13 Days, 10 Hours, and 22 Minutes of Being Married to Alex Gaskarth

3 DAYS 13 HOURS 5 MINUTES

"Alex, we really need to get up." I murmered into the darkened bunk the next morning. Alex squeezed the pillow beneath his head closer to him, completely shutting me out. I rolled my eyes.

"Alexander William Gaskarth, wake the fuck up." I hissed, pulling the pillow down.

"Erin something Gaskarth, no." He mumbled into the fabric. None of that is my name, shocker. Well, technically the Gaskarth is but I don't want to recognize that. Not now. Not ever.

"And why not?" I demanded.

"Tired." Came his simple reply. I sighed.

"Drink coffee." I stated. Alex cracked one eye open to gaze at me with an eyebrow raised.

"We're still moving which means the only coffee available is what Jack has made. That's not coffee, babe. It's sludge." He shot back.

"I'm surprised you know the word sludge." I mutttered and reached for the sliding door of the bunk, but suddenly Alex's hand shot out, grasped my wrist and pressed it back against the mattress beneath his own, wrapping his arm around my waist to hold me down.

"Don't open that door." He grumbled, his mouth close to my ear.

"Why the fuck not? I want to get up." I whined.

"Because," Alex released my wrist but kept his arm draped around my waist, "if you open that door all the annoying light will come in and I'll never get to back to sleep," I groaned and rolled over beneath his arm to look at him and was instantly stunned by the close proximity our faces were to eachothers. Alex and I both froze.

"A-and," Alex stuttered the beginning of a new sentance, "right now I'm comfortable and warm," His arm tightened around my waist a little more so he was holding me to him, not just to the bunk, "and we've got hours before the show, so we can easily stay here." He finished, his eyes raising to look at me. I was captivated and my breathing was sporadic and slightly shakey. Alex's fingers swirled against my mid back through the tshirt I was wearing. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Suck it up." I muttered and then yanked open the sliding door and stepped out.

"Agh, goddamnit!" Alex shouted. I smirked and strode into the main room where Jack, Rian, and Matt were in a huddle, beers in their hands.

"God, how late did I sleep?" I asked, eyeing their beverages.

"It's about one." Rian replied, glancing at the DVD player clock.

"Then why are you-you know what? Never mind." I mumbled. I walked over to the coffee pot sitting by the stove and poured the liquid into my mug. I took a sip and grimaced.

"Oh god, that is sludge." I gagged. Jack looked up and frowned.

"Are you quesetioning my domestic skills?" He gasped.

"Only your coffee making skills. And cleaning. And Hygenic." I stated. Jack scowled and stomped over, taking a giant gulp straight from the pot.

"I am a damn good mother, f- oh my God, that's awful." He cried, his face screwing up in a twisted grimace. I chuckled.

"So, Mama Barakat. What're we doing today?" I asked, pulling the only slightly expired orange juice from the fridge, avoiding the 'coffee' at all costs.

"What city are we in?" Jack asked, glancing at Matt.

"Um, Cleveland, California."

"Oh! Cedar Pointe!" Jack squealed.

"That's in Cleveland, Ohio..." Matt drawled.

"Then let's go to fuckin Ohio." Jack glared, hands on his abnormably thin hips.

"Six Flags is about 30 minutes from here and then an hour from the venue. Sound alright?" Matt sighed, cupping his head in his hand.

"Noooo. Cedar Pointe sounds alright." Jack stated, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips. I rolled my eyes and looked at Rian. Rian shrugged.

"If I make new coffee, will you shut up and go to six flags?" I sighed. Jack grinned that manical, child like smile he has.

"Yep!" He cheered, "Wake your husband up!" I cringed at the word 'husband.' Rian raised an eyebrow at me.

"Still not used to it?"

"It's so wrong!" I cried, collapsing on the couch, head in my arms. Rian laughed.

"BITCH! What the fuck are you doing on the couch?!" Someone shouted and kicked the cushions. I raised my head and glared at Jack.

"Make me coffee, betch." He declared, hands on his hips.

"Yo, John!" I shouted to the bus driver.

"Yeah, Taryn."

"How far away from a coffee shop are we?"

"There's a McDonald's at the next exit. Should be about 5 minutes." I grinned at Jack.

"Your coffee will be ready in 5 minutes." I stated. Jack's jaw dropped and he pointed a shaking finger at me.

"That-that-that's cheating." He gasped. Matt started laughing.

"Boy, you got served!" Everyone paused and looked at Matt. He blinked at stared back.

"What?!"

