as best as I could. All I wanted was a romantic night with Jake, this was the last thing I wanted to think about today.
For the most part, the drive over to Addison's was pretty quiet, he eventually reached over, grabbing my hand, intertwining our fingers. I peeked over at him, a smile escaping my lips. He smiled back at me, bringing our hands up to his lips, gently kissing the top of mine. I held my stare on him for a moment, feeling my heart start to beat faster.
"Jake, what if.. what if I had said.. yes." I said softly, gently rubbing his hand with my thumb. I saw his smile grow, his cheeks burn.
"Yes to what?" He asked.
"To getting married today." His eyes got wide, peeking back over at me.
"W-well, I.. if that's what you wanted to do, then I.. I would've made it happen." He said endearingly. I nodded, looking back out the windshield.
"So you weren't kidding." I said quietly. He shook his head.
"Nope."
Finally, he turned into a long bricked driveway, leading to one of the most beautiful houses I had ever seen. The perfectly manicured lawn a deep green, not a single blade of grass out of place. Jake hopped out of the driver's seat, coming around to my side of the van, opening the door.
"W-what does Addison do?" I asked. He shrugged, giggling to himself.
"I'm not entirely sure, but.. she was definitely the bread winner." He reached out for my hand, quickly kissing my cheek, and lead me down the brick path the brought us to the front door. He rang the doorbell as I looked around, admiring the towering pillars, two chairs placed out on the front porch with meticulously cornered pillows. Where were we?
It wasn't long before Addison opened the door, balancing Sophie on her hip and flashing us a quick smile, letting us inside.
"Hey!" She managed. "So sorry, running a little late. Thank you so much for this, I can't tell you the last time I had a night out."
"Of course, it's our pleasure." Jake said cheerfully, sliding off his shoes next to the door. I did the same, following him closely as we made our way into the living room.
Sophie peeked over Addison's shoulder, nervously staring at Jake with wide eyes. Jake flashed her a toothy smile, giving her a gentle wave.
"Hi Sophie!" He said sweetly. "Remember me?" He grabbed a piece of his hair, hiding behind it, and then peeked out. She finally smiled, reaching out for him with excited coos and laughter.
"Oh, please, take her." Addison sighed, placing Sophie into Jake's arms. "I just need to finish getting ready. Please, make yourselves at home. Sit wherever you can, sorry about the mess." She laughed, gesturing towards the piles of toys that filled every corner of the room.
I sat down on one of the empty sections of the couch, watching as Jake gently bounced Sophie around in his arms. She reached up, grabbing onto a piece of his hair, hiding behind it, and peeking out just like he had done.
"Oh, you are such a silly girl." He giggled, gently touching her nose. "Where did Sophie go?" She laughed, hiding her face in his neck, her tiny hands tightly clutching onto his shirt. He gently rubbed her back, holding her close.
I felt my heart beating faster, a smile escaping my lips as I sat back and watched them.
Oh no..
"Can you show me all your toys? You have so many.." He said, bringing her over onto the floor, gently placing her down near my feet. He sat down close next to her, picking up one of her dolls.
"Now, who is this?" He asked her, gently waving it in front of her. She reached up, taking it from his hands, dragging it along the ground. I heard him giggle to himself, gently brushing the hair out of her face.
The way he looked at her made my heart melt in my chest.
She then pushed herself up from the ground, wobbling over to the pile of her toys, and one by one started placing them into Jake's lap.
"What are you doing?" He laughed. "I can't play with all of these at once!" She let our a shrill laugh, hiding her face behind her hands, falling over onto her butt.
"Oh, no!" He laughed. She reached her arms up to him again, bouncing along the carpet. He shook his head, his smile growing.
"You are gonna be a trouble maker tonight, I can tell." He giggled, holding her close, gently bouncing her in his arms. She lied her head on his shoulders, tightly gripping his shirt again with her tiny fingers.
"Ugh, you're a natural." Addison sighed, hopping down the steps, one high-heel in hand, slipping it onto her foot as she reached the bottom. "I can't wait until I see you with your own one day."
I felt my cheeks burn as I looked over at Jake. He peeked back, his smile growing.
"Oh, well.. since the last time we've seen you.. Jess and I.. we're engaged." He said. Addison stopped, staring back at us wide-eyed.
"Oh my gosh!" She yelled. "Congratulations! I.. I'm sorry I am so late, I can't celebrate but.. there's champagne in the fridge, it's yours now. Take it with you tonight. I insist." Jake laughed, continuing to bounce Sophie, gently rubbing her back.
"Will do." He said. "Thank you."
"This is great, Sophie will have someone to play with now."
"Well, no babies yet." Jake said quietly. I could sense the disappointment in his tone, but he kept his same smile. I could feel my face getting hot.
"Ah, wedding first, okay. So traditional. Well, Sophie is free if you need a flower girl." She laughed, grabbing her coat from the hanger. "Just let me know when and where, and we'll be there." Jake nodded, flashing her a toothy smile.
"Absolutely." He said, playing with Sophie's hair, twirling her tight curls around his finger. She looked up at him, holding his face in hands. His smile grew as he stared back at her, letting her feel her way around, until she grabbed onto his hair again.
"Oh, no, no, no.." He laughed, gently untangling it from her tight grip. "I can tell this is gonna be a problem with you, isn't it?" He laughed. He peeked over at me.
"Could you help me, please?" He smirked, holding his arm out. I grabbed the hair-tie from his wrist, gently pulling his hair back, tying it into a bun.
"There you go." I said, gently running my finger across Sophie's arm.
"Thank you." He mouthed to me.
"You guys are adorable. It's gross. Some of us have to go out and have awful first dates again." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "I should be home in a few hours, thanks so much again. Call me if you need anything but.. don't need anything, okay?" Jake laughed, keeping his eyes glued on Sophie.
"Don't worry, I think we're gonna be just fine, right?" He said, grabbing Sophie's hand, making her wave to Addison. She sighed, giving us a smile before making her way out the door.
I leaned against the counter, watching as Jake effortlessly carried her around the living room, grabbing one of her toys, gently placing it in her hand.
"You are just the cutest. I hope we can give you some little friends soon." He giggled, peeking over at me. My stomach dropped. I felt my face get hot, my heart beating faster again.
And then suddenly, I don't know what came over me. I tried my hardest to hold in it, but before I knew it, tears came to my eyes. I instantly wiped them away before Jake could notice, but it was no use. Finally, he looked back over at me, his face dropping.
"Jess?" He exhaled. "W-what.. what's wrong?" I shook my head, quickly making my way into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.