Jemma’s P.O.V.
Michael was relentless in his insistence to pay for my half of the groceries with his, but I refused. I didn’t want it to seem like I was just using him for money, especially now that I know he’s actually in one of the biggest bands in the world.
Knowing the truth made me much more aware of my surroundings when I was with him, but him realizing who I was didn’t seem to phase him as much as I did which wasn’t a surprise. All I do is post entertaining three minute videos on YouTube with the occasional tour with other internet beings and appearances every year, and Michael was actually writing music, selling out arenas, and traveling all over the world for his job. I honestly felt so small compared to him regardless of how smoothly our beginning was, but I tried to not let it get in the way of our friendship so I acted as casual as possible. Maybe this is why he wasn’t too keen on telling me who he really was.
"Food shopping went very well if I do say so myself," Michael commented as we brought a dolley filled with our grocery bags up to my room first
"I know, the cucumbers just make your eyes pop," I joked while we were arranging the food I bought in my kitchen
"You’re very witty you know that?" He chuckled letting his arm brush against my skin once we were both standing in front of the fridge about to put the different products we were holding into the frozen chamber. He stopped himself after his comment to take a break and looked at me for my response.
"I have my moments," I shrugged continuing my movements until his next words made me stop
"I like it,"
Right after, he went on with the rest of my bags as I stopped trying to keep myself from blushing. This god damn fuckboy is doing something to me and I hate it, I really do. I’ve never been this flustered and tingly around one single person before and then he comes along and suddenly it felt like everything was thrown at me all at once.
Michael’s. P.O.V.
I could tell that what I said affected her, I just didn’t know whether it was in a good or bad way.
She was something else you know? Someone I just happened to fall into one odd night, both literally and figuratively, who seemed to have touched me in more ways than one. This wasn’t just a crush on a hot girl who I was intending on having a one night stand with, I wanted more with her, and hopefully I get that chance to do so.
"I don’t know if all of the lads are home right now, but if they are then you’re gonna love them," I said opening the door to my flat so we could get in to do my half of the groceries
"Wow I get to meet all of 5 seconds of summer, I feel so privileged," she remarked as I cringed at the use of our band in her statement
Meeting new people was always a touchy subject between me and the guys because with us still being new in the business, we couldn’t weed out the fakes and phonies who were just using us for our fame and fortune like other people in the industry could. It made it even harder to trust people, that’s why I didn’t want to tell Jemma.
I just wanted to see how far our friendship would go without having her know what I really do, but our little fan encounter today made that impossible. The good thing about it was that nothing changed between us even after the revelation, in fact, I think I was more excited about being friends with another YouTuber than she was about knowing a band member.
"You should be, obviously we’re the best band in the entire world, everyone loves us," I complimented myself jokingly as she playfully rolled her eyes at me
"If they’re just like you then I find that very hard to believe,"
In my short time of knowing her, she always did have knack at throwing insults at me, that’s how I knew she’d fit in really well with the guys.
"Just wait, I’ll ha-" I was about to say until Calum’s voice interrupted
"Mike is that you? How was your date with- oh shit!" Calum said as he walked into the the kitchen, where we were, and immediately rushing back out once he spotted Jemma beside me remembering that he was only wearing his boxers
"A warning that she’d be over would be nice bro!" We heard him yell from across the hall as Jemma tried to contain her laughter
"Sorry?" I apologized in the form of a question to him as I shook my head
"Well that was Calum, he usually has pants on, so you won’t be seeing that same sight too often," I introduced him as we began stocking up the groceries in the kitchen
"Aw thats disappointing," she said making me the one to stop this time to process what she had just said. Was she into him?
"Sorry about earlier, this little shit didn’t tell me we’d be having someone over today, I’m Calum," Cal came back out, this time fully clothed, and shook Jemma’s hand making me feel more than uneasy between the two of them
"Jemma," she smiled before the two released their grips on each other’s hands. I had to clear my throat in order to get them to realize that there was another person in the room with them as they continued staring at each other.
"I uh- sorry. It looks like you two have it all worked out out here, so I don’t need to help out," he excused himself once he noticed the familiar glare I was giving him
All four of us have that one unmistakable look that each of us instantly recognize because this certain situation that has happened too many times within the group. We’d go after the same girl, and that alone caused enough tension in the band to cut through a block of wood. The look we’d give each other when we could tell that it was about to unfold basically told the other person to back off and they’d have to respect that. It was one of our unspoken rules because the phrase “bros before hoes” never really stuck to us; after being on the road with the same four dudes for years on end, you really look for someone who likes you for you with a lot longer hair and smells so much better than these pigs and once you think you’ve found that one, it was hard to let it go, so I didn’t want Calum to get in the way of this, this could be something good for me.
When he left the room, the first thing that she said made me want to punch Calum for being such a dumbass.
"So you told your friends this was a date huh?" She smirked finishing the last of the bags and taking a seat on the kitchen counter next to me
"What? No! They think it was one even though I told them that it was just a trip to Target," I explained not wanting her to think that I was sucking her into a relationship so quickly
"You’re turning as red as your hair," she commented noticing how nervous I was getting
"No I’m not," I argued
"You wanna bet?" She challenged me
"No," I refused knowing that I’d lose
"So you’re admitting defeat," she stated
"A noble man never admits defeat," I said as she rolled her eyes at me and hopped down from the counter
"And what have you done that makes you so noble?" She questioned now leaning against the counter and crossing her arms
"Carried you up to your flat after you knocked out in the elevator," I said breaking her confident facade as she stared at me
"I knocked out in the elevator?" She asked rubbing her temples and trying to think back to the first night we met
"You don’t remember?"
"I remember meeting you, but I don’t remember getting out of that death trap," she said over exaggerating her definition of the elevator
"Joe’s usually the one who brings me up to my room, sorry I’m just really foggy from last night," she tried to explain looking as frustrated as ever I stepped towards her noticing her mood change and placed my hands on her arms to snap her out of her thoughts
"Are you okay?" I asked
"Yeah I just- I know I get hammered sometimes, but it was never bad enough to make me almost completely forget the night before,"
"But what do you remember?"
"I remember heading out, then it just cuts to you," she said looking up at me
Thank god.
"How come you’re one of the only things I can remember from last night?" She asked out loud but more as a form of a question to herself
"I don’t know," was all I could say
"Well- thank you for taking me back home," she said trying to shrug off her previous thoughts as she placed one of her hands on my forearm before letting it slide down to my hand where it stopped at my fingers
"No problem,"
"If there was anything I had to remember from last night, I’m glad you were it,"