"Did you just say 'you got served'?" Rian asked. Matt opened his mouth to speak, but just stood up, pressing send on a text on his phone.

"I fucking hate you guys." He muttered. Jack, Rian and I laughed.

"I forget what I was yelling about." Jack chuckled lightly before pulling his phone out of his pocket, reading a text and then skipping, yes skipping, into the back room.

"NO, JACK! FUCK!" we all heard Zack shriek. I raised an eyebrow at Rian.

"Jack likes to cuddle." He stated bluntly. Zack came stumbling into main room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and shaking out his overly long blonde hair.

Oh and did I mention he was shirtless?

What? I'm married not blind.

Zack went lay out on the couch, but seeing as I was already spread out, Zack stretched out on top of me. I groaned beneath his weight and buried my head into my arms.

"Zaaaaaack, why?" I whined. Zack's arms wrapped around my waist and he dug his nose into the crook between my shoulder blades.

"Waking up to Jack's hairy legs makes me want a girl pillow and you're the only girl here." He replied into my skin.

"Riaaaan." I groaned.

"What, you think i can lift all that man muscle?" Rian replied, a slight chuckle lilting his tone.

"Your nose is freezing. " I complained, arching away from Zack's cold face.

"Quiet. Pillows don't talk." He mumbled, squeezing me for emphasis.

"Eek! Taryn Gaskarth!" I heard Jack squeal. I raised my head slightly to shoot a glare at him.

"Jack. Pitch level. Lower it." I muttered.

"Eek. Taryn Gaskarth." Jack drawled in a deep masculine voice. I laughed. Oh that boy.

"Don't call me that, Jack." I said through a smile.

"It's your name, and really, I think you deserve a lecture. Especially since-"

"McDonald's!" The bus driver shouted.

"-Coffee!" Jack squealed, darting off the bus, closely followed by Rian.

"Oh hell yes!" Zack declared, pushing up off of me and running out of the bus.

"Wasgoinon?" Someone mumbled. I opened an eye and saw Alex leaning against the wall, looking around bleary eyed.

"McDonald's coffee run." I mumbled.

"I thought Jack mad-"

"Sludge." I could almost hear his smile.

"Told you." I rolled my eyes inwardly and looked up at him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah the almighty Gaskarth." Alex grinned and across his arms against his chest.

"You bet your ass. Now why is everyone so psyched for McDonald's coffee?"

"They're not. We're going to six flags." Alex's face lit up.

"Seriously?! Fuck yes. Get off your ass, Evans. Coffee time." Alex squealed, bearing an odd simularity to Jack, and then grabbed my wrist and yanked me off the bus.

"Gaskarth, what the hell?!" I exclaimed as I stumbled out after him.

"Six Flags!" He exclaimed, pulling open the door and then running over to the group seated at a table, coffees in their hand.

"Six Flags!" He squealed again. Jack clapped his hands.

"I KNOW! Go get your coffee, bitches!Delicious is in the can and then we're leaving!" Alex, still pulling me by the wrist, yanked me over to the counter, telling his order to the girl at the register.

"I'll have a small vanilla." I told her.

"$1.30" She replied flatly, the job slowly crushing her soul. I reached into my back pocket for my wallet to find it wasn't there.

"Fuck, where'd my wallet go." I muttered.

"What's up?" Alex asked, sipping his coffee.

"Can't find my wallet." I replied, still rifling through my pockets. I felt Alex step up behind me and his right arm stretch over my shoulder, placing a 5 dollar bill on the counter.

"I got it." He said. I tilted my head to look at him, speechless at the unselfish, and therefore completely un-Alex-Gaskarthy, act.

"Thank you." I said slowly. A smile crept over his lips.

"No problem." He replied quietly. I smiled softly at him.

"$3.70 change and here's your cappucino." Alex and I jumped away from eachother. He scooped up the money and I grabbed my coffee. I turned around, the remainder of ATL was staring at us intently, quickly looking away when I faced them.

"Ok. Let's go." I squeaked awkwardly and then walked briskly out of the resturant.

"Hey, Taryn." Zack said when they followed me onto the bus and it had started rolling. I turned.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Found your wallet." He replied, tossing it to me. I gaped at the clipped wallet as it landed in my hand.

"How the hell did you-"

"Hey guys, you seen Delicious?" Jack asked, coming into the main room from the bunk area. We all looked around at eachother.

"FUCK!"

***********

3 DAYS 15 HOURS 32 MINUTES

"I can't believe you guys fucking left me." Delicious grumbled.

"We said we were sorry like 50 times in last 2 hours!" Greco whined.

