Don't Get Close

*Lucy POV – Two weeks later*

“Great show guys!” I said, patting them all on the back as they walked onto the bus. Me and Serena had been on tour with them for a couple weeks now and it was going really well. We were really enjoying ourselves.

Corey plopped down on the couch and patted the seat next to him, “Sit down, Luce.”

I nodded and walked over, sitting next to him. I normally don’t let people call me Luce, other than Serena, but I had a feeling that even if I told Corey he couldn’t call me that he would do it anyway.

He tried to give me a hug but I shoved him away, “Eww! You’re all sweaty!”

Corey raised an eyebrow, “You know you love it.”

“Maybe she does, but the rest of us don’t,” Serena said as she walked into the room, “change your clothes or something!”

Corey laughed and put his arms over the back of the sofa instead, “Nah. I’m too lazy.”

Serena rolled her eyes and walked out and into the bunk area. She was probably going to bed already, the party pooper.

I heard shuffling and turned to see James as he walked into the room. I smiled, “Hey Jim!”

His face softened when he spotted me, “Hey, Lucy. Enjoy the show?”

“Are you kidding? You guys get more and more amazing every time I see you!”

James laughed and sat on the other side of me. He seemed to ignore Corey’s presence, which I thought was strange, but the two had been acting a little weird since Chicago. I shrugged; maybe it was just the stress.

Joey and Sid walked into the room and sat on the other couches. The room was filled with a comfortable silence as the guys relaxed. Once in a while someone would speak up and say something, but for the most part no one said a word. I thought I heard Corey snore next to me and when I turned to look, I was right. He was sleeping peacefully, his head lolled slightly to the side.

“Hey there, buddy!”

I turned my attention to James to see him scratching Fallen, who was standing by his feet. Fallen had taken quite the liking to James, for some reason. If he wasn’t around me, he was around him.

James picked him up and put him in his lap, “Somebody’s getting big!”

I chuckled, “Yeah. I can hardly pick him up anymore!” I wiped away a fake tear, “my baby’s growing up so fast!”

James laughed, “Even if he’s getting bigger, he’ll always be a big baby.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Look at him,” James said, so I did. Fallen sat there with his eyes closed, enjoying the attention he was receiving. I smiled and reached over to scratch him behind the ear, his favorite spot. Fallen made what sounded like a grunting noise of approval.

James laughed, “See? I told you.”

I simply smiled back and the two of us kept petting Fallen and giving him attention, much to his pleasure. He opened his eyes for a moment to reach up and lick me on the face; his sign of appreciation.

“Aww, you’re welcome, Fall!”

I heard Joey chuckle from across the room, “Great. Not only does Lucy treat that thing like a baby now, but Jim does too! You guys make quite the family.”

I couldn’t help the small blush that found its way to my cheeks. The thought of being anything more than friends with James always made my face turn red. I tried not to let anyone see it, but by the grin on Joey’s face I assume he did.

Fallen crawled over to me and curled up in my lap, ready to sleep. I glanced at James to see him giving Joey a look I couldn’t quite figure out. It almost looked like he was warning Joey about something, yet pleading him of something else.

I yawned, “Well, it looks like Fallen has the right idea. I think I’m going to bed. ‘Night, guys!”

The guys mumbled their goodnights and waved me off. I gave one last look at James, who smiled at me, before picking up Fallen and heading to the bunks.

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By the time I got there, Serena and most of the other guys were asleep. They must’ve really worked hard. Even Serena, with her crazy jumping and moshing on the side of the stage.

I sighed and put Fallen in my bunk. I always had him sleep with me, him being my personal teddy bear and all. Just as I was about to get in and strip down to my pajamas, I heard someone stumbling into the bunks. I turned and saw Corey. Both of us had become rather close, almost as close and me and James. We playfully flirted occasionally, but both of us knew that the other didn’t seriously mean anything by it.

“Hey,” he grinned sheepishly, trying to get his head straight.

“Are you really that tired?” I giggled at him, he looked like he was drunk, but I knew for a fact he wasn’t drinking.

He nodded. I took pity on him and helped him to his bunk below mine.

Once he managed to get up there, he spoke, “So you like Jim, huh?”

I looked at him, speechless, “Wh-what?”

He chuckled, “You heard me.”

I knew there was no getting out of this one, “How’d you find out?”

“Well, beside the fact that you two are practically best friends now, you blush whenever someone mentions you two being together.”