"And we popped a U-ey and came right back!" Rian said.

"Yeah, wha-"

"Bungee Jumping!" Jack shouted, pointing at the huge swing and jumping up and down.

"That is a huge ass swing" I said, eyeing the ride nervously.

"Oh come ON, Taryn! Pleeeease? I's a partner ride! I'll ride with Zack-" Jack started.

"I've got Rian-" Matt added.

"And fuck that, I'm not going. Weak stomach." Delicious said.

"Ditto." Greco added.

"That means you have to go or Alex will be riding alone and probably rocket off the arch or something." Jack said, a cocky hand on his hip.

"That really doesn't sound that bad." I grumbled.

"Taryn." Jack said warningly, tapping his foot, "Get on the ride."

"Bu-I-"

"Oh come on, Tar, live a little." Matt said, rolling his eyes.

"What did I say about that name?" I grumbled.

"C'mon. We'll go first so you won't have to watch them, ok?" Alex said, hands shoved into his impossibly tight jeans. I gulped and nodded, letting Jack's hand push me after Alex as we headed to the gate. My lungs felt constricted and my heart was pounding painfully as they wrapped the black buckled harness around Alex and my bodies. I swallowed down the lump in my throat but squeaked as the wires slowly lifted us off the ground. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to breathe again.

"Ok, you ready?" Alex asked. I took a deep breath.

"Yeaaa-NO! No, Alex wait!" I squealed when I stupidly opened my eyes.

"What? What?" Alex asked, quickly retightening the rope he had almost let slip.

"I have a confession to make." I said breathlessly staring at the ground so far below us.

"Is now really the time? We're currently 100 feet off the ground!" Alex exclaimed.

"I know! I'm afraid of heights!" Alex paused and then sighed.

"Alright. Hold this." He said, pullling the rope over to me.

"What, are you fucking insane?! I'm not holding that fucking rope!"

"It'll help you relax a little. You'll hold us, not me. You know you trust yourself more then me." This was true. I tentatively reached foreward and grasped the rope, Alex's hand squeezing around mine, tightening the grip. He let go and then wrapped both his arms tightly around my middle, pulling me into him.

"Ok, now let go whenever you're ready."

"Oh yeah, that's going to happen. I let go of the rope and then plummet to my death." I laughed cynically.

"Look at this way, I'm dying too in that case." I could feel him smiling against the side of my arm.

"That is a bit of a bright side" I muttered.

"What? I was kidding and FUCK!" Alex shrieked, tightening his hold on me. In midtirade I had released the rope sending us hurtling toward the ground.

"Shit!" I screamed, winding my arms aorund Alex and holding on for dear life. We leveled and then swung up, hovering in mid air and then flying back down.

"He-ell yeah!" Alex laughed, enjoying the ride after the initial shock wore off.

"How the hell can you enjoy this?!" I shouted over the wind rushing over our bodies.

"Open your eyes! We're not falling! We're fucking flying!" He cheered. I cracked one eye open, looked at his exhilerated face and then at the scenery flying passed us. We were flying. I smiled.

"There you go! Have some fun, Erin!" I rolled my eyes.

"It's fucking Taryn!" I shouted back, almost out of habit as aggravation was near impossible with the thrill of flying running through me.

"Yeah yeah yeah." Alex replied. Silence enveloped us except for shouts of laughter and whoops from the boys below us.

"Holy shit." I laughed as we pendulumed down, slowing to a stop.

"Oh hell yes. And what the fuck was that? Letting us go without warning me first?" Alex demanded, as he lifted himself off the harness. I followed suit and straightened out my clothes, a grin still plastered on my face.

"I was getting sick of your little lecture, Gaskarth." I joked as we stepped off the platform.

"Holy shit, you guys screamed fucking loud." Zack laughed, as they jogged over to us while Matt and Rian strapped up.

"Alex, you screamed like a fucking girl." Jack laughed.

"Bitch, I did not!" Alex replied, shoving Jack's shoulder.

"Oh you did not just shove me." Jack said, doing the complicated 'Z' snap and shoving Alex back.

"Oh it is SO on,bro." And so preceded a girly slap fight between the friends.

"This happen often?" I asked Zack.

"More often then I'm comfortable with. Although not much lately." Zack replied, a slight smile lifting his lips. I rolled my eyes at Jack and Alex's squeals of 'ow' and 'bitch!'

"I declare Jack the winner! Let's go!" I shouted. I grab Greco and Alex's wrist and yank them away and over to watch the shrieking Rian and Matt.

And behind our backs Zack and Jack shared a knowing look.