I blushed at what Corey said. Gah! He was right!

He laughed, “See. You’re blushing now.”

I must’ve been really red in the face for him to be able to tell in the small, dim lights on the sides of the bunks. Either that or he was just a good guesser.

“What’s it to you anyway?”

“Sheesh. No need to get defensive,” he held his hands up in surrender, “I just thought that if you liked him, which you obviously do, that maybe you should act on it.”

“I don’t know, Corey. I don’t think he feels the same.”

Corey shrugged, “Let’s find out then.”

I looked up at him, clearly confused, “How?”

“Well, from my experience, the best way to find out is to do something to make the other person jealous. If they don’t care, they don’t like you. But if they get jealous, well then, they probably like you.”

I snickered, “Maybe you should get your own show and give relationship advice, Dr. Corey.”

He laughed, “Yeah, sure. So what do you say? Wanna make Jim jealous?”

“But couldn’t it backfire? What if it just drove him away instead of bringing him to me?” I said. I had to admit, the idea made me a big nervous. I just needed to find out how he felt. Wow, feels like high school all over again.

“I doubt it.”

I sighed, I didn’t have much of a choice. I wasn’t going to ask him, that’s for sure. I could have one of the guys ask him, but that might be a little suspicious. So I decided to go along with Corey’s plan, at least for a little while, “How would we do it?”

Corey smirked, “We flirt, my dear, and we flirt a lot.”

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*Normal POV*

James watched as Lucy walked out of the room before turning back to Joey and Sid.

Joey cast a knowing look at James, “I told you! Did you not see how red her face got?”

Sid nodded, “She’s a blusher.”

James ran his hands over his face. Corey was still in the room, and whether he was actually asleep or not, he didn’t want him in here for this conversation. He reached over and shook him, “Corey! Wake up!”

Corey slowly opened his eyes and looked at James, “What?”

“You keep falling asleep. Maybe you should go to bed.”

“Good idea. I’m pooped!” Corey chuckled. He slowly make his way to the bunks, sleepily stumbling along the way. He must’ve really been tired.

James waited until Corey was out of sight and shook his head, “I don’t think so, Joe. Maybe you guys were just seeing things.”

Joey threw his hands up, exasperated, “I’m telling you Jim, she likes you, too! What else would cause her to blush like that?”

James looked around him. He knew no one was up, but he still didn’t want anyone to hear, “It was bad enough you squeezed it out of me, Joey, and now Sid knows. I don’t need anyone else knowing! I don’t want things getting weird between us for the rest of the tour.”

Joey sighed, “I get where you’re coming from, but let’s face it, you need a girl around. And you like Lucy. Plus, her dog adores you when he’s afraid of everyone else. That’s gotta count for something.”

Sid nodded, “Seriously. You two spend so much time together; I’m surprised you haven’t gone any farther yet.”

“I haven’t even known the girl for barely a month and you guys are trying to set me up with her? I hardly know anything about her!”

“Maybe so, but you obviously like her for whatever reason, and she’s taken a liking to you too. So do something about it!” Joey said. He really needed to get it shoved in James’ skull that Lucy liked him.

“Even if she did like me, she obviously had a thing for Corey. What about that?” James asked, referring to Lucy’s behavior around Corey. She had been wearing his sweatshirt all the time now, and she sat by him and talked to him quite a bit. At first it didn’t bother James, but when he started to realize his feelings for Lucy, he didn’t like the two of them together as much.

Joey and Sid shared a laugh. Joey turned to James, “You really think those two like each other?”

James didn’t see what was so funny, “Maybe.”

Sid sighed, “You know how Corey is. Just because he talks to the girl doesn’t mean he likes her. I still think Lucy likes you.”

James shrugged, “I don’t know. I’m tired; how about we finish this another time?”

Joey knew James just didn’t want to talk about it and argue anymore, so he just let it go. “Alright. We’ve got another show tomorrow and we could probably use some rest after that show tonight.”

“That show was pretty crazy,” Sid nodded, closing his eyes and leaning back on the sofa, “’Night guys.”

Joey laughed and wandered towards the bunks since Sid was obviously going to sleep on the sofa, “Coming, Jim?”

James shook his head, “I don’t think I could make it that far. I’m surprised Corey even did.”

Joey laughed again, “Speaking of him, better make sure he made it there in one piece.”

James nodded and watched Joey disappear into the bunks. He turned to Sid to find him already asleep. James sighed and sprawled out across the couch, what a night.